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Jonathan Promises People-based Constitution …Names Dagogo-Jack Power Task Force Chair
As part of the ongoing constitution amendment process, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday assured that the report of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Alfa Belgore Committee on past constitutional conferences would soon be forwarded to the National Assembly alongside the proposed bills.
Speaking at the first Presidential Retreat for Civil Society Organisations and Professional Association as part of the 52nd Independence Anniversary of the country, Jonathan promised to deliver a people-oriented constitution that would ensure development of the country, while the contribution of the people will be considered in the amendment processes.
Arguing that a constitution must originate from the people and bear clear imprint of their contributions, the president said government was engaging the civil society in the constitution review process because of the tremendous knowledge of constitutional review borne out of many years of consistent effort to craft a people’s constitution for the country.
Besides, Jonathan said the essence of the engagement was to galvanize the views of the people through the civil society groups, who he said, were the voice of the people, hence, the engagement should not be seen as a political settlement.
According to him, his government believes in the rule of law, adding that it was in furtherance of his commitment to leave a people-oriented constitution that in November last year, the Presidential Committee on the Review of Outstanding Issues in recent Constitutional Conferences was set up.
The committee’s mandate was to reaffirm or re-assess issues on which there is evidence of national consensus from past constitutional conferences; and to highlight those areas that would require further consultations so that a wider forum could look at them and reach agreements.
Jonathan said, “I assure you that we shall shortly send the report alongside the proposed bills to the National Assembly.”
“I believe that a constitution worthy of our efforts must originate from the people themselves and bear clear imprint of their contributions.
“Constitution-making or review in a democracy should not be an elitist undertaking. It must be processed through a strategic and far reaching consultation with the people. That is the spirit of democracy.
In his remarks, the chairman of the occasion and retired Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Alfa Belgore, described Nigeria’s constitution as the most battered in the world.
He also faulted the modelling of the 1999 Constitution after that of America without considering our peculiar values and traditions.
The presidential system, however, makes the president the chief executive with his ministers not being members of the parliament. In some cases, the ministers contested for parliamentary election and failed.
However, the greatest fault in presidential system is the expense. Apart from unelected ministers, there are so many special assistants. The country seems to be mimicking countries like United States in this arrangement. We seem to be the only country in the Commonwealth of Nations that attempts to copy the United States system.
“The greatest problem with Nigeria is, its constant internal instability in governance.
“The constitution is the mother of all the laws and there is enough for everybody on the ground. There will be no excuse for any Nigerian to be poor.”
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim in his opening remark, described the civil society as the fifth estate of the realm, saying, government decided to bring them together because of the significant role they play which has made them indispensable in the process of social engineering.
The President appointed, Mr Reynolds Dagogo-Jack of National Intergrated Power Project (NIPP) as the Chairman of the reconstituted Presidential Task Force on Power.
The body was hitherto chaired by the former Minister of Power, Prof Barth Nnaji, who resigned his appointment on ground of conflict of interest.
“We have done it this way because, the other time when Nnaji was the Chairman, the secretary was my special adviser; so there was a lot of conflict between two of them because they say two captains cannot drive a ship.
“This time around we just want one captain and others will work with him.’’
Members of the task force include Messrs Rumundakaa Wonodi, Olusola Akinniranye and Abdulganiyu Umar, the managing directors and chief executive officers of Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Plc; Transmission Company of Nigeria; and Abuja Electricity Distribution Company respectively.
Others are Mr Paul Umunna and Mr Oladele Amoda, the chief executive officers of Ugheli Power Plc and Eko Electricity Distribution Company respectively, as well as the Managing Director of Niger Delta Power Holding Company, Mr James Olotu.
The MD of the Nigerian Gas Company, Mr Saidu Mohammed and the CEO of Geregu Power Plc, Mr Adeyemi Adenuga, are also members of the task force.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Power, Dr Dere Awosika, will serve as the Secretary of the task force.
In the same vein, the president has inaugurated the reconstituted, the Presidential Action Committee on Power will be chaired by Jonathan with Vice President Namadi Sambo as Deputy Chairman.
Members of the committee are the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim; the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Alhaji Ali Sali; and the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Mike Oghiadome.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Mohammed Adoke; Minister of Finance, Dr, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; and Minister of Labour and Productivity, Mr Emeka Wogu, are members.
Some other members of the committee are Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezzani Allison Madueke; Minister of National Planning, Dr Shamsudeen Usman; and the chief economic adviser to the President.
The special adviser to the President on Performance Monitoring and Evaluation; the directors-general of the Bureau of Public Enterprises and Bureau of Public Procurement are also members of the committee.
Others are the group managing director of NNPC and the Chairman of the National Electricity Regulatory Commission.
It would be recalled that the president, on June 21, relieved the former Minister of Defence, Dr Haliru Bello of his appointment.
The President is expected to name replacements for Haliru and Nnaji, who while in office, represented Kebbi and Enugu States in the cabinet respectively.
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.