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RUGA: FG Plotting New Strategy, CAN Warns Christians

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The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has cautioned Christians, especially those in the Southern part of the country to remain vigilant despite the suspension of the controversial RUGA settlement programme for Fulani herdsmen.
Secretary of CAN in the 17 Southern States, Dr. Joseph Ajujungwa gave the warning in a statement issued last Wednesday and obtained by The Tide in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital
Ajujungwa, said that the suspension of the programme by President Muhammadu Buhari may not be its end, saying there was every indication “though it is claimed that it has been suspended, the underground work is still going on.”
He called on every Southerner and Christians all over the country to be watchful, stressing that, “even as we pray, we don’t need to keep quiet; they are experts in underground work.”
According to him, “We do not have land to give to anybody as a grazing field or colony and we call on the South East governors to maintain their stand that they do not have such a place. Do you know what it means to give 10 hectares of land to herdsmen? We say no to that.
“As CAN, we will preach it from our pulpit, every Imam should preach from the mosque and the traditionalists should stand against it; nobody should relent; no land should be given; any traditional ruler that does that should be dethroned.
“In the North, we have the largest hectares of land, very vast that nobody is occupying. Why are they not building the ranches, Ruga of whatever there? They can come here, take grass and go, and we buy cow in exchange, just like the governors said. We do not have such mass land required.”
“We are also calling on the Federal Government to be mindful of what they are doing because cattle rearing is a private farming business. Why should the government support individual cattle farmers against other farmers?”
On the threat and ultimatum issued by a coalition of Northern Youths, Ajujungwa said: “they should understand that nobody has the monopoly of violence.
“As they are planning to attack, others are planning to defend themselves and we cannot run away.
“CAN is calling on all Christians, all law-abiding citizens of Southern Nigeria to please watch and pray. Watch means that you must open your eyes to see what is going on and therefore pray; do not relent”, statement said.

 

Dennis Naku

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Niger Delta

Warri Crisis: Oborevwori Sues For Peace

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Executive Assistant to the Delta State Governor on Public Enlightenment (Projects and Policies), Olisa Ifeajika, has said the Governor has sued for peace and cautioned against crisis in Warri.

Ifeajika stated this recently while addressing newsmen in Asaba.

The governor’s aide was reacting to the misconceptions by a section of the Social media on Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s remarks at a recent meeting in Warri to address brewing crisis.

He cautioned that people should not politicise everything that comes from the government.

Ifeajka explained that Governor Oborevwori’s remarks on the Warri crisis was clear and without prejudice, saying the Governor cautioned against crisis, underscoring the importance of peace for development, particularly to develop Warri.

Ifeajika quoted the governor as saying, “I have witnessed a crisis before, do we still want crisis in Warri? No! People are using social media to cause crisis. I want to develop this Warri.

“However, critics, especially on social media, quoted the governor out of context.”

 

The governor’s aide described the abuse of social media as political mischief by rabble-rousers.

He explained that the governor’s remarks were cautionary for the peace in Warri to prevail throughout his administration and beyond, adding that the governor spoke to communicate with the grassroots.

“The governor said, ‘I am a Warri man like you, I enjoy the peace in Warri and I am going to develop Warri. Let the peace endure.

“If people are beginning to distort what the governor said by giving it other meanings, it is unfortunate.

‘’We should not allow everything that comes from the government to be politicised.

“The Governor has sued for peace. He has pleaded that while he is in the saddle until 2031, by the grace of God, let there be peace.

“Therefore, it is expected that we should all imbibe the peace culture. This was exactly what the Governor was talking about, no more, no less”, Ifeajika said.

He said Oborevwori also prayed for ensuring peace from generation to generation while cautioning the youths not to lend themselves as ready instruments for chaos.

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Otu Reiterates Commitment To Restor State’s Civil Service

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Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu has reiterated his commitment to the restoration of the state’s Civil Service to its pride of place through enduring legacy.

Otu made the remark in Calabar during the inauguration of Mr. Orok Okon as the new Head of Civil Service (HOS) in the state.

He further assured his administration’s commitment to continue offsetting the outstanding gratuities of retirees of the state civil service.

He described the civil service as the structure for implementing government policies, and recalled the years between 2010 and 2013, when eight states visited Cross River to understudy its operational efficiency.

Otu, however, decried the decline that followed later, but assured that his administration was committed to restoring the lost glory of the service.

He charged the new HOS to entrench professionalism, fairness, and competence across the workforce, stressing the importance of proper record-keeping, digitisation, and continuous staff training.

“My administration will continue to prioritise workers’ welfare; monthly salary payment remains sacrosanct and promotions are being implemented as and when due.

“The yearly incremental step has been restored after eleven years, and, very importantly, we have put plans in place to continue defraying outstanding retirees’ gratuities”, Otu said.

In his response, Okon promised to brief the State Executive Council on details of his reform agenda for the civil service and pledged close collaboration with Permanent Secretaries and directors.

He noted that though there were few challenges, the service was still largely filled with diligent and hardworking officers who would be supported and rewarded.

In the same vein, the Governor approved the appointment of Mrs. Fidelia Ene as Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

He urged her to bring her expertise to bear in improving the state’s basic education.

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Ewhrudjakpo Tasks CS-SUNN On Effective Nutrition Awareness

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Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewrudjakpo, has urged a non-governmental organisation, Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), to develop an effective work plan for proper nutrition awareness campaign across communities in the State.

He gave the task on Thursday when the State Chapter of the group paid him a courtesy visit in Government House, Yenagoa.

Senator Ewhrudjakpo lamented that the worrisome indices concerning nutrition in the State was largely based on data from the rural communities, calling on the NGO to set up branches in the eight Local Government Areas of the State.

According to him, there is a compelling need to carry out behaviour change communication to break the vicious cycle of poor nutrition, using the local dialects in the various radio stations.

He expressed concern over the growing preference for fast food, iced fish and beef by rural dwellers to the detriment of naturally rich sources of nutrition such as snails, periwinkle and other locally sourced food items, which are more beneficial to their overall health.

On non-utilization of funds allocated to nutrition in the Bayelsa State annual budget, he assured the CS-SUNN delegation that government would address it appropriately to promote good nutrition in the State.

“Most of these data are as a result of what is happening in the rural areas. If you interrogate women in the rural areas, who have been convinced or persuaded by emotions or sentiments, not to eat snail or periwinkle.

“They have been convinced that it is only when they eat beef or chicken or iced fish that they have become civilised. Because of such erroneous thinking, most of our people have launched themselves into the fast food and confectionery, and the trend has gone down to the rural areas.

“We need adequate behavior change communication to break the vicious cycle of poor nutrition; we have to break that vicious cycle. We need to do more in  communication. It is an issue we need to address; I agree we have not been doing too well in this area.

“We need to drill down the need for advocacy. We must reel out that message using all the local dialects of the Ijaw language in Kolokuma, Epie-Atissa, Ogbia, and others to convey the message to our communities.

“You have to develop a work plan for us, get to our rural communities. It is also necessary to set up local government branches of the CS-SUNN”, he said.

Earlier in their joint presentation, the State Coordinator of CS-SUNN, Mrs. Unity Ototo, the Project Lead, Mr. Ambrose Evhoesor, and the Senior Project Officer, Mr. Kunle Ishola, said the organization was concerned about the statistics of nutrition, especially among children in the State.

They explained that the organisation currently enjoys presence in 30 states in Nigeria,  including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

While applauding the State Government’s responsiveness to address poor nutrition through partnership with the CS-SUNN, the trio called on government to fully utilize the state’s budgetary allocation for nutrition.

They also appealed for the approval of six-month maternity leave for nursing mothers to encourage exclusive breastfeeding of newborns.s

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa

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