Author: Constance Meju

Oil infrastructure failures are endemic! On May 6, 2025, the Trans Niger pipeline ruptured, releasing thousands of barrels of crude into B-Dere community in Ogoniland—marking the second major spill in two months and highlighting neglect of aging assets. Years of spills have left soil and mangrove forests saturated with hydrocarbons and heavy metals, with 5–10 % of Nigeria’s mangroves already destroyed by oil contamination and settlement. A recent study by Kebetkache revealed that communities living near polluted sites are reported to have high rates of respiratory ailments, skin lesions, gastrointestinal disorders, and elevated cancer risk due to benzene and polycyclic aromatic…

As Nigerians are questioning the presentation of the 2025 budget of the Rivers State government by President Bola Tinubu, a direct usurpation of state power, leading good governance advocate and executive director of Pilex Centre for Civic Education Initiative-The Peoples Advocate, Comrade Courage Nsirimovu has lambasted the president for promoting rascality by his act.Nsirimovu, a lawyer, who has challenged the declaration of a state of emergency on Rivers State in court said in a statement released May 22, that the usurpation of the powers and roles of the governor is also a terrorist act. He noted that Tinubu is acting…

On Monday March 22, in commemoration of the World Water Day, with a focus on glacier preservation, OLEGH Centre for Community Development, a non-governmental organization held a press conference which, highlighted the dangers of poor water sanitation in Rivers State with a call for urgent government action. The event took place at the OLEGH office, No. 41 Railway Close, D/Line, Port Harcourt.While the world advocates for glacier preservation which plays an important role such as supporting Agricultural activities, providing drinking water supplies which is essential for millions of people around the world. OLEGH Centre beamed attention on the continuous abuse…

The Rivers Women Cooperative Federation Alliance Ltd has strengthened the capacity of its members for better performance. It held a one-day training tagged, ‘Capacity Training on Strengthening Women’s Participation in Resource Governance’ on Saturday, March 22 at the Kebetkache Women Development  and Resource Center hall in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The training featured a presentation on ‘Mainstreaming Gender Equality and Social Inclusion for Community Development,‘ and ‘Developing Community Needs Assessment for Host Community Development’. Delivering her presentation on Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, Mrs Idongesit Smart, senior programme officer with Kebetkache stressed, that for development to be progressive and sustainable,…

As the world celebrates the month hosting the International Women’s Day, Ogoni women, victims of torture in the hands of the Nigerian military 1993-95, during the days of agitation against the atrocities of Shell in their land, retold their stories of torture including rape and unimaginable humiliation that still wracks their lives. This was part of events marking the 2025 International Women’s Day in Port Harcourt, Monday March 10, 2025, tagged, “2025 International Women’s Day: Feminists Convergence and Trauma Healing Session.” At the trauma healing session, the women cutting across varied ages, narrated their harrowing experiences sending deep feelings down…

At the ceremony marking the grand opening of the Tech Skills Training Programme, TSTP, organized by Women Action for Positive Development and Gender Enhancement Center, WAPDAGEC with support from the Innocent Chukwuemeka Empowerment Foundation ICCEF, the wife of the Governor of Cross River State, Bishop (Mrs.) Eyoanwan Bassey Otu, represented by Dr. Grace Oko, called for enhanced technical and digital training for boys and girls for a more assured future. The event which held at the Cross River State University March 17, is part of the broader TSTP initiative, which seeks to provide young individuals with technical skills and opportunities…

Niger Deltans especially, communities hosting oil and gas negatively impacted by oil pollution in furtherance of their rejection of attempts by International Oil Companies, IOCs operating in their area with Shell Petroleum Development Company leading the campaign for divestment from onshore extraction, on Wednesday December 17, staged a march to the Rivers State Government House in Port Harcourt where they called for an immediate halt to divestment proceedings pending a clean-up of the mess created in the region.The congregation of community youths and women as well as civil society members working on environment, called on President Tinubu to stop Shell…

Otive Oguzor, founding executive director, Centre LSD School, said leadership is a critical missing element in Nigeria’s governance which has resulted in the continued dwindling state of affairs in the country. Dr Otive, senior special adviser to the immediate past deputy Senate president, Senator Omo-Agege, was guest speaker at the sixth graduation ceremony of Kebetkache Center Leadership and Strategic Development, LSD, Port Harcourt on Saturday November 9, 2024. Decrying the lack of good leadership in the country, he said, “This is very important; over the past 10 years, we have had leaders who are not able lead with the challenges…

For Okwuzi Community people, the rising flood this 2024 is not only unwelcomed but a harbinger of a revolving round of dislocation, discomfort, waste and pain that keeps them in the bondage of poverty. As long-term host of oil extractive activities and the devastating marks that have left on their environment and livelihood, yearly flood forces them to prematurely harvest poor yielding crops leading to months of emptiness and hunger after the floods. With the flood back, the past week has seen community members frantically uprooting their cassava to hurriedly sell what they can and cheaply too, keeping the little…

With the erratic rain timetable occasioned by climate change, watching the flood or guarding against it has become a hectic task for many, especially those in coastal communities. While it had been predicted severally that there would be heavy flooding this year and that Niger Delta States would be affected, there was hope among many that Rivers State would escape this year especially as the year had come into the third quarter without much incident. That hope was dashed following the heavy rains of Friday, October 26, 2024. After many hours of rainfall, many places in the city and the…