Author: Emmanuel Obe

Voters in Rivers State will go to the polls on Saturday, October 5th to elect local government chairmen and councillors for the 23 local government areas of the state in what is the first democratic test for the Governor of Rivers State. Mr. Siminalayi Fubara. While the date of the election draws close, there is still confusion among the supporters of the governor as to the political party and the candidates that he had endorsed for the elections. Many of his supporters and members of the Simplified Movement that had expected the governor to tell them where to go had…

Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State may be principally between the candidates of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the main opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Labour Party but the battle of pride is between the immediate-past governor of the state, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, and the present Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki. While Oshiomhole is backing the APC candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, Obaseki is fighting hard for the PDP candidate, Mr. Asue Ighodalo, to succeed him. The Labour Party candidate, Mr. Olumide Akpata, seems to be his own man however. Obaseki caused a major upset in 2020…

…as 800,000 die of pneumonia yearly The newly inaugurated Pressure Swing Absorption Oxygen plant at the General Hospital, Nchia, Eleme is choking under the high demand for medical oxygen, an indication that many more people within the catchment area of the plant need oxygen. Mr. Christoss fielding questions from the press This was disclosed on Tuesday by the Chief Medical Director of the Rivers State Health Management Board, Dr. Bright Ogbondah, when the Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria and the Economic Community for West Africa, Mr. James Christoss, visited the plant.The plant was built with funding from the Canadian Government…

As part of the beautification of their community, the people of Agbonchia in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State have embarked on planting trees along the new Port Harcourt Ring Road that passes through the community. The tree planting exercise was led by the paramount ruler of the Community, HRH Joseph Ngeto, who planted a number of trees along the road. Trees were also planted by the Chairman of the Agbonchia Community Development Committee, Mr. Ejie Olakada and other leaders of the community. After a brief meeting held at Oneensi Palace of HRH Ngeto, where the project was ceremonially…

Rivers State Government may have stoked controversy after it approved the procurement and distribution of contraceptives, condoms and other family planning consumables to support government family planning programmes. According to a Government House press statement, the approval was given by Governor Siminalayi Fubara for the last mile distribution of the essential family planning (FP) commodities. It said the governor has also approved funding for capacity building of family planning service providers and community mobilization for demand generation. The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Adaeze Oreh, who confirmed the development while speaking to newsmen in Port Harcourt on Monday, said that…

The National Leader of the Unity House Foundation, Mr. Kingsley Wali, has said the political crisis in Rivers State is exaggerated. Wali told National Point in an interview that what has been happening in Rivers State is political noise. To the best of my knowledge, there is nothing that has happened in Port Harcourt or Rivers State that is not political, involving the politicians. And there is nothing that is happening in Rivers State now that is new. All that is happening is all politics. The day they decide to kill themselves, carry machete, carry guns is the day we…

The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), has commissioned a 90.12kwh capacity solar mini-grid electricity facility in Umuolu community, Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State. The mini-grid project, made possible through the collaborative efforts of YEAC-Nigeria, YEAC Community Energy and Development, YEAC-UK, and NXT Grid Nigeria contracting with support from partners, funders, donors, and supporters, would provide reliable and affordable electricity to Umuolu community, power homes, businesses, schools, healthcare facilities, etc. The facility, designed to support the government’s efforts to mitigate pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft, artisanal refineries, and environmental pollution through the provision of alternative livelihood opportunities…

Rivers State Government has dismissed the accusation by Chief Tony Okocha, the Chain of the Caretaker Committee of the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, that the state government sponsored the vandalism of the APC state secretariat by #EndBadGovernance protesters in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Chief Joe Johnson, said such utterances were becoming unbecoming Okocha, who he said had very recently admitted that as Chief of Staff to the Governor, he wrote results for local government elections.”He is a rabble rouser,” Chief Johnson said and urged the people of Rivers State not…

Women from Alesa, a community along the East-West road in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State on Friday blocked the road to protest the flooding of their homes by storm water diverted from the road by the contractors handling the reconstruction of the road, Reynolds Construction Company Limited (RCC). The women, who sang lamentation songs, called on President Bola Tinubu and Governor Siminalayi Fubara to intervene for them. They said they had lost valuable household belongings to the flood, while many of the houses could collapse with the flooding. One of the women, Madam Yeye Alale, said that they…

Stakeholders within the Onne maritime hub in RiveRs State have expressed concern about the safe state of trucks used by trucking companies and agents to evacuate and bring in goods to the ports. The stakeholders made their concerns known at their recent meeting at the Nigerian Ports Authority Manager’s Conference room at the Federal Lighter Terminal , Onne. Mr. Awalah Nelson, who attended the meeting, said that the main reason for the meeting was to find ways of ending the menace of the unsafe trucks on the road. He said such trucks have led to the loss of precious lives…