News
East-West Road: Orubebe Got It Wrong – Stakeholders
Stakeholders in the Niger Delta have insisted that the
Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Chief Godsday Orubebe’s unguarded outburst recently
on the performance of the Rivers State Government was totally diversionary,
misguided and flippant, and warned the Federal Government not to politicise the
reconstruction and dualisation of the East-West Road.
A cross section of stakeholders, who spoke to The Tide at
different fora in Port Harcourt, expressed strong exception to the diversionary
attack on the person of the Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi by the
minister, saying that he failed to win
the confidence of the people of the region, following his embarrassing and
abysmal performance thus far.
President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Apostle
Zilly Aggrey, told The Tide in an interview that it would be wrong for the
Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Chief Godsday Orubebe to politicise the
reconstruction of the East-West Road, as according to him, the road was very
critical to the economic well-being of the people of the region.
Apostle Aggrey, who decried the intolerable carnage and
wanton loss of lives on the road, faulted the award of contract for the stretch
of the road from Warri in Delta State to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to only
one contractor, and also described as unserious comments made by Orubebe that
the Federal Government was shopping for a loan of N50billion to complete the
all-important road.
According to Aggrey, the most effective measure to fix the
East-West Road is to “allocate portions of the road to different major and
competent contractors with definite specifications”, adding that, “only contractors
that deliver on schedule should be rewarded with another contract while those
who fail to deliver or default on agreed terms should be sanctioned”.
The cleric called on Orubebe to exercise caution and
restraint while making public statements, saying that his recent vituperation
was unnecessary.
In his reaction, Barrister Barinada Baragbara said that the
Niger Delta governments could complete the East-West Road project only if there
was clear understanding between them and the Federal Government.
“My opinion is that the various tiers of government have
jurisdiction. But where the road that is meant for the Federal Government is
being abandoned, and other tiers of government are worried because its failure
negatively impacts their development, then they owe their people the
responsibility to fashion out workable means of getting the road completed as
quickly as possible in partnership with the Federal Government”, he noted.
George Nwobilor, a politician, warned against further
politicising of the road, as its continuous neglect has led to series of
accidents and loss of lives of innocent people of the region, urging the South
South governors to wade into the stalemate, and take over the road project to
save the people from further hardship and deaths.
Also speaking, Barrister Humble cautioned that any attempt
by the state governors in the region to take over the road project would mean
stepping beyond their bounds, stressing that what the governors need to do is
to bring pressure to bear on the Federal Government to complete the road.
In his opinion, a human rights activist, Chukwu Nkendu
likened the East-West Road to the Second Niger Bridge, which the Federal
Government is asking the catchment states to contribute money for its
execution, emphasising that the Federal Government seems to be treating the
people of the South South and South East as though they were second class
citizens in Nigeria.
But for Sampson Sunday, a driver, the East-West Road is the
responsibility of the Federal Government to deliver, insisting that the
government must diligently execute the project to its logical conclusion to
save users of the road from unnecessary accidents and deaths.
Also contributing, Dayeh Bereyin, a development analyst,
said the Federal Government has the constitutional mandate to construct the
East-West Road, arguing that allowing the South South governors to take over
the completion of the road amounts to dereliction of duty on the part of the
Federal Government.
He argued that the Niger Delta governors have their hands
full already with people-oriented
developmental projects, saying that diverting funds meant for the
development of their various states to complete the East-West Road would starve
them of scarce resources to drive development, reduce poverty and create jobs
in their states.
Chairman, Trade Union Congress, Rivers State, Comrade Chika
Onuegbu, called on the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs to seek more funds to
complete the road on schedule rather than employing diversionary and offensive
tactics to delay the road’s completion, advising him to concentrate on
pragmatic and proactive efforts to deliver an all-season road before the end of
the tenure of this administration.
“The Ministry of Niger Delta is still playing politics with
the road. The Federal Government must rise up to its responsibility, and fix
the road”, he said.
President, Niger Delta Coalition Against Violence, Lekia
Christian, argued that “the Ministry of Niger Delta has failed on its part to
deliver the East-West Road”, advising the ministry to concentrate on finding
ways of quickly fixing the road instead of engaging in unnecessary political
adventures.
According to him, “if the governors of the South South
states have decided to take over and complete the road, so be it. The people are
disappointed and will welcome any intervention measure that could put the road
in better shape.
“The minister should resign for failing on his duties. He
has failed Niger Deltans. He has even failed the President, Dr Goodluck
Jonathan, who appointed him”, he added.
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.