News
Rivers APC Factions Draw Red Line Over Fresh Congresses
The faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State led by the immediate past senator who represented Rivers State East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Magnus Ngei Abe has vowed to boycott the party’s forthcoming ward, local government and state congresses in the state.
The latest development is a new twist to the rivalry between the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and Abe before the 2019 general election.
It would be recalled that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, recently appointed a five-member executive caretaker committee to oversee the party’s affairs in the state, even as it rolled out a timetable for fresh congresses in the state.
A statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, had indicated that the APC in the state would be chaired by Barrister Isaac Abott Ogbobula, with Mr. Friday Kinika Owhor, Mrs. Beatrice Amobi, and Prince Abolo Stephen as members while Mr. Baridon Badom serves as secretary.
The NWC also published a Notice/Timetable of Congresses showing that ward congresses to elect leaders would hold on Tuesday, 17th September, 2019 while appeals arising from ward congresses would be treated between Wednesday, 18th and Friday, 20th September, 2019.
It further said that LGA Congresses to elect leaders would hold on Saturday, 21st September, 2019 while appeals arising from State Congresses would be treated between Monday, 23rd and Wednesday, 25th September, 2019.
The Comrade Adams Oshiomhole-led NWC added that State Congress to elect a substantive executive would hold on Saturday, 28th September, 2019 while appeals arising from the State Congress would be addressed between Monday, 30th September and Wednesday, 2nd October, 2019.
However, the aggrieved members of the party were jolted to action after the Isaac Abott Ogbogbula-led committee assumed office in Port Harcourt after their swearing-in by the National Chairman of APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomole in Abuja.
While briefing newsmen at the party secretariat at Garrison axis of Aba Road, Chairman of the CTC, Ogbogbula assured of free, fair and transparent congresses.
Ogbogbula while disclosing that their mandate was to run the affairs of the party pending the conclusion of the congresses, encouraged all APC members in the state to give the necessary support to the committee and allow peace reign to enable them take the party to the next level.
But reacting to the twist, the Director General of Freedom House (Abe’s campaign office in the 2019 general poll), Barrister Wogu Boms said while reading a 9-point communique issued at the end of an extraordinary APC stakeholders’ meeting in their secretariat near Waterlines, Port Harcourt, that none of the issues that led to the legal crisis and the exclusion of the party in the 2019 Governorship election in Rivers State have been addressed.
Boms, a former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the state under Amaechi, said, “as critical stakeholders of the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who toiled and sweated under very difficult and dangerous circumstances to build the party in Rivers State, we are appalled and dismayed by the current situation of the party in the state.
“That Nigerians are aware that the crisis in Rivers APC was set off by the manner in which last congresses were deliberately mismanaged in 2018, resulting in catastrophic and unprecedented consequences for the party.
“That various efforts by different leaders of the party across the nation to find a solution to the challenges of Rivers APC before the 2019 elections were all rebuffed by the Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, meaning that all well intended efforts came to nothing.
“We note with concern that the party is yet again threading the same route of exclusion and disdain for the rights and feelings of party members that plunged the Rivers chapter of the APC into needless crisis resulting in the party being denied participation in the last general elections in Rivers State.
“That as critical stakeholders, and bearing in mind the circumstances of Rivers APC, we were not consulted by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party in its decision to appoint a caretaker committee in Rivers State nor does the Committee reflect the diversity of the party in the state. The so called caretaker committee members are simply cronies of the Minister of Transportation, their objective and purpose is clear, they were parties and participants in the actions that brought the party to its knees in Rivers State. Apart from being unknown to the constitution, by all rules of justice and fairness they cannot provide a solution to our present challenges.
“We, therefore, reject the caretaker committee as it is clearly an orchestration to deepen the woes of the party, and we urge all members of the APC in Rivers State to remain steadfast in the pursuit of justice.
“Based on extant judicial pronouncements, and the report of the Governor Lalong Committee as adopted by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of our great party which stated clearly that where congress could not hold, the existing executives were to manage the affairs of the party; Chief Peter Odike by the rules of the Party should have been consulted as Chairman of the APC in Rivers State.”
Also speaking, Senator Wilson Ake, described the forthcoming congresses as unreasonable, saying that the step taken by the NWC of the APC was not the best for the party in Rivers State.
He, however, noted that many APC members were in pains after the party lost out during the 2019 elections.
He said, “Members of the party can create the kind of party they want for themselves if they are determined.
“I urge my supporters to remain calm because as long as what they are fighting for is honest, they will definitely get justice.”
Similarly, Senator Magnus Abe said he was not consulted by the party’s NWC before they went ahead to schedule congresses, but noted that he has no bitterness against anyone in the party.
Abe said, “The Honourable Minister of Transportation immediately after he was sworn-in announced there and then that there will be congresses in Rivers State and that everybody should go and prepare for congress.
“I was amazed and I was amused. I responded then as an individual to say that I am not aware that he has powers to announce the date of congress.
“That I am also not aware that anybody has been consulted to determine the way forward for the party, and we discussed with our stakeholders, nobody was aware of where that was coming from and nobody was in the picture”, Abe added.
Abe insisted that he would continue to support the fight against injustice and wrong doings in the Party.
“I want to thank each and every one of you for the spirit you have exhibited. A party that has this kind of committed and dedicated members cannot die. Nobody can kill it,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Peter Odike being referenced by the aggrieved members has called on Senator Magnus Abe and others to sheath their swords, toe the path of reconciliation, and work towards a United APC.
Odike, who led the Abe’s faction of APC in the famous Ibrahim Umar case in a statement made available to newsmen in Port Harcourt, said the constitution of a caretaker committee to run the affairs of the party means there was an end in sight for the crisis rocking the APC.
Dennis Naku
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.