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Rivers Crisis: Senate Committee Submits Report, Wed …Get Ready For Revolution, Melaye Tells FG …Councillors Threaten To Occupy Rivers Assembly
Rivers State Head of Service, Barrister Samuel LongJohn (right) with chairman, Civil Service Commission, Sir Ngo Martyns Yellowe, during a thanksgiving service to mark the commencement of the 2013 Civil Service Week in Port Harcourt, yesterday
The committee set up by the Senate to investigate the political crisis rocking the Rivers State House of Assembly says its report may be ready for presentation on Wednesday.
Chairman of the panel, Senator Kabiru Gaya said the committee which spent a few days in Port Harcourt met with some dramatis personal in the unfolding political drama in the state.
Apart from the Rivers State Governor, Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi, the committee met with controversial police commissioner in the state, Mbu Joseph Mbu, who has been accused of bias in his handling of the crisis in the state.
The committee also met the state Director, State Security Service, Olusegun Agbaje, as well as Commander, Joint Task Force (JTF), Maj Gen Bata Debiro, among other security officials.
The panel also met with Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, two former Deputy Speakers of the House of Representatives, a former Senator, amongst others.
Gaya, who is also the Chairman, Senate Committee on States and Local Governments, said shortly before the members of the committee left Port Harcourt on Saturday promised that the report of the committee will be based on the facts that have been established.
He ruled out the possibility of presenting a lopsided report, stating, “check my records. I was governor of Kano State twenty years ago. “ I know the importance of this assignment. Go and check, we had the police and SSS presence round the clock, so how could any of us be compromised”.
The committee met with the two lawmakers from both sides of the divide in their hospital beds, and interacted with them.
Meanwhile, the political crisis in Rivers State took a more worrisome dimension on Saturday, as a group asked President Goodluck Jonathan to be prepared for a revolution similar to what was recently witnessed in Egypt.
The warning is sequel to the July 8 fracas at the Rivers House of Assembly Chambers in Port Harcourt, where five out of the 32 members, attempted to remove the Speaker.
In a statement signed by the Executive Secretary of the Anti-Corruption Network, Dino Melaye, titled, “Touch Amaechi, touch Nigeria,” the group accused the President of sponsoring the ongoing crisis in Rivers State, saying that the life of the Governor of Rivers State was in the hands of Mr. President and his wife.
The former House of Representatives member said, “We will do everything within the confines of the law to protect our fragile democracy which the President or his wife does not know how we got it.”
“The abuse of law and order by both the anti-Amaechi legislators and the Nigerian Police is not only disgraceful but will not be tolerated by the mass of the people in this country. The Presidency cannot absolve herself from this satanic manifestation. Who ordered the military withdrawal from Rivers state Government House?”
Continuing, “What is going on in Rivers State is African magic. We leave Amaechi’s life in the hands of Mr. President and his wife. We give the IGP one week to remove the Commissioner of Police in Rivers state; failure to do so, we shall mobilize Nigerians like never before to occupy the Force HQ in Abuja. The President should get ready for the Egyptian treatment”.
“Usurpers will not kill democracy. The battle to safeguard our democracy is a battle of no retreat, no surrender. President Jonathan is behaving as if he has no legacy intentions. Try us and see, I dare the Presidency, Enough is Enough.”
Amaechi has been in trouble for opposing some policies of the Jonathan-led administration including the Sovereign Wealth Fund, as well as his desire to run for a higher office in 2015, an ambition the President considers a threat to his re-election bid.
The Rivers helmsman is still on the suspension slammed on him by the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, days after winning the May 24 chairmanship election of the Nigeria Governor’s Forum, NGF.
In another development, the National Councillors Forum of Nigeria, Rivers State chapter has threatened to occupy the Rivers State House of Assembly, if the five legislators opposed to Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi go ahead with their alleged plan to cause more trouble in the state .
Speaking to newsmen in Port Harcourt, Chairman of the forum, Hon. Lesor Nwigbaranee while reacting to the news of the purported impeachment of the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Otelemaba Dan Amachree said the forum is in touch with its members and would not allow anybody no matter how highly placed to destabilize the state and cause anarchy.
He said Rivers people are peace loving going about their business and making giant strides in development.
He wondered why some disgruntled politicians would put a spanner in the wheel of progress.
He said the forum would adopt civil disobedience which is acceptable in a democracy to fight injustice and flagrant disregard to the rule of law.
He said they would mobilise their supporters to prevent the anarchy that is looming in the state.
He urged the people of Rivers State to unite and condemn the rape of democracy, adding that the stage is set for a scripted state of emergency.
He wondered why neighbouring states in the Niger Delta are peaceful and Rivers state is selected to be overheated.
He said politics should not divide us as Rivers people adding that the crisis was only a means of controlling the apparatus of the state.
“Head or tail,we are Rivers people”, he said, therefore, we must fight to protect the state from sliding into anarchy
He advised well meaning Nigerians to caution the perpetrators of this evil and warned that it was a similar action in Western Nigeria in the 1960s that led to the collapse of the first republic.
“And we should rise up as a nation to condemn what is going on in Rivers State”, he added.
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DEPLOY YOUR CAPACITY, TECHNICAL KNOWHOW TO REVITALISE SONGHAI FARMS, FUBARA TELLS TASK FORCE
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has said that diversifying the economy of the State has become inevitable because of the need to solve the problem of food shortages while also providing jobs for the teeming unemployed youths.
These, he said, are the reasons why great care has been taken to critically look at the prospects of revitalising the Songhai Integrated Farms, which is located in Bunu Tai, in Tai Local Government Area of the State.
Governor Fubara insisted that if the problem associated with food shortages is tackled with good intent and purpose, about 40 to 50 percent of current problems of economic hardship plaguing the country and its people would have been solved.
Governor Fubara made the assertion while inaugurating the Chairman, Mr Biedima Oliver, and members of the task force saddled with the responsibility of supervising the revitalization of Songhai Integrated Farms by its partners: Vitalcrop Ventures Limited and Imagine Adama Limited, at Government House in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
Other members of the task force included, the Rivers State Commissioner for Agriculture, Engr Victor Kii; Commissioner for Finance, Barrister Emmanuel Frank-Fubara; Dr Ayebaesin Beredugo; and Mr Maurice Ogolo.
The Governor explained that it took him time to approve the constitution of the task force being inaugurated because of the ugly experience with the previous group that shown such interest.
Governor Fubara stated that a process was initiated and driven halfway into the handing over of Songhai Farms on concession to an interested partner who latter showed a total lack of the needed capacity to undertake such task.
He said, “As a matter of fact, if few of you could remember, we even conceded the place to an investor who came in after he had made his presentation, and we, believing that he has the capacity, we said okay to him, and we had already signed up.
“But something happened. He came back to tell us that he wanted us to give him a N5billion bank guarantee. We then asked him, why? If we have the N5billion, why do we need you to come and even revitalize Songhai Farms? We would have put that N5billion there ourselves. For that reason, we cancelled that arrangement.”
Governor Fubara said now that two separate companies have come together to indicate interest and given the assurance of having the needed capacity to drive the process, he is delighted to see them meeting that expectation.
Governor Fubara pointed to the expectation of the people who want to see the Songhai Farms back on stream on a sustainable basis.
That expectation, he insisted, is also what his administration wants to see actualised within its lifespan.
He noted, “We want to see food sufficiency, because we know when Songhai Farms comes on board, there will be food, which is one of the problems we are having in this country. If we are able to tackle the issue of food, 40 to 50 percent of our problem will be solved.”
Governor Fubara also stated that although he believes in the presentation made by the group and has taken their assurance to heart, but warned that he would not tolerate a repeat of what happened before.
The Governor said, “I hope your story will not be (end) halfway too. I hope you have the capacity and all the technical knowhow to handle it. It is not when we start now, after we had finished inaugurating the task force, you will come back to tell us that you need $2million. If we have $2million, we won’t need you. We will invest it by ourselves.”
Governor Fubara, however, praised the capacity of the Chairman of the task force, Biedima Oliver, saying that incidentally, he was one of the personnel that convinced the then administration to develop the Songhai Farms, and had worked with the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA) to manage the project.
He said, “He knows and understands the workings of Songhai, and now that we are making you the chairman of the task force, we want to believe that you will make that place come back to life.
“I don’t have any doubt in your capacity. A few things you’ve touched, you turned them to gold. Please, bring it back to what we used to see in Songhai. Bring it back with the help of your committee.”
Governor Fubara assured that his administration will remain committed to providing all the necessary support that they may require to make their assignment a success.
He added, “So, I hereby inaugurate you. Your task is very simple: Do everything within your powers and with our support to make sure that Songhai becomes operational to the benefit, not just the people of Tai, but to the entire Rivers State and Nigeria as a whole”.
In his acceptance speech, the Chairman of the Task Force to Supervise the Revitalization of Songhai Farms with Vitalcrop Ventures Limited and Imagine Adama Limited, Mr. Biedima Oliver, expressed appreciation to Governor Fubara for the opportunity and confidence reposed in them to revive Songhai Farms.
Mr. Oliver assured that they will deliver the expected goal on Songhai Farms, and doing so on time and on target so that the good people of Rivers State can eventually be happy and also benefit from the huge investment.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has declared that all the policies and programmes of his administration are tailored towards the protection of interest of Rivers people, especially the youths.
This, he said, is borne out of the importance his administration attaches to youths’ development and empowerment as leaders of tomorrow.
Fubara, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Nelson Chukwudi, disclosed this when he received the youths of Emohua Local Government Area under the auspices of “Emohua Youths For SIM” on solidarity visit to Government House, Port Harcourt, last Friday.
He said that his administration has put in place modalities that will boost the livelihoods and well-being of Rivers citizens, which youths of Emohua will also benefit when they materialise.
The governor, who spoke through the Rivers State Head of Service, Dr. George Nwaeke, pointed out that the recently awarded Elele-Omudiaga-Egbeda-Ubimini-Ikiri-Omoku Road, the ongoing Emohua-Kalabari Road, reinstatement of illegally sacked workers of Emohua Local Government Area and the approval for electrification of the area, are part of deliberate measures to open up the area to make life conducive and more meaningful for the people.
According to him, “Everything about the governor is putting the interest of Rivers State first. He is looking at and taking action on those things that we need to do to restart the wheels of progress in Rivers State.
“There are many things the governor has planned and is already doing that will boost the life and welfare of every citizen of Rivers State, but most importantly the youths.
“Growing up, I learnt that Egbeda is one of the biggest communities in the whole of Ikwerre, and it’s predominantly an agrarian community. They have food in Egbeda, they have food in Ubimini, they have food in Omudiaga and other natural resources. The whole world is tilting to agriculture, and this is the way to go.
“The Elele-Umudioga-Egbeda-Ubimini-Omoku road, when completed, will open up the area for real development. Your food and everything you produce there will now have value, they will no longer be thrown away. In all these, you the youths are going to be the utmost beneficiaries.”
He added, “Same will be applicable to the Emohua-Kalabari Road which will also, trigger development in the area, and you will be the greatest beneficiaries. When the LGA is also electrified, you will be having 24 or 20 hours of electricity, and those things the youths can do with electricity, you can stay at home and create wealth for yourself and children.
“All the totality of what the governor is doing, when they are completed, or even as some are completed now, the youths are going to be utmost beneficiaries.”
While acknowledging that youths are the true leaders of tomorrow and any government that fails to carry them along in the scheme of things is doomed to fail, the governor assured them of his administration’s commitment to always address issues concerning youths and ensure that they are part of his government.
He commended the youths for toeing the path of truth by identifying with his administration, urging them to sustain the tempo and shun evil, as his government will ensure that the trend whereby politicians turn youths to beggars are over.
He said, “Youths are, indeed, the leaders of tomorrow. The time of youth is a very important time. It a time that your parents or whoever is your leader at that time have to make the greatest investment in you. And any Government that decides to only carry the elderly, chiefs aling and abandon the youths is bound to fail,” he asserted.
“But I am happy that Governor Fubara has concentrated his energy on everything that will benefit the society, especially the youths.
“And based on these, I want to thank you for recognising what is good and calling it good, for shunning what is evil, for saying the Governor is standing for you.
“Let me tell you, you are on the right direction. Let me tell you again, Rivers State is the bride of Nigeria. The whole Nigeria is looking at what will happen here. As they look here and see you standing on the path of truth, this is a very important step that you have taken to right all the wrongs of the past, to make Rivers State stand on the tripod of justice, peace and security. That is what we are going to gain through the governor, taking all the wise actions that he has already initiated.
“The projects the governor is embarking on are meant to prepare nets for the youths to fish and put food on their table, hence you should continue to follow him.
“The SIMplified Movement brought upon by the governor will ensure that Rivers youths stop the habit of going to bow down before politicians, pledging loyalty before they can eat.”
Earlier, spokesman for the Emohua Youths for SIM, Comrade Ovamale O. Ovamale, had said that the visit by youths from the 14 political wards in Emohua Local Government Area was to thank the governor for the award of the Elele-Omudiaga-Egbeda-Ubimini-Ikiri-Omoku road, the approval for electrification of the area and reinstatement of sacked workers of Emohua Local Government Council, of which the youths were mostly affected.
According to him, “Siminalayi Fubara of recent has given Emohua Local Government road that links Elele to Omoku, which comprises over four communities in the local government.”
“Emohua Local Government has also been in darkness for eight years. No community in the local government that has light. But, of recent, because of the passion and love the governor has for the people of Emohua, he has approved the electrification of the local government.
“Also, the illegal sack of Emohua Local Government workers, for which the youths were mostly affected and without the approval of the Local Government Service Commission, the governor, in his compassionate nature, has reinstated them, and that is why we said we must come and thank His Excellency”, he said.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has assured that his administration will collaborate and continue to consult widely in delivering a liberated State experiencing enduring peace.
Fubara said, in doing so, he would not operate as a dictator but as a member of a team that has the best interest of the State at heart and determined to leave a lasting legacy that can be celebrated.
The governor spoke during the formal presentation of Certificate of Recognition and Staff of Office to the Amanyanabo of Okochiri Kingdom, King Ateke Michael Tom, as first class tradition ruler, at Government House in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
Fubara stated that, during the Sixth State Executive Council meeting, N80.8billion was approved with 50 percent contract value paid already as the Government awarded the construction of the Elele-Egbeda-Omoku Road.
He said the project will be funded from the savings from Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to underscore his administration’s prudence without also borrowing to complete the project.
“We are at a crossroad in our State where we all need to stand for what is right. It happens once in a life time. So, for now, be one of those people that will be in the course to liberate and free our dear State.
“And I know strongly that having the support of a peace-loving Amanyanabo of Okochiri Kingdom, having the support of the wonderful Council of Chiefs, having the support of the great people of Rivers State, we will bring peace in our State. We will do those things that are right to develop our State.
“We will continue to consult. We will not act as dictators. We will act as people who know that one day, we will leave, and when we leave, the way we have acted will speak for us. We will not force people to talk good about us. Our legacy will be a signature for how we led”, the governor said.
Fubara explained that he acted within the ambit of the law to upgrade the traditional stool upon which King Ateke Tom sits in recognition of his efforts in promoting peace in Okrika, and indeed, the State, and urged him to continue to do justice to everyone.
In his speech, Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Hon Charles Amadi, congratulated King Ateke Tom for being formally presented with the Certificate of Recognition and Staff of Office as first class traditional ruler.
Also speaking, former Transport Minister, Chief Abiye Sekibo, thanked the governor for fulfilling his promise of upgrading the traditional stool of Okochiri Kingdom, and pledged the support of Kirike Se people to his administration.