Author: Emmanuel Obe

The Administrator of Ahoada East Local Government in Rivers State, Mr. Goodluck Iheamnacho, has resigned from his post.Iheamnacho, who was appointed two months ago by the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, said in the letter he addressed to the Sole Administrator, Government House, Port Harcourt that he was quitting to return to his business in the private sector.Though no official response has been received from Government House, Port Harcourt, observers said Iheamnacho’s resignation might not have been voluntary.He is the only administrator that has resigned since the appointment of interim administrators to man the local governments after…

Construction works on the new Bayelsa State Independent Power Project has reached about seventy per cent completion rate. Conducting newsmen round the site of the project located at Elebele in Ogbia Local Government Area, officials of the State government and the Bayelsa Electricity Company Limited say the sixty-megawatts gas turbine would be installed by August this year. Technical Adviser to the Governor on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Wisdom Ikuli reiterated the determination of the Governor Douye Diri led Administration to the completion of the State Independent Power project by December this year. Mr. Ikuli said the objective of the…

…calls on PDP leadership to take urgent action The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been urged to take a stand against the harassment of the only PDP female senator from the North, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan by authorities of the state.In a statement titled, “A Call to Action: Defending the Integrity of Our Party and the Rights of Nigerian Women” circulated on Tuesday, condemning the recent attempt to unlawfully arrest the senator, Mrs. Tari Oba, a prominent PDP women leader and advocate, decried what she described as a “brazen abuse of power” and a direct threat to the…

The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has sounded the alarm over what it describes as a veiled move toward monopoly by the Dangote Refinery, warning that the company’s adoption of a forward integration strategy could devastate the downstream petroleum sector, eliminate competition, and trigger massive job losses nationwide. In a statement signed by its National Public Relations Officer, Dr. Joseph Obele, PETROAN expressed concern that the 650,000 barrels-per-day refinery, recently commissioned and touted as one of the largest in sub-Saharan Africa, appears poised not just to meet local fuel demand and export surplus, but also to…

Prominent voices from Ogoniland have rejected the presidential pardon and national honours recently conferred on environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and the eight others executed alongside him in 1995. The Ogoni people are instead demanding full exoneration, insisting that a pardon does not address the injustice meted out to their heroes. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had on Thursday, as part of activities marking Democracy Day, posthumously granted presidential pardons and national honours to the “Ogoni Nine,” recognizing their contribution to Nigeria’s environmental justice movement. But the gesture has been met with mixed reactions, especially from Ogoni leaders and civil society advocates.…

…’Don’t Call It Incomplete’— Umahi Defends Partial Commissioning A prominent son of Eleme in Rivers State, Nwafor Oji Awala, has criticized the Minister of Works, David Umahi, for commissioning what he described as an “incomplete and misleading” portion of the East-West Road. Awala questioned the rationale behind inviting President Bola Tinubu to inaugurate a single carriageway beside a decaying bridge, while portraying it as a completed project. In a strongly worded statement titled “Don’t Call It Development – Call It Betrayal,” Awala expressed disappointment not only in the Federal Government but also in political leaders from Rivers State, particularly Eleme,…

For more than six decades, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark stood as a towering figure in Nigeria’s political and socio-cultural landscape, dedicating his life to the struggle for justice, equity, and national development. A nationalist, teacher, lawyer, administrator, and elder statesman, Pa Clark’s voice has echoed with conviction across Nigeria’s turbulent history, unwavering in the face of adversity and resolute in the pursuit of truth. Born on May 25, 1927, in Kiagbodo, a serene community in Delta State, Edwin Clark began his career as a schoolteacher. His early years in the classroom imbued him with a deep sense of discipline and…

Motorists and other road users have expressed concern over the decision of the Federal Government to make major adjustment to the reconstruction of the 15-kilometre Eleme section of the East-West Road in Rivers State. Those who spoke to National Point noted that the adjustments would reduce the quality of the road and called on the Federal Government to stick to the original specifications. The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, had disclosed that the flyover at the Refinery Junction has been suspended, while concrete overlay would not be used on some parts of the Eket-bound lane of the road under…

One of the casualties of the political crisis in Rivers State is the Port Harcourt Ring project that has been abandoned by the contractor, Julius Berger Nigeria PLC. Julius Berger pulled out of the project after the Sole Administrator of the state, Vice-Admiral Ibok (Rtd.), refused to renegotiate new terms with the contractor. The Port Harcourt Ring project was the first road project awarded by the Siminalayi Fubara government. It is also the most ambitious project of the state government as the road covers a distance of 62.5 kilometres and running through the six local government areas of Port Harcourt,…

The shutdown of the old Port Harcourt Refinery plant by the top management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has raised concerns over the future of the Port Harcourt refinery. The old refinery plant had resumed production a few months ago after undergoing a major rehabilitation that lasted for three years. But the management of NNPCL ordered its shut down after defects were allegedly found in the process system that hindered it from attaining full production. Before the shutdown, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arrested the former Managing Director of the refinery on allegations of…