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Tasks For Rivers State Government
With the recent swearing in of Commissioners, advisers and personal aides and assistants, it is the expectation of Rivers people and those earning their living in Rivers State that the strains on the state governor would be much reduced. There is an old management axiom that a leader is at his best when people rarely know that he exists. This translates into the truth that effective delegation of activities to the ablest available hands is the hallmark of leadership.
What is known as “80:20 Rule” in management is based on the fact that routine or trivial operations can be handled by subordinate staff, while most important issues which are usually about 20%, should demand personal attention from the big boss. That method in management with regard to the art of delegation, is also known as ABC method, Pareto’s Law or Management by expectation (MBE). The boss should have time and privacy enough to draw inspiration from higher realms of consciousness. This is why self-effacement is recommended for serious-minded managers of human affairs. You see or hear them rarely, even in newspapers.
It was an emotionally- moving experience to find Nigerians of very humble backgrounds sweeping the streets of Nigerian urban towns, between 5-6.30am, Most touching was the sight of a woman, with a baby tied to her back, sweeping a major road in Rivers State.
It was hard to resist the urge to interview her, with the aim to hear the story of her life. Why sweep the street at 5.40am with a baby of less than 2 years old? What we are used to in Nigeria is a situation where those who lead in all spheres of life create maximum zones of comfort for themselves, but rarely know the plight of the voiceless sections of the people. An elitist political leadership is the kind that would pontificate and ask public servants to give maximum service, even without caring to know what long distance the obedient servant travels to get to work. Talk about social welfare system in Nigeria and what would be put in place would be a corruption-ridden sinecure and patronage system to woo and catch political support.
As commissioners visit various ministries, departments and agencies on familiarisation tour the message which they carry along is usually the plea for hard and dedicated services. Some can even issue threats such as: “Anybody not ready to work can resign, because there are many looking for the opportunity to find a job.” Hardly is there the empathy that can create a rapport between servants and masters, in the course of visiting and relating with the people who keep the economy going.
Therefore, one vital task for the Rivers State Government this new year should be to create a rapport with civil servants which would promote empathy and understanding. In the first place, the state of the economy is so harsh that some thought should be given to the plight of the wretched of the earth.
Using the example of a street sweeper who had to do her job at 5.40am, with a baby tied to her back, it is possible she can be given a query or sacked if she does not do her work. But who gets concerned if the child she takes to work gets ill and demands medical attention? Did anybody give her and her baby any hampers or chicken last Christmas? Rather than shout at her for some little infraction, does anyone show concern about how she lives with her family, perhaps in a batcher?
Political administration is not all about contracts and project execution, but more relevant in the area of human capital concern. It is a valid motivation theory that people that put in their best if they are in a state of happiness. A major factor which creates happiness in people is concern, not threats, pontification or promises. People notice quite easily when someone shows genuine concern about them and their affairs; and they appreciate that better than bureaucratic cosmetics. Appreciate little things!
In Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, a leader, Duke Vincentio, disguised as a Friar or priest and pretending to have travelled, was able to know the degree of hypocrisy of his officials and true state of his domain. In politics, good intentions, policies and programmes of a leader can be distorted, ruined or misrepresented by officials working for him. It is not a wrong practice to put subordinate staff to tests, occasionally. Some rarely stand!
Ugly names which some leaders are called often come from the activities of those working with and for them. Duke Vincentio’s strategy enabled him to know that people can be pretentious and hypocritical, including those who appear sanctimonious and strict.
Among those who damage the names and intentions of leaders are contractors who are usually political wheeler-dealers. Such contractors may not be involved in project execution, but being high patrons and party giants, they constitute what we know as the cabal in Nigerian politics.
A task for Rivers State Government should include ensuring that government is about people and people-oriented, rather than serving put the well-being of the people as vital concern. When an administration invests in power rather than people, what dominates activities and policies would be ego.
Nigerians are intelligent enough to know when a government is a caring one, because this translates into a state of happiness which promotes patriotism. When the people are happy, government would have less problem of security and there would be no need to spend money to buy the goodwill of the masses.
Obviously, managing people and public affairs are very vital and serious responsibility for which the prayers of the masses can achieve great results.
Bright Amirize
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has charged the newly appointed Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and Chief of Staff (CoS) to carry out their duties with discipline, loyalty and a firm commitment to the success of the administration and the wellbeing of the people of Rivers State.
The governor warned that any involvement in unauthorised nocturnal meetings or any conduct capable of embarrassing the government will attract immediate dismissal.
Fubara gave the warning yesterday shortly after the newly appointed Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Dagogo S.A. Wokoma and the new Chief of Staff (CoS), Barrister Sunny Ewule, were sworn in at the Executive Council Chambers of Government House, Port Harcourt.
As part of the ceremony, the Chief Registrar of the State High Court, David Ihua-Maduenyi administered the Oath of Allegiance and Oath of Office on the duo before the governor gave his charge.
Addressing the appointees, Fubara reminded them that their elevation to the new positions was a call to service and not a platform for political grandstanding or the pursuit of personal ambition.
He stressed that their foremost responsibility should be to themselves and to the people of Rivers State, stressing that their conduct must always reflect integrity, restraint and dedication to public good.
Speaking directly to Dr. Wokoma, whom he described as an accomplished academic and mathematician, the governor expressed confidence in his intellectual depth and capacity to deliver on the new assignment.
The office of the Secretary to the State Government, Fubara stressed, demands thoroughness, discipline and a deep sense of responsibility. He charged the SSG to represent the State with honour at all times.
“Your duty includes representing the state government. You need to represent us in a way and manner that will bring honour to us.
“What is important to this administration is to see that the good works that we started and the ones that we met, are concluded in a way that will bring progress and development to our dear state,” he stated.
Turning to the new Chief of Staff, the governor explained that he is expected to ensure smooth administrative coordination, managing official engagements effectively and safeguarding the image of the Government House.
He underscored the sensitive and personal nature of the role and emphasised that the position operates strictly under the authority of the governor.
Fubara stressed that the role does not permit independent political engagements or private strategy meetings without his knowledge and consent.
“Let me sound it here very clearly. Your duty is to make sure that you handle the administrative duties and image making roles perfectly well, liaising with whoever is coming for any official assignment here.
“If you involve yourself in nocturnal meetings and all those things, I will sack you. I’m very serious. What is important to me today is peace, progress and prosperity of this state. I’m not going to compromise anything for it,” he said.
The governor cautioned that involvement of the new appointees in any action capable of bringing the government or his office to disrepute would attract appropriate sanctions.
While congratulating the new appointees, Fubara expressed optimism that they would justify the confidence reposed in them.
He called on all public officials to work together in unity, observing that collective success is stronger and more enduring than individual achievement.
The governor who also addressed the Permanent Secretaries present at the ceremony, directed those of them who have reached retirement age to start preparing their handover notes without delay.
The notice, he said, was not intended to scare anybody but to prepare their minds towards the inevitability of exiting the service one day and to pave way for an orderly transition.
He warned against any attempt to engage in financial misconduct or last-minute irregularities, stressing that he was closely monitoring the system to ensure strict enforcement of accountability rules.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, has dissolved the State Executive Council.
The governor announced the cabinet dissolution yesterday in a statement titled ‘Government Special Announcement’, signed by his new Chief Press Secretary, Onwuka Nzeshi.
Governor Fubara directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most Senior officers in their Ministries with immediate effect.
He thanked the outgoing members of the State Executive Council for their service and wished them the best in their future endeavours.
The three-paragraph special announcement read, “His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS, Governor of Rivers State, has dissolved the State Executive Council.
“His Excellency, the Governor, has therefore directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most Senior officers in their Ministries with immediate effect.
“His Excellency further expresses his deepest appreciation to the outgoing members of the Executive Council wishing them the best in their future endeavours.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday told the National Assembly that it requires N873.78bn to conduct the 2027 general elections, even as it seeks N171bn to fund its operations in the 2026 fiscal year.
INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, made the disclosure while presenting the commission’s 2026 budget proposal and the projected cost for the 2027 general elections before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters in Abuja.
According to Amupitan, the N873.78bn election budget covers the full conduct of national polls in 2027.
An additional N171bn is needed to support INEC’s routine activities in 2026, including bye-elections and off-season elections, the commission stated.
The INEC boss said the proposed election budget does not include a fresh request from the National Youth Service Corps seeking increased allowances for corps members engaged as ad-hoc staff during elections.
He explained that, although the details of specific line items were not exhaustively presented, the almost N1tn election budget is structured across five major components.
“N379.75bn is for operational costs, N92.32bn for administrative costs, N209.21bn for technological costs, N154.91bn for election capital costs and N42.61bn for miscellaneous expenses,” Amupitan said.
The INEC chief noted that the budget was prepared “in line with Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates the Commission to prepare its election budget at least one year before the general election.”
On the 2026 fiscal year, Amupitan disclosed that the Ministry of Finance provided an envelope of N140bn, stressing, however, that “INEC is proposing a total expenditure of N171bn.”
The breakdown includes N109bn for personnel costs, N18.7bn for overheads, N42.63bn for election-related activities and N1.4bn for capital expenditure.
He argued that the envelope budgeting system is not suitable for the Commission’s operations, noting that INEC’s activities often require urgent and flexible funding.
Amupitan also identified the lack of a dedicated communications network as a major operational challenge, adding that if the commission develops its own network infrastructure, Nigerians would be in a better position to hold it accountable for any technical glitches.
Speaking at the session, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) said external agencies should not dictate the budgeting framework for INEC, given the unique and sensitive nature of its mandate.
He advocated that the envelope budgeting model should be set aside.
He urged the National Assembly to work with INEC’s financial proposal to avoid future instances of possible underfunding.
In the same vein, a member of the House of Representatives from Edo State, Billy Osawaru, called for INEC’s budget to be placed on first-line charge as provided in the Constitution, with funds released in full and on time to enable the Commission to plan early enough for the 2027 general election.
The Joint Committee approved a motion recommending the one-time release of the Commission’s annual budget.
The committee also said it would consider the NYSC’s request for about N32bn to increase allowances for corps members to N125,000 each when engaged for election duties.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Simon Along, assured that the National Assembly would work closely with the Commission to ensure it receives the necessary support for the successful conduct of the 2027 general elections.
Similarly, the Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Bayo Balogun, also pledged legislative support, warning INEC to be careful about promises it might be unable to keep.
He recalled that during the 2023 general election, INEC made strong assurances about uploading results to the INEC Result Viewing portal, creating the impression that results could be monitored in real time.
“iREV was not even in the Electoral Act; it was only in INEC regulations. So, be careful how you make promises,” Balogun warned.
The N873.78bn proposed by INEC for next year’s general election is a significant increase from the N313.4bn released to the Commission by the Federal Government for the conduct of the 2023 general election.
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