Politics
RSG To Site RSU Faculty In Etche
The people of Etche Local Government Area who have been clamouring for the siting of a higher institution in the area now have reason to smile as the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has assured that the state government would take steps to ensure siting of one of the faculties of the state university in Etche before the expiration of his second tenure in 2023.
Governor Wike made the promise last Friday when a delegation of the Etche-America Foundation paid him a courtesy visit in Government House Port Harcourt.
The Governor expressed confidence that siting a faculty of the university would accelerate development in the area .
“ I will talk with the leadership of the state university to find a faculty that can be moved to Etche. You can go home and be assured that before I leave office, one of the faculties will move to Etche”, Wike told the delegation.
He noted that Etche-America Foundation (EAF) had shown strong passion for the development of Etche and urged other ethnic groups to emulate the foundation instead of concentrating all their interest on politics.
Leader of the delegation and chairman of the foundation, Dr Richard Nwankwoala, had listed the noble contributions of the association and presented a design of the Skills Acquisition Centre it intends to develop.
Also in Brick House last week, the governors and leaders of the South-South geopolitical zone rose from a meeting last Tuesday and demanded for an unreserved apology from the Presidency for aborting a crucial stakeholders meeting scheduled to hold in Government House Port Harcourt.
The Chairman, South-South Governors Forum and Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, who presided over the session said the botched meeting was at the instance of the Presidency to deliberate on burning issues affecting the region and the aftermath of the EndSARS protest.
Okowa who expressed disappointment that such important meeting was cancalled by the presidency after adjusting the meeting twice.
Another major event in Government House within the period under review was the solidarity visit by the Coalition of Nothern Groups ( CNG) to Governor Wike.
According to CGN spokesperson , Abdul-Azees Suleiman, the group was in the state to express gratitude to the Rivers State Governor for his leadership, sacrifice, statesmanship and unwavering commitment deployed in protecting the Northern community from the violence and violation of their rights and dignity during the recent mayhem in Oyigbo.
The group also commended Governor Wike for the promptness in redeeming the pledge of N200 million to the families of security personnel killed during the mayhem.
In his response, Governor Wike stated that he had no regret for proscribing the Indigenous Peoples Of Biafra (IPOB), stressing that his action on the outlawed IPOB was due to his belief in the unity of Nigeria.
He said the EndSARS protest was peaceful in the state until IPOB hijacked it, and killed six Army officers, four Police officers, and also burnt police stations and courts.
Also last week, the State Executive Council approved contract for the sixth flyover project in Port Harcourt.
Commissioner for Works, Eloka Tasie-Amadi disclosed this after the council’s meeting last Friday, adding that the contract which is expected to complete in twelve months is to be handled by Julius Berger .
Information and Communications Commissioner, Paulinus Nsirim, said the approval by the Council demonstrates a robust commitment to the urban renewal vision of Governor Wike’s administration and called on the citizens of the state to rally round the administration.
Governor Wike reacted to the last week defection of the Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, and said it was Umahi’s quest to be presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC)that motivated his defection from PDP to APC and not because of Umahi’s allegation that injustice meted to South- East by PDP prompted detection.
Wike noted that while Umahi has a right to move to the APC, but for him to attempt to blackmail the PDP and paint it in a bad light was mischievous and unacceptable.
“ For the first time before PDP left office, they (South East) have never had Chief of Army Staff. They have had Senate Presidents. They have had National Chairman of the party, they have had Secretary to the Government of the Federation. They have had Minister of Finance.
“ Now tell me what APC has given to the people of South East since 2015, minister of Labour, minister of Science and Technology and minister of Foreign Affairs”, he said and advised Umahi not to allow his Presidential ambition destroy South East zone politically.
Also last week, the Rivers State Chief Executive delivered a keynote address at the Third Annual Nigerian Criminal Law Review Conference organised by the Rule of Law Development Foundation in Abuja held last Monday.
The Governor kicked against the Executive Order 10 of the Federal Government which permits deduction of funds from each state account to finance the judiciary.
He said it was politically motivated and geared towards the 2023 general election.
By: Chris Oluo
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Politics
2024 Budget: Funds Were Shared Among Senators -Abaribe
The lawmaker representing Abia South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, has explained how the Zonal Intervention Project funds were shared among senators.
Recall that the senator representing Cross River North, Agom Jarigbe on Tuesday revealed that ranking senators got N500 million each while he got nothing.
Senator Jarigbe made the revelation on the floor of the Senate while speaking on allegations of budget padding raised by the lawmaker representing Bauchi Central, Senator Abdul Ningi.
The lawmakers who have spent at least four years in the Senate are regarded as ranking senators.
Speaking on the development on a live television interview on Wednesday, Senator Abaribe denied receiving N500 million as alleged by Senator Jarigbe.
Senator Abaribe said he got N266 million from the money allocated to lawmakers in the six geo-political zones.
According to him, lawmakers from some zones, like the Northwest, which has seven states, would expect to get less than what he got, as his Southeast zone has only five states.
He said, “I have been saying that all fingers are not equal and by privilege of office, certain people will get but not every Senator gets an equal amount.
“These are six zones in the country, and every zone gets its own N10 billion in intervention. Now, if you are from the Northwest zone, because you have seven states, the senator will get less than me who comes from the five-state zone.
“My state, Abia, gets N2 billion and if we break it down for both the Senate and the representatives, the Senate is getting 40% and the House gets 60%.
“I got about N266 million as zonal intervention. The person in the Northwest who has seven states, will necessarily get less, about a hundred million and something.
“So it’s not correct when we say every constituency must get an equal amount.”
Politics
Dump PDP, Enhance Your Value, APC Woos Gov Mutfwang
Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State has been advised to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) so that his good works and value can appreciate more.
The call was made on Wednesday by the North Central APC Forum in Jos, the Plateau State capital, during the forum’s first quarter of the year meeting.
Speaking at the meeting, the APC Forum Chairman, Saleh Zazzaga, said they were meeting to review the state of the party in the region as well as the region’s economic and security situation, adding that the position of the Plateau State Governor was vital in the overall development of the region.
Zazzaga, who was also a member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in the last election, commended Governor Mutfwang for carrying the citizenry along in his developmental efforts, noting that his approach to boost peace and security of the state as well as his calm personality was impressive.
However, he said for the governor to attain a robust and exhaustive achievement of his agenda, policies and the development of Plateau State, he should defect to the APC.
He said the governor’s defection would not amount to relegating his former party to the background, but would rather strengthen him more to develop Plateau State.
According to the Chairman, the FCT Minister, Chief Nyesom Wike, is a good example of someone who seeks development for his people and the nation at large, using any vital and handy platform or party to advance his cause.
“Governor Caleb Mutfwang has so far shown that he is a progressive governor through his works, words and deeds since assuming office. But for him to advance more, he should consider joining the APC.
“This is because joining the APC will put him on the same page with President Ahmed Bola Tinubu who has the interest of Plateau in his heart and has been doing his best to advance it.
“Besides, Governor Mutfwang will be on the same page with his other counterparts in the North Central who are of the APC, and together they will have a common ground and work for the interest and development of the region in general and their specific states in particular.
“Also, most of the legislators from the state are in APC, and they can work hand-in-hand to move the state forward, because the relationship between the executive and the legislature cannot be overemphasized in the pursuance of progress and development.
Politics
Step Aside Over Alleged Budget Padding, PDP Urges Akpabio
The Peoples DemocraticParty (PDP) on Wednesday demanded that the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, immediately steps aside and allow for an independent investigation into the allegation that a staggering N3.7 trillion was discreetly inserted into the 2024 budget for alleged non-existent projects.
In a statement released by Debo Ologunagba, National Publicity Secretary, the main opposition party also demanded that Akpabio immediately report to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the pending case relating to N108 billion belonging to the people of Akwa Ibom State, allegedly looted under his watch as the governor.
The party similarly told the Senate President to speak out on the reported N86 billion contract scam that allegedly occurred in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) during his tenure as the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs.
The PDP condemned the suspension of Senator Abdul Ningi by the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership in the Senate “without a detailed inquest into the issue of budget padding which he raised.”
Recall that Ningi blew the whistle on the alleged unexplained N3.7 trillion inserted into the budget, leading to his suspension from the chamber for allegedly disparaging the legislature.
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