Connect with us

News

DSS Frees Detained Journalist After Two Years …As Nigerians Condemn Ogundipe’s Detention

Published

on

The Department of State Services (DSS), has released Bayelsa-based journalist and publisher of the Weekly Source Magazine, Mr. Jones Abiri, who had been in detention for over two years.
Abiri was arrested at his office in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State on July 21, 2016, over an alleged link to armed militancy in the Niger Delta region.
Although he denied the allegation, he was initially granted bail in the sum of N2million and two sureties who must be civil servants not lower than level 12.
Following public outcry, however, Abiri was eventually charged with the offence on July 27, 2018, at the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Wuse Zone 2 in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Last week, the court reviewed the journalist’s bail conditions, following an application by his lawyer who said they were too stringent for his client.
Meanwhile, Nigerians across the country have condemned the latest arrest and detention of Samuel Ogundipe of Premium Times.
A coalition of civil society groups, #OurMumuDondo, yesterday, stormed the Force Headquarters, Abuja, to demand the release of detained Premiums Times reporter, Samuel Ogundipe.
Led by popular musician, Charlie Boy, the protesters insisted on the release of the reporter, noting that they would not leave until he is freed.
The activists briefly barricaded the Shehu Shagari Way, forcing motorists to ply alternative routes.
Presidential aspirant, Omoyele Sowore, berated the Inspector-General of Police Ibrahim Idris, for pressurising Ogundipe to disclose his source.
Another activist, Ralph Adebayo, described the IG as “ignorant,” noting that “he has been transmitting confusion since he became the Police boss, stumbling from one controversy to another.”
Also, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), international rights group, Amnesty International (AI), the International Press Centre (IPC) and Media Rights Agenda (MRA), yesterday, demanded the immediate release of Ogundipe.
In separate petitions to the Acting President, Prof YemiOsinbajo and Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Ibrahim Idris, they demanded that Ogundipe’s personal bank account be unfrozen by the police.
A political party, Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN), also condemned detention and also demanded “the immediate and unconditional release of Premium Times journalist”.
Premium Times Security Sector Reporter, Ogundipe, its Editor-In-chief, Mr MuskiluMojeed and the Education Reporter, Ms. AzeezatAdedigba were arrested by the police anti-robbery squad last Tuesday.
The arrest followed Ogundipe’s refusal to disclose the source of a story published on the online newspaper.
The story contained a report by the IGP, to the Acting President on the siege on the National Assembly by the State Security Service.
While Mojeed and Adedigba were released shortly afterwards, Ogundipe was still being held at press time yesterday.
The NUJ’s August 15 letter signed by its National President, Mr Abdulwaheed Odusile, accused the IGP of hounding the press and urged the Acting President to call him to order.
He said: “I write this petition on behalf of thousands of Nigerian journalists, against the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, over his incessant attacks on journalists and violent violations of their human rights, culminating in Tuesday’s arrest of a Premium Times reporter, Mr Samuel Ogundipe.
“The journalist is being held to disclose his source of information, a demand that is against the ethical precepts of our profession.”
The NUJ recalled the abduction and detention of two journalists who are brothers, Daniel and IzuchukwuElomba as well as the abduction of the National Assembly correspondent of Daily Trust, AbdulahiKrishi, by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
It added: “It is obvious that the excesses of the IGP against the media is giving your government a bad image as an anti- press government, even when it’s obvious these infractions were carried out without The Presidency’s imprimatur.
“We therefore implore Your Excellency to call the Inspector-General to order and stop his incessant attacks on the media.”
Amnesty International tasked the police to “immediately and unconditionally release journalist Samuel Ogundipe, who has been in unlawful police detention since last Tuesday.

Continue Reading

News

Shettima In Ethiopia For State Visit 

Published

on

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.

 

Continue Reading

News

RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers

Published

on

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

 

Continue Reading

News

Tinubu Orders Civil Service Personnel Audit, Skill Gap Analysis 

Published

on

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.

 

 

 

Continue Reading

Trending