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Rivers Probe: Commission Summons Ex-Agric Boss, 12 Others
The Justice George O. Omereji led Rivers State Judicial Commission of Inquiry investigating the immediate past administration in the state has threatened to issue warrant of arrest against former Agriculture Commissioner and 12 former Care-taker Committee Chairmen (CTC) who served under the past administration to force them to appear before it today at 9am.
By the close of sitting yesterday, the commission issued fresh summons to compel the former officers to comply with its order.
The former Care-taker Committee Chairmen invited to appear at today’s sitting include, Hon. Mnaeichenbo C. Tende (Ogu/Bolo), Uche Felix Naaeke, (Oyigbo), Kadilo Kabari, (Gokana) Oji Ngofa, (Eleme), Barr. Nnamdi Wuche, (Phalga), and Nlemaa Agabe for Tai LGA.
Others are Hon. Mene Lenyie Derek (Khana) Ojukaye Flag Amachree (Asalga), Ikegbidi Cassidy Okpara (Ahoada East), Charles Anyanwu (Etche), Ibigoni Daddy Pokima (Degema), as well as Hon. Austin Ahiamadu for Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local Government Area of the state.
The invitation was part of resolutions reached by the panel at the end of yesterday’s sitting which was adjourned due to the inability of the former Agriculture Commissioner to honour an earlier invitation by the commission.
The invited persons are expected to appear before the panel and give evidence and produce relevant documents in respect to the disbursement of N4 billion Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme funds from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) through secured the state Ministry of Agriculture by the last administration.
Speaking during the inaugural session of the commission held at the auditorium of the state Judiciary complex in Port Harcourt, Monday, the Chairman of the Commission Justice George O. Omereji stated that the commission was a fact-finding body and was not a court of law and would not witch-hunt any body adding that that the commission’s activities would be based on the memoranda submitted by the parties.
Justice Omereji promised that the commission shall uphold the principle of fair hearing and give equal opportunities to all concerned persons to state their cases as well as tender relevant documents that shall assist the commission in its assessment.
According to him “person (s) mentioned in the memoranda shall be put on notice and granted audience to respond. The commission recognizes the right of the parties to engage legal practitioners of their choice. The commission is not bound by the strict rules of evidence but shall add procedures that will ensure fairness to all the parties”, he stated.
Justice Omereji, who is a serving Judge at the State Judiciary said that the recommendations of the commission would be advisory and would be at the discretion of the state government, even as he sued for co-operation among all.
Earlier in their separate submissions during their appearance at the commission on Monday, the Permanent Secretary, state Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs O.I. Okoye and the Director, Planning Research and Statistics Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Chijioke Grant Amadi explained that 380 mother Co-operatives across the 23 local Government of the states benefited from the Agric grant from the CBN.
They told the panel that the N4 billion Agric grant was segmented in various order adding that only N2.932 billion was paid to the beneficiaries.
Giving the break down on how the money was disbursed during the past administration, the Permanent Secretary said N2.932 billion was paid to the Co-operatives, N.1bn was paid for OMUDA Development Company and bank charges, while the balance of N989 million was outstanding in the account meant for four fish farms at Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Ubima and Degema and has not been paid.
They told the committee that due process was followed in the disbursement of the loan as most beneficiaries were farmers in the state adding that committee was set up to monitor the disbursement and reported to the then Commissioner for Agriculture.
They stated that they were not part of those who generated the names of the beneficiaries adding that it was the former Agric boss that gave such approval. In her own submission, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Commerce, Mrs Cordelia M. Peterside however told the panel that her Ministry could only account for 342 Cooperatives out of the 380, but promised to furnish the panel with further details within one week.
The disbursement or use by the State Ministry of Agriculture of the sum of N4 billion Agricultural Credit Guarantee scheme fund is among the areas the panel of inquiry is investigating on the activities of the past administration as empowered by Governor Nyesom Wike.
Akujobi Amadi
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.