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APC Will Bring Sanity In Nigeria –Amaechi
For Nigerians to surmount their current challenges, they should vote for the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) to pilot the country’s affairs, Rivers State Governor and Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has said.
Amaechi said the APC would restore sanity to the country’s polity and urged Nigerians to vote out the PDP in next year’s elections.
He said the APC would not be a religious party, and criticised those attempting to fan the embers of religion in the country’s politics ahead 2015, saying that leadership transcends religion and ethnicity.
He spoke when Knights and Ladies of St. John International, Port Harcourt Grand Commandery paid him a solidarity visit in Government House, Port Harcourt, yesterday.
”For me, I am not doing religion because first and foremost APC will not be a religious party. I have attended all APC meetings since we joined. We have never discussed Christ or Mohammed”.
He lamented the excesses of the ruling party and the resurgence of violence and criminality in Rivers State since Police Commissioner Mbu Joseph Mbu was deployed to the state.
“So the only way to stop this crime (and other PDP excesses) is to vote out PDP. So when you pray, you should first pray to God, ‘God help us to vote out PDP’, he said.
He lambasted the federal government for its autocratic tendencies and accused it of taking deliberate steps to stifle the voice of government at other levels.
Addressing his guests, he said: “Let me thank you for coming and the support that I have received from the Grand Commandery (of the church) and say to you that transition politics is always like this. It’s likened to takeover of power in a democratic process and nobody can allow you take over power from him in a peaceful manner despite being in a third world economy. In a third world there are rules but they are not obeyed. There are rules, if you follow the rules there will be no noise.
“The reason why politicians are not serving you is because you are not yet our masters. You have lost the voice to choose who is your leader and since you didn’t choose your leader, the person doesn’t see you as the employer, that’s the thing you must fight in 2015.
“Don’t let anybody confuse you, they have been going from church to church, telling you it’s Christians versus Muslims. No, no, no, the money they are stealing does not have Christian or Muslim emblem.
“So it’s not Christ versus Mohammed. They are using that to hoodwink you to continue to siphon our resources. Their wives are building houses all over, hotels all over and we are watching. So if anybody comes to tell you it’s south versus north, Mohammed versus Christ, the person is lying. He wants to use that to collect more money”.
Amaechi predicted that there would be steady growth of the state economy if the electorate would vote for APC, assuring also that there will be security of lives and property in the state.
He reiterated that he left PDP to join APC because the issues the G7 governors had raised before President Jonathan were not addressed by the President.
“The reason we broke away from PDP to APC is not basically because of Bamanga Tukur. Bamanga Tukur is not the big issue. There were issues we raised before the President and he has not addressed them. He said oh I have removed Bamanga Tukur, so you people can come, come to do what, there are other issues, there are issues of constitutionalism, there are issues of accountability, we raised them before Mr President and those issues have not been addressed and we think that the only way to address them is through you Nigerians, the President is not our problem, we are our own problem”.
Earlier, the Grand President of Knights of St. John International, Port Harcourt Grand Commandery, Brig-General George Ikioumoton said they came to demonstrate their loyalty and support to Governor Amaechi as he faces his current political opposition and persecution.
They urged him to remain strong and focused in the face of opposition, placing his trust in God.
Brig General Ikioumoton said: “As Knight, and a Christian, we are familiar with the Book of Nehemiah especially (Neh. 3:4-5). At a point of trying to rebuild the Jerusalem wall after the exile, Nehemiah encountered many man-made distractions and obstacles. But knowing too well that he was on a divine assignment, he continued unperturbed till he completes his assignment – to the glory of God. Nehemiah stands out today in scriptures as the man who rebuilt the Jerusalem wall during his generation.
“We urge you to continue the good work you have been doing in the state and beyond and to ensure that you complete them, no matter the obstacles and difficulties put on your way by your opponents. ‘History will vindicate the just’, remain focused and trust in God.
“It may be necessary to remind you that our mother the Church encourages us to be active in politics so as to bring Christian principles, loftier morality to bear in what used to be called a dirty game so as to make it a very clean game. Please, do not get distracted and in all your ways remember God and He will guide your steps”.
He presented to Governor Amaechi a symbolic sword and a rosary book with which to gain victory in his travails, and also commissioned him as a ‘Colonel’ of District 48 of the Grand Commandery.
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.