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Leaders Extol Wike’s Dev Strides …As Gov Receives 2017 Silverbird, The Sun Awards
Political and business leaders across the country have extolled the outstanding development strides of the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike even as he continues to garner accolades and awards from diverse corporate organisations and institutions nationally and internationally.
The commendations poured in, last Friday night as the governor was enthroned the Silverbird Man of the Year 2017, after majority of Nigerians overwhelmingly voted for him following his nomination by the management of Silverbird Group.
Presenting the Silverbird Man of the Year 2017 award to the Rivers State Governor at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar described Wike as a worthy leader who was laying the right foundation for the rapid development of the state.
Atiku said: “I have witnessed virtually all administrations in Rivers State. I have not seen an administration that has done so much, within a short time as that of Governor Wike.
“Believe me; Governor Wike is laying the foundation for the prosperity of Rivers State and Nigeria. This is a remarkable achievement that I find difficult to locate in any part of the country. I congratulate the people of Rivers State for having you as a governor”.
The former vice president commended Wike for his efforts at connecting Opobo-Nkoro to the mainland, saying he was elated when the Rivers State governor showed him the road in the state’s projects compendium.
Also speaking, Chairman of Silverbird Group, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce said the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike emerged the Silverbird Man of the Year on the strength of votes by the people.
“This award was voted by the people of Nigeria. In other words, it was earned. I am honoured to know a man called Governor Wike. He is a terrific governor, Mr Projects”, he said.
Murray-Bruce explained that Wike focuses on the development of the state through delivery of projects and programmes.
Responding, Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike assured Rivers people that he remains committed to the development of the state.
Wike said: “My commitment is and has been to promote, defend and advance the best interest of our people, and contribute to the progress of our state and nation.
“Today, I am very honoured to receive this award because it represents the very ideals that sustain my interest in public service”.
The governor said that his administration was inaugurated during a period of financial crisis, but he chose to be different, instead of giving all manner of excuses like the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government.
“We refused to be daunted by the rot we inherited. Today, the testimonies are everywhere that Rivers State Government is working very well for our people”, he said.
Wike dedicated the award to the people of Rivers State for their support and prayers.
He also dedicated the award to his wife, Justice Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom-Wike.
The governor said that the situation in Nigeria was precarious. He said that Nigerians have no choice but to work together in the interest of the nation.
The award also witnessed several other categories of the award.
Meanwhile, for the second year running, Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has been honoured as The Sun Newspaper Governor of the Year.
He emerged as the Sun Newspaper Governor of the Year 2017, last Saturday, at an award ceremony held at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Presenting the Sun Newspaper Governor of the Year award to Wike, Publisher of Sun Newspapers and former Abia State Governor, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu said the Rivers State governor deserves the award in view of his outstanding performance.
He said that Wike made history by becoming the first governor to win the award back to back, and urged the Rivers State governor to maintain the tempo of development in the state.
He said that the Sun Newspaper is a platform that represents all interest groups in Nigeria, noting that it basically works for the growth and development of the country.
Receiving the award, Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike assured that his administration will continue to deliver quality projects and programmes for the benefit of Rivers people.
He stated that he was determined to always make Rivers people happy by sustaining his performance.
The governor said: “We will continue to deliver quality projects and programmes for the good people of Rivers State. We will not lower our performance.
“All local government areas of Rivers State have been touched by the administration. It is either a school or hospital or road. Every local government area has one project or the other”, Wike emphasised.
He said the only way that the state will continue to defeat the Federal Government and the security agencies is the sustenance of the delivery of sustainable projects.
The governor added that the only state that can never be defeated is Rivers State, adding that the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government’s only agenda is to rig elections, pointing out that the people of the state will resist any attempt to undermine the electoral process.
He said that Rivers State was developing very fast because all the people were working in unity.
After the award ceremony, a reception was held by Rivers people in honour of the Rivers State governor.
Speaking at the reception, Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio said that Wike will be re-elected on the basis of his outstanding performance and not on the basis of party consideration.
Akpabio explained that the former Governor, Dr Peter Odili took Rivers State to Nigeria, while Wike has taken the state to the world.
He said: “We came here to celebrate a son of the Niger Delta and a humanist who believes in development”.
Also speaking, National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus described the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike as a genuine development expert who has touched all areas in the state.
Secondus said one of the miracles of the Wike-led administration was the fact that Unity Road has been extended to Opobo Town and nearby communities.
Chairman of House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education, Hon Zakari Mohammed said Governor Wike was a shining star that delivers on critical areas to improve the living condition of the people.
Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Chibudom Nwuche said the award to the Rivers State governor was for the entire people of the state.
Nwuche said that in all the decisions that leaders take, they must always factor in the interest of the people.
In their separate speeches, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani and the Head of Service of Rivers State, Barrister Rufus Godwins praised the governor for providing the right leadership that has improved the fortunes of the state.
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.
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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.