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Mark, Others Back Amaechi On State Police … As Senate Probes N135bn Police Reform Fund
L-R: Chairman, Commomwealth Business Council, Mr Mohan Kowl, Vice President Namadi Sambo, Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Dr Samuel Ortom and Senior Special Adviser to the Vice President on Special Duties, Mr Isiah Balat, at the Commonwealth Business Forum during 2013 CHOGM in Colombo , Sri Lanka, yesterday.
In tune with the position of the Rivers State Governor and chairman of the Nigeria Governor’s Forum, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, the leadership of the senate has thrown its weight behind the creation of state police.
President of the Senate, David Mark and Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, were among those who spoke in favour of state police at plenary yesterday, echoing the position of Governor Amaechi who had remained vocal in his conviction that the creation of state police would promote true federalism and effective policing of the federation.
Contributing to the debate, Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, opined that the time was ripe to create State Police, saying that the Nigeria Police Force is suffering from “structural defect”.
Ndoma-Egba spoke further: “The mentality of the police is still rooted in our colonial history.
“No matter how much you bring, you are not going to change the police. “The idea of a single police for all the country is inconsistent with a federal system. “This motion affords us the opportunity to restructure the police in line to what is obtainable in federalism.”
The Senate leader’s position was supported by Umaru Dahiru (PDP-Sokoto), who also canvassed for creation of State Police, adding: “I will certainly support the creation of State Police as 2015 approaches.
“As it is today, nobody can trust the Federal Police to provide security for the people.
The time is ripe for us to include State Police as key issue for discussion at the national conference.”
Senator Smart Adeyemi (PDP- Kogi), in his contribution, stressed the need to reappraise the manner police funds are being disbursed.
According to Adeyemi: “We need to find out what is happening to their allocation and how money is being disbursed to the Police. “There is nothing wrong with having a State Police.
“We must begin to look at ways to make a policeman committed and passionate about his job by providing them with the good things of life.”
Senator Oluremi Tinubu (APC-Lagos) also backed the call for State Police, saying the issue deserves all seriousness and should therefore, not be trivialized.
Tinubu said: “The entire nation is not happy with the Police. “We requested for State Police but many of us voted against it here. “We as the Senate can do something about it right here before it even gets to the national conference.”
Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, said the lawmakers must take a decision to secure the nation, calling for urgent decentralization of the police.
Ekweremadu said: “About N140 billion had been made available for the reforms between 2010 and 2013 but unfortunately with these huge funds, we are not going to achieve anything with the Police. “We must make up our minds to secure our people by decentralising the Police.”
On his part, the Senate President, David Mark, also backed those calling for creation of State Police to effect structural changes for effective policing.
Mark said: “I used to be a strong advocate of federal government police or central police.
“I am sure you have noticed that sometimes ago I also changed my mind to say that maybe we should experiment with State Police and see what it is. “There are basic problems with the current system but we must try to address them in a manner that has nothing to do with politics in any form at all because if this country does not survive, we will not play politics also.”
Meanwhile, Senate yesterday resolved to investigate whether the sum of N135 billion released for police reforms between 2010 and 2013 had been judiciously spent or not.
This followed a motion tabled at plenary by Abubakar Tutare (PDP-Taraba) on the level of funding and implementation of the Nigeria Police Reform Programme.
According to Tutare, despite huge sums already committed into the reform programme, there is nothing to show for it.
Consequently, the Upper Chamber mandated its Committee on Police Affairs to look into the books of the police as it relates to the reform programme.
In 2010, the Federal government came up with a reform agenda, which is aimed at addressed lack of offices, residential accommodation, operational vehicles as well as communication equipment so as to make the police more professional.
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.
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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.