It appears that the transfer of the salaries of primary health workers in Rivers State may take much longer to come through.

This is because a second round of biometric verification of the affected workers is expected to be carried by the Ministry of Finance, after the first exercise completed by the Primary Health Care Management Board.

Our correspondent Chinedu Iwunna gathered from a credible source involved in the operation that the latest development emerged just as the names of the primary health workers were about to be transferred to the Ministry of Finance.

But with the latest development, our source said it might take as long as September for the transfer and upgrade of the primary health workers to be completed.

The Police in Rivers State are investigating the gruesome murder of an eight-year-old girl who was a victim of defilement around Elehahia axis of Port Harcourt.

Our correspondent reports that the victim was apparently strangled and stabbed on the neck by a yet-to-be identified assailant, and left to bleed to death at her home.

The spokesman of the State Police Command, Nnmadi Omoni, confirmed the incident to our correspondent.

Omoni said an autopsy would be conducted on the body of the child to determine the actual circumstance of her death.

The Police Public Relations Officer recalled the suspect had been accused of defiling the slain girl had his case dismissed based on the advice of the Director of Public Prosecution.

You will recall that a similar case of murder of an eight-year-old girl around Eliozu for suspected ritual purposes, which allegedly involved Ifeanyi Dike and two other suspected accomplices, is still pending before the Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt.

The Rivers State Government has unveiled a report of its Socio-Economic Survey for 2017, with a view to guide ministries and local government councils to make informed decisions.

The Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Isaac Kamalu, during the presentation of the report in Port Harcourt, said the survey highlights areas of importance for development decisions at the state and local government levels.

Responding to the report, some participants at the event, including the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Information, Paulinus Nsirim, said the survey report would help in setting priorities of programmes for the people.

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, says the State Government is aware of a plot to disrupt the local government election on Saturday.

Governor Wike particularly made reference to Abua-Odual, Akuku-Toru, Asari-Toru, Degema,    Emohua, Ikwerre, Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni, Opobo and Tai local government areas as places where the election might be disrupted by political thugs.

The Governor alleged that some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress were behind the plot, and charged the security agencies to live up to their primary responsibility of providing adequate security for the election.

Governor Wike also urged the security agencies, especially the Police, to deal decisively with those who may attempt to disturb the peace, order and security of the state before, during and after the election.

The All Progressives Congress in Rivers State says it is aware of a plan by Governor Nyesom Wike to pay six months’ salary arrears of civil servants in Ekiti State.

The Rivers APC alleged that Governor Wike intends to offer the bailout to his Ekiti State counterpart, Ayo Fayose, ahead of the governorship election in that state.

The spokesman of the APC, Chris Finebone, noted in a statement that the purported move was coming against the backdrop of imminent reduction of the number of civil servants in Rivers State and what he called a decaying secretariat complex where Rivers State civil servants endure untold inconveniences every working day.

Finebone also noted that pensioners in Rivers State are also suffering because of several months of unpaid gratuity and pension.

The State Publicity Secretary of the APC therefore called on Rivers people to protest the purported plan by Governor Wike to embark on what he called senseless and atrocious decision to spend billions of naira to pay six months outstanding salaries of Ekiti State civil servants while the workers and people of Rivers State are suffering poverty, indignities and penury.

The Chairman of the All Progressive Congress in Rivers State, Ojukaye Flag-Amachree has called on aggrieved members of the party to return to the reconciliation table for the interest of the party ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Flag-Amachree said infightings among party members will not do the party any good but instead destroy its vision come 2019 and beyond.

Addressing party members at the Port Harcourt International Airport on his arrival after his swearing-in in Abuja, the APC state chairman said the concern of party members should be to remove Governor NYESOM WIKE from bricks house.

Flag-Amachree accused Governor Wike of running Rivers State government as his private business adding that it will end after general elections.

Our correspondent reports that the APC state Chairman Party move to the state party secretariat to swear-in the twenty three local government chairmen of the party and state executive and instructed them to inaugurate the wards executives.

The State Publicity secretary, Chris Finebone and Eric Wigbani who is the chairman of APC in Khana local government who spoke on behalf of the newly inaugurated executives assured that they will comply with the directives of the party and ensure victory for the party.

The people of Omuoko-Aluu in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State have cried out for help over the spate of attacks by criminals in the area.

Some concerned residents of Omuoko-Aluu yesterday took their complaint to the office of the IGP Monitoring Unit of the Nigeria Police Force to seek police intervention.

Some of the respondents said the area has been recording increasing number of attacks by armed robbers who snatch tricycles, motorcycles, mobile phones and other personal belongings of residents.

In his response; a senior officer of the IGP Monitoring Unit, assured residents of Omuoko-Aluu of the commitment of the elite police unit to ensure the safety of lives and properties.

The police officer in turn requested the cooperation of the residents, just as he confirmed the arrest of one Joshua, also known as Seven Star General, in connection with robbery attacks around Omuoko-Aluu.

As the World Environment Day takes the centre stage globally; the level of work done on the Ogoni Cleanup in Rivers State has been receiving critical reviews.

For instance; the Social Development Integrated Centre, otherwise known as Social Action, which is one of the group involved in environmental activities in Nigeria, has said nothing in on ground to show that the actual cleanup would begin in August.

The Social Action said it welcomes a statement credited to the Coordinator of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, HYPREP; MARVIN DEKIL sometime in April that the Ogoni cleanup would start in August this year.

It said the statement was also confirmed by the Minister of State for Environment, JUBRIL USMAN, while briefing newsmen in Abuja on the 2018 World Environment Day. 

The Research and Progamme Officer of Social Action, FYNEFACE DUMNAMENE, observed in a statement that the government agencies do not appear prepared for the cleanup exercise.

FYNEFACE noted that seven years after the release of the UNEP Report on the Ogoni cleanup and two years after the formal flag-off of the implementation, it was doubtful that HYPREP could undertake a credible and successful cleanup that meets international standard.

He said field monitoring report done by Social Action shows that HYPREP would not be ready for the Ogoni cleanup programme even by December this year because some of the key recommendations in the UNEP Report were yet to be put in place.

Key among what is lacking is Contaminated Soil Treatment Centre, of which the foundation was laid in February 2017 by former Minister of Environment and current Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, AMINA MUHAMMED.

FYNEFACE DUMNAMENE noted that the centre located in Bori has been abandoned by HYPREP and overgrown with weeds since AMINA MUHAMMED left office.

This year’s World Environment Day is being observed based on the theme “Beat Plastic Pollution”, with the main event organized by the United Nations Environment Programme taking place in India.

The Senator representing Rivers East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Andrew Uchendu, has asked the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, to stop raising false alarms that could trigger instability in the country.

Senator Uchendu, in a statement urged Governor Wike  to rather engage the Federal Government with facts on behalf of Rivers people when the need arises.

The Rivers East Senator advised the governor to always consult with the three Senators and the thirteen Members of the Federal House of Representatives representing Rivers State in the National Assembly, to ascertain the appropriateness of the type of information that he pushes out to the public.

The senator urged Rivers people to discountenance an allegation by the Governor Wike  that the Federal Government was planning to deny Rivers State its balance of the Paris Club Debt refund describing it as baseless and untrue.

He said it is not the habit of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to deny any individual or group their constitutional entitlements.