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RSG Spends N90bn On Roads -Wike …Recommits To Comprehensive Education

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Rivers State Government has invested over N90billion in the construction of critical road infrastructure to develop the economy of the state, Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has announced.
The governor also said that the infrastructure development programme of his administration has been insulated from political considerations for the attainment of positive results.
Declaring open the West Africa Architects Fair (WAAF 2016) in Port Harcourt yesterday , Governor Wike said ,”on infrastructure, we have over 90 billion naira into construction, rehabilitation and reconstruction of roads, bridges and jetties. This money has effectively delivered over 80 roads, while work is ongoing on the construction of about 35new roads, spread across the three senatorial districts of the State.
“ Most importantly, in order to derive maximum value for money spent, we have insulated our infrastructure development and delivery master plan from political considerations by ensuring that the designing, construction and supervision of all our roads are handled by reputable professionals and construction companies.”
Represented by the Secretary to the Rivers State Government , Governor Wike noted that his administration overcame initial challenges of empty treasury , unpaid salaries , insecurity caused by closed courts and a weak economy .
He said, “when we assumed office we met a State that was at the lowest rung in all indices of development. Beside an empty treasury, we inherited months of unpaid salaries to civil servants and a totally broken infrastructure. The poor security situation was exacerbated by the prolonged closure of the courts for over 12 months leading to unprecedented capital flights and disinvestments.
“However, 17 months after, we have recorded remarkable achievements in several areas of development. For instance, our first sets of priority were to clear the backlog of salaries, fix our broken roads and transport infrastructure and create jobs by reflating the economy. In all these, we have successfully delivered.
“For instance, apart from clearing the arrears of salaries, we are among the very few States with proven capacity to meet our financial obligations to civil servants, contractors and vendors. On infrastructure, we have over 90 billion naira into construction, rehabilitation and reconstruction of roads, bridges and jetties”.
The governor lauded Nigerian architects for their contributions to the development of the country. He said since his days as council chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area , through to his days as Minister of State for Education to now that he is a governor, he has collaborated with architects to deliver quality projects .
In his remarks , the President of Nigeria Institute of Architects , Architect Tonye Oliver Braide said that Architects are working towards developing new cities that will help grow the economies of different countries
WAAF 2016 is a gathering of architects and allied professionals from across West African sub region.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Government has expressed its commitment towards the development of technical and vocational education in the state.
The Commissioner for Education, Prof. Kaniye Ebeku, disclosed this in Port Harcourt, while declaring open a three day capacity building programme for teachers on ‘Basic Electricity and Domestic installation: Lab and Application organised by the State Employment and Expenditure for Results (SEEFOR) project in collaboration with the office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Technical and Vocational Education.
Ebeku said that in line with the commitment, government was on the verge of renovating technical and vocational colleges across the state.
He commended the World Bank for partnering with the State government to develop the technical and vocational education sector of the state, and urged the trainees to take the workshop seriously as it will enable them to impact positively on the society.
Also speaking, the State Commissioner For Budget and Economic Planning, Barrister Isaac Kumalu, said that the SEEFOR project, since inception, has engaged several youth through its small and public works sub-component while grants have also been given to various communities for implementation of their Community-Driven Development (CDD) initiative.
The Commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Felix Odungweru, said that School Improvement Plans (SIP) have been implemented in seven Technical, Vocational and Agricultural schools.
According to him, the three- day workshop concludes, the activities in the 2015 School Improvement Plans, and urged the participants to take the training seriously to enhance their capacity.
Earlier, the Special Adviser to the State Governor on Technical and Vocational Education, Prof. Israel Owate, had said that, the new vision programme of the state government was anchored on technical and vocational education.
Owate also charged the participants to see the programme as an opportunity to improve themselves.

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FG Ends Passport Production At Multiple Centres After 62 Years

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The Nigeria Immigration Service has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.

Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this yesterday while inspecting Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja.

He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.

“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.

He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.

“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.

 “We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.

“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.

He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.

Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.

He said the centralised production system aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for better service delivery.

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FAAC Disburses N2.225trn For August, Highest In Nigeria

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The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has disbursed N2.225 trillion as federation revenue for the month of August 2025, the highest ever allocation to the three tiers of government and other statutory recipients.

This marks the second consecutive month that FAAC disbursements have crossed the N2 trillion mark.

The revenue, shared at the August 2025 FAAC meeting in Abuja, was buoyed by increases in oil and gas royalty, value-added tax (VAT), and common external tariff (CET) levies, according to a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting.

Out of the N2.225 trillion total distributable revenue, FAAC said N1,478.593 trillion came from statutory revenue, N672.903 billion from VAT, N32.338 billion from the Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL), and N41.284 billion from Exchange Difference.

The communiqué revealed that gross federation revenue for the month stood at N3.635 trillion. From this amount, N124.839 billion was deducted as cost of collection, while N1,285.845 trillion was set aside for transfers, interventions, refunds, and savings.

From the statutory revenue of N1.478 trillion, the Federal Government received N684.462 billion, State Governments received N347.168 billion, and Local Government Councils received N267.652 billion. A further N179.311 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) went to oil-producing states as derivation revenue.

From the distributable VAT revenue of N672.903 billion, the Federal Government received N100.935 billion, the states received N336.452 billion, while the local governments got N235.516 billion.

Of the N32.338 billion shared from EMTL, the Federal Government received N4.851 billion, the States received N16.169 billion, and the Local Governments received N11.318 billion.

From the N41.284 billion exchange difference, the Federal Government received N19.799 billion, the states received N10.042 billion, and the local governments received N7.742 billion, while N3.701 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) was shared to the oil-producing states as derivation.

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KenPoly Governing Council Decries Inadequate Power Supply, Poor Infrastructure On Campus

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The Governing Council of Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori, has decried the inadequate power supply and poor state of infrastructural facilities and equipment at the institution.

The Council also appealed to the government, including Non-Governmental Organisations, agencies, as well as well-meaning Rivers people to intervene to restore and sustain the laudable gesture, dreams and aspirations of the founding fathers of the polytechnic.

The Chairman of the newly inaugurated Council, Professor Friday B. Sigalo, made this appeal during a tour of facilities at the  Polytechnic, recently.

Accompanied by members of the team, Prof Sigalo emphasised the position of technology, technical and vocational education in sustainable development.

He noted that with the prospects on ground, and the programmes and activities undertaken in the polytechnic, there is no doubt that the institution would add values to the educational system in our society and foster the desired development, if the existing challenges are jointly tackled.

This was contained in a statement signed by Deputy Registrar, Public Relations, Kenpoly,  Innocent Ogbonda-Nwanwu, and made available to The Tide in Port Harcourt.

The chairman who restated the intention of his team of technocrats to ensure that KenPoly enjoys desirable face-lift, said the Council would deliver on its core mandates, accordingly.

Earlier, the Rector, KenPoly Engr. Dr. Ledum S. Gwarah, commended the appointment of Professor Friday B. Sigalo as Chairman of the KenPoly Governing Council.

He described him and his team as seasoned technocrats and expressed confidence in their ability to succeed.

The Rector pledged the management’s support to the Council to ensure that KenPoly resumes its rightful place in the comity of polytechnics in the country.

Facilities visited by the Governing Council include KenPoly workshops, laboratories, skills acquisition centre, library, hostels and medical centre.

 

Chinedu Wosu

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