Author: Emmanuel Obe

Two hundred undergraduates of Eleme extraction have benefited from the 2026 scholarship scheme of the Josiah Olu Foundation, a philanthropic organisation in Rivers State. Each of the beneficiaries received N100,000 in financial support at a special presentation ceremony held on Friday at Akpajo, Eleme Local Government Area of the state. Founder of the foundation and former member representing Eleme Constituency in the Rivers State House of Assembly, Dr Josiah Olu, said the scholarship was an annual initiative designed to support intelligent and indigent students from Eleme to successfully pursue their tertiary education. Olu said his personal experience of struggling financially…

Women in Ogoniland have demanded greater transparency and inclusion in the ongoing dialogue on the possible resumption of oil production in the area, insisting that the concerns of grassroots women must not be lost in discussions over the future of the region. The Monagboka Community Builders Initiative (MCBI), a women-led grassroots organisation, made the demand in a public statement issued on Thursday, August 27, 2026, by its President, Mrs Annas Sorochi Dumnamene. MCBI welcomed the Federal Government’s decision to engage the Ogoni people in dialogue and acknowledged the efforts of the Ogoni Dialogue Committee and its consultations across the four…

The Nigeria Police Force has invited social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), for questioning over allegations he made concerning the alleged complicity of police officers in kidnapping incidents across the country. Otse made the allegations while speaking at the ongoing Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, where he claimed that police officers manning checkpoints along major highways allegedly pass information about travellers to kidnappers and bandits. In a statement issued on Thursday by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, the police described the allegations as serious, unsubstantiated and damaging…

Facilitators of the Ogoni Dialogue Committee (ODC) have dismissed allegations of contract allocation, improper handling of Federal Government funds and patronage in employment opportunities secured under the ongoing dialogue between the Ogoni people and the Federal Government. The Facilitators, in a statement signed by Prof. Don Baridam, Chairman; Archbishop Ignatius Kattey, Co-Chairman; Barrister Jackson Tom Orage, Secretary; and Hon. Joe Poroma, Member, described recent media publications credited to the President of KAGOTE and two others as containing “demonstrably false claims.” They said they had initially refrained from responding publicly in the interest of preserving unity and the integrity of the…

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Federal Ministry of Works and the Edo State Government have commenced an urgent intervention to address failed portions of major highways linking Edo and Delta states. The intervention followed concerns raised by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the deteriorating condition of critical road corridors in Edo State, which have subjected motorists, commuters, businesses and residents to severe hardship. The Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, Managing Director of the NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, members of the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Works, construction companies and…

Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has defended his administration’s ongoing purge of ghost workers and irregularly employed staff from the 23 local government councils, insisting that there will be no going back on the exercise. Fubara said the payroll verification was part of measures to restore fiscal discipline and sanitise the local government service, dismissing claims that the exercise was politically motivated. The governor spoke on Monday while inaugurating the Omademe Internal Roads Project in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state. He said the bloated payroll system at the local government level predated his administration, adding that he…

The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Dr Dennis Burutu Otuaro, has urged Niger Delta people to reciprocate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s support for the region by voting massively for him in the 2027 presidential election. Otuaro made the call in Abuja on Thursday while speaking at the pre-departure orientation for 150 Niger Delta beneficiaries of PAP’s offshore postgraduate scholarship programme. The latest deployment brings to 243 the number of beneficiaries sent abroad by PAP this year. Ninety-three beneficiaries were deployed in January and May, while another 150 were deployed in August. Otuaro said about 270 beneficiaries had already…

The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide has commended the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Chief Dr. Dennis Burutu Otuaro, for his leadership and the impact of the programme on youths in the Niger Delta. The President of the IYC Worldwide, Dr. Doubra Collins Okotete, gave the commendation when he led members of the 10th National Executive Council on a courtesy visit to Otuaro at the PAP office. Okotete said the visit was aimed at reviewing the implementation of the programme in line with the vision of the Federal Government when the initiative was established in 2009 by the…

The Etche Local Government Council has dismissed claims that the use of a separate lectern by its Chairman, Chief Chima Boniface Njoku, during Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s visit to the area constituted a breach of protocol. The clarification was contained in a statement signed by the Secretary to the Etche Local Government Council, Hon. Engr. Chijioke Peters, following comments and interpretations suggesting that the Chairman’s action violated established protocol. Peters explained that Njoku was acting in his capacity as the Chief Executive and host of the local government, adding that his delivery of a welcome address to the Governor, his entourage,…

…Tinubu appoints Enitan as successor President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Mr Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan as the new Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), effective August 27, 2026. Enitan succeeds Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who is retiring from the Federal Civil Service upon attaining the statutory retirement age of 60. A statement issued on Wednesday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Enitan, from Osun State, is the most senior Permanent Secretary in the Federal Civil Service. He has served as a Permanent Secretary for seven years and seven months, with postings…