Author: Emmanuel Obe

The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, has said the Commission was committed to the speedy completion of the Gbaregolor-Ogulaha Road project Phase I in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State. Ogbuku, who was accompanied by the Chairman of the NDDC Governing Board, Mr. Chiedu Ebie, the Executive Director Project, Mr. Victor Antai and some members of the House of Representatives Committee on the NDDC, on an assessment tour of the 24-kilometre road project, said that with a bridge spanning 576m, the project was massive, stating that billions of naira had already…

The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has launched a comprehensive technical skills acquisition programme to equip participants with practical in-demand skills. At the flag-off of the programme in Port Harcourt, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, stated that it aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the efforts to address youth unemployment and restiveness in the Niger Delta. Ogbuku, who was represented by the NDDC Executive Director of Projects, Mr. Victor Antai, described the programme as “development in action.” He stated, “Every enduring legacy begins with a foundation. What we are doing today is laying down…

Rivers State Police Command have declared two senior officials of Ahoada East Local Government wanted for their role in the attack of the Administrator of the local government, Mr. Goodluck Iheanachor on June 20. In a signal made public on Sunday, the command named the wanted officials as Mr. Hector Ekakita, the Chief Security Officer, and Mr. Aloni Olodi, the Chief of Staff. According to the police, the two allegedly led a group of over 30 persons in a coordinated assault on the administrator on June 20, 2025, at the Ahoada-East Council Secretariat. The attackers beat up Mr Iheanachor and…

Youths from Ogoniland and other groups in Rivers State have taken their protest against the spate of attacks on farming communities in Ogoniland to the authorities in Port Harcourt. Organised under the auspices of Coalition of Rivers State Youth Bodies (CORYB), the groups marched through the streets of Port Harcourt and called for an end to the growing wave of insecurity perpetrated by Fulani Herdsmen in the communities. They took their protest to Government House, the DSS and the headquarters of the Rivers State Police Command where their leaders addressed the protesters. There has been a rise in attacks by…

Ms. Usoro Akpabio has been confirmed by the Senate as the pioneer Managing Director of the South-South Development Commission (SSDC). Also confirmed was Chibudom Nwuche as the Chairman of the Commission. The confirmation was made after they and other governing board members and executive directors of the commission were screened by the Senate Committee on SSDC chaired by Senator Benson Konbowei. Other directors confirmed were Chief Marcus Nle Ejii (Rivers State), Executive Director Works and Projects; Steven Aganaba (Bayelsa State), Executive Director, Social and Human Capital Development; Timi Ayibatonye (Delta State), Executive Director Corporate Services; Joseph Ugheoke (Edo), Executive Director…

Tension is brewing in Eleme and Tai Local Government Areas of Rivers State following reported attacks on farmers by suspected Fulani herdsmen in the areas. It was reported on Wednesday that the herdsmen attacked and killed one Mr. Goodluck Dimkpa, in his farm at Ueken, Tai. Another victim, whose name was not given was attacked n his farm at Egbalor community in Ebubu, Eleme. A woman and a couple, who were allegedly kidnapped from their farms also in Egbalor however escaped from their captivity. Responding to the development, a civil rights activist in Port Harcourt, Mr. Solomon Lenu, said, “It’s…

Prince Nwafor Oji Awala, an eminent son of Eleme has challenged the senator representing Rivers South-East, Senator Barry Mpigi, to draw the attention of the Federal Government to the questionable execution of the Eleme section of the East-West road project. Awala, a publisher, who was responding to Senator Mpigi’s statement that reassured Ogoni people of the commitment of the Federal Government to the completion of the project, said recent developments about the project contradict the assurance given by the senator. He therefore urged the senator to take up the project with the Minister of Works, who has been supervising the…

One of the success stories of the Ogoni Cleanup being undertaken by the Hydrocarbons Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) is the restoration of the mangrove forests in previously devastated swamps. The Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey disclosed this in his midterm report at the Stakeholders Engagement forum held in Port Harcourt last Friday. The Project Coordinator said apart from the rebounding of the mangrove forests, popular seafood organisms like periwinkles and cockles that disappeared from the creeks were finding their way back to the joy of the people. He told the gathering that HYPREP has been able to achieve…

Prominent voices from Ogoniland have rejected the presidential pardon and national honours recently conferred on environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and the eight others executed alongside him in 1995. The Ogoni people are instead demanding full exoneration, insisting that a pardon does not address the injustice meted out to their heroes. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had part of activities marking Democracy Day, posthumously granted presidential pardons and national honours to the “Ogoni Nine,” recognizing their contribution to Nigeria’s environmental justice movement. But the gesture has been met with mixed reactions, especially from Ogoni leaders and civil society advocates. Dr. Fyneface Dumnamene…

A policeman attached to Ahoada East Local Government secretariat and a vigilante were gunned down on Monday night by people believed to be members of the Iceland cult in Ahoada. The Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Olugbenga Adepoju, who confirmed the incident on Tuesday, however vowed that the police would track down the killers and bring them to book. A press statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Grace Iringe-Koko, condemned the brutal attack, which was led by two notorious gang leaders in the area, Umegbewe Kingsley alias Gutam and one Opaka. The police statement said the…