Business

Amaechi Re-Affirms Fight Against Criminals In Rivers

Published

14 years ago

November 25, 2011

Rivers people have been assured of a better secured state as the State government heightens its fight against criminals in the State capital, Port Harcourt and its environs.

The Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi gave the assurance at the 2nd Port Harcourt Diocesan Synod of the Catholic Church held at the Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA) in Port Harcourt, Wednesday.

Amaechi recalled the recent success recorded against the gang of armed robbers that specialised in robbing around banks and customers leaving or going to bank premises and some big business centres in Port Harcourt; and stated that the state government would ensure that those who escaped would be hunted down and brought to book.

“When we found out that some of those who were robbing were actually from Rivers State, they robbed again few days ago. They didn’t know that we had started preparing for them and as soon as they entered GRA, the police cornered them and they had a shootout with the police and two of the robbers died, two escaped and we are looking for the two. Inside their vehicles, we recovered ammunitions, explosives, AK47 riffles and pistols. Out of the two that escaped, one is a woman and she was one of those who pulled the trigger on a policeman at Rukpokwu, when the same gang attempted to rob a bullion van conveying cash to a bank. The security agencies are on their trail and by the grace of God, we are going to get them. Government will hunt them down,” Amaechi said.

He however lamented that people easily forget how much his administration tried to protect them, but insisted that with the cooperation of the people, his administration would not relent in its responsibilities to the State.

“I’m sure if they ask you to assess the government now, you may be very critical of the government. You would say no roads, no jobs. In the past, you were not even looking for roads. You’ve forgotten that before, for you to take your phone and make a call on the road, you see a young boy with a gun waiting for you by the side of the road to finish and you would just hand over your phone out of fear. You’ve forgotten that by the time I became governor, there was a curfew, 6pm to 6am. But we did everything to bring back peace and security to the State.”

“So, the state tries to provide security for you, in such a way that you have the confidence to go about your business.”

On education, Governor Amaechi lauded the church for being in the forefront of providing education all over the world while restating his administration’s resolve to continue with its free education programme.

He acknowledged the church for praying for leaders and urged them to continue in their strides.

“You are praying for the Bishops, President, Governors, etc, but that is not enough, because if I don’t manage your resources very well and the Lagos State Governor manages resources of Lagos State very well, by the time I leave office, I would have underdeveloped you up to 8 years behind Lagos. So, you need to pray to God not only to give you a good Governor, but that when the Governor emerges, he must apply your resources in such a way that you will be proud to say I am from Rivers State.”

The Governor also urged members of the church to ensure they fulfill their civic responsibility by paying their taxes, thereby setting a good example for others to follow.

“You pay your tax, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also to satisfy your conscience. We discover that some of you don’t pay…pay all your taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due and honour to whom honour is due,” he said.

Responding, the Catholic Bishop of Port Harcourt Diocese, Most Rev. Camillus Etokudoh thanked the Governor for his presence, describing him as a committed Catholic.

He urged the Governor to continue in his developmental strides, saying, “whatever you can do to help the church, do it…you are there for us and we are here for you.” He prayed for God’s divine support to the Amaechi led administration in Rivers State.

Business

Boat Mishap Kills Pastor, Wife And Church Members In Brass Water

Published

4 days ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

A boat accident in Bayelsa state has killed a serving Pastor, Wife and other church members along Brass waterways

The sad incident happened at Odioama in Brass local government area of Bayelsa State when the Pastor, wife and members of his church were in a programme.

?Tide confirmed that the lifeless body of the Pastor’s wife has been found and deposited in a mortuary while the remains of her husband ,the Pastor is yet to be recovered

as search party are still ongoing.

Although the real cause of the boat Mishap is not yet known as at the time of this report, our Correspondent gathered that the identities of the Pastor, wife and church members were not disclosed to the public.

The mishap, Tide gathered occurred on Friday morning when the church members were on a boat transit

The Bayelsa State government and the state police command are yet to issue official statement’s on the sad accident

By: CHINEDU WOSU

Business

Rivers Workers Seek Scrapping Of Contributory Pension Scheme

Published

4 days ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State Council of Nigeria Civil Service Union has called on the State Government to urgently scrap the contributory pension scheme, describing it as unfavourable to long-serving civil servants in the state.

Chairman of the union, Chukwuka Osuma, said this in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt, recently.

Osuma said the current pension structure has continued to worsen post-retirement hardship for workers.

He noted that the contributory pension scheme had failed to provide adequate retirement security for workers who had spent many years in service, especially those approaching retirement age.

According to him, civil servants who had served for more than 20 years were among the worst affected under the scheme, insisting that many retirees could no longer cope with prevailing economic realities.

He also informed that the Union has made moves to showcase their concerns, pleading with Governor Siminalayi Fubara to abolish the pension policy and introduce a more favourable arrangement for affected workers.

“The union was not opposed to pension reforms, the contributory scheme should only apply to newly employed workers or those with fewer years in service”, he said.

Osuma explained that workers who had already spent decades in the civil service ought to remain under a more secure pension structure capable of guaranteeing stability after retirement.

The labour leader further noted that inflation and the rising cost of living had continued to erode the value of retirement savings, thereby increasing the suffering of pensioners across the country.

He also appealed to the state government to consider extending the years of service in the civil service from 35 to 40 years and the retirement age from 60 to 65 years.

Osuma argued that such adjustment had become necessary in view of present-day economic realities and changing conditions in the workplace.

The unionist also reviewed that similar policies had already been adopted in some sectors and jurisdictions, expressing optimism that the State could also implement the reforms for the benefit of workers.

He however, commended Governor Fubara for approving an N85,000 minimum wage for workers in the state, noting that the amount was above the national benchmark of N70,000.

Osuma also acknowledged the government’s efforts in the area of workers’ promotions and bonuses, but insisted that pension reforms and extension of years of service remained critical to the long-term welfare and stability of civil servants in Rivers State.

By: King Onunwor

Business

FG Begins South-West Tour To Promote New Cooperative Bank

Published

1 week ago

May 13, 2026

The Tide

The Federal Government has launched the South-West zonal engagement and ministerial advocacy tour on the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria share capital mobilisation, sensitisation and cooperative sector digitalisation.

Reports say the initiative was launched through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

According to reports, the advocacy tour, organised by the ministry’s Federal Department of Cooperatives, began on Monday in Lagos.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister of Cooperative Affairs, Dr Aliyu Abdullahi, said the initiative was part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Abdullahi described the exercise as a strategic effort to reposition the cooperative sector as a key driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity.

“Today represents a defining moment in our collective determination to reposition the cooperative sector as a major driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity,” he said.

The minister noted the modern cooperative movement in Nigeria originated in the South-West following the 1934 Strickland Report, which led to the enactment of the Cooperative Societies Ordinance of 1935.

According to him, the decision to commence the sensitisation and share capital mobilisation tour in the region is symbolic, as it marks a return to the roots of cooperative development in the country.

Abdullahi said the advocacy tour was a direct outcome of resolutions reached at the 8th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Cooperative Affairs held in Abuja in March 2026.

He said the council approved the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme, a comprehensive framework designed to strengthen the cooperative sector and align it with the administration’s goal of building a one-trillion-dollar economy.

“The reform programme focuses on seven strategic pillars, including governance reforms, cooperative financing and the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria, digitalisation, capacity building, value chain development, inclusion of youths, women and persons with disabilities, and strategic partnerships,” he said.

He said the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria and the digitalisation of the cooperative sector were the two major transformational initiatives under the programme.

“The Cooperative Bank of Nigeria is aimed at rebuilding a strong cooperative financial system capable of supporting cooperators, farmers, artisans, traders, SMEs, youths, women and persons with disabilities with accessible and affordable financial services,” he said.

Abdullahi emphasised that the proposed bank would be government-enabled but not government-funded.

“Government is not establishing the bank as an owner, nor will it rely on Treasury Single Account funds.

“The role of government through the FMAFS is to provide policy support, stakeholder coordination, regulatory facilitation and an enabling environment under the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme,” he said.

Also speaking, the Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to cooperative sector transformation.

She described cooperatives as critical tools for promoting inclusive growth, grassroots productivity, food security, financial inclusion and community wealth creation.

Ambrose-Medebem said Lagos State would continue to support reforms and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (2025–2030).

“Together, let us build a cooperative ecosystem that is modern, transparent, digitally enabled, financially inclusive and globally competitive.

“Let us build cooperatives that not only mobilise savings, but also mobilise prosperity,” she said.