News
‘Bello Wasted N5bn On Melaye’s Failed Recall’
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi State has allegedly accused the state Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello of wasting over N5billion public fund on his failed plot to recall Melaye.
The party, which described Bello as, “heartless”, lamented that the over N5billion would have paid, at least, two months’ salaries of workers in the state.
Reacting to the boycott of last Saturday’s INEC verification exercise by the electorate, the PDP in a statement signed by Director, Research and Documentation, Achadu Dickson, called for thorough investigation of the claim by some of the electorate who turned out for the exercise that their signatures were forged.
“Those who were involved in the petition submitted to INEC for the recall of Senator Dino Melaye must be arrested and tried for forgery,” the PDP said.
The party said the huge human and financial resources deployed to the “Dino Melaye must go” agenda would have made meaningful impact on the lives of the downtrodden in Kogi State, especially the workers that were being owed several months’ salary.
It declared that the open rejection of the recall agenda by the people of Kogi State was a clear signal that APC and Governor Yahaya Bello have been rejected in the state.
However, reacting to the allegations, the Chief Press Secretary to the Kogi State governor, Petra Akiti Oyegbule, said it was unfortunate that the main opposition party was coming out with another bunch of lies.
She denied that the governor has any interest in the recall of the embattled senator.
“It is high time media houses start holding people responsible and accountable for what they say. Right now, it goes beyond politics. It’s our responsibility, because people cannot just continue to fabricate issues when there are none. The governor will not be interested in spending any amount on Dino Melaye’s recall.
“Melaye, the only senator our party has in Kogi State, won with 94.66 per cent leaving the remaining 5.34 per cent to the petitioners.
“The messages are very clear; that Melaye is the most popular senator ever produced by Kogi West.
“No amount of financial inducement and coercion will change the will of the people of Kogi State in future elections,’’ the statement read.
Ametuo, however, commended the high level of neutrality and transparency displayed by the Independent National Electoral Commission and other stakeholders throughout the exercise.
“It gives us high optimism that future elections will be very free and fair. INEC therefore deserves commendations for the job well done,” he said.
The chairman called on the petitioners and Melaye as well as his followers to embrace peace and heed the voice of God, “because the voice of the people is the voice of God.’’
“I call on all members of our party to conduct themselves in a manner that will boost the image of our great party and not things that will further cause disrepute in our party,” he said.
The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, former aide to President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, and the PDP in Kogi State, among others, have reacted to the failed recall exercise of Senator Dino Melaye of Kogi West Senatorial District.
The Tide reports that the process of the recall of Melaye ended, last Saturday, after a low turnout of voters to the verification exercise.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which carried out the verification in Kogi West, has already declared that the exercise was a failure after the signatures verification process to the petition for his recall fell short of requirements.
Reacting via his Twitter handle, Fayose said the result was a pointer to what 2019 would look like in the state.
He wrote, “The news coming from Kogi State is to the effect that tyranny has been defeated.
“This should be a pointer as to what to expect in 2019. Those youth they referred to as lazy will speak in 2019 just as I heard they have spoken in Kogi against the recall of Sen Dino Melaye.”
Also reacting, former aide, to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, and Senator representing Bayelsa East, Ben Murray-Bruce, also called the failed attempt to recall Melaye the triumph of democracy against autocracy.
Murray-Bruce wrote, “I hope the federal and state governments have learnt a lesson today. Fake popularity cannot match real popularity even when it is in a hospital.
“Grow up! Focus your efforts on improving the lot of Nigerians instead of focusing it on destroying your real and imagined enemies.”
Also, sharing a picture of Dino laughing, Reno wrote, “This picture reflects what @dino_melaye is doing to Buhari and his puppet, Bello right about now!”
Meanwhile, Sen Dino Melaye has thanked the people of his constituency for “rising to his defence” by shunning the verification exercise held on April 28, to recall him from the Senate.
Melaye, in a statement issued in Lokoja, yesterday, also thanked the political leaders, elders and traditional rulers in Kogi West for “rescuing him from his political enemies.”
He also expressed gratitude to the media, observers, civil society groups, security agents and other stakeholders “for resisting to be used against the wishes of the people of his constituency”.
The statement was signed by Special Assistant on Media to Melaye, Mr Gideon Ayodele.
“We thank all democratic partners who have resisted the attempted external political robbery and brazen impunity from raising its most ugly head.
“We commend the resolve of our people who have by their popular wish and wisdom and political independence rejected the selfish and satanic recall.
“The verification exercise has come and gone and the people of Kogi West have willingly exercised their franchise by re-validating the election of Sen Dino Melaye,” the lawmaker said.
According to him, the exercise no doubt, has shown that power truly belongs to the people.
“We wish to equally, commend INEC for resisting forgery in some parts while the exercise was going on, and for finally allowing the wish of the people to prevail as expressed,” it said.
He urged the proponents of his recall to accept the results in good faith and face the task of providing the elusive democratic dividends to the people.
The senator, however, advised his supporters to remain calm and humble in the face of victory and avoid hot arguments or action that may lead to the breakdown of law and order.
But the bid to recall Sen. Dino Melaye from the Senate has finally crashed as only 5.34 per cent of the total 188,500 signatories to his recall petition were verified in an exercise held on Saturday.
The result of the verification released early yesterday in Lokoja by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) showed that 39,285 of the signatories were verified, out of which only 18,762 signatures were genuine.
The genuine signatories represent a dismal 5.34 per cent of the total signatories to the petition, which fell short of 51 per cent or 98, 364 signatures required for the petition to sail through.
It was observed that the verification failed largely due to fictitious and forged signatures and names of dead persons affixed to the recall petition by its promoters.
It would be recalled that some electorate in the Kogi West senatorial district had on June 24, 2017, submitted a petition to recall Melaye to the headquarters of the INEC in Abuja.
One Mr Cornelius Olowo led the petitioners to submit the recall petition which alleged poor representation as one of the reasons for the move to recall Melaye.
However, the INEC’s presiding officer for the verification exercise, Prof. Okente Morthy of the University of Abuja said that the number of signatures verified fell short of the number required.
He consequently gave the breakdown of the results of the verification exercise which took place in 552 polling units in seven local government areas in Kogi West senatorial district.
According to him, in Kogi Local Government with 46,727 registered voters and a total number of 24,459 signatures to the petition, only 2,335 were verified out of 2,566 signatures recorded during verification.
He said that at Kabba/Bunu Local Government with 59,319 registered voters and 27,910 petitioners, only 2,085 signatures were verified to be genuine out of 2,151 that came out for the exercise.
Also at Ijumu Local Government, with 46, 810 registered voters and 24, 389 petitioners, 2,664 were verified out of 2, 811, the returning officer announced.
According to Morthy, others are Yagba East, 35, 329 registered voters, 18, 229 petitioners while 3,506 were verified out of 3, 580 recorded at verification.
At Mopa-Amuro Local Government with 18, 350 and 9, 173, signatures, 710 were verified out of the 729 recorded.
However, the Returning Officer said that there was violence in six polling units at the Mopa town towards the end of the exercise, forcing INEC to nullify the exercise in the affected wards.
At Yagba West which has 35, 506 registered voters and 19, 444 signatories, only 3,729 petitioners were verified out of the 4, 221 that turned up, the returning officer stated.
In Lokoja Local Government with 109,105 registered voters and 66,266 petitioners, INEC said that 3,763 were verified out of the 4, 810 recorded during the botched verification exercise.
A registered voter at the polling unit on the premises of the Lokoja Club, Samuel Olokotun, protested against his wife’s name on the petition list, saying that the woman did not sign the recall sheet.
INEC said that it was not aware that Melaye was detained by the police.
The Director of Publicity and Voter Education, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, told one our correspondents that INEC had received no official communication regarding Melaye’s detention.
He said INEC had only been hearing about Melaye in the media.
Osaze-Uzzi, however, said Melaye’s recall process would not be affected by his absence or presence.
The INEC official said, “I don’t know if he is in detention. You are the one telling me.”
INEC also said it cannot be held responsible for the poor turnout of petitioners in Saturday’s verification of signatures for the recall of Melaye.
News
Shettima In Ethiopia For State Visit

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
News
Tinubu Orders Civil Service Personnel Audit, Skill Gap Analysis

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.