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Nigeria Sliding Into Bankruptcy, Secondus Alerts

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, has said Nigeria under the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari was going bankrupt, saying in almost six years in the saddle, the President has demonstrated gross inability to steer the wheel of the state.
Secondus, who stated this at the 90th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, yesterday, in Abuja, also berated government’s handling of security in the land, adding that the helplessness of the President has become too glaring for the world to see.
The PDP boss also came hard on the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government for incessant borrowings even as he warned the Federal Government against mortgaging the future of the country.
“This country is sliding into bankruptcy but the government is instead embarking in endless borrowing with no accountability on the already borrowed ones.
“Federal Government themselves just reported last week that 428 agencies would not be able to pay salaries this November because of underfunding.
“At the last count, Nigeria debt profile is showing over N31trillion, a lot of it misappropriated.
“While borrowing in economics is not bad, it depends on what the borrowed resources is being channelled for. With the unprecedented corruption in the system under APC watch, it would be difficult to see this borrowed funds properly deployed,” he said.
According to Secondus, “President Muhammadu Buhari- led APC government, under whose watch the situation got worsened and complicated has remained clearly helpless and incapable of providing the needed leadership.
“The consequences of all these came to the fore when the youths, last month poured out their anger on the country through a nationwide protest.
“Even though the protest was triggered off by accumulated police brutality, particularly by the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), it developed into a wider rebellion against injustice and poor leadership in the country.”
He urged the Federal Government to address the fundamental issues raised by the youths, rather than “the counterproductive strategy of seeking to hound and intimidate perceived leaders of the peaceful protest by seizing their travel documents, freezing their accounts and arrests.
“We have refused to join issues with him in any way but we cannot bow to any blackmail. What I can report to NEC is that the strength of our party in Ebonyi State and South-East is intact and the NWC has taken necessary steps to protect and guard it. The real season that informed this decision will soon be exposed,” he added.
“May I declare to you that the party is also being futuristic, drawing experience from the past. We know as a fact that transparent election under the watch of APC is not feasible with the current Electoral Act.
“We are liaising with our very reliable members in the National Assembly to ensure that a fraud-free law is put in place ahead of 2023. Within our family also, we are putting all hands on deck to ensure we enter the next election stronger as one united and harmonious family, and to achieve this, I solicit the full and undiluted cooperation of NEC.
Similarly, the governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, yesterday, reiterated their loyalty and commitment to strengthening the party.
The Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Hon Aminu Tambuwal, spoke on behalf of his colleagues at the ongoing 90th NEC meeting of the party holding at the party’s National Secretariat, Wadata House, Abuja.
He said, “All 15 of us are here present. We are individually committed to good governance in our various states in order to make our party strong.
“This is a clear statement that we are united and working towards strengthening our party for the future.”
Also, the Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Walid Jibrin, told the gathering that the PDP remains strong in Ebonyi State despite the exit of Governor David Umahi.
He faulted reasons adduced by Umahi for leaving for the All Progressives Congress but said it was a thing of joy that the PDP structure in the state remains intact.
Jibrin expressed delight that the party’s National Working Committee took proactive steps to ensure that Umahi did not take undue advantage of the PDP structure in the state.
Also, speaking on behalf of the PDP caucus in the National Assembly, the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, assured the party leadership that the caucus was prepared to fight against anti-media legislation “with every drop of our blood.”
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
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RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
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Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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