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Bayelsa Urges INEC To Shift Nov 2 Poll …As CCT Fixes May 22 To Arraign Bayelsa Speaker, Clerk, Three Others
The Bayelsa State Government, yesterday, demanded that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should postpone the governorship election scheduled for November 2, 2019.
The government premised its demand on the fact that the day clashes with its yearly thanksgiving service which is backed by law.
The Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (rtd), made the plea when he led Bayelsa stakeholders on a courtesy visit to the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu in Abuja, yesterday.
The state’s thanksgiving service, according to the deputy governor, has the backing of the law and had been on for the past seven years.
In his response, the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said the commission would meet to deliberate on the matter and get back to them.
Yakubu also announced the readiness of INEC to commence the prosecution of electoral offenders whose case files have already been prepared by the Nigeria Police Force.
Meanwhile, The Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, in Abuja, yesterday, said it would on May 22, arraign the Speaker of Bayelsa State House of Assembly,Hon. Friday Kombowei Benson, and four others for alleged abuse of Office.
The Mr. Danladi Umar-led tribunal, in a statement that was signed by the Head, Press & Public Relations at the tribunal, Ibraheem AL-Hassan, disclosed that the Bayelsa Speaker would be docked on a four-count charge.
It said others to be arraigned included the Clerk of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Owudogu Edward, the Accountant, MrKoroye A. Stephen, as well as former Clerk and Accountant of the Assembly, Mr Aaron W. Timiye and Mr Thomas Tamaraodubo, respectively.
The CCT said it okayed arraignment of the Bayelsa officials following a correspondence it received from the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, on April 30.
The defendants were accused of abusing their respective offices, contrary to paragraph 9 of the Fifth schedule, Part 1 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
Their action was said to be punishable under Paragraph 18 (1) and (2) of the Constitution, and as incorporated under section 13 and 23 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, CAP C15 LFN 2004.
The statement from the CCT read: “Chairman Code of Conduct Tribunal Justice Danladi Y. Umar, has approved 22nd May, 2019 for the commencement of trial against serving Speaker of Bayelsa state House of Assembly, Hon. Friday Kombowei Benson and four others for alleged abuse of office.
“The offences filed was on four count charge, on alleged abused of office against Hon Friday Kombowei Benson, the Speaker Bayelsa state House of Assembly, Cleark of Bayelsa state House of Assembly, Mr Aaron W. Timiye (retired) and Accountant, Bayelsa state House of Assembly Mr Thomas Tamaraodubo (retired).
“Others are Owudogu Edward serving Clerk, Bayelsa state House of Assembly and MrKoroye A. Stephen, serving Accountant, Bayelsa state House of Assembly.
“This was contained in a correspondent from Code of Conduct Bureau, addressed to Chairman Code of Conduct Tribunal to commence trial, dated 30th day of April 2019, jointly signed by the operatives of Code of Conduct Bureau: Musa Ibrahim Usman and Fatima Kere Ahmed.
“The application reads; pursuant to section 24 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, I hereby apply to the Tribunal for the commencement of trial for the offence of Abuse of Office contrary to paragraph 9 of the fifth schedule, part 1 of the constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended and punishable under paragraph 18 (1) and (2) of the same constitution, and as incorporated under section 13 and 23 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act CAP C15 LFN 2004”.
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.