Politics
2020: Major Events In Govt House (I)
As the year 2020 winds off, it is pertinent to have a look at some major events that took place in the Rivers State Government House, Port Harcourt otherwise known as the Brick House.
The Next Governor of the State
As political pundits concern themselves with the all-important question of who becomes the next Governor of the state, the sitting Governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike on various occasions has given indication that neither himself nor anybody else knows on whose head the cap would be.
While receiving the People of Kalabari and Oyigbo Ethnic nationalities who had paid him solidarity visits in various occasions, Gov. Wike explained that he has never promised any ethnic group in the state the position of Governor of the state.
He said: “ Only God has the capacity to make the next Governor, not me or any man”.
He advised ethnic groups interested in the seat to liaise with other ethnic nationalities as no single ethnic group could single-handedly produce a governor without the assistance of others.
Burial of Late High Chief O. B. Lulu- Briggs
Governor Wike has expressed worry over the continued delay of the burial of a foremost philanthropist and oil mogul, Late Chief O.B. Lulu-Briggs as a result of family feud.
He made his feelings public when the leaders and people of Kalabari Ethnic Nationality paid him a solidarity visit in Government House, this year.
The Governor promised that the state Government would honour the late philanthropist with a befitting state burial and appealed to the leaders of the area as well as the family of the deceased to set aside their differences and bury the high chief.
“ I have intervened more than three to four times, having meetings, but was disappointed by the wife. I have to say clearly to all of you, I have never received insult like that in my life”, Gov. Wike said.
RSG’ s Court Victory Over Soku Oil Well
Another major event in 2020 was the eventual victory of Rivers State on the controversial Soku Oil Wells in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area.
An Abuja High Court had declared Rivers the rightful owner of the oil wells.
Gov. Wike, who spoke during the state celebration of the victory expressed satisfaction that at last justice was done. According to him, the state does not believe in fighting but in due process.
“ Thank God the Federal High Court has affirmed and they should pay us our money which they have collected. The revenue derivation should continue to be paid into Rivers State coffers,” he said.
The Governor reiterated the determination of his administration to continue to fight towards ensuring the protection of whatever belonged to the state.
Traditional Rulers, political leaders, youth leaders, women groups and the business class in the state celebrated the victory and commended Gov. Wike for leading the state to victory.
Victory Over OML 11 & Kidney Island
In a similar vein, Rivers State Government also won her suit against the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) on the ownership of the OML 11 & Kidney Island acquired by the State Government.
Ogoni- Clean Up Programme
Rivers State Government had expressed dismay that since the flag of the exercise by Federal Government, no tangible milestone had been achieved.
Gov. Wike who disclosed this when the Minister of Environment, Dr Mohammed Mahmood Abubakar paid him a courtesy visit in February, said rather than tell the world the level of success attained, Federal Government had continued to deceive the people by circulating same story of handing over remediation sites to contractors as if handing over remediation sites to contractors was an attestation that the contractors had done the jobs.
He also accused the Federal Government of alienating the state government from the programme and maintained that until Federal Government stopped politicising the project, it would not achieve the desired results.
RSG, Labour Crisis Resolved
The protest by organised labour in the state scheduled to hold in September was averted at the eleventh hour following an agreement reached between Rivers State Government and the leadership of the unions in Government House, Port Harcourt.
President of NLC, Comrade Ayuba Waba who read the agreement before newsmen said both parties agreed to sign the agreement on implementation of the New Minimum Wage .He also said that the parties agreed to set up a tripartite committee to resolve the adjustment of Pension in line with the Constitution and payment of Pension and Gratiuty, among other contending issues.
COVID-19 Pandemic
As COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the world Rivers State Government was the first state in the country to declare a lockdown and also took pragmatic strategies towards controlling the spread of the virus.
The State Executive Council had in March, set up a five man committee mandated to embark on aggressive public enlightenment and awareness measures to check the dreaded Corona-Virus.
The committee which was headed by the Commissioner for Information and Communications Paulinus Nsirim, had as members the Commissioner for Health, Prof Chike Princewill, Commissioner for Environment, Dr Igbiks Tamuno, Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs, Barr Eloka Tasie-Amadi, and Commissioner for Youth Development, Mr Ohia Prince.
He also initiated a Two Billion Naira (N2 billion) Food Bank. Palliatives were distributed from Ward to Ward.
Wike Unveils More Legacy Projects
Gov. Wike whose first tenure was marked by a harvest of people-oriented projects across the twenty-three local government areas of the state, continued with more key projects in 2020.
Within the year, such uncommon projects as Real Madrid Academy, Ultramodern Mother and Child Hospital among numerous others were commissioned.
He also embarked on seven flyover projects and even delivered some before the scheduled period using the world class Julius Berger to execute the projects.
The flyover projects include: Rebisi flyover which was inaugurated before the scheduled time, Okoro-nu-Odo flyover, Rumuogba flyover, Rumuola flyover, GRA flyover, the Kaduna Street flyover and the Ikokwu flyover. Most of these projects are the completion stages.
Apart from the flyovers which cost the state multi billions of Naira, there were also numerous road projects both in the new and old GRAs in Port Harcourt.
Local Government Election:
The elections of Councillors and Council Chairmen in the 23 local government areas of the state are already by the corner as the State Governor has recently reconstituted the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).
According to the time table published by RSIEC December 21, 2010, elections campaign begins on Friday, 12th March 2021 and ends on Thursday, 15th April 15th 2021 while Ward elections hold Saturday22nd May, 2021 and Chairmanship election hold Saturday, 17th April, 2021.
Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) has announced that there would no automatic ticket for sitting council Chairmen for second time.
Gov. Wike who is the leader of the party is the state who made the pronouncement in several public fora said performance and people’s acceptance would remain the variables that would determine the faith of any chairman aspiring for second term.
RSG Promises 5000 Employment Opportunities:
Another remarkable feat of the present administration in the year under review was the decision to employ 5000 persons into the state civil service.
So far, the vacancies have been advertised and interested applicants across the 23 local government areas have also applied for the jobs. The employment scheme which has been extended to non-indigens has been lauded by the people of the state.
The step, according to many, would equally go a long way in addressing youth related crimes in the state.
By: Chris Oluoh
The Senate has confirmed Professor Joash Amupitan as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The Red Chamber confirmed Amupitan after a voice vote conducted by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and after undergoing screening and answering questions posed by the lawmakers.
Amupitan had earlier arrived at the National Assembly complex earlier, exchanged pleasantries with Senators.
He was accompanied to the chamber by the Governor of Kogi State, Ahmed Ododo, and other dignitaries.
At about 12:50 p.m., the nominee was ushered into the Senate chamber by the Presidential Adviser on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Abubakar Lado, and was already seated ahead of the commencement of the exercise.
Amupitan was allowed into the hallowed chamber after the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), moved that Order 12 be set aside to allow visitors into the chamber, and he was seconded by the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South).
Senate President Godswill Akpabio welcomed Amupitan, his family members, and well-wishers to the Red Chamber, commending them for their presence.
Before introducing himself to the Senators for the question and answer session to take off, Akpabio disclosed to his colleagues that the nominee had been cleared by the office of the National Security Adviser after vetting.
According to Akpabio, the office of the Department of State Services had also cleared him.
The Senate President also said that the Office of the Inspector-General of Police, having done a fingerprint search on him, cleared him and said that he had no criminal records with the police.
The screening exercise commenced at about 12:55 p.m. following Akpabio’s opening remarks, during which he outlined the procedures to be followed by the lawmakers in considering the nominee’s credentials.
The screening session focused on Amupitan’s vision for credible elections, his plans for institutional reforms within INEC, and measures to deepen the use of technology in Nigeria’s electoral process.
Following his confirmation by the Senate, Amupitan will oversee preparations for upcoming off-cycle governorship elections and lay the groundwork for the 2027 general elections.
The Tide source earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu had nominated Amupitan, a Professor of Law from the University of Jos, to succeed Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
The President’s letter conveying Amupitan’s nomination was read on the floor of the Senate by Akpabio during plenary on Tuesday.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Jos, Amupitan, is widely regarded for his expertise in constitutional and international law.
He said, although he was deeply concerned about some governors and lawmakers defecting to the APC, the party was working quietly behind the scenes to stabilise its ranks and rebuild public trust.
“If you ask me whether I’m concerned about our governors leaving for APC, I am more than concerned. But leadership is a burden. As a leader of a group of equal status, I cannot determine the decisions or inactions of my colleagues, but certainly, a lot of work is being done behind the scenes,” he said.
The Bauchi governor accused the APC-led federal government of using coercive tactics to weaken the opposition, saying the ruling party was bent on turning Nigeria into a one-party state.
“You know the style of leadership of the APC-led federal government in trying to make this country a one-party state. They have the power of coercion; they have the power of everything,” he said.
Governor Mohammed, however, maintained that the defections would not derail the PDP’s resurgence, stressing that most Nigerians at the grassroots remained loyal to the party.
“Even those who left are not finding it easier because most of the people at the grassroots level are PDP and are not happy with the defections. Sometimes it is done because of permutations and calculations. But I assure you I am not going anywhere. I am in PDP, and my state has no element of division,” he explained.
Governor Mohammed revealed that more defections could occur, including from lawmakers in his state, but insisted the PDP structure in Bauchi remained solid.
“Even today, I saw in the news that one of my senators is going. They are being controlled, they are being bought, but certainly, the state is PDP. Nigerians want change, and they believe they can get it through the PDP,” he stated.
The governor emphasised that the PDP had laid the foundation for most of Nigeria’s measurable achievements under successive governments and that the party remained the only credible platform capable of providing national renewal.
“Most of the measurable achievements by the federal government were done by PDP regimes. By the grace of God, if we stand firm, we will deliver. Some of us who won as governors were not even considered capable, and here we are. That’s what will play out in 2027,” he said.
Addressing concerns over potential threats to the forthcoming convention, the PDP stalwart said the party leadership was working to resolve internal disputes and litigations aimed at destabilising preparations.
“I cannot speak for the National Working Committee, but as a leader within the party, I know they are doing their best to address issues of litigations. Many are artificially created to undermine us, but we don’t have any faction in the PDP,” he said.
He noted that while some individuals had approached the courts to stop the party’s convention, the PDP remained more organised than most opposition parties.
“Comparatively, most of the other parties are not better off than us. We are better off than most opposition parties. We are the only ones intact; with one National Secretary, one National Chairman, and one Publicity Secretary. This meeting gives hope that at the end of the day, we will deliver,” he said.
On reports of Governor Peter Mbah’s rumoured defection from the PDP, Governor Mohammed said Governor Mbah had not formally declared any intention to leave and remained a respected colleague.
“Actually, Governor Mbah has not told us his position. It is a personal decision. We cannot remove his picture before he leaves. When he leaves, we will replace him with another person. Up till now, he has not told me he’s leaving,” he said.
He also dismissed speculation surrounding Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, describing him as a loyal member of the PDP who had endured significant challenges in office.
“He has not left the party; he is still PDP. Everybody has his own style. He is a humble young man who has gone through so much and has done well to accommodate all the problems and challenges he found himself in,” he said.
Commenting on speculations about a possible 2027 presidential project involving former President Goodluck Jonathan, the Bauchi governor said the PDP remained open to prominent figures who wished to return or associate with the party.
“People are still interested in this party, and these big names being associated with us make us happy. As governors, we have resolved to put personal interests aside. We are united and will come up with leadership that will be the best choice for Nigerians to put in Aso Rock, inshallah,” he stated.
Governor Mohammed reaffirmed his commitment to the PDP and expressed optimism that new, visionary leaders would emerge from the party in 2027 to defeat what he called the APC’s ‘deceptive’ style of politics.
“If somebody goes, just like a bird, they go, they come. Please, don’t blame anybody at the governors’ level; we are doing our best, but it is beyond our control,” he said.
In a statement following his recent visit to the United States and Rome, Mr Obi said he used the pilgrimage as an opportunity to seek divine intervention for Nigeria’s unity, peace, and responsible leadership.
He stated that after addressing members of the Friendship Club in the US and speaking at the 1st Ubuntu African Youth Assembly in Washington, he proceeded to Rome to join his wife for a spiritual retreat.
“With hearts full of gratitude, we thanked God that, despite our differences and the many challenges faced over 65 years of independence, He has kept us together as one nation,” Mr Obi said.
During the pilgrimage, the couple visited the four major Papal Basilicas in Rome — St. Mary Major, St. Paul Outside the Walls, St. John Lateran, and St. Peter’s Basilica — where they met with other Nigerian pilgrims.
“Along the way, we met many Nigerian pilgrims: men and women of faith whose faces shone with quiet hope. Together, we renewed our trust in God’s mercy and in the promise of a better Nigeria,” he added.
Reaffirming his faith in both divine providence and civic duty, Mr Obi maintained that prayer must be matched with personal and collective effort.
“Faith does not absolve us of responsibility; it calls us to action. We must each continue to do our part, with honesty, diligence, and love, for our nation’s healing and progress,” he said.
Mr Obi was accompanied by his wife, Margaret, during the pilgrimage, which also included an audience with His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, at the Vatican City.
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