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Protesters Seal NLNG Office In Rivers Over Fisherman’s Death
Protesting residents of Ogu/Bolo in Rivers State have sealed the premises of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) along Amadi-Ama in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, following the death of a fisherman on the waterways.
The protesters, under the aegis of Concerned Ogu/Bolo residents, along with the mother of the deceased alleged that the company’s vessel sank boats belonging to fishermen and destroyed their fishing nets along the NLNG sea routes, resulting in the death of 27-year-old Precious Imabibo, who was fishing on the river on January 20, 2024.
Following the protest, staff of the company were forced to beat a retreat as they could not access the company’s gate due to the presence of the irate youths who had sealed the entrance and refused any entrance.
Also, travelers ferrying through the NLNG jetty to Bonny Island were stranded as they could not embark on their journey due to the protest which has continued for two days running.
The protesters said the company’s vessel sank boats belonging to fishermen and destroyed their fishing nets and other implements along the NLNG sea routes resorting to the death of a fisherman identified as Precious Imabibo on the 20th January 2024.
Leader of the protesters, Samuel Diamond, while speaking to newsmen at the scene, yesterday, said since the incident, the company has not done anything to the respite of those who suffered losses.
Diamond alleged that the company had turned down all avenues for dialogue, adding that a series of letters to get the attention of the company has not been responded to.
He vowed that they would not open the company’s gate until their demands were met, noting that the company has refused to enter into a proper agreement with the community on how their vessels would be plying the sea routes without causing havoc.
Diamond stated, “We have written them (NLNG) series of letters, we even wrote a letter to the community Development Committee of Amadi-ama after our first protest on January 29, but they have not done anything.
“We now wrote a letter to the Rivers State Commissioner of Police and the police invited us through the State Intelligence Department, they also invited them (NLNG) but they refused to come.
“We even wrote to the Inspector General of Police and Amnesty International to come to our aid because NLNG cannot be operating here and their activities are killing our people.
“We are going to remain here until NLNG does the needful, even if it will take us one week. We will not only block here, we will block the route of the waterway.”
On her part, the mother of the deceased, Blessing Imabibo, expressed annoyance over the attitude of the NLNG over the death of her son by keeping mum since the incident eight months ago.
The woman said she had been sick since the passing of her son, adding that the deceased was the only helper she had, and that the company has remained insensitive to her plight.
She stated, “This boy was the one helping me. So for somebody to take something very precious to one’s life is very bad and the way the company treated me was not good at all.
“I have been going from one police station to another, nothing has been done. My son died on January 20 and he would have been 28 years old in March if he was alive.”
But NLNG, in a statement by its General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Andy Odeh, said it was aware of the protest, saying the relevant stakeholders are being engaged towards an amicable resolution of the issue.
Odeh further said the NLNG places priority on the safety and care of its people and host communities, even as he called for calm while awaiting the outcome of the Nigerian Police probe into the matter.
The two-paragraph statement entitled, ‘Protest At NLNG Corporate Head Office’ read, “Nigeria LNG Limited is aware of a recurrence of a protest at its Corporate Head Office in Port Harcourt by a group claiming to represent the family in an incident allegedly involving an NLNG chartered passenger boat along the Amadi Creek in January 2024.
“NLNG confirms that relevant stakeholders are being engaged towards an amicable resolution. The company places a premium on the safety and care of its people and host communities, and calls for calm while awaiting the outcome of the Nigerian Police probe into the matter.”
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.