News
PDP Slams Buhari Over Attacks
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the former Head
of State and Presidential Candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change
(CPC) in the 2011 general elections, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) to show
statesmanship in his assessment of the contributions of the PDP led Federal
Government to the cause of democracy and good governance.
In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the
PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, the party said yesterday that political differences notwithstanding,
it expected Buhari as an elder statesman and a former Head of State to
acknowledge the significant progress that Nigeria has made in internalising democratic
culture since the return of democracy in 1999.
“There is still room for improvement no doubt, but Nigeria
under the PDP has recorded tremendous gains in terms of advancing the rule of
law and the fundamental rights of Nigerians, in deed, in other indices of good
governance which democracy is usually expected to guarantee.”
According to the PDP, while on a visit to Kano last week,
General Buhari had said of the PDP led Federal Government; “under normal
circumstances, we are supposed to work strictly within the provisions of the
constitution, but this is Nigeria and nothing is perfect and the only thing
they have not tampered with between 1999 to date in Nigeria is the Holy Koran.”
“We are shocked that an elder statesman could paint such an
ugly picture, tissue of lies, of his dear nation just to advance his political
fortunes. We shudder that a former head of state under whose watch freedom of
expression landed many Nigerians in detention on account of his obnoxious
decrees, and who now enjoys such freedom, is utterly ungrateful to the efforts
of our great party in advancing the cause of democracy.”
“If the CPC leadership does not understand what the rule of
law is, let’s oblige them with little details,” the statement said.
“Today, criticisms, even destructive ones are hurled at the
PDP led federal government and no one is harassed because we uphold the
inalienable rights of the people which is at the heart of democracy .We throw
our doors open to criticism so that we accommodate alternative views.”
“Today, the PDP loses elections and winners are sworn in and
we do not use our incumbency at the centre to truncate the democratic wishes of
the people. However, in the states held by the opposition parties, local
elections are massively rigged as witnessed recently in Lagos and Ogun States
and where we defy the odds to emerge victorious like in Imo State, machinery of
government is used to frustrate the expressed wish of the people.”
“The rule of law if we must state further is that in our
drive for transparency and accountability, some leaders of our party have been
caught by the long arm of the law and we never obstructed the course of
justice.”
“Do we need to add that the PDP led Federal Government does
have other preference to the rule of law and that is why we enacted the Freedom
of Information Act so that every Nigerian will not be in the dark as to how the
nation is run, and so that they can be armed to demand for what is right.”
“ Must we also tell the leadership of the CPC leadership
that in our congresses and convention, deference to the rule of law is the
word. And that notwithstanding our size, we successfully manage dissenting
views and establish strong leadership not dogged by factions like the CPC.”
“And for General Buhari, the evangelist of rule of law,
Nigerians wish to know if unlawful incitement of the populace to violence and
attack on the institutions of democracy is part of the rule of law?”
“ Is the imposition that marked the congresses of the CPC in
2011 which is still hunting the party till date an act in rule of law?”
“ We wish to advise General Buhari to concentrate in giving
Nigerians his alternative ideas and plan of action to what the PDP has at
present or even engage us in a public debate on the
values of good governance. We pray that his party or
whatever alliance they are negotiating presents Buhari once more as a
presidential candidate so that Nigerians will make their choice”.
“However, we wish to remind the former Head of State that
Nigerians are not fools and that they know what Nigeria was yesterday
especially under regimes like his and what obtains today. There is no doubt
that even the blind can distinguish between the daylight it is today and the
deep dark night it was hitherto”, the party said.
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.