Author: Emmanuel Obe

An American-based Nigerian investor in renewable energy, Mr. Joshua Okorie, has said that renewable energy derivable from solar, wind and nuclear power is what Nigeria needs to get out of the conundrum of public power supply. Mr. Okorie, who is the chief executive officer of Kodion Energy (Kodion Consulting) with bases in Kansas City, Missouri, Nigeria, and China, said the current dependence on fossil fuel and thermal stations to generate electricity is dirty and in sustainable. Okorie, who spoke during an online interaction with energy editors on Friday, said wind, solar and nuclear energy is not only renewable and cost…

Dozens of property owners at Igbo-Etche, a suburb of Port Harcourt, have cried out for help as armed men believed to be agents of powerful land grabbers have continued to destroy their properties and seizing their lands. The gunmen recently moved bulldozers and other earthmoving equipment to the area where they pulled down houses and destroyed household equipment worth hundreds of millions of naira. The perplexed landowners who, spoke to National Point, said they acquired the lands legitimately and registered them duly with the requisite authorities, and many of them had gone ahead to develop the properties before the land…

Hundreds of retired workers of Rivers State Government on Wednesday stormed the state secretariat complex in Port Harcourt to demand the full settlement of their gratuities from 2012 to 2024. The retirees who carried placards and attracted attention to their plight were organized under the umbrella of Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP). They eventually met the Director-General of the state Pensions Board, Mr. Samuel Ijeoma, who told them that the present government was working hard to clear all the backlog of gratuities it inherited from the previous two administrations. The director-general however said that all backlog would not be cleared…

Rivers State Governor, Mr. Siminalayi Fubara, has assured original owners of shops at the Mile One (Rumuwoji) Market in Port Harcourt that there interests would be protected if they participate in the ongoing verification and capturing exercise. The governor gave the assurance when some aggrieved traders under the auspices of ‘Mile One (Rumuwoji) Market Phase 2 Genuine Shop Owners Affected by 2013 Inferno’ marched in protest to Government House, Port Harcourt on Monday. The governor, who was represented by the Head of Service, Dr George Nwaeke, appealed to them to work with the Rivers State Government Reconciliation Committee on Lockup…

Banking legend and former minister of Science and Technology, HRM King Ebitimi Banigo, Ibenyanaowi XXI, has formally opted to abdicate his throne as the Ibenyanaowi of Okpoama Kingdom in Bayelsa State. In a proclamation he issued on Apri 15, King Banigo, said he took the decision to retire because his prevailing health challenges, which requires his long absence from the kingdom, would not allow him to spend good time with the people as his throne demands. He therefore, offered to vacate the stool with effect from July 31, 2024 to allow for enough time for the people to elect and…

Rivers State Governor, Mr. Siminalayi Fubara, has said that the state government would explore ways of using artificial intelligence, AI, to drive development and resolve political crises in the state. The governor stated this at Government House, Port Harcourt on Monday when participants of the Executive Intelligence Management Course (EIMC-17 Syndicate 5) of the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS) paid him a courtesy visit. He stressed that leveraging AI would significantly enhance operational efficiency and transform citizens’ experiences, emphasizing that advanced societies were accelerating the use of AI because it enables a faster data-driven decision-making process and allows administrations…

Governors of the South-South geopolitical zone have decried the involvement of the military in community, boundary and family disputes in the Niger Delta. The governors, who met in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital on Tuesday at the 12th Meeting of the BRACED Commission, called for the immediate withdrawal of the military from occupied communities in the region to allow displaced villagers to return to their homes and lives. In a nine-point communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, the governors condemned the killing of 17 officers and men of the Nigerian Army at Okuama in Delta State and condolences to…

Rivers State Governor, Mr. Siminalayi Fubara, has promised to implement salary increase for workers in the state in line with the recent wage increase announced by the Federal Government. Governor Fubara made the promise during the 2024 May Day rally at Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Port Harcourt. He said he is touched by the bad economy and the attendant inflation, which have impacted adversely on the purchasing power and well-being of workers and their families. He therefore said, “Let me assure you that we are going to work with the Federal Government to implement necessary measures, including the continuation of the…

The Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has sworn in 14 new commissioners, newly-elected chairmen of the eight local government councils, their vice chairmen as well as the chairman of the Bayelsa State Board of Internal Revenue, Daniel Iniekezimene. The re-appointed cabinet members, who served in the governor’s first term and retained their portfolios, include Biriyai Dambo SAN (Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice), Moses Teibowei (Works and Infrastructure), Maxwell Ebibai (Finance), Dr. Gentle Emelah (Education), Daniel Igali (Sports Development) and Preye Brodricks (Special Duties, Bayelsa East). Others who returned but were re-deployed are Dr Ebieri Jones, who was assigned…

The Coalition for a Cleaned Niger Delta (CCND) has called on President Bola Tinubu to issue an executive order creating a Niger Delta Environmental Project (NDEP) to commence a health and environmental audit as well as a cleanup of the Niger Delta region. The coalition, which is made up of eminent environmental rights activists, said in a press statement that the proposed project should be devoid of the pitfalls of the ongoing Ogoni Cleanup being executed by HYPREP. The press statement was signed by Nnimmo Bassey, Executive Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) and Otive Igbuzor, Founding Executive Director,…