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I’ve Not Disappointed Rivers People -Wike
…Says Opposition Disappointed Over Suspended NLC Protest
…As RSG, Labour Reach Agreement
The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, says he has utilised the mandate given to him by Rivers people to provide basic infrastructure for them.
He has also stated that he is proud to be contributing his quota to the development of the state.
Wike stated this while speaking to journalists after inspecting the Rebisi, GRA, Rumuola and Rumuogba flyover bridges, and ongoing road construction work in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor local government areas of the state.
He stated that through passion and commitment he has judiciously utilized scarce resources for the development of the state.
“It is not the amount of resources you get that determines the kind of projects you carry out for your people.
“It is your commitment, your passion for the development of your people. If you have very good resources and you don’t have the passion and commitment, resources cannot be utilized for the good of the people.
“If you have the passion and commitment as we do, even the little resources that we have, will be judiciously used for the development of our state,” he said.
Wike expressed happiness with the speed at which the various flyover bridges are advancing, emphasizing that the Rebisi flyover would be completed by December this year while the Rumuogba and Okoro-Nu-Odo flyovers would be completed by February, 2021.
He described the Rebisi flyover as an engineering masterpiece and commended Julius Berger for delivering a quality project.
“I am indeed proud that I am able to contribute my own little quota to the development of our state.
“I have not abused the mandate given to me by Rivers people and I have also not disappointed them,” he stated.
On the outcome of the negotiation with organised labour, the governor expressed satisfaction that all contending issues were amicably resolved during the meeting.
He said that the opposition parties and those who thought the state would be plunged into crisis were disappointed.
“All the issues were mere understandings and now that they have understood our position, they said they have to suspend the protest.
“So for me, I am happy that there was nothing like conflict. At the end of the day, those of them who were thinking that Rivers State will be shut down were highly disappointed,” he added.
Also speaking, the Project Manager, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Port Harcourt, Mr. Finn Drosdowsky, thanked the state government for entrusting the projects to them, and assured that the various flyovers would be completed on schedule.
The organized labour has suspended the planned protest scheduled for September 8, 2020 in Rivers State.
This is sequel to the agreement reached between the Rivers State Government and labour leaders at a meeting held at Government House, Port Harcourt, which ended at the early hours of yesterday.
The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba, who read the agreement, said both parties agreed to sign the agreement on the implementation of the new national minimum wage and consequential adjustments.
Wabba announced that the state NLC Secretariat that was sealed for the correction of structural defects, would be unsealed while government continues with correction work, if any.
He stated that the state government would immediately restore the remittance of check-off dues and pay all outstanding arrears to the respective labour unions.
According to him, government would pay the salaries withheld from health workers due to the 2017 strike action.
The NLC president also said that both parties agreed to set up a Tripartite Committee to resolve the adjustment of pensions in line with the Constitution and payment of Pension and Gratuity.
Parties, he said, agreed to take steps to discontinue all on-going litigations in relation to hitherto disputed matters.
Wabba added that the state government has agreed not to victimise any worker on account of his or her involvement in the industrial dispute.
He commended the state Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, for his statesmanship that facilitated the resolution of the dispute, and pledged labour’s support to move the state forward.
The Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Tammy Danagogo; Head of Service, Barrister Rufus Godwins; the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Pastor Paulinus Nsirim; and the Executive Assistant to the Governor, Dr. Ayebaesin Beredugo; signed on behalf of Rivers State Government.
Those who signed on behalf of the organized labour, include, General Secretary, NLC, Comrade Emmanuel Ugboaja; Secretary General, Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Musa Lawal; Chairman, NLC, Rivers State, Comrade Beatrice Itubo; Chairman, TUC, Rivers State, Comrade Austin Jonah; Chairman, Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC), Rivers State, Comrade Chuku Emecheta; and Secretary General, TUC, Rivers State, Comrade Obi Fortune.
In separate interviews with The Tide, yesterday at NLC Secretariat in Port Harcourt, the Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Rivers State chapter, Comrade Beatrice Itubo, said the immediate intervention of the governor saved the mutual relationship between labour and the state government from collapsing.
Itubo said the labour leaders have no personal issues with the administration of Governor Nyesom Wike in the state, and dispelled insinuations that organized labour in the state was being sponsored by the detractors of the government.
According to her, “Governor Wike is doing well in terms of infrastructural development”, saying that “workers only disagree with his government in the area concerning the welfare of workers”.
She expressed optimism that the state will implement all issues discussed in the agreement.
Also speaking, the National President of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, Comrade Biobelemoye Joy Josiah, commended Governor Nyesom Wike for developmental strides in Rivers State.
Josiah said that despite the lapses in the welfare of civil servants, the governor was performing very well in the state.
He used the opportunity to appeal to the state government to also transfer the pay point of primary health workers to the state government.
On his part, the Chairman, Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Comrade Anthony Nwachukwu, hailed the resolutions reached during the negotiations between the state government and the organised labour to avert the planned protest in the state.
He said that the protest would have sent a bad signal on the government, if the governor had not intervened.
The union leader said JUSUN would revoke its position on the shelved strike, if the issues of promotion arrears remain unresolved.
The Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board says it has begun the compilation of list of retired civil servants who have defaulted on the full repayment of housing loans obtained.
Head of Information and Public Relations, FGSHLB, Mrs Ngozi Obiechina, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja, yesterday.
Obiechina quoted the Executive Secretary of the Board, Mrs Salamatu Ahmed, as saying that the move was aimed at recovering mortgaged properties from retirees who failed to meet their loan obligations.
Ahmed noted that the decision followed a recent memo issued by Mrs Patience Oyekunle, Permanent Secretary, Career Management Office, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
According to her, the memo reminded public servants of the mandatory requirement to obtain a Certificate of Non-Indebtedness to the FGSHLB and MDA Staff Multipurpose Cooperative Society as a precondition for retirement.
The Executive Secretary said that the board would take necessary legal steps to repossess properties where applicable, in line with the terms of the loan agreements.
She said this was in line with the provisions of the Public Service Rules 021002 (p), issued by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
“I am directed to bring to your attention the provision of Public Service Rule (PSR) 021002 (p), which mandates all public servants to obtain a Certificate of Non-Indebtedness as a prerequisite for retirement.
“The Federal Government will commence the seizure of mortgaged properties belonging to retiring federal public servants who have failed to fully repay housing loans obtained from the board,” she said.
Ahmed explained that the FGSHLB reserves the legal right to repossess any mortgaged property in cases where a public servant exits service without fully repaying the loan.
She reiterated that the directive also applied to already retired officers who were still indebted.
She urged all affected public servants to regularise their loan status and obtain the required clearance certificate without delay.
“The board is currently compiling a list of such retirees, which will be forwarded to relevant regulatory agencies for debt recovery.
“The FGSHLB remains committed to enforcing compliance and ensuring proper loan recovery procedures are followed, “ she added.
The Federal Government has kicked off a three-day induction programme for newly appointed Permanent Secretaries and the Accountant-General of the Federation, aimed at equipping them for strategic leadership and effective policy implementation.
The induction, according to a statement yesterday by the Director, Information and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, Eno Olotu, which commenced on Wednesday, is being held at the National Counter Terrorism Centre in Abuja.
Speaking at the opening session, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, congratulated the new appointees and described their roles as pivotal to governance and national development.
“Permanent Secretaries are the engine room of the government. They are critical to driving policy implementation, institutional performance, and reform across the service”, she said.
The Federal Government has kicked off a three-day induction programme for newly appointed Permanent Secretaries and the Accountant-General of the Federation, aimed at equipping them for strategic leadership and effective policy implementation.
The induction, according to a statement yesterday by the Director, Information and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, Eno Olotu, which commenced on Wednesday, is being held at the National Counter Terrorism Centre in Abuja.
Speaking at the opening session, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, congratulated the new appointees and described their roles as pivotal to governance and national development.
“Permanent Secretaries are the engine room of the government. They are critical to driving policy implementation, institutional performance, and reform across the service”, she said.
“The expectations are high, and the responsibility is immense. But with commitment and teamwork, we can deliver a more efficient, accountable, and citizen-centred public service.
“This final lap of FCSSIP 25 calls for urgency, accountability, and strategic focus. You must translate vision into measurable results,” she stated.
In her welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Career Management Office, Mrs. Fatima Sugra Tabi’a Mahmood, described the programme as a strategic investment in leadership capacity and institutional effectiveness.
The sessions featured expert-led discussions, simulations, and strategic briefings facilitated by a distinguished faculty, including Engr. Suleiman Adamu, former Minister of Water Resources; Dr. Hadiza Bala Usman, Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination; Mrs. Beatrice Jedy-Agba, Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice; Alh. Yusuf Addy, retired Federal Director; Alhaji Bukar Goni Aji, former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation; Amb. Mustapha Lawal Suleiman, Mr. Adesola Olusade, and Dr. Ifeoma Anagbogu, all retired Permanent Secretaries.
Participants include Dr. Obi Emeka Vitalis, Mrs. Fatima Sugra Tabi’a Mahmood, Mr. Danjuma Mohammed Sanusi, Mr. Olusanya Olubunmi, Dr. Keshinro Maryam Ismaila, Dr. Akujobi Chinyere Ijeoma, Dr. Umobong Emanso Okop, Dr. Isokpunwu Christopher Osaruwanmwen, Mrs. Oyekunle N. Patience, Dr. Kalba U. Danjuma, Mr. Nadungu Gagare, Mr. Onwusoro I. Maduka, Dr. Usman Salihu Aminu, Mr. Ogbodo Chinasa Nnam, Mr. Ndiomu Ebiogeh Philip, Dr. Anuma N. Ogbonnaya, Mr. Adeladan Rafiu Olaninre, and Mr. Mukhtar Yawale Muhammed, alongside the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr. Shamseldeen Babatunde Ogunjimi.
The induction programme will feature sessions on public sector leadership, policy delivery, ethics in service, digital transformation, and performance management.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, has announced that a forensic audit of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) will begin soon.
Edun revealed this at the ongoing Nigerian Investor Forum, held alongside the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington DC.
The minister explained that the recent changes in the NNPCL management are part of a broader effort by the Federal Government to clean up and examine the company closely.
While addressing top global investors, including representatives from J.P. Morgan, Edun shared key reforms the government has introduced to revive the economy and restore investor confidence.
He told the investors that the government’s bold economic steps have laid a strong foundation to attract private investment.
He stated, “Our goal is not just to maintain this momentum, but to accelerate it. We are targeting seven per cent annual growth, and we believe the policies we have implemented have laid the groundwork to achieve this.”
Edun highlighted that President Bola Tinubu’s administration has rolled out major reforms that are already making a difference.
He added that the Nigerian economy grew by 3.84 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2024 and recorded a 3.4 per cent growth for the year.
Edun further stressed the importance of the reforms, describing them as “unprecedented,” adding that, “We said we would do it, and now we have done it. This time, we’re staying the course.”
He pointed out signs of progress such as lower budget deficits, a better trade balance, and a more stable exchange rate.
He also said that the focus is now on growing key sectors, especially agriculture.
According to Edun, agriculture is at the top of the government’s agenda, with the aim of improving food supply and increasing productivity.
“We aim to close the food supply gap, not by importing more, but by enabling domestic producers to scale and innovate,” he said.
On infrastructure, Edun revealed that the government has rolled out 90,000km of fibre optic cable to improve internet access.
He said this move is crucial for supporting young Nigerians and tech startups.
He also noted that 4,000km of roads have been offered for private sector participation, with the first 1,000km already approved for construction.