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US Lambasts Gov Shema Over ‘Cockroach’ Comments …Challenges FG To Defeat Boko Haram
The United States Government said yesterday that it is deeply troubled by statements credited to Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema of Katsina State calling for the killing of the “cockroaches of politics.”
“The rhetorical threat of violence undermines the democratic process and is utterly unacceptable in a democratic society,” “The United States reiterates its call upon all Nigerians to refrain from advocating, fomenting, or condoning violence before, during, or after the elections. The US Embassy in Abuja said in a statement.
As Nigeria looks ahead to the February 2015 general elections, the Mission said, the U.S. strongly supports a free, transparent, credible, inclusive, and non-violent electoral process.
“Participants in the electoral process must demonstrate passion for their convictions and beliefs in a manner that shows respect for opposing differences. “The Nigerian Constitution itself states it is the duty of every citizen to “respect the dignity of other citizens and the rights and legitimate interests of citizens to live in unity and harmony,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, the United States Government said Nigeria should defeat Boko Haram but military power alone will not be enough to win the bigger war on terrorism.
Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Abuja Maria Brewer said the American Government fully supports Nigeria and the Nigerian people on its war on terror.
“Let me be clear – the United States wants Nigeria to win its war on terrorism, and we fully support the Nigerian people in their struggle,” Brewer said in Lagos, western Nigeria, during her keynote address at the 2014 Annual Lecture of the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Programme with the theme “Managing Down Insurgency: The American Experience. Over the last decade, the United States has learned that defeating terrorism requires more than just military power,” Brewer added.
She said as friends and partners, the U.S. provides support to Nigeria in the form? of equipment and training and both countries also share lessons learnt in combatting terrorism.
Brewer said America learnt that winning the war on terrorism requires the protection of civilian population and development in impoverished areas where extremism takes root, noting that it also requires accessible education opportunities for all and a free and fair press that can report openly and without fear of reprisal.
“And perhaps more importantly, it requires viable alternatives for young people who remain vulnerable to the lure of extremism due to lack of opportunities,” she said.
Fighting terrorism, she Brewer said, requires civilians and military to work together to defeat the enemy on the battle field and then address the root causes with good ideas and policies.
“Focusing primarily on the population, rather than the enemy, and reinforcing the legitimacy of governments at the local, state and federal level, reduces the influence of terrorists.” “American counterterrorism strategies rest on the assumption that the decisive effort is rarely military, although security is the essential ?prerequisite for success, “ she added.
Brewer, however, hinted that for the United States to fully support Nigerian security efforts, issues of accountability should be addressed.
“The United States stands ready to support Nigeria and its security services as they fulfill they fulfill those responsibilities with restraint and impartiality. “
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have accused Nigerian military of committing grave human rights abuses as it fights Boko Haram in the Northeast.
Beyond the battle field, Brewer said the US Government, through the Department of State, ?the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and other government agencies, invests substantially in Nigeria in healthcare, strengthening of democracy, the rule of law, economic growth and education.
“We are assisting the Ministry of Justice and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. We are also providing training in counterterrorism and investigative techniques,” she said.
Nigeria’s renowned professor of International Law at the University of Lagos and a member of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs Prof. Akindele Babatunde Oyebode said the refusal of America to help Nigeria militarily has moved the country close to Moscow.
Oyebode wondered why America refuses to sell weapons to Nigeria or use its drones stationed not far away in Niger Republic and called for help and support “by those who profess friendship with Nigeria in our moment of travails”.
For Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi of the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARD), said Nigeria should address underlining causes to insurgency before success can be achieved.
She said the impact of violence goes beyond loss of lives as the conflicts hold back social and economic development.
“Government should set up a national counter terrorism architecture that will harmonise national counterterrorism efforts,” she recommended during her address.
Rivers State Director, National Orientation Agency, Mr Oliver Wolugbom (middle) delivering an address, during the 14th Rivers State NOA roundtable, in Port Harcourt, recently. With him are Sole Administrator, Rivers Waste Management Agency, Mr Ade Adeogun (right) and a police officer. Photo: Prince Obinna Dele
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.