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RSG Expresses Concern Over Cardiovascular Disease
The Rivers State Government says the upsurge in the prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease in the country is worrisome.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara stated this during the opening ceremony of the 53rd Annual General and Scientific Conference of Nigerian Cardiac Society at Obi Wali International Conference Centre in Port Harcourt, last Wednesday.
Represented by his Deputy, Prof. Ngozi Nma Odu, Governor Fubara said “For us in the State it is a triple pronged approach that is being taken. It takes a tripartite combination of people who can deliver. When you have a Governor that has put healthcare as a top priority and he does it with robust funding, and you have a Commissioner that is strategic, dynamic and very focused in knowing the interventions that could give us positive impact in the health sector and a Chief Medical Director (CMD) who is result oriented you can imagine that you could not have chosen a better location for this conference”.
Governor Fubara who expressed the hope that the interactions and exchange of ideas and discussions would be beneficial to all of us in the world, thanked the President of Nigerian Cardiac Society for making a little introduction on the aspect of involving Primary Healthcare as a phase of intervention of gauging the issues of cardiovascular diseases down to the grassroots.
“It is something that is of a great concern to us you will hear a young man of 42 years goes to sleep and does not wake up, you hear that somebody goes to the gym and drops dead at the gym or you hear people are just driving and they slump. All these tell us that there is a burden and Cardiovascular Diseases must be taken seriously”. The Governor stressed.
According to him the difference between the incidence in the urban and rural areas is narrow, which calls for something to think about, noting that when poverty is a driver, lack of education is a driver it means we have to involve Primary Healthcare so that they can work assiduously with the Ministry and the people that will carry the message down to the villages and remote areas which is expected to change certain dimensions.
He thanked the society for bringing the conference to Port Harcourt, adding that “coming here tells the world that Rivers State is a safe place; it tells the world it is a good place to do business, it tells the world that Rivers State is hospitable and focused in governance”.
In her remarks the Chairman of the occasion, Hon. Justice Mary Odili who is the Pro Chancellor and Chairman Governing Council of Rivers State University said Just as the Courts sit down to deliver Justice and fairness medical professionals strive to deliver health, stressing that together they are united in their commitment to the welfare of Nigerian people.
“Your dedication to advance the health and wellbeing of our nation is commendable and it is a great honour for me to be a part of the gathering of Medical Professionals who are at the forefront of the fight against Cardiovascular Disease in Nigeria”. Hon. Justice Mary Odili further stressed.
Also speaking, the National President of Nigerian Cardiac Society Prof. Augustine Odili urged Stake holders to synergize efforts to bring an end to cardiovascular disease in the country.
Prof Amam C. Mbakwem Presented the Guest Lecture on the theme “Socio-Economic Burden of Rising Cardiovascular Disease Profile in Sub- Saharan Africa”.
Highlight of the occasion was the presentation of Award of Appreciation to His Excellency Sir Siminalayi Fubara, Governor of Rivers State, Her Excellency Prof. Ngozi Nma Odu, Deputy Governor, Rivers State, Hon. Justice Mary Odili, Pro- Chancellor and Chairman Governing Council, Rivers State University. Dr. Adaeze Chidinma Oreh, Hon. Commissioner for Health, Rivers State.
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.