News
Wike Names New Works Commissioner

Rivers State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Hon Isaac Kamalu (3rd right), with Chief, UNICEF Field Office, Port Harcourt, Mr Wilbroad Ngambi (2nd right), Chief, UNICEF Field Office, Enugu, Mr Charles Nzuki (3rd left), UNICEF Officer in charge of Media and External Affairs, Mrs Ijeoma Ogwe (right), Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Mr Felix O. Odungweru (2nd left) and Director, Planning/Programme Manager, UNICEF-Asstd PME, Mr Ikpe G. O, during a courtesy visit by UNICEF team to the commissioner in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has appointed Bethel Iheanyichuku as the new Commissioner for Works with immediate effect. This followed the sack of Engr Kevin Wachukwu.
Swearing-in the new commissioner, Wike took a swipe at Wachukwu, accusing him of laxity and negligence of duty.
The governor explained that his administration will not tolerate complacency as he was determined to develop Rivers State, in spite of all the odds.
According to him, “I have a covenant with the people of Rivers state to develop this state. And anybody that is going to work with me must work at my speed and not at his or her own speed.
“Nobody should come and drag me back like the former commissioner. If you are handling any project, you should be the one to brief me, and not me briefing you,” Wike said.
The governor further charged the new works commissioner to always be on the road supervising projects and reporting progress of work at all times.
He said: “The former works commissioner is intelligent, but he could not meet up with the pace of work at the ministry. Take your work very seriously. There should be no compromise.
“The day you misinform me on the status of projects, will be the day you will be sacked. The day you begin to use your office to form rings, will be the day you will lose out”.
The Tide reports that the Rivers State House of Assembly had earlier screened and confirmed Iheanyichuku as a commissioner-designate.
His screening followed a request by the state governor.
The Tide reports that the new commissioner for works hails from Ogbogoro in the Akpor area of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
In a separate development, Governor Wike also sworn-in 17 Local Government Caretaker Committee chairmen with the task to liaise with security agencies with a view to improving security situation in their areas.
The state governor also tasked them to pay salaries of staffers before anything else.
The Tide gathered that in addition o the 17 earlier secreened by the State House of Assembly more would be sworn in later after screening.
He said under no circumstance should caretaker chairmen deduct their security votes before paying salaries.
Wike further directed the caretaker council chairmen to ensure they improved sanitation in their respective areas.
He particularly charged the chairmen of Port Harcourt, Obio/Akpor, Eleme, and Ikwerre local government areas to improve on environmental sanitation.
The Tide recalls that barely one month after the dissolution of the 23 local government caretaker committees by the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, the state House of Assembly, had last Monday, unanimously confirmed the appointment of caretaker committee chairmen for 17 local governments of the state.
Their confirmation follows the submission of the request by the state governor to the Assembly to confirm the caretaker committee chairmen.
The Speaker of the House, Mr Adams Dabotorudima, has said that the confirmation was imperative for administrative efficiency in the third tier of government.
Adams said that the local government administration was necessary for the development of the rural communities.
The CTC chairmen are Michael Amadi (Etche), Sunny Ejekwu (PHALGA), Samuel Nwanosike (Ikwerre), Oye Igenewari (Abua/Odual), Britain Ewor (Ahoada East), Rowland Sekibo (Akuku Toru), Kangban Offings (Andoni), Charles Jumbo (Bonny), Johnson Wogu (Eleme), John Wokoma (Emohua), and Prince Collins Onunwo (Obio/Akpor).
The rest are Prince Isaac Emerunu (Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni), Titus Wakama (Ogu/Bolo), Bibigoka Jackbara (Okrika), Uchenna Akowa (Oyigbo), Stanley Eze Wuju (Omuma), and Parkins Kelu (Tai).
Kevin Nengia , Enoch Epelle & Susan Serekara-Nwikhana
News
I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
News
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
News
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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