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Tag: Rivers

  • SARS: ‘crime rate has dropped in Rivers upland region’

    SARS: ‘crime rate has dropped in Rivers upland region’

    Mr Akin Fakorode, the Commander of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad ( SARS ) in Rivers, says crime rate has dropped to the barest minimum in the upland region of the state.

    Fakorode disclosed this in an interview on Thursday in Port Harcourt.

    He assured the people of the state that the Squad would continue to tackle insecurity in the riverside region until peace was permanently restored following its collaboration with the Marine Police, Navy and other relevant security agencies.

    He disagreed with those clamouring for the withdrawal of SARS from the state,saying the call had no good intention for the residents.

    Fakorede urged members of the public to lodge their complaints about  any misdemeanour on the part of SARS operatives for appropriate sanctions.

    He said that SARS had been able to identify those fomenting trouble and their hideouts, adding that trouble makers would not be given breathing space under his watch.

    “We have increased our presence and we have also strengthened surveillance on the state’s waterways to block the entry points of criminals to the riverside communities.

    “ This measure is to ensure that there is no safe Haven for criminals even in the creeks.

    “I urge the public to enjoy the best Christmas celebration in terms of security as we have positioned our officers and men to ensure security of lives and property in the state,” he said.

    The commander said the presence of SARS in Rivers had brought a sigh of relief to the residents who hitherto were unsafe owing to incessant  kidnappings and cult activities.

    Read also: SARS: Wike, other campaigners are crime beneficiaries, says Peterside

    Fakorode called for more public cooperation,saying  that SARS operations in the state had also  reduced incidents of senseless killings.

    “We remain grateful to those who came in solidarity to identify with the noble objectives of SARS in Rivers because we cannot talk about policing without public collaboration.

    “At several fora, we have asked the public to make official reports of misconduct by our men to the Inspector-General of Police and top police officers.

    “We made this request because some persons may have been negatively affected by some SARS operatives.

    “I can assure Rivers people that any complaint would be duly investigated and if any officer is found wanting he shall not go unpunished,” he said.

    NAN

  • Army raids militant camp, uncovers human skulls

    Army raids militant camp, uncovers human skulls

    The Nigerian Army says it recovered from militant camp in Omoko, Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers, cache of arms and seven decomposed human skulls.

    Col. Aminu Iliyasu, Spokesman of 6 Division in Port Harcourt told newsmen on Tuesday that five males and two females were arrested at the camp.

    Iliyasu alleged that some militants and their fleeing leader, Don Wanny, kidnapped and killed several innocent citizens in Rivers and Bayelsa states.

    The spokesman listed weapons recovered from the camp as two AK 47 rifles, one General Purpose Machine Gun, 18 AK 47 magazines, three FN rifle magazines, 39 7.62mm Nato ammunition and 20 9mm ammunition.

    Others, he said were 7.62 mm ammunition, five Icom and Mag hand-held radios, two 25kg bags of cannabis, nine pairs of military camouflage, 10 human skulls and several bones.

    According to him, the raid is part of renewed strategy by the division to restore law and order in Omoku which has been terrorised by criminals for long.

    “On Monday, we received a tip-off, and thereafter, troops raided the camp and shrines of a notorious militant, cultist, kidnapper and an ardent oil thief popularly known as Don Wanny.

    “After about an hour of gun fight, our troops overpowered the criminal elements due to superior fire power that sent the criminals scampering for safety,” he said.

    Iliyasu said some of the alleged criminals, who sustained gunshot wounds escaped by jumping into Orashi River in the area.

    “However, seven of the suspects including two ladies were arrested, while they attempted to escape in the encounter that occurred at about 2:35 a.m. on Monday.

    “It is believed that the main culprit, Don Wanny was not at the location during the encounter but concerted efforts are on to track, arrest and bring him to justice,” he said.

    Iliyasu thanked residents of the area for cooperating with security agencies and urged them to continue to provide timely information that would lead to arrest of criminals in the state and its environs.

    NAN

  • Balance of terror in Rivers

    Chibuike Amaechi and Nyesom Wike are two of a kind. They both belong to Ikwere Igbo sub ethnic group of oil-rich Rivers State of Niger Delta. Both suffer from a ‘sense of entitlement’ syndrome, a common affliction among youths of this oil-rich area that remains underdeveloped despite accounting for 80% of the resources freely deployed by a dysfunctional centre to develop other areas.  As products of an environment where ‘self-help’, a euphemism for anarchy  has unfortunately come to be seen as an acceptable prevailing culture, it is no surprise both do not regard their periodic unleashing of their thugs and militants on hapless people of Rivers as a national embarrassment  and a disservice to high offices they hold.

    Amaechi first tried the self-help option to consolidate his judicial victory with moral victory over Obasanjo who wanted to play god by unilaterally disqualifying him after winning the River’s PDP governorship primary election in order to accommodate his favourite. All he did back then to win the sympathy of his people was to portray himself as a victim of an overbearing representative of dominant ethnic group. However, by the time President Jonathan was attempting to undermine his candidacy in a governors forum election, self-help strategy for him, had become an art. This time around, all he did was to identify with opposition’s grievances over government handling of the Sovereign Wealth Fund, the mismanagement of the Excess Crude Account and PDP fuel subsidy’s N1.6t fraud. He went on to defeat President Jonathan’s candidate, Jonah Jang of Plateau State by 19 to 16. Jonathan’s attempt to portray him as enemy of South- south to which they both belong for refusing to endorse him for a second term only earned him a bruised nose as Amaechi’s shrill cry and lamentation became “They have taken our oil wells from Etche; they have taken our oil wells from Kalabari; they have taken our oil wells from Andoni and they are battling to take over those in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni. We are losing our oil wells every day; if I speak, they will say that I am stubborn, but we have to defend our rights; part of the problems we are facing now is that we are fighting to protect our oil wells.”

    When five members of Rivers House of Assembly swearing in the name of their messiah, Patience Jonathan, the President’s wife, purportedly impeached the House Speaker supported by the majority of members with the connivance of the police, Amaechi, now a veteran of self-help tactics, invaded the house with his own thugs and policemen. He personally took charge not only to rescue his loyalist lawmakers but to teach the five lawmakers that they did not have a monopoly of violence. Okey Chinda, leader of the five lawmakers loyal to Mrs. Jonathan had his head battered with the maze and had to be flown abroad by PDP for medical treatment.

    President Jonathan was also no stranger to self-help tactics. When Rivers State House of Assembly, with little encouragement from Amaechi suspended the chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area which had become Wike’s recruiting base for thugs in readiness for the 2015 election, Jonathan responded by directing Joseph Mbu of Rivers State Police command to illegally take over the LGA, an action described by Dakuku Peterside, a federal legislator from the area at the time as ‘the height of lawlessness which each day moves us closer to anarchy’.

    The experiences Wike garnered as Amaechi’s faithful ally, trusted Chief of Staff and chief enforcer of his self-help tactics before politics threw them asunder came handy during his 2014 gubernatorial battle. By demonizing Buhari and APC as northern parasites trying to steal the resources of South-south, he was able to whip up such sentiments that some of his supporters were prepared to shed their blood. Wike has continued to hold on to power backed by a Supreme Court verdict and a threat to visit more violence on his opponents with his thugs and militants in the event of another re-run election.

    Amaechi and Wike’s last week clash in public was but a display of balance of terror by two friends turned arch-enemies. It will be recalled Wike as minister for education never skipped a weekend without being in Port-Harcourt to mobilise his thugs and militants for the 2014/15 election even at a period when the ministry he was supervising was in disarray with all federal universities and polytechnics on a strike which in the case of the polytechnics dragged on for close to a year

    It is not difficult to see the obvious parallel between Amaechi’s last week trip to Port Harcourt and those of Wike as minister of education. Amaechi came fully prepared. It was as if he was going to war. According to Wike’s spokesperson, Simeon Nwakaudu, who claimed his principal was attacked while on project inspection at Nwanja Junction on Trans-Amadi Road, Port Harcourt., “the Minister of Transportation had over 50 SARS personnel, soldiers and mobile policemen in his motorcade.”  He further alleged it was “the SARS personnel and soldiers in the minister’s convoy that knocked down the governor’s escort rider and attacked the policemen in the pilot car”. He did not however say how this translated to an attack on Governor Wike who did not arrive the scene until about 10 minutes later.

    On his part, the minister  claimed in a statement, that while being “accompanied  by cars of many of his supporters, the minister’s black jeep was intercepted and blocked at the junction by the security motorcycle outrider attached to Wike after two cars had passed through. Suddenly, gun-toting security men attached to Wike’s convoy surrounded the minister’s car, threatening to shoot”.

    The question to ask Amaechi is what he was doing in Port Harcourt with 50 SARS and a bullet-proof SUV and accompanied by several cars of his supporters if he was on a peaceful mission and not on a show of force. It will not be out of place to conclude that at a time Amaechi was expected to be working as a minister of transport, he was engaged in juvenile show of force probably to raise the morale of his thugs and militants just like Wike, his estranged ally did as minister of education.

    Beyond the assault on our sensibilities by merchants of violence and patrons of thugs and militants, our greatest tragedy is that Nigerians had expected from President Buhari and his APC, an end to the monumental wastes that defined the Jonathan era. Instead, we are daily assailed and assaulted by governors and ministers’ convoys of over a dozen expensive cars with lorry loads of security personnel, all at taxpayers’ expense. It is more tragic that these office holders and public servants are wasting resources at a time many states owe unpaid arrears of workers’ salaries.

    Leaders who consider themselves as legitimate representatives of their people have no need to run away from those they are elected or appointed to serve if they have nothing to hide. Most members of our current political class are too young to know we once had an organised society when our leaders like those of developed societies of Europe, take buses, drive their own cars and lived among those they served unlike today when what defines leadership of small sub ethnic group like Ikwere of Rivers State is balance of terror.

  • Rivers to unveil Bonny Schools in three weeks

    The reconstruction of selected basic education schools in Bonny Local Government Area, Rivers State, will be completed in three weeks, it was learnt yesterday.

    Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board, Ven. Fyneface Akah, spoke when he led board members to inspect ongoing work at the schools.

    The Bonny schools are part of the 175 basic schools being reconstructed to strengthen education. The governor released N5.6 billion to the board for the repositioning of the basic education schools.

    Ven. Akah, who expressed satisfaction with the quality of work, promised that the projects will be financed diligently until they are delivered in line with the governor’s directive.

    He said: “Governor Nyesom Wike gave us the resources to reach all the 23 local government areas. All our contractors are doing well at their various sites; schools are being delivered in the riverine and upland communities.

    “I thank God for the governor’s wisdom in taking basic education to the rural communities; this has extended infrastructure and the government presence to all communities.”

  • Monkeypox hit Abuja as FG confirms six fresh cases

    Monkeypox hit Abuja as FG confirms six fresh cases

    The Federal Government has confirmed six new cases of the MonekyPox virus in the country, with one case recorded in the Federal Capital Territory.

    Dr. Osagie Ehanire, the Minister of State for Health, made this known in a statement by Mrs Boade Akinola, Director of Media and Public Relations, Ministry of Heath.

    Akinola said apart from the one recorded in Abuja, two cases were confirmed each in Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom while Enugu State had one case.

    Ehanire also said investigations were ongoing to see if any of the new cases has a link with the Bayelsa cluster, where the outbreak started.

    He further called for calm among members of the public, adding that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is working with all affected states to ensure case finding and adequate management.

    He added that as frightening as the manifestation of the ailment might seem, no fatality has been recorded to date. As of Oct. 25, a total of 94 suspected cases have been reported from 11 states, (Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Rivers and Abuja).

    He said patients of the newly confirmed cases were already being managed by public health authorities and have been receiving appropriate clinical care.

    He said Ministry, through NCDC, was in close contact with all State Epidemiology Teams, and the health facilities providing clinical care to both suspected and confirmed cases.

    He added that State Commissioners of Health have been advised to place all health care facilities and Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers on alert, to ensure early case detection, reporting and effective treatment.

    Read also: Monkey Pox victim commits suicide in Bayelsa hospital

    The minister said a National-level Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) led by the NCDC with support from our development partners, was coordinating outbreak investigation and response across affected states.

    He added the EOC included the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, as well as experts from partner agencies.

     

  • ‘Oando Foundation equips 80 primary schools in 22 states’

    ‘Oando Foundation equips 80 primary schools in 22 states’

    Oando Foundation, an independent charity organisation has equipped  80 primary schools in 22 states and the FCT, in its efforts to boost access to quality education in the country.

    Mrs Adekanla Adegoke, Head of the foundation, made the disclosure at the inauguration of a block of three classrooms, ICT Centre and toilet facility at LEA Primary School Rido in Kaduna on Wednesday.

    The  facilities were donated to the school by the foundation, as part of Oando’s corporate social responsibility.

    According to her, the foundation has initiated a programme tagged Adopt-A-School Initiative (AASI), aimed at  holistic improvement of public primary schools.

    “AASI was initiated in 2007 in partnership with the Ministry of Education and State Universal Basic Education Boards in line with Oando Foundation’s mission of transforming lives through education.

    “AASI is focused on improving the overall quality of basic education in public primary schools and to create a sustainable model for effective teaching and learning in all adopted schools.”

    She said that the 80 schools adopted by Oando Foundation were located in Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Cross River, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Kaduna, Katsina, Kwara and Lagos states.

    Others are in Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, and the FCT.

    She disclosed that the foundation had adopted two schools in Kaduna state, namely LEA Primary School, Rido, and LEA Primary School Rigasa.

    “The foundation has so far spent about N50 million in LEA Rido since its adoption in 2011.

    “We constructed two blocks of five classrooms and sanitation facilities to improve hygiene.

    “We equally offered scholarship to 22 students to support their secondary education, provided over 1,000 units of teaching and learning materials to strengthen the quality of teaching and learning in the school.

    “We have also built the capacity of teachers and head teachers in modern teaching techniques,” the official said.

    She added that the foundation also partnered Sumitomo Chemical, a Japanese company, to establish the solar powered ICT centres in public primary schools in Kaduna, Lagos and Taraba states.

    “While most children in rural areas do not have access to a computer, three out of every five children in the urban areas lack basic ICT skills.

    “To reverse this negative trend, the foundation has established 15 ICT/Creative Centres in its adopted schools, serving the learning needs of over 16,000 pupils.

    “Together with Sumitomo Chemical and other well-meaning organisations like the Educate-A-Child Qatar, we are creating an enabling environment to provide pupils from marginalised backgrounds invaluable 21st century technology skills, “Adegoke said.

    Also speaking, the Executive Chairman of SUBEB, Malam Nasir Umar thanked the foundation for the gesture, saying that “education is a collective responsibility”.

    Represented by a Permanent Member of the board, Mrs Mary Ambi, the chairman called on other corporate organizations to emulate the gesture.

    Similarly, the Village Head of the community, Alhaji Hamisu Haruna also commended the effort, adding that it would reduce current congestion of over 300 pupils per class.

    He said that the school, built in the 1960s and with a population of about 2,000 pupils, has only seven classrooms, stressing that much would be required to bridge the gap.

    NAN

  • Fiscal Index: Rivers, Lagos, Ogun, Kano lead ranking

    Fiscal Index: Rivers, Lagos, Ogun, Kano lead ranking

    •Says only Kano, Katsina, Rivers and Lagos can pay salaries without borrowing

    Many of the 36 states will have to rev up their internally generated income and cut expenditure and debt to survive over the next few years, according to a newly published Fiscal Sustainability Index.

    The index is the brainchild of BudgIT Nigeria,   a budget transparency advocacy group.

    ‘State of the States’ as the report is branded lists Rivers, Lagos, Ogun and Kano as leaders in revenue generation.

    Ekiti, Osun, Gombe and Plateau are ranked the worst in terms of revenue generation.

    Rivers is ahead of Lagos because of its healthier financial profile: lower debt, increase in IGR and ability to pay its bills.

    Although Lagos State leads the rest in IGR, accounting for 37 per cent of all the money collected by the states, it is also bogged down by huge debt, over N734 billion as at December 2016, the report said. The debt burden is more than 25 per cent of the entire debt owed by the 35 states, which now stands at N3.89trillion as at December last year.

    A sign of the debt pressure on Lagos State manifested in the first six months of this year, where the state only got N491million on the average from the Federal Government, as it has signed off the bulk of its dues to creditors and bond holders.

    “State governments are confronted by rapidly rising budget deficits as they struggle to pay salaries and meet contractual obligations and overheads due to a dip in oil price from its peak price of about $140 per barrel to about $56 per barrel”, the report said..

    “Over the last few months, state governments have been devising policy changes with strong focus on improving internally generated revenue and reining in expenditure.

    Some highlights of the report: Internally Generated Revenue:

    In 2016, Lagos State accounted for approximately 37% of total internally generated revenue collected by states. Lagos, Ogun and Rivers states lead in terms of Internally Generated Revenue uptake per capita.

    Collection efficiency in Kano is abysmal; despite its huge market size, it could only collect N2,367 per head, which is approximately 9.8% of Lagos collection per head. On average, IGR uptake at state is N3,395 per head across the states; it is only in 10 states that collection efficiency is higher than the state wide average.

    The least performing states include Borno, Jigawa, Kebbi and Katsina. It is important for state governments to design innovative policies around tax collection, especially around collection efficiency.

    Value Added Tax

    Due to its market size, Lagos State tops in terms of VAT revenue in the first six months of 2017. Lagos VAT revenue receipts between January and July 2017 averaged N6.38bn monthly, significantly higher than Kano’s.

    Ekiti, Ebonyi, Bayelsa and Nasarawa trail the pack. Oyo’s monthly VAT averaged N1.3bn monthly between January and July 2017 but IGR continued to trail, reflecting huge problems with tax collection efficiency at state level when compared with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

    It is evident in our analysis that many states lack the formal structures that pay VAT.

    Thirty out of 36 states get an average of 700-900m monthly, despite huge differential in population.

    Bonds issued by the states are usually assisted by Irrevocable Standing Payment Orders (ISPOs), which legally empower the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) to withdraw sums due to debt holders from state governments’ revenue accounts with the federal government, including interest and capital repayments.

    As about 83% of states’ revenues are collected by the Federal Government, what accrues to states’ coffers is the balance left after obligations to debt-holders are deducted from each state’s share of revenue. The effect of huge debt supported by ISPOs is already eating deep into the account of Lagos, Cross River and Osun states.

    Osun’s net allocation is even in the negative terrain, which invariably puts more pressure on future revenue. The monthly net allocation of oil-producing states Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta average N10.69bn, N7.64bn. N7.21bn and N6.22bn respectively.

     

     

    Debt Stock

    State governments are indebted to Nigeria’s banks and investors, shackled by huge repayment debts borrowed against higher oil prices. Presently, the intersecting consequences of lending between banks and governments remain a pressing concern. The first indicators came when at least two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 governors demanded a federal government relief package, due to the inability of many states to pay salaries and pension benefits of civil servants for months – even more than a year in some cases.

     

     

     

    Total debt stock of Nigerian states has increased significantly from the 2012 level of N1.79tn to N2.12tn in 2014. With increased inability to meet recurrent expenditure obligations and increased pressure, most states resort to more debt uptake.

    Total debt profile of the states in 2015 and 2016 was N3.03tn and N3.89tn respectively.

    Lagos State’s total debt stock rose from the 2014 level of N500.8bn to N734.7bn in 2016 – accounting for 24.2% of the total debt stock of state governments.

    Delta, Kebbi, Gombe and Ebonyi states’ total debt fell by 22.56%, 52.18%, 2.29% and 2.78% respectively, while that of Oyo and Yobe rose by 127.56% and 126.03% respectively. Overall, the total debt profile of states increased by 28.45%. Average growth rate of states’ debt between 2012 and 2016 remains elevated at 22.16%, while average growth rate of internally generated revenue is 9.04%.

    Clearly, the sustainable part for states is to rein in debt uptake and focus more on improving internally generated revenue. Fiscal Sustainability Index Rivers State tops the fiscal sustainability index due to its strong revenue profile, powered by crude oil, its relatively improving internally generated revenue profile and a manageable recurrent expenditure profile. Rivers’ Debt profile stood at N157.2bn at the end of 2016.

    Lagos’ massive debt and expansive recurrent expenditure profile weighed down on its internally generated revenue performance.

    Ogun state, despite running a recurrent budget deficit, is up on the fiscal sustainability index due to the rapid growth in its internally generated revenue. However, Ogun’s debt profile is equally increasing, which could weigh in on its performance in future. The index looks at the ability of states to meet their recurrent expenditure obligations with their VAT revenue, internally generated revenue and advantage income, including the 13% derivation. Equally important is states’ ability to meet their recurrent expenditure obligation with all revenue source – a test of prudent fiscal management.

    Kano, Katsina, Rivers and Lagos top that portion of the index. In effect, only four states could meet their recurrent expenditure obligation without resorting to borrowing or tapping donor funds and other extra-budgetary revenue sources.

    Also, the index looks at the ability of states to sustainably manage their debt profiles. The Index tries to see the extent to which today’s revenue can service outstanding debts. Anambra and Yobe top the index, reflecting the low debt-to-revenue ratio of the state.

    Osun trails the overall index. The state’s inability to meet its recurrent expenditure obligations, its heavy debt profile and inefficiency in the collection of internally generated revenue weighed seriously on the state.

    Kwara’s rapid improvement in its internally generated revenue helps the state’s performance on the index. Also noticeable is the 22.56%, 52.18%, 2.29% and 2.78% fall in the debt profile of Delta, Kebbi, Gombe and Ebonyi states, respectively.

    State governments, therefore, need to tremendously embrace a high level of transparency and accountability, develop workable economic plans, take haircuts – especially on overheads – expand their internally generated revenue (IGR) base, and cut down on debt accumulation without a concrete repayment plan.

    Opportunities

    The state needs to look beyond rhetoric and commit to a reduction in its operating costs, including significantly slashing its unreasonable overheads bill while freeing up more spending for social infrastructure.

    States will need to link future borrowing to sustainable projects, which can pay back the capital cost of its current loans and improve the overall income profile of the state.

    Economic planners will need to lift states from a perpetual cycle of borrowing, work to improve tax collection efficiencies and realign budgeting with state wide plans.

    Significant investment is needed to improve the overall economic performance at state level, which invariably could create jobs that feed into states’ internally generated revenue. Improve spending is also critical for value-added tax revenue. Opportunities in aquaculture, agriculture, manufacturing, trade, logistics and tourism abound across states but it seems states lack the rigour and foresight to explore them.

    The report also says only Kano, Katsina, Rivers and Lagos can pay salaries without resorting to lending.

    “Important is states’ ability to meet their recurrent expenditure obligation with all revenue source – a test of prudent fiscal management. Kano, Katsina, Rivers and Lagos top that portion of the index.

    “In effect, only four states could meet their recurrent expenditure obligation without resorting to borrowing or tapping donor funds and other extra-budgetary revenue sources.”

     

     

  •  Military not involved in vaccination – FG

     Military not involved in vaccination – FG

    Federal Government on Wednesday said  the military is not involved in any monkey pox vaccination as presently rumoured.

    The rumors had spread like wildfire that the military was injecting monkey pox virus to people in their medical outreach across the country.

    The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole said this when he briefed State House correspondences at the end of the Federal Executive Council meeting presided by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He was with the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu and the Special Adviser to the President on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina.

    According to him, the eleven states are Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Lagos, Nasarawa and Rivers.

    While stressing that outbreak was confirmed in Bayelsa, he said that out of the 19 samples tested, 3 tested positive from Bayelsa 12 tested negative from Bayelsa, and 4 tested negative from Lagos.

    He explained that the military  medical outreach has never harm anyone and in some cases involved in road construction and other services.

    He said “Council also received an update of the public health of the nation.  We informed Council about the latest development with respect to the Monkey Pox virus outbreak. So far, as of today, there are 74 suspected cases in 11 states of the country. We have confirmed three in Bayelsa state, We are still expecting the results of other ones.

    “We are also doing advance test in NEDE,  that is the African Centre of Excellence for Genomes and Infections Disease to really understand the genomes of this virus.  Even when they are negative, the laboratory attendance should be able to tell us what exactly they are. We will also be able to locate and identify the origin so that we can take adequate precaution.” he said

    On the military vaccination rumors, he said  “It is also important to use this opportunity to dispel the rumour circulating in the country that the military is vaccinating people and trying to spread monkey pox across the country. The military is not involved in any vaccination exercise and I must also really educate the Nigeria people about how vaccination campaigns are done.

    “Federal will take the lead but we do not conduct campaign without involving states.  So, there is no way we will do campaign for vaccination without working with the states and it is the state that will be in front and we provide support.

    “The rumour that federal is involved in monkey pox vaccination campaign is not true. And as of today, we are only doing vaccination campaign in three states against other diseases.

    “We are doing vaccination campaign against yellow fever in Kwara and Kogi because of yellow fever outbreak in some parts of the country. We are also doing cholera vaccination in Borno state and so anybody carrying the rumour,  please help us educate Nigerians that it is not true. We are not vaccinating anybody, we plan to do missiles campaign very soon and we will also do yellow fever before the end of the year and we will let you know.

    “You will never find Federal staff conducting vaccination campaign without the support and active participation of the state ministry of health, this is just to correct the misconception.” he stated

    Asked whether he was disowning the  military over the issue, he said “With respect to what the military is doing, I spoke about vaccination and not about military campaign. The military as part of a campaign of winning over the heart and soul of the people havel got engaged in several things. In the past,  the military was noted of even constructed roads, the military will do outreaches, measure blood pressure, talk to people. These are normal things,  I referred only to vaccination.

    “We had to request for the assistance of the military in Borno state to reach inaccessible area with respect to the polio campaign so we have worked with the military in the past and we will continue to work with them.

    “There are doctors in the military, there are nurses and when you go abroad, some of the best institutions abroad are those ones managed by the military. So we cannot disown the military. But what I want to put across is that the military is not involved in any vaccination.” he said

    On the report of illegal traffickers of kidney,  he said “With respect to the harvest of organs we received advice periodically from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, from National Security Adviser about goings on around the world. One of which is the harvest of organ illegally and it is our duty to alert Nigerians that this is ongoing, they should be careful, they should seek advice, they should patronize only accredited institution.

    “And as we rebuild our health infrastructure there will be less need for anybody to travel out and so we spare Nigerians the agony of falling victims of some of these illegal practices.”

    Speaking on the growing drug abuse among the youth,  he said “We are quite aware of this.  Abuse will take several forms.  Abuse of substances that are smuggled into the country in higher doses than normal. For example we have metadol and tramadol and even Viagra being smuggled into the country. Look at the dosage, the Viagra dosage is three times normal and when you look at the tramadol it is three to four times normal and once NAFDAC officials come in contact, they are impounded and destroyed.

    “We are also working with the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria to educate people about the abuses.  We are aware of the abuse of cough mixture because of the content and we are working hard in respect to this.”

    Stressing that Nigeria is part of the campaign against tobacco, he said that the country is implementing the framework convention in tobacco control.

    “As of Monday we were part of the  ECOWAS meeting to look at how do we raise taxes on tobacco. That meeting we really worked to prevent smuggling on tobacco products, we looked at how we can raise taxes on tobacco products. It is known that Nigeria has one of cheapest tobacco prices in the world and that will contribute to the abuse.  That convention and recommendations coming from there will really contribute to raising taxes on tobacco and also generating resources that will go into health.

    The Minister of Water Resources disclosed that the Council also approved the sum of N236 million for the completion of Sabke dam in Katsina state.

    He said “One Memo from my ministry was considered today as part of our efforts to improve the hethrege for irrigation, we have been committing ourselves to completing many of the irrigation projects we inherited in the past two years. One of such is the Sabke irrigation project. This is a project that started as far back as 1997 during the PTF days but was abandoned and then reawarded in 2009, completed 95 percent by 2012 and again abandoned.

    “When we came into office, I commissioned a technical audit of all the ongoing project and n the ministry and because of the status of that project having attained 95 percent completion,  it became a priority project because it was a low hanging fruit for us to complete.

    “Unfortunately, when the contractor was mobilised to site,  we found out that a lot of component of the irrigation project had been vandalized and for us to be able to put that project into effective use,  we now have to do a lot of rehabilitation works and we therefore brought a memo seeking Council to give us an augmentation of about N280m for us to be able to complete the work 100 percent and make it fit for the purpose and Council considered and approved this memo.”

     

     

  • Rivers to partner Abia on economic, infrastructural development

    The Governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, said that his state would continue to partner with its Abia counterparts on economic and infrastructural development of not only the two states but also the South-south and Southeast regions.

    Governor Wike who was accompanied by some Rivers State government officials to Umuahia, the Abia State capital, during a state working visit stated that he was “in Abia State on an assessment tour and to also see what we can learn from the developmental strides of my brother, Governor Ikpeazu, as well as share knowledge on ways of moving the two states forward for the benefit the people”.

    He also told newsmen that Abia and Rivers “do not only share boundaries but also share so many other things in common.”.

    According to a release by Ikpeazu’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Enyinnaya Appolos  Wike on arrival at the Government House Inaugurated new road construction  equipment procured by the state government for its operation zero pothole programme.

     

     

     

     

    He praised Governor Ikpeazu, who he described as a strong grassroots mobilizer, for the novel initiative of equipping the state’s road maintenance agency, ABROMA, with “high quality brand new construction equipment that will make the even best construction companies in Nigeria green with envy” and pledged to replicate what he witnessed in his state.

  • Rivers, Oando expand gas pipeline

    Rivers, Oando expand gas pipeline

    The Rivers State Government and Nigeria’s indigenous energy company, Oando PLC, are closing in on the completion of an 8.5 km expansion of the natural gas distribution network in the Port Harcourt Franchise Area from the Above-Ground Installation (AGI) in Trans-Amadi to BUA Sugar Refineries (BUA).

    The project is being executed by the Central Horizon Gas Company (CHGC), a Special Purpose Vehicle set up by Oando and the Rivers State Government, focused on the rehabilitation, operation, and expansion of the existing natural gas distribution network in Greater Port Harcourt City and the Trans-Amadi area.

    The pipeline’ll boost BUA’s productivity, provide substantial cost-savings and open the state for a new wave of industrialisation via natural gas utilisation.

    Oando’s gas integration strategy, includes methods of transmission and distribution to fulfill market requirements, while the gestation period for the implementation of the Nigerian Gas Master Plan elapses.

    The company has developed over 260km of gas pipelines across the country, and is also a vested player in the virtual pipeline market through a Compressed Natural Gas facility in Lagos and an ongoing Mini LNG development in Ajaokuta.

    The pioneering 20 mmscf/day liquefaction plant in Ajaokuta, is primarily directed towards fulfilling the gas supply requirement for captive power plants, embedded generation, and industrial clusters in the Northern region, as well as stranded customers in the South. Off-takers, particularly, power plants and industrial customers who currently utilise liquid fuels such as diesel and LPFO, will be able to lower energy costs by up to 40%, while significantly decreasing carbon emissions.

    The company is also spearheading several long term projects including a 400km South-West to North-West gas pipeline and a Central Processing Facility (CPF) which will serve as the primary gas gathering and processing hub in the Niger Delta.

    In its determination to build Africa’s largest sub-Saharan natural gas pipeline grid, Oando is creating access to thousands of industries in the nation’s quest to leverage gas to drive industrialisation on a large scale. The company provides gas and power solutions to over 170 industrial and commercial customers nationwide ensuring cost-savings across board, powering economic development, and engendering environmental awareness.

    Though Nigeria boasts proven natural gas reserves of 187 trillion cubic feet (TCF), the 8th largest in the world and the largest in Africa, the gas industry has stalled in realizing its true potential due to a number of challenges including the lack of a suitable long-term fiscal and regulatory framework, insufficient infrastructure, sabotage in the Niger Delta, and slow market consolidation. Analysts have continually touted gas as a means of diversifying Nigerian revenues from the usual reliance on oil.

    The CHGC expansion which will boost BUA’s productivity is scheduled for completion by the end of Q4 2017.