AMAECHI BLAMES THE NEGLECT OF PH AIRPORT ON RIFT WITH JONATHAN

 Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, on Saturday accused the Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Stella Oduah, of abandoning the remodeling of the Port Harcourt International Airport because of his rift with President Goodluck Jonathan.

Amaechi, who said this in an interview with Channels Television, said apart from leaving the airport in deplorable state, the minister impounded the aircraft belonging to the state "for no reason."

The governor said he had reported the minister to the President to no avail.

He said, "I have gone to the President and told him that because of the disagreement between Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, who is not Rivers State, and the President, the minister of aviation has abandoned the airport. They started that airport with Kano, Lagos, Abuja, Benin, and Calabar. The rest have been completed, including Enugu which has been commissioned. It is hatred. The Minister of Aviation is reckless on that."

Amaechi raised the alarm that with the state of the international airport, terrorists could have easy access and attack it at will.

He added that due to his rift with Jonathan, Oduah had prevented the state government from fulfilling its responsibility of securing the state and fighting crimes, including oil theft, using surveillance helicopters that it had paid for.

 "We paid for two surveillance helicopters that would fly around Rivers State (and detect crime) including oil theft and report real time to police, air force, army and the government house. She (Oduah) refused the helicopters from coming. They are there in America and the government of America has been wondering why we don't want to take our plane and the President (Jonathan) is aware," he said.

But in response, the Special Assistant (Media) to the Aviation Minister, Joe Obi, described the allegations as untrue and false, insisting that huge work was going on at the Port Harcourt airport.

"Port Harcourt is among the 11 airports in the first phase of airport remodelling. If you go to that airport now, it is completely different from what it was two or three years ago," Obi said.

ONYEKA ONWENU APPOINTED NCWD CEO

 

President Goodluck Jonathan has appointed a renowned Nigerian singer, actress and politician Onyeka Onwenu as the Executive Director (Chief Executive Officer) of the National Centre for Women Development (NCWD), Abuja.

Onyeka Onwenu, an indigene of Onitsha, Anambra State, was born on May 17, 1961. She is a famous singer, an award-winning actress, the former chairperson of the Imo State Council for Arts.

It is expected that she will assume duties immediately.

JONATHAN SACKS JOY EMORDI, ONE OTHER SPECIAL ADVISER

 President Goodluck Jonathan has terminated the appointment of two of his Special Advisers.

This was disclosed in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati.

The statement said the appointment of Joy Emordi, who was Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, and that of Tunji Olagunju, his Special Adviser on the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), had been terminated with immediate effect.

"President Jonathan thanks Mrs. Emordi and Dr. Olagunju for their services and wishes them success in their future endeavours".

Mr. Olagunju had served as Special Adviser to the President on NEPAD since June 2007 while Mrs. Emordi was appointed in 2011.

The President had also last week fired nine of his ministers.

REVEALED: Why Jonathan Sacked Youth Minister

The Minister of Youth Development, Alhaji Abdulkhadir Turaki, has been sacked because of his inability to effectively manage his portfolio and the presentation of a forged list of new executive of National Council of Youth of Nigeria (NCYN) to President Goodluck Jonathan.

The minister has been relieved of his appointment by the President Jonathan on August 26, 2013, Monday.

Disclosing why the minister was sacked in Minna on August 28, 2013, Wednesday, the Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) and Niger State governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, said the minister did not show enough understanding of his job as he failed to present the actual facts to the President on the botched NCYN election that took place last February in Makurdi, Benue state.

Dr. Aliyu said the NCYN election did not hold in Makurdi and a transition committee was put in place, but he alleged that the minister and his aides presented a forged list of new executive members of the council to the President.

The Governor, who commended the action of the President made these revelations while receiving the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Christian Pilgrims Commission Mr. Kennedy Okpara, in his office.

He said,” Please thank the President for me for what he did to the Minister of Youth.

“The President did what was expected of a leader that does not want any of his officials to cause disharmony among the people.”