Niger Delta
A’Ibom Seeks End To Local Engineers, Craftsmen Discrimination
The Akwa Ibom State Government says local engineers and craftsmen in the state must be given the enabling environment to creditably perform their professional duties.
Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Enobong Uwah, stated this at a town-hall meeting organised by the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) in Uyo, yesterday.
The meeting had the theme: “Systematic and Proactive Investigation into Discrimination of Local Engineers and Craftsmen by Foreign Construction Companies”.
Represented by Mr Idoreinyin Orok, Special Assistant to the Governor on Political Matters, Uwah said the meeting provided an opportunity for stakeholders to brainstorm on the matter.
He said the State Government had taken critical steps towards promoting local content and creating the environment for local professionals to participate in construction works.
Uwah urged the participants to utilise the opportunity provided by the meeting to identify the cause of the discrimination.
“This event is timely, it will provide avenue to identify the root causes of the challenges, and to find practical and enforceable solutions.
“We need to create an enabling environment where local professionals can thrive by contributing their skills and ingenuity to the development of the state”, he said.
Uwah said the Akwa Ibom Government, would collaborate with the PCC and other relevant bodies to ensure that the rights of local engineers and craftsmen were protected.
“As a state, we are committed to upholding the principles of local content in every sector, particularly in construction and engineering.
“Our motive is to ensure that our talents are not only recognised but prioritised”, Uwah said.
Chairman, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Uyo Branch, Mr. Emem Ezekiel, described the discrimination against local engineers and craftsmen as unfair.
He said it was grossly unfair not to recognise and appreciate the skills and expertise of Nigerian engineers and craftsmen.
Ezekiel expressed worries that different levels of government in the country did not consider local firms worthy of being awarded contracts.
The NSE Chairman said the challenges faced by local engineers and craftsmen were not mere professional imperatives but a moral and economic necessity.
Ezekiel said the contributions of local professionals to the development of Akwa Ibom and Nigeria as a whole could be over-emphasised.
He stated that local engineers and craftsmen had proven their mettle over time by delivering projects that rivaled those handled by foreign contractors.
Earlier, the PCC Federal Commissioner, Mr. Ubong Uwah, said the town-hall meeting was to assemble stakeholders to discuss the issue critically with a view to finding solutions.
“We are here to explore ways of ensuring equal participation of local engineers and craftsmen in contract implementation in Akwa Ibom.
“Participants are to discuss the challenges faced by local engineers and craftsmen that affect their participation in contract implementation.
“Let’s use the meeting to seek solutions by identifying strategies to promote equal opportunities for them.
“We should also outline ways of establishing partnerships by fostering collaborations between local engineers, craftsmen, contractors, and government agencies”, he said.
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The Rivers State Government says plans are on to embark on massive infrastructural development of 42 tourists sites to position the state as Nigeria’s premier tourism destination.
The State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dr. Isreal Ngbuelo, disclosed this in Port Harcourt, weekend, during a meeting with representatives of the state’s 23 Local Government Areas (LGA).
He explained that the State Government’s decision to develop the sites was driven by the need to boost revenue generation and create employment opportunities across the state.
According to Ngebuelo, the project is already underway, starting with the recent collaboration with the Landmark Group to re-develop the Port Harcourt Tourist Beach.
“The re-development aims to restore Rivers State’s former glory and establish it as a leading destination for leisure, hospitality, and tourism on a global scale”, he stated.
The Commissioner noted that the government convened the meeting with the LGA representatives to discuss the establishment of Culture and Tourism Committees in each council.
He said Councils would be responsible for identifying various tourist sites within their respective LGAs and reporting them to the State Government.
Ngbuelo added that the State Governor, Siminilayi Fubara, was committed to transforming the state’s culture and tourism sector into a globally competitive industry.
“We want to reduce our over dependence on oil, especially as many economies around the world are now thriving without crude oil.
“Our focus is on harnessing the cultural and economic potential of our tourist sites to generate revenue for both the state and local governments,” Ngebuelo added.
He highlighted some of the key tourists sites slated for development to include the Opobo Beach and Ken Saro-Wiwa Memorial Park.
Ngbuelo also revealed plans to revive the state’s annual cultural festival, CARNIRIV, which traditionally takes place every December.
“The return of CARNIRIV will further boost tourism and the creative industry, discouraging fun seekers from travelling out of Rivers State, particularly during festive periods,” he concluded.
Responding on behalf of the council representatives, Mr. Odimabo Torukwin, Vice Chairman of Akuku-Toru Local Government Council, commended the State Government for its bold initiative to revamp the tourism sector.
He emphasised that the plan would have a positive socio-economic impact, significantly reducing unemployment and stimulating economic growth in communities.
Wokoma Emmanuel & Theresa Frederick
Niger Delta
Fubara, Strategically Picked To Unveil New Bayelsa NLC/TUC House – Diri … As Bayelsa Spends N20bn On Gratuity
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye, has said that his Rivers State counterpart, Siminalayi Fubara, was deliberately picked to unveil the newly built Secretariat of the organized Labour in the state, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
Diri, who gave the explanation recently, during the inauguration of the new Secretariat on Bayelsa, said the Rivers State Governor was picked because of his workers-friendly disposition to Rivers worker.
“My brother, and Rivers counterpart, His Excellency Siminalayi Fubara was deliberately chosen to inaugurate this Secretariat building due to his commitment to the welfare of workers in Rivers State as a career civil servant who attained the peak of his career before becoming Governor”, he said.
Diri further said “Governor Fubara has served meritoriously as a career civil servant and attained the peak of his career before becoming Governor”.
According to him, “the edifice symbolised the harmonious relationship between labour and my administration”.
He stated that more would be achieved when there is industrial harmony, noting that workers’ welfare had always been a top priority of his administration.
“When we came on board, the issue of outstanding gratuities and pensions were on the front burner. We immediately made it a matter of policy to ensure that our senior citizens were respected by paying their arrears over the years.
“At this fifth anniversary of our administration, we have paid over N20 billion as gratuity and pension to retired citizens and we will continue to ensure that they receive them. Before we leave office, we would have cleared the backlog.
Speaking on the issue of more homogenous states for the Ijaw ethnic nationality, the Bayelsa Governor urged the Ijaw National Congress (INC) to work towards the creation of Toru-Ebe and Oil River states.
He noted that the balkanisation of the Ijaws into different states has given them a minority status in those states, stressing that only Bayelsa was created out of the three states demanded by the Ijaws.
He also stated that it was an anomaly for Bayelsa to have only eight local government areas, saying it was an injustice that should be corrected by the Federal Government.
According to him, the creation of local government areas should have been the responsibility of states based on their ability and capacity to fund the number they create and not the current situation where local governments were created by the Federal Government and funded with the resources from the states.
In his remarks, Governor Siminalayi Fubara commended the Diri administration’s worker-friendly posture.
He advised labour to work harmoniously with the government, adding that they would be the most affected if there was industrial crisis.
He said his administration would continue to work with his Bayelsa counterpart in the interest and development of both states.
“For about 16 years, there was friction between Rivers and Bayelsa states but under my administration, we will work with you bearing in mind that you are a sister state and whatever the issues were, we have settled out of court”, Governor Fubara said.
In their joint address, presidents of the NLC and TUC, represented by former Bayelsa State NLC Chairman, Comrade Ebipre Ndiomu, and Austin Jonah, respectively, said the edifice was a testament of the collaborative effort between labour and government and would be used to strategize, and advance the cause of labour.
The labour leaders also appreciated Diri for his worker-friendly policies and urged workers to reciprocate the gesture through increased productivity.
In his address, the Commissioner for Labour, Employment and Productivity, Chief Odoko Omiloli, explained that the NLC and TUC complex was a double-winged and double-annexed one-storey building that would serve as a one-stop structure for the activities of trade unions in the state.
Chief Omiloli, who said the project was inherited from the previous administration of Senator Seriake Dickson, added that it was revalidated and awarded in December 2022 to January Aboroebi Nigeria Limited, an indigenous construction firm.
Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has inaugurated 56 new Toyota Hiace buses for the revived Edoline Transport Service.
This is contained in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Fred Itua, in Benin.
Okpebholo also inaugurated 38 new Toyota Hilux vans and 16 Prado Jeeps, for security agencies in the state to fight crime.
Former Edo State Governor, Sen. Adams Oshiomhole, who was at the event, commended the Governor for his achievements in 100 days in office.
Oshiomhole said Okpebholo had achieved what he could not accomplish as governor during his time.
He commended the courage, determination, and bravery of Okpebholo for reviving the state-owned transport service.
For the security vehicles, he said criminals were mobile, and security agencies charged with fighting crimes must be mobile too to match them.
“I am happy that you speak less and do more for Edo people. The security vehicles have been equipped with communication gadgets, and our security agencies have all it takes to fight crime”, he said.
The Commissioner of Police, Betty Otimenyin, lauded the Governor for the vehicles.
“We thank the Governor for matching words with actions by providing security agencies with vehicles, especially now that we are embarking on Operation Rescue at the instance of the state government”, she said.
Other dignitaries at the event include the Deputy Governor, Mr. Dennis Idahosa; Minister of Works, Dave Umahi; Secretary to the State Government, Musa Ikhilor; and Chief of Staff, Gani Audu.
