News
WIKE: THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB
‘Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality’ – Warren Bennis.
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike is a living proof of the above statement made by a great philosopher, Warren Bennis. Being the Governor of Rivers State for over six years now, Wike has simply shown and is still showing that he knows and understands what it entails to be a leader. He came into governance with a vision and so far, he has been able to bring those vision to fruition.
In the history of Rivers State, massive transformation such as can be evidently seen in the areas of infrastructures, healthcare delivery, security, economic growth, education and so on, have never been recorded. No wonder the up and doing Governor has been nicknamed ‘Mr. Projects’ among many other honours bestowed on him that befits all his efforts and hardwork put in the State to make it conducive for residents who live and do business.
After much scrutiny on Wike’s pragmatic leadership style, well-meaning Nigerians and supporters came to a consensus that the hardworking Governor should step up and vie for the position of the President of Nigerian, come 2023 elections.
Fortunately, Wike heeded the call and has gone as far as picking the presidential form. This for me and all who desire a better and renewed Nigeria, would be termed as a welcome development.
Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Pastor Paulinus Nsirim rightly captured the mood of Nigerians when he wrote in his recent piece, “we need a leader who will boldly, without fear or favour, do the right things, make the right calls and take the problems of the country by the scruff of the neck and deal with them comprehensively and conclusively without playing to the gallery, like a true gladiator and champion of the people in a time like this that demands national heroism.”
Currently, insecurity issues in the country are being handled lightly by the federal government. Nigerians now live in fear each day, killings, kidnapping and abductions are now top on daily Newspapers and social media headlines. Lives and properties now mean little or nothing to our leaders at the federal level.
The most appalling thing is the fact that these criminals and perpetrators roam around the streets free, carrying out their evil practices in broad daylight without appropriate authorities arresting them and allowing law take its course.
It is indeed a tragic moment for Nigerians. Our leaders at the national level have failed us woefully so, we cry out for a ‘saviour’. The only candidate who fits the description of a Nigerian saviour is Governor Wike.
According to John Maxwell, a leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way. Governor Wike knows what to do at every given point, he knows how to go about it and ensures he does whatever needs to be done. Infact, he can be likened to the sons of Issachar who were familiar with times and seasons.
Seeing how Wike swung into action, taking drastic measures to curb the (kpo fire) illegal crude refinery and soot menace that rocked Rivers State few months ago, we can boldly say John Maxwell’s definition of leadership has been justified. Today, Rivers people breathe in relatively fresh and clean air as opposed to the carbonated air that resulted from activities of illegal refiners.
Some Nay Sayers and propagandists would say Rivers State is not Nigeria that Wike cannot control a country as large and diversified as Nigeria. What an absurd thing to say!
Let me take us a little around the corridors of one of the realities of Nigerian politics. PDP ranks top as one of the largest political parties in the country, this party would have been in shambles just like some of her contemporaries but for Wike’s intervention, the party is still standing tall and strong.
Wike has single handedly upheld, sustained and maintained peace among members of his party across the nation.
The big question now is,
If one man can transform his state to a safe haven for investors and people living in it, do you think he would not do same and more for Nigeria if elected president?
If one man can boldly confront an issue that involved life and death (kpo fire) in his State, without fear or favour, do you think he would not do same and more for Nigeria if voted president?
If one man can successfully keep a party as large and diverse as PDP in one-piece, do you think he is not capable of doing same for the country if elected president?
I really wish Nigerians would call a spade a spade and face reality.
It is high time we considered FACTS and not FALLACIES.
I really wish Nigerians would have a rethink and make our votes count by voting the right man for the job come 2023 elections. WIKE IS THE NEW NIGERIA! WIKE IS THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB!
By: Precious Tornubari Kingsley-Anele,
Port Harcourt
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.