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Wike Dismisses Audio Clips Probe …Says Police Action, A Joke
The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has dismissed ongoing probe by the Police High Command, of an audio clip that circulated after the Rivers State legislative rerun elections on December 10.
It would be recalled that the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, had set up an investigative panel to probe the audio as well as some 70 alleged infractions in the elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In a reaction to the police probe, the Rivers State governor, accused security agencies of working for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Wike said it was unfortunate that despite being the chief security officer, some heads of security agencies in the state took orders from powers at the federal level.
The state chief executive officer slammed the probe, saying: “Tell INEC, tell the Nigerian police, tell the Nigerian security, that I want free and fair elections.
“What causes violence? I was here and they wanted to stop the results of my senatorial district from being declared. If in the course of resisting rigging, they shoot somebody, will there not be violence?
“Why will you carry materials and give to the one party to the detriment of the other party? We said, allow everybody to vote. Now, you use security agencies to hijack the materials, to beat up our agents.
“Why can’t they tell you the simple truth? If they conduct free and fair elections in this state today, who will win? Who is going to lose, if there’s violence?
“We want elections. Let’s see who is more popular. You (APC) don’t want election. You want to bring collation officers that will do your own bidding.
“You want to bring INEC officers to do your own bidding. We have no problem, bring whoever you want to bring, but let there be elections. When you win, you won’t blame the person that collated. What kind of system is this?
“The only condition for peace in Rivers State is free and fair elections, like it’s done all over the world”, Wike insisted.
On the ongoing probe of the audio clip, which first appeared on Sahara Reporters, Wike replied: “You look at me, and I’ll talk to INEC’s ad-hoc staff? And they said, I asked where the man is from…the person I gave money, and I don’t know where he comes from?
“Okay, it resembles my voice? I can plant your voice now. Even as I am now, you can take my voice, and plant somewhere. Let them bring their own video evidence. We have shown ours where you can see what policemen were doing during the elections. I hear they said it was through somebody’s phone that I spoke.
“The only person I can even talk to as far as INEC is concerned is the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) or the national chairman or commissioner of INEC.
“Why will I even descend (so low) to talk to an ad-hoc staff? We have over 2,000 INEC ad-hoc staff. Which one did I talk to? Which one did I not talk to? So, please discard some of these stories”, Wike retorted.
“Investigate who? Embark on an inquiry on who? We have video evidence of police helping to rig the elections for them (APC), but they are denying that they are not policemen.
“Police is denying something everyone saw, the SARS (Special Anti-Robbery Squad) man that came. You are saying they are not policemen”.
Wike, who insisted that the election was rigged for the APC, added, “let them show us the server where they offloaded the results. Let them show us.
“Let me tell you why nobody can come after me. Nobody can take my life. Only God can. He gives, he takes. You, who is planning to take, who told you you’ll be there tomorrow?”
“They took my orderly, they took my chief security officer, and they took my escort commander. You don’t know God’s plans. People should take it easy. Anything can happen tomorrow. You never can tell”, Wike added.
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.