Category: SouthEast

• Governor: NAITS initiative welcome development

Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has directed that all revenue collection functions of the government will now come under the direct supervision of his office to ensure they achieve the N62 billion target at the end of the year.

A statement yesterday by his Special Adviser on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie, said a review of revenue till date showed that government’s earnings fell under the N30 billion target.

Osagie said: “At the end of June 2023, the Governor’s Office reviewed the year-to-date revenue status, and it showed that earnings fell under the N30 billion target.

“On account of that, the governor has queried all permanent secretaries and heads of revenue-generating agencies within government, including local government councils that have not met their mid-year target.”

Governor Obaseki has praised the National Animal Identification and Traceability System (NAITS) of the Federal Government. He described it as a step in the right direction.

The NAITS is an animal information and management system which will promote a secure and economically-viable domestic livestock value chain.

Obaseki, while opening the NAITS stakeholders’ engagement, said the system would restore sanity in the sector.

The governor, who was represented by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Peter Osagie, noted that NAITS would end the incessant clashes between farmers and herders as errant cattle could easily be traced and identified with tags.

The stakeholders’ engagement was attended by cattle breeders, butchers, farmers, top officials of local, state and federal governments, as well as senior security agents, veterinary doctors, and owners of abattoirs, among others.

Obaseki said: “NAITS is expected to digitise the livestock system from birth. It is a novel development which should be taken seriously by all as livestock is next to crude oil in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“Edo State government embraces the NAITS initiative. The stakeholders’ engagement is to ensure a win-win situation. Cattle rustling will be a thing of the past with NAITS, as the cattle can easily be traced, even to neighbouring countries. Also, animals with diseases can quickly be identified.”

Chairman of Edo State Livestock Control Committee, Col. Osazuwa Irabor (rtd.), said members of the committee, with the support of security agencies, would prevent illegal grazing and designate ranching areas to ensure peaceful co-existence between herders and farmers.

Irabor hailed Obaseki for inaugurating the committee, which he said would also prevent frequent clashes between farmers and herders.

Bayelsa State Deputy Governor Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo yesterday received defectors from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area into the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Ewhrudjakpo hailed their courage to return to the PDP where they originally belonged before pitching tent with the opposition.

The deputy governor said the PDP family is delighted to receive the defectors back, noting that they would be reintegrated fully and recognised as bona fide members.

While encouraging others to return, Ewhrudjakpo stressed that the party’s umbrella was large enough to accommodate everyone. He also promised the group that a formal ceremony would be organised to welcome them back, where Governor Douye Diri and the members of State Working Committee would all be present.

Technical Adviser to the governor on Federal Projects, Basil Kenbo, who presented the defectors, said the people, who were staunch members of the APC in SILGA, decided to officially join the PDP and work for it in the forthcoming governorship election.

Kenbo noted that their return to the PDP was informed by the maturity and open-mindedness of Governor Diri in governing the state and the various infrastructural projects his administration had embarked on.

The Independent Corruption Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has reiterated call on Nigerians to assist in its anti-graft fight. It reassured its stance of adequate protection of whistleblowers with genuine information.

The commission, however, warned whistleblowers against providing frivolous petitions and false information because of rewards, reminding culprits of dare consequences of such acts.

Anambra State Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner, Godwin Oche, gave the warning yesterday at a one-day review meeting of Stepdown training by the African Center for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), in collaboration with International Peace and Civic Responsibility Centre (IPCRC).

The training focused on strengthening capacity of community-based organisations on whistle-blowing and whistleblower protection, themed ‘Sharing Impact by CBOs on the Promotion of Whistle-blowing policy in Anambra State’.

Oche, represented by the officer in-charge of Public Enlightenment and Education, Inalegwu Shaibu, said: “Fighting corruption in a developing nation like Nigeria remains a work in progress. The ubiquitous litanies of woes of corruption on our moral, socio-economic and national development is very alarming. The commission had faced challenges in terms of false information which has led to prosecution of the whistle-blower. We’ve also offered protection to some of the whistle-blowers who have come under attack from the people and the agency indicted. We encourage anonymity, from investigations to prosecution.”

Coordinator of AFRICMIL Dr. Chido Onumah worried over the inability of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to pass the whistle-blowing protection draft bill into law before its tenure expired.

Onumah, represented by Senior Program Officer, Ugwu Nkechi, described the protection of whistleblowers as crucial to the success of whistle-blowing policy implementation, regretting the absence of law backing the policy.

He, however, said the group had made progress by ensuring the bill’s approval by the Federal Executive Council last December, stressing that it was already working with partners to ensure the law is enacted as quickly as possible.

State Director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Sir Joseph Uchendu, said conversations around the whistle-blowing policy should be total, including how to make Nigeria work among its citizens.

President of the International Peace and Civil Responsibility Center (IPCRC) Comrade Prince Azor, who defined corruption as misappropriation of our commonwealth, said that the people have a right to hold their leaders accountable.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka (UNIZIK), Anambra State, has elected Prof. Kingsley Ubaoji as its new chairperson.

Ubaoji defeated Comrade Okenwa Ogbodo and two others. He will be taking over from Prof. Steve Ufoaroh.

Before the election, 14 persons were cleared  by the electoral screening committee, headed by Comrade Tochukwu Orji-Okafor, and Zonal Coordinator of ASUU-Owerri Zone, Comrade Uzor Onyebimama.

Prof. Ubaoji polled 616 votes to defeat Ogbodo who came second with 227 votes. While Comrade Uju Ezenekwe scored 141 votes to place third, Comrade Peter Okoye polled 84 votes.

Contractors working for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) have stopped protests and barricading of the commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, because the Managing Director, Samuel Ogbuku, intervened.

The contractors, under the auspices of the Niger Delta Indigenous Contractors Association (NDICA), and the Contractors Association of NDDC (CAN), addressed a joint news conference yesterday in Port Harcourt. According to them, Ogbuku, on assuming office, resolved most of their problems with NDDC.

National President of NDICA, Chief Dressman Darlington-Gbolobofa, who read their documented position, said Ogbuku and the management team took a decision to pay most contractors with small ticket projects, ‘which constituted about 60 per cent of the commission’s debts to contractors’.

Gbolobofa said: “We are glad to note that the rancour, distrust and animosity that characterised the relationship between the NDDC and its vendors/contractors have become a thing of the past because of the effective administrative style of Dr. Ogbuku and his team. Gone are the days when hapless local contractors were forced to embark on disruptive protests over non-payment for jobs.

“Worthy of commendation is the management’s well-thought out decision to pay contractors starting with small tickets, which constitute about 60 per cent of the commission’s debts to contractors.

“Ogbuku, in his efforts to do things differently, had continually held interactive sessions with contractors and stakeholders. This people-centred administrative style has boosted the commission’s positive public perception. We are also privy to the various efforts put in place by the NDDC management to sensitise youths of Niger Delta communities on the dangers of pipeline vandalism, illegal oil bunkering and refining.

“As indigenous operators and partners in progress, we are genuinely interested in the success of the NDDC. We, hereby, pass a vote of confidence in the Samuel Ogbuku-led management team, and urge the President Bola Tinubu to consider and confirm them for reappointment.”

Gbolobofa also congratulated President Bola Tinubu on his bold policy decisions taken so far to reposition the country on the path of development and growth.

Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has described the state as the most digitised in Nigeria.

He said ongoing digital transformation programmes would make Edo fully e-governed before September 1, thus emerging as the first state to have entirely shifted to a digital mode of administration.

Obaseki, who opened a one-week digital transformation training for over 3,000 civil servants at the John Odigie-Oyegun Public Service Academy in Benin, described the initiative as laudable.

Represented by the Head of Service, Anthony Okungbowa, he noted that the government was working to ensure the delivery of all government services was digitised, transparent and seamless.

He said: “Over the next few weeks, we will be having 3,000 personnel in the civil/public service trained on the use of computers. We all know that without the knowledge of computers, it is impossible to work on the edogov platform.

“The governor has instructed that before September 1, Edo will become completely e-governance. All these are to ensure that we succeed, as we move to become the digital hub of Nigeria. We hope that all of us in this training will contribute to the success.

“The target is to train 3,000 workers. The training will last for nine weeks. The objective is to ensure that all civil/public servants are trained on all that is required to make Edo a digital state.

“We want to be the digital hub of this country. As such, the administration is investing massively in digitalisation. The government is opening the digital space, which is why we have a contract to extend fibre optic cables across the state to enable people to have access to the internet and expose their skills.”

Anambra State-based real estate developer, Chief Ezeayom Chinazor, has refuted allegations of land grabbing brought against him, saying they were targeted at smearing his image.

He described the allegation as wicked, insisting that the investments were strictly done according to laws and specifications.

Reacting to a publication titled ‘Anambra residents raise alarm over illegal structures’, Ezeayom regretted lack of professionalism among certain media practitioners, especially bloggers. He said it was high time stakeholders in the media profession rose to the challenge to ensure the image of the profession was not tarnished.

He said: “Every transaction regarding the land was done in accordance to relevant laws and customs governing purchase of lands in Anambra State. Owners of the said land, Akpukwu family and Anambra State Urban Development Board (ASUDEB), were settled and payment of necessary fees done. Beside, the land is not in an erosion prone area as wickedly alleged in the sponsored publication.”

Chairman of the Akpuwku family, Emmanuel Mgbadike, said the family sold the land to Chief Ezeayom who shares boundary with one Ifeanyi Anaeme. He said Ezeayom has not done anything wrong.

Mgbadike, who spoke through his Vice, Chief Obi Jideofor, rather blamed Anaeme for abandoning the land for more than five years, without buying it from the family.

He said: “The land has more plots before the buffer zone. We had wanted to use the land in question for shopping plaza because when we sell to people, they will leave it undeveloped.”

But Anaeme insisted he was the rightful owner of the said land.

“I bought the land from the Contractor, Chief Bonaventure Mokwe, who developed the estate. He left that portion as a buffer zone which, by implication, belongs to me. The same portion is not the property of the Akpukwu family as they had ceded it to the contractor who sold it to me,” he said.

Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has explained that the proposed Port Harcourt Ring Road will traverse six local government areas.

He confirmed that his administration had concluded plans to award the contract, which he described as the ‘single biggest project to be undertaken by any state in the country’.

A statement by the governor’s media aide, Boniface Onyedi, said investors were excited and ready for the derivable benefits of the project.

He spoke yesterday after inspecting deplorable sections of Degema Street, Harbour Road and Reclamation Road in the old Port Harcourt Township, and the ascending section of the bridge connecting Dr. Peter Odili Road to Woji Town.

The governor said the ring road would be a legacy project of his administration aimed to decongest roads in the various localities within Port Harcourt and Obio Akpor local government areas.

The statement reads: “When all these places are opened up, people, including the real estate investors, will start moving in and businesses will open up because people have started acquiring land there. That is to tell you the importance of the road.”

On the remedial work ongoing on failed sections of the inspected roads, Fubara promised that permanent solutions were being worked out.

Fubara also inspected ongoing work at the Government Secondary School, Emohua, and the failed portion of the Rumuigbo Road.

Abia State Governor Alex Otti has directed the immediate payment of April salaries to ‘verified’ civil servants. He also ordered the payment of June pensions to retirees, some of whom are owed about 50 months ’arears.

Otti, in statement yesterday by his Chief Press Secretary, Kazie Uko said the payment were in fulfilment of his campaign promise not to owe pensioners and clear all outstanding verified debts.

The governor was said to have given the directive after a meeting of the State Executive Council (SEC). According to Uko, the governor directed the Accountant-General to ensure both the April salary arrears and the June pension were paid before the end of the week despite the ongoing workers’ and pensioners’ verification.

“I know government will be losing money by making these payments since verification is still on. So far, we have unearthed a lot of ghost names in our payroll but I also know there are a lot of genuine ones. What we are doing by making these payments, especially as it relates to pensioners, is to help mitigate the sufferings of genuine pensioners, who are elderly and sickly and have had to endure untold hardship for so long,” the statement added.

Over 100 persons in Anambra State yesterday benefitted from free eyes screening and cataract surgery as the government launched the state’s first Eye Care Centre at Nise, Awka South Local Government Area.

Head of the Eye Care Centre, Dr Ikenna Mbakigwe, described cataract as an age-related ailment of the eye and the leading cause of blindness in the state and country. He hoped the centre would be of immense benefit to residents.

“We have done free eye screenings for over 100 persons to launch the first and only state government-owned eye care centre. Of this number, 11 were confirmed to have cataract, and five were found eligible for free surgery.

“There is a lens that God has put in the eyes and as you get older, the lens becomes cloudy. The cloudiness is what we call cataract. Cataract increases with age, which is why as some persons grow older, they do not see clearly. When that happens, you need to remove the lens via surgery. So, cataract is treatable to avoid blindness.

“Glaucoma, which is another common eye disease, causes irreversible blindness but if caught early, with regular eyes, the progression could be delayed.”

Mbakigwe, who identified increased exposure to sunlight, diabetes and trauma to the eyes as some factors capable of hastening cataract formation, urged residents to prioritise their eye health by visiting the facility for regular screenings, at least once a year.

He added: “The eye is a very important organ which has capacities to withstand problems. If you do not come to check your eyes regularly, when it starts manifesting, the burden is difficult to bear. That’s why you don’t have to wait until you start having serious eyes problems before you go for checks.”