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2023: Ortom Assures Of Positive Outcome On PDP Zoning
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 37 members’ zoning meeting ended inconclusively, yesterday in Abuja.
Chairman of the PDP Zoning Committee and Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, who disclosed this in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Nathaniel Ikyur said: “the meeting is yet to be concluded”.
The Benue State governor assured that the party would come out with an acceptable position for all.
According to the statement, the second meeting lasted for more than three hours at the Benue State Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja, and the meeting was peaceful without any tension.
The statement partly read, “The meeting is yet to be concluded. We have adjourned till Tuesday next week at the same time, same venue. And until we conclude the proceedings, there is not much to say. So far, all the members are quite understanding. There wasn’t any form of tension.
“Governor Ortom, who was flanked by Vice Chairman of the Committee, Hon Ndudi Elumelu and Chief Bode George and other members of the committee said all the members understand ourselves that zoning is very key and we are looking at it that at the end of it all, we will do something that everybody will accept and we will go ahead as one big family and win the 2023 elections.”
The committee is made up of 37 members drawn from the 36 states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
However, the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has said that he has no reason to resign as the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Zoning Committee ahead of the 2023 general election because of the N200million donation of his Rivers State counterpart, Chief Nyesom Wike in Makurdi.
Ortom insisted he must see through the assignment despite insinuations, saying emphatically, “I have no reason to resign”.
The governor was reacting to a media report credited to a faceless Arewa Youths Consultative Forum (AYCF) led by Yerima Shettima, who had accused him of compromising his position by receiving his Rivers State counterpart, Governor Nyesom Wike in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
Wike was in Makurdi, last Sunday, where he declared his ambition to contest the 2023 presidential election.
Shortly after, Shetima alleged that the N200million donated by Wike to help rebuild the burnt Katsina-Ala and High-Level Makurdi markets in Benue State was to compromise Ortom.
But in a swift reaction, Ortom berated Shetima for being insensitive to the plight of the distressed people of Benue, and wondered how a gesture to distressed people would compromise him.
The governor stated: “I am shocked that some people can be insensitive to the plights of others who are distressed. What my brother Governor Wike did was to identify with our pains and offered succour to the best of his ability.”
He said that he is only “first among equals and not a dictator to impose any idea on members of the PDP zoning committee” who he said “are distinguished Nigerians who have excelled in their careers in life. So, for anyone or group to come out to suggest that one man will impose his will on the other 36 members is insulting.”
A statement by Ortom’s Spokesman, Nathaniel Ikyur, quoted him as saying: “Members of this committee will work out the best for this country and Nigeria will be better for the outcome of our assignment,” he stated.
On allegations that he was given money to influence him, Ortom declared; “This is not the first time Wike will donate money to Benue State. Wike has been one of the people in this country who have contributed to the upkeep of the more than 1.5million Benue people living in IDPs.”
He added: “Wike has also donated money to other states including some in the north. That did not make news to these so-called Arewa youths. Besides, he is not the first presidential aspirant to come to Benue to identify with our plight.”
Ortom said, “Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was in Benue to consult with us a couple of weeks ago and he donated the sum of N50million to the IDPs. Then, Shettima and his Arewa youths did not see anything wrong with that and they did not ask me to resign.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we, in Benue state have no hatred for anyone a group of people. We will receive and accord due respect to any presidential aspirant who comes to consult us over his or her political ambition,” the governor maintained.
“So, it is hypocritical for this faceless group to twist this narrative of Wike’s visit is unfair and uncharitable. We must be open to all so that we get the best out of many that have come out to rescue this country from the misery the APC government has put us into,” the governor maintained.
Ortom reiterated that he would carry out the assignment diligently, honestly and will be guided by a good sense of justice and fairness to all.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has said that Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 3.11per cent in the first quarter of 2022.
The NBS made this known via its Nigerian Gross Domestic Product Report Q1 2022 released, last Monday.
According to the report, Nigeria’s GDP grew by 3.11per cent year-on-year in real terms in the first quarter of 2022.
The NBS noted that the development showed a sustained positive growth for six consecutive quarters since the recession witnessed in 2020 when negative growth rates were recorded in quarter two and three of 2020.
It added that the first quarter 2022 growth rate further represents an improvement in economic performance.
The NBS stated: “The observed trend since Q4 of 2020 is an indication of a gradual economic stability.
“The Q1 of 2022 growth rate was higher than the 0.51per cent growth rate recorded in Q1 of 2021 by 2.60per cent points and lower than 3.98per cent recorded in Q4 of 2021 by 0.88per cent points.
“Nevertheless, quarter-on-quarter, real GDP grew at -14.66per cent in Q1 of 2022, compared to Q4 of 2021, reflecting a lower economic activity than the preceding quarter.
“In the period under review, aggregate GDP stood at about N45.317million in nominal terms.
“This performance is higher when compared to the first quarter of 2021 which recorded aggregate GDP of about N40.014million, indicating a year-on-year nominal growth rate of 13.25per cent.
“The nominal GDP growth rate in Q1 2022 was higher relative to the 12.25per cent growth recorded in Q1 2021, and higher compared to the 13.11per cent growth recorded in the preceding quarter,” the report read.
The Rivers State Government has launched the state COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (RIV-CARES) Programme.
The state Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike performed the launching at the NBA Secretariat in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
Speaking through his Deputy, Dr. Ipalibo Harry Banigo, the governor said the programme was to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the poor and vulnerable households and support micro and small-scale enterprises as a means of stimulating economic growth post-COVID.
According to the State Chief Executive, “the state government had signed in for the programme, made provisions in the 2022 Budget for Result Areas and signed Funds Release Policy, which is an assurance to the World Bank that funds shall be released for the implementation of the programme”.
Wike said the launching of the RIV-CARES Programme would create awareness for the people of the state and engender expression of interest by beneficiary households, communities and operators of micro and small businesses (SMEs).
The governor, who encouraged the Rivers people to take advantage of the opportunities provided by RIV-CARES to enhance their means of livelihood and reduce the spate of poverty in the communities, commended the World Bank and the Federal CARES for their support to the state.
In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the state Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Mrs. Titilola Kuna Cline, said in a bid to check the negative effects of COVID-19 pandemic on livelihoods, food security and micro and small businesses, the World Bank in partnership with the Federal Government of Nigeria and the state governments, introduced the Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) Programme.
She said the state scaled through rigorous preparatory stages and qualified to participate in the programme whose objective was “to expand access to livelihood support and food security services, and grants for poor and vulnerable households and firms”.
According to her, the stages include, signing of subsidiary loan agreement and fund release policy by the government.
Others include the establishment of the RIV-CARES Steering Committee, establishment of State- CARES Coordination Unit domiciled in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning and preparation of work plan.
“The NG-CARES, after domestication of programme implementation manual now known as RIV-CARES programme has the State Coordination Unit (SCU) saddled with coordinating implementation of RIV-CARES programme in the state and reporting to Federal-CARES supporting unit and the World Bank in Abuja.
“It is also a bridge between the delivery platforms and the State-CARES Steering Committee and for delivery platform under three Results Areas (RA1-3).
Cline listed the three areas to include cash transfer unit, labour intensive public works and community-driven development social (CDD-S) Plus.
The rest are, FADAMA and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
Also speaking, the representative of the World Bank, Mr. Aso Vakporaye, said the programme must succeed in order to kick out poverty from the state in view of the fact that failure to kick out poverty would make life difficult for the entire citizenry.
He, therefore, thanked the governor for making it possible for Rivers State to participate in the programme.
Similarly, the World Bank and the Federal Government have rated Rivers State high in the implementation of the COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus scheme by the state government.
Representative of the World Bank Task Team Leader, Mr.Aso Vakporaye said this, yesterday, in Port Harcourt at the official flag offand implementation of the Rivers State COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (RIV-CARES) Programme in the state.
Vakporaye, who is also the chairman of the Federal Government’sFederal-CARES Technician Committee,confirmed that Rivers State has met the requirements for the implementation of the programme.
He said alot still remains to be done,adding that the state needs to release more money for the implementation of the programme.
Also speaking, theTechnical Head of State CARESCoordinating Unitand Secretary,RIV-CARESSteering Committee,Mrs Imaonyeni Ephraim, said the programme would improve the livelihood of the poor and vulnerable people in the state.
She said the programme, which runs for two years,was open to many beneficiaries.
The flag off was performed by the state Deputy Governor,Dr.Ipalibo Harry Banigo, onbehalf of Governor Nyesom Wike.
By: John Bibor
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