Author: Emmanuel Obe

The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining strong collaboration with security agencies to maintain peace, protect critical national assets, and accelerate development across the Niger Delta region. The NDDC Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, gave the assurance during a courtesy visit by the Flag Officer Commanding, Central Naval Command, Rear Admiral Suleiman Ibrahim, and his entourage to the Commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt. Ogbuku emphasised that security and development are inseparable, noting that meaningful development would not thrive in an atmosphere of insecurity, while underdevelopment itself often fuels insecurity. “At the NDDC, we have established…

Nigeria’s oil export will dip by 225,000 barrels per day (bpd) in February following the shutdown of the Bonga Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel for turnaround maintenance. Gas output may also drop by 150 million standard cubic feet of gas per day whilst the maintenance lasts. Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) in a statement on Sunday said it has commenced a turnaround maintenance activity at the Bonga FPSO vessel. The statement signed by Mrs. Gladys Afam-Anadu, Communications Manager at SNEPCo, said, “The scheduled maintenance activity is designed to ensure the FPSO continues to operate safely…

Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, Southern Senators and other political leaders have expressed deep sorrow over the death of Senator Barinada Mpigi, who represented Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the National Assembly. Senator Mpigi reportedly died at the age of 64. Until his passing, he served as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Works. In a tribute issued on February 19, 2026, Governor Fubara described the late lawmaker as a brother, a consummate politician and one of the leading lights in Rivers State politics. The governor said Mpigi’s death came at a critical time when his services were…

An energy expert and lecturer at Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt, Dr. Joseph Obele, has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Executive Order No. 9 of 2026, describing it as a policy with far-reaching legal and economic implications, even as he called for the immediate sack of the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr. Bayo Ojulari. Obele, who is also the National Public Relations Officer of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), clarified that his position does not represent that of the association but reflects his personal…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised concerns over the growing practice of politicians allegedly purchasing Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) from members of the public ahead of the 2027 general elections. The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Rivers State, Prof. Gabriel Yomere, described the trend as a major threat to free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria, noting that the tactic has replaced the traditional vote-buying at polling units. Speaking in Port Harcourt when a delegation of the Defence of Human Rights and Democracy (DHRD), led by its National Chairman, Comrade Clifford Christopher Solomon, paid him a courtesy visit,…

The death has occured of Barinada Mpigi, the senator representing Rivers East in the Senate has passed on, according to reports. The news of Mpigi’s death first came on social media before it was confirmed by close family sources. He was a fiery politician who held political office since 1999 when the current civilian dispensation came to be. He was a chairman of Tai Local Government, Commissioner for Sports, Rivers State, Member of the House of Representatives for Eleme/Tai/Oyigbo before becoming a senator in 2019 after defecting from the All Progressives Congress to the People’s Democratic Party. Though considered a…

A major petroleum products marketer, Dr. Joseph Obele, has thrown his weight behind moves by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to revive the Port Harcourt Refinery through a Joint Venture Company (JVC) arrangement with a Chinese firm. Obele, who is the National Public Relations Officer of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) and a lecturer at Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt, described the development as commendable and strategic. According to him, a Chinese technical team is currently at the refinery conducting facility assessments and feasibility studies aimed at determining the plant’s present…

Eleme Local Government Council has announced plans to commence the formal naming of streets across several kilometres of road network recently developed through the initiative of King Appolus Chu, Oneh-Eh Nchia and Egbere Emere Okori. The Chairman of Eleme LGA, Chief Obarilomate Ollor, made the disclosure during an inspection of the newly opened roads alongside traditional rulers and other dignitaries. Speaking with journalists, Chief Ollor praised King Chu for what he described as a visionary intervention aimed at transforming Eleme into a well-structured urban centre. He noted that as a host to major multinational companies, Eleme is fast emerging as…

Port Harcourt’s rich Highlife heritage is set to take centre stage in Lagos as renowned theatre practitioner Yibo Koko secures a major performance slot for his Broadway-style musical, The Cardinal, at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island. Following a productive meeting with the management of Terra Kulture, the production team has officially confirmed July 16 to 19, 2026, for the much-anticipated stage performance. The landmark show will be presented in collaboration with the acclaimed Bolanle Austen-Peters (BAP) Productions, one of Nigeria’s foremost theatre companies. The Cardinal is a sweeping cultural tribute to Port Harcourt in the late 1960s and early 1970s —…

Normalcy has returned to Oilmill Market in Port Harcourt following a deadly altercation that claimed the life of a trader at the Fruit Market on Saturday morning. The Rivers State Police Command confirmed that the incident occurred at about 7:00 a.m. after a disagreement between a trader identified as Wenem, said to be from Benue State, and a Hausa wheelbarrow pusher over space to display goods. Police sources said the argument escalated, and the trader was allegedly stabbed during the scuffle. He was immediately rushed to the military hospital for treatment but was later pronounced dead by a doctor. His…