Rivers
RSG Assures On Availability Of 2025 Budget
Rivers State Government has assured the citizenry that the 2025 Budget would be accessible and readily available to members of the public.
Speaking to newsmen last Thursday in his office, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Peter Medee, stated that the era where budgets are shrouded in secrecy are over, adding that the new administration is poised to run an open and transparent Government.
“One thing I will assure Rivers people is that for the past eight years, nobody has seen the budget of Rivers State. I can assure you that from the next budget, our budget is going to be in public domain and everybody will be able to track what this government will be doing, so that you know that this government has no hiding place, this government is a transparent government, this government is a dedicated government, this government is a committed government and that is why we cannot hide our budget”, Medee assured.
He stressed that to add value to the State is for the ministry to remain committed and dedicated and work in time line, adding that one thing that is specific and crucial is that lots of the ministry’s assignment has time lines and “how we meet up with these timelines becomes our focus, objectives and set goals as a ministry, such that Rivers State will not be missing in the comity of states.
“We need to have relationship with donor agencies, the World Bank, international and financial institutions. Whatever we are going to do is to ensure that Rivers State is put on the part of sustainable growth and development and not growth that will not be sustainable”.
The Commissioner explained that the just-concluded economy submit in the State was to create a sustainable economy pathway where all will pass, noting that anybody that knows his way can never miss it.
“Yes, we have done a lot in the State in past years in time of trial and error, but this is no longer time for trial and error. This is a time where government is going to be dedicated and committed to a plan that is laid out”, he added.
Medee frowned at a situation in which budgeting in the State was tied to national aggregates such as inflation, whereas in Rivers State, unemployment is an aggregate that lives with almost everyone in the State.
He said, “So I can assure you that we are not going to overdepend on national aggregate, but we are going to look at the aggregate as it applies to us; what is our rate of unemployment, what can we do to grow the State in time of job creation, capacity building, industrialization; what are we going to do in these specific areas to ensure these pathways are achieved?”
The Budget and Economic Planning boss explained that there would be more focus on some sectors such as agriculture, human capital development, and insecurity, to tackle unemployment.
“One of the core things we are going to do is to make sure our budget is tied to job creation that will add value to Rivers State as it will not only increase productivity, but also solve the problem of unemployment, and as you solve unemployment, you solve the problem of insecurity, thereby increasing the output of goods and services in the State to boost the aggregate demand of our people”, he stated.
Dr. Medee also emphasized on the importance of delivering projects within the stipulated timeline.
“You know we are coming to serve a government that is very dedicated and very committed, a government that wants to plan, not a government that will be juggling doing trial and error.
“This is a government that wants to plan and to say look, before I do this what has been the plan and what would be the plan and what we are going to do according to the plan?
“We are going to be implementing and monitoring this plan, so we are going to do a lot in terms of budgeting, in terms of budget performance and in terms of budget revenue.
“In all, the essence of our assignment here is to be able to see how we can deliver value to Rivers State”, the Commissioner said.
By: Susan Serekara-Nwikhana
The Rivers State Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi, says the state judiciary has a total of 23,870 cases pending in various courts in the State.
This figure includes all cases pending in Magistrate, High, and Customary Courts, as well as Customary Court of Appeal in the State.
Justice Amadi stated this while presiding over a special court session held to mark the comencement of the 2024/2025 new legal year held at the auditorium of the High Court in Port Harcourt, Thursday.
The State Chief Judge, while giving the breakdown of performances by the Judiciary in the last year ended, revealed that the stastics of the cases brought before the courts from October 30, 2023 to 30th September 2024 is 31,886, while cases filed stood at 14,791 and cases disposed in the period under review is 22,725.
He further disclosed that the State Judiciary and the customary courts generated a total of #525,322,478,83 as revenue in the last judiciary year under review.
He described the special court session as an annual ritual of the judiciary marked to herald the beginning of a new legal year, stressing that it affords the judiciary and all stakeholders the needed opportunity to take stock of the activities of the judiciary in the past one year in order to improve, with a view to strengthening the justice administration.
The number one state judiciary officer stated that the judiciary had undertaken a lot of capital infrastructure in the year ended to ensure the comfortablility of the workers and judicial officers, and announced that additional high courts would be constructed at Okehi and Degema to ease the challenges of numerous cases coming from such jurisdictions.
Justice Amadi further disclosed that the state judiciary has a total of 51 judges, 57 magistrates, 30 Chairmen of customary courts, and 60 presiding members, adding that the state judiciary has 12 judicial Divisions, 37 magisterial Districts, and 30 customary courts.
“We lost seven judiciary staff, Port Harcourt NBA lost 16, Okehi branch 1, Bori branch 2, and Ahoada branch 2 . Creation of a judicial Division is based on cases filed from such area and we recommend for approval of such and not for politically based”, he stated.
The State Chief Judge used the opportunity to thank the State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, for the support given to the judiciary in the state, noting that the success recorded by the judiciary in the state was attributed to the huge support from the State Governor.
He also appreciated the efforts of the security agencies and the media for their various cooperation and support and urged them to sustain such in this legal year .
In their various speeches at the event, the State Attorney General and Commissoner of Justice, Dagogo Isreal-Ibroma, SAN; the Leader of the body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Rivers State, OCJ Okocha, SAN; and the Chairman of NBA, Port Harcourt Branch, Mrs. Eke Cordelia, commended the achievements recorded by the state judiciary and urged that more measures be put in place to enhance speedy dispensation of justice.
The special court session was preceded by a church service.
By: Akujobi Amadi
A religious body in Rivers State, the House of Jesus Christ Ministries, has appealed to the warring politicians in the State to stop the orgy of violence over leadership supremacy and embrace genuine dialogue.
This is contained in a recent statement by the Parish Church Council (PCC) meeting of the church.
The statement, which was signed by the General Overseer, Apostle Joseph Emmanuel; Secretary, Evangelist ThankGod Akpanowoh; Parish Women Leader, Mrs. Promise Aniebet William; and Parish Evangelist, Elder Aniefiok Benneth, noted that the spate of violence witnessed across the state has taken unimaginable dimensions with the recent killings, wanton destruction of properties, and the burning down of Council Secretariats.
It said if care is not taken, the crisis could extend to homes, and therefore called on the warring parties to stop and gove room for a lasting solution.
Blaming the Federal Government under the watch of President Bola Tinubu, who it said had been seemingly passive in handling the political difference between the former Governor of the State and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike and his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
“The kind of crisis we are seeing cannot be rationalised. Whether in Rivers or Lagos, whether we are talking of state violence of political upheavals rocking the state, we plead as a church with the contending politicians to pull back their hatchets of indifference for the sake of peace, unity, stability and progress, and allow the possibility of genuine dialogue to begin, and lasting peace restored”, the church said.
Noting that the xurrent wind of democracy blowing in the state is one of the legacies of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and others who preach peace, love and development in the state, the Church cautioned against further crises “in the once peaceful state for posterity”.
It urged the current politicians in the country to emulate the peaceful disposition and virtues of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, which is instrumental to the prevailing peace in the state, in the face of continued provocations.
By: Bethel Toby
Rivers State has topped the performance chart in the implementation of the Nigerian Community Action Resilience And Economic stimulus (NG -CARES) programme in the South-South and Nigeria.
This was contained in a report released at the just-concluded two-day peer learning and experience sharing event in Port Harcourt.
According to the report, Rivers State performed excellently in all aspects of the programme implementation.
The state was followed by Delta State, which emerged second both in the South-South and the country at large.
Meanwhile, the World Bank has approved an additional $500million for the extension of the programme for the next three years.
World Bank Task Team leader, Dr.Lire Ersado, said at the event that the programme has lived up to expectations as it has gone along way to alleviate the sufferings of millions of poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
Ersado, who was represented by Professor Folorusho Okumadewa, said NG CARES has gotten the right strategies and approach in making sure that poor and vulnerable Nigerians can smile.
He said the programme, which was initially setup to address suffering caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, is even more relevant today with a view to addressing the plights of Nigerians affected by flood and other natural disasters.
Ersado said the Port Harcourt meeting, which is the sixth in the series of meetings held across the country, will provide opportunity for all states in the country to cross check their performances with each, as well as learn from the successes and failures of each other.
Also speaking, Rivers State Commissioner for Commerce And Industry, Barrister John Otamiri, said the programme was in line with the State Government programme of alleviating the sufferings of the people.
He also said the government is ready to partner with NG CARES to alleviate the sufferings of the poor and vulnerable in the society.
Otamiri said also assures that Rivers State is safe for investment.
While reeling out its performances, National Coordinator, NG CARES, Dr. Abdulkarim Obaje, said the world Bank is passionate about the programme , adding that the bank has graciously extended the programme for another three years with an additional $500 million.
He said within the last three years $750 million was disbursed to the 36 states and FCT in 160 delivery platforms.
Obaje added that 9.2 million poor and vulnerable Nigerians also benefited from the programme across the country in the last three years.
Earlier, Rivers State Coordinator, RiV CARES, Mrs. Ephraim George Imaonyani, commended the delegates for choosing Rivers State for the South-South meeting.
By; John Bibor