News
‘Rivers Safest State For Investors’
The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, says his administration is poised to make the state an investors’ haven, as he called on the international community to disregard the propaganda to paint the state as unsafe.
Speaking at the opening of the South African e-visa application office in Port Harcourt, yesterday, Wike said the government would improve security as a way of providing conducive environment for businesses to thrive.
“We will do everything we can to return Port Harcourt to its past glory and we will want everybody to support the government”, Wike said.
Commending the South African High Commission for selecting Port Harcourt as one of its visa centres in the country, Wike pledged government’s support to ease operations of the centre.
He observed that the centre apart from boosting diplomatic relations will also provide employment for the citizenry, and enjoined other diplomatic missions to follow after the South African example.
The governor, however, called on the South African High Commission to go beyond the visa office by commencing direct flight operations between Port Harcourt and Johannesburg.
In his remarks, South African High Commissioner for Nigeria, Lulu Louis Mngani stated that the visa office was established to boost operations between Nigeria and South Africa.
Mngani noted that, “since 1994 when the first elected South African president came to power relations between Nigeria and South Africa has grown.”
The South African High Commissioner said the choice of Port Harcourt was made because of its status as an economic hub in the country, while expressing hope that the centre will reach to the local people to boost trade and technical partnership between both countries.
In the same vein, South African Consular General Mugesi Monaisa submitted that the visa centre is among the three established in the country to reduce the plight of visitors and tourists obtaining visas to the country.
Apart from providing visas Monaisa disclosed that the centre will provide immigration advice and window for those ready to do business in South Africa.
Country Director of Nigeria and Cameroon Mr. Deepak Iyer said the centre will bring business opportunity in South Africa to the South-South.
“We are committed to the continued development and partnership between South Africa and Nigeria throughout the eight states in South of Nigeria”, he added.
Similarly, consultant to the project, Mr. Alalibo Oruambo, stated that Rivers State is strategic hence the siting of the centre, and expressed hope that other embassies will follow suit.
Meanwhile, incoming Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Prof. M. Lale has urged the South African authorities check the rising xenophobic attacks Africans in their country.
Lale while speaking at the opening of the new South African e-visa office in Port Harcourt underscored the need to improve ties between Nigeria and South Africa.
Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.