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Ebola: NUJ Lauds FG, RSG For Tackling Disease …Decries Health Workers’ Strike In Rivers
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Rivers State Council, has commended the federal and Rivers State governments for their dogged efforts that saw the eradication of the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the state.
The commendation is coming even as the union has decried the three-month old strike embarked upon by primary healthcare workers in Rivers State, insisting that the consequences of the strike may be more dangerous than the EVD.
Chairman of NUJ in the state, Mr Opaka Dokubo, who spoke when he led executive members of the union to pay a courtesy visit to the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sampson Parker in Port Harcourt, specifically thanked the state Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi for providing the needed resources that helped to fight the disease to a stand-still.
Dokubo said, “We have come as a union to you to take our message to the Chief Executive Officer of the state, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, that as journalists, who have watched this event, we have come to thank His Excellency and the good people of Rivers State for the dogged way you fought Ebola to a stand-still. It is very easy to criticize and continue to criticize. Today, we feel pleased and very happy, and we know that this is how the people of Rivers State feel.
”We are very pleased and happy the way you went about this fight against Ebola and conquered it. We can only say thank you. We wish to commend you on this effort and without reservations, say you have done well. We also acknowledge the effort of the Federal Government as well, and indeed, we say the Federal Government did very well in this fight against Ebola.
“As you always said, we cannot relax because of this achievement; so, we urge you to do more. How the Ebola came to Rivers State is unfortunate, but all that is history now. The reality of the fact is that Ebola was here and you fought it,” Dokubo said.
He regretted that the regular immunization of new born babies has not been carried out government-owned primary health centres in the state in the last three months due to the strike embarked upon by primary health workers, and called on the 23 local government councils in the state, who are responsible for the welfare of the primary health workers to wake up to their responsibilities before it is too late.
The NUJ chairman said, “The issue of public health emergency is very much present with us. In fact, it is something that we fear we have no alternative but to raise alarm. Since July, primary health workers have been on strike. What this has translated to is that from July to September, immunization has not taken place in Rivers State, and that means that we are seating on a keg of gun powder.
“The challenge presented by this lack of immunization is more dangerous than Ebola. So, we want to call on His Excellency to get the LG chairmen to look into the issue. I am aware this is the responsibility of the local government councils; I want to call on the council chairmen to look into it. This issue must be settled and settled fast. They must sit with the health workers; settle the issues that have to be settled and get them back to work with immediate effect. We cannot afford to have another crisis in our hands,” Dokubo added.
Responding, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sampson Parker regretted that the campaign set up by the state government to achieve 100% in immunization is almost collapsing due to the action of the primary health workers.
Parker, however, thanked the NUJ for coming out to commend the state government shortly after the eradication of EVD in the state, but said Nigeria cannot claim to be free from the outbreak of the dreaded disease until Liberia and Sierra Leone become free.
He said, “I must really thank you for coming out soon after this battle to commend the government of Rivers State, the governor of Rivers State and the Ministry of Health that put this together. NUJ should be accepting commendations too because your members went with us wherever we went to. I am happy that you came. I am happy that the people of Rivers State got out of this danger that came to us.
“A lot of time, we are quick to condemn and criticize, and we let go the commendations. I believe that this government would have done better if my Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, had gotten all the commendations that are due him. We assure you that we will continue to be at alert. Until Ebola is clear in Liberia and Sierra Leone, the outbreak is not over in Nigeria. What we have done is that we have come back to our pre-preparation stage,” Parker added.
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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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