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‘2014 FG Budget, A Declaration Of War On Rivers’

L-R: General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency (Lasbca), Mrs Abimbola Animashaun-Odunayo, Secretary, Lasbca, Mr Steven Olarenwaju, and Managing Consultant, Lagos State Material Testing Laboratory, Mr Shola Famakin, at a town hall meeting with stakeholders in the building industry in Ikorodu, Lagos State, yesterday. Photo: NAN
The All Progressives Congress (APC), Rivers State chapter, has expressed shock and disbelief over the alleged zero allocation to Rivers State in the 2014 budget of the Federal Ministry of Works.
In a statement yesterday, signed by Senior Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs to the Interim State Chairman of APC, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, said that “what this means is that Rivers State will not receive allocation for any Federal Government project this year”.
According to Eze, “if the claim of the Minister of Works, Architect Mike Onolememen, while defending the ministry’s budget on Tuesday before the House of Representatives Committee on Works, that neither the Federal Government nor his ministry was at war with Rivers State is true, what could have warranted the omission of Rivers State from the list of states that will enjoy Federal Government presence in terms of capital projects execution this year?”
The statement noted that the Federal Government’s action was very sad and condemnable, especially when it is realised that the bulk of revenue accruing to the Federation Account comes from Rivers State.
“It is simply unbelievable that President Goodluck Jonathan could stoop so low to direct the Ministry of Works to ignore Rivers State in allocation of funds for development projects just because he has some differences with the state Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi”.
The party commended Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Hon. Dakuku Peterside, for proving to be a worthy representative of the people of Rivers State by staging a walk-out in protest over the zero allocation to the state during the Works Ministry’s budget defence.
The statement quoted Peterside, who represents Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro Federal Constituency of Rivers State in the House of Representatives as saying that, “I decided to leave the budget session on discovering from the ministry’s details of on-going projects and 2014 budget proposal that there was no single allocation for projects in Rivers State. The few projects listed in Rivers State got zero allocation. For such criminal neglect, there is definitely more to this omission than meets the eye”.
A breakdown of details of on-going highway and bridge projects in Rivers State shows that no single allocation was given to such projects as the construction of Eleme Junction Flyover and dualization of the access road to Onne Port in Rivers State; access road to Eleme Refinery; construction of Bodo-Bonny Road with a bridge across the Opobo Channel and the rehabilitation of the Abalamabie (Allison Hart) bridge, the party emphasised.
The APC recalled that the Rivers State Government awarded contract for the Eleme Junction Flyover in 2008, and the project was completed in 2009.
The statement regretted that “under the watch of President Jonathan, Rivers State has lost much revenue as our oil wells were transferred to neighbouring states. They have taken away the oil wells in Soku and given them to Bayelsa. They have taken the ones between Oyigbo and Etche and given them to Abia. So, our resources continue to dwindle.
“Another area that the administration of President Jonathan has haunted Rivers people include the blatant refusal of the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to sign the necessary documents that would have assisted the state to obtain an African Development Bank (ADB) loan to provide pipe-borne water for the state and save people from dying from water-borne diseases.
“The Federal Government has also refused to authorize the release of the two surveillance helicopters procured by the Rivers State Government at N30billion, thereby forcing the state to pay unnecessary demurrage in hard currency annually. These helicopters would have assisted the Federal Government to fight oil theft in the Niger Delta region and check the dwindling revenue accruable to the Federation Account”.
The party further regretted that refusal by the Jonathan administration to implement the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report that would have assisted in the cleanup of the ecological devastation of Ogoniland.
The APC expressed deep sadness over the bizarre turn of events as orchestrated by the Presidency.
“As a federating state of this nation, paying our taxes and contributing much to the revenue of this country, Rivers State deserves no less than an equitable share of revenues accruing from its resources and due it constitutionally,” the APC said.
It, therefore, demanded an end to this senseless war against the good people of Rivers State, who are the new face of change in the country so desperately needs.
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
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RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
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Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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