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Daura: Group Plots To Replace New DSS DG …As Cabal Mounts Pressure On Osinbajo
A civil society group, Justice For All (JUFALL), has warned the President Muhammadu Buhari administration on the alleged move by the cabal in the Presidency to replicate the scenario that played out in the appointment of the current Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufai Abubakar.
The convener of the group, Barrister Nathaniel Sese gave the warning in a press conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, last Saturday.
The group said that the warning was necessary following the news that the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo seem to be having a running battle with the cabal in the Villa after dismissing the Director General of the Department of State Service (DSS), Lawal Daura.
According to JUFALL, the cabal are hell-bent on bringing back Daura, or in the alternative appoint his replacement with one of the two candidates from the North-East and North-West geo-political zones.
Sese claimed that credible sources revealed to the group that two people have been pencilled down, and they are both from the North.
The group claimed that Daura’s replacements are being pushed by two prominent individuals in government.
JUFALL further advised the Vice President to vehemently maintain his position on this matter and not to succumb to pressure by the silent war orchestrated by the so-called cabal surrounding the President.
“It is now very clear to everyone in the Aso Rock Villa that there is a raging silent war going on between the VP and the cabal on this issue,” the group claimed in a statement made available to newsmen.
The group further applauded the Vice President for maintaining his grounds firmly by insisting that this time, the appointment must follow due process through the National Security Adviser as required by the relevant provisions of the National Security Agencies establishments Act” unlike what played out in the appointment of the current DG of the NIA, where a qualified and appropriate person was sacked and replaced in controversial way when he accused some individuals and the man who replaced him of attempts to blackmail him to handover NIA’s money to them.
In the light of what happened in the NIA, the group cautioned that the embarrassing situation that happened at the NIA which culminated in the illegal dismissal of erstwhile acting DG of the NIA, Amb Mohammed Dauda to pave way for the appointment of Ahmed Rufai Abubakar against all established rules must be avoided at all cost.
The group learnt that the Vice President wants the current Acting DG of the DSS confirmed, or the most senior director to take over after him, as the substantive DG as required by law.
“We are pleased that as a lawyer, the vice president opposed the idea of replacing the current Ag DG with another Northerner when he is amply qualified to be confirmed,” JUFALL said.
The group also observed that the morale and hopes of officers in the civil service should not be continually dampened by imposition of people from outside the hierarchy any time there is a vacancy (as done at the NIA) emphasising that all Nigerians have the right to legitimately aspire to all deserved positions in this government of change and equal opportunity.
“JUFALL will resist any nepotic move to replace Mr. Matthew Saiyefa with any less qualified candidate,” the group noted.
According to the group, it had already approached Chibuike Amaechi and Timipre Sylva, both former governors of Rivers and Bayelsa, respectively, to intervene in the matter.
“Nigerians should begin to ask questions and hold their leaders accountable on sensitive issues that border on national security.
“The illegal appointment of the current NIA DG is already an embarrassment to the image of Nigeria before the international community.
“The manoeuvres currently ongoing to replace the AG DG of the DSS would further worsen the already battered image of the country in terms of national security if allowed to continue unabated, the group cautioned,” the group warned.
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.