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Expect Construction Of Trans-Kalabari Road, Wike Tells Kalabari People …Says Another Round Of Projects’ Inauguration Begins, Feb 10
The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, says discussions have been concluded on the commencement of construction work on the Trans-Kalabari Road, which would ease transportation difficulties experienced by the people of Kalabari ethnic nationality.
The governor explained that he was deliberately embarking on critical projects that address the direct needs of Rivers people, and was determined to make the people happier than he met them on assumption of office.
Wike made the explanation at the reception organised for the conferment of special chieftaincy title, Eze Gbuwara Uzor 1 of Ikwerre on former Governor of Rivers State, Sir Celestine Omehia, at Isiopko Town in Ikwerre Local Government Area, last Saturday.
The Rivers State governor said most Kalabari people had castigated his administration out of impatience, but added that they can see clearly that the Trans-Kalabari Road project has always been on the list of projects for construction before the end of his tenure.
“I and the deputy governor, together with the chairman of the Rivers State Elders’ Council, have agreed on how the Trans-Kalabari Road will follow.
“Those who said we don’t want to do anything in the Kalabari area, today, they are sending me text messages. They are thanking me, and I said to them, ‘don’t thank me’ because their thanking me is temporary. They are not always stable.”
The governor said with several projects inaugurated in the various local governments of the state, most critics who accused him of being sectional with his development programmes were now ashamed and silenced.
“So many people have said that I am discriminating in terms of projects. Now, when they saw us go to the various local governments to commission projects, they don’t say anything again. By February 10, 2021, we will start another round of projects’ inauguration.
“When we were doing Saakpenwa-Bori (Ogoni) Road, some politicians in our party were carrying propaganda. They were saying that we are not going to finish that road.
“But, they now have one of the best roads in the state. Some of them were even ashamed to watch it on television. We have also agreed that from Saakpenwa to Bori, we are awarding fresh contract to take it to Kono town. Which government has done that to anybody or town?
“I have also told Isiokpo people, don’t be impatient, Julius Berger Nigeria PLC is already taking measurement, and we will link you up to Isiodu town.
“To Aluu people, I have assured that we are linking them to Omagwa Town. We are almost ready to award the contract. When we make promise, we must fulfil those promises.
“No one project awarded by us will be left abandoned. I won’t leave any uncompleted project for my successor. I will leave office as a proud Ikwerre son who will feel satisfied that I made the people happy when I was governor”, Wike said.
Wike commended the people of Ikwerre for the courage to honour their son in recognition of his success in public office that has also impacted on them positively.
“I am a witness to this event. And what you’ve done today shows that you know what is good. It shows that when somebody has done well, you can honour him when he’s alive. When you honour a man when he’s late, he doesn’t know if you’ve honoured him at all.
“I thank you for what you have done to Sir Celestine Omehia by honouring him with the chieftaincy title as the Eze Gbuwara Uzor 1 of Ikwerre.
“Let me thank the Ikwerre Local Government Traditional Rulers’ Council for what they have done today to one of the illustrious sons of the Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality.”
In his remarks, Chairman of the event and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Austin Opara, said the Ikwerre Traditional Rulers’ Council acknowledged that it was a worthy act for them to honour Omehia, who had served well in office and made his people proud.
He noted that the honour was a renewed call on Omehia to continue to use his position to foster peace in the area.
In his goodwill message, former Governor of Kastina State, Ibrahim Shema, lauded Wike for his courage in bringing all Rivers people together to work with him in protecting and advancing the interest of the state.
He commended Omehia for not disappointing his people but for distinguishing himself in public life, thus, prompting his people to publicly accord him special recognition with a chieftaincy title.
Also speaking, Chairman of Rivers Elders’ Council, High Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, expressed delight for being part of an event where Omehia was being honoured, and further described Omehia as an amiable person, who was humility personified.
In response, Sir Celestine Omehia expressed joy to both traditional and political leaders, particularly former Rivers State Governor, Dr Peter Odili, who have contributed to his success in public office.
He lent his voice to the call for the restructuring of Nigeria and entrenchment of good governance that would cement stronger unity while allowing the country to actualise its full potentials.
The conferment of the chieftaincy title was at the instance of the Ikwerre Traditional Rulers’ Council headed by Eze Blessing Wagor, who decorated Sir Celestine Omehia with his regalia, supported by other chiefs.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has charged the newly appointed Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and Chief of Staff (CoS) to carry out their duties with discipline, loyalty and a firm commitment to the success of the administration and the wellbeing of the people of Rivers State.
The governor warned that any involvement in unauthorised nocturnal meetings or any conduct capable of embarrassing the government will attract immediate dismissal.
Fubara gave the warning yesterday shortly after the newly appointed Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Dagogo S.A. Wokoma and the new Chief of Staff (CoS), Barrister Sunny Ewule, were sworn in at the Executive Council Chambers of Government House, Port Harcourt.
As part of the ceremony, the Chief Registrar of the State High Court, David Ihua-Maduenyi administered the Oath of Allegiance and Oath of Office on the duo before the governor gave his charge.
Addressing the appointees, Fubara reminded them that their elevation to the new positions was a call to service and not a platform for political grandstanding or the pursuit of personal ambition.
He stressed that their foremost responsibility should be to themselves and to the people of Rivers State, stressing that their conduct must always reflect integrity, restraint and dedication to public good.
Speaking directly to Dr. Wokoma, whom he described as an accomplished academic and mathematician, the governor expressed confidence in his intellectual depth and capacity to deliver on the new assignment.
The office of the Secretary to the State Government, Fubara stressed, demands thoroughness, discipline and a deep sense of responsibility. He charged the SSG to represent the State with honour at all times.
“Your duty includes representing the state government. You need to represent us in a way and manner that will bring honour to us.
“What is important to this administration is to see that the good works that we started and the ones that we met, are concluded in a way that will bring progress and development to our dear state,” he stated.
Turning to the new Chief of Staff, the governor explained that he is expected to ensure smooth administrative coordination, managing official engagements effectively and safeguarding the image of the Government House.
He underscored the sensitive and personal nature of the role and emphasised that the position operates strictly under the authority of the governor.
Fubara stressed that the role does not permit independent political engagements or private strategy meetings without his knowledge and consent.
“Let me sound it here very clearly. Your duty is to make sure that you handle the administrative duties and image making roles perfectly well, liaising with whoever is coming for any official assignment here.
“If you involve yourself in nocturnal meetings and all those things, I will sack you. I’m very serious. What is important to me today is peace, progress and prosperity of this state. I’m not going to compromise anything for it,” he said.
The governor cautioned that involvement of the new appointees in any action capable of bringing the government or his office to disrepute would attract appropriate sanctions.
While congratulating the new appointees, Fubara expressed optimism that they would justify the confidence reposed in them.
He called on all public officials to work together in unity, observing that collective success is stronger and more enduring than individual achievement.
The governor who also addressed the Permanent Secretaries present at the ceremony, directed those of them who have reached retirement age to start preparing their handover notes without delay.
The notice, he said, was not intended to scare anybody but to prepare their minds towards the inevitability of exiting the service one day and to pave way for an orderly transition.
He warned against any attempt to engage in financial misconduct or last-minute irregularities, stressing that he was closely monitoring the system to ensure strict enforcement of accountability rules.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, has dissolved the State Executive Council.
The governor announced the cabinet dissolution yesterday in a statement titled ‘Government Special Announcement’, signed by his new Chief Press Secretary, Onwuka Nzeshi.
Governor Fubara directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most Senior officers in their Ministries with immediate effect.
He thanked the outgoing members of the State Executive Council for their service and wished them the best in their future endeavours.
The three-paragraph special announcement read, “His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS, Governor of Rivers State, has dissolved the State Executive Council.
“His Excellency, the Governor, has therefore directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most Senior officers in their Ministries with immediate effect.
“His Excellency further expresses his deepest appreciation to the outgoing members of the Executive Council wishing them the best in their future endeavours.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday told the National Assembly that it requires N873.78bn to conduct the 2027 general elections, even as it seeks N171bn to fund its operations in the 2026 fiscal year.
INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, made the disclosure while presenting the commission’s 2026 budget proposal and the projected cost for the 2027 general elections before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters in Abuja.
According to Amupitan, the N873.78bn election budget covers the full conduct of national polls in 2027.
An additional N171bn is needed to support INEC’s routine activities in 2026, including bye-elections and off-season elections, the commission stated.
The INEC boss said the proposed election budget does not include a fresh request from the National Youth Service Corps seeking increased allowances for corps members engaged as ad-hoc staff during elections.
He explained that, although the details of specific line items were not exhaustively presented, the almost N1tn election budget is structured across five major components.
“N379.75bn is for operational costs, N92.32bn for administrative costs, N209.21bn for technological costs, N154.91bn for election capital costs and N42.61bn for miscellaneous expenses,” Amupitan said.
The INEC chief noted that the budget was prepared “in line with Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates the Commission to prepare its election budget at least one year before the general election.”
On the 2026 fiscal year, Amupitan disclosed that the Ministry of Finance provided an envelope of N140bn, stressing, however, that “INEC is proposing a total expenditure of N171bn.”
The breakdown includes N109bn for personnel costs, N18.7bn for overheads, N42.63bn for election-related activities and N1.4bn for capital expenditure.
He argued that the envelope budgeting system is not suitable for the Commission’s operations, noting that INEC’s activities often require urgent and flexible funding.
Amupitan also identified the lack of a dedicated communications network as a major operational challenge, adding that if the commission develops its own network infrastructure, Nigerians would be in a better position to hold it accountable for any technical glitches.
Speaking at the session, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) said external agencies should not dictate the budgeting framework for INEC, given the unique and sensitive nature of its mandate.
He advocated that the envelope budgeting model should be set aside.
He urged the National Assembly to work with INEC’s financial proposal to avoid future instances of possible underfunding.
In the same vein, a member of the House of Representatives from Edo State, Billy Osawaru, called for INEC’s budget to be placed on first-line charge as provided in the Constitution, with funds released in full and on time to enable the Commission to plan early enough for the 2027 general election.
The Joint Committee approved a motion recommending the one-time release of the Commission’s annual budget.
The committee also said it would consider the NYSC’s request for about N32bn to increase allowances for corps members to N125,000 each when engaged for election duties.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Simon Along, assured that the National Assembly would work closely with the Commission to ensure it receives the necessary support for the successful conduct of the 2027 general elections.
Similarly, the Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Bayo Balogun, also pledged legislative support, warning INEC to be careful about promises it might be unable to keep.
He recalled that during the 2023 general election, INEC made strong assurances about uploading results to the INEC Result Viewing portal, creating the impression that results could be monitored in real time.
“iREV was not even in the Electoral Act; it was only in INEC regulations. So, be careful how you make promises,” Balogun warned.
The N873.78bn proposed by INEC for next year’s general election is a significant increase from the N313.4bn released to the Commission by the Federal Government for the conduct of the 2023 general election.