News
Lloyd Lambasts Meeba For Attacking Wike

The Chairman of Emohua Local Government Area, Rivers State, Dr. Chidi Lloyd, has taken a swipe at Senator Lee Meeba for his recent outburst against the state Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike.
Meeba, who is supporting the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, had accused Wike of political dictatorship, and claimed that Wike vowed to stop them from campaigning for Atiku in the state without his expressed permission, lamenting that the governor frustrated his bid to contest the governorship primary of the party.
The former senator, who was recently sacked as the chairman of the Governing Council of the Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic, Port Harcourt by the governor, alleged that Wike did not allow him employ anybody in the institution, and refused to fund the polytechnic because of him.
He said the governor was also furious that he and some PDP leaders met with Atiku, recently, and promised him that Rivers would vote a PDP candidate in 2023.
But Lloyd, in his response, flayed Meeba, describing him as a coward without electoral value.
He said it was cowardice elevated to the national level for Meeba, a two-time senator, to claim that Wike ordered him not to run for governorship election.
Lloyd said Meeba displayed his cowardice again by remaining as a council chair of a polytechnic he claimed Wike refused to fund for over seven years without resigning his position.
He said: “I can only describe Lee Meeba as a coward. It is very unfortunate that he has taken his cowardice to the national level. For Lee, two-time senator to come out on a national TV to say that Wike ordered him not to run an election, and that was why he didn’t win, is a sign of his cowardice.
“He also said that he sat as a chairman of the Governing Council of the Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic but that the governor refused him from employing anybody, and didn’t fund the school. But he remained there without resigning. These are not human beings”.
Lloyd said Meeba lacked decency for reporting outcome of a meeting he was not in attendance because, according to Meeba, who is Ogoni, Wike met with Ikwerre elite.
He said: “He had no decency to report events that happened in a meeting that he didn’t attend. He said in his interview that it was a meeting of Ikwerre elite. How did they lose it that Governor Wike can cow all of them?
“Will he (Meeba) have been crying foul if he was given the governorship ticket? He opened his mouth to say that the governor hates Ogoni. This is the same man that has dualised the road from Saakpenwa to Kono where Lee comes from. Maybe, the governor didn’t give Lee’s company, New Tiger Head, the construction of overhead bridge that will fall and kill Rivers people.
“They have nothing to say about Governor Wike. Let him leave Abuja and come to Rivers to grant interviews. Let him come home. We are here. These are ‘food is ready’ politicians. They think that going to Atiku and casting aspersions on Governor Wike will make Atiku take them seriously.
“He has also shown that he can’t give Atiku one vote. Between Wike and Lee, who should Atiku go for, the man who called you and say you would not get one vote, and it happened that way? Let Lee Meeba point at one Ogoni he had made all through his foray in the Senate. How on earth do you think that a state like Rivers would not matter with over 3.6million votes?”
On Atiku, he said: “It is obvious that Atiku wasn’t destined to be president with his body language. As a Catholic, I will tell you that clearly. I haven’t seen a man, who is given delicious food, and he pushes it down.
“Nobody abdicates his pulpit to intruders. Atiku came back to the PDP from the APC, contested the 2019 election, lost and proceeded to Dubai. He was on that long vacation until the election period. He came back.
“This is somebody the former President told us that if he had handed over to him, God wouldn’t have forgiven him. Do they think that we don’t have memory? It is in Obasanjo’s book. Rather than look for ways and means to pull everybody together on a table, the likes of Lee are running to Abuja. Is that where the election will hold?
“I want to remind Lee that his school, the secondary school he attended in his community is leaking. He attended Government Secondary School, Rumueme. No roof”.
Lloyd insisted that the plot by Atiku and those loyal to him to create crisis in Rivers PDP was an exercise in futility because the party’s leaders were solidly behind Wike.
He said: “There is no crisis in Rivers PDP. Governor Wike is in charge. We are satisfied with Governor Wike. That was why some of us who went to APC came back to join forces with him. Can’t you see what is happening that there is no other political party in Rivers? We are solidly behind Wike.
“Lee opened his mouth and said that Wike said he should not buy form: Forms sold at the national secretariat. Former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, should not allow these characters to mess up this chance that he has. These people only profit from crisis. We know Ledogo Meeba. He has no pedigree to cast aspersions on Wike”.
By: Akujobi Amadi
News
ECOWAS Court Orders Nigeria to Pay N52m compensation to Rivers, Lagos Evictees

The ECOWAS Court has ordered Nigeria to pay two million Naira compensation each to 26 people who were forcibly evicted from various communities in Lagos and Rivers between 2004 and 2013.
The Tide source reports that the applicants, Mr Edwin Lenyie and 25 others had filed the suit No: ECW/CCJ/APP/34/17), seeking the enforcement of their fundamental human rights.
They also prayed the court to compel the Nigerian government to pay them compensation for forcefully evicting them from their communities without prior notice, compensation, or alternative shelter, rendering them homeless.
Delivering judgment yesterday, the court held that the Nigerian government failed in its responsibility to ensure access to legal remedies for the victims.
According to the community court, the action of the Nigerian government was in violation of Article 7 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights.
It held that the Applicants’ rights under Article 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), which guarantees the right to a fair trial and access to justice, were violated.
The court said that the hearings on the matter, which were held by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) “were never concluded, and no alternative means of redress were provided for them.”
“Inspite of initial hearings by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in 2014, the proceedings were suspended indefinitely, leaving the Applicants without legal recourse,” the court said.
The court further dismissed Nigeria’s objections that the Applicants should have pursued their claims in Nigerian courts and on jurisdiction, saying it had the locus standi to entertain the case.
It further struck out the NHRC as a respondent in the case, and ordered that the Federal Government must bear full responsibility for the actions of its agencies.
The three-member panel of the court which has Justices Ricardo Gonçalves (presiding); Sengu Koroma (judge rapporteur); and Gberi-Bè Ouattara (member) held that the compensation/reparation would ensure that justice is served the victims.
News
RSG Moves To Boost Immunization, Commissions Solarized Cold Room, Vehicles

As part of efforts to ensure efficient immunization and vaccine efficacy, the Rivers state Government has commissioned a solarised walk-in cold room for vaccine preservation and vaccine vial crusher.
Also commissioned were nine operational Hilux vehicles and ten motorcycles for disease surveillance across some local government areas in the state.
Rivers Deputy Governor, Professor Ngozi Odu, who commissioned the facilities at the Rivers State Primary Healthcare Management Board premises in Port Harcourt, said the development marks a significant milestone in the government’s unwavering commitment to the health care and wellbeing of Rivers people.
The Deputy Governor said that with the ceremony, the state government is not only inaugurating the equipment but also strengthening the foundation of the health care delivery system
She said: “Today marks a significant milestone in our unwavering commitment to the health and wellbeing of our people.
“As we commission the solarised work in cold room to the surveillance motorcycles, we are not only inaugurating the equipment, we are strengthening the foundation of our health care delivery system.’
Professor Odu further said the installation of the cold room also represents the government’s dedication to maintaining vaccine efficacy as well as ensuring that every child and citizen receives life savings immunization.
According to her, the commissioned Hilux vehicles and motorcycles for disease surveillance also demonstrate the government’s proactive stance in safeguarding health facilities across the local government areas.
She said the present administration, under the leadership of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, has consistently prioritised health care infrastructure in the local government areas.
Professor Odu commended the United Nations Children Funds (UNICEF), the World Health Organization WHO, and others for their immense support.
In her remarks, Rivers Commissioner for Health, Dr. Adaeze Oreh, who spoke through her Permanent Secretary, Dr. Comfort Mekele Igwe said the commissioning would greatly enhance vaccine storage, handling, and distribution and underscores the government’s commitment to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability of the Primary Healthcare System
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Rivers State Primary Health Care Management Board (RSPHCMB), Professor Kinikanwo Green, said the commissioning is to strengthen health care delivery system in the state.
Green described the solarised walk-in cold room as one of the best in the country, stressing that it would take care of all vaccines.
He also explained that the vehicles will help health officers, especially in the rural areas to ensure proper supervision of immunisation as well as easy dispatches of vaccines to its destination.
According to the Executive Secretary, the situation will also enable the state to achieve universal health coverage
Speaking in similar vein, the chairman of RSPHCMB, Professor Blessing Jaja, said the board will continue to deliver on it core mandate and commended Governor Fubara for ensuring regular subvention as well promotion of its staff.
In their separate speeches, representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Kolude Oluwafunmilola, and Dr Anselem Audu of UNICEF said the ceremony represents Rivers state’s commitment to quality health care.
They also commended the government for its efforts in advancing immunization in the state and assured of their continuous collaborations.
John Bibor
News
Fubara Tasks New Surveyor-General On Professionalism …Says Appointment Based On Merit

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has urged the Surveyor-General of the State to work differently with professionalism, diligence and integrity, and ensure that every tenable, pragmatic module is deplored to enhance effective delivery of his duties and responsibilities.
Governor Fubara gave the charge shortly after swearing in Surveyor Peter Ogolo as the Surveyor-General of the State and Permanent Secretary of the Survey Department at Government House in Port Harcourt, last Tuesday.
The Governor described Surveyor Ogolo as a long serving public officer who ranks high among his peers, and has contributed immensely to the establishment of most development roadmaps for the State, stressing that his appointment was based purely on merit.
He said, “If you go into the history of how the then Greater Port Harcourt Development Authority was established, if you go into the history of other developments in this State, if you check the survey plans, you will see that Ogolo was the one who signed virtually all those things.
“This appointment is not because he is from Opobo. He is the most senior, most qualified, and even the one who interviewed the person he is succeeding now. The records are there with the Civil Service Commission.”
Governor Fubara stated: “So, I don’t need to give you any charge. You are already there. You know what the office entails. You just read your oath of office: do what is right. It is not about the faces you are going to see, do what is right. Be professional, defend and protect the interest of the State. I wish you all the best. God will guide you.”
Governor Fubara recalled the challenges that Surveyor Ogolo encountered that would have ended his career quite early but quickly added that because he listened to wise counsel, he is now celebrating being the Surveyor-General of the State.
He explained, “But something happened in the course of his service. He was between losing his job or fighting for his life. He came to me, and I advised him: why don’t you leave, maybe, wait to fight another day.
“And that is why today he is alive to be the Surveyor-General. If he had stood to fight, that he is the most senior, that he is the most qualified, he wouldn’t have been here today,” he stated.
He advised the new Surveyor-General to serve the State selflessly and honestly, with abiding integrity, so that posterity will remember his legacies forever.
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