Author: nationalpoint

Delta State Government on Monday debunked media reports credited to Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State indicating that it had collected refunds from the Federal Government without disclosing it to citizens, saying it had remained committed to transparency and accountability in all its financial dealings on behalf of the people. The state commissioner for Finance, Chief Fidelis Tilije, made the clarification at a news conference in Asaba, while addressing the issue of 13 per cent derivation arrears payment to oil-producing states raised by the Rivers State. Tilije, who was with the commissioner for Special Projects, Chief Henry Sakpra and the…

Rivers State Government will start free feeding programmes in public primary schools in the state in 2023. Governor Nyesom Wike gave this indication in the proposed budget he presented to the House of Assembly for approval. The governor said the free school feeding programme will help to increase and sustain enrolment in public schools and reduce poverty in the state. A budget of N5 billion was proposed for the free school feeding programme. The governor also said that government will from 2023 begin free medical care for nursing mothers. He said, “The State has further provided N4 billion under Special…

Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have accused the Federal Government of plotting to commercialize and destroy public universities. Speaking during a protest by lecturers of the University of Port Harcourt over the half salaries they were paid for the month of October, the Port Harcourt zonal coordinator of ASUU, Dr. Stanley Ogoun urged everybody to support ASUU in the crusade to make university education qualitative and accessible in the country. Ogoun said all over the world, citizens hold government to account for their actions and Nigeria cannot be different. He said ASUU’s fight is to ensure…

Residents of Port Harcourt have been expressing strong displeasure over the closure last Friday of the Port Harcourt Mall operated by Spar Supermarket, through a court order that stopped it from going on with its Black Friday programme. But Rivers State Government, which obtained the court order to close the supermarket said the mall was shut for the Black Friday programme because its management failed to respond to the government’s demand that it should show evidence that it would contain the rush that could attend the Black Friday clearance sales. Thousands of shoppers that visited the mall last Friday were…

Governor Godwin Obaseki, has praised journalists for playing critical roles in advancing democracy in Nigeria and has also spoken of the need to empower journalists to continue to play those roles. Obaseki in a message he sent to the National Executive Council Meeting of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) that held in Benin also praised the media for being the eyes and voice of the people in a democracy. But he urged them to set agenda and provide working facts on activities and programme of government. The governor, who was represented by the commissioner for Information and Orientation, Christ…

The Edo State Police Command recently paraded six armed robbery suspects arrested in different police operations carried out to rid the state of criminals and their activities. The Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Chidi Nwabuzor, told journalists during the parade of the suspects at the command headquarters that the police also intercepted a cult group as they planned an attack in Benin City and arrested one of the members. Nwabuzor said the police action was taken with the help of intelligence reports received by the police. He said, “On the 12th day of November 2022, at about 16.00 hours,…

Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, has said his government is disturbed by the high level of land grabbing in the state though it has recovered most of the lands. Obaseki who spoke to journalists on the side during the 2022 Alaghodaro Summit in Benin City said the government is fully enforcing the Land Use Act to recover government lands and allocate them for useful development. “Edo State has to be a modern state as our cities are fast growing into slums. We now experience a lot of land grabbing activities in Edo State following the neglect on the part of…

My attention was drawn to a publication in The Punch 11/25/2022 captioned: “I’m happy Makinde is among the G5 govs” the –CJN. Please, the publication refers: ‘The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, backed his kinsman and Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, for his membership of the G5, also known as the integrity Governors. The five aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party Governors are Nyesom Wike, who is the leader, and Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom who is the Chairman. Others are Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, Seyi Makinde of oyo state and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State. The aggrieved Governors are…

The Edo State chairman of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Col David Imuse (Rtd.) has described the annual Alaghodaro Summit organized to mark the anniversaries of the government of Governor Godwin Obaseki, as a hollow ritual and a celebration of incompetence. In a statement issued by Victor Osehobo, the party’s Assistant State Publicity Secretary, Col Imuse said, “The APC in Edo State frowns on the hollow ritual called Alaghodaro Summit by the Edo State Government, and the false claims that it annually consolidates on years of building a vibrant private-sector-led economy, which has benefited from Mr. Obaseki’s government reforms and…

The National Executive Council (NEC), of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), has urged the Federal Government to declare a State of Emergency on federal roads across the nation. In a communiqué issued at the end of its meeting in Benin City, the NEC of NUJ said virtually all the federal roads in the country had collapsed and something urgently needed to be done to restore them. The communiqué, which was signed by the National Secretary, Shaibu Usman Leman, also called for security to be beefed up around INEC facilities and media houses ahead of 2023 general elections. It tasked…