The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Mrs Ibim Semenitari

  • I didn’t sponsor thugs to snatch ballot boxes, says Semenitari

    A former Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, has denied a report on Radio Rivers she sponsored armed thugs that stormed polling units in Abam, Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State during the governorship and House of Assembly elections.

    Semenitari, who is a former Rivers Commissioner for Information and Communications during the Rotimi Amaechi’s administration, was accused by the Port Harcourt-based radio of mobilising the thugs to snatch electoral materials, which they allegedly took to her family house in Abam, Okrika LGA to thumb-print for her party.

    She is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Mrs. Semenitari, whose husband, Chief Henry Semenitari, is the paramount ruler of Abam community, stated that she had suffered embarrassment by the false report.

    She said: “At no time did thugs come to my house. I do not harbour any thug and I cannot imagine such a report being aired about me.

    “The reporter did not do a simple fact-check, before going on air. Neither did the radio station.”

    Soldiers later went to Chief Abam’s house, a PDP chieftain and recovered the hijacked electoral materials.

    The former acting managing director of NDDC is a daughter of an ex-Deputy Governor of Rivers state, Sir Gabriel Toby, who hails from Opobo, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro LGA.

  • NDDC working on Bayelsa roads, not state govt – Semenitari

    NDDC working on Bayelsa roads, not state govt – Semenitari

    The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Saturday, said it was shocked at the attempts by the Bayelsa State Government to take credit for roads the commission was undertaking in different parts of he state.

    The Acting Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, NDDC, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, said contrary to the claims of the state government, the commission commenced repairs and rehabilitation of 14 roads in the state including the capital, Yenagoa.

    Semenitari in a statement signed by her Special Adviser, Media and Communication, Bekee Anyalewechi, said she was reacting to claims by the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Jonathan Obuebite.

    Obuebite reportedly said on a live radio programme in Yenagoa that the ongoing emergency repairs on roads in the state were the handiwork of the state government.

    But Semenitari flayed the claims and explained that the projects, which covered NDDC’s nine mandate states, were initiated and being executed by the commission.

    She wondered why instead of commending the interventionist agency for its bold step to bring a huge relief to the suffering people of the state, the government resorted in turning the truth head-down.

    “Such deliberate falsehood erodes public trust in authorities”, the NDDC boss said adding that the emergency work was designed to relieve the government of some infrastructural burden.

    Semenitari said the commission had expected that the Government of Bayelsa State would, in best practice, emulate its Cross River and Akwa Ibom states counterparts in commending the NDDC.

    “Or, where it lacked the courage to attribute credit to NDDC, would keep quiet than spreading misinformation”, she said.

    She expressed disbelief that the government, though knew the truth, chose to hide it from the public noting “that such style of governance erodes confidence in government and ridicules the tenets of probity”.

    She said: “NDDC saw gaps in road infrastructure across its nine mandate states and the urgent need to intervene and after a management meeting, decided to act as to procure relief to motorists and other road users.

    “So the option of emergency road repairs came handy as it would afford immediate remedial solutions, relieve states of financial burden and enhance inter and intra-city communications.

    “Under this intervention, hitherto impassable roads have become usable routes thereby boosting economic activity and improving livelihood of the people.”

    The commission listed the 14 roads in which it was working on in the state as the Oporuma-Sabageria-Polaku road in Opokuma local government; Odi-Trofani road; Otiotio Road, Yenagoa; DooGood Street, Yenagoa; Goodnews Street, Azikoro, Yenagoa; Shepherd Vine Road, also in Yenagoa.

    Others in Yenagoa are Capt. Ayeni Street; Saptex Road, Yenizue-Epie; INEC Road, Kpansia; Jasmine Suite Road, Kpansia; Erepa Road ; and NIIT Road, Dimrose-Green; Villa-Custom Link Roads 1 & 2, Biogbolo; and Tolda Road, Ekeki.

    “While we are not engaging the Bayelsa State Government in any verbal war, it is necessary to leave the public with the correct information because it is critical for good governance and sustainable development.”

  • Kidnapping stifling N’Delta development, says NDDC

    Kidnapping stifling N’Delta development, says NDDC

    Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Tuesday, lamented the negative effects of kidnapping saying violence against contractors was stifling development of the Niger Delta region.

    Acting Managing Director of NDDC, Mrs Ibim Semenitari, was particularly unhappy over the recent killing of two soldiers and an abduction of an expatriate attached to a construction firm, Setraco, in Bayelsa State.

    An expatriate, Ramzi Bau Hadir, 53, was kidnapped by gunmen along the Nembe-Ogbia road last week after a gun duel that left two soldiers dead.

    Semenitari said the attack could stall the inauguration of the Ogbia-Nembe road, a joint project between NDDC and Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).

    A statement signed by Daniel Iworiso-Markson, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seriake Dickson, said the NDDC boss spoke in Government House Yenagoa when she paid a courtesy visit to the governor.

    She said the purpose of her visit to Bayelsa was to assess ongoing projects and identify areas of immediate intervention according to needs.

    She said the NDDC has awarded 28 regional projects from its inception, out of which two had been inaugurated.

    She explained that 658 other projects had also been awarded in the areas of shore protection, repair of roads, sand-filling, construction of jetties and electrification.

    She said the abandoned Akenfa bridge project was awarded at the cost of N800 million out of which 50 per cent mobilisation has been paid.

    In his remarks, Dickson warned NDDC against being used as platform for servicing political interest.

    He also suggested that the NDDC should collaborate with state governments in the region to execute priority projects that would serve as a catalyst for the socio-economic development.

    The governor commended the NDDC for the award of contracts in Bayelsa states, but  decried the number of abandoned projects in the state, which he attributed the development to the over-politicization of the activities of the commission.

    He said, “No doubt, contracts were awarded for development projects in Bayelsa but they were abandoned after the payment of mobilization fees. So, in Bayelsa State, you have a litany of abandoned projects in every community, which is not fair.

    “Beneficiaries of these contracts, who thought that the NDDC was just there as a cash cow for them to enrich their pockets at the expense of the impoverished people, who are in need of development is very unfair.”

     

  • Lassa fever: NDDC begins distribution of kits to nine states

    Lassa fever: NDDC begins distribution of kits to nine states

    The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), said on Wednesday that it had commenced distribution of kits and equipment to fight spread of Lassa fever in the nine states in Niger Delta.

    This is contained in a statement issued in Port Harcourt by Mr Chijioke Amu-Nnadi, the commission’s Head of Corporate Affairs Unit.

    The statement quoted Mrs Ibim Semenitari, Acting Managing Director of NDDC, as saying that the commission was concerned about high occurrence of the disease in Edo, Ondo and Rivers.

    It said 1,800 pieces of kits, cold chains, sanitizers and personal protective equipment had been donated to the Rivers Central Medical Stores to distribute to patients in Rivers.

    “We will also send kits to other states for prevention measures; so that the disease can be quickly contained if it spreads to other states.

    “Distribution of Lassa fever kits and facilities to store vaccines is part of the commission’s commitments to support the fight against infectious diseases and health challenges in the region.

    “The commission will soon donate mosquito nets to states health ministries which will be distributed to people in rural communities”, Semenitari was quoted in the statement as saying.

    The statement quoted the Rivers Commissioner for Health, Dr Theophilus Odagme, as saying that the kits and facilities would help checkmate Lassa fever and other infectious diseases in the state.

    Odagme said the cold chain facility had increased the state’s capacity to store vaccines and enhance immunisation.

    “We are hoping to explore more ways of collaborating with NDDC in tackling health challenges while delivering quality healthcare services to people of the state,” the statement said.