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Wike Donates N200m To FOWOSO
Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has donated N200million to the Foundation for Wives of Ondo State Officials and Female Political Appointees (FOWOSO).
Wike, who was represented by Rivers State Head of Service, Barrister Rufus Godwins, made the donation at the fourth summit of FOWOSOin Akure, the Ondo State capital, last Wednesday.
He applauded the initiative of the Ondo State governor’s wife, Chief Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, which he described as life-changing.
He said that something urgent must be done to ensure gender equality, adding that each political party must allow women in its elective positions to, at least, 30per cent representation.
The Rivers governor asked women to support their counterparts massively in the 2023 polls.
Also speaking, wife of Ondo State governor, Chief Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, said that if women were given adequate spaces in all sectors of human endeavour to function, there would be a better world.
The theme of the summit is: “Bridging the Gender Gap in the Political Arena: A Case for Nigerian Women.”
She said that decision makers should allow a balancing between men and women in the scheme of things for a better society.
The governor’s wife said that the FOWOSO’s reasoned stand is that women are capable partners and indispensable veritable tools in a nation’s moves toward sustainable development.
She explained that she was very proud of the grounds already covered by FOWOSO, saying that there are more grounds to cover through collective efforts in elevating the status of women.
According to her, the foundation has proved itself worthy through performance and not one of those merely emblematic congregations known only for commonplace mundanity.
“You will recall that FOWOSO was founded on this day in December, 2017, as a potent platform for elevating the socio-economic status of women as opposed to the absurd style of engaging the women in tokenism and hiring them as hailers to launder men’s ego.
“We found the courage of conviction, ab initio, that women deserve better, chose this route against all odds and have since kept faith.
“Five years down the lane, I am proud to announce that we have steadily progressed and there is no looking back.
“We have put our hands on the plough with amazing results,” she said.
She recalled that FOWOSO’s performances were both concrete and measurable in the state.
“They are no less evident in the number of women whose lives have been transformed through this noble initiative.
“The last one year has in every way been eventful and laudable.
“The association played strategic roles in growing the status of women in the state. It participated in organising the 2022 Bemore Summer Boot Camp and left alluring imprint.
“Its members are now zestful advocates against breast and cervical cancer as visibly demonstrated in partnership with the Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN), particularly during the pink October,” she said.
Anyanwu-Akeredolu stated that FOWOSO had laid the foundation of a multi-million naira centre as a stupendous legacy project that would, upon completion, provide shelter for vulnerable women and girls, including victims of Sexual and Gender-Based violence (SGBV) in the state.
“This is one project that is demonstrating to the country and the world at large that women are capable of rare accomplishments.
“It is to the credit of this robust organisation that it championed the premier edition of Ondo State Skill Acquisition and Empowerment Programme (OSSA-EP) and, at once, brought forth both sterling results and consummate template for a programme that was supposedly a guinea pig.
“The graduation ceremony of the first set of beneficiaries of this incredible initiative was an emphatic seal of competence on FOWOSO.
“Even now, members of this association have been on to the 16 days of activism against sexual and Gender-Based Violence, while exerting raw energies through rigorous and vociferous campaign.
“It is interesting to note that this year’s summit falls within the spectacular season of activism, hence we advocate even as we celebrate, and take honest stock of our strides,” she said.
According to her, the movement has succeeded in getting the government sign into law the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) and fought gender violations in the state to the extent that the offence is now dreaded as against offenders being a threat to women and girls.
“We have improved the number of women in appointive and elective positions and made history to have gotten the first female Secretary to the State Government in the 46 years of statehood.
“All these are a quick run of the achievements Ondo State women have wrought through this ingenious platform, and they, altogether justify the theme of the summit, ‘Bridging the Gender Gap in Political Arena: A case of Nigerian Women.’
“The astounding scorecard of FOWOSO speaks loudly and convincingly to the urgent need to bridge the gender gap in Nigeria’s political space.
“To resist women’s equitable participation in politics and leadership even in the face of these successes is to encourage the proverbial ill wind that blows nobody any good,” she said.
Also speaking, the state Governor, OluwarotimiAkeredolu, SAN, appreciated FOWOSO’s founder for her passion for womanhood, describing it as second to none.
Represented by his Deputy, Mr Lucky Ayedatiwa, Akeredolu said that Anyanwu-Akeredolu’s contributions would be indelible in the hearts of people of the state.
According to him, the various programmes and initiatives of his wife have unlocked great potentials of women and girls in the state and beyond.
He described his wife as a builder and blessing to the generation, adding that her interventions had accorded more positions to women in the state.
The governor promised to continue to advance the course of women and the girl-child in the state, asking women electorate to cast their votes massively for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023 polls.
In her remarks, the Chairman, Organising Committee of the Summit, Princess Dora Aroloye, said that the governor’s wife had been a women’s advocate in Nigeria through her various programmes.
Aroloye stated that Anyanwu-Akeredolu’s desire was to see more women participation in politics, governance and businesses.
She added that the governor’s wife’s efforts had given rise to more female appointees and elected councillors in the state.
The chairman said that women were not seeking to compete with the menfolk but asking for a level-playing ground that will showcase women’s complementary abilities in politics and in other fields of endeavours.
Aroloye asked women to use their good voting numbers to turn the tables in favour of women in the 2023 elections.
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.