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RVHA Hails Dev At GPH City

Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN and President, Security Council for the month of April, Prof. Joy Ogwu (left), meets His Beatitude, Gregorios 111, the Patriarch of Antioch, at the UN Headquarters, New York, yesterday.
The Rivers State House of Assembly has expressed satisfaction with the fast pace of development of the Greater Port Harcourt City, just as it welcomed the vision of the present administration led by Rt. Hon Chibuike Amaechi in developing a new city for the state.
The Chairman, House Committee on Greater Port Harcourt (GPHC) and Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Hon. Chigbo Sam Eligwe, who expressed this position, yesterday during the committee’s oversight function, said the process of developing the Greater Port Harcourt City is amazing, as he commended the supervising authority for the progress of work so far.
Hon Eligwe said he was happy that the Greater Port Harcourt City Authority did not owe contractors, adding that the only challenges the contractors were facing were weather and logistics.
According to him, the Greater Port Harcourt City Authority does not owe any of the contractors. The challenges they complained about were weather and logistics.
“We visited a lot of ongoing projects, which include the construction of internal roads, township services, sewages, store water, reticulation, street lighting, and electrical and waste management facility. Some of them are completed while many have reached appreciable level of completion’’, he said.
The lawmaker, however, called on investors to key in to the development plans of the present administration, adding that the process is a straight one, which is targeted at moving the state forward.
In her speech, the Administrator of the Greater Port Harcourt City Authority, Dame Aleruchi Cookey-Gam said that the authority has done what is required to ensure the development of the new city.
Cookey-Gam commended the House Committee for the oversight function, noted that the visit had afforded them the opportunity to see the extent of work and development at the site.
According to her, “It is important to place on record that city development is a continuous exercise. The development of the city was not intended to start and end with this administration.
“We have a new layout area, as we provide infrastructure, we advise the public to take advantage of the housing project and key into it. Our responsibility is to provide infrastructure for the new area and also regulate the development of the area”, she said.
She regretted that development has taken place before without plans and regulations, explaining that the intention of the present administration was to move Port Harcourt forward and make it a hub and planned in a structured manner.
Members of the committee on the visit included, Hon Chigbo Sam Eligwe, chairman; Hon Leyii Kwanee, Hon Lucky Odili, Hon Okechukwu Akere Nwaogu, and Hon Miller Andrew Anderson.
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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.