News
Gbaramatu Community May Sue For Genocide
The people of Gbarmatu Kingdom of Delta State have called for the probe of the military operations in their communities by the Commander of the Joint Task Force, Major General Sarkin Bello.
The community threatened to drag Gen Bello to the International Court of Justice for alleged genocide and destruction of their homes and sources of livelihood.
But JTF spokesperson, Colonel Rabe Abubakar, has consistently maintained that the task force’s troops displayed high level of military professionalism in carrying out their duty, stressing that the Nigerian Army has received accolades for its peace keeping activities from all over the world.
Leaders of the community said contrary to claims by government and JTF, their kinsmen were yet to return home several weeks after the May 17 aerial attacks on the community by JTF aircrafts, adding that the operation also led to the burning of all habitable homes in the community.
Addressing newsmen in Warri, the Amaokusuwei (eldest man) and Amabebefityewei (Spokesperson) of Kurutie, Chief Dickson Wereyesegha and Chief Moneyin Pori respectively, castigated the JTF for purportedly misinforming the public about atrocities carried out there.
Wereyesegha, who said he spent two days in the bush during the operation, said, “The Kurutie community will join other destroyed communities in Gbaramadtu to bring the JTF Commander Maj.Gen. Sarkin Bello and his cohorts to book at the International Court of Justice in The Hague for genocide against us.
“All the houses that were inhabited in Kurutie Community are either destroyed by the aerial bombardment and sporadic shooting or burnt down by members of the JTF through willful setting ablaze of each house.
“Kurutie has no link with Camp 5. How on earth will the JTF claim that the only house burnt in Kurutie was because they were shot at from houses in the community? Nobody in Kututie community have access to arms. The JTF just framed up an excuse to kill defenseless citizens and wanton destruction of property.
“Up till now we cannot find most of our aged chiefs, elders and mothers who could barely escape; they are all still in the bush without access to the refugee camp at Ogbe-Ijoh,” they added.
Besides, the Kurutie elders described the process of distributing relief materials to the displaced person in the community as selective and under the dictates of the leadership of the JTF.
Nevertheless, they asked the Federal Government to expedite action on their return to their destroyed communities, maintaining, that they do not want to continually live as refugees in their own country.
Meanwhile youths from oil producing areas of Delta State yesterday protested the fates of thousands of persons by the military operations in Gbaramatu Kingdom of Warri, Delta State and urged the state government to take action to enable them return to their various communities.
The Association of Youths from Oil Producing Areas of Delta State (AYOPAD) said, “Invading the region and attacking innocent civilians thereby displacing them from their homes merely reduced government’s efforts and portray this government as staging region war against its own citizens.”
President of the association Ebiakpo Ezebri, Lucky Okoro and Nevile Okubo who signed the statement said, “Our association frowns at the idea of military men destroying the riverside communities in a bid to hunt for militants in their hideouts.
The statement flayed past government for its approach, allegedly anchored on appeasement rather than addressing the root causes of underdevelopment and marginalisation of the oil bearing communities in the management of their resources.
It advised government to approach the region’s issues with ‘Integrated Conflict Management System”, stressing that this approach include conflict prevention and peace promotion and consolidation; conflict control and abatement as well as conflict resolution.
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.