Author: Emmanuel Obe

The Rivers State Local Government elections held on Saturday recorded a low turnout of voters across most areas, despite being largely peaceful. The polls, conducted by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RISIEC), featured only candidates of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), both reportedly endorsed by the Nyesom Wike political platform. The exercise had been trailed by controversy, with civil society organisations and opposition parties questioning its constitutionality and legitimacy up to the last moments. In Eleme Local Government Area, voting took place in all ten wards, but counting was not done at…

The Hoscom Bulk Petroleum Retailers of Port Harcourt Refinery has raised alarm over the management decisions of the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari, alleging that his actions are tilting the oil sector in favor of a private refinery. The group’s concerns follow Ojulari’s remarks during a courtesy visit by leaders of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN). Ojulari had stated that he discovered on assumption of office that operating the Port Harcourt Refinery was incurring heavy losses, which informed the decision to halt operations pending a…

A new chapter has opened at the Rivers State Microfinance Agency (RIMA) following the assumption of duty by Onene Osila Obele-Oshoko as the agency’s Managing Director on Monday. Onene Osila Obele-Oshoko, who was inaugurated last Friday by the Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd.), at Government House, Port Harcourt, held her first meeting with staff where she outlined her vision for the agency and sought their cooperation. She pledged that RIMA under her watch would prioritize empowering small businesses across the state by providing access to training, funding, and financial discipline. “We are not going to restrict…

Fresh tension erupted Friday morning at Victory Estate, Rumuosi, along Port Harcourt International Airport Road, as residents reported yet another invasion by armed men allegedly backing a notorious land-grabbing syndicate. The attackers linked to a certain army colonel and others stormed the area under heavy police escort. Residents expressed outrage that the same police officers accompanying the suspects had previously charged them to court, accusing them of lying, after the community petitioned the Inspector General of Police alleging compromise by the then Rivers State Commissioner of Police. According to residents, the syndicate, in collusion with operatives of the Rivers State…

… directs immediate workers relocation The Ad-Hoc Committee on Rivers State Administration has mandated the immediate renovation of the dilapidated State Secretariat complex and urgent relocation of civil servants from hazardous work environments. According to a Government House press releases issued by the Special Assistant to the Administrator on Media, Hector Igbikiowubo, the directive followed an emergency inspection tour led by Committee Chairman Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, who assessed both the Secretariat and the stalled Rivers State House of Assembly project. Ihonvbere described the Secretariat’s state as “more deplorable than facilities in war-torn Gaza,” citing: structural hazards, weak floor tiles, leaking…

The Zonal Chairman of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), High Chief Sunny Nkpe, has expressed deep concern over the slow pace of rehabilitation at the Old Port Harcourt Refinery (Area 5), accusing the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, of failing to demonstrate the commitment needed to get the plant running. Nkpe, who visited the refinery site last weekend on a fact-finding mission, said he was alarmed that, despite being shut down on May 24, 2025, for what was billed as a 30-day repair, the…

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has denied allegations that activist and publisher, Omoyele Sowore, was tortured in custody, insisting his recent arrest was lawful and based on credible criminal complaints. In a statement referenced Ref No. CZ.5300/FPRD/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.6/483 and signed by Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Police said Sowore was taken into custody over “credible, corroborated allegations” of offences including forgery, cyberstalking, and other infractions under investigation. The statement stressed that his arrest complied with constitutional safeguards and due process, and that he was released on bail within the 48-hour constitutional timeframe provided under Section 35(4) of the…

In a rare show of philanthropy and community, popular businessman and philanthropist, Kingsley Weneda Wali, on Friday at his Rumuagholu home, near Port Harcourt hosted elderly women at his birthday party.He took time out to dance with the women, share hugs and exchange views. At the end of the event his friends shared out cartons of noodles, bags of rice and cooking oil to the women who were overjoyed by the gesture. Wali, also known as Godfather, K-Man, Mallam Wali and GF, is a lawyer, a former politician, public affairs commentator and a businessman.He uses his social media handles to…

Prominent Rivers State indigenes under the aegis of Major Stakeholders have written an open letter to President Bola Tinubu, warning that the planned August 30, 2025, local government council elections in the state constitute “a serious threat to democracy” and a “brazen violation” of Nigeria’s Constitution. In the letter titled, “Rivers LG Election: A Serious Threat to Democracy and Repeated Violations of the Constitution — Urgent Warning from Major Stakeholders”, the group accused the Rivers State Sole Administrator appointed by the Federal Government of attempting to conduct the polls without any constitutional mandate. Signatories to the petition include Atedo Peterside,…

The police in Rivers State on Monday said they had arrested all the people involved in the killing of Bright Owor on July 6 along Market Road, Port Harcourt.A press release issues by the Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Grace Iringe-Koko, said the suspects were caught by the Police Anti-Kidnapping Unit deployed to investigate and bring the perpetrators.Iringe-Koko said through meticulous intelligence work and technical surveillance over a ten-day period, all individuals involved in the crime were identified and apprehended.They include, Prince Samuel, 30, armed operative; Daniel Godwin 25 the driver of the getaway vehicle, Henry Peter, 24 arms supplier,…