Author: Eileen Peters

THE political tsunami sweeping Rivers State appears unabating as three more commissioners on Thursday resigned from Governor Sim Fubara’s cabinet. The latest to pull out of the cabinet are the Commissioner for Works George-Kelly Alabo – who served in the same capacity under Nyesom Wike’s government – and the Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Commissioner Inime Aguma and their Finance counterpart Isaac Kamalu. Their resignations – coming hours after the state’s Attorney-General (AG) and Commissioner for Justice Prof Zacchaeus Adangor quit his post – were contained in separate letters to Governor Fubara. “I hereby resign my appointment as the Commissioner for…

INTRIGUES continue to trail the political crisis in Rivers State as the state House of Assembly Complex was on Wednesday demolished. This was as Governor Siminalayi Fubara presented the N800bn 2024 budget estimates to the Edison Ehie-led group at the Government House the same moment the demolition was carried out. Ehie and Martins Amaewhule have been embroiled in a Speakership tussle which is in court. The presentation of the budget was held at a hall in the Government House, apparently, due to the “renovation” work at the state assembly complex which started Wednesday morning. Present at the budget presentation were…

FORMER President Goodluck Jonathan has said Nigerian politicians must change their brand of politics and prioritise national interests to allow for growth and development in the country. Jonathan also stated that the country must avoid the “dangerous system” of “over-domesticating” government, but instead ensure that the right persons are put in the right places. The former President made the statements on Tuesday at the public presentation of a book titled, ’Development as Attitude’, written by a former Minister of Budget and National Planning, Prof. Osita Ogbu. “Our attitude as politicians matters towards our development. If we must develop, there are…

GUNMEN have ambushed a convoy of Daewoo workers along the Ahoada/Abua East-West axis in Rivers State. The gunmen shot four soldiers, and two drivers dead while they reportedly kidnapped two expatriates of the company on Tuesday. It was gathered that the incident occurred around 9.30 am. Our correspondent gathered that the victims were on their way to Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital when they were ambushed. A source who spoke on condition of anonymity told our correspondent that the miscreants trailed the expatriate workers who were being escorted by soldiers along the Ahoada–Obua Road and opened fire on them. The source…

A MEMBER of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Enemi Alabo, has given insights into the recent defection of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Alabo, who spoke during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday monitored by News Point Nigeria, cited internal divisions within the PDP as a primary reason for the defection. “We have a division in the PDP. We have cases in court concerning the secretaryship of our party. We desperately tried to reach the secretariat of our party, and we could not. As I speak to you, I can’t…

THE Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, is currently meeting with the members of the state executive council. This newspaper gathered that the meeting is holding at the Government House in Port Harcourt, the state capital. The emergency meeting followed the defection of 27 members of the 32-member House of Assembly from the governing Peoples Democratic Party to the opposition All Progressives Congress. Their defection was a fresh twist to the lingering political impasse between the governor and his political godfather, former governor Nyesom Wike, who is currently the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. According to findings, the meeting…

THE ongoing political drama in Rivers State has taken a very interesting turn as 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). A member of the Assembly, Enemi George, confirmed to this newspaper that the 27 lawmakers were under the leadership of Martin Amaewhule. He said the decision was taken during their sitting on Monday morning. For weeks, Amaewhule and another member, Edison Ehie, have been embroiled in a Speakership tussle. Amaewhule is believed to be loyal to ex-governor Nyesom Wike while Ehie is known…

FORMER General Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Chief Frank Kokori, is dead. He reportedly died on the same day he was supposed to mark his 80th birthday, Kokori, a activist with the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), died of kidney-related ailment in the early hours of Thursday at a private hospital in Warri, Delta State. His death was confirmed by the Delta State Government. Kokori gained prominence in the struggle for the validation of the annulled June 12, 1993, presidential election won by late Chief Moshood Abiola. Dignitaries and some of the old associates…

THE crisis rocking the Rivers State House of Assembly took a new twist on Wednesday as 27 lawmakers loyal to the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, sat under tight security in the complex. The Rivers Assembly had become factionalised following an unsuccessful move to impeach Governor Siminialayi Fubara. The Amaewhule-led lawmakers are believed to be loyal to Fubara’s predecessor and political godfather, Nyesom Wike. It was learnt that ahead of Wednesday’s sitting, cleaners had on Tuesday been deployed to clean up the Assembly complex, which had been under locks, since October 29, following an explosion in the complex the night before. One…

MAPLE Leaf Early Years Foundation, a non-governmental organisation in Nigeria,has won the prestigious global 2024 Zero Project Award for Inclusive Education In Emergencies In Transitional Learning Centres, according to a statement made available to the News Point Nigeria in Abuja. Judith Hermetter, Head of Communications to 2024 Zero Project Award International, said in the statement issued on Monday that Maple Leaf Foundation was selected from among 500 nominations across the globe as the winner in the category. “The Zero Project has announced the Zero Project Awardees 2024, centred around Inclusive Education, and ICT. 77 Innovative Solutions from 43 countries will…

THE Rivers State Police Command has paraded a group of suspects accused of burying alive, a Community Development Committee Chairman of Kereken-Boue in the Khana Local Government Area. The police paraded the suspects during a maiden briefing of the new Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Tunji Disu. Other suspects were also paraded for a variety of crimes, ranging from kidnapping, armed robbery, and murder, among others. The new Commissioner of Police warned criminal elements in the state to steer clear or be ready to face the full weight of the law. The traditional ruler of Kereken-boue community, Chief Ezekiel Gara,…

A NIGERIAN Air Force helicopter crashed in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Friday morning. NAF spokesman, Edward Gabkwet, confirmed the development in a statement. He said all those onboard survived though they sustained “minor injuries”. The helicopter with the number NAF MI-35P crashed at exactly 7.45 am shortly after it took off for an operation against economic saboteurs in Rivers State. “Fortunately, the entire crew of 5 survived the crash with very minor injuries and are currently being attended to at NAF Medical Centre Port Harcourt. “The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, is currently…

THE Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has flagged off the re-construction of the 18-kilometre Owaza-Uzuaku-144 Battalion-Afam Junction Road in Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia State. Speaking during the flag-off ceremony in Owaza, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, assured the people of the Commission’s determination to bring development and hope to Niger Deltans in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. Ogbuku who was represented by the Abia State Representative on the NDDC Governing Board, Chief Eruba Dimgba, said that the Commission, as an interventionist agency, was committed to fast-tracking development in the Niger Delta…

THE Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, has advised staff of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, to guard against falling foul of anti-graft laws by keeping abreast of the relevant statutes guiding the conduct of public servants. The ICPC Zonal Commissioner for Rivers and Bayelsa states, Mrs. Ekere Usiere, gave the admonition during a Workforce Sensitisation Exercise organized by the NDDC at the Commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt. She commended the NDDC and its Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit, ACTU, for sponsoring the sensitization exercise under the theme: “Understanding the Offences and Penalties Under the ICPC Act 2000.” Usiere acknowledged the…

AN APPEAL Court sitting in Lagos State on Tuesday dismissed the petition filed by the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Patrick Tonye-Cole, against Governor Siminalayi Fubara of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The appellate court also dismissed the petition of Accord Party. The APC candidate, who was present in the courtroom on Tuesday, wanted the court to direct INEC to declare him the winner of the March governorship election in Rivers. The Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal had in October dismissed the petition of Cole challenging…

THE Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, says the Commission is working in line with the policy of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration which emphasises stakeholders’ engagements in the development process. Speaking during a courtesy visit by members of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, MOSOP, at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt, Ogbuku, said it was important to involve all stakeholders in driving the Sustainable development of the Niger Delta region. He remarked: “We all face the same challenges in the region and this means that we must all work together…

AFTER months of controversy and uproar, Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, bit the bullet on Monday when he officially declared to run for the 2024 governorship election in the state. In a pre-recorded speech aired today, Shaibu, who has been the deputy governor of the state since 2016, said he would run for the office of the number one in the state on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). After his official declaration, Shaibu launched his campaign office in Benin City, the state capital, at an event crowded with party supporters in branded accoutrements. “After all the…

CHAIRMAN of the Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Mr. Chiedu Ebie, says the new leadership in the Commission will unveil the right vision and set the tone for the management to drive the sustainable development of the Niger Delta region. Ebie, who spoke during a facility tour of the NDDC headquarters complex in Port Harcourt, underlined the need for the new Board and Executive Management to take basic steps that would inform the roll out of new strategies to drive the development process in Nigeria’s oil-rich region. Accompanying the Chairman on the facility tour were other…

THE Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has commenced oral interviews for over 1,050 candidates for its Foreign Post-Graduate Scholarship Programme. The interview process, spanning over eleven days, is for the candidates that were successful during a Computer-Based Test written by 5,000 applicants earlier this month. Speaking at the venue of the interview in Port Harcourt, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, who was accompanied by the Executive Director Finance and Administration, Alabo Boma Iyaye, the Executive Director Projects, Sir Victor Antai, and the Executive Director Corporate Services, Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde, said that the guiding principles for the interview were…

THE crisis rocking the Rivers State House of Assembly is far from over as the police again took over the complex on Tuesday. This came as members loyal to both factions allegedly held separate sittings at different locations. Four police patrol vans were sighted at the entrance of the assembly complex, while the movement of people and vehicles along the Moscow Road Axis of the assembly were restricted. Also, an Armoured Personnel Carrier was seen pacing from one end to the other on the road where the complex is located, while scores of armed operatives mounted strategic locations. The reason…