Rivers
NCSU Hails Release Of Fubara’s Supporters
The Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU), Rivers State Council, has expressed delight over the release of two ardent supporters of Governor Siminalayi Fubara by the Inspector General of Police on Saturday.
It would be recalled that the two supporters of the governor, Hon Sokari Goodboy and Mr Ezebunwo Ichemati, were arrested by the police last Thursday in Abuja during the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP).
Commenting on the development, the Rivers State Chairman of NCSU, Comrade Chukwuka Richman Osumah, said in an interview in Port Harcourt that the arrest of the duo was condemnable in the first place, but commended the Inspector General of Police for acting in a professional manner to ensure that the duo were released promptly, without much ado, since they did not commit any offence to warrant their arrest.
While condemning the arrest, Osumah said the police went beyond their professional briefs, to even carry out the arrest, and carpeted the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike and the Chairman of Ikwerre Local Government Council, Hon Samuel Nwanosike for allegedly orchestrating the arrest of the two PDP stalwarts in faraway Abuja.
According to him, the arrest of Hon Goodboy, who is a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly representing Ahoada West State Constituency; and Mr Ichemati, the media aide of Governor Fubara, was a breach of their fundamental human rights, which he said, is tantamount to stretching political vendetta and witch-hunt to their limits by Wike and his loyalists.
He, therefore, appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to call to order the FCT Minister and his loyalists, who he said, are bent on deepening the political crisis in Rivers State, as well as heightening political tensions in the State through their thoughtless and self-serving actions.
The labour leader also used the opportunity to call on the Inspector General of Police to immediately effect the release of other supporters of Governor Fubara who might have become victims of political witch-hunt, following the rift between the Governor and the Minister.
Osumah equally advised Governor Fubara to see the present scenario as an affront from those fighting and opposing him.He, therefore, urged and encouraged the Governor to go ahead to institute a commission of inquiry, to recover all critical structures and assets belonging to the State, which were allegedly converted to personal properties by Chief Wike when he held sway as Governor of the State for eight years.
He said those assets are just there for Rivers people to see and listed them to include the large expanse of land where the Slaughter Market was located along Trans Amadi/Oginigba axis of Port Harcourt, now accommodating Hyper city Supermarket belonging to Wike; the large expanse of reclaimed land between Ogbunabali and Eastern Bypass, which houses another mega supermarket belonging to the former governor; and a section of the land at Ikoku spare parts market which is also housing another Hypercity and a filling station, belonging to Wike; among numerous others.
Said he, “The former Governor must be made to return all critical structures, properties and assets belonging to the State, which were taken over by him and you think people don’t see? Of course, everybody cannot be blind at all times.The Nigeria Civil Service Union and Rivers people are urging and encouraging the Executive Governor of Rivers State to without fear or favour institute a commission of inquiry to recover all these government critical assets including several others. If other Governors that ruled the State had converted government properties and assets to their personal belongings, what would have been left to manage the State?”
He also indicated that there is need for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) to go after the former governor over financial allegations bordering on corruption against him, in the same way as the commission is making frantic efforts to arrest the former Governor of Kogi State, Mr Yahaya Bello, after declaring him wanted.
“If the EFCC could declare the immediate past Governor of Kogi State wanted, just a few months after he left office, then, it should not turn a blind eye in the case of Rivers State over all the financial allegations against the immediate past governor, who was covered by immunity; and the EFCC operatives were chasing after an ordinary messenger who was carrying out his master’s instructions then. We want to know if they have more explanations to give Rivers people for letting down their guard over the matter? We are waiting to hear”, he said.
Osumah wondered why Wike has decided to be a hindrance and a cog in the wheel to the zeal and determination by Governor Fubara to truly develop the State, contrary to his earlier promise and assurance to labour leaders in the State before the March 18, 2023 governorship election that he was offering the governor as a gift to the Civil Service.
He said in less than one year in office, Governor Fubara has been able to address up to 80 percent of the problems and challenges facing civil servants in the State.
“Thank Almighty God that he gave us our own, who did not hesitate, on assumption of office by conducting promotions across board. It is not only that, he started employment in tertiary institutions and other sectors, while that of the core Civil Service is expected soon. The Governor has also gone ahead to embark on several people-oriented projects which I cannot enumerate all here.But the only sin he has committed against the immediate past governor is that he refused to share the Rivers State Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). He refused it to be shared and taken away, instead of expending it on people-oriented projects, which he was elected to give Rivers people.This he is doing rather than allowing the IGR to sink into one greedy man’s purse and pocket, who took and acquired virtually all viable assets belonging to the whole State”, he said.
The labour leader recalled that the Civil Service during the administration of the former governor was comatose for eight years, as overheads were hardly paid; the State Secretariat Complex lacked attention, as it was without power supply and water; civil servants were never promoted; gratuities were never paid retirees; pensions payment was irregular; among other challenges.
According to him, the Fubara administration has painstakingly been attending to the challenges facing civil servants in the State in less than one year in office.
While calling on the workers to continue to reciprocate the good works of the present administration with their maximum and unalloyed support, Osumah expressed optimism that Governor Fubara would continue to put smiles on their faces.
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