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We’ll Tackle Flooding Headlong – Wike …As PH Residents Count Losses

Published

9 years ago

July 24, 2017

Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike yesterday evening assured residents of Port Harcourt and other flooded communities that his administration will tackle the environmental challenge headlong.
He empathised with all residents affected by the flooding, assuring that his administration will work with relevant agencies to resolve the issues thrown up by the flooding.
Speaking after he inspected some areas impacted by flooding caused by two days of torrential rainfall, Governor Wike directed the relevant government agencies to take immediate remedial measures.
The governor inspected the flooded areas in Port Harcourt with Julius Berger engineers and officials of the State Ministry of Works.
He directed the continuous de-silting of all major canals in the town.
Governor Wike advised residents of Port Harcourt to stop dumping refuse in water channels. He said such actions lead to blockage of water channels, which leads to flooding.
The governor stressed that he will take some tough steps to ensure that the state will not experience such devastating flooding.
Sam Ngbor, Liaison Manager of Julius Berger Plc assured the governor that the company will work with the state government to resolve the challenges posed by the flooding.
Meanwhile, the state government also advised the people to avoid building residential houses on natural water ways.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Environment, Dr. Emmanuel Urang, gave the charge while he and other Permanent Secretaries monitored the flooding situation in parts of Port Harcourt at the weekend.
Urang advised residents of the city to complement government effort by desilting the drains in their vicinities and avoid building residential houses on natural water channels.
Meanwhile, thousands of Port Harcourt residents are still counting their losses, following heavy flooding that ravaged most parts of the city and its environs.
The flooding submerged thousands of houses, roads, streets, and destroyed valuable belongings and rendered many homeless across the city.
The flooding was as a result of the heavy rains, which started in the wee hours of last Saturday, and lasted till yesterday afternoon, leaving a tell tale of agony and frustration.
Some of the worst hit areas were the Rumukalagbor, Elekahia, Nkpogu, Abuloma, Azuabie, Amadi-Ama, D/Line, some parts of Diobu, including Sangana, Bende, Uyo and Afam streets, Elioparanwo, Ogbogoro, Rukpokwu, Rumuodomaya, Mgbuoba, Rumuigbo and communities along the Ohiamini, Nta-Wogba, Waja, among others in Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt local government areas.
At GRA Phase three, many residential and business areas were flooded. This include parts of the mechanic village, close to the Rivers State Environmental Sanitation Authority in Mile 3.
At the Immanuel Anglican Church, GRA Phase Three, the Vicar in-charge, Rev Soye Young-Itiye said the flood was knee-deep and worshippers had to relocate to a mechanic shed opposite for yesterday’s service. Young-Itiye appealed to Rivers State Government to construct a drainage in the area to ease the flooding in the area.
At Rumukalagbor, residents were completely displaced.
According to one of the victims, Miss Mercy Nwifii, who spoke with The Tide, houses were entirely flooded, making people to keep vigil all night as there was no place to sleep.
Narrating their ordeals, Nwifii said, “all the houses were flooded, with their properties floating on the water. We did not sleep throughout the night, as we were busy, trying to re-arrange our belongings above water level. It was a terrible experience.”
Another victim, Mr. Chinedu, Amadi, said, his electronic appliances and other belongings were destroyed by the flood.
He further disclosed that children suffered most in the disaster, but added that the adults were quick to adjust to ease the pains.
According to Chinedu, his material loss was huge, but immediately added that he was more bothered about the damage done to his intellectual property (books).
“My greatest loss is the damage done to my books, all my collection of books, has completely gone”, he lamented.
At the Ohiamini axis of Port Harcourt, residents were spotted scooping the drenching water from their houses.
One of the residents, Maria Naabura, said the debris from the flood emptied into people’s houses.
She called on the state government to, as a matter of urgency, address issues of perennial flooding in the state capital to save the residents from suffering colossal damages.
The Chapel of Victory Road that leads to Mummy B Junction at the GRA link road to Stadium Road was entirely flooded with vehicular movement heavily obstructed.
The Elekahia-Nkpogu Junction axis of Trans Amadi in Port Harcourt under construction by Ronnier Construction Company (RCC) was also flooded and impassable.
At Aba Road axis of Port Harcourt by the Nta-Wogba Creek, residents were displaced and many valuables submerged, with their property completely damaged.
The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) building on Port Harcourt-Aba Road was taken over by flood, with all the vehicles packed in the premises submerged in water.
Some residents of the adjoining streets of the Aba Road axis, who spoke with The Tide blamed the flooding on the overflow of the Nta-Wogba Creek’s bank.
Others attributed the heavy flooding to the sandfilling project at Eastern Bypass, and called for proper channelling of water to the sea to reduce flooding in the affected areas.
A senior officer of the commission, who confirmed the incident, in a telephone interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt, said that some officers were also trapped in their various offices.
The officer, who spoke under condition of anonymity, however, said that something was being done to bring out those trapped as a result of the submerging of the FRSC premises by flood.
A visit by The Tide to the affected areas, show that apart from the FRSC premises, many houses on Sangana, Uyo, Bende and Afam Streets, parts of D-Line and GRA were submerged, while residents are now counting their losses as a result of the flood.
Some of those who spoke to The Tide blamed the situation on the overflowing of the Nta- Wogba Creek, occasioned by the two-day down pour.
Speaking with The Tide, the Chairman, Health Safety and Environment (HSE) Committee, Chinwo Town, in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, Prince William Chinwo, blamed the flooding on the continuous building of structures on water rights of way.
Chinwo, also condemned the indiscriminate dumping of refuse on rivers and creeks.
He said that the continuous dredging and reclamation of land without recourse to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report was harmful to the city and its environs.
According to him, people must ensure regular desilting of drainages as well as clean their surroundings.
Also speaking, another resident, Jude Uzodinma, called for the enforcement of extant environmental laws against the indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drainages in the city.
Uzodinma also called for laws to check the proliferation of structures along water rights of way while urging government to come to the aid of residents of Sangana and neighbouring streets, who have lost their property to the flooding.

Taneh Beemene

Featured

Fubara Reads Riot Act To New SSG, CoS …Warns Against Unauthorized Meetings

Published

3 days ago

February 27, 2026

The Tide

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has charged the newly appointed Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and Chief of Staff (CoS) to carry out their duties with discipline, loyalty and a firm commitment to the success of the administration and the wellbeing of the people of Rivers State.

The governor warned that any involvement in unauthorised nocturnal meetings or any conduct capable of embarrassing the government will attract immediate dismissal.

Fubara gave the warning yesterday shortly after the newly appointed Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Dagogo S.A. Wokoma and the new Chief of Staff (CoS), Barrister Sunny Ewule, were sworn in at the Executive Council Chambers of Government House, Port Harcourt.

As part of the ceremony, the Chief Registrar of the State High Court, David Ihua-Maduenyi administered the Oath of Allegiance and Oath of Office on the duo before the governor gave his charge.

Addressing the appointees, Fubara reminded them that their elevation to the new positions was a call to service and not a platform for political grandstanding or the pursuit of personal ambition.

He stressed that their foremost responsibility should be to themselves and to the people of Rivers State, stressing that their conduct must always reflect integrity, restraint and dedication to public good.

Speaking directly to Dr. Wokoma, whom he described as an accomplished academic and mathematician, the governor expressed confidence in his intellectual depth and capacity to deliver on the new assignment.

The office of the Secretary to the State Government, Fubara stressed, demands thoroughness, discipline and a deep sense of responsibility. He charged the SSG to represent the State with honour at all times.

“Your duty includes representing the state government. You need to represent us in a way and manner that will bring honour to us.

“What is important to this administration is to see that the good works that we started and the ones that we met, are concluded in a way that will bring progress and development to our dear state,” he stated.

Turning to the new Chief of Staff, the governor explained that he is expected to ensure smooth administrative coordination, managing official engagements effectively and safeguarding the image of the Government House.

He underscored the sensitive and personal nature of the role and emphasised that the position operates strictly under the authority of the governor.

Fubara stressed that the role does not permit independent political engagements or private strategy meetings without his knowledge and consent.

“Let me sound it here very clearly. Your duty is to make sure that you handle the administrative duties and image making roles perfectly well, liaising with whoever is coming for any official assignment here.

“If you involve yourself in nocturnal meetings and all those things, I will sack you. I’m very serious. What is important to me today is peace, progress and prosperity of this state. I’m not going to compromise anything for it,” he said.

The governor cautioned that involvement of the new appointees in any action capable of bringing the government or his office to disrepute would attract appropriate sanctions.

While congratulating the new appointees, Fubara expressed optimism that they would justify the confidence reposed in them.

He called on all public officials to work together in unity, observing that collective success is stronger and more enduring than individual achievement.

The governor who also addressed the Permanent Secretaries present at the ceremony, directed those of them who have reached retirement age to start preparing their handover notes without delay.

The notice, he said, was not intended to scare anybody but to prepare their minds towards the inevitability of exiting the service one day and to pave way for an orderly transition.

He warned against any attempt to engage in financial misconduct or last-minute irregularities, stressing that he was closely monitoring the system to ensure strict enforcement of accountability rules.

Featured

Fubara Dissolves Rivers Executive Council

Published

2 weeks ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, has dissolved the State Executive Council.

The governor announced the cabinet dissolution yesterday in a statement titled ‘Government Special Announcement’, signed by his new Chief Press Secretary, Onwuka Nzeshi.

Governor Fubara directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most Senior officers in their Ministries with immediate effect.

He thanked the outgoing members of the State Executive Council for their service and wished them the best in their future endeavours.

The three-paragraph special announcement read, “His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS, Governor of Rivers State, has dissolved the State Executive Council.

“His Excellency, the Governor, has therefore directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most Senior officers in their Ministries with immediate effect.

“His Excellency further expresses his deepest appreciation to the outgoing members of the Executive Council wishing them the best in their future endeavours.”

Featured

INEC Proposes N873.78bn For 2027 Elections, N171bn For 2026 Operations

Published

2 weeks ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday told the National Assembly that it requires N873.78bn to conduct the 2027 general elections, even as it seeks N171bn to fund its operations in the 2026 fiscal year.

INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, made the disclosure while presenting the commission’s 2026 budget proposal and the projected cost for the 2027 general elections before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters in Abuja.

According to Amupitan, the N873.78bn election budget covers the full conduct of national polls in 2027.

An additional N171bn is needed to support INEC’s routine activities in 2026, including bye-elections and off-season elections, the commission stated.

The INEC boss said the proposed election budget does not include a fresh request from the National Youth Service Corps seeking increased allowances for corps members engaged as ad-hoc staff during elections.

He explained that, although the details of specific line items were not exhaustively presented, the almost N1tn election budget is structured across five major components.

“N379.75bn is for operational costs, N92.32bn for administrative costs, N209.21bn for technological costs, N154.91bn for election capital costs and N42.61bn for miscellaneous expenses,” Amupitan said.

The INEC chief noted that the budget was prepared “in line with Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates the Commission to prepare its election budget at least one year before the general election.”

On the 2026 fiscal year, Amupitan disclosed that the Ministry of Finance provided an envelope of N140bn, stressing, however, that “INEC is proposing a total expenditure of N171bn.”

The breakdown includes N109bn for personnel costs, N18.7bn for overheads, N42.63bn for election-related activities and N1.4bn for capital expenditure.

He argued that the envelope budgeting system is not suitable for the Commission’s operations, noting that INEC’s activities often require urgent and flexible funding.

Amupitan also identified the lack of a dedicated communications network as a major operational challenge, adding that if the commission develops its own network infrastructure, Nigerians would be in a better position to hold it accountable for any technical glitches.

Speaking at the session, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) said external agencies should not dictate the budgeting framework for INEC, given the unique and sensitive nature of its mandate.

He advocated that the envelope budgeting model should be set aside.

He urged the National Assembly to work with INEC’s financial proposal to avoid future instances of possible underfunding.

In the same vein, a member of the House of Representatives from Edo State, Billy Osawaru, called for INEC’s budget to be placed on first-line charge as provided in the Constitution, with funds released in full and on time to enable the Commission to plan early enough for the 2027 general election.

The Joint Committee approved a motion recommending the one-time release of the Commission’s annual budget.

The committee also said it would consider the NYSC’s request for about N32bn to increase allowances for corps members to N125,000 each when engaged for election duties.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Simon Along, assured that the National Assembly would work closely with the Commission to ensure it receives the necessary support for the successful conduct of the 2027 general elections.

Similarly, the Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Bayo Balogun, also pledged legislative support, warning INEC to be careful about promises it might be unable to keep.

He recalled that during the 2023 general election, INEC made strong assurances about uploading results to the INEC Result Viewing portal, creating the impression that results could be monitored in real time.

“iREV was not even in the Electoral Act; it was only in INEC regulations. So, be careful how you make promises,” Balogun warned.

The N873.78bn proposed by INEC for next year’s general election is a significant increase from the N313.4bn released to the Commission by the Federal Government for the conduct of the 2023 general election.