Author: Emmanuel Obe

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…

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has assured residents that his administration will continue to deliver critical infrastructure and address pressing developmental needs despite the limited time remaining in his tenure. Fubara gave the assurance while commissioning the reconstructed 12.1-kilometre Egwi-Afara-Mba Road in Etche Local Government Area of the state. The governor said the remaining period of his administration would not prevent it from executing projects capable of making lasting impacts on the lives of the people. He acknowledged that he would have wished to accomplish more, but noted that the time available to the administration was gradually running out. According…

The apex socio-cultural organisation of the Ogoni people, KAGOTE, has raised concerns over alleged lack of transparency, secrecy and interference in the ongoing Ogoni Dialogue Process on the proposed resumption of oil production in Ogoniland. The organisation called on the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to urgently investigate the allegations and clarify the status of oil-related activities, employment opportunities, contracts and representation in the dialogue process. President of KAGOTE, Chief Lesi Maol, made the call on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at a press conference on developments surrounding the Ogoni Dialogue Committee (ODC) and the proposed resumption of oil…

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has described the reconstruction of the 19.79-kilometre Buguma-Degema-Abonnema Road as a major milestone for his administration, saying a project once considered an imagination has now become a reality. Governor Fubara stated this during the inauguration of the road at Team Junction in Asari-Toru Local Government Area, as he commenced a week-long programme of project commissioning across the state. The governor said the road was in a deplorable condition before his administration undertook its reconstruction, subjecting residents, motorists and other road users to years of hardship. Recalling his personal experience on the road, Fubara said he…