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President’s Victory End To Ethnic Politics
A cross section of Nigerians have hailed the victory of President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2011 presidential elections, saying it represents a new dawn in the political evolution of Nigeria.
Reacting to the victory in an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt, yesterday, the stakeholders said the victory of Jonathan at the polls signalled the end of ethnic politics in the country.
Last Monday, the Attaihuri Jega-led Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared President Jonathan as the winner of the presidential elections with 22,495,187 votes, while his closest rival, Mohammadu Buhari polled 12, 214, 853 votes.
Declaring Jonathan the winner, Jega said the PDP presidential candidate won 25 per cent in 31 states plus the FCT seven states more than the mandatory constitutional requirement of 24 states, while Buhari scored 25 per cent in 16 states and the FCT.
Excited over the victory, Senator George Thompson Sekibo representing, Rivers East Senatorial district at the National Assembly said the election of President Jonathan represents the determination of Nigerians to put an end to ethnic politics and support for any leader that will deliver democratic dividence that would promote their well being.
Senator Sekibo, who was re-elected, said Jonathan receiving more than 25 per cent of the votes in 31 states and FCT shows that Nigerians have kept their promise to elect a humble committed and detribalised leader.
The Executive Director of the Centre for Development and Support Initiatives (CEPS), Mrs Mina Ogbanaga attributed the success story of Jonathan at the polls to hardwork and determination .
Also speaking, the Secretary of Rivers State Female Aspirants Forum, Mrs Asele Abigo Tshuinza, said that the victory has shown that there is no more minorities in Nigeria.
“There is always a time when God directly intervenes in the affairs of men. I believe that this time, God has heard the cries of the minorities and has decided to choose a son to lead and transform Nigeria, West declared.
The former Director-General, State Security Service (SSS), Chief Albert K. Horsfall while commending the transparency of the conduct of the Saturday’s presidential election in the country, said the process and subsequent declaration of the results has rekindled hope that the democracy has come to stay.
The former SSS boss who is also the chairman of the Social Rehabilitation Committee in Rivers State also commended the youths of the Niger Delta for not retaliating the violence that occurred in some parts of the northern states, adding that this has shown that they embraced the amnesty programme of the federal government.
Former ACN leader in the state, Prince Tonye Princewill said Nigerians voted for Goodluck Jonathan because of his personality and his commitment in the past 10 months to restore the lost glory of Nigeria.
Princewill said the election of Jonathan was not the wide acceptance of the PDP but the peoples appreciation for his transparency in the system even as he condemned the post-election violence that erupted in some parts of the north.
The traditional ruler, Eze Ekpeye Logbo, Eze Robinson O. Robinson and NULGE, Rivers State Chapter Chairman, Barr. Franklin Ajinwo agreed that Jonathan’s victory was well-deserved.
“President Jonathan has shown within the short period he has been in office that he is equal to the task of governing our great nation. Under him, there has been improvement of power from what it used to be; perennial fuel scarcity is now history as the long queues at filling stations have disappeared for good, workers welfare have been improved upon. And we can all see his humility and sincerity of purpose so he deserves to win for him to do more for the nation,” the Ekpeye monarch said.
Eze Robinson, a former Chairman, Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers however thanked their counterparts in the North for the rallying support for Jonathan at the election, describing it as unprecedented in the history of Nigeria.
Ajinwo, said Jonathan’s victory was not unexpected, going by his track- record within his relatively short stay in office as president and advised him to double his efforts at recording more achievements for the country.
He challenged Jonathan to rise to the challenge of revamping the economy especially in the power sector as well as ensuring that members of his new cabinet are those who truly believe in his vision of a great Nigeria
He also made case for industrial development of the country as well as the need to ensure the automony of local government
Let him ensure that he boosts the industrial development of this country by tackling the power sector. It is not an impossible thing for Nigeria to have steady electricity.
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.