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EFCC’s House Sealing: Wild Goose Chase -Fayose
Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose has revealed that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is merely going on a wild goose chase, with the issue of houses linked to him.
On his verified Twitter handle, @GovAyoFayose, yesterday, the former governor said, it was another media campaign against him.
He said, ”Just been informed that operatives of EFCC in collaboration with All Progressives Congress government in Ekiti are going about sealing houses of innocent people in the state, under the guise that the houses are linked to me. This is another wild goose chase and the usual media campaign against me.
“It is only in our country that an anti-corruption agency will first go about sealing houses before determining the ownership, which can be done so easily by visiting relevant agencies. I am informing the public ahead of their usual blackmail and media trial.
“The other time, EFCC sealed a petrol station in Akute, Ogun State, claiming it belonged to me. They also sealed a guest house in Gana Street, Maitama, Abuja only to find out later that the house is owned by a retired army general. Methinks EFCC should be acting better now.”
Meanwhile, the Ekiti State government has ordered the immediate arrest and prosecution of herdsmen carrying guns and other dangerous weapons in the state.
The deputy governor, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi, disclosed this yesterday at a peace meeting held with representatives of herders and farmers at the Government House in Ado-Ekiti in the wake of recent alleged attacks on farmers in some communities by suspected herdsmen.
According to a government statement, the government has also declared that “the full weight of the law will be visited on any herdsman caught with dangerous weapons.”
A statement signed by the Special Assistant (Media) to the Deputy Governor, Odunayo Ogunmola, revealed that the meeting was attended by representatives of Fulani, Hausa, Ebira, Urhobo, Yoruba communities, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders and Ekiti Grazing and Enforcement Marshals (EGEM).
Egbeyemi warned that it was unacceptable to the state government for herdsmen to be carrying AK-47 rifles and other dangerous weapons stressing that security agencies have been mobilized to arrest anyone of them caught with weapons.
The deputy governor particularly warned the Sarkin Fulani in Ekiti State, Muhammad Abashe, that he would be held responsible should there be any further attacks on farmers on their farm lands.
Egbeyemi said the state government would not tolerate a repeat of attack on Orin Farm Settlement in Ido/Osi Local Government Area last year in which a pregnant Tiv farmer was killed.
He said: “We have given a marching order to security agencies to arrest herdsmen carrying weapons. As from now, the full wrath of the law will be visited on any herdsman caught with dangerous weapons.
“Herdsmen going about with AK-47 rifles, what are they doing with such? Will they use AK-47 rifles on animals or human being? Tell your people, that will not be tolerated in Ekiti land.
“We are all Nigerians but somebody cannot come from his place of origin and destroy other people’s property and farm lands. We won’t tolerate that in Ekiti, go and tell your people back home.
“We don’t want war in Ekiti State, we want peace in our land. I have listened to all parties but the most important thing for our government is peace so that everybody can prosper his legitimate business.”
According to him, government was duty bound to protect law-abiding residents including settlers in the state who are engaged in legitimate businesses and would not allow killing of innocent people.
Egbeyemi emphasised that the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government in Ekiti State would not cede any of its land to violent herdsmen as being insinuated by the opposition.
The deputy governor, however, advised farmers not to take the law into their hands by killing cows of herdsmen urging them to report any attack or destruction of their farms to the appropriate authorities.
Egbeyemi also warned herdsmen to steer clear of government reserves which he said are not meant for grazing noting that security would be beefed up there to arrest encroachers.
The deputy governor further revealed that EGEM officers would be empowered with more vehicles, communication facilities and other logistics to boost their morale and prevent clashes between farmers and herders.
Community leaders who spoke included Head of Ebira Community, Sadiku Ojo; Leader of Fulani-Ilorin Community in Ikere, Alhaji Sulaiman Ibrahim, President of Urhobo Community, Mr. John Enaibe and a local farmer, Mr. Abiodun Kayode.
Others were Princess Adenike Florish, Secretary of Anti-Grazing Monitoring Committee; an EGEM officer, Mr. Aladelokun Ayodeji; a representative of Olojudo’s Palace in Ido-Ekiti, Mr. Adewumi Daramola and Mr. Gabriel Monday, a representative of Forest Guards.
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.