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My Support For Peterside, Total – Abe …As APC Flays Arrest Of Chieftains
Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, Chairman Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) and Rivers South East Senatorial candidate on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC has said that his support for Dr. Dakuku Peterside, governorship candidate of the APC is total.
Abe who insists that Peterside remains the best governorship candidate for this election made the declaration during APC rally Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State.
“In Rivers State, we have made up our mind; our next governor is Dr. Dakuku Peterside. My name is Magnus Ngei Abe and I am supporting Dr. Dakuku Peterside one hundred per cent. That matter is settled and I have my reasons why I am supporting him.
“The first reason is that I know him. With Dr. Peterside, Rivers State is safe; the state will be in safe and competent hands. We have a governor we can talk to and he will listen to us because he is our friend and brother. Therefore, the issue of governorship in Rivers State is settled.
“Then there is also the issue of equity. We cannot have Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi as governor for eight years and then another Ikwerre man for another eight years. The name of this state is Rivers State; it belongs to all of us. “Power must move round. If it does not move round, it will not get to other people. We are going to use our votes to move power away from Ikwerre”.
“The third reason is that with Dr Peterside we are sure he will consolidate on the achievements of Gov. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. Other persons who are in this race will destroy all we have laboured to build these years because of ego, pride and selfishness”, he added.
Meanwhile, The Greater Together Campaign Organisation has condemned in strong terms the indiscriminate arrest and detention of members and supporters of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State.
The organisation, which is campaigning for the governorship of Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside, noted the resort to undemocratic style in an election period by the Nigeria Police Force, a Federal security agency, that should be non-partisan.
In a statement in Port Harcourt the organizations Director of Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, said the arrests and detention, were masterminded by the Peoples Democratic Party, to provoke members of APC into retaliatory actions under which the police would launch a broader clampdown.
“What is happening is part of a ploy not only to intimidate APC members, but to also provoke them into retaliatory measures for which more clampdown will be launched by the already biased police”, the statement released in Port Harcourt read in part.
While it reiterated APC’s commitment to fair and issue-based campaign, the Greater Together Campaign Organisation berated PDP for being shy in selling its programs and manifesto to Rivers people.
“This attitude of PDP stems from the fact that it has nothing other than violence to propagate. We are worried that PDP is synonymous with violence and unfortunately, that it achieves in connivance with the police, a national institution serviced with the taxpayers’ money”, she said.
“The electorate in Rivers State is familiar with the hate sermons often preached by the PDP at its campaigns and rallies. Its style is alien to politics where a political party canvasses for votes by selling its unique product”, she added.
“In all of those, we find the police culpable as having compromised their apolitical role. We are, indeed concerned that rather than strengthen this national institution, PDP has compromised the Force placing it at its beck and call. At several fora, PDP members had threatened the peace of Rivers State, and had indeed, performed violent acts against APC supporters. Surprisingly, such PDP ‘untouchables’ walk the streets as free men. An example in hand is that of a former Chairman of Obio/Akpor local government who recently, accompanied by thugs, attacked an APC assembly inflicting deep machete cuts on members. Both the ex-Chairman and the attackers still walk freely, and may even be planning worse attacks on APC members. We are not aware the police invited them for questioning”, the APC Spokesperson said.
According to her, “In the face of these unpleasant moments in Rivers State, our stand is that the police should revert to their constitutional role of maintenance of law and order in an impartial manner. Their support for PDP aggravates the spate of attacks on APC members and supporters.
We hold this view that would this Force take its stand to serve all, the attacks will seize and ongoing campaigns in the state will be hitch-free”.
The Party urge the Inspector-General of Police to call his officers and men in Rivers State to order as their partisanship is creating worse violent situation which is at variance with democracy.
United States Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle (middle) addressing key governorship candidates in Rivers State at the signing of non-violence pact in Port Harcourt, yesterday. He is flanked by religious leaders: Catholic Bishop of Port Harcourt, Dr Camillus Etokudo (left), Bishop Winston Iwoh of Grace Covenant Ministries (2nd left), state INEC Commissioner, Gesila Khan (2nd right) and Archbishop Ignatius Kattey of Niger Delta Anglican Communion
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.