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  • Why Fubara, Wike should end feud now, by Jonathan

    Why Fubara, Wike should end feud now, by Jonathan

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday urged Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to sheath their swords for peace to reign in the Southsouth state.

    The former leader called for a  ceasefire, saying that the escalation of the political tension is inimical to progress.

    Dr. Jonathan, who spoke while kicking off the construction of the N222.1bn Trans-Kalabari Road in Kalabari Kingdom, said the governor and minister must work together to advance the growth and development of the state.

    He emphasised that the protracted crisis could hamper the development of Rivers.

    Warning against the destabilisation of the state, Jonathan said it would negatively affect the Niger Delta region and have spiral effects on the country.

    The former president commended efforts of some leaders, who had intervened in the festering political crisis.

    He insisted that Wike and Fubara must embrace a truce so that the crisis would not snowball into a bigger regional and national challenge with greater consequences.

    Read Also; Court rejects Kanu’s bail application for relocation from DSS custody

    The former president, who lamented the problems associated with transition at the centre, explained that while the challenge was always better managed at the centre, the crisis was worse at the state level.

    He suggested that outgoing governors and their successors must devise a means to work together for the collective interest of their people.

    Jonathan said: “In this case of Rivers, Minister Nyesom Wike and Governor Siminalayi Fubara must work together for the development of the land and the people of Rivers State. The tension will not help us.

    “Rivers State is very critical in this country. Rivers State is the heart of the Niger Delta. If Rivers State is destabilised, the whole Niger Delta will be destabilised, and it will not end within the Niger Delta alone because I am from this part of the country, and I know how the system works. We don’t want any crisis in Rivers State.

    “Leaders most know that nobody takes 100 percent. You most learn the principle of give and take. So, our political actors most work together if you love Rivers people.

    “I join the leaders of Rivers State and well-meaning Nigerians who have been calling for truce, who have been calling for ceasefire, to also re-emphasize that there is the need for a ceasefire. Let us do things that will rather project this State positively.”

    He added: “There is this common saying that when two elephants fight, the grass suffers. Both the governor and the minister are young people, very young people. But, they are powerful, and if you continue to fight, Rivers people will suffer. We don’t want the Rivers people to suffer.

    “So, we are calling on them to embrace themselves. One hand does not clap. It takes two hands to clap. So, we want them to work together for the collective interest of Rivers people.

    “Whatever has happened, has passed. Let us move to a new phase for the interest of the state, for the interest of the Niger Delta, and indeed, the interest of the country”.

    Jonathan commended Fubara for his vision, commitment and courage to construct the road saying the infrastructure would guarantee ease of movement, enhance response time to security issues, and promote integration and economic growth.

    He said:  “When I was asked to come and flag-off this project, I felt that it is only a person who has vision, and the commitment to develop his people that can do this.

    “Your Excellency, let me commend you for your vision and the courage to start this project. In fact, it is not going to be a tea party. If you must develop a nation, region or state, there are critical elements that count. These are good road network, airport, rail and water transport systems as well as security.”

    Jonathan said by providing these enablers, development would thrive in the state.

    He thanked the governor for daring to dream big and venturing into projects avoided by previous administrations

    Fubara assured that his administration was determined to deliver the Trans-Kalabari Road project to stimulate socio-economic activities in the rural communities.

    The governor urged the people to take ownership of the project and ward-off any form of sabotage that mayvfrustrate its timely completion.

    Fubara said he understood  the difficult swampy terrain that the road would traverse and its high cost implications.

    However, he said the project must be done in the interest of the state.

    The governor said funding for the project would come from the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and federal allocations for the project, adding that he had already paid 30 per cent of the contract sum to mobilise the contractor to the site.

    Fubara added: “When we went for campaign in the three local government areas of Kalabari Kingdom, we promised you that if you give us your votes and we succeed, we will embark on the Trans-Kalabari Road.

    “That is what we have come to do today. We are a government. When we make promise, we keep our promises.

    “I understand the cost. I understand the difficult terrain and I also understand that somebody has to take this step. If it is not done by me, then, another person can also do it. But within our time, it is proper for us to make a statement to our people.

    “I don’t want to talk about politics on this project. I want us to look at the facts. It is a difficult terrain, it is going to be expensive, but we are equal to the task.

    “Let me also say it for record purposes: We are not going to borrow to embark on this project. We have saved and we are using our savings to pay off the cost, which we have already done, the 30 percent initial advance payment. So, the contractor has no reason to delay, but to start off the project immediately”.

    Fubara appealed to the people of  Rumuolumeni to cooperate with the contractors to enable them deliver the project on time.

    Alluding to the remarks by the Amanyanabo of Abonnema on project costing in riverine areas, he  it is four times the cost doing a similar project in the upland.

    He said when the project is completed, it would help to solve the problems associated with cost of property development in the riverine communities.

    Fubara stressed:  “This road will bring development to our people. This road will bring economic advancement to our people. So, we need your buy-in. Your buy-in is not just standing here with us today, but giving all the necessary support.

    “You need to also cooperate with the contractor, your leaders and chiefs, so that there will be no sabotage.

    “Let me also say it clearly, for those of you who are planning to sabotage it, it is your business. If we don’t do it in our own time, I wonder when you are going to get it. So, you need to buy-in into this project. The advantage of this project is making life easy for our people.

    “For us as a government, our duty remains people first. Those things that we know will make life easy for you, are the areas that we will pay attention to.

    “So, please, give us the necessary support so that this project will be achieved at a record time. This way,  we can also look at other aspects of the state economy.

    “We are not going to focus only on roads. But this particular road is important to the development of our State. That is why we are starting it now because of the time that is required to deliver it.”

    Fubara said the Trans-Kalabari Road project would have many  bridges and deck-on-pile as it was being built on the swamp, assuring that it will be completed during his tenure.

    The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works, Atemea Briggs, said Fubara is committed to the  provision of infrastructure to promote socio-economic growth and urban expansion.

    He explained that the 12.5km  project would link Kalabari land by road to the metropolis with four concrete bridges measuring 576meters, 288meters, 360meters and 108meters, separately.

    He said: “The road commences from the Port Harcourt Ring Road at the Aker-Nkpor Road junction where we are currently seated, and extends through the swampy area behind Ignatius Ajuru University of Education.

    “The road will include a series of bridge crossings, leading to Oguru-Ama, Bakana, Bukuma and Tombia. The first phase of the project is 12.5kilometer long, and it is expected to be completed within 32 months.

    “The road features are 7.3meter carriage way, 2.5meter surface concrete shoulders and solar street lighting. It also consist 100 millimeter asphaltic to concrete surface scene, 150 millimeter crush granite base course and a 200 millimeter cement stabilizer sub-base.

    “Additionally, the road includes four pre criss-crossed concrete bridges measuring 576 meters, 288 meters, 360 meters and 108 meters as well as 3 pre-stress deck-on-piles measuring 700 meters, 520 meters and 450 meters, respectively.”

  • Abuja Light Rail ready for commercial operation – Wike

    Abuja Light Rail ready for commercial operation – Wike

    The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, says the Abuja Light Rail is ready for commercial operations.

    Wike, who stated this after he inspected the project, in Abuja on Monday, added that 15 million dollars, translating to more than N10 billion was expended on the rehabilitation project.

    He assured FCT residents that the light rail, also known as the Abuja Metro Line, would be inaugurated by President Bola Tinubu for commercial operations on May 27.

    “Thank God Almighty that we are good to go. We are ready and you can see the facilities have been installed.

    “We are happy; very very happy, and we thank God the promise President Tinubu made has been kept.

    He said that Tinubu had promised to deliver the metro line to Nigerians within one year in office, adding that as a foot soldier, he has no excuse but to ensure that the promise became a reality.

    He said that the operationalisation of the metro line was a testimony of the reality of Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope” agenda.

    The minister said that the project was delivered because of the overwhelming support of President Tinubu.

    “We are doing well because Mr President has given us every necessary support. Assuming we are not getting the support from him, this would not have been a reality today,” he said.

    He, however, identified facilities that were omitted during the design of the project, particular air conditioning in the passengers waiting room and elevator.

    He said: “We are happy with the project. It is just that we identify one or two things that were omitted during the design.

    “But we believe that during the full operations of the train, some of the things will be taken into consideration.

    “Particularly, I believe that as a standard metro line, where the passengers will be waiting before boarding the trains, there should be air conditioners.

    “I also thought that some of the stations should have had an elevator for those who are very old and those who may not have the strength to walk or climb the staircase.

    Read Also: BREAKING: Jonathan to Fubara, Wike: there is need for ceasefire

    “Apart from that, I think we are happy with the work that has been done and we believe Nigerians will be happy, particularly the residents of FCT.”

    He pointed out that the absence of the air conditioning and the elevator would not prevent the full operation of the metro line but make the passengers more comfortable.

    The minister also said that access roads have also been constructed to link communities to the train stations.

    According to him, without the access roads to the train station, there will be no need for the metro line, otherwise, how will the people from the various communities access the stations?

    NAN reports that the project was originally designed to find concrete solution to transportation challenges – heavy traffic and hold-up  in the FCT and its environs.

    (NAN)

  • Rivers crisis: Sheath your swords, Ijaw youth counsel Wike, Fubara

    Rivers crisis: Sheath your swords, Ijaw youth counsel Wike, Fubara

    The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) and youth leaders of different ethnic nationalities in Niger Delta have asked the governor of Rivers state, Simlalayi Fubara and his predecessor, the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike to sheath their sword and allow peace to reign in the state.

    They frowned at the prolonged hostilities between the two leaders which they said could have a debilitating effect on the nation’s socio-economic and political development, in view of the critical position of the state to both the Niger Delta region and the country.

    This position was contained in a 17-point communique issued at the end one-day Peace and Security Summit convened by the Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide with leaders of various youth bodies from different ethnic nationalities in Niger Delta in Abuja on Sunday.

    The communique was jointly signed by IYC National President, Alaye Theophilus, President, Bayelsa Youth Association, Doupere Precious, President Ibom Youth Council, Lord Knight, President Urhobo Youth Leader Council, Emuejevoke Esesiobe, among other presidents of national youth groups

    On the political stability in Rivers State, the youth leaders urged “the politicians causing political turbulence in the state to sheath their swords.

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    “Insisting that “the state is critical to both the region and the nation, and we cannot stand idle and watch while it descends into crisis.

    “We advocate for peace throughout the entire Niger Delta region, not just in Rivers State. Peace fosters development, and we are committed to preventing the current crises in Rivers State from escalating into a breakdown of law and order.”

    The summit which coincided with the 56 years of commemoration of Late Major Adaka Boro aimed at uniting all youth groups from the diverse ethnic nationalities of the Niger Delta region. 

    On the state of the country the youth leaders said: “We believe that only True Federalism can transform our nation. Therefore, we call on the federal government to initiate a process of restructuring this country as a matter of national importance. The burden of leadership and development is too concentrated in the presidency. True federalism is essential for the prosperity of our nation, and we need it now.”

    The summit then urged the federal government to prioritise the welfare and wellbeing of the people of the area. It also called on government at the center to create opportunities for the development and meaningful engagement of the youth in constructive activities in order to reduce crime in the country.

    Reaffirming their commitment to the unity, development, peace, and security of our oil-rich region, the youth leaders resolved to collaborate and closely monitor development efforts in the area, adding that government should collaborate with various youth and communities leaders to provide a better waterway security in the region to boast the blue economy. 

    Given the significant economic resources in the region, the summit further urged the federal government to make positive and impactful investments to transform the region into the economic hub of the country.

    “The gas flaring effect fund that is a being collected by the federal government should be directed to the impacted communities rather than going into the federal government purse. The federal government should as a matter of urgency start the implementation of the 3 percent host community fund.”

     The summit then called on the governors of the region to unite in combating our common enemies, which were identified as poverty and underdevelopment. 

    “We urge the governors to leverage their positions to champion peace and security in the region and to ensure that external forces like Herdsmen do not undermine people.”

  • Rivers crisis: I’m not distracted as FCT Minister – Wike

    Rivers crisis: I’m not distracted as FCT Minister – Wike

    • Tinubu to start commissioning of FCT projects May 27
    • Fubara: Our actions guided by rule of law
    • Why President shouldn’t protect gov – Rivers Rep

    Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, said yesterday that he remained focused on his job in Abuja and would not be distracted  by the political crisis in his home state, Rivers.

    Wike, the immediate past governor of the state is currently locked in a standoff with his estranged god son and successor, Siminilayi Fubara.

    Fubara himself claimed yesterday that all the actions of his government amidst the ongoing political crisis in the state were guided by the rule of law.

    He said he was already ahead of his detractors.  

    Wike, on an inspection tour of projects being executed by his ministry in the FCT,said the  projects would have stagnated if he had  lost focus.

     Some of the projects have been earmarked for commissioning by President Bola Tinubu from May 27 as part of the programme to commemorate his first year in office.

     “I am not distracted. If am distracted you won’t see this performance here,” the minister said.

    He added: “ I focus on my work. I’m not interested. I’m the Minister of FCT.

    “Work is going on. If I’m  distracted, how will these works be progressing? Am not even thinking about it at all.”

    The projects include the Abuja Metroline which is expected to be flagged off on May 27.

    Wike said it would enhance the city’s transportation infrastructure and reduce congestion.

    He expressed satisfaction at the progress made on the projects and praised  the contractors for the standard  quality of work and adherence to schedule.

    He also commended the President’s commitment to infrastructure development, stressing  that it would  have a positive impact on the lives of citizens and the economy.

    He said:” This is the final inspection as regards the preparedness for the inauguration of various projects.

    “From what we have seen, we believe we are ready for  the commissioning from 27th of May  and will end  June 6. It’s  going to be a nine-day long event.

    Our actions are guided by rule of law, Fubara boasts

    For his part,Fubara said the people of the state were on his side despite claims by his detractors that members of the state legislature and local government chairmen were not with him.

    The  governor who spoke during the inauguration of Emohua-Kalabari (Tema Junction) Road project in Asari-Toru Local Government Area, said  all the actions of his government amidst the ongoing political crisis in the state were  guided by the rule of law.

    Taking a swipe at his detractors, he said: “We don’t have any Assembly member, like they said. We don’t have any local government chairman, like they said. But we have the people. Having the people is the most important thing. I assure the people that we will not disappoint them.

    “We will lead as a Government that has the fear of God, purposeful for the people. I assure you that we will not let you down. We will not bring any form of disgrace.

    “But I am not asking you to be violent. No need for it. The most important thing is our course: we will follow it lawfully to the end. And by the special grace of God, we are on top of the situation.”

    Fubara encouraged the people to continue to support the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government, and ensure the protection of  important government installations in Kalabari land.

    The governor lamented the unabated illegal bunkering activities and vandalism of critical infrastructure of the state, which he said caused a depletion of inflow of revenue to the federation accounts.

    Fubara, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Nelson Chukwudi, said that recurring reports of the Nigerian Navy showed  preponderance of such activities in the area and tasked youths to stop engaging in such economic sabotage.

    He said: “When you watch or read most of the reports on the activities by the Nigerian Navy, you will see that greater part of these bunkering activities are done more especially in this area.

    “I want to appeal to you, there are other justifiable and clean means of livelihood. We must not subject ourselves to economic sabotage. Please, I am appealing to you, it is better we desist from it.

    “I am going to constitute a very high-powered delegation that will visit these areas and talk to the leadership: the chiefs and the community heads and leaders, so that we can improve on our present state. 

    “When we have (exploited) more crude oil resources from this area, it brings in more resources (finances) to the state, it brings more resources (finances) to the country. Mr President can do more projects and the State can also do more projects. After all, you will want me to do more projects. So, support me in this fight to end illegal bunkering and oil pipeline vandalisation.”

    Speaking on the Emohua-Kalabari Road project, Fubara said it was awarded on the 18th February, 2023, by the immediate past administration at the cost of N21.2bn but only paid N6bn.

    Fubara said that his administration paid the remainder of N15.2bn, and completed 70 percent of the job to confidently claim it as part of his projects delivered for the good of the people in Kalabari land.

     He said: “Although the Permanent Secretary did mention a few things, and I know that when we leave here, some agents will want to say one thing or the other. So, I came prepared.

    “Let me also say it here, maybe Julius Berger Nigeria PLC was being economical with their presentation. On my table as I am talking to you, there is a request for variation of the cost of this project.

    “This is because, as at the time this project was awarded, and while the project was on-going, there was serious exchange rate differences. But I told them not to worry that they should go ahead and complete this project, and I assured them that we will sort them out and they accepted.

     “For the records, this project was awarded on the 18th of February, 2023, by the immediate past administration. In the month of March, the first payment for the project was done, and the next one was in April, and the third one was in May.

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    “The total value of this project is N21.2billlion, and out of that, only N6billion was what the previous administration committed. 

    “When we came on board, we said to the contractor, go ahead, assuring that we are not cutting it short because we know that the project is for the benefit of our people. I can boldly say here that the balance of N15.2billion has been paid completely.

    “Originally, our mantra was supposed to be ‘Consolidation and Continuity’. And if that is our mantra, the success of our administration should not be ascribed to anybody, but to the success of the administration, to the success of governance, knowing full well that one will serve out our tenure and another will continue, and government is a continuous process.

     “But with what we are faced with, we have no other option but to do this explanation so that we will understand the works that we are doing. For those people who say that we have not been doing anything, they will know that we have been doing a lot silently, not with noise or media exaggeration.”

    Former governor of Bayelsa State,Senator Seriake   Dickson who performed the inauguration  said the Rivers State  crisis would normally make  some people to forget governance but that Fubara had refused to be distracted by it.

    Dickson described  the project as a life-changing development  because his experience plying the road when it was deplorable was also unpleasant.

    Why Tinubu should not protect Fubara – Rivers Rep

    A member of the House of Representatives from Rivers State, Hon. Solomon Bob, asked  President Tinubu not to offer  Governor Fubara any form of protection.

    Bob,in a statement in Abuja, accused the governor of  committing  several impeachable breaches.

    He said  the law should be allowed to take  its course in the governance and management of resources of the state.

    Hon. Bob, who represents Abua/Odual and Ahoada East  said: “Governor Fubara has no respect for President Tinubu. I can tell you that. Forget about his public posturing; he only fears him.That’s all.

    “If he could thumb his nose at the Minister  of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), His Excellency, Dr Nyesom Wike, who brought him out of nothing, imagine what he would do to Tinubu. 

    “He begged for the December settlement brokered by the President. He benefitted more than anyone from it. In fact, he’s the only beneficiary. But see how he has trashed it. He paid people to challenge that settlement in court, including the so-called Rivers elders.

     “The only term of the agreement he pretended to honour was the reappointment of commissioners who resigned, but he made them effectively redundant to the point where they had to resign again. He finally came out recently to denounce the settlement as unconstitutional.”

    He added: “Fubara’s outrageous lawlessness and assault on the constitution require that he faces the consequences of his actions, and that the President would be failing to live up to his oath of office to be seen to be condoning Fubara’s unprecedented lawless behavior.

     “Governor Fubara destroyed an entire branch of the government to the rubble. He is running a government without a budget and spending Rivers people’s money recklessly. 

    “He has illegally withheld funds due to local governments, and our people are running on empty. The House of Assembly, which has the constitutional responsibility to take necessary measures against the governor, must not be fettered. 

    “At the moment, that’s the impression I get. I listened to the President’s media aide the other day, and I was disappointed. His statement is preposterous. 

    “If you do nothing in the face of gross lawlessness and constitutional abuse such as Fubara is displaying in Rivers State, that’s not neutrality, that’s siding with impunity, lawlessness, and tyranny.”

    Okocha welcomes Abe back to APC

    The Chairman of the Caretaker Committee (CTC) of the All Progressives  Congress(APC) in Rivers State, Tony Okocha yesterday applauded Senator  Magnus Abe  for collapsing  his Social Democratic Party (SDP)  structure  across the state into the APC.

    Abe who recently announced his return  to the APC promised to work with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike and Okocha to rebuild the party(APC), in the State and work for President  Tinubu’s re-election in 2027. 

     Addressing the supporters, Abe said, “I have always said that we will go back to the APC  for we’re members of the APC.

    “Some of us know why  our going back to the APC is an unchanging variable, it is simply because our APC cannot change, that is the foundation of what has happened.

    “We have taken a decision that we will go back to the APC, we will work with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory(FCT) , Nyesom Wike. We will work with the State Care Taker Committee  Chairman of the APC, Chief Tony Okocha, we will work with all structures of the APC.”

     Reacting to the development during a radio programme in Port Harcourt, the State capital yesterday, Okocha described Abe as no Pushover Bystander in Rivers politics and expressed his warm welcome back to the APC which he said he was a founding member.

    The party chairman confirmed that the former Senator who represented Rivers South-East in the National Assembly has reconciled with him and has also taken the right process to returning to the party.

    “Rivers APC formerly welcomes the Most Distinguished Senator Magnus Ngei Abe and his numerous supporters across the 23 LGAs in Rivers State to the APC in Rivers State. 

    “Abe has the ability to persuade people to believe in him. He’s a dogged fighter and not a new man in politics.

     “It is important to state clearly that Senator Magnus Ngei Abe is not a Green Horn in the politics of Rivers State.

    “He has the capacity to exude intellectual confidence, and of course that is key too. It is crucial in this game called politics. If he believes in a thing, he goes out to fight for it,  no matter what happens or comes out of it, he follows it to the end.

     “Sen. Magnus Ngei Abe was largely at the centre of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s structure in Rivers State. At a point at the national level, he was a member of the 11 Wise men – the innermost caucus of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his ambition to be President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

     He was also the Chairman of one of the Sub-Committees that midwifed the National Convention.

  • Group scores Wike, Alake, Tunji-Ojo others high in Tinubu’s first year in office

    Group scores Wike, Alake, Tunji-Ojo others high in Tinubu’s first year in office

    A group, Frontiers for Accountability and Democracy Development (FADD) has ranked Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, and five others high in their performance as ministers in the first year in office of the President Bola Tinubu-led-administration.

    The group highlighted other ministers who performed exceptionally to include Minister of Works, David Umahi, Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, Minister of interior, Hon. Olubunmi Ojo and Minister for Arts, Culture, Minister of State for Housing and urban development Abdullahi Gwarzo and Minister of creative economy Hannatu Musawa.

    Convener of the group, Abdusalam Kazeem, while speaking in Abuja at a press briefing, stated that having followed the trajectory of service delivery of the President Tinubu administration since inception, no other government stirred up the hopes of Nigerians like the Tinubu administration having ran on the Renewed Hope Agenda.

    Kazeem described President Tinubu’s choice of the ministers as placing square pegs in square holes, adding that they had literally hit the ground running with the President, “working tirelessly night and day to deliver on the mandate of the administration in their respective ministries and attaining proven incontrovertible positive results.”

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    The group explained that Minister of Defence, Matawalle on assumption in office took the bull by the horn by giving a marching order backed by full logistics support to the Nigerian military for an all out onslaught targeted against terrorists especially in Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina and Kaduna states in order to neutralise bandits and for the citizens to once again begin to enjoy uninterrupted peace.

    He said: “Matawalle’s firm leadership has reverberated across the entire length and breadth of the nation resulting in the restoration of peace in the troubled Niger Delta which has helped strengthen Nigeria’s economy with an increase in crude oil production. The Boko Haram terrorist in the Northeastern States of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa are rapidly falling to the superior fighting power of Nigerian Military and businesses are rapidly springing back to life again.”

    He noted that Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike on assumption embarked on infrastructural projects across the city center and even satellite towns, adding that residents of Abuja can now attest to the fact that the magnitude, quality and swiftness in execution of these projects has never been witnessed in the history of the FCT.

    He stated: “As a seasoned administrator and expert in project execution, Wike diligently studied his handover notes, identified all hitherto abandoned major FCT projects and in just one year he has completed what took a bunch of others over a decade to even begin.”

    Kazeem said the Minister of Interior, Tunji-Ojo also swiftly initiated a strategic overhaul of the ministry of interior and its affiliated agencies setting a new standard for optimal service delivery in all agencies of the ministry adding that his reforms in few months brought relief to all citizens that desire to obtain Nigerian passport at home and abroad.

    He said: “He promptly ordered and ensured the swift clearance of staggering 204,332 passports backlog by the Nigeria Immigration Service in just three weeks, this feat was nonetheless a record breaking performance by the Nigeria Immigration Service in its 60 years of existence.”

    Kazeem said President Tinubu has demonstrated that his government places premium priority on the felt needs of the citizenry judging from the sterling performance of these trio who stood out among their equals.

  • I made a mistake with Fubara, Wike slams Governor’s camp

    I made a mistake with Fubara, Wike slams Governor’s camp

    The Minister of the Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said backing Governor Siminalayi Fubara was a mistake he would correct at the appropriate time.

    The FCT Minister insisted he made mistakes in his judgement of Fubara and asked the people of the LGA and political family to forgive him.

    He said at the appropriate time they would correct the mistake insisting that he would continue to make his detractors angry so they would keep making mistakes.

    Wike said: ” I want to say this clearly, in life we have made a mistake. I have made a mistake. I own it up and I say God forgive me. I have said all of you forgive me. But we will correct it at the appropriate time. I am a human, I am bound to make a mistake. So forgive me for making a wrong judgement. So nobody should kill”.

    He also responded to some developments and actions from the camp of  Rivers  Governor Siminalayi Fubara, on the ongoing political crisis in the State.

    Wike spoke on Saturday at the grand Civic reception held at Ogu-Bolo in honour of Chief George Thompson Sekibo to celebrate his 20 years of service at the National and 36 years of his life in public service.

    The former Rivers Governor told Fubara’s camp that no injunctions obtained at 2am or 4am would stop the law and due process from taking its course in the state.

    “If they like they can go to anybody by 2am or 4am to get injunction. The law will take its course. We must follow due process,” Wike said.

    Reacting to Fubara’s remarks that he would not worship anybody, Wike said he had never asked anybody to worship him.

    He said: “It is not easy to be a public officer and the people decide to honour you. Let me thank the Ogu council of chiefs and the entire community who insisted that their son should be honoured.

    “You have refused politics to divide you. It shows that you have the interest of your community in mind. I came because I respect people, who appreciate what God has used people to do for them.

    “God uses people to help others. So when you have been helped, you appreciate them. God will know you have appreciated him. Nobody can worship man. All of us believe that it is only God we will worship.

    “As politicians we appreciate people who have helped us. When I came to ask you to support me, you supported me. Did I worship you?  Did I ask you to worship me. If you had not supported me, I would not have been where I am. Did you tell me to worship you? So where does the issue of worship come from?”

    Most political associates of Wike such as Senator Magnus Abe; Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Dr. Samuel Ogbuku; NDDC Director, Finance and Administration, Boma Iyayi, House of Assembly members, local government chairmen, senators amonf others attended the event

    Wike told the lawmakers not to be afraid saying nobody would remove them as assembly members.

    *Don’t be afraid nobody will remove you as a lawmaker. Most of you don’t understand. This is our work. Our business is to make them to fear. That is what I am doing. We will make them to be angry everyday and they will continue to make mistakes”.

    The former Governor said he would continue to maintain peace in the state and called on his supporters to pursue peace.

    He said: “So don’t worry yourselves. We won’t give money to anybody to go and buy arms to kill anybody. I have maintained peace and I want to beg all you to continue to maintain peace. Nobody will tell me that I can’t live in my house or go to my house. But all of you should maintain the peace. Follow law and sue process..we will get to the end

    “As you see me I stand straight. I think well. I came with senator Magnus Abe. I work with people that have brains. On politics, when people with brains agree they disagree. Those, who don’t know what to do but said they would bring me down, who born them? They are nowhere. When you are in charge, you are in charge.

    “Everything will calm down. All these people running around, they would come down. Boma worked for his appointment, he showed loyalty and commitment and that is why God placed him there. Don’t worry.

    “Let me also advised you, forget  about how they abuse us. You must be alive for people to abuse you. If you are dead, will they abuse you? At the appropriate time when the results will be announced, we will know who is who. We have defeated them severally.

    “Some.of them ran to Abuja but when I went to Abuja, they ran back here. Have you not seen the way Abuja is moving? No amount of propaganda can help you. Ogu people have shown loyalty and I want to thank you”.

    Reflecting on his political journey, Wike said: “In 2014 to 2015, we didn’t have anybody. I came here and you said you would work for it and you worked for it. We had nobody in government. Did we not win? What are you afraid of?

    “While in a government I had a problem, I had a federal government that was hostile to me, did we not succeed?  They are giving excuses. If you know you. When somebody cannot do something, say you cannot do it.

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    “At the appropriate time, people will speak of the projects in the state. They will tell you who did what. It is not people who come now and claim what they didn’t do. Ogu continue to support your people, your politicians have done well. Sekibo has done well.

    “Don’t mind these buccaneers, I know how to handle them. Leave them for me..they have been my children. I will continue to handle them. Let’s work together”.

    The former governor added: ” It is not easy to be in power and begin to give excuses. You continue to run away from promises you made to people. Look at all the council chairmen, the assembly members, these were people I spoke to for the interest of all of us.

    “They all responded but today somebody said they are nobody. Will you accept that?  Assembly people sat  down in their various constituencies. You never brought a dime. I never knew you were rich that your father was a managing director of shell before and now you are paying their school fees. It is unfortunate.

    “But Ogu people I will never abandon you. There are some chiefs I wanted to recognise as traditional rulers. Their people said no. But I dared it and I did it. Nobody bothered to recognise the traditional rulers from 1999 down to 2014. It was me that came and recognize most of them. I did what I did  because it believed it was the right thing to do. It takes he who has the balls to talk.

    “Now you said you are making them first class. Who made them second class and third class before you are making him first class?  Be grateful to whatever God has given to you. Anywhere you are as a traditional ruler, check your conscience, who lifted you up. They said the list of caretaker committee was released but it was fake. Everything is fake with them”.

  • Wike frowns against random protests in Abuja

    Wike frowns against random protests in Abuja

    Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Thursday, May 9, advised traders against arbitrary protest in the nation’s capital.

    Wike warned that there should be due process before any protest is embarked upon.

    Without the above steps, the minister said the act would be considered an attempt to intimidate the government. 

    The minister was reacting to the action of traders from the Apo Mechanic village, who besieged the entrance of the FCTA secretariat, demanding that the FCT minister sign the lease agreement to enable them to move to their permanent site at Wassa District.

    The traders who carried different placards commending the developmental strides of the Minister, however, appealed to him to sign the lease agreement which was entered into in 2015.

    The chairman of the association, Chimezie Ife, said his members were tired of waiting since 2006 to be allocated their permanent business environment, having spent over N100 million.

    He explained that since 2006 when the old Apo mechanic village was demolished with a promise for a permanent location, they waited until 2011 when they applied for land, but were forced to spend over N100 million over time by officials of the Administration.

    Despite the efforts and expenses, he lamented that the traders are yet to be allocated their land. This, he added, had prompted a series of demonstrations against the administration with the hope the current FCT minister, Nyesom Wike would address the lingering issue.

    Wike, who was not impressed by the actions of the traders, berated them for neither writing to his office to discuss the delay in the implementation of the lease agreement nor to inform him of the protest.

    The angry minister said he considered the protest as being sponsored, seeing that there were no bases for the protest.

    “If this is the way you support the government, then I don’t need it. Is this the way you support the government by barricading the road and obstructing of traffic without informing me of anything? You never wrote to me that you want to see me or that we refuse to see you. Then what you will do is to wake up in the morning, and barricade the road and barricade the gate, and then you are saying you are supporting me? Then I don’t need your support.

    “What I don’t like is intimidation. If you have a problem, channel your problem to me and if I don’t solve it, then you can take another step.

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    “Something that has happened since 2015 and you didn’t take any step. Ministers have come and gone, and then I just came and I haven’t received any letter from you till today, saying there is a problem we are having and we think you can help us to solve the problem. Then all of a sudden you are coming to say the good things are doing. What good things? Then you don’t need the good things.

    He therefore asked them to go back and follow due process for a solution.

    Wike said: “What you should do, is tell your people to go, then write that you want to see me, and then we will sit down and talk. I am not one of those ones anyone will come and intimidate. Barricading the road I don’t like. People coming to tarnish the image of government is not right when we can sit and dialogue. If the government has promised to give you land then I will look at the papers. Then write to me so that I can listen to you.”

  • Wike upgrades street lights on airport area

    Wike upgrades street lights on airport area

    Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT),  Nyesom Wike, has begun upgrading Airport Road lighting with intelligent Smart Light Emitting Diode (Smart LED) lights.

    The upgrade is to realise the vision of a greater FCT to enhance infrastructural growth.

    The project is meant to replace conventional High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) with Smart LED to make the nation’s capital a 21st-century city.

    Coordinator of Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Felix Obuah, said there are plans to migrate major roads and streets to LED.

    He said the contract had been awarded, adding it would be taken bit by bit. “We are ready to light up Abuja,” he said.

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    Obuah decried some streetlight contractors who failed to meet up with standards..

    In a statement by Executive Director of Tejaff Multi-Concept, Mrs Ronke Ozoh, one of the features of LED lighting system is use of lower energy to produce same luminosity.

    The company in charge, Concrete Thinking Limited, commenced replacement of the HPS with Smart LED.

    Ozoh, who visited the site, noted LED lighting would result in a reduction of up to 60 per cent of operations and maintenance costs.

  • Smart city: Wike upgrades Airport road street lights

    Smart city: Wike upgrades Airport road street lights

    …says other FCT roads to benefit 

    The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has commenced the upgrading of the Airport Road lighting with intelligent Smart Light Emitting Diode (Smart LED) lights.

    The upgrade is to actualise the vision of a greater FCT that will complement the ongoing massive infrastructural development.

    The upgrading project awarded by the FCT Administration is meant to replace the conventional High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) with Smart LED to make the nation’s capital a 21st-century city like other developed country exit and entry points of the capital city. 

    The coordinator of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Bro Felix Obuah, said there are plans to migrate all major Abuja roads and streets to smart LED.

    He said the contract had already been awarded, adding that it would be taken bit by bit.

    “We are ready to light up Abuja,” he said.

    Obuah had last week decried the attitude of some streetlight contractors that failed to meet up with standards, threatening to blacklist them.

    However, in a statement on Sunday, Mmay 5, by an Executive Director of Tejaff Multi-Concept Limited, Mrs Ronke Ozoh, one of the features of the LED lighting system is the use of significantly lower energy to produce the same amount of luminosity.

    The company in charge of the project, Concrete Thinking Limited, recently commenced the replacement of the HPS with the Smart LED.

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    Thousands units of Smart LED will be replaced from the Airport Road area to the central area of the FCT to give it the befitting looks of the smart city. 

    Ozoh, who visited the site last week, noted that LED lighting would result in a reduction of up to 60 per cent of the operations and maintenance costs of streetlight infrastructure.

    She said a smart LED streetlight system is one of the enabling technologies for a Smart City, adding that the intelligent nature of this street lighting system enables remote management of streetlight assets and ensures enhanced

    “The intelligent smart LED can give the exact amount of energy consumed. It can also be detected from a central control unit if any of the bulbs is faulty. It will also help inaccurate energy consumption bills from electricity companies,” she said.  

    Similarly, an Abuja resident, Mr Lennox Adigwe, was quoted in the statement to have urged the Minister of the FCT to graciously extend it to other parts of the nation’s capital. 

    Adigwe especially Constitution Road (B12), Independence Road (B6), and some other areas that needed to be upgraded.

    He said apart from the provision of street lighting infrastructure that will enhance the aesthetics of the FCT and foster an improved night economy, the initiative would also provide jobs to thousands of people as well as ensure the safety of lives and property of residents.

  • Magnus Abe: my rift with Wike over

    Magnus Abe: my rift with Wike over

    A former governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Rivers State, Senator Magnus Abe, has confirmed reconciliation with Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike.

    Abe sent tongues wagging last weekend when he attended the thanksgiving organised by the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker Committee in Rivers State, Chief Tony Okocha.

    The senator had left the APC to fly the SDP governorship flag in last year’s general election, but returned to the party after he lost at the poll.

    The senator, who represented the Rivers Southeast Senatorial District, said his decision to reunite with the APC and support the Okocha’s caretaker committee was to end the rift in the party.

    Abe, who wrote this on his verified Facebook page, hailed Wike for reconciling with him.

    He described the minister’s mediation as direct, truthful and sincere.

    Abe wrote: “Be yourself and let others be themselves. I believe that the APC in Rivers State will benefit from the process of peaceful reunification, and reintegration.

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    “I have made peace with the Minister of the FCT and former governor of Rivers State. I accompanied him to Chief Tony Okocha’s thanksgiving to show that my commitment to end the rifts in our party is total.

    “I want to publicly thank the minister; he could have behaved like other politicians – made peace with me and still encourage me, Tony and others, to continue fighting (you bring Magnus in the morning through one door, then bring Tony in the evening through the other door). But his style is direct, truthful and sincere, and it will create a united team.

    “The disagreements within is over and done for good, because the oxygen for conflict has been extinguished. It may take a little while but the end result is that all those with us, who sincerely wish us well, will go with us and tow the path of unity because we all know that it is the right way to go.

    “Let me also thank Chief Okocha; of course, he knew I was coming, and he received me well. My home is in the APC. Let us come together. Everyone will benefit from us working together.”