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Amaechi Expresses Shock Over Frank Eke, Rosebery Briggs Demise …Says Both Were Dedicated Leaders
Chairman, Lagos State Taskforce on Environment, ASP Bayo Sulaiman (2nd left), Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State (2nd right) and Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Lateef Ibirogba, (right), during an inspection of Mosafejo Market in Lagos by Governor Fashola recently.
Rivers State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has described as shocking the recent deaths of two elder statesmen in the state, late Dr. Frank Eke, Eze Gbaka Gbaka of Ikwerre land and Rt. Hon. Rosebery Briggs.
The former was aged 83 and served as Deputy Governor of the state, while the latter was 88 and was a former Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly from 1979 -1983.
Governor Amaechi spoke when he paid condolence visits to both families on Monday. He described late King Eke, who served as deputy governor of the state from 1979 to 1983, as an astute leader who contributed to the state’s development.
He also said the late politician and monarch showed exemplary leadership qualities during his lifetime and was reliable and trustworthy.
Amaechi recalled that the deceased stood by the state and his government at all times.
“When I heard of his death, I was in Abuja, and I was taken aback. I heard of him when he was a deputy governor. I heard of him (King Dr. Frank Eke) when he was working in the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST) as a medical doctor. My dad was then working in RSUST as a dispensing pharmacist.
“I met him in politics. I think then he had retired from politics and had become the king of Evo kingdom, and I saw in him a man of great qualities, a wonderful character, a character that very few persons actually have in the country, a character that you see that is full of honesty. You know him as a man that when he tells you ‘I’m with you’, he’s with you”, Amaechi said.
He recalled that the late politician and monarch fought against oppression and injustice and was the voice of the state.
He also recalled the roles the late Dr. Eke played in the Ogbakor Ikwerre, a socio-cultural organization for all Ikwerre people, stressing that his roles were worthy of emulation.
“He fights for his rights. He abhors oppression and injustice. When he became the Eze Gbaka Gbaka, the role he played in Ogbakor Ikwerre Kingdom is worthy of emulation by all of us and his children. He was the voice of the Ikwerre man and he was also the voice of the Rivers man. I don’t know how he managed to be able to speak for Ikwerre and speak for the state”, he said.
Amaechi further recalled the political contributions made by the deceased towards the enthronement of Dr Goodluck Jonathan as the country’s President in the 2011 elections.
“He was in the team of the traditional rulers that travelled round the country, soliciting for support for President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011, and President Goodluck Jonathan won that election. He went to the North despite the fear of Boko Haram. He went to the South-East, and he went to the South-West. I’m sure that if you check his archives, you will see numerous photographs of very important Nigerians that he had met”.
The Governor said the late King Dr. Eke lived a fulfilled life and promised that his administration would contribute to give the deceased a befitting burial.
Responding, the son of the deceased, Dr. Leslie Eke thanked Governor Amaechi for coming and said they were strengthened in their bereavement by the governor’s presence.
Also, Governor Amaechi paid another condolence visit to the family of the late former Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Rosebery Briggs.
Amaechi said the late former speaker offered good leadership to the state, and lived a very honest life, and pledged that the state would take part in his burial activities.
“You and I, and I’m sure the country will be surprised to know that your husband didn’t die a rich man (addressing the widow). Very few persons go through public office and die poor. It showed you the kind of person that he was, not like now when everybody is carting away money and going. He came out clean and the prayer I have is that God should introduce more of that kind of leadership for us so that the country will grow, not what we are practising now”.
Responding, Barr. Rosebary Briggs Jnr thanked the governor for coming to sympathize with them in their moment of grief despite his tight schedule.
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.