News
RSG Set To Improve Water Supply
The administration of Governor Nyesom Wike, last week, took a bold step towards ensuring water supply across the state as it officially signed contract with three firms for the rehabilitation and upgrading of water supply services in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas.
The contract which targets the provision of 330,000 cubic meters of potable water per day would as well create 1,200 direct and 5,000 indirect jobs to indigenes of the state.
The three firms involved in the initiative are: CGC Nigeria Limited, Top International Engineering Corporation, and Mothercat Limited.
The Managing Director of Port Harcourt Water Corporation, Chief Ibibia Walter signed on behalf of the Rivers State Government while Chen Kangle signed for CGC Nigeria Limited. Yang Gengqi signed on behalf of Top International Engineering Corporation and Iskandar Taslakian signed for Mothercat Limited.
Speaking at the ceremony, held last Monday at Government House, Port Harcourt, Governor Wike stressed the need for the firms handling the contract to deliver quality job.
“I shall be visiting all project sites unannounced, to monitor progress and compliance with specification”, the Governor said.
The state Commissioner for Water Resources and Rural Development, Dr Tamunosisi Gogo-Jaja, explained that the project would have four new reservoirs located at Rumuola, Diobu, Moscow, and Borikiri.
He also disclosed that there would be eight elevated tanks with the carrying capacity of about 1000 to 1500 cubic meters of water and about 17 boreholes in about six cluster areas connected to water treatment plant.
The representatives of the contracting companies assured of employing indigens to deliver quality job according to specifications.
In more obvious ways, the administration of Gov Wike, last week, proved itself as one with passion for Justice and strong support for judicial officers as it unveiled pallatious residential estate for Federal and State Judges built by the state Government.
The estate known as “Emmanuel Chinwenwo Aguma Judges Quarters” in Port Harcourt has 20 Four Bedroom Duplexes and meant for judges of Rivers origin serving both in the state and federal judiciaries.
Governor Wike noted that the project which cost the state Government a whopping sum of N6 billion would end the sad era when Judges retired and had no shelter.
Also last week, Court of Appeal Justices Residences and Staff Quarters built by the Rivers State Government under the administration of Governor Wike was inaugurated by the Chief Justice of the Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad.
The residences comprised Bedroom Duplex with Boys Quarters for the Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, with four 6 Bedroom Duplexes at Forces Avenue, two 6 Bedroom Duplexes at Akasa Street, one 6 Bedroom Duplex at Elelenwo Street and one 4 Bedroom Bungalow at Ejor Street for other Judges and 16 Flats for staff of the Court of Appeal.
The Rivers State Chief Executive stated that the provision of accommodation for judicial officers is a deliberate attempt to enhance their productivity and also ensure that they benefited like those in the Executive and Legislative arms of Government.
Stressing that the judiciary is an indispensable arm of Government in the fight against corruption, the Governor said Judges cannot fight corruption when they were not provided with the basic facilities.
The CJN who was represented by Justice Mary Odili, Justice of the Supreme Court, commended Governor Wike for his support for the Judiciary and stressed that the provision of residential accommodation for Judges would promote the rule of law and access to Justice as he urged other governors to emulate the Rivers State Governor.
As the organised labour in Rivers State issued threat to embark on strike beginning from tomorrow, the Rivers State Government has warned that doing so would amount to contempt of court since there was an injunction already restraining such action.
The Rivers State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor, gave the warning at a press briefing, Saturday, in Government House.
By: Chris Oluoh
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.
News
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.