News
#EndSARS: Anger In Nigeria Worries Govs
The Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi said, yesterday, that he and his colleagues in the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) were concerned about discontent, hunger and anger in the country and would be ready to work with other stakeholders to find a lasting solution.
Fayemi, who is the NGF chairman, said the raging nationwide #ENDSARS protests resulted from years of pent-up emotion, anger and hunger in the land, adding that the governors are committed to larger reform of the polity not only much-taunted police reform.
The governor spoke, yesterday at the special thanksgiving mass held at St. Patrick’s Catholic Cathedral, Old Garage, Ado-Ekiti, as part of activities to mark the second anniversary of his administration in office.
Fayemi said he understood the frustration of the young Nigerian citizens who had taken to the streets for the past one week, noting that he had used his younger years to participate in similar protests against bad governance, especially military dictatorship.
He lent his voice to the view of the Catholic Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, the Most Reverend Felix Ajakaye, who had called for an immediate suspension of the nationwide protests for the authorities to act on the protesters’ demand.
The service was attended by the Ondo State Governor, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu; Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi; Ondo State Deputy Governor-elect, Mr. Lucky Ayedatiwa; Ekiti State First Lady, Erelu Bisi Fayemi; former Ekiti State Governor, and now Minister of Trade, Industries and Investments, Otunba Niyi Adebayo; Ekiti State former deputy governors, Chief Paul Alabi; Chief Abiodun Aluko and Prof. Modupe Adelabu; Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Funminiyi Afuye; cabinet members, state lawmakers, traditional rulers, Bishop Emeritus of Ekiti, Olatunji Fagun, leaders of market women and community leaders, among others.
Fayemi, who described himself as a product of God’s mercy, sought for forgiveness from those who he might have offended in the discharge of his duties as the state’s Chief Executive.
According to him, he had sworn to an oath to do what is just and fair noting that his actions so far in the office were based on fairness and justice.
Speaking on the state of the nation, Fayemi said: “There is a lot of anger in the land, there is a lot of hunger in the land, pent-up emotion. There is disillusion in the land. As a young man who spent much time in the barricades protesting bad governance, I can understand what is going on now.
“I and my colleagues are concerned and we are committed to reforms not just about SARS because we will be making a mistake that the general disaffection in the land is all about SARS.
“Like Your Lordship (the Bishop) had said, the government should be allowed to address the problems that have cropped up.”
The governor said he would always be thankful to God for giving him the grace to serve Ekiti people again, saying he sees himself as an instrument in God’s hands and sees the governorship seat as missionary work.
He added: “If I had gotten my second term normally. I would have ceased being governor now and I know I wouldn’t have been NGF Chairman now. God has a purpose in our lives.”
Speaking on the wave of protests rocking the country on alleged police brutality in his sermon, Bishop Felix Ajakaye called for an immediate end to the protests to allow the authorities to implement police reforms.
The cleric also urged the Federal Government to address the grievances of Nigerians on the state of the nation, insecurity, insurgency and hardship being faced in the country.
As the Ekiti State Security Network (Amotekun) is launched, today, Ajakaye admonished its operatives to be apolitical and work with integrity and fear of God.
He further called for a synergy between security agencies in Ekiti, including the Amotekun operatives to make the state safe for everybody to live in.
He said: “The Federal Government should listen to the grievances of the people not only on #ENDSARS but on terrorism and other things that are wrong in our country. #ENDSARS protest should end, leaders’ indifference to people’s life, bad governance, insincerity and distrust should end.
“There is hunger and anger in the land and the government should act promptly. The protesters should suspend their protest immediately because if it continues, it may be counterproductive. We have those among them who are using the protest to protect their criminal activity.”
The bishop further charged Governor Fayemi to use the remaining two years in office to build worthy legacies for the benefit of the people.
The cleric also enjoined the governor to use the opportunity of his mid-term to re-strategize and execute more people-oriented policies and projects since “time waits for no man.”
Ajakaye, however, told the congregation that he carried out an independent investigation of one of the ongoing signature projects being executed in the state and the World Bank attested to the governor’s accountability and integrity in governance.
He said: “I have gone round to see your projects and I went to see the massive Water Corporation building along Iworoko Road, and I called a top World Bank officer to tell him what I saw. The officer told me what do I expect, he told me that the governor is accountable.”
Ajakaye enjoined the governor to build strong structures that are greater than strong people because “while strong structures last, strong people will fade away.”
The bishop urged Fayemi to be focused in the discharge of his duties and look beyond his years in office, saying “success without a worthy successor is a failure in reality.
“This is your half time and half time in football is a time of re-strategizing. Your wife was born in Liverpool and she supports Liverpool (Football Club), You Will Never Walk Alone.
“But recently when Liverpool played against Aston Villa, a team that was nearly relegated last season, they beat Liverpool 7-2. This is your mid-term, use it to rebuild your strategy, use it to rebuild your office and execute more people-oriented policies and projects because time waits for no man.
“Success without a successor is a failure in reality. There is a need for maintenance culture and continuity in the good work you are doing. You are a leader, a quality one, who has a listening ear. I thank you for listening to your people.”
The Rivers State Chief judge, Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi has granted pardon to six inmates standing awaiting trial at the Port Harcourt maximum correctional center.
The six lucky inmates granted pardon on Tuesday by the state Chief Judge included Nwekeala Chizoba, Samuel Emmanuel, Aniete Kelvin, Ebube Fubara and Goddey Okpara who were on awaiting trial as murder suspects and have all spent between 10 years to seven years in the custody without a proper information filed against them in the court.
Justice Amadi during a special gaol delivery exercise last Tuesday at the Port Harcourt Maximum Correctional Centre opined that the special gaol delivery was part of activities lined up to commomerate the 2024/2025 legal year in the State and restated the commitment of the state judiciary in decongesting the correctional centre and ensuring that those inmates who are not supposed to be there are removed from the custody.
The state chief judge stressed the need for all stakeholders to work together to build a society that supports rehabilitation and gives a second chance to anyone or group of people who have fallen short of the expectation of the law and have been punished accordingly.
He stressed that the National Judicial Council(NJC) encourages judges to pay more attention to criminal matters to enable them to decongests the correctional facilities, noting that since his assumption into office, his administration has been able to reduce the number of inmates in Nigerian Correctional Centres and the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre in particular, to less than 2,000 as against the over 4,000 inmates previously in the faculty.
According to him, “as they release the deserving inmates, they affirm their commitment to justice, compassion and rule of law but that they must not forget the fundamental principles of justice delivery system which is truth and fairness, integrity and equality before the law.”
I encourage you all the released inmates to return to your families and become better citizens. You must not engage in action that will return you all back to prison. Let me say that while the judges show empathy to you all, it does not absolved individuals from being held accountable for actions against individuals, corporate organisations and state which the law frowns at, ”he stated
The Chief Judge thereafter stood down the exercise to enable the DPP to intervene to case files following the fact that majority of the persons listed to benefit from the exercise are facing murder charges and adjourned to a date that will come before December.
Earlier in his goodwill message, the outgoing state Comptroller of Nigerian Correctional Centre, Port Harcourt, Felix Lawrence, who was recently promoted to the rank of Assistant Controller General, commended the state judiciary led by Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi for their continuous effort aimed at ensuring justice and decongesting the facilities.
Other activities lined up for the event included special church service at St Paul’s Cathedral , Anglican Communion, Rebisi Port Harcourt, inspection of guard of honour by the state Chief Judge mounted by officers of the Nigerian police and a special court session held at the ceremonial court hall.
By: AkujobiAmadi
The Director General of Rivers State Bureau on Public Procurement (RBoPP), Dr. Ine Briggs, has explained that the Sir Siminalayi Fubara administration plans to enforce transparency in governance through public procurement.
Speaking at a one-day Public Procurement Enlightenment workshop organised in collaboration with the State Local Government Service Commission for newly elected chairmen, vice chairmen, secretaries and leaders of legislative assemblies, Dr. Briggs said it is key for grassroot development.
She stated that the Sir. Fubara administration plans to reduce wastage and at same time infuse efficiency in public expenditure.
The RSoPP DG said the local government political office holders remain key drivers in the new vision hence the workshop is to arm them with knowledge on how to execute projects in tandem with needs of the people.
“ Your role in the prudent management of public resources is, therefore, not just administrative it’s the cornerstone of delivering the dividends of democracy. Every procurement decision you make must reflect a commitment to fairness, transparency and accountability” Dr. Briggs submitted.
One of the key goals of the administration she further reminded the participants was to use their offices to foster economic growth through public procurement.
She warned that the law establishing the agency empowers it to penalise defaulters, but that what is more important is voluntary compliance to the laws.
In addition to that, she said urged the local government council leaders that champion the practice and implementation of public procurement law.
On his part, Acting Chairman of Local Government Service Commission, Pastor GoodLife Ben Iduoku averred that the aim of the workshop is to arm key stakeholders in the local government system to generate new ideas, innovation and strategies in tandem with government policies and programmes.
The workshop dealt on various topics on procurement planning, methods, Understanding Bid Process, including types of Construction Contracts and law.
Some participants were awarded excellence and meritorious awards as part of the programme.
By: Kevin Nengia
The 19th anniversary of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Rivers State Chapter, recently ended in Port Harcourt in grand style, with participants from various schools including proprietors, the academia, civil society groups and top government functionaries charting the way forward for educational improvement.
The 19th NAPPS anniversary christened, ‘Innovation and Adaptation: Transforming Challenges Into Opportunities’ was held at Casoni Hotels, Port Harcourt.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Rivers State Chapter of the association, Dr. Jaja Adafe Sunday expressed gratitude to the members and executives for their untiring efforts towards the achievements of the body.
He sought the intervention of government on the lingering crisis on the economy as it is affecting the running of schools.
He decried high cost of things including fuel and raw materials which has adversely affected the running of schools and payment of teachers.
Dr. Sunday hinted that the current economic situation in the nation is biting hard on the operations of schools, saying inflation, removal of fuel subsidy, fuel scarcity, poor electricity supply, tariffs and lack of government grants are some of the challenges faced by schools, and urged the members to brace up to the challenges, as it is the panacea to building a brighter future.
Guest speakers from the health sector and the academia thrilled the gathering on the essence of basic education which they said is the key to national development.
Former Dean of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Professor Azuru and the Chief Medical Director of Meridian Hospitals, Dr. Odo Iyke were some notable guest speakers who delivered lectures at the occasion.
Some distinguished proprietors also got special recognitions and awards.
The 19th anniversary cake was cut by the Rivers State NAPPS Chairman with representatives of the state government assisting.