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Resign Now, Your Govt Choking Nigerians, Cleric Blasts Buhari
The Spiritual Director, Holy Ghost Adoration Ministry, Uke, Anambra State, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Obimma, popularly known as Ebubemonso has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to resign.
The cleric explained that his position was based on Buhari’s alleged inability to take charge of happenings in the country, stressing that the president has disappointed Nigerians while government was choking millions.
Ebubemonso, who spoke as part of activities marking his 7th year Priestly ordination at his Umudioka residence, also demanded unreserved apology from the Federal Government to Ndigbo, particularly members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
He accused Buhari’s government of proscribing the group and branding the members terrorists, “whereas terror groups like the Fulani herdsmen and Boko Haram killing people are handled with kid gloves.”
His speech read: “As you can see, there is crisis in the country. President Muhammadu Buhari is not in control of this country. People are dying on daily basis and I am not happy with it at all.
“There is indeed crisis in the country. I pray that our good Lord will salvage this country, Nigeria. There is crisis, even though those in authority are denying that there is political unrest in the country. I thank God, that God is answering our prayers. I believe that very soon, all these frictions, fracas and crisis will come to an end, because there is God.
“Well, my message for Muhammadu Buhari is let him resign since he cannot control the country. I said let him resign honourably because as you can see, he is not in control of the country, not only that, he is a sectional leader, a tribalistic leader.
“So, my stand is let him resign, as you can see his strength could no longer carry him. I am envisaging a situation where he will not be alive to complete the second term, if he comes out to campaign again. Let him resign honourably and find people who have the strength and capacity of managing the nation to carry on the baton. Nigeria is a big country and needs experts who have perfected in the political field to take control of the affairs of the nation. President Buhari is not that man.
On the controversies over the INEC’s 2019 election budget, he said: “the issue of INEC, the Senate and the Presidency, there are so many interests; they are saying so many things that we don’t know what to believe. I can’t say for sure but what I have to say is that you can see the inclination of political interests in the entire episode.
“Mark my words, APC groups are warming up to rig the election, as you can see the evidences are there. If by vote counting, APC can never win any election. If it is by counting of votes, there is no way this government will return because it is a government that is built on selfishness, nepotism, injustice. Government that is killing people, people are not happy with this government, so they knew that they under performed. What of those promises that Muhammadu Buhari made to the Nation before the election, none was accomplished, that, for me is a government of deception, running a government with deceit, it is very bad.”
He added that “after the promises Buhari gave Nigerians before he was elected, nothing has changed. As you can see, many of our youths are unemployed, many a times when I pass or walk around the universities on mission, I see our young men, you know undergraduates, battalions of them, I ask myself what plans has the federal government have but as you can see, they don’t have any plan for them, that is why you will see somebody after being a graduate, the person will engage in one business or the other for him to survive.
“The hope of every average young man in other countries, their efforts in entering the university, studying very hard and struggling to survive, trying to get degrees is for them to get a good job, but in our country Nigeria nothing is sure. You are a graduate, you have a wonderful certificate and that certificate is barren, certificate without satisfaction and government has no plan. It’s a pity.
“You know it has been my greatest worry. Go over there at the university and you will see people, you will see men and women, you will see our young undergraduates, sons and daughters, you know they are studying, but I am telling you that government has no plans for them, especially this government of President Buhari. Nigeria has never experience such a government, let Buhari stand up and tell us his achievements so far, let him say what he has achieved so far.
“This government has really under-performed, really they came with the ideology of change but they didn’t change anything, so we are praying for another change, this one is real change that will upturn Buhari’s change that choked us. He came to power on false change promises which many believed; even a prophet of God prayed for him because everybody wanted change that will lead to a prosperous nation but here we are from frying pan to fire. Buhari is a huge disappointment to Nigeria.”
The Priest did not spare the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, who he said were not speaking out.
He said, “Well, for me, Ohanaeze Ndigbo should know that Igbos are being marginalized and their voices are not felt, the voices of Ohanaeze Ndigbo is not felt. You know they are representing Igbos, let them come out and stand for Igbos and let the world and Igbos know they are standing for them, they can’t be answering Ohanaeze Ndigbo for nothing.
“I am not trying to say that they have not been making efforts but their efforts are not enough. Now IPOB came up as a result of poor governance and they are agitating that the Federal Government is marginalizing them. Igbos have been undergoing marginalization, that was the crusade of Nnamdi Kanu and Nnamdi Kanu was suppressed and intimidated, but I want to tell the Federal Republic of Nigeria that you can never kill an ideology.
“Let there be a strong dialogue between Ohaneze Ndigbo and IPOB to have one voice for Ndigbo. I advise the IPOB to go for peace even in their agitations, let there be love. I stand here to tell the country that their agitations are right. The agitations about the sovereign state of Biafra, about intimidation and suppression, they are right, so, let the Federal Government look into it.
“If really Igbos are being marginalized, let them do something, we can’t be answering one Nigeria for mouth, just mere camouflage, one Nigeria on a table of sabotage. When you stifle what is meant for general consumption, that is economic sabotage, when you strangle what you supposed to give to brothers, that is wickedness.,
“Let the Federal Government look into these agitations; it won’t end by shooting them, killing them on daily basis. Buhari should register an apology to Ndigbo for that kind of thing, how can innocent people who are agitating be proscribed? They are freedom fighters and Buhari proscribed them, branded them as terrorists whereas Boko Haram are killing people and nobody has ever proscribed them or branded them as terrorists. Fulani herdsmen are killing people on daily basis and nobody has ever proscribed and branded them terrorists. But agitating youths in the South-East, my dear brothers were branded terrorists by their country Nigeria. Is this not outright inti
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.