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Rivers @ 50: Wike Pledges To Construct Jubilee Projects …Stakeholders Canvass Unity
The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has unveiled the Golden Jubilee Logo for the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the creation of the state, with a tacit pledge to construct several projects to mark the epochal event.
Speaking last Wednesday in Port Harcourt at the event attended by political, traditional, women, youth and business leaders of the state, Wike said that the Golden Jubilee celebration has a special and historic significance to the existence of Rivers people and their journey to greatness.
Wike made a commitment that the state government will execute a number of landmark projects throughout 2017 to mark the Golden Jubilee, advance the promise of economic independence and improve access to peace, unity and prosperity for Rivers people.
The governor said that the creation of the state marked the liberation of the Rivers people from the forces of oppression and domination.
He said: “Before its creation, our people, including our brothers from Bayelsa State, existed as second class citizens in their own country – oppressed, exploited dehumanised and denied even the most basic opportunities of life.
“Every Rivers person was, therefore, relieved when General Yakubu Gowon on 27th May, 1967, dismantled the regional geo-political fortresses of majority domination and pronounced the creation of Rivers State, which unchained and restored our rights to preside over our own affairs and pursue our development aspirations within a united Nigeria”.
He said over the last 50 years, Rivers State has made significant milestones, pointing out the Golden Jubilee celebration inspires a new direction to build a prosperous state that all Rivers people can be proud of.
“It is in this spirit that we have initiated the celebration of the Golden Jubilee of our creation and existence as a state to express our joy and thank God for boundless blessings upon as a people. We want our people to use this occasion of our Golden Jubilee to unite and together reflect on the tortuous and eventful journey and project into the future with hope and determination “, Wike said.
He added that although the state government was leading the celebrations, the milestone belongs to all Rivers people.
The governor called on the corporate community and individuals to partner with the Golden Jubilee Committee to make the celebration a success.
In his welcome address, Alternate Chairman of the Golden Jubilee Committee, Chief Onueze Okocha said that Rivers people will celebrate in a very big way as out the 12 states created in 1967, Rivers State is one of the two states still standing.
Chairman of the Rivers State Golden Jubilee Committee, Chief Ferdinand Alabrabra said that the people of the state were eager to celebrate the Golden Jubilee Celebration.
He said that January was appropriate to commence the sensitization for the celebrations that will hold in May, 2017.
The event was marked by the blessing of the logo by Archbishop Ignatius Kattey, solo rendition by Mrs I.B. Osuamkpe, song rendition by 50 youth and another song rendition by the Glorious Elders Choir.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in Rivers State have called for unity and collective efforts to use the celebration of the Golden Jubilee anniversary to engender peace and development in all local government and communities in Rivers State.
The Chairman of the Golden Jubilee Anniversary Committee Celebration, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, while addressing a press conference on behalf of the committee, said the anniversary was geared towards a collective approach in celebrating the creation of Rivers State in the past 50 years.
Alabraba said the vision and legacies of the founding fathers would be sustained.
Alabraba called for active participation in the Golden Jubilee anniversary programme by all Rivers Stakeholders at home and in the Diaspora.
He added that the anniversary was an event to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Rivers people, and called on investors to see Rivers State as an investment destination.
In his speech, the Alternate Chairman of the Jubilee anniversary Committee, Onueze Okocha, SAN said the anniversary celebration was a window for possibilities and opportunities for the development of the state.
He called on Rivers people to key into the celebration, noting that the sponsorship of the anniversary would be private sector driven so as to attract investment opportunities to the state.
Okocha restated that Rivers State was not in division but united and positively structured for the realization of the collective dream of all ethnic Nationalities in the state.
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.
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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.