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Tag: Rivers

  • NDE lifts Rivers women

    NDE lifts Rivers women

    The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) is a Federal Government Skill Acquisition and Empowerment Agency with the mandate to organise free skill acquisition training for the unemployed Nigerians, establish them with equipment and a grant to make them self-reliant, and employers of labour.

    The agency in Rivers State under the leadership of Chief Napoleon Amachree organised a two-week  programme in Port Harcourt, the state capital to train women  on how to use adire (batik), fabrics and other local materials to design  women shoes, hand bags, purses, hats among others.

    The programme took place in a church around the popular Mile One market and was well-embraced by women. The NDE official who coordinated the programme, Mrs. Silvia Dakuru,  said the training was meant to reduce poverty among women.

    The Assistant Chief Enterprise Development Officer, (women employment branch desk officer),  said:  “The NDE set up this branch especially to train and empower women to assure their economic freedom, to reduce poverty in the Country, and above all to make them self- reliant and employers of labour.

    “They are trained in diverse trade, like interior decoration, cake baking, tailoring/fashion design, catering, bead, hat, shoe and bag making using locally sourced raw materials among others.

    “The essence of these training for women is basically to assist them and their families, to improve the quality of their lives. Before we finally conclude this training, we are also going to take them on entrepreneurship, to enable them manage the business of the skill they have acquired effectively.

    “This aspect of training will guide them on how they can start off the business on the trade they have been impacted on,  establish cordial relationship with the customers/clients, how to cost their products, market them  to gain more patronage, while being  mindful of their capital and profit to enable them grow the business  to become employers of labour.”

    It was the first time NDE trained people on using local fabrics (batik materials) to make bags, shoes and hats.

    Mrs. Gbarimalaa advised women to take up a trade to sustain their marriages.

    She said: “Women are help mates to their husbands. The agency is not going to re-settle most of them, but they preferred to be with a trade and wait for help from God knows where and when, than to go back home  the way they came.”

    The state Co-ordinator of the programme, Napoleon Amachree, said less than an average of the participants would be re-settled by the agency.

    He said: “NDE will re-settle only the number originally planned for in the programme, the rest of the participants can wait for individuals, private bodies who can either partner with us to provide them with start-off packs or do it in their own way.”

    Sopretee Martins, a mother of six, from Bile in Degema Local Government Area of the state, expressed gratitude to the government through the NDE for creating the environment for the jobless citizens.

     

  • With bridges over Okio and Wepa rivers…

    It used to be a painful ride for motorists plying the Auchi-Ekperi-Agenebode Road, especially when they were about to cross two bridges on the road. The two bridges on Okio and Wepa rivers  were built in 1961. They were four-metre wide  and could only take a vehicle at a time. Accidents usually occurred on the bridge, especially at night and heavy downpour.

    For many years, the people cried for help. No one listened to them. While deaf ears were turned to their pleas, many died. Not a few lost vital parts of their bodies. Children became either  fatherless or motherless. There might have even been instances where an entire family might have perished as a result of the slim bridges.

    It was, therefore, no surprise when residents in villages along the route brought out their drums to celebrate the construction of new bridges to replace the old ones. The new bridges are however 11m wide.

    Spokesman for the communities,  Tony Eni said many deaths were recorded on the bridges as several vehicles have fallen into rivers due to the nature of the bridges. Eni said the bridges were constructed in 1961 but were abandoned when the road was awarded by the military administration.

    Speaking during the inauguration of the bridges, Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen said the replacement of the former two substandard bridges was in fulfillment of the government desire to phase out sub-standard bridges on Federal Highways to enhance safety of motorists and road users.Onolememen said the projects were completed ahead of schedule and urged the people to have faith in the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.According to him, “This is one way the president is empowering the people. Many good things will come to these communities. You should remain faithful. The transformation agenda is on course.”

    He said the bridge would assist farmers to evacuate their farm produce to the markets and increase economic activities of the area.

    The minister also inaugurated a pedestrian bridge built across the Benin-Abuja express way for use by students and staff of the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi a link road from Ekperi to Fugar. Several appeals by the institution management for the construction of the pedestrian bridge have been unsuccessful. Onolememen, however, warned the students to use the pedestrian bridge as nobody would be responsible for any accident that might result on the road occasioned by crossing the dualisation of the Benin-Abuja road.

    The minister said incidents of hit and run driver at the school gate would be completely eliminated.

    ”I have come on behalf of the President, Goodluck Jonathan to commission the projects. I come on his behalf to let you know that his promise of empowerment is real,” he said.

    The carnage on the road often resulted to rioting by the students who in turn caused more damage to the school and the community. This was why the Rector of Auchi Polytechnic, Mrs. Phillipa Idogho, expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for the long-awaited pedestrian bridge.

    Now that the government has played its part, it is up to the people to use the bridges well. Drivers should not over speed all because there are now solid bridges where the substandard ones were. The students too should use the pedestrian bridge when crossing the road. Anything short of this will be irresponsibility and whoever gets injured for crossing the road without using the bridge has no one else to blame.

    On the part of the government, proper maintenance arrangement must be put in place, beause if the bridges are used for long without regular checks and attention, it will get bad and cause havoc.

    A word, they say, is enough for the wise.

     

  • ‘APC ‘ll beat PDP in Rivers’

    ‘APC ‘ll beat PDP in Rivers’

    Chief Tony Okocha is the Chief of Staff to Rivers State Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. When BISI OLANIYI met him in Port-Harcourt, the state capital, he spoke on the face-off between his boss and Minister of State for Education Chief Nyesom Wike, zoning and the prospect of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the polls.  

    APC and PDP supporters have been clashing in Rivers State. How can violence be averted in next year’s elections?

    What you saw in Ward 9, which is made up of Rumueprikom and Eleparanwon villages, was not a fight between the APC and the PDP. It was a fight among hoodlums, cultists, ex-militants, thugs mobilised, purchased, procured by the Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, in an attempt to stop the governor from coming to Ward 9 for his (governor) ongoing meet-the-people tour in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state.

    It was not a clash between the APC and the PDP at all because Governor Amaechi was not going to the rally of the APC. The governor was on a meet-the-people tour. The governor is the governor of the APC, the PDP, the Labour Party and every other political party. When we set out for rallies, the governor will now speak to his people as the leader of the APC in Rivers State. What the governor undertook was a visit to the wards and he said he was going to visit the 319 wards in the state, before he leaves office as the governor.

    For me, two things were clear. One was that he saw the preponderance of Obio/Akpor people, thronging out to receive the governor in the six wards that we went. The turnout was very massive. Wike had boasted to people that Obio/Akpor LGA belongs to him; Obio/Akpor is in his pocket. I am sure that what would have agitated his mind would have been the local government he is claiming to be in his pocket, are those people singing, praising, eulogising and pouring encomiums on Amaechi. Again, anywhere we went, the people confronted us with their welcome addresses and their welcome addresses were well loaded. They always thanked the governor for what he had done in their places and then they got to naturally talk about their problems.

    Amaechi, in his usual style, the addresses come before he speaks. So, when he takes the microphone, he tells you what his administration has done and why his administration has not been able to execute some particular roads, as a result of lack of funds. He also tells them why certain roads, which have been done, are in a bad shape and insist that the roads were awarded to XYZ and most of them (contractors) are from the affected communities.

    The initial slogan was Rivers money for Rivers people. So, the clash was a fight of hoodlums under the group called the Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI), which has Wike as the grand patron. Wike assembles a group of never-do-wells and put them together for the purpose of unleashing mayhem. Wike thrives in confusion.

    What you saw in Rumueprikom, which of course spilled over to my own community, Rumuigbo (also in Port Harcourt and in Obio/Akpor LGA). The hoodlums were camped somewhere. Few women were around the place and the people were putting up canopies. The hoodlums destroyed the tents and the musical systems that we hired. We have just paid the owner of the instruments that were destroyed. It was such a colossal loss, as people were running helter-skelter. A lot of pellets were extracted from about six persons, but nobody died.

    If there is no skeleton to hide, why disrupt the movement of the governor of Rivers State? The information they are putting across is that the governor cancelled his tour, because of the crisis. It cannot be correct. The governor is the governor of the state. He is the Chief Security Officer of the state and there is no limit as to where he goes within the precinct called Rivers State.

    How will you describe the APC’s journey so far in Rivers State?

    The APC is a place to be; the APC is the party to beat. It is growing in leaps and in bounds and deeply entrenched in the 23 local government areas and 319 wards in Rivers State. The APC is a party with ideology and believes that the only thing that is permanent in the whole world is change. The APC believes that the PDP as a political party can be likened to salt and as soon as the salt loses its taste, it is no longer useful. It is for all of these considerations that the APC is enjoying very massive support in Rivers State and you just cannot beat it.

    PDP leaders are alleging that the meet-the-people tour of the governor is being turned into a political campaign. What is your reaction?

    If we were campaigning, the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Tunde Ogunsakin, would not detail policemen to provide security. The first thing the governor does, as soon as he takes the microphone, is to say that he is not here for a rally. He is here as the governor of Rivers State, which means he is the governor of the APC, he is the governor of the PDP, he is the governor of the Labour Party and others. He is also the governor of those who do not belong to political parties. He is here to give his account of stewardship, as it pertains to that particular ward. He does not mince words.

    Assuming that it is some sort of campaign, so to speak, shouldn’t we begin to ask this question; what is this Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) doing? Recently, they were in the South-East, South-West and South-South and it was live on many television stations. They were beckoning on President Goodluck Jonathan to seek re-election.

    What did the President’s wife, Dame Patience Jonathan, come to do recently in Ozuoba, (Obio/Akpor LGA of Rivers State? It was at that Ozuoba programme that Wike boasted that six commissioners were going to leave the Rivers State Executive Council and join them in December. Didn’t you hear them bellowing the PDP,  for a supposed Millennium Development Goal (MDG) programme? The President’s wife was there and they were freely bellowing PDP. So what would anybody talk about that? No campaign has commenced, as far as we are concerned. I am sure you know what the GDI has been doing with Wike.

    What has the GDI been doing?  

    The GDI, which is sponsored by Wike, has been campaigning from one LGA to another. I am sure you have seen all their vehicles on the streets with megaphones. Twenty-three of them were purchased and they are on the streets. They have been opening campaign offices everywhere. But, we are not raising the alarm because we are more mature. We are applying maturity.

    You do not worry yourself over a man you know you can beat. Their  approach is not affecting us. We do not worry about people who are not APC members. We are worried about the security of the place, because they are beginning to institutionalise crime. They are beginning to patronise cultism. They are beginning to enthrone militancy again. You can see that at some point, that thing (militancy) was history, but it is beginning to rear its ugly head in the state again, because some persons think that they must catapult themselves to power.

  • Rivers: we won’t allow any ‘installation’

    Rivers: we won’t allow any ‘installation’

    The Rivers State government has condemned reports of the First Lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan’s alleged plans to instal a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aspirant as governor next year.

    In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Rotimi Amaechi, David Iyofor, the government said: “We will strongly, vehemently, valiantly and bravely resist and fight any attempt by anyone, organisation or institution, including The Presidency, to unconstitutionally instal anyone as governor.

    “There is no provision in the constitution and laws for the ‘installation’ of a preferred aspirant as governor by The Presidency.

    “What our laws prescribe is a free and fair election that must be devoid of police and security forces coercion, harassment and intimidation of voters.

    “Rivers voters must be allowed to and will freely choose and elect their governor next year. It is their inalienable democratic right that they will not and will never surrender to anyone or institution, including the Presidency.

    “We must warn that the looming danger ahead for our polity and our country is indeed ominous, if this noxious script is acted out. This is an avoidable crisis that must be avoided by all parties mentioned in the reports.

    “We congratulate and welcome the Commissioner of Police. We expect and hope that he would act professionally and would firmly resist any external influences and pressures.”

  • Anyanya, retired major, declares for Rivers governorship

    Anyanya, retired major, declares for Rivers governorship

    The battle for the Rivers State governorship ticket in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may be between Nyesom Wike, the Minister of State for Education, and Lancelot Anyanya, the Chairman of National Oilspill Detection and Response Agency.

    Wike, fondly called “my husband’s younger brother” by the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, is a lawyer. Anyanya, who has been described as “one of Dame’s sons”, is a historian, retired major and security expert.

    Wike is from Ikwere/Upland area. Anyanya is from Ataba, Andoni Council in riverrine area. There is a fierce battle between the two divides for the ticket in the PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC). Pro-Wike forces are campaigning, based on the concept of “one Rivers State”. But, the riverrine people are raising an objection, saying that they have not enjoyed the slot since 1999. Apparently aligning with the agitation of his kinsmen for power shift, Anyanya said the clamour is valid. In a breath, he  said he did not to be an ethnic egoist. He said: “Rivers has competent people across the two divides”. But, in another dimension, he added that it will be hypocritical, if stakeholders do not appreciate the template for leadership recruitment in Rivers as dictated by the upland/riverrine dicotomy.

    The Minister of State has served as a council boss and Chief of Staff before his current assignment. During that time, Anyanya was busy defending the territorial integrity of the country as a soldier before he voluntarily retired in 2007. He said: “I have planned. I am coming from somewhere. I have been serving the people.”

    At a rally in Port-Harcourt, the state capital, Wike boasted that he had the backing of the PDP structure as the arrowhead of the chapter. He also said that he would defeat other aspirants, including the retired soldier at the primaries. Last week, Anyanya replied that only God can predict the future. “Let’s wait and see. I have the people. He will be shocked when he is defeated,” he said.

    The big wigs who seem to be backing Wike are known. He is at the centre of the controversy triggered by the Jonathan/Amaechi faceoff. In this big fight, which is fuelled by ego, Anyanya, who is also backing President Goodluck Jonathan against Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, is not a hero. Many have said that the Commander-In-Chief may not abandon the minister for the board chairman.  But, Anyanya said he is relying on God and the masses. “I have never failed before. During my preparation for the Nigerian Defence Academy, it was a miracle how I made the list of candidates for the interview and how I was later admitted. In our final examinations, I was among the top 10. In my university, I led my department, without being immodest,” said the retired Major, who obtained a masters degree in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos.

    Unfolding his ambition in Lagos, he said he was on a rescue mission for another level of service. Rivers State is significant. It was one of the states created at the onset of the civil war. It is a state with a lot of economic infrastructure. It is critical to the economy of Nigeria. That is why it should be properly managed,” he said.

    Anyanya is bracing up for the battle ahead. The primaries may not be a walk over for any contender. But, he said the presence of many aspirants is a blessing for the PDP. “The number of aspirants adds to the vibrancy of the party,” he said. But, he also argued that the motivation for jostling for power is important, adding that “anybody who is in the race for selfish reason, and not for service, is foolish.”

    Stressing that he is inspired by the God-given desire to make a difference, he said: “I am not worried by people running with me. My goal is to get the prize. If I emerge as the candidate, many people will come back to the PDP.”

    Anyanya said he is not happy with the PDP situation in Rivers. He vented his anger on Amaechi, who he berated for decimating the party. Although he tactically avoided discussing the circumstances that led to the governor’s  defection to the APC, he said the governor was chasing shadows. But, the aspirant praised the President and urged Nigerians to support him. He said Dr. Jonathan is not responsible for the insecurity in the country.

    Anyanya observed that Boko Haram’s recruits came from an army of unemployed youths facing a perilous future. He also observed that the insurgency is boosted by its clear ideological leaning, making sect members to develop a principle of mission and commitment to that inexplicable ideological indoctrination. Urging Nigerians to support him for a second term, he said: “It is like Nigeria is fighting a war and war-time Presidents are often given the chance to focus on present challenges without distraction and hindrance.”

    In his view, the lack of military capacity for curtailing the insurgency by the sect underscored the lack of investment in military industrial establishment and weaponry. “It is a validation of the reality that the worst victim of the military rule is the military,” he added.

    Urging Nigerians to cooperate with the government in its bid to end the insurgency, the security expert said the unconstructive criticism of military operations against the sect may have undermined the morale of soldiers facing the heat on the battle field. “Only a non-partisan approach has aided countries with superior military complex  to deal with the evil of insurgency,” Anyanya added.

  • Much ado about Rivers govt’s scholarship scheme

    Much ado about Rivers govt’s scholarship scheme

    Shortly after Rotimi Amaechi became the governor of Rivers State, he established the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA). One of the mandates of the agency is to sponsor deserving students to further their education. Of recent, the scheme has been enmeshed in controversy, writes BISI OLANIYI in Port Harcourt 

    The Rivers State Chairman of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Felix Obuah,  sounded like a man sure of his facts. He also wore the toga of a man speaking for the oppressed. But, those who should know have said the man was simply playing games with the issue. The kernel of the PDP chief’s speech was: the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA) was planning to recall the students on overseas scholarship.

    He also accused the Rotimi Amaechi administration of not keeping its promises to Rivers people.

    Obuah claimed that he was reacting to the cries of students who were sent to the United Kingdom by the Rivers State government in 2010 to study Medicine, but allegedly given a marching order by the agency to come home, when they were yet to start their medical programme (MBBS).

    He alleged that the RSSDA ordered the stoppage of the payment of the students’ upkeep and accommodation allowances, which he described as deceitful, a breach of contract and a fraud, claiming that millions of naira had been voted for the programme.

    The Rivers PDP chairman asked Amaechi and the RSSDA to consider the far-reaching implications of forcing the students to return home, without clearing their indebtedness to the UK institutions, which he described as a criminal case. This, said Obuah, could make the institutions to blacklist the students and deny them the possibility of travelling abroad for further studies or any other business in the future.

    Obuah said: “We have been vindicated in our allegation that Governor Amaechi has emptied the Rivers State treasury on sponsorship of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which he has consistently denied. Which other reason could compel Amaechi and his pet agency, the RSSDA, to stop the students on state scholarship halfway, rather than lack of funds?

    “The students have neither completed their programmes nor  has Amaechi got the trained and qualified personnel to keep his so-called super health centres afloat, yet he wants those sent out to acquire these skills to come home without qualifying, simply because the state is broke

    “We are demanding that the move to recall these students, without completing their programmes, be stopped forthwith or the billions of naira already claimed to have been spent on the aggrieved, but deceived Rivers State scholarship beneficiaries be refunded to Rivers people.”

    Obuah also stated that he thought the idea of starting a project and not finishing it, before jumping to the other, was only restricted to infrastructural development, while claiming that the Rivers governor had extended it to human capital development, which was described as unacceptable.

    But, the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the RSSDA, Mr. Noble Pepple, said there was no truth in Obuah’s claim.

    Pepple said: “As an agency responsible for the development of qualified manpower for Rivers State, it will be counter intuitive for us to force our students to return home before the completion of their studies. That will negate the objective of the scholarship scheme.

    “The RSSDA was recently approached by parents of a group of 17 scholars, who were among a number of applicants awarded scholarship by the agency to study for first degree in Medicine or medically-related courses in 2010.

    “Unfortunately, they could not gain admission for Medicine, after their pre-degree (foundation) programme and they settled for medically-related courses, such as Pharmacy, Bio-Medical Sciences and Physiotherapy. The scholars, who have now graduated in these fields, with their full allowances fully paid to the end of their studies in July 2014, have turned around to demand fresh sponsorship from the agency to study Medicine.

    “These medically-related disciplines, from which the scholars have qualified, are also needed in the healthcare delivery system in the state. Besides, it would only be fair that having benefitted from the state sponsorship for their first degree, other deserving candidates are given similar opportunity.”

    Since the inception of the Governor’s Special Overseas Scholarship Scheme in 2008, the executive director disclosed that the agency had placed almost two thousand deserving young Rivers State men and women in top-ranking universities across the world, with the initiative taking over 70 per cent of the RSSDA’s annual budget.

    Pepple said by the end of September 2014, nearly one thousand of the students would have fully completed their studies, majority with flying colours, while stressing that the remaining are still in the programme and would continue to enjoy the full sponsorship of the government.

    Shortly after Amaechi became the Governor of Rivers State, he established the RSSDA, with the aim of empowering lives and creating better future for Rivers state and its people.

    Amaechi said at the inauguration of the RSSDA: “Our mission is to serve our people with humility and render transparent and accountable stewardship, anchored on integrity and good governance. We shall use our God-given resources to improve the quality of life of our present and future generations, and empower our people in a peaceful, just and harmonious society under God.”

    The pioneer executive director of RSSDA, Mr. Bolaji Ogunseye, who was seconded from the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), like Pepple, tried his best.

    Pepple, during the presentation of the agency’s 2013 annual report in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, last Friday, said the future of RSSDA was bright, in spite of the challenges.

    He revealed at the presentation that the 2013 report was the agency’s fourth, since 2010, when RSSDA began to publish an account of its activities to its stakeholders.

    The executive director disclosed that of the 249 graduates from the agency’s overseas scholarship, eleven physically-challenged students graduated from top universities in the United Kingdom, Canada and India, with flying colours.

    He said the agency, through  Amaechi’s overseas scholarship scheme, awarded 312 scholarships, with greater focus on medical and health-related disciplines.

    Pepple described 2013 as a tough year for the RSSDA, in view of the inhibiting funding constraints experienced in 2012, which he said became more severe last year, thereby impacting virtually all the agency’s planned activities.

    He said in spite of the challenges, RSSDA learnt to be more creative and innovative, making it to meet some of its commitments and mandate, with the efforts noticed within and outside Nigeria, through awards of excellence.

    The executive director said: “Our programmes suffered major setbacks, due to the funding challenge faced during the year. Of the N10 billion budget allocated to the agency for 2013, we had received only N4 billion by the end of the year. An additional N2 billion was received in 2014. We were unable to meet our payment obligations to our scholars and their universities overseas in a timely manner.

    “By the end of the year (2013), we had incurred accumulated debts owed to universities overseas, scholarship implementing agents, local vendors and service providers, amounting to N4 billion. As a result, we were unable to conduct the annual scholarship test and interview for the award of new scholarships into the programme for the 2014/2015 session.”

    In spite of the challenges, he noted that the RSSDA received two significant recognitions during the year: “HR best Practice Award in the Public Sector in Nigeria,” from the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management and “African Government Agency of the Year 2013,” by the African Leadership Magazine Award Committee in USA, for the monumental work done by the agency in developing the human capital in Rivers State.

    The executive director stated that the agency continued the development of its Songhai Rivers Initiative, with the introduction of improved crop and soil management technologies at the Songhai Farm in Tai Local Government Area of the state.

    He said progress was also made in setting up the first agro-support centre at Onne in Eleme LGA of the state, which is connected to the Songhai farm and also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) to train its students at the Songhai farm.

    Pepple lauded Amaechi for the RSSDA’s initiative, stressing that the governor’s trust and support had been instrumental to the agency’s success.

    While also assessing the performance of the agency, its Chairman, Rev. Canon Precious Omuku, also noted that 2013 was a challenging year, especially with the funding constraint. Omuku reiterated that the agency struggled to meet its obligations to beneficiaries of its scholarship programme, stressing that the challenges that lie ahead would become even greater, with limited resources, but noted that emphasis must always be placed on poverty alleviation and improvement in the quality of life of Rivers people.

    According to the RSSDA’s report, by the end of last year, 1,962 students had been awarded scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate studies in overseas universities. Some have completed their courses, while others are still studying and at various stages in their chosen courses, costing N23.7 billion.

    During the year, 312 students (238 undergraduates and 74 postgraduates) were awarded scholarships to study overseas. Of the number, 149 travelled to their study destinations in 2013, bringing the total number of students studying overseas to 1,072, with the scholars currently studying at various higher institutions in twelve countries.

    Higher consideration was given to medical students applying to study at postgraduate level. Of the 74 postgraduate awards made in 2013, scholars in medical and health sciences took up 20 places.

    The agency also established opportunities for students to study Medicine at universities in the Caribbean and the Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, to accommodate the additional placement for medical studies. With the additions, RSSDA was able to increase the number of students studying medicine by 56, bringing the total to 89.

    During the year, Urban and Regional Development was also added to the portfolio of overseas courses for which scholarships were awarded at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, to accommodate the rising and urgent need for qualified professionals and provide support for the new Greater Port Harcourt City project, with five awards made for the course in 2013.

    The RSSDA, in 2013, had the highest number of graduating and returning students since the programme started in 2008. The report indicated that 249 students graduated and returned to Rivers state from the United Kingdom (138), India (77), Singapore (26), Canada (7) and the United States of America (1). Of the 138 students from the UK, five graduated with First Class, while another made a Distinction.

    With the 77 students returning from India and 26 from Singapore, the state now has 258 qualified ICT graduates from both countries, with the remaining students to complete their studies in both countries in 2014, following which the sponsorship to the countries would draw to a close.

    In 2010, Amaechi launched a scholarship scheme, specifically to provide opportunities for people living with physical disability to study overseas, with 26 beneficiaries so far. During the year, eleven of the physically-challenged students graduated from Nottingham Trent University, UK. Daniel Nlemogu and Betty Alali Odema are among them.

    Nlemogu achieved a First Class Honours Degree in Law. Upon returning to Rivers State, he received an award of excellence from the Rivers State Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation. He recently received a second scholarship award from Amaechi to pursue a Master’s degree programme.

    He said: “RSSDA’s scholarship programme has developed me academically and otherwise, as I always strive to be the best wherever I find myself. Sincerely, my life has been transformed as a result of the RSSDA’s scholarship programme.

    “My future plan is to do what would make me give back to the society, particularly Rivers State, for the huge investment made in my life. I want to thank God Almighty for how He has led me thus far. I could not have been at this stage of my life without God and the support of the RSSDA.”

    Nlemogu was also grateful to the NGF chairman for giving the agency human-oriented programmes and for giving him a sense of belonging.

    Another outstanding, but physically-challenged graduate of the overseas scholarship scheme, Odema, also graduated from the Nottingham Trent University with honours in International Relations in 2013. She received the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Personal Achievement.

    For her good performance, Odema recently received a second scholarship award from Amaechi to pursue higher degrees in the UK and has already commenced her M.Sc. programme at the University of Coventry.

    Odema, in an interview, said: “Growing up in the Port Harcourt Cheshire Home, under very difficult environment, did not deter me from dreaming big, by aiming higher. The Rivers State Government picked me from a low level of life and gave me wings to fly and hope for a better future.

    “You (Rivers State Government) have sown for my future and the future of our dear state. I have a lot to offer. I want to be an inspiration to the physically challenged and the able-bodied persons and a testimony to the lasting legacy of the Amaechi’s administration’s investment in the youths of Rivers State.”

    Odema also expressed gratitude to the Rivers governor and the people of the state for the great opportunity given to her to obtain a high-quality education in the UK.

    A native of Umuagbai-Ndoki in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers state, Nwabueze Dike, is a 2008 graduate of Mechanical Engineering from the University of Port Harcourt, but had the privilege of studying at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom, through the opportunity offered him by the RSSDA’s overseas postgraduate scholarship scheme in 2012.

    He stated that the scholarship enabled him to study for M.Sc. Subsea Engineering and graduated with Distinction in November 2013.

    Dike said: “Studying such a multidisciplinary course (Subsea Engineering) at postgraduate level, in a multicultural setting, was very interesting and challenging, considering the new environment, team, weather conditions and teaching methods, which I had to cope with.

    “The school, teaching staff and course modules were excellent, as the lectures and courses, including final examination, were drawn from current oil and gas industry practice, projects and challenges around the world.

    “As a Subsea Engineer, I have gained knowledge in the design, construction, installation and maintenance of subsea systems and networks required for deep and ultra-deep water oil and gas production. Through the scholarship/study, I have gained international exposure, practised UK work ethics and social responsibility and mutual respect for team members.

    “Now that I have improved myself, I want to give back to the society by transferring the skills I have acquired to the young, as well as up and coming engineers of Rivers State origin, aspiring to be part of the subsea business in the oil and gas industry.”

    Dike also stated that he was at the final stage of starting a free programme, aimed at grooming college students with relevant computer skills required for further studies in higher institutions home and abroad.

    The subsea engineer suggested to the RSSDA to incorporate into the scheme, a method of integrating their scholars into the relevant industry, after their study. So that the knowledge gained would be applied upon graduation.

    RSSDA also has other scholarship schemes, especially the Greater Horizon Opportunities Programme (GHOP), where students from poor homes are given the opportunity of attending the best secondary schools across Nigeria. Five of them graduated in 2013, the remaining 127 will graduate this year, except one, for health reason. One of the beneficiaries is Miss Faith Okwelle.

    Okwelle said: “If RSSDA had not intervened in my educational life, I would have attended the secondary school in my village, instead of the one I now attend and of course, the outputs of both schools are obviously different. The standard of teaching in Brookstone Secondary School makes me stand out, whenever I interact with my mates from other schools.

    “I have the opportunity to meet with other brilliant children and to go for excursions outside the country. RSSDA’s GHOP scholarship has helped my family to save the money my parents would have used in training me to invest in other things. This has helped my family’s income tremendously.”

    The GHOP beneficiary (Okwelle) also lauded Amaechi for bringing her and others out of the slums, through the scholarship programme.

    In 2011, the RSSDA launched a scheme to promote the study of agriculture and increase enrolment of Rivers state indigenes in agricultural courses at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Port Harcourt.

    The scheme involved providing financial support to pay fees and upkeep allowances for students of Rivers State origin, who enrol to study agricultural courses (Crop Science, Fisheries, Animal Science and Forestry) at the RSUST.

    RSSDA continued its commitment to the scheme during the year, by providing support for an additional 39 students, increasing enrolment in agriculture at the RSUST to 57 students by last December.

     

     

     

  • Rivers Angels Asisat Oshoala prepared for AWC

    Rivers Angels Asisat Oshoala prepared for AWC

    RIVERS Angels new poster girl Asisat Oshoala is one of the 30 players that have been summoned to the national team camp ahead of the African Women Championship(AWC) which begins in Namibia next month.

    Few weeks ago, the offensive all-rounder was in the spotlight after her seven goals contributed to the Falconets qualification for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup finals.

    And the Golden Ball and Golden Shoe winner of the competition held in Canada has borrowed the motto from the Girls Guide, saying she is prepared for the start of camping despite recently appearing for the Nigeria Under 20s.

    “I went to the African Women Championship two years ago, and I played a game against Ivory Coast. I have been part of the senior national team in the past, I played the qualifiers against Rwanda.

    “Yes, I am prepared to join the camp. It is my work and I am prepared for the competition,”Asisat Oshoala told allnigeriasoccer.com.

    The 19 – year – old is studying offers from clubs overseas, and she has dropped a big hint that she will switch clubs after the AWC ends.

    “There are teams abroad that want me but I want to remain with Rivers Angels until the end of the season. After the AWC, I will sit down with my agent and consider the options available, ” she concluded.

    From the 30 players that were told to report at Serob Hotel Abuja on Sunday, 14 are from Rivers Angels including Gloria Ofoegbu and Uchechi Sunday.

    List Of invited players

    GOALKEEPERS: Ibubeleye Whyte (Rivers Angels),Precious Dede (Ibom Queens),Charity John (Rivers Angels), Juliet Obi (State House FC),Ohieriaku Christy (Oshogbo Queens)

    DEFENDERS:  Blessing Edoho (Pelican Stars),Ebere Ngozi (Rivers Angels),Mariam Ibrahim (Nasarawa Amazons), Josephine Chukwunonye (Rivers Angels), Onome Ebi (FK Minsk,Belarus), Osinachi Ohale (Houston Dash,USA), Ugochi Njoku (Rivers Angels),Gloria Ofoegbu (Rivers Angels),Sarah Nnodim (Delta Queens)

    MIDFIELDERS: Ngozi Okobi (Delta Queens), Onyinyechi Ohadugha (Rivers Angels), Chiwendu Ihezuo (Pelican Stars), Stella Mbachu (Rivers Angels), Asisat Oshoala (Rivers Angels),Cecilia Nku (Rivers Angels), Evelyn Nwabuoku (Rivers Angels), Halimat Ayinde (Delta Queens), Loveth Ayila (Rivers Angels), Gloria Iroka (Rivers Angels), Rosemary Okezie (Nasarawa Amazon).

    ATTACKERS: Desire Oparanozie (En Avent De Guingamp,France) , Francisca Ordega (Pitea IFF,Sweden),  Esther Sunday (FK Minsk,Belarus), Uchechi Sunday (Rivers Angels), Pepetua Nkwocha (Sunana SK,Sweden)

  • ‘I’ll resolve Rivers judicial crises’

    Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President Mr. Augustine Alegeh (SAN) has expressed concern over the lingering crisis in the Rivers State judiciary, vowing to find a lasting solution to it.

    He said lawyers and litigants have suffered so much in the past six months, with court activities at a standstill.

    The state and the National Judicial Council (NJC) are at loggerheads over the appointment of the Chief Judge.

    Speaking after his inauguration as the 27th NBA President during the association’s annual general conference in Owerri, Imo State capital, Alegeh he would ensure the crisis is resolved sooner than later.

    Alegeh said:  “I will personally intervene in Rivers State to ensure that the courts are open for lawyers to do their legitimate business.

    “I want to make the NBA a responsible organisation, to cater essentially for the welfare of its members, to serve the nation better, to get involved much more deeply in election matters, to get involved in consumer protection, because I believe that the role of the NBA as a defender of human rights must also include the defence of economic rights and that is what I believe that the NBA must stand for.

    ‘’So, I must make an impact not just for our members and their welfare, but also for the society at large. I want every Nigerian to know that there is an association of lawyers in Nigeria, that they can benefit positively from and that can do something for them even though they are not members of the association.’’

    On the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) at the National Assembly, Alegeh said it should be passed into law for the country’s benefit.

    “I don’t understand why people who have taken an oath of office to legislate would keep a bill through several legislative sessions. It is unconscionable. We will meet with the leadership of the National Assembly and whatever the problems are, we will make them known to Nigerians.

    “Petroleum is our major source of revenue and the Petroleum Industry Bill is to protect that source of revenue for all of us. So, anybody that is toying with such a bill is toying with our collective destiny and we cannot sit down idly and be watch that happen.’’

    On what he intends to with the committees he set up, he said: “Well, when you set up a committee to guide you on something, you cannot jump the gun.”

    He also spoke on the need for a reform of association’s electoral process.

    “Electronic voting has the capability of offering suffrage. The committee will reach out to all stakeholders. It is not what I want that matters because I may want universal suffrage but what do all lawyers want? It is not going to be the decision of Mr. President alone. It is going to involve a constitutional amendment. We may have an emergency general meeting and all members who are entitled will vote on it and the result will be announced  there and then,” he said.

    Alegeh urged lawyers to show more commitment to NBA.

    “I want every lawyer in the association to be responsible to the association. I want them to know that it is not going to be business as usual as it has been for sometime now.

    “I expect all lawyers to work in their communities for the defence of the rule of law, for the promotion of human and economic rights of all Nigerians.

    “I hold the strong view that  fighting for human rights alone without economic rights is a failure on our part. We must fight for both of them,  because a man who has not eaten food is more deprived of human rights,” he added.

  • Death toll in Rivers boat mishap rises to 13

    Death toll in the Bonny River boat mishap of last week has risen to 13.

    A double engine Port Harcourt-bound passenger boat reportedly capsized in Bonny, Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State, on August 29.

    Thirteen people, including two children and a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member on board were killed.

    Thirty-five passengers were said to have boarded the boat that morning at Bonny Jetty for Port Harcourt, although it was meant for 28 passengers.

    It was learnt that the boat capsized shortly after it left the jetty.

    Twenty-eight passengers were rescued immediately; 10 others, including two minors, were said to have died while 18 were rushed to hospitals.

    The other seven could not be found immediately.

    A source told our reporters yesterday that three more bodied were later found while the rest were believed to have been swept away by the tides.

    The police could not confirm yesterday the report of the three recovered bodies.

    Police spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), could not be reached last night for comments.

    But the Chairman of the Eastern Zone of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Peter Igbifa, blamed the mishap on the neglect on marine transportation in the coastal states.

    In a statement yesterday in Port Harcourt, Igbifa said the frequent boat mishaps on the Southsouth rivers were the result of past governments’ insensitivity and negligent of marine transportation.

    He urged the Rotimi Amaechi administration to declare a state of emergency in Marine Transportation as he did in the Education sector.

    Igbifa sympathised with the families of those who died in mishap.

    The IYC leader said the body planned to set up a “Marine Task Force” that would patrol the waterways to check the excesses of marine transporters and forestall a recurrence.

    He hailed a former Chairman of Bonny Care Taker Committee (CDC), Adoye Wilcox, for his swift response to the incident, adding that this led to the survival of most of the passengers.

    Igbifa said: “I am deeply troubled about the frequent loss of lives of innocent Nigerians on our rivers. We blame the past Federal and state governments for this.

    “Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State is the hub of oil and gas activities in Nigeria. But our communities are neglected. Our only means of transportation is the water channels. Yet, because of negligence of past administrations, the channels are filled with wrecks, which cause havocs to our boats and movements on the water.

    “We are not happy over this. We are call on Governor Chibuike Amaechi to a declare state of emergency on the Marine Transport sector as he did in the Education sector. This will create safe and conducive environment for the sector…”

  • Princewill to run for governor in Rivers

    Princewill to run for governor in Rivers

    The former governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Rivers State, Prince Tonye Princewill,  has joined the governorship race.

    The politician is running on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He will face the  Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, and other aspirants at the primaries.

    Already, Princewill has set up a campaign structure, the ‘Princewill Exploratory Committee’ to mobilise support for his bid among stakeholders.

    His media aide, said the outfit will also mobilise for the second term ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan.

    He said the aspirant was advised by the committee “to use his popularity among youths, the non-political class and elders to encourage participatory funding by the generality, to prevent the system being hijacked by moneybags. The belief is that he is about the only one who could do this.

    Princewill told reporters in Port-Harcourt, the state capital, said that his ambition is not a conjecture.

    He said: “I’ve been with the grassroots many years ago, even when it was not about politics. Let others play catch-up and tell the public where they were and what they were doing for them, even without a political appointment.”

    Princewill recalled that, in 2007 when he contested for the governorship, he defeated the  governor in his ward and  Buguma Local Government.