Author: Chim Ogwutum

The political feud between the incumbent governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Joseph Fubara and the immediate-past governor, Chief Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, now minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, ignited late October 2023, got to a climax on Tuesday, June 17, 2024, when the tenure of the chairmen of the 23 local government areas of the state expired. That day, Rivers State became a hotbed of political crisis following the refusal of the council chairmen and their councilors to leave office, predicating their legitimacy and action on the six months tenure elongation bill passed by the embattled Hon.…

The towering edifice with the inscription “Dr. Peter Odili Cancer Cardiovascular Diagnostic and Treatment Centre,” at No. 120 Ikwerre Road, Rumuokwuta, in Obio/Akpor LGA of Rivers State, now looks like a graveyard, silent and completely deserted. The centre built by the immediate-past governor of the state now Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, at the cost of N26billion was first unveiled by the then minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, on June 8, 2021. The Centre was constructed by Julius Berger PLC, as a specialized hospital in Port Harcourt, to cater for the treatment of all levels of…

Wife of the Rivers State governor, Lady Valerie Fubara, has presented 50,000 exercise books to public primary schools in Rivers State. Making the donation on behalf of the Renewed Hope Initiative, a project of Mrs Remi Tinubu, wife of the president, at Government House, Port Harcourt on Monday, the Rivers State first lady said education is pivotal to the development of the society. She acknowledged the valuable programmes of the Renewed Hope Initiative of the wife of the President, Senator Remi Tinubu in the state, and emphasised that the provision of the books was to support education of school children…

The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, has set free a former director-general of Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Patrick Akpobolokemi, after it upheld a no case submission by his counsel. Hon. Justice Ayokunle Faji held that none of the witnesses called by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC that prosecuted him, led any evidence that linked Akpobolokemi to the offences he was charged with. But the court held that the second defendant, Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Atewe, a formerc Commander of the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta, and the third defendant, Mr. Kime Engonzu,…

The conference Hall of Legacy Centre, 6 Abuja Lane, D/Line, Port Harcourt, played host to media personnel, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, to parley on Shell’s “Divestment and Environmental Accountability,” courtesy of the Centre for Environment Human Rights and Development (CEHRD). In his presentation on the Theme: “Shell Divestment and Environmental Accountability: the Role of the Media”, Dr. G.W. Komi, an environmental analyst, noted that divestment can occur in different ways, adding that Shell’s divestments in Nigeria involves selling-off its shares on onshore to offshore right in the deep sea to evade some problems and responsibilities emanating from its activities in…

The Rivers State commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Roseline Uranta has received a draft copy of the state Gender Policy, a domesticated and updated version of the National Gender Policy put together by Stakeholder Democracy Network, SDN and a consortium of experts on gender matters in the state. The project which started before the 2023 general elections is targeted at the delivery of a more accountable and inclusive governance in Rivers State, working with community champions and government the project officer, Flora Asieri told an assembly of stakeholders who gathered at the Rivers State Women affairs Hall for the validation…

A gender based advocacy group, Greenleaf Advocacy and Empowerment Center, February 9, trained community women on the use of air quality monitoring equipment to check pollution. The training, which held at Aleto, Eleme, Rivers State, engaged rural women from several communities across the Eleme Local Government Area. Also in attendance were expert environmentalists, who took participants through what constitutes air pollution and educated them on air quality reading of particulate matters using android phones and air note monitor methods. The project was a sensor based case study of Ogale Eleme., The women and a few men in their midst were…

Marginalized women including persons with disability, PWDs have been sensitized on resilience and capacity building for adaptation to reduce the impact of environmental pollution in their lives. The exercise which, took place February 6, at Fnakon Hotel at Rukpokwu in Obi/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State had as it theme: “Empowering Resilience: Capacity Building for Physically Challenged and Marginalized Women On Environmental Pollution and Adaptation Strategies.” It was organized by Healthy Life Development, HELDI with support from the Global Green Fund. Participants also underwent free medical check-ups to ascertain their blood pressure and blood sugar levels. In her remarks,…

The governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara has expressed pleasure to be part of a project designed to launch ‘A Community Centered Approach to Transforming Criminality and Violence in the Niger Delta.’ The governor who, was represented by the commissioner for Youth Development, Hon. Chisom Gbaji at the official launch of the project held on Thursday, February 8, 2024, at the ministry of Justice auditorium, Rivers State secretariat, Port Harcourt, thanked Search Common Ground and its implementing partners for bringing together all the agencies involved in combating violence and criminality in Nigeria for this event. Governor Fubara said there…

Marginalized women including persons with disability, PWDs have been sensitized on resilience and capacity building for adaptation to reduce the impact of environmental pollution in their lives. The exercise which, took place February 6, at Fnakon Hotel at Rukpokwu in Obi Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, played host to   participants, and theme of the one-day event was, “Empowering Resilience: Capacity Building for Physically Challenged and Marginalized Women On Environmental Pollution and Adaptation Strategies,” organized by Healthy Life Development, HELDI with support from the Global Green Fund. Before commencement of the programme, participants underwent free medical check-ups to…