News
RSG Berates NEMA Over Exclusion From Flood Fund …Begins Biometric …Capture For Pensioners
The Rivers State Government has berated the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for excluding the state among states that benefitted from funds disbursed to states suffering flooding last year.
The state Commissioner for Special Duties, Hon Emeka Onowu, who spoke while addressing newsmen in Port Harcourt, expressed sadness that the state was denied the funds last year, and advised the Federal Government not to play politics with the lives of people affected by floods.
This is as he said this year’s flooding will be worse, but assured that government has put necessary measures in place to alleviate the sufferings of those that would be expected.
Onowu said, “Let me say this, last year (2017), Bayelsa. Rivers, Delta, Kogi and Anambra states were listed as the foremost states that will be affected by floods. Do you know that Rivers State was excluded by the federal government?
“So, I begin to ask myself certain questions. Must we play politics with everything? Even with human lives and property. Assuming you play politics with property, but human lives that cannot be redeemed!
“And money was released to NEMA by the Federal Government to these other state i mentioned; but Rivers State was excluded,” he stated
He, however, expressed happiness that despite the disposition if the Federal Government towards the state, Governor Nyesom Wike had intervened and provided the necessary funds needed, “and we were able to get the relief materials to take care of those that were affected by the flooding.”
The commissioner stated that this year’s flooding would be worse, and advised members of the public to be on the alert, even as he said that the state government has taken steps to address perennial flooding in Eneka and Rukpokwu axis of Obio/Akpo LGAs.
“Eneka is naturally a flooded area. If you look the back of Eneka as a whole is swampy, it is water-logged. This has nothing to do with presence of drainages or not. It (flooding) must surely occur. ONELGA has drainage, Ahoada-West and Ahoada-East has drainages, but these places will be flooded.
“Let me use this opportunity to plead with the public that the flooding this year will be terrible (worse), so we want everybody to be on stand-by.
‘The moment we are ready, we will be on air and begin to evacuate people to transit camp and from transit camps to the main camps where they will be, reiterating that two relief camps have been opened in Ahoada and Aluu, respectively.
“Our transit camp is going to be at Ahoada where we will first receive people and from there we will allocate them to the main camp in Aluu and other areas,” he stated.
It would he recalled that the state government has said about 67, 000 people across five local government areas of the state will be affected by the floods this year.
Meanwhile. the Rivers State Government has commenced the comprehensive biometric data capture of pensioners in a move to develop a functional pension scheme in the state.
The biometric data capture for the pensioners is taking place at the Ministry of Justice Headquarters in Port Harcourt for the mainstream pensioners.
Pensioners, who retired from the parastatals are being captured at the Rivers State University.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) professionals are working round the clock to ensure easy capture of the retirees.
The Head of Service, Rivers State, Barrister Rufus Godwins said that Governor Nyesom Wike was working towards a functional pension scheme that will stand the test of time.
He said: “The governor inherited six months pension arrears and settled the arrears. This is a public knowledge. Thereafter, he set out to address the pension issues that he inherited.
“The governor set up committees to address these issues. He has been implementing the reports. He has established the Rivers State Pension Board.
“There is a larger committee chaired by the deputy governor to make sure that every aspect of the pension issue dating back to 2009 under the Contributory Pension Scheme is resolved”.
Godwins noted that with efforts associated with the inherited pension issues, it is uncharitable for some misguided pensioners to attempt to malign the state government.
He added that there was no issue between the Rivers State governor and the pensioners as they were aware of efforts in place by the administration to address pension concerns.
“There is no issue between the governor and the pensioners. But there is an issue concerning the pension scheme he inherited and he is addressing it. All that is required is the support of those who are affected.
“To continue to protest is distracting us from the grave issue, which is to address the matter on ground “, he said.
He noted that the development of a functional pension system is necessary to avoid a relapse in the future.
“All the pensioners are to be verified and subjected to a comprehensive data process. We will have a timeframe to capture the pensioners after which the door will be shut”, Godwins said.
Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Head of Service, Mr Nnamdi Opu said that despite the financial challenges, the Wike administration has been up-to-date in terms of the payment of monthly pension.
He said the government has paid up to August 2018, with nobody being owed.
In his remarks, Permanent Secretary in charge of Information and Communication Technology, Mr Samuel Deresuma said all the equipment were in place for a successful biometric capture exercise.
The pensioners interviewed expressed gratitude to the Rivers State governor for his commitment to pension reforms and development of a sustainable pension scheme.
A pensioner, who has been captured, Festus LongJohn, noted that the biometric capture exercise will eliminate loss of government revenue.
Another pensioner, Daisy Jack, thanked the governor for the regular payment of pensions.
She said the biometric capture exercise will resolve existing challenges.
Venerable Sam Dan said that the state government was handling the entire exercise professionally.
Dennis Naku
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.