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RSG To Site CCS Centres In LGAs …Seeks House-To-House Sanitation Inspection
Rivers State Government has expressed her desire to localise the Cervical Cancer Screening Centres to bring its services closer to the people at the rural areas.
Deputy Governor, Dr. Ipalibo Harry Banigo, stated this when members of the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria (MWAN), paid her a courtesy visit in Government House, Port Harcourt.
Banigo noted that government was determined to improving the health of the people through the provision of quality, accessible, and affordable healthcare to all its citizenry in the state, and commended the women for embarking on the cancer screening programme.
“I am glad that you carried out expansion of cervical cancer screening outside the Port Harcourt centre, by reaching out to communities, even in the riverine areas. This is commendable because not all will be able to reach the Port Harcourt Centre. It is necessary for us to make the vaccination available for our young girls and men too.” the Deputy Governor said.
Banigo also decried the poor level of sensitization in the area of breast feeding and urged them to extend their reach to the rural dwellers.
“As a country, we were recording almost 100 percent in breast feeding, but it has reduced to 17 percent.” I think you must take the challenge to educate and encourage our women to undertake exclusive breast feeding.” Banigo stated.
She charged the Doctors to bring back compassion to the medical practice to help restore confidence of Patients, while promising to assist them in their programmes to achieve set objectives.
Earlier, the President of the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria (MWAN), Rivers State Branch, Dr. Adebiyi Obelebra, said they came to identify with the Deputy Governor as one of their own and to express their excitement at her elevation.
Dr Obelebra promised to partner the Wike-Led administration in implementing activities that will promote the health of women and children in the state.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Dr. Ipalibo Harry Banigo has charged Environmental Health officers in the state to collaborate with government in its task of returning Port Harcourt to its Garden City status.
Banigo gave the charge when the Environmental Health Officers, from the state Ministry of Health, led by Mr. Kikpoye Philip paid her a courtesy visit in Government House, Port Harcourt.
The Deputy Governor who recalled their traditional role of “House to House” inspection, urged the sanitary officers to gear up activities that will put Residents of the state on their toes in maintaining the culture of cleanliness.
“I employ you to start House to House inspection of premises to ensure that our environments are clean and we must keep the people on their toes, to keep their homes, streets and surroundings clean and neat.” she asserted.
She noted the priority attention accorded the issue of environmental cleanliness, by the Government, that necessitated the appointment of a Sole Administrator by Governor Wike, shortly after assumption of office to tackle the huge refuse that littered the streets of Port Harcourt and its environs
Banigo lauded Governor Nyesom Wike and the Sole Administrator, Waste Management Agency, Bro. Felix Obuah for their doggedness in bringing sanity to the environment insisting that education and sensitization was necessary to achieve environmental cleanliness.
Earlier, the leader of the Environmental Health Services Unit, Public Health Department, Ministry of Health, Mr. Kikpoye Philip, congratulated the present Government on its well deserved victory at the April polls and pledged the loyalty and support of the officers to the State Government.
Mr. Philip noted the existence of a wide gap occasioned by depletion of Environmental Health Officers, as many senior officers are being retired without replacements.
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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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