News
N’Delta Elders Trade Blames Over Abandoned Projects
Four Niger Delta elders have accused themselves over the underdevelopment of the South – South region owing to abandoned projects and Niger Delta Development Commission, (NDDC), unexecuted jobs, particularly connected to companies, which they have interests.
They are former Federal Commissioner for Information and convener of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Chief Edwin Clark; former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe; Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, Acting Executive Director (Projects), of NDDC; and Senator representing Delta South, James Manager.
Orubebe, who later denied some statements, had alleged that Clark collected money for a contract and later abandoned the project, an allegation the latter described as frivolous and has no iota of truth and urged the public to disregard it
The buildup to the 2015 gubernatorial election may have marked a sharp division between Orubebe and Clark as the former met brick wall in his unsuccessful quest to woo the latter to boost his political advantage in pursuit of his ambition.
In a statement signed by the National Secretary of PANDEF, Dr. Alfred Mulade, Clark said the allegation was aimed at denting the hard-earned reputation of the former senator and elder statesman.
“A couple of days ago, a news report credited to Elder Godsday Orubebe, erstwhile Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, contains a spurious and mischievous allegation of collection of money and abandonment of certain contracts against the person and integrity of Clark.
“As Niger Delta Minister, I gave Edwin Clark contract, he took the money but didn’t do the job. Yet he said he has the interest of N/Delta at heart. This is an allegation that is completely frivolous, baseless and orchestrated to dent and malign the hard-earned reputation of our revered leader, Chief Edwin Clark.
“For purpose of emphasis and records, the contract for Land Reclamation/Shoreline Protection at Amadi-Ama, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, was awarded to Panama Construction Ltd., a firm in which Chief Clark has interest, in 2011. The company immediately mobilised to resume active work on site, and achieved appreciable milestones.
“By the time Elder Orubebe exited the Ministry as a Minister, in search of his gubernatorial ambition, two earned valuation payment requests, which have been due since 2013, were left unpaid, by Orubebe, while he held sway as Minister and has remained unpaid, till date.
“Mr. Orubebe allegedly reported the issue to the EFCC, and upon investigation, nothing was found against Chief Clark and Panama Construction Ltd. The general public is hereby advised to discountenance this fake news, tended to smearing the personality and influence of our leader, for reasons best known to its author.”
While the dust raised by that is yet to die, NDDC Interim Committee, said it has already forwarded the name of a Senator, who allegedly got 300 NDDC jobs to the anti-corruption agencies.
Cairo Ojougboh, acting Executive Director (Projects), of NDDC disclosed to SUNDAY INDEPENDENT that the particular senator would soon be known.
Ojougboh had dropped a bombshell, when he alleged during an interview recently, that a Senator, who is also a member of the Senate Committee on NDDC, got 300 jobs for which payment had already been made without any sign that such jobs were ever done.
This also followed a report credited to Senator Manager challenging Ojoughoh to be bold and name the Senator.
“I am currently out of the country on an official trip. I have been inundated with several communications about what Ojougboh said about NDDC and a Delta Senator on award of contracts. I have always known Cairo to be a bold, fearless, courageous and tall man.
“On this matter, he appears to be a disastrous disappointment on his failure to name the particular Senator from Delta that is involved. Dr Cairo, it will do you well to do the needful. Just mention the name in public and submit same to law enforcement agencies.”
But in a swift reaction, Ojougboh fired back saying the particular senator would soon be invited by the anti-corruption agencies for questioning.
“The Commission has forwarded the matter to the anti-corruption agencies and the particular senator will soon be invited and the public will know the person soon,” he stated.
He noted that the Interim Management Committee will continue to carry out inspections and verification of abandoned and ongoing NDDC projects in the region and also ensure an enabling environment for the forensic audit to take place.
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.