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Middle Belt Forum Condemns Fresh Killings In Benue
The Middle Belt Forum (MBF), has condemned in strong terms the renewed killings of innocent people and wanton destruction of property in some parts of Benue State by Fulani herdsmen.
The Forum, therefore, challenged President Muhammadu Buhari to discharge his responsibility of ensuring the safety of lives and property of Nigerians by order the deployment of more security personal to the affected areas.
National President of the Forum, Dr. Pogu Bitrus, said the forum viewed the current onslaught against these Benue communities as a scheme aimed at decimating our communities and gradual entrenchment of anarchy on the state.
Bitrus, however, commended the Benue State Governor, Dr. Samuel Orrtom on his current efforts put in place to return Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their villages.
The statement reads; “The Middle Belt Forum (MBF), wishes to express shock and bewilderment at the recent attacks unleashed by suspected armed herdsmen on Waya in Jato-Aka and Mbanyiar communities in Kwande and Guma local Government Areas of Benue State.
“While the attack on Waya in Jato-Aka led to the death of four persons, the Mbanyiar attack led to the raping of three women, including the district head’s wife.
“Before these attackers unleashed their fangs of terror on these peaceful communities, His Excellency, Governor Samuel Ortom had raised an alarm on the influx of thousands of herdsmen into the state and called on the Federal Government security agencies to intervene.
“ Considering the destruction that accompanied these attacks, there is no doubt that there is a deliberate ploy to disturb the peace of Benue citizens and throw the state into yet another round of bloodshed.
“That these suspected herdsmen have continued to terrorist the state despite the alarm raised by the state governor, indicates that there may be a force that is irrevocably committed to undermining the rule of law in order to provoke another bout of violence.
“As a socio-cultural organisation representing the interests of ethnic nationalities living in the Middle Belt region, we view the current onslaught against these Benue communities as a scheme aimed at decimating our communities and gradual entrenchment of anarchy on the state.
There is no justification for the present raging violence ripping across various parts of the state after lawmakers in the Benue State House of Assembly had passed a law banning open grazing.
The Forum considers it appalling and pathetic that there are only 35 police personnel in Kwande LGA and this inadequate number of policemen and women may prove incapable of combating these bandits of destruction that are armed to the teeth.
“Considering the insufficiency of manpower to deal with trouble makers, we call on the Federal Government, especially the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to deploy more personnel to rein in the activities of these attackers.
“More than anything, we advise the state government and various security agencies to commence the engagement of our communities to work against future attacks in order to form the basis for a new strategy aimed at encouraging the formation of a Joint Task Force (JTF), comprising security personnel and locals.
“In this wise, security organisations engaged in keeping the peace in Benue state should spare no efforts in taking the battle to the bandits before they unleash collateral damage on our people.
“As a Forum, we are happy at the efforts put in place by Governor Ortom to return Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their villages.
However, in a situation where violence and other forms of attacks become rampant on a daily basis, it may be too difficult to achieve this.
“We commend the governor for looking at various legal options aimed at complementing security efforts on halting further attacks on the people.
“We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to discharge his responsibility of ensuring the safety of lives and property of Nigerians.
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.