The Rivers State House of Assembly, last Friday, screened and confirmed Governor Siminalaye Fubara’s nominees for Chairman and members of the board of The Rivers State Bureau On Public Procurement (BoPP).
The nominees were: Barrister Lawrence Oko-Jaja (SAN), Chairman; Dr Mina Ogbanga, member and Engr Adokiye Oyaghiri member.
Others were: Barr Selinah Amonieh, member; Engr Iseleye Amachree, member; Chief Gift Alex Hart, member; Mrs Grace Osaronu, member and Ernest Ibekwe Ekwe, member.
The Speaker, Rt Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo, prior to the commencement of the screening and confirmation exercise, read a letter from the state governor, Sir Siminalaye Fubara, requesting the screening and confirmation of the nominees as Chairman and members of The Board of The Rivers State Bureau On Public Procurement.
Speaking shortly after the exercise, Rt Hon. Oko-Jumbo told the Chairman and board members designate that they owed the state a duty of ensuring probity, transparency and accountability as far as the state procurement process is concerned.
He expressed optimism that they would bring their wealth of experience to bear in their new assignment.
The Speaker later directed the Clerk of the House to convey the House’s resolution to the Governor.
In his own remarks, the House Leader, Hon. Sokari GoodBoy Sokari, said it behoved on them to assist the state governor in the ongoing infrastructural revolution across the state.
Hon. Sokari urged them to put the state first, stressing that they were expected to use their position to advance the betterment of the grassroots.
On his part, the Deputy Speaker, Rt Hon. Orubienimigha Timothy, described the nominees as men and women of unimpeachable character who would surely bring their wealth of experience to bear as far as the procurement process of the state is concerned.
Responding to a question from the Deputy Speaker, the Chairman designate of the BoPP, Barrister Oko-Jaja, said that their job was simply value for money, value for goods and services.
He said that their duty was that of a market survey with the view to getting the best for the state as far as pricing of projects are concerned.
According to him, when they assume duty, they would work to ensure that no service provider is pitched against the government.
The Chairman designate also said that human capacity development will top their agenda.
Meanwhile, the House has adjourned to the 4th of September, 2024 for continuation of sitting.

By: John Bibor

The North Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum has condemned the endorsement of the embattled National Chairman of the party, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, by the Chairman of the North Central Governors’ Forum and Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule.
Speaking with newsmen on Saturday at the forum’s headquarters in Jos, the Plateau State capital, the Chairman of the Forum, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, said the courtesy visit Governor Sule paid to the party secretariat in Abuja on Friday to pledge his support for Dr Ganduje was for selfish and personal interest and not the interest of the North Central region, the APC or the President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The chairman said such endorsement by Governor Sule, which came at a time when the party stakeholders from the region were pushing for the return of the National Chairmanship position to the North Central, was not only insensitive and mischievous, but also an act of betrayal of the entire region.
Alhaji Zazzaga, who was also a member of the Presidential Campaign Council in the 2023 election, pointed out that Governor Sule was well aware that the National Chairmanship position, according to the party arrangement and zoning, ought to be for the North Central after the resignation of Senator Abdullahi Adamu, who is not only from the North Central region but also from Governor Sule’s own state of Nasarawa.
For Governor Sule to openly come out and betray his state and the entire region shows that he is someone who is not after the progress of his own state, the North Central region, and he is not a man of equity and justice, Alhaji Zazzaga stressed.
He also alleged that, from the outset, Governor Sule did not support President Tinubu and did everything to halt his emergence as the APC presidential candidate, because he (Governor Sule) was nursing a vice presidential ambition with another APC presidential candidate.
“Governor Sule is not a founding member of the APC because he came in along the line, and so he does not understand the progressive ideology and drive of the party.
“That is why he is doing things that are contrary to the concept of the party stakeholders, chieftains, bigwigs and members, as well as supporters.
“Besides we all know that in the 2023 election, the APC in Nasarawa State didn’t perform satisfactorily under Governor Sule; this is obvious in the number of the legislative seats that were won by the party and as well as the ones the opposition parties clinched.
“It is also a known fact that Governor Sule didn’t do well also at the 2023 polls, and if not for the judiciary which upheld his election, anything could have happened and APC would have lost the state.
“By and large, what has been Governor Sule’s contribution to the progress of the APC since he joined the party? Again, what has been his development indices and strides in Nasarawa State? With the increase in allocation gotten by the states today, what has Nasarawa State been able to do or has to show under Governor Sule?
“And time and again, we have had grumblings in many quarters about the leadership style of Governor Sule in the state which many frown upon.
“Therefore, he is not a good ambassador of the party and he is, by no means, in a position to speak for the North Central region or stakeholders of the party,” he said.
Alhaji Zazzaga, therefore, called on all the North Central governors to disassociate themselves from Governor Sule’s endorsement of Dr Ganduje immediately, stressing that whatever he was doing was for his selfish interest and not the interest of the North Central region.
“Moreover, we all know that Governor Sule is not a firm supporter of President Bola Tinubu, and he will do anything to bring his administration to dispute, and endorsing Ganduje is one of such, since Ganduje has already incurred legal liabilities and other disaffections for the party as the National Chairman.
“And even the Edo and Ondo elections, which Ganduje’s leadership produced the APC flag bearers, could be another mistake as he lacked the legitimacy to do that as his position is being contested and unrecognized. And so his action in Edo and Ondo could be another future legal liability,” he added.

Former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has reacted to those criticising him on social media, saying that their abuses and insults lacked basis.
The former governor said he did not “give a damn” over misinterpretation of his posts, as he added that his critics were judgmental of him “in ignorance and bigotry”.
Mallam El-Rufai made this known in a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, on Saturday.
“Interpret, mis-interpret or re-interpret any posts by me or any other as you wish. I frankly don’t give a damn. Abuse and insult with no basis. By all means, pass your judgment in ignorance and bigotry. Nothing will change. What will be will be, in sha Allah”, he wrote.
Netizens had heaped a barrage of criticisms on the former governor for a post he made, speaking against envy and hatred among Nigerians.
He had used the emergence of the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, as the presidential candidate of the Democrats as a case study.
“No matter what, the incurable virus of envy has to be confronted and degraded, if not cured, if Nigeria is to achieve its manifest destiny of greatness and leadership of the Black Race. I pray this can be realised”, he wrote.
Reacting to the post, Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke’s aide, Banks Omishore, berated the ex-governor that he did not have the moral authority to discourage envy and hate because he displayed such against former Senate President Bukola Saraki.
Mallam El-Rufai has been battling political deficiencies since he left office, especially after the Senate refused to confirm his nomination as a minister in August 2023.
In March 2024, Mallam El-Rufai’s successor, Governor Uba Sani, said he inherited a huge debt burden of $587 million, N85 billion, and 115 contractual liabilities from him.
In July 2024, the Kaduna State House of Assembly also alleged that the ex-governor diverted public funds to the tune of N423 billion while piloting the affairs of the state.