THE Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has restated its determination to establish collaborative relationships and focus on governance, as part of its commitment to transformative change in the Niger Delta region. Speaking during a meeting with representatives of the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, at the United States Embassy in Abuja, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, stressed the need to rebuild public trust and enhance service delivery in the Niger Delta region. The NDDC delegation, led by Ogbuku, included the Director of Information Technology and Innovation, Engr. Emeka Ani; NDDC Consultant on Public-Private Partnership, PPP, Dr.…
Author: Eileen Peters
Read More
THE Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has weighed in on the crisis rocking Rivers State amid the plot to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara of the oil-rich state. Receiving South-South leaders at his office on Tuesday, Wike, a former Rivers State Governor, emphasised the importance of holding his base to maintain his political relevance. He maintained that once he loses his base as a politician, he has lost his relevance politically. Wike explained that no amount of calumny levelled against him would make him lose sleep, adding that the right thing must be done. “All of us want…
THE Court of Appeal, Abuja, has reversed the nullification of the candidacy of Chief Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Justice Binta Zubairu, who delivered the lead judgement held that Justice Donatus Okorowo of the Federal High Court, was wrong in ordering the sack of Sylva as a candidate of the APC in the November 11 governorship election in Bayelsa State. According to the court, the trial court was erred in having assumed jurisdiction in the matter on grounds that the plaintiff at the Federal High Court lacked the necessary locus standi to initiate the suit in the…
FRESH twist emerged in the Rivers state Assembly crisis Monday afternoon as former majority leader of the House and Pro-Fubara lawmaker, Edison Ehie emerged the new Speaker of the state Assembly. This is also as the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Simeon Amadi was suspended. See full statement below: Official Statement from the Office of the Speaker, 10th Assembly, Rivers State House of Assembly Dear Fellow Rivers People, I hope this message finds you in good health and high spirits. Today, I stand before you as the newly elected Speaker of the 10th Assembly of Rivers State House of Assembly,…
A FRESH crisis has engulfed the Rivers State House of Assembly amidst rumours of an impending impeachment procedure against the state Governor Siminalayi Fubara as the House on Monday removed its leader and governor Fubara’s loyalist, Edison Ehie. News Point Nigeria reports that the governor stormed the Assembly Complex while House members fled for safety as gun shots and tear gas were fired outside the Complex. A protest is also ongoing outside the Complex as of the time of filing this report. The development comes hours after a fire broke out at the Assembly Complex on Sunday night. It is…
THE chamber of Rivers State House of Assembly has been set ablaze. The development comes as plot to impeach Governor Siminilayi Fubara Fubara thickens. Sources said the arsonist gained entry into the chamber on Sunday night and set it ablaze. Our reporter further learnt that the quick intervention of the men of fire service stopped the fire from spreading to the entire Assembly complex. Efforts made to speak with the Rivers State Police Command Public Relation Officer, SP Grace Iringe Koko proved abortive at the time of filing this report. Security was beefed up at the complex while firefighters…
THE Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has inaugurated an Aquaculture Training Centre in Elugwu-Umuntu, Olokoro community in Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State, as part of its efforts to boost agriculture in the Niger Delta region. Speaking during the commissioning, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, stated that agriculture was one of the key agendas of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, noting: “This initiative is a strategic alignment with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically targeting the eradication of poverty (SDG 1) and hunger (SDG 2). “The Centre is poised to become a cornerstone in…
THE Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited said it recorded 149 incidences of crude oil theft across the Niger Delta in one week. In a statement on Tuesday, the Company said in one of the incidents, an oil bunkering site was uncovered in Osuobodo between two ANTAN flow stations south of Oguta naval base in Imo state. It stated, “Far from the regular, these criminals have taken their activities a notch higher. In this camp, CCTV cameras have been installed on trees by the thieves to look out for security operatives. Mortar launchers and defence systems were also mounted by the…
THE Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, says it will partner with financial institutions to assist women to access finance to enhance their livelihood. Speaking during a courtesy visit by a delegation from the Union Bank Nigeria at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt, the Commission’s Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, pledged to partner on Women Empowerment in the Niger Delta Region. He said: “We are looking at providing single digit loans to support the women. That is why we are supporting the Niger Delta Chamber of Commerce to build entrepreneurs. The Chamber of Commerce will help us to share the…
THE Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, commenced the first phase of its novel programme, Holistic Opportunity Projects of Engagement, also known as Project HOPE, with training of supervisors and collation officers. Speaking during the flag off of the training at the Rivers State Information, Communication and Technology, ICT, Centre in Port Harcourt, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, said that the Commission would ensure that the youths were equipped with skills to get them gainfully engaged. The NDDC Boss, who was represented by the Commission’s Director of Commercial and Industrial Development, Dr. Godwin Nosiri, noted: “We are blessed to…
THE International Association Of World Peace Advocates IAWPA has announced that it will hold an awareness walk on the streets of Abuja to commemorate this year’s United Nations Day. The global peace advocacy group with Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council ECOSOC since 2019 made this known in a statement signed by its Director of African Affairs and shared by its spokesperson, Amb Emmanuel Nkweke in Abuja. The statement said the awareness walk will be used to create awareness on the activities of the United Nations in Nigeria and to also encourage Nigerians to help…
THE Ezue Obhan Anyama, in conjunction with the Council of Traditional Rulers in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, has bestowed a prestigious chieftaincy title on the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, describing him as a light shining on all Niger Delta communities. Speaking on behalf of Ezue Obhan Anyama during a grand reception in honour of Dr Ogbuku at Onuebum Ultra-Modern Playground in Onuebum Town, the Chairman of the Central Planning Committee, Chief Olali Marline Ebe, said they had “implicit confidence in the ability of Ogbuku to perform his duties efficiently,…
THE Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, has called on the people of Obolo Nation cutting across nine Local Government Areas in the Niger Delta region, to continue to support the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Renewed Hope Agenda. Ogbuku who made the call when he paid a visit to the leadership of the Supreme Council of the Obolo Traditional Rulers, led by the Chairman, King Oruk (XVII) Okaan Ama of Ataba Kingdom, at his residence in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, reassured the people of Obolo Nation of the Commission’s commitment…
GUNMEN, Wednesday night, attacked Afokang Correctional facility in Calabar, Cross River State, killing a Correctional Service officer, a mother and her six-year-old daughter who were hit by stray bullets during the attack. The attack was confirmed by the spokesman of the State Command of the Correctional Service, Affanga Etim. Etim, who spoke to newsmen in Calabar on Thursday, said no inmate escaped during the attack. According to him, “When they came, they opened fire on the security team who also responded in like manner and in the process, an Assistant Superintendent of Correction, ASC, was killed. “No inmate escaped or…
THE Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, has issued a compelling call to action, urging all stakeholders in the Niger Delta region to unite and confront the complex challenges facing their communities. Ogbuku made this clarion call during a momentous meeting held at the Commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, where he welcomed a delegation from the Ijaw Youths Council, IYC, on a solidarity visit. The NDDC Chief Executive Officer reiterated the foundational principle of inclusiveness, underscoring the Commission’s mandate to foster sustainable development across all communities within the nine states comprising the Niger Delta…
AN Assistant Commissioner of Police in Bayelsa, ACP Oluseye Odunmbaku, is dead. This newspaper gathered that ACP Odunmbaku slept and died in his apartment in an estate in Yenagoa, the state capital. Police Spokesman in Bayelsa State, CSP Asinim Butswat, who confirmed the demise of the senior police officer, did not go into details. “The State Police Command regrets to announce the demise of ACP Oluseye Odunmbaku, until his death he was the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Department of Operations,” he said in a terse statement. Though details on his death are sketchy, his colleagues have been paying tributes to…
THE Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, has announced significant strides in the realm of solar power, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to address climate change issues in Nigeria. Ogbuku spoke when a delegation from the Asteven International Company made a presentation on Renewable Energy and Carbon Credit at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt. The NDDC Chief Executive Officer affirmed: “Our target is that every community in the Niger Delta region will be powered by solar; which is renewable and a cheap form of energy. In addition to this, we shall…
AT least five persons of Tivs extraction from Benue State residing in Ijiegu-Yache community in Yala LGA of Cross River State have been beheaded. A Tiv leader in the community, Chief Jacob Uswa, confirmed this Wednesday, saying many others had been maimed. He said the Yache boys attacked the victims when they went to their farms to harvest cassava. “Despite the presence of the soldiers sent to keep the peace between us, the Yache boys have continued to spring attacks on our people from the bushes and farms where the soldiers are not present. “On Sunday, 8th October 2023, they…
THE Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to leverage shared aspirations and collaborate on diverse fronts in the delivery of sustainable development projects in the region. At a brief signing ceremony at NLNG’s Corporate Head Office, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NLNG, Dr Philip Mshelbila, and NDDC’s Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, signed the MoU in the presence of executives from both organisations. As part of the pact, the two organisations agreed to collaborate and partner to empower communities in the region, promote local content and…
THE Federal High Court in Abuja has disqualified the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former petroleum minister, Chief Timipre Sylva, from contesting the November 11 election in Bayelsa State. The ruling was delivered on Monday by Justice Donatus Okorowo. Okorowo ruled that Sylva, having been sworn in twice and ruled for five years as governor of the state, would breach the 1999 constitution as amended if allowed to contest again. The judge stated that Sylva was not qualified to run in the forthcoming November poll because he would have spent more than eight years in office…