Author: Emmanuel Obe

The Administrator of Rivers State, Retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, has pledged to implement strategic interventions to restore the Songhai Integrated Farms to full functionality, as part of efforts to drive food production and create job opportunities for youths across the state. Speaking during an inspection tour of the farm’s facilities at Bunu/Ban-Ogoi in Tai Local Government Area on Saturday, Ibas said the project holds the potential to significantly impact the state’s agricultural sector and overall economy. He was accompanied by the Farm Coordinator, Dr. Tammy Jaja, and the Permanent Secretary of the Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr.…

Tensions surrounding the state of emergency in Rivers State continue to escalate as the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and a coalition of former labour leaders have issued scathing condemnations of the Federal Government’s actions, describing them as unconstitutional and a threat to democratic governance. In a joint press statement signed by the Chairmen of all eight NBA branches in Rivers State, the lawyers decried the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and the Rivers State House of Assembly, as well as the appointment of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd) as Sole Administrator. The move, initially justified by the Federal…

Journalists have been called upon to stand with the people in their coverage of the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State. Pastor Omolara Joseph made the call in a sermon she delivered at a special Thanksgiving Service by the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Rivers State Council at the Redemption Hall Model Parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Elelenwo, Port Harcourt. The service marked the conclusion of the 2025 Correspondents’ Week. Pastor Joseph, emphasizing the crucial role of journalists as “watchmen of the nation,” urged them to adhere to God’s principles and…

The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has said that the N300 million naira it received from Rivers State Government was a gift, and not it collected for the hosting of the 2025 Annual General Conference of the association. A statement issued on Monday by Emeka Obegolu, chairman of the NBA AGC planning committee, said NBA did not sell the hosting rights for the conference. The sole administrator of Rivers State, Ibok-Ete Ibas, had asked the NBA to refund the N300 million it collected from the state government after the association relocated the conference from Port Harcourt to Enugu because of the…

Tensions within the Rivers State judiciary and political establishment intensified on Monday following the voluntary retirement of a senior magistrate and a demand by the state government for the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to refund N300 million previously allocated for its now-relocated 2025 Annual General Conference. In a strongly worded resignation letter, Magistrate Ejike King George announced his retirement from the state judiciary after 16 years of service, citing unease with the “quasi-military administration” currently governing Rivers State under a federally appointed Sole Administrator. “This difficult and regrettable decision is informed largely by my discomfort with the recent appointment of…

The House of Representatives has inaugurated an ad hoc committee tasked with carrying out legislative functions for Rivers State following the declaration of a state of emergency in the state. This development comes after President Bola Tinubu’s proclamation of a state of emergency in Rivers on March 18, 2025, a move which was subsequently reviewed and amended by the National Assembly to reinforce democratic safeguards and ensure constitutional checks and balances. According to a statement issued on Sunday by the House spokesman, Hon. Akin Rotimi, the newly formed ad hoc committee will assume the legislative responsibilities of the Rivers State…

A Federal High Court in Port Harcourt has set May 12, 2025, for the substantive hearing of a lawsuit filed by former National and State Assembly Member, Dr. Farah Dagogo, seeking the nullification of the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the Rivers State House of Assembly. Dagogo, who was a Governorship Aspirant in the 2023 elections, filed the suit on April 9, 2025, challenging the declaration of a State of Emergency in Rivers State by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The suit also names the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, the Senate of the Federal Republic, the Speaker of the…

Rev. Godwin Lale Ollor, Resident Priest of Holy Ghost Anglican Church in Alesa, Eleme Archdeaconary of the Niger Delta North Diocese has blamed some of the national crises on a lack of faith and calling for the reign of Christ over the land. Rev. Lale Ollor, who spoke to National Point during the Palm Sunday procession of Holy Ghost Anglican Church, Alesa in Eleme Local Government Area, said a people run into crisis when they forsake the counsel of God. “Today we celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, and we are taking a triumphant march around our community,…

Rivers State Administrator, Vice Admiral (Rtd) Ibok Ete Ekwe Ibas, on Friday inaugurated 23 newly appointed Local Government Area (LGA) administrators on April 11, 2025, at Government House in Port Harcourt. Addressing the administrators, Ibas emphasized the need for accountability, transparency, and a strong sense of service to build trust and foster sustainable development in their respective areas. He urged them to prioritize key areas including sanitation and environment management, primary healthcare, welfare and discipline of local government civil servants, primary education, and youth engagement. These areas, he stated, would form the basis for assessing their performance in the coming…

In a powerful display of unity and defiance, women from across Rivers State embarked on a “Liberation Walk” on Friday, demanding an immediate end to the state of emergency imposed on the state and the restoration of democratic governance. Led by Dr. Nancy Chidi Nwankwo, the women condemned the declaration of emergency as a politically motivated maneuver aimed at subjugating the people and undermining constitutional democracy. They argued that the federal government’s decision to impose emergency rule on Rivers State, while ignoring the severe security challenges in other states, is a clear indication of a hidden political agenda. “We are…