As youths, all hands must be on deck to protect our dear Rivers State in all ramifications. We should be good ambassadors in defending the interest of our\u00a0 State, in ensuring healthy environment and shunning anti-social behaviour that are detrimental to the effects of government in building a virile State.\u201d 18-years-old Miss. Sophia Awajibenem Eyitemi Oyibo.
\u201cOur dear Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike is bequeathing a great State to us, the youths. The best we can do to appreciate him is to protect the various infrastructure that is being built and spread the news that Rivers State is safe for business so that we too can get job opportunities that come with investments.\u201d-21-years old Mr. Anyiam Christian Kelechukwu.
\u201cThis campaign is worthwhile because it is not only the Governor and the leaders that are living in this State. The State belongs to all those who live, work, school and do business here. We must join hands to make the State better place and not pull it down.\u201d – 17-year-old Miss. Paago Ziga Praise.
These are excerpts from well articulated and patriotism inspired essays of the first, second and third positions winners of the just concluded first leg of the second phase advocacy campaign initiated by the Pastor Paulinus Nsirim-year-led Rivers State Ministry of Information and Communications, hash tagged #OurStateOurResponsibility. The essay competition was limited to teenagers and youths between the ages of 16 and 25 years. It had the theme: \u201cRivers State, Our State Our Responsibility.\u201d
The date was Tuesday,\u00a0 October 12, 2021. Venue was the conference room of the State Ministry of Information and Communications where\u00a0 speeches of patriotism and commendations were lavished on the untiring efforts of the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike towards placing the State on a fast lane of socio-economic development. The excitement expressed by participants, their parents, members of the media and other guests at the ceremony, was clear indications of the gains being recorded by the second phase of the #OurStateOurResponsibility advocacy campaign.
The second phase of the advocacy campaign initiative is targeted at deliberately enlisting citizens\u2019 conscious participation in the Governor Wike\u2019s NEW Rivers Vision of project to make Rivers State investors\u2019 destination of choice and the need for citizens to shun detractors whose stock in trade is to demarket Rivers State.\u00a0
As an incentive, the Ministry gave out cash prizes of N60,000.00, N40,000.00 and N30,000.00 to the first, second and third positions winners respectively while three other winners received consolation prizes of N10,000.00 each. In addition, plaques were presented to the first three winners. The overall winner, Miss. Sophia Awajibenem Oyibo became honorary Commissioner for Information and Communications for 30 minutes and will be the face of the Ministry for three months.
In an emotion laden speech, the first position winner of the competition, 18-years-old Miss. Sophia Awajibenem Oyibo told the gathering that her participation was influenced by one of the numerous radio jingles of Boma Erekeosima,\u00a0 a renowned journalist and broadcaster of blessed memory, \u201cLove Rivers State or leave her alone. Don\u2019t pull her down. Think what you can do for her. Engage yourself in meaningful activities. No room for gossips. Do something meaningful.\u201d
She recalled the zest and love her father had demonstrated in rendering service to Rivers State as a civil servant. \u201cIt is not true that civil servants are nonchallant in their service to the State. Civil servants carry out their duties to Rivers State with utmost priority. It made me to also love Rivers State.
\u201cThe Government is doing his very best to build a great future for us youths. Governor Wike has done very well and we should commend him and encourage him to do more,\u201d she said.\u00a0
Lending credence to the Information and Communications Commissioner, Pastor Paulinus Nsirim\u2019s repeated call on citizens to shun those who demarket the State, Miss Sophia said the culture of pulling down Rivers State must not by encouraged to persist by anyone.\u00a0
\u201cThis State belongs to all of us. It must not be destroyed because of personal interest. We owe it the responsibility to build and not to destroy. We should be able to tell ourselves and outsiders when we see good things happening in Rivers State because the prosperity of this State is our priority. Governor Wike is doing well and we should be able to say so all the time,\u201d she said while addressing the media as honorary Commissioner.
Elated by the initiative of the\u00a0 Ministry, father of the third prize winner, Mr. Vizor Imabel Paago expressed delight for\u00a0 the initiative. He described it as a right move that would swiftly change the negative narrative of the State.\u00a0
Mr. Paago who is a director in the Board of the Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria, announced that he had secured the mandate of the governing council of the institute to partner with the Ministry of Information and Communications by giving the six emerged winners scholarships in basic safety training at HSE levels 1and 2 as soon as the\u00a0 names were made available to the institute.\u00a0
Preceding the presentation of the awards, the State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Pastor Paulinus Nsirim intimated the audience that the vision first launched on July 13, 2019 was informed by the desire to propagate effectively the unprecedented developments recorded by the Governor Wike\u2019s administration through the execution of signature projects and social reengineering that have made remarkable positive impact in the State as against the voice of vocal minority groups that are bent on demarketing the State to scare potential investors.\u00a0
Nsirim expressed satisfaction that the successful completion of the first leg of the second phase with the emergence of six winners and the overall winner who has been declared the ambassador of the campaign. \u201cWith your emergence, the #OurStateOurResponsibility advocacy campaign will now push the message\u00a0 further into the hearts of citizens that indeed Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has turned Rivers State to investors haven and\u00a0 that Rivers State is actually not a theatre of violence as being painted by detractors.\u201d
The Commissioner described the developmental strides of Governor Wike in the last six years as unparalleled and revolutionary. \u201cFor anyone living and doing business in Rivers State, what has happened in the last six years is like a revolution. Things that they least imagined would happen in the State are already happening because of the ingenuity of Governor Wike who has come to really serve Rivers people.\u201d
Nsirim listed the avalanche of infrastructural development initiatives of the State Government in all sectors of the State economy, including education, healthcare delivery, agriculture, roads and bridges, security infrastructure, Sports, social welfare development, human capacity development amongst others, saying \u201cGovernor Wike is carrying out a silent revolution.\u201d
\u201cI am proud to work with His Excellency, because this is a\u00a0 man who has made Rivers people proud. This Government is carrying out a holistic agenda for our people, and I like telling people that Governor Wike is a visionary leader who is committed to building for tomorrow.\u00a0
\u201cThere is no local government in Rivers State that is not feeling the impact of Wike\u2019s administration. He is building all the sectors of the economy for people to enjoy. Rivers State Government under Governor Wike is to ensure that the interest of Rivers people is protected. Rivers State is fast becoming a haven of sort. Governor Wike has redefined governance here. He has made Rivers State the development index for Nigeria,\u201d he emphasised.
\u00a0Nsirim, who vacated the seat for the secondary school leaver\u00a0 for 30 minutes, said it was necessary to encourage young people, that they can become famous and earn good\u00a0 reputations through hard work, honesty and\u00a0 integrity and not just via \u2018Big Brothers Nigeria\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0
\u201cI got feedback that made me feel very bad about the prizes we were to give the winners. People asked, why would the prizes for an intellectual competition be N50,000, N30,000 and N20,000. They said, didn\u2019t I see how much they are getting in Big Brother but that is a sad commentary about our country today, everything is monetised.\u201d
\u00a0Nsirim, however, said the ministry intends to inculcate the right values through the essay competition and also showcase to the world that the right values can make someone become famous and a model to others. He enjoined the youths to desire the virtues of hardwork, integrity and honesty as the hallmarks of getting to the top in society.
\u201cOur primary objective is to use the winners of this essay competition to showcase to the world that those values of honesty, hardwork, and integrity can still earn somebody recognition and reputation in Nigeria. And that is why these six winners here are going to be ambassadors of a new Rivers State and a new Nigeria,\u201d he said.\u00a0
Also speaking, the State Commisioner for Education, Prof. Kaniye Ebeku commended the Ministry of Information and Communications for putting up such an informative and educative platform for the Nigerian youths.\u00a0
He commended the Ministry\u00a0 for adopting a rigorous and transparent selection process which resulted in the emergence of the winners describing ithe awards as well deserved.
He commended the winners and urged everyone living and doing business in the State to keep a clean record and desist from demarketing the State.\u00a0
In his speech, the State Commissioner for Youth Development, Prince Ohia Obi admonished youths to ensure they lead their lives making remarkable achievements for themselves and generations to come.\u00a0
He said that wealth made without content and character is invalid,\u00a0 \u201ctake cognisance of the fact that any wealth without content andcharacter is invalid.\u00a0 To develop content is to read and apply knowledge\u201d
\u201cBut if you have this content and do not have a good character, respect for the elderly, your content is vanity because it cannot create wealth,\u201d Ohia said.\u00a0
He expressed gratitude to the State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Pastor Paulinus Nsirim and the Ministry for putting up a platform through which the young ones would realise that they could be recognised and rewarded for promoting good value system.\u00a0
Both Commissioners declared their Ministries endorsement of the #OurStateOurResponsibility advocacy campaign and promised to collaborate with\u00a0 the Ministry of Information and Communications for the\u00a0 execution of the project.\u00a0
Mrs. Stephanie Oyibo, mother of the overall winner,\u00a0 \u00a0gave thanks to God for the victory of her daughter as the face of the Ministry and ambassador of the #OurStateOurResponsibility advocacy campaign\u00a0 of the Ministry.\u00a0
She expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Information and Communications for evolving a channel through which the negative narrative of the State could be changed through the propagation of the numerous achievements of the State Government.\u00a0
While thanking participants,\u00a0 parents of the winners and others who graced the ceremony,\u00a0 the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs. Ibiwari Clapton-Ogolo said that the essay competition which is geared towards inculcating in the youths the right societal values was the first stage of the second phase of the #OurStateOurResponsibity Campaign which would include, theme songs, skits and finally short films.
Master Anyiam Christian Kelechukwu and Miss. Paago Ziga Praise came second and third winners of the competition respectivly. Others who\u00a0 won consolation prizes are Jaja Tamunoimiegba Christian, 18 years old, Amarachi Chimezie, 17 years old and Orovwigho Deborah, 16 years old.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By: Amieyeofori Ibim
Ibim,\u00a0 Special Assistant, Media,\u00a0Honourable Commissioner for Information and Communications,\u00a0 Rivers State.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As youths, all hands must be on deck to protect our dear Rivers State in all ramifications. We should be good ambassadors in defending the interest of our\u00a0 State, in ensuring healthy environment and shunning anti-social behaviour that are detrimental to the effects of government in building a virile State.\u201d 18-years-old Miss. Sophia Awajibenem Eyitemi […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-278956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-city-crime"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278956","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=278956"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278956\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":278970,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278956\/revisions\/278970"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=278956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=278956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=278956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}