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PDP Defends Soludo’s Choice For Anambra
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has again defended its choice of former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Charles Soludo as its governorship candidate for the 2010 gubernatorial election in Anambra State, even as it berrated critics of both Prof Soludo and the Party over its decision to field Soludo.
The Party in defence of its action in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Rufai Ahmed Alkali condemned the reckless remarks made by Action Congress, AC, spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed in the media about the selection process that led to the choice of Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, saying that the party had consistently ignored comments by Alhaji Lai Mohammed who, like Emperor Nero seems to be fiddling while AC burns.
“Given the fact that Lai Mohammed spends most of his time talking and thinking less of Party organization and mobilization, we do not expect him to understand the dynamics of administering a Party as large as the PDP.
“In view of this therefore, we sympathize with him for finding himself in a small party whose influence in the nation’s political environment has been dwindling to a point of extinction.
“There is no way anybody can compare the democratic credentials of the PDP, where 47 candidates were contesting to fly the Party’s flag and the AC which has a lone anointed candidate ab initio. That 47 credible citizens of Anambra State sought to be candidates of the PDP bears ample testimony to the strength and acceptability of the Party in that state. We therefore do not owe Alhaji Mohammed any apology on how our candidates emerge.
“For the avoidance of doubts, we wish to once again state that the choice of Professor Chukwuma Soludo as the PDP candidate was arrived at after all options for choosing a candidate were exhausted.
“The NWC relied on Article 17.1 of the PDP Constitution which vests on the NWC, acting on behalf of the National Executive Committee the power as the final authority for resolving all disputes relating to the choice of candidates for the Party in any election and for confirming the names or list of names of candidates for the Party in any elective public office in the federation.
“The choice of Prof. Soludo cannot therefore be described as an imposition, neither is it a predetermined option but a product of wide consultation and the need to present a formidable candidate capable of uniting all political forces in Anambra State and ensuring our victory in the forthcoming gubernatorial election.
“We wish to advise Alhaji Lai Mohammed to concentrate on selling his candidate and desist from meddling into the internal affairs of the PDP. We also wish to ask which AC is Alhaji Mohammed speaking for? Nigerians are all aware that the Action Congress (AC) as presently constituted is an empty shell without a compressor. Leaders of the AC are known to be holding meeting for the formation of an illusionary mega Party because they have lost faith in the AC as a political platform. Alhaji Mohammed would therefore be wallowing in self delusion if he still thinks he has any one listening to his empty statements.
“On the threat by a nebulous organization called the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) to go to Court over the purported late submission of the names of the PDP flagbearers to INEC, we wish to state that the PDP adhered to the deadline given by INEC and will be ready to present its case before any court or panel that requires it.
”We once more appeal to our stakeholders in Anambra State to ignore the diversionary antics of discredited politicians and rally round our candidate Prof. Chukwuma Soludo and his running mate, Senator Emmanuel Anosike to ensure our victory at the forthcoming poll.”
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.