News
PAP Seeks Synergy With Federal Agencies For N’Delta Dev

The Interim Administrator, Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Col Milland Dixon Dikio (rtd), has called on some federal ministries and agencies to collaborate with PAP for the overall development of the Niger Delta region.
Dikio said PAP was only one of the approaches designed to tackle the problems in the region, insisting that synergising with other Niger Delta-related ministries and agencies would facilitate the development of the region.
A statement signed by Dikio’s Special Adviser, Media, Nneotaobase Egbe, said the amnesty boss spoke when he paid a courtesy visit to the Commander 2nd Brigade, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
He said petroleum assets redistribution enabled by the passed Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Ministry of Environment and PAP had complementary mandates to develop the region.
Dikio said, “The amnesty programme happens to be one leg, there is a leg on petroleum assets redistribution; the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) is the vehicle for ensuring that and the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and the NDDC whose mandate is to take care of the agitations or grievances about lack of physical development in the Niger Delta and of course, the Ministry of Environment, whose mandate is to address the issues of environmental degradation”.
Dikio explained that the late President Musa Yar’Adua embraced the concept of soft power by establishing PAP as an alternative to the use of kinetic power in resolving issues, adding that his office was saddled with the responsibility of managing the process.
He said the amnesty office was doing everything possible to make ex-agitators understand the importance of adopting alternative ways of expressing their grievances.
Dikio said while in Akwa Ibom, he visited some facilities where ex-agitators could be trained, employed and mentored by such organisation.
He said, “We provide the soft approach of administering these ex-agitators and teaching them alternative ways of ways of expressing their misgivings. This we intend to do through our train – employ- mentor (TEM) scheme.
“While in Akwa Ibom State, we visited some facilities with the intention that PAP will pay for the training of these beneficiaries, they will then be employed by these organizations till they know the craft and then be mentored so that they can stand on their own and then be employers of labour”.
He thanked the army commander for his warm reception, and promised to keep partnering with security agencies to make the region safe.
In his remarks, the Commander 2nd Brigade, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Brig-Gen M.N. Inuwa, commended Dikio’s approach and his deployment of soft power, adding that it had helped reduce violent agitations in the region.
“The combination PAP is adopting is the solution”, he said, noting that Dikio’s reforms and policies were helpful to the region.
By: Akujobi Amadi
News
I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
News
RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
News
Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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