The Association of Rivers South East Journalists, ARSEJ, Propagated in December 2012 has formally kick start its operations with the constitution of a 5-man steering committee to oversee her activities for the coming one year.
The steering committee which is charged with some responsibilities to include election of substantive executive committee, development of the Senatorial District in partnership with all relevant stakeholders amongst others elected Mr. Barivule Akpo as Chairman and Mr. Felix Kekii as Secretary.
Others include Mr. James Mgboineme as Treasurer, Mr. Anya Lekia Godspower as Financial secretary and Bobby Oforji as the Pubic Relation Officer.
Meanwhile, the Association of Rivers South East Journalists, ARSEJ, has described Senator Magnus Ngei Abe as a true democrat whose unequal representation is engendering the rapid socio-economic and political development of Rivers South’ East Senatorial District, Rivers State and Nigeria at large.
In a communiqué at the end of a meeting of the Association in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Capital, the Journalists said Senator Abe’s quality representation of the South East Senatorial District so far has rekindled the peoples hope and believe that he is indeed a leader, of substance desirous to transforming the zone into an enviable status.
The Rivers South East Journalists listed the achievements of Senator Abe within 2 years to include scholarship awards to seventy-seven undergraduates, encouragement of Law Students as well as empowerment of women and youths from the Senatorial zone among others describing the gestures as first of its kind.
The Communiqué particularly thanked Senator Abe for the award of nine scholarships for Journalists from the Rivers South East Senatorial Zone and also lauded him for providing over fifty micro-set recorders for the Journalists to enhance their performance.
While calling on other elected or appointed political office holders from the Senatorial zone to emulate the leadership qualities of Senator Abe, the Journalists urged the distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic to remain focused in his onerous task of redeeming the people of the zone from the shackles of abject poverty, economic strangulation and political deprivation in order to accelerate the pace of development in the area.
The communiqué equally commended the Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi for his interest in the completion of the Ogoni-Opobo-Andoni Road (Unity Road) expressing the hope that work on the planned dualization of Saakpenwa-Bori-Kono road would commence in earnest appealing to adjoining communities along the road to stop erecting illegal structures so as not to frustrate the process.
The Communiqué signed by the Steering Committee Chairman, Mr. Barivule Akpo and the Secretary, Mr. Felix Kekii, also called on all stakeholders in the Rivers project to always promote the peace and stability of the state contending that what is paramount at the moment is a collective idea that would enthrone sustainable peace in order to actualize set goals, as democratic dividends can only; strive in a state devoid of rancor and acrimony. ###
By James Mgboineme
