News
FG Trains 40 Extension Agents In Rivers
To ensure sufficiency in food production and enhance agricultural development in Rivers State, the Federal Government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has commenced the training of 40 extension agents selected from the 23 local government areas of the state.
The four-day capacity training is the second batch of the training series designed by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with the National Agricultural and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS) to acquaint the selected participants with the knowledge of extension tools, methodologies and selected agricultural value chains.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the programme held at the Rivers State Agricultural Development Programme (ADP), Rumuodomaya in Obio /Akpor Local Government Area of the state, Wednesday, the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development stated that extension workers are critical and invaluable to the development of agricultural sector in every given society.
Represented by the state Director FMARD, Mr Ebinimi Tobin, the Minister said that agricultural extension services predate the independence of the country, about 120 years ago precisely in 1893, saying that the agric extension services have metemorphosed from one stage to another as it is important to rural and semi urban development with regard to food and job provisions.
He described agricultural extension delivery services as a vehicle for all agric policies and research, adding that without which, all efforts in the ecosystem would not realise its objectives
“This training is one of the various strategies planned by the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to halt the drift in the extension services with the aim to pursue revalidation agenda of the nation’s economy. This training is the second batch that will empower you all with the knowledge that will enhance service delivery to farmers both in terms of production practical and equipment technical support. It is the desire of the Federal Government and every Nigerian that the nation agric extension services meet up global competitiveness to have adequate food provision for the growing population and augment foreign earnings,” he stated.
Also speaking, the Director of Extension, FMARD, Engr Frank Satuman Kudia represented by the Agric Officer, Mrs Gloria Ibroma said the training is one among the various recommendations of the special technical committee set up by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to among other things assist to develop a workable framework and actionable programme for the immediate training of 75 extension workers in collaboration with state ADPs.
According to him, the unwillingness by the youth to embrace agricultural entrepreneurship, poor funding, retirement and death of extension workers are key factors responsible for the decline in the national agricultural extension services in the country.
“The training is designed to empower participants with desired skills in the use of extension delivery methodologies and tools as well as best global agricultural value chains chosen by the various state ADPs. This training provides you with various logistics and manuals which will help you all practise in the emerging technologies in the sector. So, take the workshop seriously, “he stated
Declaring the training workshop open, the state Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Fred Kpakol commended the Federal Government for taking the bull by the horn by training the extension agents whom he described as essential workers for the advancement of the agriculture sector in the society.
The state Commissioner who was represented by the state Coordinator of FADAMA, Sir Kingsley Amadi, described the extension workers as pivotal to the development of agriculture.
He disclosed that it was the importance the state government attaches to agriculture that is responsible for its investing in the sector through building model garri factory, model Abattoirs as well as building a modern Veterinary Clinic, among others.
Earlier in his address of welcome, the Programme Manager, ADP, Chief David Darius urged the participants to take the workshop seriously, adding that they are to carry the message to the farmers at the rural communities even as he described the roles of extension workers as very essential in every aspect of human endeavor.
By: Akujobi Amadi
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
News
RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.