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PDP Youths Tackle Secondus Over Call For Emefiele’s Resignation
The national leadership of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Youth Mobilisation Council, has asked the embattled chairman of the party, Prince UcheSecondus and the Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbodiyan, to resign over their attack on the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.
The National Coordinator of the council, AbubakarSadiq, in a press release made available to newsmen in Abuja, yesterday, urged the PDP to resolve its internal crisis first before asking Emefiele to resign.
He said under their watch, the PDP had been enmeshed in one crisis or another, wondering why they would abandon their role and focus on Emefiele.
He said, “We are amazed at the irony that the same Prince UcheSecondus as well as Kola Ologbodiyan under whose watch the PDP diminished to its ever worst level and was only made to leave office courtesy of a court order despite fighting to remain in office is the same UcheSecondus and Kola Ologbodiyan that are asking another person to leave office when they have refused to step down to allow the PDP to be rebuilt after their incompetence sent the party to the path of self-destruction.
“Do UcheSecondus and Kola Ologbodion not know that their performance at the NWC of the PDP have been the most unproductive, lacklustre, uncreative and fruitless period in the history of PDP? Do these men not know that they have so made the great PDP so unattractive that governors, senators, national and state parliamentarians and even elected party officials at various levels of the Party are now leaving the party in droves and seeking other platforms to guarantee or even brighten their chances of winning elections in 2023?
“Why have UcheSecondus and Kola Ologbodiyan not willingly resigned if they believe that anyone who fails in an assignment should resign? Or are they waiting for the undertakers to come and carry the carcass of the PDP which they promised their paymasters?
“Instead of distracting attention of focused PDP members on the upcoming Convention, Mr. Kola should go and sit down and at least pen a good hand over note to his successor as his plot with Mr.Secondus to abort the PDP National Convention will fail woefully. That the party resolved that failures like Mr.Secondus and Mr.Ologbodiyan will not be re-elected into the NWC of the party should not force them to pick on the CBN governor who is not the priority of the party.
“A reasonable National Publicity Secretary of an opposition party will rather put the failures on the table of the elected President and not officers he has right to hire and fire. Doing otherwise unequivocally shows that Mr.Ologbodiyan is working for the larger APC interest and he must be booted out of the PDP.
“Finally, has Mr. Kola Ologbodiyan not seen that for the last 5 months that the economy has been growing steadily and that the governor of CBN has got a good grip on the happenings in the economy and that with his several proactive interventions in agriculture, manufacturing and in MSME’s, that the economy is picking up despite the insecurity, drop in global oil prices and the global impact of the Covid-19 pandemic?
“Mr.Ologbodiyan should know that all PDP members are focused on a successful Convention and will not tolerate his distractive agenda as part of a grand plot to abort the upcoming National Convention.”
Earlier, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) had demanded the resignation of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, over alleged mismanagement of the economy.
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, made the demand on behalf of the party, at a media briefing in Abuja, yesterday.
The PDP also demanded that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should equally investigate allegations of malfeasance in the management of the bank and the economy.
The spokesman stated, “Our party insists that the tenure of Emefiele as CBN governor under the APC administration has witnessed colossal failures of monetary and fiscal policies, requiring him to vacate the office and hand himself over for investigation.
“It is instructive to note that when Emefiele took office as CBN Governor in 2014 the naira exchanged for N164 to a dollar.
“Today, in the hands of Emefiele and the APC, the naira has tumbled to near N600 to a dollar, putting the nation’s economy on its knees.”
Ologbondiyan further said, “Painfully, under the leadership of Emefiele, the CBN has failed in its core mandate of managing the economy and took a dive into propaganda, with claims that do not reflect the harsh economic reality on the ground.
“The PDP, therefore, urges the EFCC not to allow this revelation to be swept under the carpet as it borders on serious economic sabotage which sanctions are clearly spelt out under our laws.”
The Rivers State Investment Promotion Agency (RSIPA) has unveiled measures to enthrone ease of doing business and win back the confidence of the business community.
The Director-General of the Agency, Dr Chamberlain Peterside, unveiled the plans at the Breakout Session of RSIPA at the ongoing 18th Port Harcourt International Trade Fair, at the Obi Wali International Cultural Centre, in Port Harcourt.
Dr. Peterside said the agency was poised to free the state from accumulation of wrong narratives that branded it over the years as unsafe for business.
He, however, admitted that many things had gone wrong in the past where regulators joined to make the business environment difficult for investors.
He announced that the agency was rather focused on actions, solutions, and results as adopted in the mission statement of the Board.
“Our task is no mean feat. We are dealing with the perception risk that over several years branded the state as unsafe. We are also faced with the challenges of dealing with the lack of cohesion amongst MDAs, policy inconsistencies, multiple taxation, incessant harassment by miscreants, red tape and delays in obtaining operating permits, high cost of operations and opaque public sector,” he said.
“It is about listening to the investors in the field and ensuring that MDAs are carried along, hence the imperative for the setting up of our One-Stop-Center”, he added.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Warisenibo Joe Johnson, who represented the state governor, said the Fubara administration was ready to listen to the business community to see ways of reducing impediments to investments.
He listed the stages of actions being undertaken by the governor as outlined in his 37-page blue print to revive the economy of Rivers State.
The Mayor of Housing, My-ACE China, who was presented at the event as a star investor and promoter of Rivers State reputation, said for the plans of the investment promotion agency to materialize, an enabling law should replace the Executive Order that established the Rivers State Investment Promotion Agency.
He said this would insulate the agency from political instability and remove fear in the minds of investors about its sustainability.
According to him, protection precedes promotion and Local Direct Investment (LDIs) is what attracts and promotes Foreign Direct Investment (FDIs).
“It is the rat at home that reveals to the one in the bush that there is fish in the kitchen”, he added.
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?The Mayor of Housing who is also the CEO of the Alesa Highlands Sustainable Green Smart City said that Port Harcourt is like a business empire under lock and key because it is not protecting its own and also not promoting its own enough for investors to come in.
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?In the area of land documentation and inventory, China urged Rivers State Government to borrow a leaf from Abuja and adopt the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in dealing with land and property registration and documentation for ease of doing business.
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?He said Lagos understood the power of business information, adding “this creates the impression that if you are not doing it in Lagos, you are not doing it in Africa.
“We need to shout louder than Lagos, because we need more investments than Lagos and the structural integrity of Abuja. When you marry both, Rivers State would be wonderful and become green with investments,” he said.
In her speech, the President of Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (PHCCIMA), Dr. Chinyere Nwoga, called on the state government to look into the menace of parked trucks now turning Trans-Amadi into a risk zone.
She outlined the activities of the PHCCIMA and invited investors and businesses to the Port Harcourt economic hub, saying peace has returned.
The Director, Investors Relations of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council (NIPC), Mrs Lovina Kayode, urged Rivers State to make haste and catch up on Ease of Doing Business, saying the Council has come to help businesses in the state.
Mrs Kayode, who represented the Executive Secretary/CEO of NIPC, Aisha Rimi, commended the Mayor of Housing and his counterpart, Mr. Oliver Biedima of Rainbow Heritage Group, for their decision to invest in Rivers State, saying it is a proof that Rivers State is safe for investors and their investments.
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In his remarks, Oliver Biedemi of Rainbow Heritage Group urged government to give the private investors chance to develop the economy, saying ordinarily government does not have the funds to develop the economy.
Happy Birthday Chief Barr. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike CON
Honourable Minister Federal Capital Territory
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We’ll Drive Tinubu’s Vision in Rivers With Vigour – Fubara …Inaugurates Dualized Ahoada/Omoku Road ….Debunks Rift With RSHA
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has stated that he will lead Rivers people to galvanize support for President Bola Tinubu to drive the vision and objectives of the Renewed Hope Agenda in the State with vigour.
The governor, who joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), on Tuesday, explained that his decision to join the APC was not for personal interest but for the overall benefit of Rivers State.
Fubara disclosed these while inaugurating the extension of the dualized Ahoada/ Omoku Express road in Ahoada East and Ogba Egbema Ndoni Local Government Areas of Rivers State.
He commended the contracting firm, Julius Berger, for timely delivery of the project, saying the project is a campaign promise fulfilled which will bring economic benefits to the people and tackle issues of insecurity associated with the route.
He said his administration has remained focused in delivering democratic dividends in the state despite facing glaring challenges.
The governor thanked the people of Ahoada East and Ogba Egbema Ndoni Local Government Areas for their continuous support, and urged his supporters to remain steadfast and also support President Tinubu who he said, has demonstrated love to Rivers State as a father.
Fubara denied having rift with the Rivers State House of Assembly, stating that his meeting with the lawmakers was stalled as a result of delay in the agreed meeting to be convened by former Governor Nyesom Wike and other stakeholders for him to meet with the state lawmakers.
“I have made every effort to meet with the Assembly members, but it is not within my leadership to initiate the meeting process.
“The arrangement was for my leader, Wike, and the elders led by Anabraba to call for a meeting with the the lawmakers.
“I’m a gentleman and principled. I can’t go behind to call them when we’ve already agreed. Whoever that tell them that I don’t want to meet with them, or I rejected proposal meant for them isn’t saying the truth,” Fubara said.
The Permanent Secretary of the Rivers State Ministry Works, Mr Austin Ezekiel-Hart, who gave the project description, said the delivery of the project was a fulfillment of long time dream by the people of Ahoada East and Ogba Egbema Ndoni Local Government Areas.
He said the road was previously a single lane and has now been dualised to 14.6 meters wide, complete with solar-powered streetlights with drainages.
He said the road significantly would reduce travel time between Ahoada and Omoku while improving economic activity in the region.
In his welcome address, Chairman of Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area, Hon. Chuku Shedrack Ogbogu, described the road as a symbol of unity, oneness, and development, thanking the governor for fulfilling his campaign promises.
On his part, the Managing Director of Julius Berger, Engr. Peer Lusbash, said the project was awarded to his company in 2023 with a completion period of 18 months which was achieved in best quality.
He added that Julius Berger enjoyed a good support from the Fubara administration, and assured to complete all ongoing projects being handled by Julius Berger on specification, especially the Ring Road project which is a legacy project.
