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Elder Statesmen Drum Support For Sim
Kinsmen in Opobo Kingdom under the aegis of ‘Opobo Elder Statesmen 4 SIM’ have thrown their weight behind the candidacy of the governorship flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, in the forthcoming 2023 elections, Amaopusenibo Siminilayi Fubara, popularly called Sim.
Speaking at the grand finale of the Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI) Sensitisation and Collection of PVC Rally in Opobo Town, some elder statesmen the unanimous in the choice of Sim as the PDP candidate.
The statesmen comprising Chiefs, titled citizens, opinion leaders and other respected sons across Opobo Kingdom reiterated that the emergence of Sim as the PDP flagbearer for next year’s governorship election in the State is a historic feat.
Chairman of the group, Opobo Elder Statesmen 4 SIM, Alabo Edwin Cockeye Brown, said they were at the event to sensitise the people of Opobo on the need to collect their PVCs and use them to vote for their son as the next Governor of the State, at the 2023 general elections.
Commending the GDI for painstakingly touring the 23 Local Government Areas of the State for the campaign, Alabo Brown, a Justice of the Peace and Chief of the Brown War Canoe House of Opobo, stressed that the group is non-partisan but made up of men of impeccable integrity whose sole objective was to further the advancement of Opobo Kingdom.
According to him, “Electoral victory is determined by the active participation of the electorates. This can only be achieved through conscious participation of the citizenry, not only in voters registration exercise, but also in the collection of their voters cards”.
He pledged the commitment of the entire War Canoe Houses in Opobo Kingdom to drive the initiative of ensuring that the PVCs are collected and put into productive use.
On his part, the Chairman of the Board of Opobo Elder Statesmen 4 SIM, Alabo Reuben Mietamuno Jaja, said the unprecedented turnout of people for the event showed the solidarity of not only the people of Opobo and Nkoro, but the entire Rivers people, for the candidacy of Sim.
He appealed to the people to understand the need to exercise their civic responsibility, which he said, can only be exercised by collecting their PVCs.
Also speaking, Alabo Douglas Macpepple Jaja, said as traditional rulers, they had attended the GDI sensitisation in their numbers, adding that they would not chicken out from lending their son to enable him emerge as the next Governor of the State.
The group’s Director of Operations, Senibo Donald Afanya Brown, in his contributions, noted that the group was careful in selecting its membership, as they did not want those who were politically disposed in their midst.
In his comments, Alabo Godwin Bupo, expressed joy that Opobo and Nkoro people had demonstrated their readiness to collect their PVCs and were merely waiting for election day to vote for their son, Sim, adding that this was the first time in the political arrangement of the State that Opobo elders and statesmen have come in their numbers for a common cause.
Another member of the group, Alabo Justus Clinton Captain, said in politics, opportunities come and go.
“And for us as Opobians, and particularly for some of us who are Alapo Council members, though we don’t play politics because we are restricted by our constitution from playing politics, we are here today not on any political platform but simply to support our own son whom God has graciously given an opportunity to be the flag bearer of his political party. That is why we are here.
“It is our own decision and conviction to support our son irrespective of his party. Let me put on the simpler side, as far as Opobo is concerned now, we have dissolved all parties into one party which is the ‘Sim Party’.
“However, since everyone is a political animal, when you are in a political environment, you don’t extricate yourself completely. We hope that if he wins, he will bring development to our community.That’s our common prayer”, he said.
Also speaking in support of the PDP guber candidate, Amaopusenibo Adagogo Brown, KSC, said, “We are all political animals, as they say in political philosophy. Even in your homes, there is politics by the way you manage your wife and children to avoid unnecessary rancor.
“And so, we are all politically aware of what is before us. That is why we have put every sentiment aside to actualize what we now call an Opobo Project, our community project because we have attained a reasonable level of political consciousness”.
By: Tonye Nria-Dappa
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.