By George Mgbeleke

Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara has declared that the State Secretariat Complex which is undergoing massive reconstruction will be ready for use by the first quarter (Q1) of 2027.

The Governor stated this on Monday after a tour of the multiple and expansive high rise buildings, located in the Old GRA, Port Harcourt.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Onwuka Nzeshi, Governor Fubara who had undertaken a similar tour of the project earlier this year, said he decided to revisit the site to confirm the extent of the job that has been done so far.
“We just did a tour of the renovation of the Secretariat. I have been seeing the outer part of it wearing a new look, but I wanted to really confirm how much job is going on, most importantly, the inside and that is what I just went to inspect myself.
I think that with the progress of work here, by the grace of God, I believe that by the first quarter of next year, it will be handed over to the government. Like I did promise, every job that we are handling, we will ensure that we put them to completion,” he said.
The Rivers State Secretariat was constructed in the 1970s, shortly after Rivers State was created in 1967. It is a massive complex consisting of multiple high-rise buildings, including the 17-storey “Point Block”, the 10-storey “Podium Block” along with three other 7-storey buildings tagged “Blocks A, B and C”.
The ongoing renovation is a comprehensive and transformative upgrade aimed at modernizing the entire complex. It involves structural rehabilitation, improved office layouts, installation of modern facilities, and upgrading of utilities to meet present-day administrative standards. The project is designed to create a more conducive, efficient, and technology-driven work environment for civil servants.

By Uthman-Baba Naseer, Minna

A total of 396 health workers engaged previously under a United Nation Children Educational Fund (UNICEF) and GAVI-supported initiative have been fully absorbed into the State Civil Service.

This was disclosed by the Commissioner for Health,Dr. Murtala Mohammed Bagana stated that this is part of a move towards strengthening Healthcare delivery and to address manpower shortages across communities in the State.

The official unveiling and distribution of appointment letters highlighted the government’s commitment to sustaining quality healthcare services at the grassroots level.

Speaking during the ceremony, the Honourable Commissioner for Health represented by the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Abdullahi Imam, explained that healthcare services take place largely within communities and the facilities serving them.

He noted that development partners such as UNICEF and GAVI had earlier identified critical shortages in human resources across healthcare facilities and initiated discussions with the State government to address the challenge.

According to him, “while government may provide modern infrastructure and medical equipment, effective healthcare delivery cannot be achieved without adequate manpower.

“The partners had expressed willingness to invest in young healthcare professionals and sought assurances from the Niger State Government that beneficiaries of the programme would eventually be integrated into permanent service due to the long-term nature of healthcare needs” he stressed

Noting that the previous administration under former Governor Abubakar Sani Bello had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support the initiative, Muhammad Umar Bago reaffirmed the commitment, leading to the eventual absorption of the personnel into the state workforce.

Dr. Bagana further disclosed that the newly employed personnel comprise nurses, midwives and community health workers who have already spent between two and three years rendering services within various communities.

He added that the workers would continue to serve in the same areas where they had built experience and community relationships, adding that many of them could further their education and rise into higher professional cadres.

The Commissioner also commended Governor Muhammad Umar Bago for his continued investments in the health sector, revealing that more than 3,000 healthcare professionals, including doctors, pharmacists, nurses, laboratory scientists and community health workers have so far been recruited within the last three years.

He noted that about 116 Level Two facilities have been upgraded to improve access to services such as maternal healthcare, immunisation, nutrition and laboratory services.

Earlier, the Executive Director of the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Inuwa Junaidu, described the absorption of the GAVI-supported staff as evidence of Governor Bago’s dedication to improving healthcare delivery, saying “human resources remain essential for efficient service delivery”.

Also speaking, Programme Manager Pharm. Daniel Jiya, described the event as the successful outcome of a three-year journey marked by determination and collaboration among stakeholders.

While urging the newly absorbed staff to regard their appointments as a privilege, he charged them to adhere strictly to civil service regulation.

By George Mgbeleke

Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara has reassured the people of Rivers State of his administration’s commitment to the completion of the various ongoing infrastructure projects located in different parts of the state.

In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Onwuka Nzeshi, the governor who gave this indication on Friday while inspecting the level of work on the new Airport Road Bypass in Port Harcourt, disclosed that the project had reached sixty five per cent (65%) completion stage.

He said that in spite of recent developments on the political scene, he remains in “high spirits,” ready to continue with the task of governance, especially the delivery of projects that will impact positively on the lives of the people.

“I want to assure our people that notwithstanding the situation of things, one thing that I can promise everyone, is that every good work that we have started, by the special grace of God, will continue and we will complete them. We’re in high spirits. Like, we always say, Rivers First,” he said.

Governor Fubara said that his administration conceived the idea of constructing a bypass to the Airport Road to create an alternative route for the communities around the airport and avoid a situation where some of their activities could cause obstruction along the main highway leading to the Port Harcourt International Airport.

“We’ve always had these issues where the community may want to express their anger or dissatisfaction over some activities of the airport authorities, in the process they always block the airport road.

” We thought that in this modern society, such actions are not necessary anymore because whenever it happens, it affects the economic activities of the state. So we liaised with the community and created this bypass,” he said.

Governor Fubara who was conducted round the project site by the contractors, expressed delight at the pace of work on the road, disclosing that the total project will be delivered before October 2026.