The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Rotimi Amaechi

  • Enough is enough, Wike tells Amaechi

    Enough is enough, Wike tells Amaechi

    The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has warned the Minister of Transportation and former Governor of the state, Rotimi Amaechi to stop distracting his administration and face his job with the Federal Government.

    Wike gave the warning Thursday while declaring open a two-day retreat for his key officials tagged, “strengthening capacity, efficiency and service delivery for sustainable development” held in the state.

    Wike urged Amaechi and the All Progressives Congress (APC), to accept their defeat in the March 19, Legislative rerun elections in the state and allow the state government focus on the rebuilding of the state.

    He said his administration is currently faced with the responsibility of reviving the state which according to him was wrongly managed by the past administrations of the state.

    According to him, his administration has deployed resources  and  expertise to correct the failures and appealed to Amaechi  to allow him face his(Wike), his job of developing the state.

    “I call on the former Governor and leader of the APC in the State to accept the reality that the re-run elections has woefully been lost by his party and that Rivers people have, again, overwhelmingly re-affirm their confidence, trust and preference for the PDP.

    “Therefore, spare us the agony of unnecessary hostility and allow Rivers State to move forward in peace and security. We expect you to use your high office and connections to attract meaningful development projects to the State as I did during my time; not senseless and unpatriotic distractions. Enough is enough.

    “All of us are aware of the sorry state of things in Rivers State before May 29 2015. Between October 25 2007 and May 28 2015 over three trillion naira accrued from all revenue sources to the State. Yet, they did nothing tangible with that money to develop the State. Instead, they squandered and diverted most of this money into private pockets through bogus and ill-fated projects. ”

    The governor alleged that all key projects initiated by the Amaechi administration were either abandoned or not executed at all.

    Wike stated that despite inheriting a badly governed state, his administration has begun the process of developing the state by initiating critical projects and programmes that have revived the economy of the state to the benefit of the people.

     

  • Why Rivers rerun can’t hold now – INEC 

    Why Rivers rerun can’t hold now – INEC 

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it would consult political stakeholders in Rivers on logistics for repeat of legislative re-run elections in areas the exercise was cancelled on March 19.

    Deputy Director of Voter Education and Publicity in the commission, Mr. Nick Dazang, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.

    Dazing said that the consultation would commence soon, because INEC was eager to ensure that the elections were concluded.

    “We stated it clearly in our previous statement on Friday that we will not announce new date for the election until we have engaged with stakeholders and that engagement has not taken place.

    “It is after the engagement that INEC will fix a date for the conclusion of the election. We cannot just go back to Rivers state like that, given what happened during the election.

    “Engagement at the level of stakeholders will start soon,” he said, adding that the date for the consultation would be made public when fixed.

    Dazang also told NAN that the commission would not release any other results from the March 19 re-run until the elections were concluded.

    “There cannot be more results than we have announced because as at the time we suspended the election, not all the elections have been concluded.

    “It is only when election has been concluded that return can be made.

    “When INEC suspended the elections, in some areas voting had just started; in some areas collation had just started, and in some areas collation had been concluded but return had not been made.

    “So, it is only in places where elections have been concluded that we have so far announced results,” he said

     

  • No Party can beat PDP in Rivers – Wike

    No Party can beat PDP in Rivers – Wike

    The governor of Rivers State Chief Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has said it would be very difficult for any political party to win the People Democratic Party (PDP) in the state considering that the state is a PDP state and coupled with his achievement within his short period in office.

    Governor Wike spoke Monday while answering questions   as a guest in Channels Television morning Programme viewed from Government House Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.

    Answering questions in some of the issues affecting the state and the recent conduct of the rerun election, the governor said the people of the state were determine to vote for PDP in all the constituencies in the state because of his achievement in the past few months in office.

    He said in spite of the poor allocation to the state, he was able to handle some of the road projects and completed some even when there were a lot of distractions that could made him to abandon his campaigns promises to the people.

    He noted that the internally generated revenue (IGR) of the state have increase from 4 billion to N9-N10 billion, adding that if there were high rate of  insecurity in the state as being  reported  the IGR wouldn’t have increase because the investors would have run away.

    Governor Wike said:   “Why it is difficult for anybody to win us in Rivers State is because the projects I have done in my short stay in office coupled that the state is a PDP state. The civil servants are happy with us, nobody will be happy when at the end of the months they cannot take their wages home.

    “We have done a lot to fulfill over campaign promises, If you go to Borokiri where the former governor was living  at Okaki street, everybody was afraid to go there because of bad roads  but today we have fixed the road and the people are happy.

    “In Diobu axis we have a lot of bad roads before now, today we have fixed them. All the general hospitals are death, some of the health centres are not functioning.  What we are trying to do as a matter of policy is to pick one hospital each in the three senatorial districts and equip them.

    “We are also going to train and retrain our doctors, for now we are focusing on health and education. We don’t want to carry all at the same time. We received 4 Billion as allocation when our salary wage is N5. 5 billion.  How do make up to pay salaries, when we took over I have IGR of 4-5 billion but I speak to you we have improved in our IGR to   N9-N10 billion.

    “Which means nobody is running away from the state, because if people were leaving the state our IGR would not increase. And  if the insecurity is much as is being claimed, why is our IGR increasing yet if you read on the pages of newspapers people will say Rivers of blood.”

    Wike who vowed not to venture into completion of the monorail project said Rivers people and stakeholders have told him to forget about the project and focus on the project that has direct meaning on the lives of the people of the state.

    He said the monorail project which he claimed has no meaning on the lives of the people have consumed over N45 billion, stressing further that he does not want to have headache speaking on monorail issue which he described as an elephant project.

    On the issue of insecurity in the state, governor Wike accused the Minister of Transportation Mr. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of trying to destabilize the state through his desperation to capture Rivers State even when it is clear to him that his party cannot win PDP in the state.

    He said if President Mohammadu Buhari supports him there is no reason why he cannot achieve peace and stability in the state.

    But he regretted that continue changing of his security chiefs would jeopardize his plan to tackle the security challenges in the state because there was no time for security chiefs to strategize and plan on how to deal with the pressing issue.

    “The continue removal of the Commissioner of Police (CP) the Director of State Security Service (DSS) and other security chiefs in the state is to frustrate our effort. Of course, the Minister is behind this, and people are saying we should reconcile, in what way?

    “That means if I reconcile with him they would not be removing my security chiefs that was why I said we are personalizing this, it shouldn’t be.  If there is need that we should come together to talk, but we should not be desperate to take over the state.  As far as I am concern, I don’t want to assert that kind of responsibility.

    “But the issue of security  is not political, we are fighting to stop this situation and  there is a system trying to desterilize the state by removing the Commissioner of Police at all time, this is man who has serve as governor for eight years and speaker for eight years what has the state not done for him.”

    “As far as I am concern the Federal government should support me by leaving the security chief for quite some time to strategies and plan for the security problem in the state.  The only problem we have with the election is for the umpire to say we must be fair to all. Security people should not be use to manipulate the process.

    “INEC should stop employing those who in one way or the other have interest in political party that is the way we can maintain peace. The security should always protest the people and the materials and not to involve in the manipulation of the process.”

    “For me what I see is the desperation to take over Rivers. There are certain things I shouldn’t say because it has to do with security but it must not be business as usual. We are telling the security personnel to go all out against the cultists and kidnappers that is why I don’t think there is any state that is investing what we are investing in security in Rivers State.”

     

  • Rivers: PDP, APC clash over distribution of fake military uniforms  

    Rivers: PDP, APC clash over distribution of fake military uniforms  

    The two leading political Parties in Rivers State have continued to accuse each other of distributing fake military uniforms to different parts of the State, in order to rig the rerun elections on Saturday.

    The Rivers State Government Friday urged security agencies operating in the state to urgently address disturbing news that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has sent out hundreds of its thugs in fake military uniforms to different parts of the State.

    They alleged that APC thugs have been sighted in Novotel hotel, which is used by the party as its command and control center for the Saturday elections.

    The PDP Government also accused Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, the Minister for Transportation of directly responsible for the distribution of N50, 000 and uniforms to each of the thugs.

    But  APC Chieftain  in Ikwerre Local government Area, Hon. Azubiuke Wanjoku, a strong supporter of Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, the Hon. Minister for Transport said the  allegation of the PDP led government in the state is a mere defense of what Wike and his PDP are doing.

    He said as long as the re-run election is concern in the state the people of the state would not listen to Wike and his PDP adding that killing of APC supporters in the state will not deterred the people of the state not to vote for APC candidates.

    Wanjoku who is an APC candidate for State House of Assembly, Ikwerre Constituency alleged that PDP in the state are recruiting jobless youths, giving them N50, 000 each, AK47 and military camouflage to shoot during the re-run election tomorrow.

    “As I am talking to you now we have uncovered plan by Chieftains of People Democratic Party in the state to recruit jobless youths for tomorrow re-run election. One of the youths who I discouraged not to accept the N50, 000 cash offer told me that their job that day is to shoot and scared voters away.

    “We have confidence in INEC and we believe that the new state INEC boss will do the right thing and ensure that what happened in the general election where result sheets were taken, result allocated to political parties and smuggled back to INEC office did not repeat itself again.”

  • Nigeria set to invest in shipping

    Nigeria set to invest in shipping

    The Federal Government is set to invest heavily in shipping and regulate the maritime industry to eliminate substandard ships in the country.

    The government has also promised to invest in capacity building  by equipping Port State Control (PSC) inspectors working in the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and support the agency with  the expertise needed to carry out its core  duties more effectively.

    Speaking at the opening of the regional  workshop on PSC for the West and Central African region organised in Lagos, yesterday, the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, said the government is taking pro-active measure to reduce accident rates and fatalities, loss of property and devastating pollution of the marine environment.

    The workshop, the Minister said, was organised under the framework of the European Union (EU), Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States and the International Maritime Organisation (EU/ACP/IMO) Project in support of the maritime sector  in West and Central Africa region.

    Amaechi said the high level of maritime activities in the nation’ s territorial waters and the Gulf of Guinea,  impose enormous challenges on the Federal Government and other coastal countries in  the West and Central Africa in terms of building a robust and effective maritime safety regime.

    He therefore, directed the PSC Inspectors at NIMASA and the 19 beneficiary countries to use the opportunity provided by the workshop to update their knowledge and enhance the general drive towards building a robust and effective maritime safety regime in the country and the region.

    “As Inspectors of ships for your respective countries, you are all collectively saddled with an important role in the socio-economic activities of your countries and the West and Central African region in general. In that role, you form an important part of the necessary resources required to discharge the responsibilities of your maritime administrations.

    “Ensuring Flag Ship Integrity and international obligations for PSC are important elements in the development of maritime safety. “Your capacity to represent your countries by effectively discharging your duties on ships is critical and should therefore be given the required attention,” he directed.

    The minister said the region is critical in the global supply of energy due to the economic advantages derived from the transportation of low-sulphur crude oil from the region to Europe and North America. He said  the Gulf of Guinea remains an important maritime route for commercial shipping from Europe and America to West, Central and Southern Africa.

    While noting that countries under the Abuja Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on PSC accounts for a significant volume of seaborne cargo to and from African, he implored all participants at the workshop “to take the engagement seriously, remain focused and avail yourselves with the unique opportunity to secure in-depth understanding of the presentations to be delivered by the resource persons.”

    In his address, the Acting Director-General of NIMASA, Pastor Haruna Baba Jauro said he was happy to see participants from Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau. Liberia, Mauritania, Sao Tome, Principe, Senegal and Sierra Leone at the workshop.

    He said huge investments are needed in human and capital resources to perform PSC inspection effectively and creditably, adding that the dearth of qualified marine professionals is a global phenomenon affecting most countries of the sub-region.

  • Maritime to contribute 25 per cent of budget, says Amaechi

    Maritime to contribute 25 per cent of budget, says Amaechi

    • Sets N500b revenue for agencies

    The Federal Government  has said it expects the maritime sector to contribute at least one quarter, or 25 per cent of the total  funding of the national budget next year.

    The Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi who spoke yesterday in Lagos, said  the government has set N500billion revenue target for agencies in the maritime sector to be able to achieve this target.

    The minister said he would seek the permission of the President to send away any chief executive officer that failed to meet his agency’s mark.

    Amaechi made this known in his keynote address at the Maritime Summit 2016 jointly organised by the Nigerian Shippers Council and Tell Communications Limited at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island in Lagos .

    Speaking during an interactive meeting organised by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), he said almost 10 years  after the NPA surrendered its cargo handling functions to private terminal operators,  ”the ports are not looking good.”

    He said the Federal Government will always respect the provisions of the concession agreement it entered into with the concessioniares, stating that it would carry out competence and performance audit on each of the terminals to see where they have erred in law and apply sanctions where applicable.

    Amaechi said the government of President Muhammadu Buhari  has also concluded arrangement to conduct performance audit of all the agencies in the maritime sector  to determine how much funds they are generating and contributing to the budget.

    An audit firm, Amaechi said, has been contracted to carry out the exercise.

    The Federal Government, he said, is determined to move the maritime sector forward and make the nation’s sea ports the hub in the sub-region.

    The maritime  sector, Amaechi said, generates a lot of money every year, without a corresponding contribution to the budget, stressing that it required improvement on the nation’s sea ports.

    Other critical stakeholders who spoke at the forum said some of the terminal operators have not added the expected value to their services and terminals since the ports were handed over to them.

    Deliberate violation of the concession agreement by the terminal operators, huge demurrage charges, extortion by security agencies, lack of synergy between various government agencies  at the ports and other sundry challenges were identified as factors that are not making the  uncompetitive and unattractive for business.

    The uncompetitiveness of the ports, the stakeholders said, has made it difficult for the ports to attain world-class status.

    The ports, according to them, are still burdened with bureaucratic glitches, periodic technical blackouts and duplication of processes by a plethora of government agencies at the port

    The minister assured the stakeholders that the problems would be addressed by the government through the review of the concession agreement.

    A committee, he said, has been set up to reassess the gains of ports reform and make recommendations for refocusing and fast-tracking it in line with the Change Agenda of President Buhari’s administration.

  • FG to develop national transportation master plan

    FG to develop national transportation master plan

    Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, on Wednesday said the Federal Government is developing a national transportation master plan to diversify the economy and improve non oil sector revenue.

    The minister said the master plan will reduce unemployment, develop the rural economy and reduce unemployment.

    Amaechi spoke at a briefing after a tour of facilities at the Lagos Airport.

    He said government is determined to fully exploit the potentials of the transport sector by opening it up for new investment.

    He said if properly positioned, the transport sector holds the key to unlocking economic potentials for the country.

    He identified the problems of the sector to include bad roads, inadequate fleet and airplane services as well as congested ports.

    Amaechi said, “The government of President Muhammadu Buhari is in the process of developing a national transportation master plan that will be implemented as a fulfillment of one of his campaign promises to diversify the national economy while improving non oil sector revenue.

    “While reducing dependence on oil revenue, it will also develop the rural economy, reduce unemployment and urban drift.

    “The problems of Nigerian transport system include bad roads, inadequate fleet of buses and trucks, irregular and inadequate trains and airplanes services and congested ports. In addition to these, are physical problems such as the dearth of suitably trained transport managers and planners, capital restructuring bottlenecks, serious issues of institutional reforms and ineffective traffic regulations.

    “The Buhari administration is determined to fully exploit the potentials in the transportation sector. As a first step, the government will pursue the enactment of legislation that will open up the sector to new investments that will lead to economic prosperity.”

    He spoke of plans to re- introduce rail lines that will assist in the movement of petroleum products by next year.

  • Amaechi orders probe of Maritime Academy over N18b funds

    Amaechi orders probe of Maritime Academy over N18b funds

    Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi is set to probe the accounts of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, Akwa Ibom State over the N18 billion  released to the institution.

    Amaechi, it was gathered,  has ordered the immediate audit of the accounts of the Academy  and the tenure of its Rector, Joshua Okpo.

    The Rector, it was gathered,  incurred the Minister’s wrath last week when he accused the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) of starving the academy of funds. The Minister, it was learnt,  summoned the Acting Director-General of NIMASA, Haruna Jauro and demanded explanation as to why the agency was starving the academy of its statutory five per cent funds.

    “The NIMASA DG was really shocked by Okpo’s allegation and he explained to the Honourable Minister that NIMASA had regularly released money due to the academy,” a source said.

    Jauro, it was learnt, also informed the Minister that NIMASA had released more than N18 billion to MAN Oron between 2009 and 2014.

    It was at this point that Okpo, who also attended the meeting, confirmed to the Minister that the academy had actually received up to N13 billion since 2011 when he assumed duties as the Rector of the institution, the source added.

    “When asked by the Minister  to explain what he had done with the huge sums of money released to the academy against the backdrop of lack of physical infrastructural development of the institution, Okpo was short of a convincing explanation prompting the Minister to order an immediate audit of the academy’s account from 2009 to date,” the source said.

    The Deputy Public Relations of NIMASA, Hajia Lami Tumaka said the financial activities of the  institution might be probed by the government.

  • Amaechi: PDP Senators oppose adoption of votes and proceedings

    The drama trailing the nomination and confirmation of former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, as minister continued on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday.

    Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senators who had stood against the confirmation of Amaechi continued their battle to scuttle the chances of the former governor from becoming a minister.

    The opposition lawmakers opposed the adoption of the votes and proceedings of October 29, the day Amaechi was confirmed by the upper chamber.

    After the prayers were said on Tuesday to signal the commencement of the business of the day, the Senate went through the votes and proceedings.

    Senate President, Bukola Saraki beckoned on Senator Isiaka Adeleke (APC Osun West) to move a motion for the adoption of votes and proceedings of October 29.

    Adeleke complied promptly and moved that “The Senate do adopt the votes and proceedings of Thursday, October 29, 2015.”

    Adeleke had hardly concluded his motion when Saraki called Senator Peter Nwaboshi, (PDP Delta North) to second the motion as moved by Adeleke.

    Nwaboshi flatly declined claiming he would not be able to second the motion because he was not in the chamber when the decision on the confirmation of ministerial nominees was taken.

    Nwaboshi was specifically referring to the confirmation of Amaechi when PDP Senators staged a walk out.

    The chamber was getting tensed up and Saraki who sensed danger quickly beckoned on Senator Ibrahim Abdullahi Gobir (APC Sokoto East) to second the motion.

    Gobir did that to pave the way for Saraki to put the question.

    Saraki proceeded immediately to put the question asking those who support that the Senate adopts the votes and proceedings of October 29 to say “aye.”

    All Progressives Congress (APC) Senators thundered “aye.”

    When Saraki again asked those against to say “nay”, PDP Senators chorused “nay.”

    The implication of the development was clear in the chamber, but Saraki quickly ruled that those who said “aye’ carried the day.

  • Senate lists Amaechi, 17 others for confirmation

    Senate lists Amaechi, 17 others for confirmation

    The Senate on Thursday listed the former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi and 17 other ministerial nominees for confirmation.

    Amaechi is listed at number 18 among those to be confirmed

    The listing of the ex- governor as the last to be confirmed may have been informed by the controversy his nomination has generated.