News
RSG Prepares PH City For 2050 Challenges
The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has stated that the government is working hard to prepare the city of Port Harcourt and its environs for the phenomenal challenges of the expansion and growth of the city and the overflowing human population with its attendant complexities by the year 2050.
Wike said that what was occupying the attention of his administration was how the city would cope with the challenges of urbanisation by the year 2050, when the world’s population would have nearly doubled.
The governor disclosed this in an address he presented on the occasion of Stakeholders’ Summit on Urban Thinkers Campus (UTC), a United Nations Habitat III Programme with the theme: ‘The City We Need,’ held at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Port Harcourt, yesterday.
Wike, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Hon Kenneth Kobani explained that Rivers State was amongst the few states selected for this exercise as well as hosting the forum for the first time in the history of the state.
He stressed that population, economic, social and cultural interactions as well as environmental and humanitarian impacts were increasingly concentrated in cities and pose massive sustainability issues in terms of housing, infrastructure, basic services, among others, adding that these call for the concerted efforts of all stakeholders to address their consequences.
The governor expressed dismayed that most cities’ urban management was treated with levity, adding that in Rivers State, prior to 2015, policies and programmes in urban development were dysfunctional, un-participatory and deficient in addressing the challenges of urban development.
“Determined to change the face of the city and to develop other parts of the state, as a government, we painstakingly reviewed all the planning policies and programmes in the state.
“After due consultation with relevant stakeholders and the general public, a new urban policy tagged: ‘New Rivers Vision For Urban And Rural Development,’ was unveiled aimed to upgrade, provide and modernize social infrastructure in our major towns such as Port Harcourt, Ahoada, Bori and Degema, and envelope them along the part of environmentally sustainable cities,” the governor added.
He noted that “the policy represents a shared vision for a better and more sustainable future, one in which people would have equal rights, access to the benefits and opportunities those cities can offer”, while pointing out that some of the challenging issues confronting the New Urban Agenda include, “Waste generation, slums with attendant criminality, over-crowded schools and hospitals, among others.”
He expressed happiness that the New Urban Vision was already a success as there were lots of massive investment in road construction to ease traffic flow, adding that it was expected that the people and stakeholders will appreciate the strategic and comprehensive new town vision which seeks to develop new urban centres, maintain and manage efficiently the existing urban centres in the state.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Housing, Elder Tasie Chinedu Nwobueze stated that Rivers State was amongst the 74 selected cities by the UN Habitat Urban Thinkers Campus Committee to host the stakeholders meeting on urban planning aimed at giving support in mapping strategic programmes on model cities needed in Nigeria.
Nwobueze added that it was also aimed at the formulation of policies on slums’ upgrading, while reducing forceful evictions and encouraging construction of decent affordable housing for all.
He noted that the platform was designed for critical exchange of ideas between stakeholders and partners aimed at promoting sustainable urbanization as well as addressing challenges to urban future.
Earlier in her address, Executive Director, International Women Communication Centre (IWCC) Nigeria and member, UN Habitat III Advisory Committee in Africa, Dr Limota Goroso Giwa said the forum was meant to popularize the new urban agenda campaign through the World Urban Thinker Campaign and The City We Need Project.
She described Urban Thinkers Campus as: “the bringing of stakeholders together on a platform like this, to reason and pan together on the kind of city we need,” adding that The City We Need Project in Nigeria campaign would be taking place in five states including, Kogi, Kwara, Rivers, Lagos and Katsina.
“Reason for selecting these states is to give geographical spread of all regions of Nigeria and to give general overview and perceptions on the major uniqueness of our ancient cities like Lagos, Katsina, Lokoja, Port Harcourt and Jebba in Kwara State, the home of Mongo Park into the World Map of The City We Need Project in the 21st century,” she added.
She stressed that the objectives are to address three major components of the new urban agenda namely: “Infrastructure, Human Capital and Human Rights” by engaging stakeholders on slum upgrading and desertification mitigation, safer city and security of land tenure, advocate for improved situation of poor dwellers and access to government action towards securing decent housing for the masses.
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.