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Buhari Lacks Willingness To Restructure Nigeria – Wike
The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has declared that the present All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government lacks the willingness to restructure the country.
Addressing delegates of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide at the Government House, Port Harcourt, last Saturday, Wike said that Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo made it clear that the APC-led Federal Government does not believe in restructuring.
He said: “I believe completely in restructuring. If this country must move forward, then it must be restructured.
“Let nobody deceive you, Nigeria is dying. This APC Federal Government does not believe in restructuring. But the Niger Delta says very clearly, we want restructuring.
“What we are talking about transcends party politics. We are talking about the overall development of the country and in particular, the Niger Delta”.
He said anybody who understands the fundamentals of the retrogression taking place in today’s Nigeria, will vehemently support restructuring.
He said: “For us as a people, we cannot be deceived any longer. Nigeria is such a complex country. Just a few weeks ago, a Bayelsa man was the DG DSS, but he was removed.”
Wike said when President Jonathan was in office, the external forces used Niger Delta indigenes to pull him down on the altar of flimsy excuses, and added that since Buhari intensified failure in governance, no northerner has been used to malign him.
He called for unity amongst all groups in the Niger Delta, noting that the development of the area should form the premise of every single action.
“If you believe in what you are doing, then nobody can use you. For me, as long as God gives me strength and wisdom, I will continue fighting for the restructuring of this country. As a people we must work together”, he said.
He stated that when it mattered most, he supported an Ijaw son who was the President of Nigeria to the end.
Commenting on his struggle for the PDP National Convention to hold in Port Harcourt, Wike said it was purely for the economic wellbeing of Rivers people and not for any political advantage.
On the recently burnt Fruit and Vegetables Market in Port Harcourt, he wondered why the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi would play politics with the affected traders by claiming he would reconstruct the market, when he could not reconstruct the burnt Mile One Market as governor.
Also speaking, Senator Dino Melaye said that the only way that restructuring can be implemented in Nigeria was by voting out the failed APC-led Federal Government.
He praised Wike for his outstanding projects delivery in Rivers State, saying that Rivers State has made tremendous progress under the leadership of the governor.
Melaye described Wike as a defender of the defenceless and a courageous governor committed to the development of the country.
Human Rights Activist, Madam Ankio Briggs declared that the country has no option but to immediately restructure, adding that restructuring simply means resource ownership and control.
Briggs warned that the electoral fraud being perpetrated across the country would not work in Rivers State, as the leadership of the state cannot be determined by Abuja.
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
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RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
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Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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