Activities in Government House, Port Harcourt began last week with the inauguration of the Committee for Accreditation and Approval of Private Schools in Rivers State.
At the event which took place last Monday the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, charged the committee to carry out a comprehension reassessment of schools with the objective of reviewing the standard of education.
The governor urged the committee members not to allow themselves to be swayed by prominent persons, especially politicians, noting that the state government carefully selected tested academics to carry out the assignment because it wants good result.
He further stated that his administration jettisoned the use of the Ministry of Education because most private schools have contacts at the ministry, where they compromise the accreditation and approval process.
Stressing the importance of basic education in the sector, Wike charged the committee members to make sure they visit all the schools that have applied for accreditation adding that they have one month to submit their report.
The committee chairman Prof Ozo-Mekuri Ndimele, thanked Governor Wike for his determination to improve the quality of schools in the state through the right accreditation scheme.
Also last week, Governor Wike commenced payment of pensioners under the contributory pension scheme in fulfillment of the promise he made after signing into law, the Rivers State Pension Reform Law N0 4 of 2019.
Head of Service of Rivers State, Barrister Rufus Godwins who disclosed this to newsmen, said about 800 pensioners who have completed their biometrics have been paid.
According to him, further biometric capture of other pensioners under the contributory pensions scheme has been scheduled by the state government in line with Governor Wike’s directive.
The Head of Service who expressed the strong commitment of the Wike-led administration towards ensuring that civil servants and pensioners are catered for, explained that the present administration had to follow due process to amend the law and create the platform for payment of those under the contributory pensions scheme.
Within the week under review, the State Chief Executive played host to the Senate Ad-Hoc committee on Kom-Kom Pipeline Explosion.
The committee was in Government House, Port Harcourt last Thursday and Governor Wike was represented at the event by his deputy, Dr Ipalibo Harry-Banigo.
The governor expressed hope that the findings and recommendations of the committee would put an end to such tragedies in the country. He urged the committee to interact with stakeholders and engage authorities concerned to ensure that the damaged pipes were replaced and to also reach out to those who were affected by the explosion.
He commended the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan and members of the committee for the visit and noted that the visit was a demonstration of concern for the people of the state.
In his remark, the leader of the committee, Senator Ibrahim Gobir, said that senate at its sitting on the 3rd of July 2019 considered a motion sponsored by Senator George Sekibo on Pipeline Explosion in Kom-Kom, Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State which informed the setting up of the ad-hoc committee.
He said the committee had the mandate to condone the government and people of Rivers State and also to investigate the cause of the incident to avert future occurrence.
Another major event last week in Brick House was the official flag-off of the state government’s waiver of user free for person living with HIV/AIDS as promised by Governor Wike.
The event took place at Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt last Thursday and Governor Wike was represented by his Deputy Dr Ipalibo Harry Banigo.
He said that the state government has made significant progress in curbing the HIV epidemic in the state and expressed commitment towards meeting the health care needs of the people of the state.

Chris Oluoh