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Tag: Ibim Semenitari

  • Rivers govt, APC, PDP disagree over state’s financial status

    Rivers govt, APC, PDP disagree over state’s financial status

    The Rivers State Government, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have disagreed over the financial status of the administration of Governor Rotimi Amaechi, who is also the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF).

    The Rivers government, through the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, and the APC, through its Interim Rivers Chairman, Chief Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, yesterday said the state was not broke.

    PDP’s Jerry Needam, the Special Adviser, Media to the Rivers Chairman of the party, Chief Felix Obuah, insisted that the state was broke.

    Semenitari and Ikanya urged Rivers people to ignore the PDP’s claims, which were described as misleading, frivolous and ridiculous.

    Rivers PDP, however, maintained that available evidence showed that the Amaechi’s administration could no longer meet its responsibilities.

    PDP said: “We wonder how the Rivers Commissioner for Information will deny this glaring fact, in the face of the failure and collapse of almost all the social and public agencies in the state.

    “The Commissioner’s brazen denial is laughable. We want Mrs. Semenitari to explain why the Rivers State Government still owes officers and men of the Rivers State Road Transport Management Authority (TIMA-RIV) for about six months.

    “The newly-recruited 13,000 teachers are also owed six months’ salaries, roads and other infrastructural projects have been abandoned and there is delay in the release of the N300 million Christmas bonus meant for the civil servants in the state.

    “The PDP also demands explanation from the Rivers Information Commissioner to justify the reason for the denial of funds for the full implementation of the 2013 budget by the various ministries, if the state is not broke.

    “If the state is not broke, let the pensioners receive their full gratuities, rather than the piecemeal, a style of payment which has never happened in Rivers State, except now that the state is in financial distress.”

    The Rivers APC also stated that the leader of the party in the state (Amaechi) had created what the state’s Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Chuma Chinye, described as the 24th LGA of the state.

    The NIPPG, according to Chinye, the political leader of group, who hails from Delta State, was to protect the political interests of the over 1.5 million non-indigenes residing in Rivers State.

    Chinye described setting up of the structure as the first of its kind in any part of Nigeria, which he said was in keeping with the antecedents of Amaechi as a great leader, whose patriotism is legendary and a true nationalist.

    The NGF chairman was also referred to as the hero and hope of the non-indigenes in Rivers State, if the ways he had carried the non-indigenes along in his administration were things to go by.

    The Rivers commissioner for commerce and industry said: “Governor Amaechi has a history of giving non-indigenes a sense of belonging, as reflected in the composition of the State Executive Council.

    “Apart from myself, many other non-indigenes such as Mr. Ade Adeogun from Ondo State, who mans the powerful Rivers State Environmental Sanitation Authority and Mr. David Iyofor, the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the Governor, who is from Delta State, are holding key positions in the Amaechi’s administration.”

    The Senior Special Assistant, Media and Public Affairs, to the Interim Rivers Chairman of the APC, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, yesterday noted that at a keenly-contested election, held at the state secretariat of APC at Forces Avenue, old Government Reservation Area (GRA), Port Harcourt over the weekend, Chief Uchenna Okokoba defeated the duo of Alhaji Yusuf Tanko and Chief Williams Ubeka, to emerge the Interim Coordinator of the non-indigene group in Rivers APC.

    Inaugurating the group on behalf of the Rivers APC chairman (Ikanya), the Interim Secretary of the party, Chief Emeka Bekee, said: “This is another strong signal of the doom awaiting the PDP and other opposition parties during the 2015 elections.

    “I assure you of the support of Governor Amaechi and leadership of the APC. So, go out and mobilse your people to ensure that the APC becomes the party to beat come 2015, seeing that Governor Amaechi recognises and has made your people an integral part of his administration.”

    In a related development, the APC in Rivers State has concluded the harmonisation of the different groups that came together to form the party, the legacy party, comprising the defunct ANPP, ACN, CPC and NPDP, in the 23 LGAs of the state.

    The interim Rivers chairman of the APC also admonished members of the harmonised steering committee of each of the LGAs of the state to go and spread the gospel of the party in all the nooks and crannies of Rivers.

    The harmonized steering committee members were also urged to establish the wards’ steering committees and mobilise Rivers people to formally register with the APC from February 5, for the PDP, their common enemy, to be politically dealt with during the 2015 general elections.

     

  • Wike denies allegation of trying to ‘purchase’ judgment

    Wike denies allegation of trying to ‘purchase’ judgment

    The Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, yesterday denied that he wanted to purchase court judgment to stop the implementation of the Rivers State’s 2014 budget.

    Responding to the allegation made by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, that Wike and his “acolytes” intended to procure a court order through the backdoor to stop the implementation of the budget passed last week by the State Assembly, Wike said the state government should look elsewhere to deal with its problems.

    The minister who spoke on Rhythm FM Radio in Port Harcourt described the allegation of the Rivers government as an insult on the judiciary.

    He excoristed over the manner of the budget presentation and said: “Budget must be presented by the Governor in the hallowed chambers of the House of Assembly and not in Government House, as done by Amaechi. How could he have presented budget to his loyalists in his office and passed the same day, thereby making a mockery of democracy?

    “The Rivers State Government has been obtaining various ex-parte orders from the Rivers State High Courts, without anybody complaining. The kangaroo 2014 budget cannot stand, much less of its being implemented.”

     

  • Banks shut as fire guts Mile One market

    Banks shut as fire guts Mile One market

    •Amaechi sad, promises to build new market

    Commercial banks in Mile One, Diobu in Port Harcourt, Rivers State were shut to customers yesterday, following a fire, which gutted the popular Mile One market on Ikwerre Road.

    Goods and valuable property worth billions of naira were lost, while residential buildings and offices were also affected.

    Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, alleged that dynamites were thrown into the market at 2am, adding that this might be connected to the political crisis in the state.

    She said: “Around 2am, we heard sounds from different areas. Dynamites were being shot and they emanated from Abonnema Wharf and Marine Base in Port Harcourt.”

    Customers at commercials banks were politely turned back by security personnel, while people, who wanted to use the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) were not allowed into the premises.

    At the First Bank near the burnt market, a security guard, who declined to give his name, said they did not allow customers into the premises to prevent another sad incident.

    It was learnt that the fire spread fast before fire fighters arrived. A nearby commercial/residential two-storey building and other residential buildings were affected.

    The fire fighters, however, ensured that the inferno did not spread to other residential buildings, shops and offices.

    The incident caused a traffic jam, especially on Ikwerre Road, with motorists opting for alternative routes.

    Most of the traders have just stocked up their shops with goods because of the Christmas celebration before the unfortunate incident.

    Hoodlums capitalised on the fire to loot goods.

    The Mile One Divisional Police Headquarters is opposite the market. Policemen, however, took over the area from 7am to provide security.

    The fire was still raging at press time. Traders were wailing, lamenting their inability to salvage their goods.

    Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi described the fire as sad and unfortunate.

    He said while the incident was unfortunate and robbed traders of their investment and means of livelihood, the people still had reason to thank God that nobody died.

    Governor Amaechi spoke after inspecting the damage. He drove from the Port Harcourt International Airport shortly after his arrival yesterday.

    Sympathising with traders, he promised that his administration would assist them.

    Amaechi said his government would build a modern market for the traders, adding that their refusal to vacate the area had delayed plans to build a modern market.

  • My suspension is politicial witch-hunt, says Amaechi

    Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi has faulted his suspension from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by the National Working Committee of the party.

    Reacting through the state Commissioner for Information, Mrs Ibim Semenitari in Port Harcourt on Monday, Amaechi said “We are concerned, as we believe this is political witch hunt. It is worrisome”.

    “The reason given is the suspension  of the Obio/Akpor council. This is purely a legislative matter and done in accordance to the laws of local government councils in Rivers State,”Amaechi stated.