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‘RSG Addressing Complaints Over Pension Law’
Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, says the state government is looking into the complaints associated with the pension law with a view to come out with a position that will ameliorate the present fears and hardship being faced by civil servants in the state.
Wike stated this while speaking at the 2017 New Year Thanksgiving /Dedication Service of the Rivers State Civil Service at the Secretariat Complex, Port Harcourt, yesterday.
Represented by his Deputy, Dr Ipalibo Harry Banigo, the governor also said laws relating to the civil service are being reviewed to eliminate the hardship on civil servants in the state.
Describing the theme of this year’s Thanksgiving, “Loyalty in Service”, as very appropriate and relevant to the requirement of the civil service, the governor noted the significance of starting the New Year with thanksgiving and total dedication to the Almighty God.
Wike opined that the State Government would remain committed to the welfare, progress and efficiency of the state civil service, noting that it is for this reason that salaries and pensions are being paid regularly to workers and retirees.
He however regretted that while efforts are being made to meet the yearnings and aspirations of workers in the state, many civil servants are not committed to their duties as they consistently absent themselves and report late to work as well as engage in other corrupt tendencies that tend to run down the civil service.
He urged them to reciprocate the goodwill of the government towards the civil service and redefine their attitude to work in tandem with the 2017 New Year Thanksgiving/Dedication Service by doing what is right always to uplift the civil service and wished civil servants a prosperous and gallant civil service Year.
In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the State Civil Service Commission, Chief Oris Onyiri stressed the need for civil servants to be loyal, dedicated and devoted to service, pointing out that workers in the state civil service who want to further their education are now being granted study leave with pay to enhance their productivity.
Onyiri reminded civil servants that as an important agent of service to God and humanity, they should render diligent and dedicated Service to actualize the policies and programmes of government for the people of the state.
In their goodwill messages, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Ikuinyi-Owaji-Ibani and the State Chief Judge, Justice A. I. Iyayi-Lamikanra represented by Justice Adolphus Enebeli urged civil servants to strive to make things work for the State, by being dedicated and loyal in the discharge of their duties, and enjoined them not to play politics with the rules of the service.
In his exhortation, the Guest Preacher, Dr. Steve Ogan, who spoke on the theme “Loyalty in Service” identified faithfulness, determination, devotion, dedication, allegiance, fidelity and ultimate sacrifice as key elements that should be the guiding principles of civil servants in the discharge of their duties.
He noted that the soul of Rivers State was under threat by the agent of darkness but expressed delight that God had used Governor Wike to restore the State because according to him “Rivers State is a Holy ground” urging non-indigenes living and doing business in the state not to take the hospitable disposition of the State for an insult.
The clergyman called on civil servants in the state to shun all acts of corruption and dishonesty, and imbibe the virtues of servant leadership, contending that loyalty is indispensable in the civil service as the engine room of Government.
Earlier, the Head of the State Civil Service, Mr. Rufus Godwins, said as part of the New Rivers vision of Governor Nyesom Wike, the present administration is committed to enthroning an ethical civil service that is efficient and effective in its service delivery towards the attainment of good governance in the State.
Godwins decried the unwholesome activities of some civil servants who parade themselves as labour union leaders who offend every rule of the service under the guise of pursuing labour unionism including the use of radio and television platforms to attack government policies reminding them that the public service rules are still in force and enforceable against erring civil servants.
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.