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RVHA Tasks Ministries On 2013 Flooding
Following the appearance of three commissioners before the Rivers State House of Assembly, the lawmakers have directed the ministries to begin preparatory plans to mitigate the expected heavy rainfall that would cause flooding in the state as predicted by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET).
Speaker of the State Assembly, Rt. Hon. Otelemaba Amachree gave the directive yesterday when the Commissioners for Environment, Mr Nyema Weli, Special Duties, Mr Dickson Omunakwe and Information and Communications, Mrs Ibim Semenitari, briefed the House on the activities of their ministries regarding the expected 2013 flooding.
Hon. Amachree charged the ministries to start preparations for the anticipated heavy rain fall and floods to reduce the impact on the lives of Rivers people and to avoid the emergency arrangement of last year.
He reminded the Commissioners that the House may re-invite them when the need aroses but directed that they prepared detailed work plan of action and forward same to the Assembly before the end of April, 2013.
Briefing the lawmakers, the Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr Dickson Umunakwe said the State Special Flood Committee approved and procured seedlings and suckers for farmers in the four affected local government areas to enable them start their farms again.
He disclosed that his ministry had produced jingles, fliers and had commenced enlightenment campaigns to sensitise the people on the possible flood as predicted by NIMET.
Responding to a question, Mr Umunakwe acknowledged that the committee received complaints to the effect that the farm seedlings and suckers were not properly distributed, and the committee summoned the affected council chairmen.
The Special Duties Commissioner said he assumed office January 16, 2013, and therefore could not provide answers to some of the issues raised by the lawmakers but hinted that he had visited some of the affected communities in Ahoada East, West and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni.
The Commissioner for Environment, Mr Nyema Weli, told the House that the 2012 flood was caused by overflow of the River Niger through the Orashi River and not the outcome of rainfall in the areas.
Mr Weli said, under the circumstance, the State could not do much but to evacuate those affected, and suggested the dredging of River Niger and Orashi River to reduce the impact of the water.
On flooding in parts of Port Harcourt, the Commissioner attributed it to the attitude of residents who erect structures on natural waterways and dump refuse in drainages thereby obstructing the flow of water.
Mr Weli, who claimed to have visited the impacted communities, could not remember the name of any of such people he visited but admitted that the ministry did not comply with an earlier resolution of the House to fumigate the affected communities as part of the post-flood measures.
On her part, the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs Ibim Semenitari, said for the 2013 precaution, the ministry had drawn up plans to handle enlightenment campaigns through the use of town criers.
Hon. Sam Eligwe, representing Ahoada-West, urged the Commissioner to be conscious of the kind of information to avoid causing panic among the people, noting that the seedlings and suckers claimed to have been distributed were rotting away at council headquarters.
He, therefore, enjoined the Commissioners for Special Duties and Environment to visit the camps with a view to retrieving government’s properties to avoid vandalisation.
The lawmaker came to the conclusion that the ministries should commence plans towards the heavy rains and flood as stated by NIMET to ensure that the effect would be minimal on the lives of those to be affected.
It would be recalled that the motion to prepare for the expected flooding in 2013 as predicted by NIMET was sponsored by Hon. Augustine Ngo, representing Abua/Odual.
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.