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NLC, NBA, Others Condemn Boko Haram Attacks
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Nigerian Bar Association and the Human Rights Watch, among others, yesterday condemned last week’s massacre of students of the Federal Government College, Buni Yadi, in Yobe.
The NLC also condemned the attacks on Michika, Madagali and Shua, in Adamawa and Borno, respectively, and urged the Federal Government to stop the audacity of the Boko Haram sect.
This is contained in a statement signed by NLC President, Malam Abdulwaheed Omar in Abuja.
Omar condemned the routine decimation of communities in Borno and Adamawa, saying that this had brought to the fore the gory reality of the new phase of the war on terror.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress is shocked by this brazen and ferocious savagery and saddened by the seeming helplessness of our security forces.
“The earlier successes of the declaration of state of emergency seem to have petered away, giving room to despair.
”The congress appreciates the challenges of our intelligence and security forces by way of a porous border, large and uncharted expanse of land, and an extremely difficult terrain.
“But finds unacceptable this level of mindless violence and the response of our security forces,’’ it stated.
He said that recent events amounted to an open war, noting that the armed forces could not afford to be caught napping again.
The NLC president said they must be seen to renew their commitment and capacity to protect the sovereignty of Nigeria.
He warned that the congress would not fold its hands while the territory was being ceded and scores of innocent lives and priceless property wasted on a daily basis.
Omar said the congress would mobilise its members to the streets to protest these massacres.
The international rights group, Human Rights Watch (HRW), and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) have also condemned the recent attacks by the Boko Haram sect in some North Eastern states of the country.
Nigeria Researcher, HRW, Ms Mausi Segun, in an electronic mail sent yesterday, urged the Federal Government to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“Human Rights Watch calls on the Nigerian Government to urgently take steps to protect the lives of citizens in vulnerable communities in the North-East and to rescue the scores of girls taken captive by the insurgents in the past few weeks.
“These measures must be carried out in ways that do not further jeopardise the rights and safety of members of those communities.
“All those most responsible for these horrific crimes must be brought to justice as soon as possible,” Segun said.
In an interview, Chairman of the Ikeja Branch of the NBA, Mr Onyekachi Ubani, urged the government to change its strategies in tackling the insurrection.
Ubani called for the removal of the governors to enable the Nigerian military to be in complete control of the areas.
Ubani also backed the National Assembly’s directive that the Nigeria Army should move its headquarters to the troubled states.
Meanwhile, Northern States Governors’ Forum yesterday assured Nigerians, especially those living in the troubled North Eastern states that a lot was being done to guarantee peace in the area.
The group also said efforts were being done to save lives and property in the troubled states.
Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Niger, Dr Babangida Aliyu, in a statement, urged all stakeholders to continue to pray to God to end the scourge of the senseless killing of defenceless citizens.
The statement, signed by his spokesman, Dnaladi Ndayebo, in Minna, urged the perpetrators of the dastardly acts to lay down their arms and embrace dialogue.
Aliyu made the call in his reaction to Saturday’s explosions which killed several persons at the heavily-populated Ngomari-Bulumkutu area of Maiduguri, Borno.
Aliyu urged members of Boko Haram to embrace dialogue, assuring them that “the surest way to resolve grievances is through dialogue and not violence.”
He then commiserated with the families of those killed or injured during the blast, and called on all security agencies to re-double their efforts in the discharge of their responsibilities.
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.