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Account For Spent N1.3trn, PDP Challenges FG

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a swipe at Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, who earlier in the week, said the current administration spent the sum of N1.3trillion on the execution of capital projects in 2016 alone.
In series of tweets on its official Twitter Handle @OfficialPDPNig., the party tasked the Vice President to explain to Nigerians how the said sum was spent and what projects were executed.
“We are alarmed and highly bewildered to hear from Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo that N1.3trillion was spent on capital projects in 2016. N1.3 trillion on capital projects and nothing to show for it is unacceptable,” wrote the PDP in one of the tweets, asking: “Should we assume the Vice President was misquoted?”
The PDP further noted that since the assumption of Muhammadu Buhari as President, the APC has failed to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people.
“Apart from the infrastructures handed over to the APC-led government by the PDP, nothing has been done in the last two and a half years.
“We believe the Vice President, Professor Osinbajo will provide clarifications on how N1.3 trillion was spent on capital projects in 2016,” it wrote in yet another tweet.
Meanwhile, four out of the seven states that had their chapters of the PDP dissolved at the Special Non-elective convention held penultimate Saturday have already complied with the resolutions reached at the convention.
Chairman, National Caretaker Committee of the PDP, Senator Ahmed Makarfi stated this yesterday while addressing newsmen at a meeting with the Kwara State chapter of the party in Abuja.
Stating reasons for convening the meeting, Makarfi said Kwara cannot afford to be left behind while other states were already putting their houses in order in the interest of the larger PDP family.
“Kwara is the only state we are meeting like this. As I speak to you, we already have submissions from four states and they are ready to work together in the overall interest of the party. This means that they have already complied with the position of the party,” he stated, describing Kwara State as a “highly politically mature and active to prevent this type of isolation.”
On the progress so far made in Lagos, Osun, Ogun, Kwara, Borno, Kebbi and Adamawa States which had their Executive Committees’ dissolution ratified at the convention, Makarfi said states yet to find a common ground on the way forward had requested the NCC for more time, stressing however that in no distant time, all parallel factions would join hands together as one family to move the PDP forward.
“We are making big progress in compliance with the resolutions of the conventions. States are complying and making submissions. Some have asked for more time,” based on understanding, adding that there have been a lot of interests from many quarters to join the party after the convention.
He, however stressed the importance of putting the house in order as the party embarks on massive membership drive across the federation, adding that states that are yet to harmonise will do so after the Sallah break.
“It is good to expand but it is important to put the house in order before expansion,” he counselled.
On the delegation were prominent politicians including former Minister of National Planning, Professor Abubakar Sulaiman, Senators Solomon Ewuga, Simeon Ajibola and a host of others.
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
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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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