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2013 Appropriation Bill Enters C’ttee Stage

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Rivers State House of Assembly has committed the 2013 Appropriation Bill into the various standing Committees of the House to facilitate sectoral analysis of the budget estimates.

Speaker of the Assembly, Rt. Hon. Otelemaba Amachree, allowed the bill to move to committee stage, after exhaustive debates at its second reading and urged the lawmakers to commence work immediately for quick conclusion.

Hon. Amachree advised the committees to invite commissioners and relevant heads of government departments to defend their estimates.

The speaker indicated that any person who refused to honour the invitation should be reported to the House for necessary sanctions including zero allocation to the sector.

He thanked the lawmakers for their cooperation and urged them to work assiduously to enable the House pass the budget in record time.

“It is important that we conclude the budget soon to allow government fund on-going road projects and other infrastructure, particularly now that we have dry weather,” Hon. Amachree stated.

Leading debate on the Appropriation, Hon. Chidi Lloyd, justified the performance of the 2012 budget approved by the House, noting that government efforts in agriculture, education and health was in tandem with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Hon. Augustine Ngo, representing Abua/Odual, urged the Assembly to carry out serious oversight functions to ensure that funds appropriated were applied properly by the operators.

Hon. Ngo, expressed happiness that the long awaited Abua/Odual Road had been reflected in the current budget proposal but regretted that out of about N8 billion projected, only a paltry sum of N200m was provided in the budget estimate for the 2013.

On his part, Hon. Michael Okey-Chinda, Obio/Akpor 11, said the budget did not provide for improvement in existing government secondary schools in the state as most of the schools are dilapidated inspite of huge provisions in the education sector.

He also urged the government to intervene in the housing sector that had suffered neglect within the past years, adding that efforts be made to complete all on-going roads projects in the state.

The Deputy Leader and member representing Ahoada East 1, Hon. Nname Ewor, said the 2013 budget ignored the people of the area, as only a negligible percentage of money was allocated to the constituency.

“My people are not part of the 2013 budget, I want to register the displeasure of my constituents as nothing meaningful was allocated to the area, the Assembly should therefore send back the budget estimates to the executive arm”, Hon. Ewor declared.

Meanwhile, the screening of Mr. Dickson Omunakwe, a Commissioner nominee to replace the sacked Commissioner for Special Duties was again postponed to Monday next week when the House reconvenes for business.

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2027: INEC To Conduct Nationwide Electoral Equipment Test Run In November

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will conduct a nationwide mock accreditation exercise in November, 2026, as part of preparations for the 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this when he received the Chargé d’Affaires of the Canadian High Commission to Nigeria, Mr David Sproule, and other officials on a courtesy visit to the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

Prof. Amupitan said the exercise would provide an opportunity for the Commission to conduct a rigorous field test of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and other critical electoral equipment ahead of the general elections.

He explained that the mock accreditation was designed to identify and address possible operational and technical challenges before the 2027 polls.

According to him, the Commission is determined to build on the lessons learnt from recent off-cycle elections in strengthening its operational readiness and improving the electoral process.

The INEC chairman said the November exercise would form part of broader measures aimed at ensuring the Commission is adequately prepared to conduct credible, transparent and efficient general elections in 2027.

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APC Group Vows To Mobilise 50 Votes Per Unit In Rivers

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The APC Christian Leaders Forum of Nigeria, Rivers State chapter, has vowed to mobilize 50 votes from each voting point for all candidates of the All Progressive Congress (APC) during the forthcoming 2027 general elections in the state.

State Coordinator of the forum, Archbishop Lucky Aroh, stated this during the Renewed Hope Candidates Mandate Dedication Service and Cutting of Campaign Cake in Port Harcourt. The t

heme for the dedication service was ‘The Fingers of God ‘.


Archbishop Aroh said the pledge was in line with the directive from the national headquarters of the Forum, adding that his group has overwhelming presence in all the polling units in the state.He also said the Forum under his care was mobilizing Christians across all polling units with a view to ensuring massive victory for all APC candidates in the state.

The Forum state Coordinator said God was with all APC Candidates in the state and predicted their victory.

Meanwhile, Archbishop Aroh has said that there is no ethnic politics in Rivers State.

He said those contesting elections were doing so for their interest, adding that everyone has a right to support any group or individual.

Archbishop Aroh however warned against campaign of calumny.

Also speaking, National President of the group, Dr Olanrewaju  Abraham, commended the Rivers State chapter for its continuous mobilization of Christians across the state for candidates of APC the in the state.

The National president, who was represented by the south-south deputy zonal coordinator, Archbishop Prince Gideon, said the forum was determined to deliver massive votes for candidates of the APC across Rivers State and the south-south geopolitical zone.

In his own remarks, the Coordinator of APC support groups in Rivers State, Reverend Christian Ahiakwo, said no fewer than 177 support groups have been registered in the state so far.

He said more groups were indicating interest to join in the campaign for APC candidates in the state.


The Coordinator further predicted that Rivers State would witness peacefully campaigns and election, describing the emergence of Rt Hon. Ogundu Chinda as APC Gubernatorial candidate and other candidates of the party as an act of God The Women Leader of the APC in Rivers State, Hon. Darling Amadi, commended the Forum for its untiring efforts towards the mobilization of Christians for the party in the state.

She said the party was already aware of the effort of the group and would reward them exceedingly.

Hon. Amadi further encouraged them not to relent while assuring them of support.

John Bibor 
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No Propaganda’ll Stop Rivers Voters From Supporting Tinubu – Dike

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A renown politician and lawyer, Mr Princewill Dike, has said that no vile propaganda or negative comments would prevent him, his supporters and the entire Rivers voting population from supporting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.

He said President Tinubu has performed creditably, going by his visible and verifiable people-oriented projects across the country.


Mr Dike stated this on his Facebook page at the weekend.

While reacting to the recent debate over the removal of fuel subsidy, the legal practitioner said the position of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on the issue was an indication that the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) was desperate in his quest for political power.

He recalled that Alhaji Abubakar had previously described fuel subsidy as a huge fraud, stressing that his recent promise to restore the subsidy if elected president was inconsistent with his earlier position.

According to him, the decision of President Tinubu’s administration to remove fuel subsidy, though initially difficult for Nigerians, has increased the revenue available to the three tiers of government and created greater fiscal space for development.

Mr Dike argued that the increased allocation accruing to states and local governments from the the federation account had enabled many of them to meet their financial obligations, including the payment of workers’ salaries, while also undertaking development projects.

The Ikwerre-born legal icon said the Federal Government had equally embarked on major infrastructure projects under President Tinubu, citing the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto-Badagry Highway as examples of projects capable of boosting economic activities and national integration.

The political commentator further maintained that the transformation taking place in Abuja and other parts of the country was evidence that resources accruing to government were being channelled into infrastructure and other areas of public sector development.

Mr Dike said available records indicated that the Federal Government had recorded substantial savings following the removal of fuel subsidy, adding that such savings, if properly managed, could continue to support critical infrastructure and social development.

He cautioned Nigerians against what he described as campaign promises designed merely to secure electoral support, urging them to examine the policies and records of political leaders rather than relying on propaganda and political rhetoric.

 

Mr Dike, however, expressed confidence that Nigerians, including the people of Rivers State, would assess the performance of President Tinubu’s administration objectively before making their choice in the 2027 general elections, insisting that, in his assessment, the President was doing well and deserved support for a second term.

King Onunwor 
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