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PDP Chides Buhari For Claiming NASS Achievements …Says APC Govt Full Of Lies …Tasks Fayemi To Account For N165bn Allocation
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has lambasted the Presidency for appropriating the achievements of the National Assembly and listing them as those of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The main opposition party said the recent attempt by the Presidency to “ascribe credit to Buhari for the recent amendments to the constitution granting financial autonomy to state assemblies and judiciaries” was despicable.
The party stressed that neither the “Presidency nor the President himself, made any input in support of these amendments.”
A statement by PDP’s spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan alleged that the Buhari government was full of lies.
The statement reads, “Equally appalling is that the Presidency is still listing the passage of the “Not Too Young to Run” law as an achievement of the President even when he had no input whatsoever in the initiative.
“It is instructive to note that none of the amendments stem from any executive bill and that the Buhari Presidency has never initiated any programme to enhance the course of governance in our country in the last three years.
“Nigerians already know that the Buhari administration has not implemented a single project or programme in any part of the country in the last three years of governance, but always resorting to lies, blame passing, beguilments, deception and contrivance.
“Instead of seeking ways to mitigate the situation, Mr. President’s handlers are subjecting him to more public ridicule of commissioning projects executed by other leaders such as his embarrassing commissioning of a regular bus stop constructed by Lagos state and a water borehole in Jigawa while posturing for photo-ops to hoodwink Nigerians.
“In fact, this clear attempt by the Presidency to claim credit for the achievement of the National Assembly has further confirms PDP’s earlier alert to Nigerians of plans by the Presidency to dish out fictitious achievements and false performance indices to deceive Nigerians ahead of 2019 general election.”
PDP, however, commended the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly for their resilience in “enhancing our democratic practice as consolidated by successive PDP administrations, despite the unrelenting assault on the institution of the legislature by the Buhari administration.”
The main opposition party said the presidency and “dysfunctional” All Progressives Congress (APC) should “end their proclivity for deception as such gimmicks cannot save them in 2019”.
Meanwhile, the Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman, Barrister Gboyega Oguntuase has asked the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the governorship poll, Dr Kayode Fayemi, to explain how he spent statutory allocations and other funds that accrued to his government between 2010 and 2014.
Oguntuase said documents from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, the National Bureau of Statistics, among others, show that Fayemi collected a total of N165billion as allocations, excluding regular funds from Excess Crude Account, grants, internally-generated revenues, among others, but Fayemi still took N25billion bond and N35billion commercial loans with nothing to show for the funds.
The PDP chairman, in a statement in Ado-Ekiti, yesterday, also said that the Ayodele Fayose-led administration had done creditably well despite the lean resources at its disposal.
“In 2011, Fayemi got N40.5billion as monthly statutory allocations. In 2012, he got N39.8billion. In 2013, he got N44.3billion and in 2014, he got N40.1billion. Whereas, the Fayose administration got N28.2billion in 2015, N18.8billion in 2016, and N25.6billion in 2017.
“Apart from the above monthly allocations, Fayemi still got regular funds from the Excess Crude Oil Account, IGR, among others. Despite what Fayemi got, he still borrowed N25billion from the Capital Market and took N31billion commercial loans. The question is, what did he do with the money? Nothing.
“The N25billion bond and commercial loans, through which he mortgaged the finances of our dear state for 20 years, were spent on nothing. He proposed an event centre, it was never completed. He said he would build a new Governor’s Office, he only scraped a parcel of land near the House of Assembly Complex and did nothing. His new Ojaba Market, for which he erected a billboard at the entrance of the palace of Ewi, never saw the light of the day.
“His flyover only existed in his tummy. He half-completed a state pavilion and squandered the state’s resources on frivolities. If he stopped at that it would have been better, but he went ahead to divert state funds”.
An example is the N850million given the state by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Abuja which he diverted leading to the suspension of Ekiti State from the commission’s funding for years,” he said.
Oguntuase said in contrast to Fayemi’s waste of resources, the Fayose administration, in which Olusola is the deputy governor, had been prudent.
“The table of funds received by Fayemi and Fayose given above are public documents available in the offices of the NBS, OAGF and even on their websites. People can go there and access. Moreover, people can see what the Fayose administration has done with the meagre resources at its disposal.”
A new Governor’s Office, new High Court Complex, Adunni Olayinka Women Development Centre, a flyover have been built. A new Ojaba Market is almost completed. Roads in Emure, Ise, Efon, Ijero, Omuo, Afao, Ilawe, Ikere, Ikole etc have been dualised. Car Wash- Afao Road built, same for Dehead-Police Headquarters Road, among others.
“The teachers Fayemi planned to sack through a vindictive test have been motivated and our state now ranks first in public examinations in the federation. This is the good trend that Prof Kolapo Olusola will continue with when elected governor. Fayemi and the APC have nothing good to offer the people of the state,” he added.
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.