News
Sekibo Empathises With Aluu 4 Parents, UNIPORT VC
The Senator representing Rivers East Senatorial District,
Chief Thompson Sekibo has condoled the Vice Chancellor of the University of
Port Harcourt, Prof Joseph Ajienka over the brutal killing of four students of
the institution.
Sekibo, who also visited the parents of two of the slain
students in Port Harcourt, said he received the news of the gruesome killing
with shock.
The Senator, who visited authorities of the University
Friday described the killing as satanic, barbaric and painful, insisting that
the law must take its course to unravel the circumstances surrounding the
brutal murder.
While condemning the manner the students were subjected to
jungle justice under the present civilized setting, Senator Sekibo commended
the university authority, security agents and the governor of the state, Rt Hon
Rotimi Amaechi for bringing the situation under control and stopping academic
activities in the university to forestall further crises.
“After watching it on screen, one can’t believe that this
kind of thing can happen considering the efforts of the governor on security of
the state’, he said, and advised community leaders to assess the type of people
living around them.
The lawmaker, however, cautioned students against reprisal
attacks on the community and to allow the law take its course.
Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Joseph Ajienka, had
earlier told the visiting Senator that for over 30 years, the institution had
maintained cordial relationship with its host communities, noting that such
ugly development had never happened before.
He said the murder of the four students in Aluu, a community
barely three kilometers away from the institution had affected the psyche of
the university.
Prof Ajienka revealed that the fourth victim who was not
identified earlier (Tekena Elkanah has however been identified as a certificate
student in the Faculty of Education of the institution.
He commended Senator Sekibo for his show of concern, and
Nigerians for their outpouring of emotion, and urged security agencies to do
everything possible to ensure that those behind the dastardly act were brought
to book.
Earlier in the day, Senator Sekibo had paid condolence visit
to parents of Mike Lloyd Toku and Friday Elkanah.
The mother of Mike Lloyd Toku, Mrs Toku Mike had accused the
police of trying to cover up their role during the ugly incident.
Mrs Mike said evidence abound that policemen were present
while the innocent students were being murdered, saying instead of making
reasonable effort to save them, the police watched idly while the students were
gruesomely killed.
Meanwhile, Aluu community in Rivers State, where four
students of University of Port Harcourt were gruesomely murdered on October 5,
2012, has absolved itself from killing the students at Omuokiri village, Aluu.
The community blamed non-indigenes residing at Aluu for the dastardly act.
Addressing a press conference at Obiri Aluu last weekend,
the community’s apex socio-cultural body, Ogbakor Aluu said unlike the rumours making the rounds, the Aluu community does not have
a vigilante group which was reportedly accused of killing the students.
The community’s spokesman, Mr Gashion Benson told newsmen
that Aluu has no vigilante group.
Goodluck Ukwe & Chris Oluoh
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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