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RSG Plans Media Village …As Johnson Wants Journalists To Be Objective On Unfolding Devs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government, under the leadership of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, plans to create a Media Village where all state-owned media houses would be located.
Office spaces, technical, power, other operational facilities and staff quarters are to be part of the ambitious project.
The large expanse of land at the Elelenwo transmission stations of both RSTV and Radio Rivers, is being proposed for this laudable project.
The Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Warisenibo Joseph Johnson, dropped the hint in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, while playing host to the leadership of the Rivers State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), who paid him a courtesy visit in his office.
This was contained in a statement by the Technical Assistant, Press Relations to the Honourable Commissioner for Information and Communications, Abraham Dukuma.
According to the commissioner, “The purpose of this move is to minimize the cost of operations of the outfits, increase efficiency and optimize the utilization of facilities through colocation as well as build synergy for effective performance, while creating some economic, social and commercial benefits, especially for people of the area where the activities of the proposed media hub shall be sited in particular, and people of the state in general.”
He thanked the NUJ, Rivers State Council, on behalf of the State Government, for identifying with Fubara-led administration.
The commissioner noted that fierce war has been raging in the media against Governor Fubara for some time, and charged members of the Fourth Estate of the Realm to be professional by accurately situating the unfolding development the way it is for posterity.
He informed that Fubara loves journalists, adding that the state Chief Executive is open to a robust, cordial working relationship with media practitioners.
To buttress his point, the commissioner cited the governor’s swift response to the recent requests from the Nigerian Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), when they were preparing for their recent national conference/election, where Dr. Lillian Okonkwo-Okagu was re-elected as the National Vice President of the Association.
He said the same friendly gesture was extended to the South-South Zonal leadership of the NUJ, as well as the Federated Correspondents Chapel.
Johnson also said that his recent familiarization visits to government-owned media houses and others is aimed at building better working relationship with the media in order to promote a healthy government-media partnership.
He disclosed that plans have been concluded for the governor to hold a media parley with journalists soon to enable him interact with them as partners-in-progress.
“To this end, the Rivers State Government under the leadership of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, is determined to make a clear departure from the past dispensation, when they (media practitioners) were unfairly treated, by ensuring that the media play critical roles in the government’s pragmatic development agenda”, he said.
He declared that the NUJ needs proper support to serve its preeminent leadership role as the galvanizing force in the media space.
Johnson noted that the recent upward review of salaries of civil servants in the state, among other people-oriented policies initiated by Fubara are clear indications of realistic commitment of the governor to change the fortune of Rivers people and those resident and doing business in the state, which according to him, will ultimately become visible to all at the end of the day.
He, therefore, enjoined all and sundry to join hands with the state government to build a better Rivers State.
Commenting on the ongoing political imbroglio in the state, Johnson said that; “We are not in any kind of inter-ethnic debacle. Therefore, no ethnic sentiment should be introduced into our system.”
Earlier in his speech, Chairman, NUJ Rivers State Council, Stanley Job Stanley, who led the delegation, congratulated Johnson on his appointment into the Rivers State Executive Council by Governor Fubara as the Chief Information Manager of the state, describing it as well deserved.
He commended Johnson for continuing to fraternize with the NUJ, even after his appointment as a commissioner, noting that Johnson was indeed a good member of the NUJ family.
The NUJ chairman also applauded the commissioner for his swift action in visiting government-owned media houses to ascertain their state/condition, with the aim of addressing their challenges for efficient and optimal performance.
He also conveyed NUJ’s appreciation to the state government for the support extended to the state chapter of NAWOJ during preparations for their recent national conference at Abuja, and formally informed the commissioner that Dr. Lillian Okonkwo-Okagu was re-elected as the National Vice President of NAWOJ.
Stanley solicited the support of the State Government in hosting NUJ’s Press Week, which he said had not seen the light of the day for a long time.
He also sought the assistance of State Government towards the rehabilitation of the NUJ Secretariat.
The NUJ leader requested for a solidarization visit by the NUJ to the the governor to enable them rub minds with him with a view to finding a common ground for collaboration, exchange of ideas, support and partnership.
The NUJ chairman regretted that all efforts by the Union to have an audience with the immediate past governor of the state and current FCT Minister, Chief Nyesom Wike, failed throughout his eight-year stay in office, and expressed the hope that things would not be the same in the present dispensation.
The NUJ delegation was made up of the state Chairman, Stanley Job Stanley; Vice Chairman, Okechukwu Maru; Secretary, Ike Wigodo; and Treasurer, Doris Tom Morrison.
Others are Auditor, Omunimi Wokoma; Ex-officio and Chief of Staff to the NUJ chairman, Boye Salau; and Financial Secretary, Fubara Miebaka Amadi.
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Pa Edwin Clark Propagated National Unity, Says Fubara …Leads Rivers Leaders On Condolence Visit
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has said that late Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark was a quintessential leader who remained fearless, speaking against acts of injustice, leadership recklessness and marginalization while also propagating national unity.
Governor Fubara made the assertion when he led a delegation of prominent elders, traditional and political leaders of Rivers State to pay a condolence visit to the Clark-Fuludu Bekederemo family residence in Abuja, yesterday.
Chief Edwin Clark died on the 17th of February, 2025, at 97 years.
Governor Fubara stated that late Chief Edwin Clark was not just a South-South leader of repute but truly occupied strategic place in national history for his role in nation-building and pursuit for social justice.
The Rivers State Governor said: “Papa lived very long, 90 plus years is not a joke with full energy, still contributing positively. So, I join the family to say it pleased God at this time for him to leave us. And while he is not here with us, we cherish the wonderful work he did.”
Governor Fubara also said: “I am happy to be associated with such character. He was a father with character of integrity, uprightness; character that is not greedy, self-serving. He was ready to sacrifice everything.
“I want to assure the family, Clark was a father to me. In my most trying time, he stood by me. He spoke truth to power. He wasn’t scared, and I appreciate the role he played and the impact he made.”
Governor Fubara pointed to the reputable leaders of Rivers State that he had led on the large delegation to identify with the bereaved family, saying they were people who had stood, followed, and delivered on their responsibilities at different times to keep the State safer, progressive and united.
Governor Fubara stated: “We came here to tell you that Rivers State feels this pain. we are going to support to make sure that we follow the decision of the family to make sure that we give him a befitting burial.
“We have to immortalize his name. That is the truth. It is not about the South-South. It is all about his contributions to nation-building.”
Governor Fubara advised the bereaved family to stay united to honour their late father whose legacy they must protect, and urged them to be different from some families that recline to scrambling over assets, which is possible, if they stand together to resist such tendencies.
He said, “Be more united now than ever. That is the only way we his children at the other side, will come to support you to make sure that he is given a befitting burial.”
While welcoming Governor Fubara and his entourage, son of late Chief Edwin Clark, Ebikeme Clark, expressed gratitude of the children to the Governor, members of the delegation and the entire State for the support and visit.
He said the family was well aware of the impact of the life of their late father on a lot of people, not only in Delta State where he hailed from but in South-South, Niger Delta, the whole nation and beyond.
He said, “The support Nigerians have showed him over the years is overwhelming. We, his children, appreciate everything you have done. I just want to say thank you, and God will bless you all.”
The Rivers State caucus in the House of Representatives has insisted that Martin Amaewhule and 26 other lawmakers loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, have lost their seats, due to their defection to the All Progressives Congress.
The Leader of the House of Representatives caucus from the State and member representing Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro Federal Constituency, Awaji-Inombek Abiante, stated this when he led a delegation on a solidarity visit to the State Assembly Speaker, Rt. Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo, in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
Expressing their support for the State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, the federal lawmakers expressed dismay over the recent visit of some members of the National Assembly to the pro-Wike Speaker (Amaewhule).
Other lawmakers during the visit were the member representing Akuku-Toru/Asari-Toru Federal Constituency, Boma Goodhead; the member representing Ikwerre/Emohua Federal Constituency, Boniface Emerengwa; the member representing Okrika/Ogu-Bolo Federal Constituency, Anderson Allison Igbiks, and the member representing Port Harcourt Federal Constituency 1, Manuchim Umezurike.
Recall that Amaewhule and 26 lawmakers loyal to Wike defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on December 11, 2023, erupting in political crisis that sharply divided the state into Fubara and Wike factions.
Amaewhule and 26 other lawmakers, however, denied defecting to the opposition party when faced with the reality of forfeiting their seats.
In the court proceedings to counter their defection, Amaewhule and his 26 allies denied defecting to the APC, saying they remained in the PDP.
But the Rivers State caucus in the House of Representatives, on Monday, said Amaewhule and his colleagues should be ashamed of themselves for denying that they never defected, describing their action as unfortunate.
Barely a fortnight ago, a similar caucus in the Senate, led by Barinada Mpigi, had paid a solidarity visit to Amaewhule in Port Harcourt, whereby he called on Fubara to obey extant court judgments.
Abiante chided the Mpigi-led delegation for “willfully distorting the facts about the Justice James Omotosho judgment.”
He said the judge did not touch on the status of Amaewhule and the other lawmakers who he described as a “committee of friends and former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.”
The federal lawmaker said, “Martin Amaewhule and 26 others had lost their seats in the Rivers State House of Assembly, following their voluntary defection/cross-carpeting which happened on the floor of the House of Assembly in the full glare of the public on 11th December 2023.”
Referring to related cases at the Supreme Court, he noted that the proper and only interpretation to be given to the provisions of Section 109(1)(g) and Section 68(1)(g) of the Constitution of the 1999 Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended is that “an elected lawmaker in Nigeria who, after an election on the platform of a particular political party, defects to another political party, automatically loses his seat in the affected legislative House from the date of his or her defection”
He said the pronouncements of the Supreme Court in the cases, having not been set aside nor overruled in any subsequent judgment of the Supreme Court, remained the law to date on issues of the defection of a member of a legislative House in the country.
Abiante said the legal effect of the provisions and the Supreme Court judgments was that “as of 11th December, 2023 when Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule read out the letters of defection of himself and 26 others on the floor of the state House of Assembly, they lost their seats and automatically and mandatorily became former members of the House.”
He said the only legal implication was that Amaewhule and the 26 others remained former members of the state House of Assembly, and accordingly were no longer entitled to parade themselves as members or to partake in any business or affair of the House.
On whether the state Assembly, as presently constituted, can carry out actual legislative functions, Abiante referenced Justice Walter Onnoghen’s judgment on Plateau State, wherein he ruled that “there is no doubt that there existed in the Plateau State House of Assembly 14 vacant seats as a result of “It is my view that until the vacancies created by the carpet crossing members are filled by the process of by-election, the Plateau State House of Assembly can only transact such legislative duties that require the participation of less than 2/3 majority of all the members of that House, which duties definitely excludes impeachment proceedings.”
In response, Rt. Hon. Oko-Jumbo lauded the caucus for the solidarity visit and promised that the House would continue to make laws for the betterment of the Rivers people.
“Thank you for standing in solidarity with the Rivers State House of Assembly. Your visit has rekindled hope in us.
“The former 27 lawmakers are gone. We have too much at stake to abandon the ship.
“The governor is too focused on delivering good governance to the people. We will continue to stand for what is right and our duties are to make laws for the betterment of our people. That is our focus,” he said.
Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product grew by 3.84 per cent in real terms in the fourth quarter of 2024, reflecting an improvement from the 3.46 per cent recorded in the same period of 2023.
This also marked a slight increase from the previous quarter, which recorded an identical 3.46 per cent growth rate.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) stated this in its latest GDP data released yesterday.
The Bureau attributed the expansion to stronger performance in the services sector, which recorded a 5.37 per cent growth rate and accounted for 57.38 per cent of the country’s total GDP.
The report read, “Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product grew by 3.84 per cent (year-on-year) in real terms in the fourth quarter of 2024.
“This growth rate is higher than the 3.46 per cent recorded in the fourth quarter of 2023 and the third quarter of 2024 growth rate (approximately 3.46 per cent).
“The performance of the GDP in the fourth quarter of 2024 was driven mainly by the Services sector, which recorded a growth of 5.37 per cent and contributed 57.38 per cent to the aggregate GDP.”
The Tide further gathered that the figures released for the GDP are not based on the rebased methodology.
Despite the overall economic growth, the agriculture sector recorded a slower expansion of 1.76 per cent, down from 2.10 per cent in the corresponding quarter of 2023.
The industry sector also experienced a downturn, growing by 2.00 per cent, lower than the 3.86 per cent posted in the previous year.
In nominal terms, aggregate GDP for the fourth quarter of 2024 stood at N78.37tn, marking an 18.91 per cent increase from N65.91tn recorded in the same quarter of 2023.
For the full year 2024, Nigeria’s economy grew by 3.40 per cent, an improvement from the 2.74 per cent recorded in 2023, driven mainly by the non-oil sector.
The oil sector’s contribution to GDP declined slightly, accounting for 4.60 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to 4.70 per cent in the same period of 2023 and 5.57 per cent in the previous quarter.
Nigeria’s average daily crude oil production stood at 1.54 million barrels per day, a slight drop from 1.56mbpd recorded in the fourth quarter of 2023 but an improvement from 1.47mbpd in the third quarter of 2024.
The sector recorded a real GDP growth rate of 1.48 per cent, significantly lower than the 12.11 per cent recorded in Q4 2023 and the 5.17 per cent posted in Q3 2024.
However, on an annual basis, the oil sector reported a positive growth rate of 5.54 per cent, contrasting with the -2.22 per cent contraction recorded in 2023.
The non-oil sector, which continues to be the major driver of economic growth, expanded by 3.96 per cent in Q4 2024, outperforming the 3.07 per cent recorded in the same quarter of 2023 and the 3.37 per cent growth seen in the previous quarter.
The non-oil sector contributed 95.40 per cent to GDP, slightly above the 95.30 per cent reported in Q4 2023.
Key industries responsible for this growth include financial and insurance services, information and communication (notably telecommunications), agriculture (particularly crop production), trade, transportation and storage (especially road transport), and manufacturing.
The mining and quarrying sector, which includes crude petroleum, natural gas, and solid minerals, recorded a real GDP growth of 2.23 per cent, significantly lower than the 8.04 per cent recorded in Q4 2023.
Its contribution to GDP stood at 4.84 per cent, slightly down from 4.91 per cent in the same quarter of the previous year.
The agriculture sector, which remains critical for food security and employment, saw its real GDP growth slow to 1.76 per cent, compared to 2.10 per cent in Q4 2023.
Crop production remained dominant, accounting for 90.70 per cent of the sector’s contribution to GDP.
The manufacturing sector recorded a real GDP growth rate of 1.79 per cent in Q4 2024, up from 1.38 per cent in the previous quarter.
However, its share of GDP fell to 8.07 per cent, from 8.23 per cent in the corresponding quarter of 2023.
The construction sector grew by 2.95 per cent, slightly lower than the 3.70 per cent recorded in Q4 2023, contributing 3.44 per cent to GDP, compared to 3.47 per cent in the previous year.
The trade sector recorded a real GDP growth of 1.19 per cent, down from 1.40 per cent in Q4 2023 but an improvement from the 0.65 per cent posted in Q3 2024.
Trade accounted for 15.11 per cent of total economic output in the quarter.
The financial and insurance sector was a standout performer, recording a real GDP growth rate of 27.78 per cent in Q4 2024, slightly lower than the 29.77 per cent seen in the preceding quarter.
Its contribution to GDP increased to 6.10 per cent, from 4.95 per cent in Q4 2023.
The information and communication sector, largely driven by telecommunications, maintained its strong performance with real GDP growth of 5.90 per cent, slightly below the 6.32 per cent recorded in Q4 2023.
The sector accounted for 17.00 per cent of total GDP, up from 16.66 per cent in the previous year.
The transportation and storage sector saw a major turnaround, growing by 18.61 per cent in Q4 2024, in contrast to the -29.00 per cent contraction recorded in Q4 2023. Its share of GDP stood at 1.26 per cent.
Meanwhile, the electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply sector contracted by -5.04 per cent in real terms, a sharp decline from the 6.17 per cent growth recorded in Q4 2023. The sector’s contribution to GDP remained at a modest 0.49 per cent.