Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

DELTA State has approved the development and management of the Lander Brothers Anchorage, Asaba, to the Abuja Boat Club, Commissioner for Information Charles Aniagwu has said.

Aniagwu, who addressed reporters after the State Executive Council (SEC) meeting yesterday, said the upgrade of facilities at the Anchorage will cost N524 million.

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He added that the council also approved additional works on the Beneku Bridge to increase its height by two meters at N1.2 billion.

The commissioner added that completion of the DLA road, Asaba, and tarring of some adjoining streets was also awarded at N448.5 million.

 Nsa Gill, Calabar

THE Cross River State government has said all verified pensioners have been paid.

The clarification followed Monday’s protest by about 100 pensioners who blocked a major highway, causing a temporary gridlock.

Commissioner for Local Government Affairs Mrs. Stella Odey, who addressed the protesters, promised that genuine pensioners will be paid once they undergo screening and are captured in the payroll. She said the periodic screening became imperative following the discovery of ghost pensioners in the payroll.

According to her, no verified pensioner is owed. She, however, urged the protesters to cooperate with government by submitting themselves for screening.

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The commissioner hinted that workers manning the pension board were directly drawn from the local governments as demanded by the pensioners

She said: “The governor is passionate about pensioners; we have not owed their pension for one day. We have not owed any pensioner, as I speak to you.

“If you have not been screened, you cannot be paid. That is why we say come and do screening, so that we can capture you as a pensioner. Do you know that government has been paying so many ghost pensioners? That is why we are doing screening.”

By Bassey Anthony, Uyo

Militants under the aegis of Niger Delta Liberation Force (NDLF) have given Governor Udom Emmanuel 14 days ultimatum to publish federal allocations to local governments in Akwa Ibom State.

The agitators asked the governor to make public records of council allocations received by the state from June 2015 to date, failing which they will stage a mass protest, which may lead to some grave impacts on the state.

The NDLF last week accused the Emmanuel administration of stalling development at the grassroots by tampering with council funds since his assumption of office in 2015.

But the state government denied the allegation.

In a statement at the weekend by the state commander of the NDLF, ‘Captain’ Victor Eyoh and four others, the group asked the state government to prove its innocence by making public records of council allocations.

The statement said: “For the avoidance of doubt, as indigenes of Akwa Ibom State, we are aware that during the first five months after the inauguration of the outgoing local government councils, the 31 councils were operating on zero allocations.

‘’In subsequent months, N6 to N8million per month were disbursed to each local government for the payment of political office holders, elected councillors and traditional rulers.

‘’We, therefore, stand by our earlier claims that the state government has been illegally tampering with local government funds, and challenge the government to publish for public scrutiny details of the monthly receipts of revenue from the Federation Account from June 2015 in respect of the allocations to the 31 local governments and records of disbursements of same to the councils.”

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Comrade Iniobong Ememobong, has denied tampering with council funds, saying Governor Emmanuel is not a signatory to any local government council account.

Ememobong, who said the NDLF might be working for the opposition, asked the group to approach the Federal Government for records of funds allocations to local government councils in the state.

He said:  ‘’The publication of allocation to local government areas is done by the Federal Government and is available for all to see.

‘’The local government leadership through ALGON can answer whether the governor has been tampering with their allocation or not.

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‘’However, for your information, the governor isn’t a signatory to any local government council account and therefore cannot tamper with an account he’s not a signatory to.

‘’But it’s amazing how a militant group can now claim to be spokespersons for issues  that make them sound like echo chambers of some Akwa Ibom opposition chieftains’’.

By Nsa Gill, Calabar

The palace of the Obong of Calabar, His Eminence Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu V, has said the Obong has nothing personal against Prof. Ben Ayade, the governor of Cross River State.

The clarification came on Sunday from a palace source who pleaded anonymity and insisted that the Obong will not speak further on the matter, “but the truth is that the Obong has nothing personal against Governor Ayade”.

Our source said the Obong spoke when he received in audience, former governor Liyel Imoke on a visit in the wake of the devastating destruction of properties of the government, individuals and organisations.

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“The Obong is unhappy about the level of wanton destruction of government institutions, structures and private investments in Calabar, Akpabuyo and Bakassi local government areas. The protest was purportedly on the #EndSARS agitation and it became hijacked by violent elements”, the palace source said.

He added: “The Obong believes there was a security breakdown in the state on October 23 and 24 with the governor as the chief security officer of the state not holding a timely security council meeting of the state.”

In a swift reaction to the position of the Obong suggesting that the governor should step aside, Mr. Asu Okang, the commissioner for Information, said: “We are in a democracy and everybody is entitled to his or her opinion.”

By Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has slammed churches for disobeying COVID-19 regulations.

He threatened to impose fresh restrictions on worship centres.

Wike spoke at the weekend at St. Thomas Anglican Church in Mile 2 Diobu, Port Harcourt Local Government, during Chief Azubuike Nmerukini’s family special thanksgiving service organised in honour of his wife, Dame Oroma Nmerukini, who survived a critical medical condition.

The governor said he observed during the service that more than 80 per cent of worshippers did not wear face masks.

Wike, in a statement by his Special Assistant, Media, Kelvin Ebiri, warned that if violation of the protocol continued, he would revisit his position on the population of worshippers at the worship centres.

He said: “Eighty-five per cent of those who are here are not wearing face mask. That is the problem we have. Nobody wants to obey simple instruction.

“The mere fact that we have agreed that we should worship and allow everybody, does not mean that we should disobey the protocol.

“My lord Bishop, encourage our people to wear their face masks. It is very important. If this continues, then I will go back and review the restriction to say it cannot be more than a particular number.”

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The governor thanked God for the healing of Dame Nmerukini, describing her as a sister and mother.

In his sermon, the Bishop of Diocese of Niger Delta, Rt. Rev. Wisdom Ihunwo, admonished the congregation to discard the habit of bemoaning what they lack.

Thanking God for the restoration of her health, Dame Nmerukini said the experience was bitter, but she was grateful to God for healing her.

The governor was accompanied by his wife, Justice Suzzeette Nyesom-Wike, state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Amb. Desmond Akawor, Chief of Staff,  Government House,  Chukwuemeka Woke and Head of Rivers State Civil Service,  Rufus Godwin, among others.