12th AMA Awards held in PH: Gov. Wike’s white lies to the world

12^th AMA Awards held in PH: Gov. Wike’s white lies to the world

The Rivers State Chapter of All Progressives Congress, APC, said it has observed with disappointment the continuous churning out of white lies to unsuspecting Rivers people, Nigerians and the world at the slightest opportunity by the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike.

The party in a statement signed by its spokesman, Senibo Chris Finebone and made available to journalists today in Port Harcourt, Rivers State Capital said “the latest of this ignoble past time of the governor took place last Saturday during the 12^th African Movie Academy Awards [AMAA] that was gratuitously hosted by the governor to burnish and shore up his fledgling public image as a dangerous desperado who climbed on the blood of innocent people to become governor. Curiously, as Gov. Nyesom Wike was talking down his predecessor as having left no legacy, he was having good time at the poorly organized awards night in the magnificent Obi Wali International Conference Centre, an edifice built and named after an illustrious personage of Ikwerre land, late Dr. Obi Wali by the same predecessor and former boss of Nyesom Wike, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi CON.”

Continuing, the statement noted that, “the hosting of the AMA Awards by Gov. Nyesom Wike is only part of a well-calculated agenda to create image makeover for the governor at great cost to the Rivers taxpayer. But most significantly is the fact that each of the events ends up being held at one of the epochal landmark legacies conceptualized, built and commissioned by his predecessor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi as against what Gov. Wike would want his audience, Nigerians and the world to believe. The Adokie Amiesimaka 40,000-seater magnificent stadium conceptualized and built by former Gov. Amaechi has hosted countless of such events by Gov. Wike even as he insists his predecessor did nothing. That is white lie number 1."

The statement reads: “On the more important matter of security, Gov. Nyesom Wike is blaming everyone else but himself for the insecurity ravaging Rivers State. Hear him: "We have tackled insecurity with decisive steps in conjunction with the nation’s security agencies, so much so that Rivers State has now become one of the safest places to visit, live and do business in the country. As a result, we have been hosting several local and national events to the joy and applaud of the organizers, participants and visitors” The APC would want Rivers people, Nigerians and the world to score this statement. However, we consider this statement the most criminal, insensitive and blatant lie told by man in this Century. Indeed, this is Wike’s white lie number 2.

“For the benefit of those who may not know, records show that over 35 souls were dispatched to the great beyond across Rivers State in a space of 5 days before the Saturday event. Cases of daylight robberies, shootings and killings are daily reported in Port Harcourt alone. Yet still, the governor mindlessly and unconscionably spewed his lies to the innocent audience in Dr. Obi Wali International Conference Centre main hall.

“It is perhaps necessary to remind Gov. Nyesom Wike that the Information and Communications Technology [ICT] has collapsed the world into a small global village where information virtually circulates with the speed of sound. Much of Nigeria and the world know exactly what the security situation is in Rivers State, meaning that as the governor spoke at the event that night, many in the audience would have been quietly chuckling and wondering whether he just returned from outer space before attending the event.

“The truth remains that two things appear to hold the key to immediate and relative peace (howbeit temporarily) in Rivers State and both are in the hands of the governor.

“Firstly, Gov. Nyesom Wike must disarm his private armies and militants he used to kill and intimidate voters to enable him write election results for himself and his party candidates with the active connivance of Jonathan-era INEC and  security agents. His warning to the CTCs he recently appointed to fight insecurity in their LGAs is neither here nor there as it amounts to merely sending a thief to catch a thief. Secondly, Gov. Wike must go beyond appointing the leadership of his hoodlums and ex-militants as Caretaker Chairmen and members of LG Councils; he alone must devise the means of engaging the other ranks in his private armies who feel abandoned and have turned to robberies, killings, kidnapping and other common crimes as a means of subsistence.

“The APC believes that no amount of casting blames on cult groups today or threatening oil companies tomorrow will bring peace in Rivers State. Gov. Nyesom Wike has served drinking water to the baboon and it is him that must retrieve the cup he used in serving the baboon. He has himself to blame, not cult groups and oil companies. Indeed, Gov. Nyesom Wike needs to look at himself in the mirror.”

NDDC: Semenitari disowns fraudulent mail, bank A/C

NDDC:  Semenitari disowns fraudulent mail, bank A/C

The Ag. Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, said her attention has been drawn to a fictitious electronic mail currently in circulation purporting to have its origin from her.

A statement signed by Bekee Anyalewechi SA on (Media) to the Ag. MD/CEO of NDDC explained that “To make it (the fictitious electronic mail) bear the emblem of authenticity, those behind it hacked into Semenitari’s official email portal, subsequently signing-off the mail in her name.”

Full text of the statement reads: “The said correspondence claims that Semenitari is seeking various financial gratification to the tune of N700, 000 from various contractors and vendors doing business with NDDC. However, a little scrutiny would reveal that it lacks the characteristics of coherence, quality diction and grammatical fluidity which are trademarks of correspondences originating from Semenitari.

“The fake mail reads, “Good day, I’ve a personal outstanding totalling the sum of 700,000. I will need you to credit Mr Onos account details with the required amount. Find below his account information. Jonafuvwe Onos, 0040271951, Diamond Bank. Please note this is not official and should be treated as such”.

“Semenitari, whose knack for prudence, frugality and respect for rules is open to staffers of NDDC, the Commission’s contractors and vendors,  does not know any Jonafuvwe Onos, nor has she a link to the said Diamond Bank A/C. If the particulars referenced in the email are verifiable, Semenitari shares no relationship whatsoever with them.

“Obviously the handiwork of fraudsters, who would stop at nothing to rubbish and denigrate the reforms Semenitari has brought into NDDC, the email clearly bears the signature of commonplace, online criminals tagged as yahoo yahoo boys and official pick-pockets who lurk around the fringes of nobility and character which Semenitari represents. But rather than aspire to attain such pedestal through hard work, the fraudsters mire deeper into ignominy and opprobrium.

“Semenitari, a discreet public servant verse in public financial rules and regulations, had at no time, either in person, or through an intermediary, front, proxy, Special or Personal Assistant, commissioned anybody to solicit for or accommodate any gratification on her behalf. It is on record that one of the first official actions she initiated upon assumption of duty in December 2015 was a campaign against corruption that included kick-back and bribery. Till date, her zeal in extending the tempo and sustaining the success so far achieved in that regard remains fresh.

“Therefore, we counsel contractors, vendors and the general public doing business with NDDC not to subscribe to the scam mail and its content. They should watch out for fraudsters who would stop at nothing to sabotage genuine efforts at reforming NDDC and repositioning it to fulfil its core mandate of driving development in the Niger Delta region.

“Since her appointment, Semenitari has worked hard to reposition NDDC, including evolving a new culture of transparency in government business. It is a worthy legacy Semenitari would not compromise for as long as she remains the CEO.”

Towards preserving a bio-diverse environment for future generations – Ibim Semenitari

BEING THE SPEECH OF MRS. IBIM SEMENITARI, AG. MD/CEO OF NDDC AT 2016 WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY

It is my pleasure and pride to make comments at this year’s World Environment Day (WED) celebrations. This is so because of the significance of this year’s celebrations to us in the Niger Delta region and especially at the NDDC as it marks the beginning of the fulfilment of the Federal Government’s promise to clean up the region, starting with the strategic Ogoni clean-up exercise.

When we visited Governor Seriake Dickson on April 12, at Government House, Yenagoa, during our regional tour, he said, “For us in Bayelsa, our wealth is in the sea.” That profound statement underscores the immense endowment of the Niger Delta’s ecosystem. What is unfortunate however is how this same resource is constantly abused and denigrated by repeated violations brought about by decades of bad behaviour. From government, with its weak regulatory frameworks, to oil companies and multinationals who do business in the region, to communities and individuals, who for different reasons wreak havoc, the environment in our region has taken a hard beating.

Covering about 70,000 square kilometres, the Niger Delta region is home to one of the largest wetlands in the world and Africa’s largest delta. It has at least five distinct ecological zones. These range from the montane and savannah belts in Northern Cross River to the mangrove swamp forests, near the Atlantic coast, which embody some of the last remaining untouched forest resources and centres of endemism in Africa.

These bio-geographical attributes are known to have created the complex and rich environment of habitats that supported the evolution of its fantastically wide range of plant and animal lives. Some say the Niger Delta is home to all of Nigeria's endemic or near-endemic mammal species. Others say Niger Delta harbours many locally and globally endangered species, and approximately 60-80 percent of all plant and animal species found in Nigeria.

However, the globally significant environment and biodiversity of the Niger Delta are in grave danger. Some endemic fish species of the region are in grave danger of extinction due to many reasons, including environmental degradation and over-exploitation among others. Likewise, some animal species such as the endemic African Monkey (Guenon species), one of the world’s most beautiful monkeys found mostly in the West African rain forest region (the Niger Delta Region inclusive), are at the risk of extinction.

This is why we must all rise to the daunting and pressing challenge of preserving our bio-diverse environment for future generations. We all owe future generations a responsibility to preserve the bio-diverse environment of the Niger Delta. As the countdown begins for us to join people from across the globe to celebrate WED on 5 June 2016, we all need to take part in environmental action and become agents of change for positive impacts on the planet. Today’s tree-planting exercise typifies such action.

This year’s theme is on the illegal trade in wildlife, which is eroding Earth’s precious biodiversity, robbing us of our natural heritage and driving species to the brink of extinction.

The NDDC is statutorily mandated to tackle ecological and environmental problems in the Niger Delta region. Evidently, the killing and smuggling of wildlife constitute ecological and environmental problems. They also undermine economies and ecosystems, fuel organized crime, and feed corruption and insecurity across the globe.

Tackling the scourge of illegal trade in wildlife requires concerted action. We need to understand the damage this illicit business is doing to our environment, livelihoods, communities and security. We must change our habits and behaviour so that demand for illegal wildlife products falls. But it is not just the demand for illegal wildlife that must fall. It is also the demand for illegal crude, the destruction and vandalism of pipelines in the region. Our ecosystem is our wealth, and the protection of our region is, first and foremost, the responsibility of all who live and do business in the region. Saying no to everyone who dares to destroy our environment, whether they be government, corporations or individuals, is our collective responsibility.

This year’s theme for WED – Go Wild for Life – encourages each one of us to celebrate all those species under threat and take action of our own to help safeguard them for future generations. This can be about animals or plants that are threatened within your local area as well as at the national or global level - many local extinctions will eventually add up to a global extinction! Whoever you are, and wherever you live, show zero-tolerance for the illegal trade in wildlife and the destruction of our environment, in word and deed, and make a difference.

According to Roxanne Paul, “Every little bit helps. It's amazing how much you can do when you choose to give a little bit of that natural habitat back.”

Thank you for your attention and God bless you."

Cancel your plans to sponsor protests against flag-off of UNEP cleanup – APC tells Gov. Wike

Cancel your plans to sponsor protests against flag-off of UNEP cleanup – APC tells Gov. Wike

The Rivers State Chapter of All Progressives Congress [APC] said it has come to its attention that the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has concluded plans to sponsor PDP members, tugs and hoodlums to protest and disrupt the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Rivers State to flag off the UNEP cleanup of Ogoniland on Thursday, 2^nd June, 2016.

The APC in a statement signed by its spokesman, Senibo Chris Finebone and made available to NF-Reports said, “it has also come to our notice that the protesters will disguise as citizens who have been mobilised to give Mr. President a rousing welcome on his visit before they will turn on their protests with placards and dangerous weapons with the singular purpose of embarrassing Mr. President, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, Senator Magnus Abe, Dr. Dakuku Peterside and the All Progressives Congress, APC, amongst others.”

“Indeed, the APC finds it curious that Gov. Nyesom Wike will claim to mobilise his party members to welcome President Buhari, the same person he has repeatedly spoken about derogatorily in the past. The only reason Gov. Wike would engage in his planned subterfuge can only be to score a cheap political point due to his desperation for political advantage in Ogoniland - something way out of his reach under a peaceful atmosphere” the statement explained

The APC noted that it was solely political desperation that drove the governor to hurriedly flag-off the dualisation of Saakpenwa-Bori-Kono Road last week to deceive Nigerians that Wike cares about Ogoni people after sponsoring militants to kill them, adding that “the fraud behind the Saakpenwa-Bori-Kono Road has been uncovered as the governor deliberately refused to mention that the project is in phases. He also cunningly went silent on the number of kilometres of the road is covered in the phase 1 of the project he flagged off, just to deceive the people of Tai, Gokana, Khana, Opobo/Nkoro and Andoni LGAs.”

The APC urged the governor not to push his luck too far as there will obviously be grave consequences if he insists on over-reaching himself along the line he has chosen as he will be held responsible for any breach of the law, order and further undermining of the fragile peace of the State at this time.

“But if the governor insists on sponsoring people to disrupt the flag-off with the purpose of embarrassing Mr. President and others, we wish him the best of luck” the statement concluded.