Author: Eileen Peters

RIVERS State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has arrived in Port Harcourt, the state capital. News Point Nigeria reports that the governor arrived at the Port Harcourt International Airport at about 12:19pm on Friday, more than 24 hours after President Bola Tinubu ended the six-month emergency rule in the state. He was greeted by a crowd of supporters who had earlier converged at the VIP wing of the Port Harcourt International Airport, awaiting his arrival. While the House of Assembly resumed sitting on Thursday, Fubara did not show up at the Government House, despite the hundreds of supporters who had gathered to…

AFER months of political turmoil, President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday officially lifted the state of emergency imposed on Rivers State, directing Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to resume duties immediately. The announcement followed the resolution of the protracted political feud between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, which had paralyzed governance in the oil-rich state since March. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday monitored by News Point Nigeria, Wike disclosed that he personally spoke with Governor Fubara on…

WHAT was meant to be a moment of celebration and renewed confidence in Rivers State politics turned into a day of frustration on Thursday, as thousands of supporters of Governor Siminalayi Fubara left the Government House, Port Harcourt, disappointed after the governor failed to appear as expected. News Point Nigeria reports that the crowds of enthusiastic loyalists had gathered at the entrance of the Government House as early as 6:00 a.m., some arriving from remote parts of the state. They came to welcome the governor following the formal lifting of the six-month state of emergency by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu…

THE Governor and his deputy are expected to take over the leadership of the state today, six months after President Bola Tinubu imposed emergency rule on the state. News Point Nigeria reports that an excited crowd of supporters has gathered at the Government House waiting to welcome Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu. Officials from the state emergency services are also on the ground. Fubara and his deputy had been away from the governance of the state for six months, after President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers, citing a political crisis. A crowd of residents…

RIVERS State erupted in jubilation on Wednesday evening as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced the immediate end of the six-month emergency rule imposed on the state and reinstated Governor Siminalayi Fubara along with other affected officials. News Point Nigeria reports that the news, which broke during the 6pm radio bulletin on local stations, sent markets, motor parks, and residential areas into a frenzy. Traders at Mile One and Mile Three markets, who had been anxiously monitoring their radio devices, broke into spontaneous celebration as soon as the announcement was made. Eyewitnesses reported that jubilant meat sellers turned their knives and…

NIGERIA is bracing for a politically charged week as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara are both set to return to the country today (Tuesday), ahead of Thursday’s historic transition that will restore democratic governance in Rivers State after six months of emergency rule. News Point Nigeria reports that President Tinubu, who had been on vacation in France and the United Kingdom since September 4, will land in Abuja ahead of schedule to resume official duties, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. “Mr. President is returning to…

THE farewell thanksgiving service organised for Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, was marked by the conspicuous absence of two key figures at the centre of the state’s prolonged political crisis, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara. News Point Nigeria reports that the interdenominational service, held on Sunday in Port Harcourt, formed part of the transitional activities as Ibas prepares to leave office ahead of the expiration of the six-month emergency rule imposed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in March. Delivering his farewell remarks, Ibas urged stakeholders to…

MEMBERS of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State on Saturday defied a heavy downpour to participate in the party’s ward congresses, electing new executives and delegates across all 192 wards. At Oredo Wards I, II, and III in Benin City, where journalists monitored proceedings, the exercise was marked by enthusiasm, orderliness, and a large turnout of party faithful who braved the rains to cast their votes. State Caretaker Committee Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, led the monitoring team alongside members of the Ward Congress Electoral Committee from the party’s national headquarters in Abuja. He described the…

THE Rivers State Administrator, Vice Admiral (Retd.) Ibok-Ete Ibas, on Friday declared that President Bola Tinubu’s directive under the six-month emergency rule had been “sufficiently achieved” following the successful conduct of local government elections and the swearing-in of elected council officials across the state. News Point Nigeria reports that Ibas made the remarks at Government House, Port Harcourt, while receiving the comprehensive report on the just-concluded local government elections from the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC). Speaking at the event, the Administrator expressed satisfaction that the presidential mandate given to him on March 18, 2025, had been fulfilled. “Mr…

LORAN Nordgren, a distinguished professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, has given a glowing endorsement of Leading in a Storm, the new book authored by Nigerian politician, scholar, and leadership expert, Dr. Dakuku Peterside. Prof. Nordgren, an internationally recognized psychologist, Wall Street Journal bestselling co-author of The Human Element: Overcoming the Resistance That Awaits New Ideas, and founder of Aerocept, a leading behavioural design agency described Peterside’s work as “a must-read for any leader who wants to navigate the storms on the horizon.” “In technology, politics, and the environment, we are undeniably living through times of disruption and…

THE National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has declared that more governors across Nigeria will defect to the ruling party before the 2027 general elections. News Point Nigeria reports that Yilwatda, represented by APC Deputy National Chairman (South), Chief Emma Eneukwu, made the disclosure on Tuesday during the party’s 12th expanded stakeholders’ meeting in Bayelsa State, where members also endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for re-election. According to him, Tinubu’s record of bold reforms and strong leadership is convincing opposition leaders to abandon their parties and join the APC. Yilwatda pointed out that the APC…

EIGHT officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were killed on Friday night when gunmen suspected to be kidnappers ambushed them in Okpella, Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State. News Point Nigeria reports that the attackers also abducted a Chinese expatriate working with BUA Cement Company. The incident, which occurred around 10:00pm near the company’s entrance gate, has thrown the community into shock and raised concerns over worsening insecurity in the state. According to eyewitness accounts, the NSCDC operatives were escorting five Chinese expatriates back to base after a routine patrol when heavily armed men…

A FRESH political row has erupted in Edo State as the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo clash over allegations of reckless spending, foreign trips, and neglect of governance. In a statement issued on Thursday made available to News Point Nigeria, the PDP’s Publicity Secretary, Chris Nehikhare, accused Governor Okpebholo and his deputy, Dennis Idahosa, of abandoning their responsibilities for “endless foreign junkets” while insecurity and economic hardship bite harder across the state. The PDP further alleged that the government was planning to spend ₦4.2 billion on 28 luxury SUVs, each estimated at ₦150…

THE Akwa Ibom State Police Command has announced a sweeping crackdown on criminal activity across the state, resulting in 63 arrests, the recovery of 19 firearms, over 100 rounds of ammunition, and the rescue of 22 human trafficking victims, according to Commissioner of Police Baba Mohammed Azare, fsi. News Point Nigeria reports that speaking during a press briefing at the State Police Headquarters in Ikot Akpan Abia on Wednesday, CP Azare outlined the command’s achievements between August 1 and September 2, 2025, stressing that the successes were made possible by “the commitment, diligence, and professionalism of officers, as well as…

GOVERNOR of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has appointed Dr. Wisdom Ebiye Sawyer as Head of the Civil Service of the state. This was disclosed by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, in a statement on Tuesday. The appointment of Sawyer, a Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, followed the retirement of Barrister Biobelemoye Charles-Onyema, on August 31, 2025. The new HoS joined the Bayelsa civil service on June 8, 1998 as a Medical Officer. He was born on May 14, 1970 in Odi community, Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of the state, and began his education at Town School,…

HUGH O’Doherty, adjunct professor of leadership and conflict at Harvard Kennedy School and former faculty member at the University of Maryland, has praised Dakuku Peterside’s latest book, Leading in a Storm, calling it an indispensable resource for leaders facing times of uncertainty and upheaval. Describing the book as more than a typical leadership volume, O’Doherty highlights its practical nature and timely relevance. “This is not just another leadership book; it is a practical guide filled with applicable lessons for anyone striving to lead effectively amid uncertainty, volatility, and complexity. Leading in a Storm illuminates the critical skills we must develop to…

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) has won 20 local governments in the just-concluded council polls in Rivers State. Whiley, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) claimed only two local governments in the oil-rich state. APC also won the councillorship election in 20 LGAs, while the PDP claimed only three councils. This is the first time the APC would gain dominance in Rivers since the return of democracy in 1999. Chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), Dr. Michael Odey, announced the winners of the LG polls on Sunday at the Commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt. No other political…

OVER 10 people involved in a road accident on the Benin–Auchi highway on Saturday have been rescued through the intervention of the Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo. The governor, who was en route to Irrua in the Esan Central Local Government Area of the state with his entourage, encountered a heavy gridlock after the bypass and immediately alighted to assess the situation. One of the accident victims on the Benin-Auchi highway in Edo State on Saturday, August 30, 2025, being assisted by some rescuers. On arrival at the accident scene, he met several victims in critical condition, many bleeding profusely,…

THE Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has cast his ballot in the Rivers local government elections. Wike, the immediate governor of the state, voted around 11: 15 am in Rumepirikom, Ward 9, Unit 007, Obio/Akpo Local Government Area of the State, where he served as chairman for two terms. He was a local government chairman in 1999 before he rose to become a governor, serving in that position from 2015 to 2023. ‘I Don’t See Democracy,’ Electoral College Director Faults Conduct Of Rivers LG Polls After casting his ballot, the minister hailed the conduct of the…

RESIDENTS across the 23 local government areas of Rivers State will on Saturday file out to vote in fresh local government elections scheduled to be conducted in 6,866 polling units across 319 wards. News Point Nigeria reports that the polls are coming exactly six months and two days after the Supreme Court nullified the October 5, 2024, election conducted by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) for breaching provisions of the Electoral Act. Rivers, which is home to some of Nigeria’s largest oil and gas assets, is often regarded as the economic hub of the South-South, making the outcome…