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PDP Flags Off Campaign For Rivers LG Polls …As Rivers Ijaws Endorse Wike For 2nd Term

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, yesterday flagged off her campaign for the June 16, 2018 Local Government Elections .
The event which took place at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium in Port Harcourt was witnessed by thousands of PDP faithful from the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.
PDP leaders from the six geo-political zones led by the National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus witnessed the ceremony. Party faithful defied a heavy downpour to celebrate the party.
Speaking at the PDP Campaign Flag Off, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike said the forthcoming local government elections will be credible and transparent.
He charged the chairmanship and councillorship candidates to sell themselves to their electorate if they must win elections.
“This election will not be rigged. Only popular candidates will emerge victorious at the polls”, he said.
He said the country is waiting for PDP because of the complete failure of the APC Federal Government.
“It has never happened that this country is divided on religious lines. APC has divided Nigeria based on religious faiths. Nigerians are tired of the deception and lies of APC. For us in Rivers State, we have nothing to do with APC. APC has no business with Rivers State “, he said.
The governor said that the Rivers people will resist any attempt to use the military and INEC to rig elections.
PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus said Nigerians will vote out the APC Federal Government in 2019. He said that the PDP is united to take over governance in 2019.
He said that the PDP will provide the leadership that will create platforms of unity for Nigerians.
Secondus warned the APC Federal Government to stop killing Nigerians and stop harassing Nigerians through the promotion of impunity.
He said any attempt by anybody to destabilise Rivers State which is 100percent, will be visited by the wrath of God.
“The forthcoming Ekiti State election is going to be a litmus test. We saw all that happened in Kaduna last Saturday. PDP won in all local government areas, but the over-turned the result
“If you attempt to rig in Ekiti State, there will be crisis. We don’t know if there will be Nigeria after that. Our security agencies and INEC should not be deceived into rigging elections”, he said.
Meanwhile, Ijaws in Rivers State have endorsed the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike for a second term in line with the governor’s pro-Ijaw disposition.
The Ijaw people declared their preference for the Rivers State governor, last Wednesday, after marching through the streets of Port Harcourt in honour of late Niger Delta freedom fighter, Major Isaac Adaka Boro.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Niger Delta activist, Ankio Briggs said that in view of the performance of Wike, he deserves another term in office to consolidate on the gains of his first term.
Briggs said after the governor’s first term, the Ijaw people would want Wike to support the emergence of an Ijaw governor in the state.
She said: “As Ijaws in Rivers State, these four years that you have done, we want to say that the next four years, because of the work you have done in terms of protecting the people of Niger Delta, and it is okay for you to run for four more years.
“As we give this support, you should bear in mind that we also will want to come and govern Rivers State after that”.
Also speaking, prominent Ijaw Leader, Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari urged all other Niger Delta leaders to follow the footsteps of Isaac Boro who promoted the interest of the people.
He called for the unity between the South-East and South-South regions of the country.
Dokubo-Asari advised the people of the area never to allow President Muhammadu Buhari to rig elections in the Niger Delta.
Responding, Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike declared that he would remain steadfast in the protection of the interests of the people of Rivers State and the Niger Delta.
Wike said no level of intimidation from the failed All Progressives Congrees-led Federal Government would compel him to abandon the worthy cause of developing the area.
He said that current happenings in the country have proved that immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan loves Nigeria far more than those who misled the country in 2015.
“I have no regret for supporting Former President Goodluck Jonathan. Nobody should deceive us by political parties. Our interest is paramount”, he said.
“I will continue to defend the interest of the Niger Delta. I have approved the reconstruction of all government owned schools in the area, while Degema Internal Roads will be reconstructed”, he said.
The governor said the failed APC-led Federal Government has done nothing for the people of the Niger Delta, hence they should be voted out.
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.
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