Author: Emmanuel Obe

The Ogale Graduates Association (OGA) and other stakeholders have called for an urgent investigation into the status of water projects funded by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), following claims that the Ogale Water Scheme is functional. In a statement signed by its Executive President, Engr. Aleyla-Obari Sam Nwanje, OGA dismissed a recent report by a Port Harcourt radio station alleging that the facility had been commissioned and was supplying water to residents. According to the group, the project “remains inactive, abandoned and not functional,” despite the severe hydrocarbon pollution affecting Ogale and surrounding communities. “It is gazzetted in the…

A fresh rift has emerged in the ongoing national debate over the creation of Anioma State, as the Asagba of Asaba, His Royal Majesty Prof. Epiphany Azinge (SAN), and legislators from Delta North Senatorial Zone have firmly opposed suggestions to relocate the proposed state capital away from Asaba or align the new state with the South-East geopolitical zone. The opposition comes amid mounting concerns that political manoeuvres could undermine decades of development and the historical identity of the Anioma people. Speaking against what he described as “poorly considered proposals,” the Asagba warned that removing Asaba as the capital would threaten…

Rivers State House of Assembly has ordered an investigation into the allegations that Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited has failed to clean up the oil spills that devastated B-Dere community in Gokana Local Government Area of the state. The House gave the order based on a petition from the community against the company. The petition, which was signed by the community’s surveyor, Mr. Hamilton Odom, was presented on the floor of the House by the Deputy Speaker. The Speaker, Mr. Martin Amaewhule, subsequently referred the petition to the House Committee on Public Complaints and Petitions, chaired by Dr. Enemi Alabo…

The Managing Director of Foreword Communications Limited and publisher of National Point newspaper, Ms. Ibiba Don Pedro, has been conferred with the Defender of the Environment Award by Environment Outreach Magazine. The Award was presented at a special ceremony held at the Lekki Conservation Centre of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation in Lagos. With the award, Don Pedro has now been inducted into the First Nigerian Environmental Hall of Fame, a platform that celebrates individuals and institutions making outstanding contributions to environmental protection and sustainability in Nigeria and beyond. Publisher of Environment Outreach Magazine, Mr. Noble Akenge, said Don Pedro was…

…Fubara promises sustained funding, security at satellite campuses A total of 157 students of Rivers State University (RSU) graduated with First Class honours out of 13,242 degrees conferred during the institution’s 37th and 38th combined convocation ceremony held on Friday and Saturday in Port Harcourt. The graduating class comprised 10,648 first-degree recipients and 2,594 postgraduate awardees. The event drew thousands of families, friends, and well-wishers celebrating the academic accomplishments of the new graduates. Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, who attended the ceremony, congratulated the students and praised their resilience, discipline, and hard work. He also commended parents, guardians, and…

A youth representative, Abbey Johnson, has appealed to Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, to release the long-awaited appointment letters to the remaining successful candidates of the 2023 recruitment into the state civil service. In an open letter written on behalf of the Concerned Rivers State Successful Interviewed and Documented 10,000 Civil Service Applicants, Johnson commended the governor for recently approving the recruitment of 1,000 teachers drawn from the same 10,000 applicants who were interviewed and documented under the exercise. He noted that the teachers, along with health workers previously absorbed, emerged from the same recruitment demand and process initiated…

Senator Seriake Dickson, Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, has defended his decision to support the confirmation of former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ayodele Oke, as an ambassadorial nominee. In a statement released on his social media handle, the senator representing Bayelsa West said the committee had a duty to ask tough and relevant questions during the screening of President Tinubu’s nominees — Ayodele Oke, Kayode Are, and Aminu Dalhatu. Dickson said he specifically pressed Oke to address the controversies surrounding his exit from office during the previous administration. According to him, the…

…771 to Graduate in Nigeria in 2025 Nine beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) foreign postgraduate scholarship scheme have successfully completed their master’s degree programmes at universities in the United Kingdom. The graduates are the first set of scholars deployed to UK institutions under the leadership of PAP Administrator, Dr. Dennis Otuaro, for the 2024–2025 academic session. A statement issued by Mr. Igoniko Oduma, the Special Assistant on Media to the Administrator,Presidential Amnesty Programmeon Thursday , said the beneficiaries earned advanced degrees in fields such as cybersecurity, data science and engineering, law, construction and civil engineering management, project management,…

…Civil society groups demand accountability, condemn ‘digital slap’ culture The Edo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has announced the resolution of the case involving the alleged assault on Mrs. Juliet Enabulele Asein, a reporter with the Edo Broadcasting Service (EBS). NUJ Chairman, Comrade Festus Alenkhe, disclosed this on Thursday during a press briefing at the NUJ Press Centre in Benin City. He said the matter had been “amicably settled” following the intervention of stakeholders who engaged all parties to restore peace. Alenkhe expressed appreciation to members of the Union for their solidarity throughout the incident, describing…

…Rivers gets N50m, 250 beneficiaries enrolled in free healthcare Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has rolled out a nationwide empowerment programme for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and disabled veterans, disbursing N1.9 billion under the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) Social Investment Programme. The Rivers State phase of the programme took place on Wednesday at the Banquet Hall of Government House, Port Harcourt, as part of activities marking the 2025 International Day of Persons with Disabilities, themed “Fostering disability-inclusive societies for advancing social progress.” Lady Valerie Siminalayi Fubara, wife of the Rivers State governor, represented Senator Tinubu and presented business grants…