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Akawor Hails Nwanosike’s Giant Strides, Unveils Aluu Classroom Blocks
The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rivers State Chapter, Amb. Desmond Akawor has justified the re-election of Engr. Samuel Nwanosike as chairman of Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, saying that his performance within 100 days of his second term was startling and worthy of celebration.
Akawor, who was represented by his Deputy Chairman, Chief Chukwuemeka Aaron, made the justification while commissioning the 14-classroom blocks, security post and toilet facilities and eight classroom blocks, constructed by Nwanosike at State School 2, Omuigwe, Aluu, as part of the activities to celebrate his second tenure’s 100 days in office.
He said, “We came to commission a secretariat in Isiokpo, the local government headquarters, and on that day, Amb. Desmond Akawor is one of those who said my brother, you have done well, you deserve a second tenure. Chief Sergeant Awuse also said so. Our elder brother, O. C. J. Okocha, also confirmed it. And the good testimonies of those speeches that day are why we are here today.
“What we saw in Ikwerre Local Government Secretariat was something that you deserve second tenure. And the party said this man who has shown this development will do more, if given opportunity. And from what we are seeing here, you are trying to replicate what the Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, is doing in the state”.
Aaron said that Nwanosike was honoured by the chiefs and people of Aluu due to his excellent performance in the community.
According to him, “You were honoured for all the things you did in Aluu. For all the chiefs and the Nyenwe Eli of Aluu to give you that title, Ekwu Eme 1 of Aluu, shows that they have appreciated you. And having appreciated you, what is expected of you is more work. Aluu people need more from you, Ikwerre people need more from you, the entire people here need more from you, and I believe that the way you have started, you will do more for this local government”.
He commended the Ikwerre Council chairman for his developmental strides across the 13 wards of Ikwerre LGA, saying that his commissioning of the projects within his second tenure’s 100 days in office was a testimony to the high leadership qualities of the chairman.
“Today, we are here, ably representing our state Chairman, Amb. Desmond Akawor, to also perform one of those things you told us the day we came to your local government that you did within your 100 days in office. I want to commend you.
“And we also want to say before now, it has never been so that in 100 days, you see a chairman of council doing series of projects.
“Ordinarily, having gotten your second tenure, some will say that it is time to enjoy, but because you are one man who has gone through the tutelage of the governor, you are doing well. The governor, since he started his second tenure, every day we are commissioning, and flagging off projects. And in Ikwerre Local Government, you are replicating what the governor is doing in the state. So go ahead, we are ready to commission projects in one community after another, in the 13 wards and 14 communities of the local government is commendable”, he said.
While speaking during the commissioning, the Chairman of Ikwerre LGA, Engr. Samuel Nwanosike described the opportunity given to him and his team to serve Ikwerre people as a privilege.
According to him, “For me, the opportunity we have gotten to serve our people is a privilege. I tell my team that we are not the best in Ikwerre Local Government. Maybe, you don’t understand, Ikwerre Local Government has produced great men and women”.
Nwanosike said that they were performing greatly because they belong to PDP, adding that PDP members always deliver on their manifestos when elected into office.
He expressed his heartfelt joy to Aluu people for conferring on him a chieftaincy title, while dedicating the title to Governor Nyesom Wike for mentoring him.
“What the people of Aluu have done today has sent very strong message to my spirit man and to my community and my immediate family. It shows clearly the saying in the Bible; silver and gold I do not have, what I have I will appreciate you for what you have done for our people”, Nwanosike stated.
He reiterated his call on Wike to contest as Nigeria’s President, saying that Nigerians need him to replicate what he was doing in Rivers State across the country.
“If you go to the North-East today, it is Nyesom Wike they are calling on. If you go to the South-West, it is Nyesom Wike they are calling on. If you go to the Middle Belt, it is Nyesom Wike they are calling on. If you go to the South-South, it is Nyesom Wike they are calling on. If you go to the South-East, they are calling on Nyesom Wike. Why? Because the star of the Lord is on his head”, Nwanosike said.
He commended the Rivers State governor for taking the Value Added Tax (VAT) issue to the Supreme Court for interpretation, signing the Real Madrid Football Academy contract and construction of 10 flyovers in two years.
Speaking on behalf of the people of Aluu Community, the Councillor representing Ward 13 at Ikwerre Legislative Assembly, Hon Emeka Wali, said that the people of Aluu were grateful to Nwanosike for taking their community as his own, adding that they would do everything possible to reciprocate the gesture.
Highlights of the event were conferment of Eze Okwu Eme 1 of Aluu on Nwanosike by the Aluu Council of Chiefs, and the defection of an All Progressives Congress (APC) heavyweight in Ward 13, Elder Samuel Wachukwu, to PDP.
The commissioning ceremony attracted most executive members of Rivers State PDP; the former Vice Chancellor of the then Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, Prof Simeon Achinewhu; former Rivers State PDP Deputy Chairman, Sir Obiandu Owhochukwu; members of Ikwerre Legislative Assembly; members of Ikwerre Executive Arm; PDP stakeholders and leaders of Ikwerre LGA, amongst others.
By: Nelson Chukwudi
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.
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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.