News
Ariolu Presents Transformers To Communities In Obio/Akpor
The Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Council, Barrister George Ariolu, has presented 500KVA Transformers with lines 33 to three communities in the LGA.
He said the procurement of the transformers for Atali, Eliozu and Rumuokparali communities was in line with his administration’s focal thrust and desires to serve the people of Obio/Akpor diligently.
He noted that the procurement of the transformers followed requests by benefiting communities.
Ariolu explained that the essence of the procurement was to attend to issues concerning communities based on their requests to the council.
The chairman, acknowledging his administration’s policies and programmes which are based on the interest of the people, expatiated on the need to grant the requests of the people owing to the fact that his administrationwas a responsive government.
Speaking at the Exco Chambers in Rumuodomaya, Ariolu appealed to community leaders to always stay connected to the council to further boost partnership for the development of the people.
He said, “We are here for the presentation of transformers to these three communities: Atali, Eliozu and Rumuokparali. It will be on record that the procurement is based on the requests by these three communities that we are making the presentation to.
“We attend to issues concerning communities as they place their requests before us, we know that these communities had started making these requests earlier than we assumed office.
“Because we a responsive government, we thought it wise that we have to look into such requests. It’s not because we have so much money in our purse but the motivating factor is that our administration, policies and programmes are based on the people. Whatever requests we receive, we put them on a scale of preference to ascertain which is most important at a particular point in time.Then, we manage the resources we have to attend to numerous needs of our people”.
Ariolu, who commended traditional rulers, community and opinion leaders for maintaining peace in their domains, charged them to advise residents doing business within the LGA to pay their taxes and levies through appropriate channels established by the council to bring about further development and changes in the society.
The chairman, who also observed that the most performing governor in the nation was Chief Nyesom Wike, an Obio/Akpor son, urged them to continue to support the programmes and policies of government, particularly at the federal, state and local level.
On his part, Paramount Ruler of Atali Community, T.O.A. Ejekwu while appreciating the chairman, acknowledged that Ariolu has come to develop and bring about progress to the LGA, describing him as a man who came prepared for developmental initiatives.
According to him, the procurement of transformers to various communities means giving light to the people.
In his vote of thanks, Barrister Vitalis Ajoku also noted that the impact of governance, particularly at the local government level, was being felt tremendously by the people, adding that Ariolu has touched lives of the rural communities in the area.
Meanwhile, Ariolu during an inspection tour of some of the projects undertaken by his administration, expressed pleasure at the speed and quality of work being carried out by contractors handling the ongoing construction of ultra-modern office complex at the council.
He revealed that the office complex, which would comprise about 30 office spaces, would help to address issues of accommodation in the council, adding that the LG houses virtually all the Federal Government agencies.
He, however, disclosed that the offices would be ready for use in seven months’ time as promised during the celebration of his 100 days in office, while inspecting the construction of drainages around the council premises.
The chairman, who spoke to newsmen at Sir Celestine Omehia (former SARS) Road, explained the council’s intervention on the bad spots along the road, stating that there was need to reduce the sufferings of people plying the road following a remediation work on the dilapidated areas of the road.
According to him, the ongoing repairs would serve as palliative measures to ease economic activities in the area pending the intervention of the state government for proper and adequate repair of affected areas.
By: Nelson Chukwudi
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.