Niger Delta
Army Attacks On Rivers People In 2019 Never Dampened Our Spirit, Wike Insists
The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike says the killing of Rivers people by the Nigerian military in Abonnema Town during 2019 general election has not dampened the resolve of the people to always defend the nation’s democracy.
The Rivers State governor was speaking at the flag-off of reclamation of 52 hectares of land for the Abonnema and Obonoma towns in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of the state, last Wednesday.
Wike said the plan of the Nigerian military was to rig the election against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, but the people of Abonnema resisted it and paid the supreme price defending the interest of the state.
“They suffered it in 2019 when the military came and killed so many of our sons and daughters, because they wanted to rig the election through one of their own sons.”
The governor said, “They suffered because of their defence that PDP must not be rigged out. But, I can tell them that those who died did not die in vain. They died in defence of Rivers interest; they died in defence of Abonnema. They died in defence of Obonoma interest; they died in defence of Akuku-Toru interest. And that is why we will never abandon this LGA for what they have done for us.”
Wike restated the need for politics to be development-oriented devoid of hatred that often lie underneath the resolve by most politicians to kill their opponents.
“Politics shouldn’t get to the level we should kill our own people. That is not politics. Politics is what do I attract to my area for the entire benefit of my people?”
He stated that the people of the Abonnema and Obonoma communities should be grateful, first to God and then to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) because of the opportunity to see result of their unalloyed political support.
According to him, but for PDP, it would have been difficult to witness the actualisation of the reclamation of vast land from the swamp for the benefit of future generations.
Wike said the people now have seen the difference between a party that tells them stories, and a party that fulfills whatever promise it has made to them.
“When the chairman of the council came, he said that I have a special interest in this local government. Special interest, yes, and it is because when we started this journey, this was one of the local governments that came out boldly and gave us all the necessary support.
“That is why we have said we will never abandon this local government for what they have done for us.”
Speaking further, Wike directed his Special Adviser on Special Projects, Kelly-George Alabo, to send an application for additional payment of 20 percent for the contractor.
This he said will make it 70 per cent of total contract sum paid to the Master Dredger, the company handling the project.
Wike said he wants the project to be completed in eight months instead of the proposed 12 months because he desires to map out the utility lines and eventual allocation of spaces within his tenure.
Performing the flag-off, former Senate President, Senator Adolphus Wabara, said he has never seen where a state government has championed development in local government areas as executed by Wike.
Wabara noted that the projects, as confessed by the benefiting communities, address their most pressing needs, which will be used by everybody, irrespective of their political party.
He acknowledged the immediate pains associated with the ongoing construction of the 10th flyovers as experienced by residence of Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor councils, and urged them to be patient as there cannot be development without inconveniences.
Earlier, the Special Adviser to Governor Wike on Special Projects, Kelly-George Alabo, had recalled that a few months ago, Wike had made a promise of undertaking the land reclamation project for the people.
The governor, Alabo said, had thereafter directed commencement of the procurement process, adding that at the end, the contract was awarded with 50 percent mobilisation fee paid to the contractor.
According to him, because land means so much to the people, the contractor has mobilised to site with personnel and equipment to fast-track the completion of the project.
In his remarks, the Amayanabo of Abonnema, King Disreal Gbobo Bob-Manuel, who commended Wike for fulfilling his promise to reclaim land for the community, disclosed that for decades, past administrations had made similar promises, which were never actualised.
Dufugha, however, expressed resentment over what he described as stringent measures against assessing the State’s Students Loan Scheme, especially for the common citizens.
He made the observations while briefing journalists at the Earliest Ikoli Press Centre, Ekeki, in Yenagoa, the State capital.
“I commend the Governor for the relative peace in the state owing to his approach to the security of lives and properties in the State.
“For now, the police in Bayelsa State is using drones to monitor red flag areas that can cause security breaches and that has really encouraged the peace in the State.
“The security situation has improved and we commend the government for that. We cannot deny the fact that there is relative peace in the State”, he said.
On the State’s students loan, the publisher accused the scheme of having elitist posture due to its accessibility process.
He argued that it would be difficult for the ordinary Bayelsan to provide a Level-17 civil servant as guarantor to be able to benefit from the scheme, describing it as a systemic denial of the less privileged.
He noted that the loan was supposed to be a succour to indigent Bayelsa parents and students who could not assess education easily, noting that such persons should not be made to face cumbersome situations before assessing the financial instrument.
On road infrastructure, the Niger Delta Herald Publisher and Editor-in-chief praised the Diri’s administration on the work done on the three senatorial district roads and tasked the government to do more.
Dufugha, who described Bayelsa State as a wealthy State, asserted that the oil rich state needed to see more developmental strides comparative to its current financial status.
“Bayelsa is not a poor state in terms of public revenue. We’re an oil producing state. We receive federal allocations. We receive derivation revenue. We have access to enormous public resources.
“We receive interventions. Yet, after all these years, the ordinary citizen is still asking, what exactly are we getting for our money? Where are the industries? Where are the jobs? Where are the functional health institutions? Where is the agricultural transformation? Where is the human capital development? Where is the economic diversification?,” he argued.
He enjoined the government to redouble effort in the education and health subsectors, adding that it would pay the state a lot if there were centres for the treatment of critical health cases such as cancer and others in order to save lives and avoid capital flight.
The Publisher urged the Senator Diri-led government and the public not to misunderstand his message as hatred or personal issues with the Governor, but see it as a constitutional and professional duty to hold government accountable.
By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
Deputy Governor of the State, Dr. Peter Akpe, stated this rexently when he received the Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in ernment House, Yenagoa.
charge of Bayelsa and Rivers States, during a courtesy visit to Government House, Yenagoa.
Akpe said the general perception of those in politics has always been that of corruption, but noted that the position of the Douye Diri-led Prosperity Administration is non-tolerance for corruption.
Akpe, who frowned at the habit of writing unfounded petitions against individuals and groups, said the heap of petition files from Bayelsa State at the ICPC was several times higher than that from any other state in the country.
He reminded residents that writing unjustifiable petitions to anti-graft agencies is not only a bad culture, but also attracts jail penalty, and assured the ICPC of the state government’s support to improve public enlightenment.
“Our government is a government that believes in zero tolerance for corruption; that is why we are always open to interact with you and other anti-graft agencies.
“Usually, there is this issue of negative perception of politics and politicians. But it is not true that every politician is corrupt. We have a good number of people in politics that are not corrupt, and we believe that a good percentage of them are in this government.
“The issue of petitions at the ICPC: What we observed was that the heap of files from Bayelsa were 10 times higher than the ones from even Lagos, and 15 more times than the ones from Sokoto and other states.
“That is quite disturbing. More so, most of those petitions were ion, our people should also know that such frivolous petitions can land them in jail”, he saidfrivolous.
From a personal experience, I can tell you that most of the petitions are extremely frivolous. While we will never tolerate corruption, our people should also know that such frivolous petitions can land them in jail”, he said.
Earlier in her remarks, the ICPC Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner in charge of Rivers and Bayelsa States, Dr. Ekere Usiere, highlighted the statutory mandate of the ICPC, stressing that its mission was to carry out sensitisation on the ills of corruption in the Nigerian society.
Usiere, who expressed concern at the volume of petitions currently before the ICPC emanating from communities in Bayelsa over the management of the PIA funds, expressed the commission’s desire to partner the Bayelsa State Ministry of Information to carry out sensitisation programmes.
The ICPC Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner was accompanied on the visit by Assistant Chief Superintendent, Mr. Evans Peters; Principal Superintendent, Mr. Emmanuel Akpor; Assistant Superintendent, Mrs. Tamaraudoubra Ebebi; and the Administrative Officer, Mr. Frank Yileaziba.
By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
The Director of Administration and Human Resources, Sir Kelechi Nwelue, gave the advice during a commission-wide staff interactive session with Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) and insurance companies at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
In a statement signed and issued by Seledi Thompson-Wakama
Director, Corporate Affairs, Nwelue said the programme, approved by the Managing Director of the commission, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, was organised to sensitise staff on pension schemes and provide them with the knowledge required to make informed decisions about their retirement savings.
He particularly urged newly recruited employees to acquaint themselves with the operations and responsibilities of various PFAs before choosing an administrator to manage their pension contributions.
According to him, pension contributions deducted from employees’ salaries, alongside employers’ contributions, constitute long-term savings designed to provide financial support after retirement.
He urged staff to carefully assess the information provided by the participating pension administrators and choose the option best suited to their long-term financial interests.
Nwelue stressed that employees were at liberty to select their preferred pension administrator, noting that the interactive session provided an opportunity for the various companies to explain their products, services and benefits.
Also speaking, a Director in the Directorate of Administration and Human Resources, Mr. James Fole, said the programme was aimed at deepening employees’ understanding of pension, insurance and other financial instruments that could improve their financial wellbeing during and after active service.
Fole warned that inadequate preparation for retirement could expose employees to financial hardship in their post-service years.
He said: “That is not what the Managing Director, Executive Management and the entire management want for our staff. We want to see a situation where retirees enjoy a reasonable level of comfort, knowing that the Commission has contributed to their future.”
He added that equipping employees with appropriate financial knowledge while they were still in active service remained critical to achieving a financially secure retirement.
Several pension and insurance companies participated in the interactive session.