News
Achebe For Burial ,’Morrow
The burial rites of the late internationally acclaimed writer, Chinua Achebe, has begun with the arrival of his body at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja yesterday morning.
The rites will climax with his interment tomorrow, in his hometown, Ogidi, Anambra State.
The body of the late writer arrived in Nigeria at about 8am on board an Overland Airline jet.
A Service of Songs was conducted in honour of the late literary icon at the airport before an Igbo traditional dance group performed outside the venue.
But the pageantry that was envisaged at the arrival of the body in Abuja was not there, although hundreds of people were at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, to receive the body of late literary giant, Chinua Achebe; even as major burial plans scheduled to involve top Nigerian government officials were shelved.
The late Professor’s body, which arrived in the early hours of yesterday aboard a British Airways flight was received by the Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, and the Minister of State for Abuja, Olajumoke Akinjide.
The programme of activities for the burial had suggested that Achebe’s body “will be received upon arrival by a delegation of Nigerian leaders. Diplomatic and cultural representatives from African nations shall be in attendance to pay their respects. Cultural troupes from different parts of the African continent shall perform at the airport reception”.
But at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, most government officials were not in attendance. The only cultural troupe that performed at the reception was from Achebe’s kinsmen, the Ogidi Union Nigeria, Abuja chapter.
The only notable programme that took place at the Airport was the prayers offered while Sen Anyim spoke briefly eulogising Achebe and what he stood for.
Thereafter, one of the sons of the late Professor, Ike Achebe, thanked all who attended the event, and expressed the family’s gratitude for “the warm welcome and reception” since arriving the country earlier in the morning.
The programme had also stated that after the Airport reception, Achebe’s body will be conveyed to the National Assembly, Abuja for another reception.
However, shortly after the performance by the Ogidi traditional group and light refreshment for guests, no effort was made to convey the body to the Senate as scheduled.
Instead, Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, was seen frantically trying to make arrangements for a flight to transport the body to Enugu.
The governor succeeded in getting the body back into the Overland Airline and the body was flown to Enugu with no explanation from any quarters as to why the National Assembly reception was shelved.
However, sources close to the family said that the family felt embarrassed by a media report which showed displeasure by some family members and friends at a seeming government hijack of Achebe’s burial allegedly for pecuniary gains.
Achebe was a major critic of government ineptitude and failure at providing basic necessities of life. He also condemned the corruption in Nigerian governance.
Friends and family had questioned why his family would allow the same government Achebe roundly criticised to take charge of his burial.
A family source said the family was so embarrassed that it decided to limit to the barest minimum, the Federal Government’s involvement in the burial.
The body is expected in Awka, the Anambra State capital, today preceded by a border reception at Amansea by a cross section of Anambra people.
This would be followed by a short service for him at the Alex Ekwueme Square also in Awka.
The body would arrive in his hometown, Ogidi, the same day for a funeral service at St. Phillip’s Anglican Church, Akpakaogwe, Ogidi, to be followed by interment today.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
News
RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.