Author: nationalpoint

Kenya’s 10km road race world record holder Rhonex Kipruto has been banned for six years because of irregularities found in his Athlete Biological Passport. The 24-year-old will be stripped of his record, which he set in Valencia in 2020, and the 10,000m bronze medal he won at the 2019 World Championships. He will be banned until May 2029 after being provisionally suspended on 11 May 2023 for violating anti-doping rules. An ABP is an electronic record which tracks an athlete’s biomarkers over their career. If these markers change dramatically it alerts officials that the athlete might be doping. “The Tribunal…

World Athletics has announced a new global championship to start in 2026 which will feature the biggest prize fund in the sport’s history. The World Athletics Ultimate Championship will see world champions, Olympic champions, Diamond League winners and the year’s leading athletes go up against each other while representing their national teams. The event will have a $10m (£7.87m) kitty with gold medalists receiving $150,000 (£118,000). Competition will take place over three evening sessions and will include sprints, middle and long-distance races, relays, jumps and throws. World Athletics says it will be “the ultimate season finale” and will be a…

Rivers State Government has indicated that it could revoke the Certificate of Occupancy issued to the present occupiers of the former Port Harcourt Slaughter market located at the Trans-Amadi Industrial Layout. The Head of Service, Dr. George Nwaeke, gave the indication when protesters from Oginigba, the host community of the former Slaughter Market, stormed Government House to demand the recovery of the land from the new occupants, operators of a popular supermarket in Port Harcourt linked to a former governor of the state. The Head of Civil Service, who addressed the protesters on behalf of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, said all…

Rivers State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Dagogo Israel Iboroma, SAN, has said that there was no declaration to the effect that Martin Amaewhule and 26 others are members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Rivers State House of Assembly (RSHA). Iboroma stated that there is already a misleading news in circulation on social and conventional media that Amaewhule and others are members of the PDP and RSHA, stressing that the information is meant to deceive the public. The Rivers State Attorney-General, therefore, urged members of the public to disregard such news already making the rounds on…

As the World Celebrates the 2024 World Environment Day with the theme “Land restoration, desertification and drought resilience’’, the Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD) joins the world in advocating for an end to Land degradation, desertification and drought which are critical issues that pose significant problem to global sustainability, global ecosystem, human livelihood, sustainable development and environment health. The theme for this year’s celebration underscores the urgent need to address the degradation of our ecosystems and build resilience against the growing challenges of desertification and drought. Land degradation is a critical issue affecting millions of people worldwide. It leads to loss…

As the World marked the 2024 World Environment Day, the OLEGH Centre for Community Development has called on governments and extractive companies to invest in agriculture practices.In a paper presented by Ms. Rebecca Apenu, its Programme Officer, OLEGH Centre said agriculture practices such as agroforestry, permaculture and regenerative agriculture enhance soil fertility, reduce erosion, boost biodiversity and create resilient ecosystems.The theme of the celebration is, “Empowering Women, Transforming Communities. It took place on Wednesday, May 5th.OLEGH Centre lamented the damage that oil spills, gas flaring, soil erosion, deforestation and extensive laying of oil pipelines have done to the environment in…

Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has enjoined his appointees, political associates, friends and well-wishers to join him in praying for the peace, unity and development of the state on his birthday on June 4. Governor Diri, who turns 65 tomorrow (Tuesday), said since assuming office in February 2020, he has not engaged in public celebration of his birth as he does not believe in spending public funds on a personal celebration. He also said the economic situation in the country and the developmental challenges of the state require that all hands are on deck rather than spending scarce…

•Earmarks $10m To Boost Agric Value Chain •Signs PPP Pact For $10m MFC, Carbon Capture Project Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has said that a more vibrant investment-friendly environment has been created to reassure investors of requisite return on their investments. The Governor maintained that his administration is taking measures to ensure that those numerous production factories that shut down operations in the State returned because of the renewed commitment to re-industralise the State. Governor Fubara gave the assurance at the opening ceremony of the two-day Rivers State Economic and Investment Summit (RSEIS), with the theme: “Rivers Emerge:…

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has vowed to sustain the drive at mobilising critical stakeholders with attractive investment portfolios in the business community to join forces with his administration to change economic growth trajectory of the State. Speaking at a cocktail party at the Banquet Hall of Government House in Port Harcourt on Wednesday night, Governor Fubara told the captains of businesses that the economic summit will provide salient data that will assist his administration to draw up economic roadmap for the State. The cocktail reception was organized by the Rivers State Government in honour of the participants and…

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has congratulated His Royal Highness, Muhammad Sanusi II on his reinstatement as the 14th Emir of Kano. Governor Fubara said that he received the news of the reinstatement of the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), with great excitement, particularly coming at a time Khalifa Sanusi II was in the State to add impetus to his administration’s initiative to reshape the economic trajectory of the State. He urged the spiritual leader of the Tijanniyah Sufi order of Nigeria, Emir Muhammad Sanusi II, to lead the over 50 million adherents of the…