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Workers Day: Wike Approves Pension Payment To 1,191 Additional Retirees
The Rivers State Government has approved the immediate release of monthly pensions for additional 1,191 retirees from the Rivers State Civil Service.
The State Chief Executive, Chief Nyesom Wike, disclosed this during the celebration of the 2022 Workers Day at Isaac Boro Park, Port Harcourt, last Monday.
Represented by his Deputy, Dr. Ipalibo Harry Banigo, the governor said the payment took immediate effect from the month of April, 2022, stressing that the payments were received between Thursday and Friday, last week.
Wike, who reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to the welfare of workers, said under his watch, salaries are paid to all workers in the public sector promptly and provides monthly overhead costs to enable them perform their functions and run their offices effectively.
“Rivers State Government pays salaries to all workers in the public sector promptly and provides monthly overheads to enable them perform their functions and run their offices effectively. …Government has paid all outstanding monthly pensions up till date for all who have completed their biometrics.”
“The Governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike approved the release of monthly pensions for additional 1,191 retirees from the Rivers State Civil Service, which payment took immediate effect from the month of April, 2022, and was effected precisely on Thursday/Friday, last week. Now, Rivers State is committed to the welfare of our workers.”
He said government also provides impress to all schools under SUBEB and the secondary schools board, which has eliminated illegal levies to our students.
Wike expressed regrets, that the State NLC Chairperson, Comrade Beatrice Itubo, who had in the past, applauded him as the most worker-friendly governor, was the first to criticise his presidential ambition.
The governor described the theme for this year’s May Day Celebration, “Labour, Politics, the Quest for Good Governance and National Development”, as apt, in view of the current socio-economic and security challenges foisted on the people of Nigeria by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government.
While noting that the Rivers State Government has been able to surmount most security challenges to give workers in the state a safe environment to work in, Wike wished all workers in the state and their counterparts worldwide, a Happy May Day celebration.
”There is no development that can reasonably be achieved in the face of massive insecurity, banditry and herdsmen carnage that has pervaded our dear nation in the recent past.
“Rivers State under the watch of Governor Nyesom Wike has been able to surmount the security challenges within her domain to give the workers in Rivers State a safe environment to work in.”
The governor, who described civil servants as the engine room of government, urged public and private workers in the state to remain productive and committed to carrying out their duties.
Wike assured the workers that the recommendation of the tripartite committee would be adequately addressed.
“I do believe that we will continue to work together, be productive in our work. It’s the cooperation between government and labour we need to be able to improve the welfare of our workers.”
In her remarks, the state Chairperson of Nigerian Labour Congress, Comrade Beatrice Itubo, said the labour family was delighted with the state government’s payment of pension arrears to retirees, and implored them to implement the recommendations contained in the tripartite committee report.
She commended the state government for providing an enabling environment in terms of security for workers to do their jobs.
Itubo appealed to the state government to act on the welfare of the state workers by implementing the payment of arrears of the National Minimum Wage from April, 2019.
“Implementation of their promotions, payment of pension and gratuity to retirees, payment of death benefits, and termination of contract appointments to allow career progression in the public service must be done by the government.
“Others are renovation of the state secretariat complex, proper funding of tertiary institutions and inclusion of minimum wage, reinstatement and payment of over 100 workers of Ahoada West Local Government Council,” she said.
She particularly commended the state governor for leading the fight against illegal bunkering head-on.
“Let me seize this opportunity to commend Rivers State Government for the actions it has taken so far on this matter, which has made the soot that tended to become part of our reality to disappear.
“It took just a matching order from the governor to local government council chairman, traditional rulers and other critical stakeholders for illegal bunkering and illegal refining of crude oil to drastically reduce,” she stressed.
The NLC chairman commended the government for effectively tackling insecurity in the state.
“We can proudly say on good authority that in spite of the fact that criminality has assumed a much more sophisticated dimension globally, security situation in Rivers State is getting better than what it used to be a few years ago. The Government of Rivers State deserves credit for this.”
She urged the Federal Government to redouble its efforts in safeguarding the lives of the Nigerian people by tackling the security challenges facing the country.
The labour leader reminded workers of the state to note that their welfare in the coming years depends on the people they give their mandate to in 2023, and urged them to get their PVCs, while urging political gladiators to play politics with civility.
Also speaking, the State TUC Chairman, Comrade Austin Jonah, commended workers for their tenacity, sacrifice and determined contributions to the development of the state, while commending Governor Nyesom Wike for the prompt payment of workers’ salaries as well as his recourse to dialogue as a social tool for reconciling industrial disputes in the state.
Similarly, the National Vice Chairman, South-South, Labour Party (LP), Mr Prince Ruben, also called on government at all levels to improve on the welfare of workers to enhance productivity.
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.