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RSG Unveils Wike’s 100 Days Programme

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Programme of activities marking the celebration of the first 100 days of Governor Nyesom Wike’s second term administration was unveiled last week .
The Secretary to Rivers State Government, Dr Tammy Danagogo, who is the chairman of the 100 days celebration committee, unveiled the activities lined up for the event  during a  press conference he addressed last Friday at the Banquet Hall in Government House, Port Harcourt.
According to the Secretary to the State Government, the ceremony, which kicks off today, Monday 9th September, 2019, with a Media Chat with the Governor terminates Friday, 27 September, 2019.
He stated that  sixteen people oriented projects cutting  across various sectors, would be commissioned at the event.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Information and Communication, Pastor Paulinus Nsirim, solicited for the cooperation and effective coverage of the events by the media.
The Governor declared the intention of his administration to transform Port Harcourt, the state capital, to   a major tourist destination in the country.
He said this Friday after inspecting some ongoing projects in Port Harcourt and its metropolis, noting that facilities at the Port Harcourt Pleasure Park were being developed into global tourist attraction.
He described the new Cinema at the park as a five star facility that could arrest the drift to Dubai because of its high entertainment standard.
Still on projects, Governor Wike inspected sites of the three proposed new flyovers in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas which he promised to construct in his second term administration. The proposed new flyover bridges are Artillery, Rumuokoro, and Garrison.
He went to the sites last Saturday with engineers, contractors and the Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Works and the Director-General, Rivers State Bureau for Public Procurement, Mr Igonibo  Emmanuel Thompson for necessary assessment.
Within the week the governor appointed Mrs Grace Akpoughanum Okwulehe, as the Acting Chairman, Rivers State Senior Secondary schools Board.
Governor Wike who made the appointment, Wednesday said the appointment takes immediate effect.
Wike also landlord held a meeting with members of the taskforce on street trading, illegal markets and motor parks last Monday in Government House and announced that mobile courts on the taskforce would become operational last week to prosecute offenders.
He said: “ From tomorrow, magistrates will sit at the various locations to prosecute offenders of the law banning street trading.
“ Your business is to arrest the offenders in line with the law and take them to the magistrates for trial. Anyone that is guilty will be sanctioned by the magistrate”.
Following this, some alleged offenders were arraigned before some of the magistrates for prosecution.
Governor Wike warned the taskforce members to operate within the confines of the law.
The governor, last week, again accused security agencies of being involved in oil  bunkering and called for a strong partnership between the States and Federal Government in the fight against oil theft in the country.
Wike made the call during a courtesy visit by Konrad Adenauer ( German Foundation) with Mr Andreas Lammel and Dr Joachim Pfeiffer of the German Federal Parliament, Monday at the Government House, Port Harcourt.
He said: “ The issue of oil theft, some of the security agencies are part of it. When you see oil bunkering, the security agencies are involved. They are fully involved”.
He also accused the multinational oil firms of patronising cult groups for surveillance jobs and called for collaboration with the German Government, and the German foundation in the fight against insecurity.

 

Chris Oluoh

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Niger Delta

PDP Declares Edo Airline’s Plan As Misplaced Priority

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The Edo chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday condemned the state government’s reported plan to establish a state-owned airline.
The party, in a statement by its Edo State Publicity Secretary, Mr. Dan Osa-Ogbegie, described the proposal as a misplaced priority and evidence of poor, disconnected governance.
The Tide’s source reports that the State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, unveiled the airline plan during a meeting with Aviation Minister, Mr. Festus Keyamo, in Abuja.
Osa-Ogbegie said the proposal showed a government out of touch with the pressing challenges confronting Edo State residents.
“At a time of decaying infrastructure and stalled projects, establishing an airline is unrealistic and profoundly insensitive”, he said.
He argued that airlines were capital-intensive and technically demanding, noting that similar state-owned ventures in Nigeria had largely failed.
According to him, Benin has become a shadow of what a modern state capital should be.
He decried poor roads, collapsed urban planning, neglected drainage systems and weak municipal services across the state capital.
“This is a crying shame for a city of Benin’s history, heritage and enormous potential”, he said.
Osa-Ogbegie said several inherited projects had stalled or deteriorated, eroding investor confidence and undermining economic growth.
He accused the governor of pursuing “white elephant projects that offer optics without substance.”
He also cited ongoing flyover projects in parts of Benin as examples of poor prioritisation.
Against this background, he described the airline proposal as diversionary and lacking economic sense.
“When roads are barely motorable and services overstretched, proposing an airline betrays an absence of judgment,” he said.
He urged the government to abandon the plan and focus on people-centred priorities that would improve living conditions and spur growth.
“Edo does not need an airline to fly above its problems. It needs a government ready to confront them on the ground,” he said.
He warned that failure to refocus would deepen perceptions of an administration lacking direction, competence and a coherent development agenda.
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Oji Clears Air On Appointment Of 15 Special Advisers By Fubara

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The Special Adviser on Political Affairs to the Rivers State Governor, Dr. Darlington Oji, has disclosed that about 15 Special Advisers to the governor were duly approved by the Rivers State House of Assembly before the current political crisis in the State.

Oji made the disclosure in a Television programme in Port Harcourt, recently, while reacting to issues surrounding appointments, the impeachment moves against the governor and his deputy, and allegations of financial mismanagement.

He clarified that the appointment of Special Advisers was carried out in strict compliance with constitutional provisions, and received the approval of the Rivers State House of Assembly under the leadership of the Speaker, Martins Amaewhule, before the crisis began.

According to the Special Adviser, the appointments did not require any further screening, countering claims that the governor violated due process in constituting his advisory team.

On the impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu, Oji described the process as unfounded and lacking constitutional backing.

He said that several lawmakers who initially supported the impeachment move were now reconsidering their stance after discovering that the process had no legal basis.

Oji also attributed the impeachment plot to personal and political ambitions, saying it is not motivated by the interest or welfare of the people of Rivers State.

Speaking on the financial position of the State after the Emergency Rule, the Special Adviser disclosed that the governor met about ?600 billion in the state’s coffers upon assumption of office.

He explained that the availability of funds enabled the administration to continue governance smoothly without the need for a supplementary budget.

The governor’s aide also refuted allegations of financial mismanagement against the governor, and stressed that all allocations to lawmakers and constituency projects were transparently handled.

He maintained that the Fubara administration remained focused on development, stability, and good governance despite the political distractions in the State.

Oji expressed confidence that the impeachment moves would eventually be abandoned as legislators and the public become more informed, adding that the governor’s leadership has continued to reassure citizens and sustain political stability in the State.

 

King Onunwor

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Politics

Rivers Political Crisis: PANDEF Urges Restraint, Mutual Forbearance

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The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has called for restraint and mutual forbearance over the recent political development in Rivers State.
The Forum has also set up a high level Reconciliation Committee chaired by a former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice the Federation, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN).
This is contained in a press statement released in Abuja on Saturday.
The statement was jointly signed by PANDEF’s Board of Trustees Co-Chairmen, Chief Alfred Diete-Spiff, and Obong Victor Attah (a former governor of Akwa Ibom State), as well as PANDEF’s National Chairman, Chief Godknows Igali.

 

Accordingg to the statement, the Board and National Executive Committee of PANDEF, noted with very grave concern the recent spate of political developments in Rivers State.

“Regrettably, these developments have now degenerated into the decision of the Rivers State House of Assembly to commence impeachment proceedings against the governor and deputy governor.

“This is a deeply disturbing situation that demands urgent attention in order to forestall further escalation and breakdown of law and order.

“This concern is heightened by the critical importance and strategic centrality of Rivers to the Niger Delta region and to the broader socio-political stability and economic wellbeing of Nigeria as a whole”, the statement said.

The Forum called on all parties involved in the resurgent political imbroglio to sheathe their swords and embrace peace.

“This should be guided by the principles of give-and-take, dialogue, tolerance, and political equanimity.

“All stakeholders must place paramount importance on peace, development and the welfare of the people of Rivers.

“We must now focus squarely on good governance and development of the state,” the Forum said.

PANDEF commended President Bola Tinubu, the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), respected elders of Rivers State, and other well-meaning Nigerians for their previous and ongoing efforts aimed at restoring peace and stability in the state.

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