Author: Emmanuel Obe

The lingering chieftaincy crisis in Kula Kingdom in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State has finally been resolved at a peace meeting convened by the Chairman of Akuklu-Toru Local Government, Hon. Rowland Sekibo, and the Member of Rivers State House of Assembly representing Akuku-Toru Constituency II, Hon. Isaiah Opuende, in Port Harcourt. According to a press release by Abraham Ebini, the Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to Hon. Opuende, the meeting was the climax of the efforts to promote peace and tranquilly within the Kula Kingdom. “The historic gathering, which took place at the official residence of Hon.…

The Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Siminalayi Fubara, has said permanent secretaries in the state would serve as heads of their respective ministries pending when commissioners are appointed. The governor stated this on Tuesday after he swore in 16 new permanent secretaries at Government House, Port Harcourt. He warned the new permanent secretaries to resist the urge to be political in the discharge of their duties so that the civil service can operate more professionally. The governor said they were chosen not because they were lucky, but because they were found competent in their various ministries and could be trusted…

As the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited prepares to privatise the Port Harcourt Refinery at Alesa, Eleme Rivers State, a frontline indigenous petroleum products marketer and university don, Dr. Joseph Obele, has appealed to the NNPC Ltd to give consideration to only foreign investors. Obele, who was responding to the public announcement calling for interested companies to bid for the privatisation of the refinery, said indigenous bidders might be less transparent and open in their bids. He said the news of the proposed privatisation of the refinery has been received with excitement by the host communities of the refinery, who…

The management of Dangote Group last weekend declared that its refinery located in Lekki Lagos had commenced production of diesel and aviation fuel after receiving six million barrels of the Bonny Light Crude. The company also announced the appointment of seven major petroleum products marketing companies including NNPC Ltd as direct marketers of products from the refinery. But a leading petroleum products marketer, Dr. Joseph Obele, has said that the appointment of the seven marketers to lift Dangote refinery products could spell doom for the industry. Though Obele, who is also a lecturer in marketing at Ignatius Ajuru University, Port…

Nigerian Railways Corporation (NRC) has said that work has been completed on the Port Harcourt – Aba section of the Port Harcourt – Maiduguri railway project. The Managing Director of Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), Mr. Fidel Okhiria, disclosed this after an inspection of the 63-kilometre Port Harcourt-Aba route. The Port Harcourt-Maiduguri railroad project initiated by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari when Mr. Chibuike Amaechi was the Minister of Transportation. Mr. Okhiria, who said there were still some finishing touches needed on the tracks, promised once the touches were finished, train services would commence. “The project from Port Harcourt to…

Mr. Ayayi Festus Promise, the man whose four children and a grandchild perished in the January 9, 2024 boat disaster on the Andoni/Bonny waterway, has cried out for help. Promise, who was the driver of the boat, also begged for forgiveness, saying that the boat mishap took away all he had and he was left with nothing to continue with his life. The victim, who hails from Ngo Town in Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, was travelling with his entire family with other people in his fishing boat when the boat was struck by a strong wave, which…

Operatives of the Rivers State Police Command of the Nigeria Police Force have killed one Silas Oderereke, popularly known as ‘General,’ a notorious armed robber and cult leader in Ahoada West area of the state. Oderereke, who was the leader of the Greenlanders Cult group in the area had been on the wanted list of the police for over four years. He was killed along with one of his gang members while two others, Danger Man and 2-Man escaped. According to the Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Grace Iringe-Koko, the confrontation with the police took place at Oderereke,…

The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has condemned the quality on the Eleme section of the East-West, saying it was unacceptable having not been done according to specifications. The minister, who was on site to inspect the level of work that has been done, said the base material the contractor, Reynolds Construction Company Limited, was using to pile the road was substandard and ordered that the contractor should stop using it. “We paid N33 billion on this job since September (2023). Nothing reasonable has been done on the job. And then we are here under our nose and this…

Ijaw women from five states of the Niger Delta have rejected the planned sale of the onshore assets of Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited in the Niger Delta to Renaissance African Energy.The women, who addressed a press conference on Wednesday in Port Harcourt under the aegis of Coalition of Ijaw Women Voices (CIWV), said the proposed sale of the assets was “shocking and unacceptable”.The text of the conference was read by Ms. Annkio Briggs, a prominent voice in the Niger Delta. SPDC had announced the decision to sell off its onshore assets in the Niger Delta to Renaissance Africa Energy,…

Contractors working on the turnaround of the Old Port Harcourt Refinery have commenced the test-run of the facilities of the plant preparatory to resumption of production of petroleum products. The workers shouted in jubilation on Thursday December 21 morning, as the flare of the old plant was lighted. It had been more than 20 years since the old refinery was last in operation. Though the old plant is part of the entire project to return the Port Harcourt Refinery to operation after a comprehensive turnaround maintenance, the procedures for the new plant had been slowed down to allow workers concentrate…