News
Workers, Group Hail Wike’s New Pension Law …As Gov Assents To Four Bills
The successful passage and eventual signing into law of a new pension bill in Rivers State by Governor Nyesom Wike, is generating positive reactions by workers and groups in the state.
A senior civil servant in the state, Mr Chidi Amadi, said the new law has rekindled the hope of workers in the state.
According to him: “The past few years have given workers a sleepless night on what would be their fate if they get to retirement period considering the hell of experience by retirees.
“Because of the Contributory Pension Law, which delayed retirees from getting their pension money. This obnoxious law unfortunately denied some late retirees who suffered, and could not get their pension money while alive.
“I commend Governor Wike for signing the new law as it has brought an end to such a sad moment in the history of pension in the state”.
Another worker, George Barine, also expressed gratitude to the law makers and the governor of the state for the actualisation of the new pension law.
He said: “I will be due for retirement next month and all this while I have been imagining how I would retire and loose my pension benefit as a result of the contributory pension scheme that exposes pensioners to such a nightmare.
“Governor Wike has done so well in the state. But the joy of this new law being passed by the state assembly and now accented to by the governor is great. I commend the Governor for this show of concern”.
Reacting in a similar vein, Mrs Gladys Wegbom, another senior civil servant in the state lauded the speed with which the 8th Assembly concluded the bill and the eventual signing into law by the governor.
“In spit the suffering by retirees, the new bill has ushered in a new hope.
“Thank you my governor for bringing to an end the regime of contributory pension scheme which has done so much harm to innocent workers who served the state diligently but were allowed to suffer while some even died without enjoying their rewards”.
Also expressing happiness to the new pension law, Publicity Director of South-South Youth Consultative Enlightenment and Mobilisation Council (SYCEMOC), Comrade Christian Nnodim, said the new era is a source for celebration.
Nnodim said the old pension law was anti- progressive and a landmark setback for workers.
He said: “In all ramifications, the old contributory pension law was poorly initiated and poorly implemented. I give kudos to the governor of Rivers state and the immediate past assembly for changing the ugly narrative”.
Another group, the Niger Delta Youth Coalition (NDYC), hailed the governor for signing the new pension bill into law, saying it would alleviates the hardship being faced by retirees in the state.
The National Coordinator of NDYC, Prince Emmanuel Ogba, stated that it unfortunate that some innocent retirees who served the state died without their pension because of the old law.
“But it is a source of joy that the administration of Wike saw the need to quickly reverse the ugly trend. He has done well.
“However, let the government consider the interest of workers and pay them arrears of promotion which were denied them for past years in the state”, he said.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has assented to four key bills passed by the House of Assembly for the good governance of the state.
The bills signed into law by the Rivers State Governor include: Rivers State Multi-Door Courthouse Law (No 2 of 2019), Rivers State Arbitration Law (No 3 of 2019), Rivers State Pension Reform Law (No 4 of 2019) and Rivers State College of Health Sciences and Management Technology Law (No. 5 of 2019).
Wike said that the (No 3 of 2019), Rivers State Pension Reform Law (No 4 of 2019) will help in resolving the challenges generated by the Contributory Pension scheme.
He said that the state government was committed to ensuring that civil servants and pensioners are catered for, with the challenges they faced completely addressed.
The governor said that the Arbitration Law will help in the resolution of several legal conflicts without resorting to litigation.
He, however, explained that he was likely to seek an amendment of the Rivers State College of Health Sciences and Management Technology Law (No. 5 of 2019) because some stakeholders have raised concerns.
The governor commended the Rivers State House of Assembly for their commitment to the development of the state.
“If you are given the privilege to serve, put in your best for the people. These four years given to us, we will do more for our people.
“I urge the House of Assembly to continue to make laws for the development of Rivers State”, he said.
He called on the state House of Assembly to pass more bills during his second term.
In his remarks, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Ikuinyi Ibani congratulated the Rivers State governor on his second term inauguration.
“What you are doing for Rivers State serves as a beacon of hope for the present generation”, he said.
He said the goal of the state Assembly was service to the people of Rivers State.
“In the Assembly, our goal is Service First. That is why you can assent to four Bill’s in one day”.
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.