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Bille Deserted As Army Invades Community …IYC, Others Condemn Action
Tuoma and Oruoma communities in Bille Kingdom, Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, have been deserted following the alleged invasion of the communities by members of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF).
Consequently, the communities have called on the Rivers State Government to intervene to save the people from total extermination.
Speaking with The Tide, last Monday, the Secretary of Tuoma Community, Opiriyagbo Oferi Isaac said that, at least, 20 buildings in the community were razed by the JTF during the operation.
Isaac appealed to the Rivers State Government and the Army High Command to intervene and save the people of the community.
“The Nigerian Army invaded my community and also set ablaze some buildings following sporadic gun shots. There were a lot of casualties; some of them are still missing in the bush. Some have been taken to the nearby hospital in Bille for first aid treatment.
“The leadership of the community has not been told the reason for the invasion. We are now calling on the state government and the Army authorities, in charge of the JTF to call them to order and also to free the sea route for the Bille people and their satellite communities,” Isaac appealed.
In his reaction, the Chairman, Bille Kingdom Community Development Committee, Asatubo Igbanibo Kemuel, said that the soldiers impounded seven passenger boats plying the Bille waterways for about nine hours.
Kemuel confirmed that one person sustained several bullet injuries while others had fled the community to unknown locations.
“The soldiers came in several gunboats and other speedboats numbering about eight and raided Touma community, burning down houses and destroying a lot of property worth several millions of Naira.
“Residents of Touma community were forced to flee for safety, and at present, many persons are reported missing.
“One person, Mr Profit Joseph, a resident of Touma community, sustained severe injuries as a result of gunshots by the Army,” Kemuel said.
However, in a statement jointly signed by the President, Bille Kingdom Youth Council, Obirabi Sylvanus and the CDC Chairman, Asatubo Kemuel, the community lamented that the action of the soldiers may not be unconnected with last week’s attack on an Army House Boat by yet-to-be-identified persons.
The Tide investigation revealed that residents of both communities, most of whom are fisher folks, have since the military operation, been denied access to their only sources of livelihood, thereby triggering untold hardship and starvation in the communities.
Some of the people, who were scheduled to travel to Port Harcourt for one business transaction or the other, were also denied the opportunity to meet their desired needs, thereby making it impossible for them to realise their dreams of achieving economic prosperity and empowerment.
Meanwhile, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide has condemned the JTF invasion of Tuoma and Oruoma communities in Degema LGA, saying that the suspected reprisal attacks were unnecessary.
In its reaction to the attacks, National Treasurer, IYC, Luckyman Agiela, said that several people have been displaced and others missing since last Monday when the soldiers invaded the two communities and shot sporadically.
“As I am talking to you now, some persons are still in the bush, a lot of people are still missing. Yesterday, movement along the Bille waterways was suspended. They did not allow any boat to and from Bille for the whole day.
“As a result, economic activities were shut down. They left Tuoma community and went to Oruoma community, and did the same thing,” Agiela noted.
However, in his remarks, the spokesperson, IYC Worldwide, Daniel Dasimaka, condemned the action of the militants who had earlier attacked the military personnel in the area.
“IYC as the national body, we want to condemn, in its totality, the attack on the military by hoodlums. We understand that they attacked the House Boat belonging to JTF, carted away some arms and killed some military personnel. We cannot take side evil and criminality, so, we condemn the action of the militants, and call on the security agencies to ensure that the culprits are arrested and brought to book.
“We also condemn this act of the military. We expected the military to act professionally instead of displaying acts that suggest they are also militants,” Dasimaka added.
The Nigerian Army, while confirming the Army operation in Tuoma and Oruoma in Bille Kingdom, urged the public to avoid attacking soldiers deployed to protect innocent citizens.
The Army’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Aliyu Iliasu, condemned the allegation of military invasion of the communities, saying that the soldiers were in the communities on official security operations to checkmate any untoward acts by hoodlums in the area.
The Army spokesman, however, said he would give details of the alleged operations in Tuoma and Oruoma communities, and cautioned people against mistaking military operations as acts of invasion.
Susan Serekara-Nwikhana
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.