Author: Emmanuel Obe

The assurance given on Friday by the Accountant General of the Federation that the October allocation of Rivers State from the federation account would not be withheld had thrown civil servants in the state into celebrations. Hopes for the payment of the monthly salaries and overheads of Rivers State government were thrown into jeopardy when the Accountant General of the Federation during the week declared that the share of Rivers State from the monthly federation accounts would be withheld in compliance with a court order given by the Federal High Court in Abuja for the Central Bank of Nigeria not…

Kula and other communities within the Oil Mining Licence (OML) 25 oil fields have reached an eight-point agreement with Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited on resumption of oil producing operations in the area. The agreement was reached after a meeting on Friday in Port Harcourt between Shell, the communities, representatives of Rivers State government and regulatory authorities. Spokesman for the Communities, Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, who spoke at a press briefing with the chiefs and leaders of the community after the meeting, said the resumption of operations is tied to the implementation of an eight-point agreement reached by the parties. Chief…

The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has clarified why the National Assembly approved a budget of N1.9 trillion for it to spend in 2024.In a press statement issued on Friday, the NDDC Director of Corporate Affairs, Seledi Thompson-Wakama, said the National Assembly was impressed with the performance of the commission and that was why it did not waste time in approving its budget proposal for the year.Thompson-Wakama was responding to an open petition to President Bola Tinubu and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Budget by the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations for the Advancement of the Niger Delta…

…stand against gas flaring Women resident in Eleme, a hub of heavy hydrocarbon industries in Nigeria, have taken a stand against gas flaring and other environmental pollution created by oil and gas industries in the area. The women, organized under the umbrella of Mba Okase Eleme Initiative, on Saturday played two commemorative novelty football matches at the RSTV grounds, Elelenwo and Ascension High School, Ogale to pass on their message. The event was also part of signature collection exercise for the African group attending this year’s Conference of Parties (COP) taking place in Azerbaijan. The Coordinator of Mba Okase Eleme…

Thousands of families in Bayelsa, Rivers and Delta States have fled their homes as devastating floods took over their homes and farmlands. The victims are also faced by the high cost of evacuating their homes in view of the high cost of doing and the and harsh economic realities. Biseni, a community in the northern part of Bayelsa State has been completely submerged by the invading flood for over two weeks now. Residents of the community have since evacuated to higher grounds and some faraway communities. Most of the victims have found refuge the bridge and road that lead to…

The Chairman of Eleme Local Government, Chief Brain Gokpa, has begun disbursement of bursaries to the over 1,500 students of Eleme origin in post-secondary institutions in Nigeria. Already the benefiting students have been acknowledging receipt of the payments in their respective bank accounts. The process of paying the bursary to the students was started when Chief Gokpa was the Chairman of the caretaker committee of the local government through the Education Committee headed by Hon. Okaka Obe, the former Supervisor for Education. The Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman, Hon. Udeme Obot, said in a press statement during the week,…

The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has commenced the channelisation of Kolo Creek, traversing 17 communities from Okarki-Otuogidi to Ogbia communities of Rivers and Bayelsa states. Speaking during the ground-breaking ceremony at Okarki in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, said that the project would reduce flooding in surrounding communities and mitigate its impact on the Ahoada axis of the East-West Road. He stated that the channelisation project would also boost commercial activities in the area, improve aquatic life and reduce the threat of water-borne diseases to the rural communities. The…

A civic-tech organisation, BudgIT, has rated Rivers State as the leading state in fiscal performance in Nigeria in its maiden edition of its fiscal performance ranking for states. BudgIT, in its report launched during the week, said Rivers State maintained the number one spot in the fiscal performance throughout 2023. The report was titled, ‘Moving Healthcare Delivery from Suboptimal to Optimal.’ It used five different metrics for ranking all 36 states. The metrics include Index A, which examined ability of states to meet operating expenses (recurrent expenditure) with only their internally generated revenue. “Index A1 looks at the percentage year-on-year…

Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has promised to revive the Port Harcourt Tourist Beach in Rivers State, which has been abandoned for several decades. A visit by Governor Fubara, round the facility on Tuesday, offered a renewed assurance to get the facility, which provided relaxation and fun spots for residents and visitors to Port Harcourt, back to live again. Speaking to reporters after visiting the beach, the governor said, “We are here to inspect this place that is usually called Port Harcourt Tourist Beach, and for so many years has been abandoned and not put to good use. “So,…

The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has promised to equip all the nine police command headquarters within the coverage area of the commission. The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, stated this when the new Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bala Mohammed, paid him a courtesy visit at the Commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt. He said a contract has already been awarded for the supply of the solar power systems at the police command headquarters. “The NDDC is committed to giving adequate support to the Nigeria Police and other security agencies in the…