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Help Govt Fight Crude Oil Theft, Fubara Tasks Monarchs …Says Economic Sabotage Inimical To Dev
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has said that it is the duty of everybody, especially traditional rulers, to join efforts together to ensure that there is stability and unfettered progress of Nigeria.
He has also advised traditional rulers to take charge of their domains and ensure that they make life difficult for ill-guided youths involved in acts of economic sabotage in their various communities.
Governor Fubara gave the charge while declaring open the 117th/118th Combined Quarterly General Meeting of Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers at their Secretariat in Port Harcourt on Monday.
The Governor maintained that it should be the concern of everybody to support and see Nigeria progress as a stable country while advancing economically, adding that this is possible only when there is high production of crude oil, as the mainstay of the national economy.
He said: “I want to see a different society from this hour. The Federal Government is doing everything to see that our cryde oil production level increases. But every day, we are having issues of illegal bunkering and pipeline vandalisation and all the associated problems.
“All these people that are carrying out these evil acts, they’re not coming from the moon, they live in our communities, we know them. I am charging this council, as a first step, take charge of your communities.
“If there is any information that you need to share with us, share with us. In the overall, we need our country to progress. We need our country to be stable. We need our country to grow economically. It is through only one means: our oil production.”
The Governor insisted: “We are charging you, to please go back and take charge of your communities. I assure you of our support. If there is anything that we need to do, if it means government sending you some little support financially to create your own vigilante to help, we will do it.”
Governor Fubara expressed delight and gratitude to God that the council is still existing despite the protracted political travail confronting the State and his administration.
The Governor explained that what he is doing is devoid of politics but a performance of statutory duty of government, especially in the appointment of a new chairman to steer the affairs of the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers.
He said, “There is nothing new that has happened. The immediate past chairman served out his tenure, and the tenure is usually a one year duration.
“It is at the discretion of the Governor to extend such tenure. I believe, from my own assessment, there was no reason to extend it, but rather to bring in fresh blood that can bring the council together.
“And what we did, we did in good faith because our communities, our people are important to us. I want to commend the chairman who is barely three months in office, to have been able to put this meeting together; it shows leadership.”
Governor Fubara said this is the first time after the appointment of Eze Chike Worlu Wodo that he will be addressing the council, and charged the new chairman, who understands the current situation, to lead the council aright.
He said, “I want you to lead this council with the fear of God. I want you to lead this council with the understanding that you are dealing with people that are independent, and feeding their own families.
“So, you need to have a spirit and heart of accommodation and tolerate them. Make your point very straight when you talk to them. I strongly believe that they are matured enough to give you the required support.”
The Governor emphasised: “So, at this point, I want to charge everyone of you that is here; God at this time has made you leaders of our communities, leaders of our towns, leaders of sections.
“So, know that this appointment that you have is not a mistake. It is God that gave you the chance. Make good use of it.
“Continue to make peace the most important agenda of your reign and locality. It is only on that, that it will now reflect in our State.
“We need total peace in our State. We cannot develop in the face of crisis. We can only improve when every person is living peacefully.”
Governor Fubara said he has been furnished with a comprehensive list of names of all traditional rulers of First Class, Second Class and Third Class totalling over 150.
The Governor explained that the state government cannot take in one block the purchase of their official vehicles, going by that number, and urged them to consider the option of monetizing it because most of them own their cars already.
In his address, the Chairman, Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Chike Worlu Wodo, used the opportunity to thank Governor Fubara for maintaining peace in the State in the face of the unwarranted political crisis orchestrated by selfish and overzealous politicians.
Eze Wodo, who is the Paramount Ruler of Apara Kingdom in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the State, urged the Governor not to fall into the traps of detractors by confronting their violence with violence, which he noted, will only serve the interest of those selfish politicians.
He said, “All of us know that those that are over-heating the polity have one aim: to make the State ungovernable so as to make it ripe for a declaration of State of Emergency. Please, Sir, advise your supporters to avoid every invitation to violence.
“May I also appeal to our people on all sides of the political divide to remember that we have nowhere else to call home apart from Rivers State. So, we must not allow our personal interest to destroy the peace, stability and growth of our State.”
Eze Wodo enjoined members of the council: “As traditional rulers, we owe our State the duty of making it peaceful by cautioning our children against violent acts.
“We, therefore, cannot caution anybody if we allow ourselves become overly partisan. We will then lose the moral authority to reprimand those causing trouble when we take sides. So, I say, let us all work assiduously to maintain peace in Rivers State.”
On his part, the Rivers State Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Engr. Charles Amadi, noted with concern the disturbing development and progressive degradation of values in the various communities, requiring focused attention on the roles of the traditional rulers in Rivers State.
Engr Amadi said there has been hope all along that traditional rulers in the State will pull their various domains through with tenable innovations that will stem the dwindling social decay in the various communities.
He said, “But, by close examination of the problems in the various communities of Rivers State, compared with the activities in the various settlers of the various communities, we found out that we are on the path of diminishing returns with many of the communities cum settlers, plunging into crisis.
“It has become increasingly obvious that we must examine the roles of the Rivers State traditional rulers in other to improve efficiency and curtail the crisis in our various communities.
“However, I strongly commend those traditional rulers of Rivers State that have displayed their good roles effectively and efficiently in the various communities that yielded relative peace that has ushered in good governance in Rivers State.”
Engr Amadi said the quarterly meeting, therefore, presents a time for traditional rulers to resolve on how to harness the potentials that will engender improvements of living conditions and overall development of their various communities.
The Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board says it has begun the compilation of list of retired civil servants who have defaulted on the full repayment of housing loans obtained.
Head of Information and Public Relations, FGSHLB, Mrs Ngozi Obiechina, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja, yesterday.
Obiechina quoted the Executive Secretary of the Board, Mrs Salamatu Ahmed, as saying that the move was aimed at recovering mortgaged properties from retirees who failed to meet their loan obligations.
Ahmed noted that the decision followed a recent memo issued by Mrs Patience Oyekunle, Permanent Secretary, Career Management Office, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
According to her, the memo reminded public servants of the mandatory requirement to obtain a Certificate of Non-Indebtedness to the FGSHLB and MDA Staff Multipurpose Cooperative Society as a precondition for retirement.
The Executive Secretary said that the board would take necessary legal steps to repossess properties where applicable, in line with the terms of the loan agreements.
She said this was in line with the provisions of the Public Service Rules 021002 (p), issued by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
“I am directed to bring to your attention the provision of Public Service Rule (PSR) 021002 (p), which mandates all public servants to obtain a Certificate of Non-Indebtedness as a prerequisite for retirement.
“The Federal Government will commence the seizure of mortgaged properties belonging to retiring federal public servants who have failed to fully repay housing loans obtained from the board,” she said.
Ahmed explained that the FGSHLB reserves the legal right to repossess any mortgaged property in cases where a public servant exits service without fully repaying the loan.
She reiterated that the directive also applied to already retired officers who were still indebted.
She urged all affected public servants to regularise their loan status and obtain the required clearance certificate without delay.
“The board is currently compiling a list of such retirees, which will be forwarded to relevant regulatory agencies for debt recovery.
“The FGSHLB remains committed to enforcing compliance and ensuring proper loan recovery procedures are followed, “ she added.
The Federal Government has kicked off a three-day induction programme for newly appointed Permanent Secretaries and the Accountant-General of the Federation, aimed at equipping them for strategic leadership and effective policy implementation.
The induction, according to a statement yesterday by the Director, Information and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, Eno Olotu, which commenced on Wednesday, is being held at the National Counter Terrorism Centre in Abuja.
Speaking at the opening session, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, congratulated the new appointees and described their roles as pivotal to governance and national development.
“Permanent Secretaries are the engine room of the government. They are critical to driving policy implementation, institutional performance, and reform across the service”, she said.
The Federal Government has kicked off a three-day induction programme for newly appointed Permanent Secretaries and the Accountant-General of the Federation, aimed at equipping them for strategic leadership and effective policy implementation.
The induction, according to a statement yesterday by the Director, Information and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, Eno Olotu, which commenced on Wednesday, is being held at the National Counter Terrorism Centre in Abuja.
Speaking at the opening session, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, congratulated the new appointees and described their roles as pivotal to governance and national development.
“Permanent Secretaries are the engine room of the government. They are critical to driving policy implementation, institutional performance, and reform across the service”, she said.
“The expectations are high, and the responsibility is immense. But with commitment and teamwork, we can deliver a more efficient, accountable, and citizen-centred public service.
“This final lap of FCSSIP 25 calls for urgency, accountability, and strategic focus. You must translate vision into measurable results,” she stated.
In her welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Career Management Office, Mrs. Fatima Sugra Tabi’a Mahmood, described the programme as a strategic investment in leadership capacity and institutional effectiveness.
The sessions featured expert-led discussions, simulations, and strategic briefings facilitated by a distinguished faculty, including Engr. Suleiman Adamu, former Minister of Water Resources; Dr. Hadiza Bala Usman, Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination; Mrs. Beatrice Jedy-Agba, Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice; Alh. Yusuf Addy, retired Federal Director; Alhaji Bukar Goni Aji, former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation; Amb. Mustapha Lawal Suleiman, Mr. Adesola Olusade, and Dr. Ifeoma Anagbogu, all retired Permanent Secretaries.
Participants include Dr. Obi Emeka Vitalis, Mrs. Fatima Sugra Tabi’a Mahmood, Mr. Danjuma Mohammed Sanusi, Mr. Olusanya Olubunmi, Dr. Keshinro Maryam Ismaila, Dr. Akujobi Chinyere Ijeoma, Dr. Umobong Emanso Okop, Dr. Isokpunwu Christopher Osaruwanmwen, Mrs. Oyekunle N. Patience, Dr. Kalba U. Danjuma, Mr. Nadungu Gagare, Mr. Onwusoro I. Maduka, Dr. Usman Salihu Aminu, Mr. Ogbodo Chinasa Nnam, Mr. Ndiomu Ebiogeh Philip, Dr. Anuma N. Ogbonnaya, Mr. Adeladan Rafiu Olaninre, and Mr. Mukhtar Yawale Muhammed, alongside the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr. Shamseldeen Babatunde Ogunjimi.
The induction programme will feature sessions on public sector leadership, policy delivery, ethics in service, digital transformation, and performance management.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, has announced that a forensic audit of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) will begin soon.
Edun revealed this at the ongoing Nigerian Investor Forum, held alongside the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington DC.
The minister explained that the recent changes in the NNPCL management are part of a broader effort by the Federal Government to clean up and examine the company closely.
While addressing top global investors, including representatives from J.P. Morgan, Edun shared key reforms the government has introduced to revive the economy and restore investor confidence.
He told the investors that the government’s bold economic steps have laid a strong foundation to attract private investment.
He stated, “Our goal is not just to maintain this momentum, but to accelerate it. We are targeting seven per cent annual growth, and we believe the policies we have implemented have laid the groundwork to achieve this.”
Edun highlighted that President Bola Tinubu’s administration has rolled out major reforms that are already making a difference.
He added that the Nigerian economy grew by 3.84 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2024 and recorded a 3.4 per cent growth for the year.
Edun further stressed the importance of the reforms, describing them as “unprecedented,” adding that, “We said we would do it, and now we have done it. This time, we’re staying the course.”
He pointed out signs of progress such as lower budget deficits, a better trade balance, and a more stable exchange rate.
He also said that the focus is now on growing key sectors, especially agriculture.
According to Edun, agriculture is at the top of the government’s agenda, with the aim of improving food supply and increasing productivity.
“We aim to close the food supply gap, not by importing more, but by enabling domestic producers to scale and innovate,” he said.
On infrastructure, Edun revealed that the government has rolled out 90,000km of fibre optic cable to improve internet access.
He said this move is crucial for supporting young Nigerians and tech startups.
He also noted that 4,000km of roads have been offered for private sector participation, with the first 1,000km already approved for construction.