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2015: Andonis For Amaechi -Ikuru
L-R: Senior Special Assistant to Governor of Oyo State, Mr Kola Ajayi, Apc leader in Ibadan, Alhaji Dauda Alawuje, Chairman, Ibadan South West Local Government, Mr Tafeek Adeleke, his wife, Ganiyat, at the distribution of empowerment equipment by Ibadan South West Local Government in Ibadan, recently.
The Rivers State Deputy Governor, Engr. Tele Ikuru, says the people of Andoni Local Government Area will continue to support the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government in the state as a way of showing appreciation to Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi for his numerous contributions towards the wellbeing of the Andoni people.
Engr. Ikuru said this yesterday when the wife of the Governor, Dame Judith Amaechi, visited Ngo, headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area.
According to him, Governor Amaechi has won the hearts of the Andoni people through the series of people-oriented projects and programmes his administration has executed in the area, stressing that “you know the Andoni people, when we say yes in the morning, we will say yes in the afternoon, and remain yes in the evening. We do not change, we do not waiver, especially if believe in it.”
He added that the people will work to deliver the APC in the 2015 General Elections.
In her speech, wife of the Governor, Dame Judith Amaechi, said the visit is part of her quest towards the improvement of the living standard of women in the state and helping young people discover their God-given potentials so they can attain greater heights in life than their parents.
She said the Empowerment Support Initiative (ESI) has so far built over 37 model primary schools to provide quality basic education for less-privileged children in the state, calling on public spirited individuals to support the vision to take execute same in other local government areas that were yet to be reached .
Dame Amaechi stressed that, “I have a mission to take from the rich and give to the poor. Situations must change. It is time to act. I need leaders to support because to build a nation you cannot do it alone. 37 schools are standing some LGAs are yet to take off”.
Speaking, Chairman of All Progressive Congress (APC), Rivers State, Chief Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, assured Dame Amaechi of the support of the Andoni people for her husband and the current administration in the state.
”Your empowerment programme is to add to the good work of your husband in this local government. I want to assure you that as a people, we would never flirt in our support for your husband, yourself and all the programmes you have in Rivers State because you have so reposed so much confidence in us. We want to lead the entire state to victory. I can assure you that all the votes will be given to APC,” he said.
Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr. Gogo Levi Charles, commended the First Lady for the youth empowerment symposium that was integrated into the programme, maintaining that intellectual empowerment is key because an educated man will not sell his votes.
Earlier in their separate address, Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of Andoni Local Government Area, Hon. Sampson Egop, and his wife, Pastor Nancy Egop, expressed gratitude to the wife of the Governor for her kind gesture to the people of Andoni, especially as it concerns bringing succour to widows and the less privileged in the area, assuring her that Andoni people would remain irrevocably behind her husband and ensure that Andoni remains an APC land.
The event which saw the turn-out of hundreds of Andoni women was well attended by traditional rulers and several top government functionaries.
It climaxed with the presentation of gifts ranging from motorcycles, cooking utensils and food stuffs to the women.
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.