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Hoodlums Attack Jonathan’s Convoy In Yola, Jalingo …As PDP Lifts Tukur’s Suspension
President Goodluck Jonathan’s convoy was yesterday pelted with stones in Yola, the Adamawa State capital.
Goodluck Jonathan Jonathan was in the state in continuation of his presidential campaign that is widely being resisted following his 2011 promise that he will be a one-term president.
According to the source, angry protesters were chanting anti-Jonathan songs, condemned his failure to crush Boko Haram fighters.
The protesting citizens also destroyed cars and other valuables before security operatives overpowered them in the course of the protest.
Mobile policemen were said to have sprayed teargas on the protesters.
As at the time of this report, the police are yet to react officially regarding the incident. Hoodlums vandalise 12 cars in Taraba PDP’s office
No fewer than 12 vehicles were vandalised yesterday as some hoodlums descended on the secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party in Jalingo, the Tarba State capital, as President Goodluck Jonathan took his campaign for the February presidential election to the state.
It took the intervention of security agents to curb the youths’ attempt to reduce the edifice to rubble.
The angry youths, said to be numbering over 100, were said to have laid siege to the secretariat located along Barde Way, hours before the arrival the President, who was on a campaign to Taraba State.
They were said to have stormed the premises when Jonathan and his entourage were holding the rally at the stadium located at the outskirt of Jalingo.
Security operatives were said to have been overwhelmed as the rampaging youths apparently took them unawares, but they managed to secure the building before much damage could be done.
Public Relations Officer of the party, Mr. Napoleon Adamu, expressed anger that despite the Abuja accord, signed by all the candidates seeking the presidential slot, some disgruntled elements of some political parties could still go as far as attacking members of the ruling Party.
He blamed the attack on members of the opposition party, adding that the attack was carried out when the president was busy campaigning at the stadium.
He said, “We are happy that no life was lost and we want to appeal to our teeming youths to eschew violence and not take the law into their hands as security operatives, according to him, will soon fish out the perpetrators.
“Even before the coming of Mr. president, they have been complaining that they were not carried along by the committees constituted for the visit.”
However, the APC chairman, Alhaji Hassan Ardo, denied the involvement of the party in the vandalism at the secretariat, stating that “we are just coming into Jalingo from our campaign.”
Meanwhile, business activities were disrupted as Jalingo, the state capital, was brought to a standstill following the visit of the presidential campaign train.
Jonathan expressed his determination to ensuring the completion of both Kashimbila Dam and the Mambilla Hydro Power projects, both of which are located in the state.
But despite the attack, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential rally in Adamawa State went on as planned, yesterday.
Speaking at the rally, the party announced the lifting of the suspension of a former Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.
National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, announced the lifting of the suspension at the presidential rally of the party in Yola, the Adamawa State capital.
Tukur was suspended in December 2014 for dragging the party before the court in his attempt to reclaim the chairmanship of the party, where he was forced to resign in January last year.
Sambo said Jonathan was transforming Taraba just as the PDP-led Federal Government had embarked on the dredging of the River Benue to enable ships and bigger boats to berth in Taraba.
“I have another good news; Mr President has approved the dredging of River Benue. Very soon you will see ships and boats coming to Jalingo.
“Mr President is transforming Taraba State, Mr President is transforming Nigeria”.
He, therefore, called on the people of Taraba to reelect Jonathan to enable him to complete the good works he had begun nationwide.
He also charged them to vote for all PDP candidates in all the elections.
However, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said the Federal Government would ensure that the vast agricultural potentials in Taraba were harnessed.
Jonathan said this in Jalingo when the presidential campaign train of the PDP paid a courtesy call on the Emir of Muri, Alhaji Abbas Tafida, ahead of the Feb. 14 election.
The president said if re-elected, his government would ensure that the state’s vast land was harnessed for commercial rice farming.
Responding, Tafida, described Jonathan as an experienced leader, having been in the corridors of power for some time.
He advised Jonathan to ensure that a sustainable environment was created for the conduct of free and fair elections in the country.
Earlier, the PDP Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu, had said they were at the palace to solicit for prayers and support from the emir.
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.