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FG Orders Probe Of Pilgrims Deportation
President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered a thorough post mortem of some Nigerian female pilgrims deported from Mecca over the issue of male companions.
Jonathan made this known yesterday in his Eid-El-Kabir message to Nigerians, which was made available to State House correspondents in Abuja.
He said the essence of the probe was to ensure that Hajj airlift operations were never disrupted by such problems in future and Nigerian pilgrims not subjected to such traumatic experience again.
The president extended warm greetings to Nigerians and Muslims in particular on the occasion of Eid-el-Kabir festival.
He congratulated all Nigerians who successfully undertook the Hajj operations.
Jonathan noted that the country would make faster progress toward the attainment of developmental objectives with the co-operation of the citizens.
He called on people to live up to the highest ideals of religious beliefs, including the fear of God, selfless service, respect for laws and constituted authorities, honesty, justice, equity, fairness, dutifulness, peace and harmonious co-existence with others.
Jonathan said his administration would continue to give dedicated, committed, focused and purposeful leadership toward overcoming old and emerging challenges before the nation.
The president said Nigerians should use the occasion of the Sallah celebration to remember the plight of the victims of flooding.
“I have already announced a relief package of close to N18 billion and constituted a national committee to raise more funds to help victims of the floods.
“In the true spirit of our major religions which enjoin us to be generous to the needy, I urge all Nigerians who can do so to donate munificently to the national relief fund for affected persons and communities.
“We will monitor the disbursement and utilisation of the funds released by the Federal Government and those raised by the national committee very closely to ensure that they are judiciously and expeditiously expended for the benefit of the flood victims,’’ he said.
However, as a Muslims mark this year’s Eid el Kabir, Rivers State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has called for continued prayers for peace, security and development in the country, and its people.
Amaechi stated this in his Sallah message to Muslims and all Nigerians. He congratulated Muslims for the successful conclusion of this year’s Hajj and urged them to continue to pray for the peace and progress of the nation and unity among its people.
The statement signed by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. David Iyofor said, “As Nigerians, we should not relent in praying for our country, particularly for our leaders to lead right and for our people to grow in love and oneness to ultimately make our country a better place for us all.
“Let the love and generosity exhibited during the feast of sacrifice become part of our national life, as we strive to eschew violence and all forms of inhumanity.
“On behalf of my family, the government and people of Rivers State, I wish you happy Sallah. And as you celebrate, reflect on the ideals and virtues of Prophet Muhammed,” Amaechi said.
He assured Muslims in Rivers State of continued support and urged them to be good citizens and worthy ambassadors of the country.
In a similar vein, Senate President David Mark has called on Muslim faithful to use the occasion of this year’s Eid-el-Kabir to pray for peace and stability in Nigeria.
In a statement in Abuja yesterday implored religious leaders to teach their followers on the right thing to do so that they would not deviate or depart from the truth.
He noted that Nigeria was passing through trying times, especially security challenges, a development, he said, required that all men and women of goodwill rise up to tackle the menace.
The Senate president clarified that the insecurity in the land should not be perceived or seen from the prism of religion but a crime against humanity.
Meanwhile, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, has urged Nigerians to be law abiding at all times and restore the virtues of good neighbourliness.
In a statement issued in Abuja yesterday, on the occasion of the Eid-el-Kabir celebration, Tambuwal said for Nigeria to make the necessary progress it desired, the citizenry at all levels must be their brother’s keepers and be more sensitive to the well-being of one another.
According to him, all Nigerians must show commitment and readiness to make sacrifice toward the development of the nation.
He said that making sacrifice for the nation had become imperative now more than ever before, considering the numerous challenges confronting the nation.
The speaker added that while every nation on earth had peculiar challenges confronting its people, the determination to tackle those challenges at times sets some of them apart.
He enjoined Muslim faithful to use the occasion to reflect on their spiritual lives.
“Let me use this opportunity to urge Nigerians, especially adherents of the Islamic faith, to use the occasion to reflect on our spiritual life as individuals and how we can contribute more meaningfully toward making Nigeria the great nation envisioned by its founding fathers.’’
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.