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COVID-19: Imbibe New Values, Nsirim Urges Monarchs …Raises Hope On Recovery, Discharge Of Rivers Index Case
In a bid to further extend the ongoing sensitisation and awareness creation as a preventive measure to curb the spread of the novel Coronavirus in the state, the Rivers State Government has called on the traditional rulers to turn a new leaf by fostering attitudinal change and extend same to their domains.
Speaking to representatives of the traditional institutions drawn from all 23 local government areas of the state, last Friday, the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Pastor Paulinus Nsirim, stated that expectations from the traditional rulers in the fight against the Coronavirus were high due to their prime positions in mobilising grassroots support for development.
Nsirim, who was speaking at a sensitisation and awareness creation meeting with the royal fathers at the Secretariat of the state Council of Traditional Rulers in Port Harcourt, noted that one area the royal fathers were expected to play critical role was in encouraging social distancing in the closely-knit culture of their people and ensuring that large number of people do not gather in their domains.
“We have a culture that handshake, embrace, and the likes, are part of us. Now that the virus is here, we’re advocating social distancing, just as we’re explaining here today. We also advocate that people should not gather in large numbers”, he emphasised.
He explained that the meeting was necessitated by the need for the traditional rulers to borrow a leaf from the proactive stance of the state Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, who he said, commenced preparation for the prevention of the spread of the Coronavirus into the state weeks before the only index case was recorded.
“His Excellency did not wait for us to get an index case before resorting to proactive measures. Our committee was set up so many weeks before we had an index case in Rivers State. The Emergency Operations Centre was also set up; the Treatment Centre was also set up, and fully equipped. This shows that the government is very responsive.
“We began enlightenment: radio, TV, produced billboards, handbills, stickers, and ensured that … stakeholder groups in this state had an interaction with us. The whole essence is to make people living and doing business in Rivers State to understand that we need to imbibe new values as it relates to our health”, the commissioner stated.
In the same vein, Nsirim reiterated that the traditional rulers can take the message to their areas of jurisdiction and pass it on to their people.
“As a committee, we know that the traditional institution will be playing a very critical role in social mobilization and enlightenment of our people, and we desired to have this interaction, and share with you best practices and agreed protocol”, he said, noting that it will also be an opportunity for the government to also have feedback from the people.
“Knowing and acknowledging the importance of the traditional institution in ensuring the success of the fight against the Coronavirus, the governor has always included it in his speeches.
“If you’ve been following His Excellency’s broadcasts, he makes sure that the traditional institution is singled out to be a major player in passing down this message. Not just passing down the message, but also ensuring that in their various domains, nobody flouts the directives”, he said.
Nsirim noted that while the governor acknowledges the fact that some of the steps taken to check infection by the Coronavirus may have been seen as drastic, and made people to feel pain, it is for the overall good of the state.
“The measures that are being put in place are painful, but the point the governor has been making is that it’s a time for sacrifice. You, the traditional rulers, our royal fathers, will need to also pass this message down in your domains, that it’s a season for sacrifice.
The Nigeria Immigration Service has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this yesterday while inspecting Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
He said the centralised production system aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for better service delivery.
The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has disbursed N2.225 trillion as federation revenue for the month of August 2025, the highest ever allocation to the three tiers of government and other statutory recipients.
This marks the second consecutive month that FAAC disbursements have crossed the N2 trillion mark.
The revenue, shared at the August 2025 FAAC meeting in Abuja, was buoyed by increases in oil and gas royalty, value-added tax (VAT), and common external tariff (CET) levies, according to a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting.
Out of the N2.225 trillion total distributable revenue, FAAC said N1,478.593 trillion came from statutory revenue, N672.903 billion from VAT, N32.338 billion from the Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL), and N41.284 billion from Exchange Difference.
The communiqué revealed that gross federation revenue for the month stood at N3.635 trillion. From this amount, N124.839 billion was deducted as cost of collection, while N1,285.845 trillion was set aside for transfers, interventions, refunds, and savings.
From the statutory revenue of N1.478 trillion, the Federal Government received N684.462 billion, State Governments received N347.168 billion, and Local Government Councils received N267.652 billion. A further N179.311 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) went to oil-producing states as derivation revenue.
From the distributable VAT revenue of N672.903 billion, the Federal Government received N100.935 billion, the states received N336.452 billion, while the local governments got N235.516 billion.
Of the N32.338 billion shared from EMTL, the Federal Government received N4.851 billion, the States received N16.169 billion, and the Local Governments received N11.318 billion.
From the N41.284 billion exchange difference, the Federal Government received N19.799 billion, the states received N10.042 billion, and the local governments received N7.742 billion, while N3.701 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) was shared to the oil-producing states as derivation.
The Governing Council of Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori, has decried the inadequate power supply and poor state of infrastructural facilities and equipment at the institution.
The Council also appealed to the government, including Non-Governmental Organisations, agencies, as well as well-meaning Rivers people to intervene to restore and sustain the laudable gesture, dreams and aspirations of the founding fathers of the polytechnic.
The Chairman of the newly inaugurated Council, Professor Friday B. Sigalo, made this appeal during a tour of facilities at the Polytechnic, recently.
Accompanied by members of the team, Prof Sigalo emphasised the position of technology, technical and vocational education in sustainable development.
He noted that with the prospects on ground, and the programmes and activities undertaken in the polytechnic, there is no doubt that the institution would add values to the educational system in our society and foster the desired development, if the existing challenges are jointly tackled.
This was contained in a statement signed by Deputy Registrar, Public Relations, Kenpoly, Innocent Ogbonda-Nwanwu, and made available to The Tide in Port Harcourt.
The chairman who restated the intention of his team of technocrats to ensure that KenPoly enjoys desirable face-lift, said the Council would deliver on its core mandates, accordingly.
Earlier, the Rector, KenPoly Engr. Dr. Ledum S. Gwarah, commended the appointment of Professor Friday B. Sigalo as Chairman of the KenPoly Governing Council.
He described him and his team as seasoned technocrats and expressed confidence in their ability to succeed.
The Rector pledged the management’s support to the Council to ensure that KenPoly resumes its rightful place in the comity of polytechnics in the country.
Facilities visited by the Governing Council include KenPoly workshops, laboratories, skills acquisition centre, library, hostels and medical centre.
Chinedu Wosu
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