News
Arrested INEC Staff Confirm APC Ties With Police – PDP
The Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rivers State chapter, Chief Felix Obuah, has observed with grave concern the persistent assaults and unwarranted actions of the police and some security agencies on its members, the state governor, leadership and candidates of the party before, during and after the just-concluded legislative re-run elections in the state, believed to be carried out in clandestine alliance with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at the centre.
Obuah noted that even though this unholy alliance is no longer a secret to Rivers people, the APC has extended its venom on 21 of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ad-hoc staff who served as electoral officers during the December 10, 2016, re-run elections with arrest and detention, for allegedly not cooperating with them to rig the re-run elections.
Worried over this ugly development, the PDP has condemned such action, calling on the authorities to do the proper thing to avert total breakdown of democratic standards and processes in the country.
The PDP further urged the APC to desist forthwith from collaborating with the police and other security agencies to subvert the democratic process.
A statement signed on behalf of PDP chairman by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Jerry Needam, said, “It is worthy to note, after listening to the APC reaction by the APC Publicity Secretary, Chris Finebone, to our statement on the condemnable arrest and detention of the INEC staff, that the Police High Command is taking instructions from the APC leadership and government at the centre, as the Rivers APC press statement has clearly indicted the party’s connivance with police in the whole process.”
According to the PDP, the APC statement reads; “…that they (the APC) are sure those arrested will confess and name those who compromised them over the December election”.
The PDP noted that with the allusion, “the APC in Rivers State now act as the official police image-maker.”
It argued that “the APC comment puts no doubt on the fact that the party is working with the police and directing them on whom to arrest. But of more concern and dangerous is a situation where the Nigerian Police under the current IGP has now inarguably become an arm of the APC. This is a real threat to the survival of the nation’s democracy and peace in our dear state.
“Another serious cause of concern and pointer to the truth about this police – APC common understanding is the frequent visits by Rivers State APC chieftains to the Inspector General of Police’s Office in Abuja, and persistent boast by leaders of the APC of using the powers, including the police force, under their control to achieve what they want in Rivers State, as long as the Muhammadu Buhari government remains in the saddle.
“This, to us, is unhealthy, and should be checked accordingly, as we suspect the visit is, among other things, to influence the conduct of the police activities and to cause security breach in Rivers State, to justify their push for the truncation of a performing government in the state, even though they cannot achieve it.
“The PDP in Rivers State would continue to toe the part of peace, non-violence and civility in all of our undertakings in dealing with these matters and subsequent ones as they unfold, even as we appeal to all Rivers people and men and women of conscience to remain resolute and pray for God to touch the heart of those who want to destroy the state for their selfish aim to desist and join in the development revolution and wind of peace that the Governor Nyesom Wike–led PDP government has offered in Rivers State.”
The state PDP chairman, therefore, called on the APC to stop dancing in the ring of illusion, and face the turmoil in the APC as well as the mindboggling allegations by members of the APC against its Chairman, Dr Davies Ikanya.
Obuah also urged the IGP to be aware that ‘government goes, and government comes’, warning him to remember that whatever one does, there is a day of reckoning.
Susan Serekara-Nwikhana
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.