Author: Emmanuel Obe

…as Government Begins Distribution of Relief Materials Residents of flood-prone communities in the Orashi region of Rivers State have yet to move into government-prepared shelter camps, even as the state government on Thursday began distributing relief materials to areas affected by this year’s flooding. The worst-hit areas include Ahoada West, Ahoada East, Abua/Odual, and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government areas. At the flag-off ceremony held at the Central Medical Stores in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Deputy Governor and Chairman of the 2025 Flood Prevention and Management Committee, Professor Ngozi Nma Odu, said the initiative marked the beginning of relief distribution to…

The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has expressed shock and concern over the sudden collapse of the overhead water tank at the newly commissioned Gwara Water Station in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State. In a statement signed by its Management, HYPREP described the incident as “deeply disturbing,” adding that an immediate investigation has been ordered to determine the cause of the collapse. According to the statement, the Project Coordinator, Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, has constituted a high-level committee to visit the site and commence a thorough probe into both the immediate and remote causes of the incident. “The Committee…

Major international oil companies operating in Nigeria including Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Chevron, Total, and Eni came under heavy criticism from environmental activists at the First Peoples Environmental Assembly held in Port Harcourt. The event, organized by We The People Centre for Social Studies and Development, brought together environmental rights advocates from Nigeria, South Africa, and Europe to discuss decades of oil pollution and the quest for justice in the Niger Delta. The Executive Director of We The People, Mr. Ken Henshaw, accused the multinational oil companies of abandoning their responsibilities after 70 years of exploiting the Niger Delta…

A leading civil society activist, Mr. Celestine Akpobari, has urged Governor Siminalayi Fubara to resist pressure to divert Rivers State’s resources into national politics. Akpobari said the governor should take advantage of his current popularity to deliver good governance, industrial growth, and urban expansion beyond Port Harcourt. He warned that the state had suffered enough under leaders who “played national politics with Rivers money,” adding that Fubara could “turn Rivers into a new Dubai or Kigali” if he focused squarely on development. Akpobari, who spoke following the governor’s return from a six-month political standoff, urged him to channel the goodwill…

Enitonna High School, Borokiri, Port Harcourt shone brilliantly last Friday as they won the schools debate at the World Mental Health Day celebration held at the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Rumuigbo, Port Harcourt. The boys in red gave a good account of themselves as they marshalled out strong points to support the proposition that Mental Health Issues Of Adolescents and Teenagers Is Due To Substance Abuse. They beat five other schools to win the contest. The other schools were Government Girls Secondary School, Orominike, which came a close second, Niger Delta Science School, third, Government Girls Secondary School, Rumuokwuta, fourth, Government Girls…

Women of oil impacted Kpea Community in Ogoni, Rivers State, have called for urgent intervention by the federal and state government to address the impact of multiple oil spills in the community. Woman leader of the community told National Point at Bori, that women are going through hell because oil spills keep distorting their livelihoods and lives. Mrs Manuel Lesor who was in Bori for a three-day conference for Ogoni women farmers organized by the Lekeh Development Foundation, said there is urgent need for government to organize a clean-up of the spills fast destroying the peoples’ health, water sources and…

There was an outpouring of joy and thanksgiving on Wednesday at Meridian Hospital, D-Line, Port Harcourt, as Baby Miracle and his grandmother were finally released after more than a year of being held over unpaid hospital bills. The emotional moment marked the end of a heartbreaking ordeal that had gripped public attention and drawn wide condemnation from human rights advocates and concerned Nigerians. The release followed sustained media pressure and the timely intervention of the Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Adaeze Chidinma Oreh, who stepped in to resolve the matter. Baby Miracle was born prematurely at seven months after…

…a milestone in Rivers State’s affordable housing drive A new chapter in the housing story of Rivers State unfolded on Friday, October 24, 2025, as the first resident officially moved into her home at the Greater TaF City, a 20,000-unit housing development located along Tam David-West Boulevard, Obirikwerre, New Airport Road in Greater Port Harcourt. The symbolic handover marked a major milestone in the state government’s resolve to provide affordable and modern housing solutions for its citizens. What was once a vast construction site has now begun transforming into a vibrant residential community, with over 700 housing units already completed…

A gender rights advocate, Chief Constance Meju, has called for collective and deliberate action to protect the girl child from abuse, discrimination, and systemic neglect in society. In a statement on her social media handle to mark the International Day of the Girl Child, Chief Meju lamented that while public celebrations for the day had filled social media spaces with pictures and goodwill messages, there was little effort to address the deeper issues affecting the girl child in Nigeria. “Born disadvantaged, thanks to a custom that places the male child above the female, life has continued to be a struggle…

Students and young people have been advised to manage their time wisely if they hoped to succeed with their life aspirations. The advice was given by a veteran journalist, teacher and writer, Dagogo Josiah in a lecture he delivered at the maiden edition of Mind@Work Lecture Series of lectures organized for students of Baptist high School, Port Harcourt on Thursday. Mr. Josiah, who himself is a 1974 alumnus of the school, said though time is the most important resource, it was however a wasting resource and people must learn to manage it when they have it on their side. He…