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Amaechi, Cole’s Plot To Plunder Rivers Resources Again Won’t Work, Wike Vows …Pledges To Continue Executing Projects Till May 29, 2023
Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has said that the former minister of transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, and business magnate, Tonye Cole’s plot to plunder the state’s resources again would never materialise.
Wike, who spoke at the inauguration of the Rukpakwulusi/Eliogbolo internal roads, last Saturday, said Amaechi’s criticism of the ongoing projects’ inauguration and flag off in Rivers State, smacks of envy and malice.
He noted that Amaechi, having failed to account for the $308million proceeds from the sales of the state power plants by his administration, lacks the moral rectitude to speak on the affairs of Rivers State.
“Why should we not celebrate, when you sold our gas turbine at the cost of $308million? Convert it today at even N500 to a dollar: how much will it be? What can you show for the money, certainly nothing?”
The governor urged Rivers people to be wary of the antics of the former minister who desperately wants Cole, his business partner, to become governor so that they can continue to loot the resources of Rivers State.
“All the gas turbines that Dr. Peter Odili bought, where are they today? So, you think Rivers people are foolish to see that you are bringing the person, your business partner to come and be governor so that you will continue to loot where you stopped. It will never happen.”
He advised the former minister to perish the thought that there would be a re-enactment of the 2019 foiled attempt to use the Army to rig the general election in the state in 2023.
Wike recalled that on May 27, 2015, while he was still governor-elect, Amaechi, who was then the state governor, had bragged at Obi Wali International Conference Centre, Port Harcourt, that the incoming government would not have money to pay salaries and execute projects.
“So, today by the grace of God, we are not only paying salaries, we are not only paying pensioners, we are not only paying gratuities that he did not pay, we have gone beyond that to carrying out projects which he failed to carry out. And so, we should celebrate it; let him know that nobody is God.”
The Rivers State governor said it was disheartening that while as a federal minister, Amaechi never attracted any project to the state.
According to him, Amaechi’s supporters had begun to desert him because he lacks integrity.
“I’m not the one who said people should leave your party. We have used projects to demystify you and the Federal Government. Now know that you are a bloody liar. They appointed you as a minister, what did you bring to this state? Even in your community, Ubima, you said you are going to bring University of Transportation, is it there? You said you are going to give us narrow gauge rail line, have you given us?”
He noted that while as governor, Amaechi had promised to construct the Saapkenwa-Bori road, Trans-Kalabari road, Andoni-Opobo Unity road, Chokocho-Igbodo road, to mention but a few, but failed to deliver the projects.
“He promised Ogoni people that he is going to do Saapkenwa-Bori road, he did not do it. To the glory of God today, we have done it from Saapkenwa to Kono, dualised with streetlights; the road is not less than 25kilometres.
“Why will we not celebrate? You promised the Kalabari people, you are going to do Trans-Kalabari road, did you do it? By the grace of God, this December, we are going to commission the first phase of Trans-Kalabari road.
“Eight years in office, you said you are going to complete Andoni-Opobo Unity road. Did you do it? You ran away with the money. By the grace of God, today, we have completed the Opobo section, and we are still working on the Andoni section.”
The governor reiterated that the whole essence of governance was the advancement of the welfare of the people.
According to him, his administration was elated that the people of the two communities were happy with the construction of their internal roads.
Wike, for the umpteenth time, pledged to continue providing good governance and executing projects till the last day of his administration.
He said Rivers people had every reason to celebrate because his administration had performed excellently.
The governor advised his political adversaries who were not happy about the project commissioning to be prepared to witness such activities till the last day of his administration, and reiterated the pledge not to abandon governance.
“Good governance must show that the people are happy with the policies, programmes, and actions of the government. We are happy that the people are happy.
“I want to commend the people of these communities for supporting the indigenous contractor we used for this project.
“We are not making noise, we are happy and the people are happy with what we have used their money to do. We are going home fulfilled that we have not disappointed the people. We will continue to execute projects till our last day in office,” the governor added.
Giving the project description, the Commissioner for Works, Dr. Dakorinima Alabo George-Kelly, explained that the project started slightly over 12 months ago, and had been completed to scope.
“This project consists of 16 roads or streets, some of them are long streets; some of them are short streets; and all of these roads and streets are in Rukpakwulusi and Eliogbolo communities. The total length of the road is 6kilometres, and the average width of the drain is 6meters.”
“The total length of drains is 6,000metres. The nature of the road is flexible pavement, we have 150mm of stone base thickness, 50mm of binder course, and 50mm of wearing course,” the commissioner stated.
Former president, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Onueze Okocha, SAN, who hails from Rukpakwulusi, commended Wike for the project.
“When I came to live in the village, it was a real village. This entire place was forest and farmland, but today, it is a new layout. We thank the government of Rivers State for helping us recover some of our land that had been acquired by the Federal Government; in fact, the colonial government.”
Okocha said the land where both the Bori Camp (Army Barracks) and the Air Force Base were located in Port Harcourt belonged to his people.
According to him, “We expect them to pay us fair and adequate compensation.”
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.
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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.