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Amaechi Expresses Shock Over Dimgba Igwe’s Demise …Condoles Family, Sun Group …NGE Mourns
Rivers State Governor and Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has expressed shock and regret over the death of renowned journalist, Pastor Dimgba Igwe.
In a mail to the management of The Sun Newspapers, made available to The Tide, yesterday, Governor Amaechi described the late Igwe as one of the leading lights of Nigerian journalism.
According to the Rivers State Governor, Igwe was “passionate and painstaking. One of Nigeria’s brightest and best.”
He called on the police authorities to do their utmost to bring the killer of Pastor Igwe to book.
He expressed the sympathies of the government and people of Rivers State over this great loss, and assured the Igwe’s family, and friends of the prayers and support of Rivers people.
The message reads in part: “I received with shock today the news of the sudden passage of your dear colleague and one of the leading lights of Nigerian journalism, Pastor Dimgba Igwe.
“Dimgba was passionate and painstaking. A thorough bred professional and one of Nigeria’s brightest and best.
“His demise at this time when our nation is in dire need of men of Honour and courage and when his younger colleagues need his steadying hands to guide their practice is most painful.
“We in Rivers State feel a deep sense of personal loss because of our close relationship with Pastor Igwe.
“We wish to call on the police authorities to do all that they must to ensure that the driver who knocked down and killed Pastor Igwe is found and brought to book.
‘“It is unfortunate that this great man was cut down in what is unarguably his prime as life only just begins at 40.
“While we wait for justice to be done, we want to assure the family of Pastor Igwe and those of you his friends and colleagues that we share in your grief.”
Meanwhile, The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), has joined the family of the late Dimgba Igwe and other sympathetic Nigerians to mourn the passage of the frontline journalist on Saturday in Lagos.
Igwe, 58, a renowned journalist, author and a Fellow of the Guild, reportedly died of wounds he suffered when he was knocked down by a careless and cowardly hit-and-run driver.
A statement by the General Secretary of the guild, Isaac Ighure, said that Igwe was until his death, a peaceable gentleman.
According to the statement, Igwe was said to be jogging near his Okota home at about 10 A.M to keep fit, when the fatal incident occurred.
He later gave up the ghost at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) where he was rushed for medical attention, the statement indicated.
“It is painful to recall that only recently, between August 27 and August 31, Mr Igwe was in Katsina, where he actively participated in all activities at the 10th All Nigerian Editors Conference (ANEC). His death, therefore, has dealt a great blow to the journalism profession to which he and his inseparable colleague, Mr. Mike Awoyinfa, had made invaluable contributions.
“Igwe was deputy to Awoyinfa when the Weekend Concord hit the newsstand in 1989. The partnership was replicated when the Sun Newspapers came on board in 2003, and the various books that they co-authored,” the statement added.
The guild also used the opportunity to urge the security agencies, especially the Nigerian Police Force, to fish out the cowardly driver who committed the dastardly act and inflicted this pain on the Igwes and the Nigeria media.
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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.