NATIONAL VIBES

Posted by Admin Less than four days to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Bayelsa State governorship primary, scheduled for September 3, it is gathered that the choice of candidates has been narrowed down to three aspirants. Specifically, the elders and stakeholders of the party in Bayelsa State and the party national headquarters have zeroed in on the trio of Timi Alaibe, Kamela Okara and Reuben Okoya, out of the 21 aspirants that purchased the governorship forms. The reason why the elders of the state are backing the choice of these three, it was gathered, was that they could match anybody from any other political party. While it was pointed out that Alaibe has what it takes to win the election and govern the state, Okara and Okoya, it was also gathered have the experiences to pilot the affairs of the state also. Speaking with newsmen on Saturday, one of the elders said, "we want our party, the PDP to win this election. We don't want anything that will make...

Posted by Tony Okechukwu All is now set for the hosting of the maiden edition of Akwa Ibom State Education Summit, tagged Human Capacity Development for Sustainable Transformation of Persons and Society" and scheduled for Thursday 5th through Friday 6th of September, 2019 at Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio Auditorium, Udo Udoma Avenue, Uyo . The Summit is targeted at creating an environment for developing the minds of Akwa Ibom people to enable them assimilate the various developmental programmes and projects of the state administration in the education sector. Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, stated this during his interaction with Government House Correspondents at his office. He emphasised that education plays a sustainable role in the transformation of a given society, adding that the state government cannot afford to toy with the human capacity development of it citizens, hence the convocation of the summit to chat a way forward for the educat...

...DECLINES ALAIBE’S APPLICATION TO DISQUALIFY LG CHAIRMEN, VICE CHAIRMEN, COUNCILLORS AS DELEGATES The Bayelsa State High Court presided over by Justice EG Umukoro on Friday granted an order to maintain status in the inclusion of local government chairmen, their deputies and councillors as delegates in the forthcoming gubernatorial election Justice Umukoro granted the order for the preservation of status quo while hearing two suits involving the inclusion of the chairmen, their deputies and councillors as delegates in the September 3, 2019 gubernatorial primaries in the state. The suits were the one filed by Chief Timi Alaibe, which sought to prevent the oval government officials from participating in the forthcoming primaries as delegates and a parallel one by the Chairmen, the vice chairmen and councilors which sought to enforce their right to participation in the primaries as provided for by Section 25 of the PDP Constitution. The Judge declined the application of Timi...

......DR. NIMIBOFA AYAWEI PDP GUBERNATORIAL ASPIRANT IN BAYELSA STATE By J. P. Owoupele Proverbs Eleven: Twenty-Four states “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give and only suffers want”. This scripture aptly describes Dr. Nimibofa Ayawei, who is seen by many as a silent achiever who has done so much for humanity and who reaches out to all. Born on November 7th 1971 in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Dr. Ayawei attended St Johns Primary School Koluama between 1977-83. He then proceeded to Community Secondary School in the same community and obtained the West African School Certificate in 1983. Young and intelligent Ayawei was always top of his class and thus given double promotion from class two to four in recognition of his brilliant performance. In 1991, he enrolled to study Chemistry at the then Rivers State College of Education, an affiliate of  University of Ibadan and subsequently graduated in 1995 wi...

Posted By Tony Okechukwu Three frontline Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirants in Bayelsa State have pledged that their administration would give priority consideration to sports development. The aspirants, Senator Douye Diri, Dr. Nimibofa Ayawei and Barr. Kemela Okara, who are all seeking the sole ticket of their party to contest the November 16 governorship election, made the promise when organisers of the Restoration Cup presented the tournament's branded jerseys to them.  PDP Governorship Aspirant, Sen. Douye Diri, (middle); flanked by the Director General of the Restoration Cup Football Tournament, Mr. Ono K. Akpe (right); and Restoration Cup Tournament Director, Hon. Daniel Alabrah, during the official presentation of the Restoration Cup Jersey for the 3rd edition of the Governor Henry Seriake Dickson Football Tournament "Restoration Cup 2019"  Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, and PDP Governorship Aspirant, His Excellency, Rear Admiral G...

By Tony Okechukwu Governor of Cross River State, Sir Benedict Ayade, KSJ, is set to appoint about 70 Special Advisers (SAs) to assist in the running of his second term administration as the State House of Assembly, Wednesday, granted him a consequential approval for the said exercise. Though on recess, the Assembly’s emergency plenary of Wednesday was preempted by a request from the Governor, signed by the Permanent Secretary, Office of the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Innocent E. Eteng, appealing the House for a go-ahead on the appointment exercise. Following a motion by the Leader of the House, Rt. Hon. Peter Odey, and seconded by the Deputy Leader, Rt. Hon. Fredrick Osim, the House unanimously resolved for the Governor to proceed in the process, stating that the approval was necessary to allow for the Governor to constitute a team to co-pilot his second term administration. The House further advised His Excellency to consider all 25 State Constituencies in the ap...

By Tony Okechukwu Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has accused multinational oil companies operating in the Niger Delta of funding “terrorism, criminality and breakdown of law and order". He alleged that oil pipeline surveillance contracts awarded by the oil firms were foundational to the security threats in the region. A statement issued on Thursday, Dickson’s Special Adviser on Public Affairs, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, quoted the  Governor to have said this on Wednesday, during the inauguration of the 'Rise for Bayelsa Campaign'. The campaign, according to Alabrah, is aimed at attracting global attention to the ravaging effects of oil spillage, pollution and environmental degradation in Bayelsa State.  The Governor was quoted as saying, “They (oil firms) are not only polluting our land, creeks, waterways and communities, they are also taking their terrorist and criminal activities to a frightening level". "These cases of killings during elect...

By Tony Okechukwu Governor, State of Osun, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola, says that he is ready to partner  organizations on any initiative that can assist his government to achieve its set objectives for youth development. Governor Oyetola gave the assurance on Wednesday in Osogbo at a program tagged 'Osun Youth Agenda Policy Dialogue', organised by Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI). The Governor who was represented by his deputy, Mr. Benedict Alabi, identified the critical role of the youths as the most active segment of any society, and the need for them to be active and productive for national development. He said as youths, nothing will be too difficult for them to achieve if only they can be fully engaged with sustainable jobs. To achieve this according to the Governor, the youth must be self motivational, research oriented and  have a sound mind and right approach to developmental issues. He said that as a government, youth centered policies  are being put i...

… says poor remuneration dangerous to anti-graft war By Tony Okechukwu Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, has declared his readiness to tackle poor remuneration in the State’s civil service, stating that poor remuneration packages could be counterproductive to anti-corruption initiatives. The Governor, who was quoted as making the assertions while addressing the newly sworn-in Commissioners in the State reiterated his commitment towards finding a lasting solution to the issue of poor remuneration in the civil service. The Governor stated that under his leadership, it would be business unusual, as he would do everything possible to ensure that workers in the State were not exposed to the temptations of corruption. The Governor said: “We do have challenges and I can give you an example of the kind of issues that we are faced with. When I was on the podium being sworn-in, I announced that I was donating my salary to the pension board. I actually thought my salary was ...

Ahead of the Bayelsa governorship primary scheduled for September 3, the Restoration Group of Governor Seriake Dickson is presently enmeshed in crisis. Recall that the Governor and the Chairman of the state chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had boasted that the candidate for the governorship must come from the Restoration Group. However, some members of the group have expressed displeasure over the plan to narrow the choice of candidate to two aspirants. A member of the group, Ebi Mills yesterday condemned the choice of Sen. Diri Douye and Kamela Okara as possible choice of the group. The aggrieved member said that such an action is capable of destabilizing the group and creating bad blood among the members. He added that the Restoration Group should be allowed to pick its candidate, adding that a candidate should not be foisted on them. Mill said: "This plan of trying to impose a candidate on us is highly condemnable; it should not b...

By Tony Okechukwu Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has stated that the establishment  of State Police will go a long way to resolving the current security challenges facing  the country. Governor Wike said that the present security structure makes it difficult  for the Federal Police to respond quickly  to security challenges. He spoke on Wednesday when he granted  audience to the United Nations  Special Rapporteur on Human Rights , Ms. Callamard Agnes, at the Government House Port Harcourt. He said: "We believe that there should be State Police for us to effectively  fight crime in the country. Our system is fashioned towards the United States, which has Federal, State and Local Police. Each of them have their responsibilities. "In the present situation, if a crime is committed, the Commissioner of Police will first report to the Inspector General of Police, before taking any action". Governor Wike told the United Nations de...

...Charges him to maintain already achieved success and standard. By Tony Okechukwu The Bayelsa State Governor, the Honourable Henry Seriake Dickson, on Tuesday tasked the newly sworn-in Chairman of the Bayelsa State Independent Electoral Commission, BYSIEC, Hon. Ball Oyarede, to carry out his responsibilities with firmness and integrity. The Governor charged the new BYSIEC boss to ensure that the success and high standard of the commission was maintained through the conduct of credible, free and fair elections. A statement by the Special Adviser to the governor on Media Relations, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, quoted him as having said this on Tuesday shortly after the swearing-in ceremony in Government House, Yenagoa. Governor Dickson who extolled the leadership qualities of Hon. Oyarede said the Bayelsa state Electoral body is now complete and stronger to deliver in its duties to the state. He also commended the former acting Chairman, Hon. Remember Ogbe, and members of the Co...

By Tony Okechukwu The National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has urged Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku to appoint its members into his incoming cabinet, as reciprocation for the support given him during his re-election bid. Felicitating with the Governor on the occasion of the 28th anniversary of the creation of Taraba, Tuesday in Jalingo, the spokesperson of the group in the State, Joachim Dangana, implored the chief celebrant to fulfil his campaign promise of providing jobs for the teeming unemployed youths. He charged members of the National Assembly to prioritise people-oriented laws and eschew acts capable of making them beggars before the executive arm of government. The youths applauded past Governors for their contributions to the development of the State.

By Tony Okechukwu Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has stated that his administration is committed  to making Rivers people happy  through  the continuous execution of pro-people projects. Governor Wike also announced  that the Rivers State Government will employ  additional 450 youths to strengthen the Task Force on Street Trading, Illegal Markets and Motor Parks in the bid to clean up Port Harcourt. Speaking after inspecting projects  that will be commissioned during his first 100 days for the second term on Tuesday, Governor Wike assured Rivers people that he will work  diligently to surpass his first term achievements. He said: "I believe that when we celebrate our first 100 days of our second term, the people  will know that we are still working". "I know that Rivers people will be happy at the end of the day. They  will see that we have continued  to deliver  on our campaign promises". Gov...

By Tony Okechukwu Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, said on Monday that he has always been in constant communication with his predecessor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, over the past administration’s policies in the overall interest of the people. Makinde spoke yesterday while playing host to a delegation from Foursquare Gospel Church, which visited him in his office in Ibadan. He said that it was the responsibility of any administration to provide good governance, adding that his government would not hesitate to sustain any good policy of his predecessor in a bid to enhance the living standard of the people. The Governor said that he won the election without godfathers, adding that this had helped his administration to stabilise. Congratulating the church on the successful election that brought about the new leadership of the church, Makinde said that politicians and election management bodies have something to learn from the Foursquare Church on the peaceful conduct of electio...

By Tony Okechukwu Residents of Badikko, Unguwar Mu’azu, Makera communities in Kaduna South Local Government Area of the State have commended the State Governor’s wife, Aisha Garba El-Rufai, over her magnanimity during the election-victory-thank-you tour to the areas. The District Head of Badikko Ward, Usman Sani, who applauded the Governor’s wife for her generosity, said, Mrs. El-Rufai fulfilled her campaign promises. The District Head recalled that the Governor’s wife had promised to come back to the area after their victory to celebrate with them. He said: “It is obvious that the residents of Badikko must commend Hajiya Ummi el-Rufai for her resilience by proving that she is a true mother of the society". “During their campaigns, she promised to come back after victory to say thank-you to the people, and here she is". “This is praiseworthy because she did something astonishing by setting this example”, he added. Mr. Sani, however, informed the Governor’s wif...

By Tony Okechukwu The Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu, has set aside N1.8b to cater for the enrollment of 600,000 out-of-school children. The Governor stated this during the 28th anniversary celebration of Kebbi State, at the Presidential Banquet Hall in Birnin Kebbi. He said that data in the 4 emirates of the State was being compiled on the out-of-school children in order to ensure proper planning. "600,000 out-of-school children will be incorporated in schools, data is being compiled in the 4 emirates in the State". "Initially, we had set over N900 million for the scheme, but now it has reached N1.8 billion in the account", he said. Bagudu expressed concern over the Almajiri syndrome in the State, and hoped that the scheme would go a long way in addressing street begging by children". On his ethanol project, the Governor assured that by 2021, the State would be in position to produce ethanol in commercial quantity. "We would demonstr...

Hon. Dr. Hafeez Mukhtar Jahun I am expressing my heartfelt felicitations to every jigawans on the occasion of 28th anniversary On this auspicious occasion of the 28th Anniversary of Jigawa State.I am happy and deem it a great honor to be able to send this Message of Greetings to the great people of Jigawa . Our state as a young state has stood tall amidst the states of this country which has firm historical roots since time immemorial with its own diversity have settled down and lived together through weal or woe. I want to charge every jigawans to make this year team as   “Building sustainable and resilient communities through rainforestation and climate-smart agriculture” The above is very much timely because more than ever, we recognize the need to adopt innovative reforestation initiatives in order to attain much needed ecosystem services as well as to provide benefits to forest-dependent communities, thus, increasing their resilience; and the need to embrace ...

By Tony Okechukwu The Governor Henry Seriake Dickson-led Restoration Group has swept the national delegates election of the Peoples Democratic Party in all the eight local Government Areas òf Bayelsa State. The Restoration Team had earlier overran the Timi Alaibe Campaign Organisation and other non Restoration aspirants of the party in three-man Ward Delegates Congress organized by the Governor òf Ebonyi State, Chief Dave Umahi, on Saturday. The Ward delegates who were elected on Saturday participated alongside other stakeholders to elect the national delegates of the party in the election organized by the Deputy Governor òf Abia State,  Dr. Ude Oko Chukwu, the Bayelsa State National Delegates Returning Officer Monday. All the ward delegates assembled at the respective local government headquarters to join other stakeholders of the party to elect the national delegates from the local government areas. A critical analysis of the list showed that over 90 per cent ...

…says Oyo is ready for agribusiness By Tony Okechukwu Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, has announced the revocation of the Moniya-Iseyin road contract awarded during the administration of the immediate past government for the sum of N7 billion. Governor Makinde, who made the disclosure while speaking at the launch of a $5 million Agribusiness Project Initiative by Farmcrowdy, said that the road was central to the government's resolve to promote agribusiness. According to him, the previous government awarded the contract to an Engineering firm that did not have capacity to handle the project, adding that even though the owner of the firm was known to him, he could not mix friendship with the business of governance. A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, quoted the Governor as saying that the contract was revoked to enable him address the challenges of moving farm produce around the State. The Governor added that the State...

By Tony Okechukwu Delta Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has congratulated Deltans on the 28th anniversary of the creation of the State. In a message signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Olisa Ifeajika, in Asaba, the Governor thanked the people of the State for their resilience, patience, cooperation and support to all administrations that had governed the State in the last 28 years. He assured that his administration would continue to build on the gains recorded by his predecessors, in order to create a stronger Delta . Felicitating with citizens of the State on the anniversary, the Governor said "Our beloved State has continued to blossom in spite of challenges confronting us as a people". "My administration appreciates Deltans for their resilience and peaceful co-existence among us". "In the last four years that we have been on the saddle, we have continued to build on the gains recorded by our predecessors, and I assure you that better day...

By Tony Okechukwu Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, on Monday, harped on the need to depoliticize the fight against corruption in the country. He also said that the best way of fighting corruption is through strengthening institutions. Tambuwal stated this at the  signing of Memorandum of Understanding between the Sokoto State Government and the United Nations (UN), on the 2019 UN Sustainable Development Partnership Framework plan at the Government House in Sokoto. The initiative was also launched. "We need to depoliticize the fight against corruption, it should be holistic, not selective prosecution by a section with political powers",  he said. He advocated separation between the Office of Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and that of the Minister of Justice for the fight against corruption to succeed in the country. The Governor expressed support to efforts towards strengthening democracy and good governance in the country. Tambuwal, who is the Vice C...

By Tony Okechukwu Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle, Monday, held a meeting with the Russian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Alexey L.Shebarshin at the Russian Embassy in Abuja. The meeting was focused on improving the following sectors; Agriculture, Health, and Solid Minerals, as well as Education. The Ambassador said that the Russian Government is ready to partner with the Zamfara State Government to work in collaboration, so as to assist the present government in improving the state economy, as well as create wealth among the citizens of the State. He added that his country, which specialises in minerals exploration and excavation, will provide Zamfara State with expertise that will enhance the State's economy for global marketing . He also extended an invitation to the Governor on the upcoming, first Russia/Africa Union  Summit on October, 24-25,2019, which will focus on fostering economic, political and cultural cooperation. He further said that during the summi...

 By Innocent Imoh - Blame Akwa Ibom Senator, Rep, others for bank's crash Workers at the State-owned primary mortgage institution; Akwa Savings and Loans Limited (ASLL) on Monday protested the non-payment of their salaries and arrears. The angry workers, numbering at least 70, locked the main gate to the headquarters of the financial institution on Abak Road, chanting various solidarity songs. Some of the inscriptions on their placards read: "Akwa Savings must not go down, Gov Udom act now",    "Gov. Udom, Please Come to our aid" among others. The protesters called on the relevant government agencies to compel debtors of the bank to pay up and begged for government intervention in the payment of their salaries. Earlier in 2016, the bank had published names of her major debtors including Hon. Michael Enyong - a two-time representative of Uyo Federal Constituency at the National Assembly, Emem and Sons Limited, Senator Emmanuel I...