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Rivers NCSU Tasks New National Officers On Performance …As President Extends Olive Branch To Aggrieved Members
The Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU), Rivers State Council, has expressed delight over the emergence of new national officers to pilot the affairs of the union in the next four years, with a charge to them to surpass the achievements of the immediate outgone leadership of the union under the watch of Chief (Comrade) Lawrence Uchechukwu Amaechi.
This is even as the new National President of the union, Comrade Oluwole Adeleye Sunday has extended the olive branch to some aggrieved members of the union as a way of fostering peace, unity, oneness and harmony within the union.
The Rivers State Chairman of the union, Comrade Chukwuka Osumah, who spoke with newsmen in Port Harcourt said the 12th delegates conference of the union last Tuesday in Abuja, which threw up the national officers was a consensus exercise, and thanked God for enabling the union to successfully hold the conference inspite of some initial challenges.
While expressing confidence in the capacity of the new elected national officers to effectively discharge their duties, Osumah enjoined them to surpass the achievements of their immediate predecessors, stressing that the union does not expect less from them.
According to him, all the NAC members are well known to him as he could also vouch for their capabilities.
The union leader, however, asserted that the Comrade Amaechi-led National Administrative Council left worthy legacies which the present NAC members need to emulate and even surpass.
He went ahead and cited as an example a massive estate constructed for members of the union by the former leadership, and called on the present NAC to emulate the footsteps of the remarkable performance and achievements of its predecessor.
Osumah further expressed gladness that a son of Rivers State in the person of Comrade Peaceman Horsfall was elected as the National Auditor of the union, describing his choice as a great privilege bearing in mind that not all the 36 States in the country were lucky to be so elected to be part of the present NAC, and expressed optimism that the National Auditor was going to make Rivers people proud.
The NCSU Chairman extolled the sterling leadership qualities of the immediate past National President of the union, Comrade Lawrence Uchechukwu Amaechi, describing him as a true father indeed, who has listening ears.
He further indicated that it is rare to see a leader like the former National President, whom he said carried all the union members along, and equally took phone calls of everyone even at the risk of his own comfort.
Osumah also enjoined other states in the country to emulate the good example of the Ondo State Government, which he said sees industrial unions and workers as partners in progress rather than members of opposition political parties.
According to him, the Ondo State Government had expressed its readiness to host the NCSU’s delegates conference and equally foot the bills.
On his part, Rivers State Secretary of NCSU, Comrade Chukwuma Ofoegbu paid glowing tributes to the Comrade Amaechi-led NAC, and congratulated the new national officers on their successful election.
Ofoegbu expressed happiness that the union was able to successfully organise the conference which threw up the officers, and charged them to always toe the path of peace and harmony as well as carry all members along in the scheme of things, in order to truly make the union strong and formidable.
He particularly commended the National President Emeritus for his exemplary leadership qualities, which ensured that the union was able to achieve set goals during his administration.
In his acceptance speech, the new National President of the union, Comrade Oluwole Adeleye Sunday commended the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba for his solidarity and fence-mending efforts towards the union, describing the beginning of the struggles which finally culminated in his emergence as a long walk to victory, contending that “ God was and is still the bedrock of the collective struggle and our collective emergence.”
The National President, while extending the olive branch to all aggrieved and dischanted members of the union, pleaded with them to come back home for an amicable resolution of issues as a one big family, and assured that the present NAC would via legitimate means pursue peace by bringing everybody on board in a way that would not jeopardise the administration’s collective vision and mission for the union.
He also promised that his administration would ensure that the rights and privileges of members are restored in the interest of peace and oneness, contending, however, that the union today needs urgent and immediate measures to bounce back and take its place of pride in the comity of unions, assuring that the new leadership would run an open door administration as well as welcome constructive criticisms and vibrant engagements from altruistic and sincere members.
Among other officers elected at the conference included Comrade Okechukwu Egwumba, National Deputy President; Comrade Jibrin K. Bancir, Deputy National President, Comrade Ibrahim A. Bomoi, General Secretary; Comrade Jerome A. Ilokwu, National Vice President (South-East); Comrade Alice Odjeri, National Vice President (South-South); and Comrade Peaceman Horsfall, National Auditor.
Others are Comrade Kabiru Kwaru, National Auditor; and Comrade Lydia O. Agaji, Chairperson, Women Commssion; among others.
Top dignitaries who graced the occasion included the President of NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba; Representative of the Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs Bosede Olaniyi; and the Registrar of Trade Union, among others.
By: Donatus Ebi
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.