Author: Eileen Peters

FOLLOWING the feud between the Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shuaibu, the state government has relocated the office of the deputy governor to a building outside the government house. It was gathered that the new office is situated at no 7, Dennis Osadebey Avenue, close to the government house. The new deputy governor office used to be the state Public Procurement Office commissioned by a former Governor of the state, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, on December 16, 2014. When this newspaper correspondent visited the place, he observed a sign board with the inscription, “Office of The Deputy…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved the reappointment of the past Managing Director / Chief Executive Officer of the NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku,  to a second term and will remain in acting capacity, pending the Senate’s confirmation of his reappointment. According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on media and publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, Friday, the president also ordered the immediate replacement of the NDDC’s Ondo State Representative nominee, Mr. Victor Akinjo, with a new Ondo State Representative nominee, Hon. Otito Atikase. Tinubu has equally approved the immediate replacement of the NDDC’s Cross River State Representative nominee, Mr.…

THE Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, has reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to all ongoing partnership talks with local and international entities aimed at accelerating the development of the Niger Delta region. Dr Ogbuku, who spoke at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt, expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for the confidence reposed in him by his reappointment as MD/CEO in the new NDDC Board. He pledged to vindicate this trust by working assiduously to speed up development of the Niger Delta region. He said: “I am humbled and honoured by the trust and…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of a new Board and Management team for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). Presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, made this known in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Tuesday. “The President expects that the new Board and Management team will ensure a new era of successful administration in the NDDC, in line with his Renewed Hope agenda. “All of the above listed appointments take immediate effect,” the statement added. The Board and Management team members are: Chiedu Ebie – Chairman – Delta Samuel Ogbuku – Managing Director / CEO – Bayelsa…

THE eagerly anticipated grand finale of the inaugural Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Short Film Challenge & Awards unfolded on Saturday, August 12th, at the distinguished Abuja Continental Hotel (formerly Sheraton Hotel). This remarkable event was meticulously orchestrated and executed by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGs), in collaboration with esteemed partners including the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) and FreshNEWS Multimedia. The grand finale not only lived up to its considerable hype but also presented an array of exceptional entries, each embodying the essence of the SDGs. These entries posed a…

SOME residents of Bayelsa State on Sunday night invaded a state govt warehouse in the Kpansia area of Yenagoa, the state capital, and looted foodstuffs. Some of the items looted include bags of rice and garri. In a statement, the Bayelsa State Emergency Management Agency (BYSEMA) condemned the incident, describing it as an “unwarranted invasion”. The agency said warehouse was privately-owned and that the incident “occurred about 7.45pm on Sunday, August 27 almost an hour after the Director-General, Walamam Igrubia, alongside some BYSEMA personnel, left the warehouse premises”. The agency explained that during the 2022 flood in the state, it…

THE Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has pledged to initiate projects and programmes to develop the capacity of women and youths in the Niger Delta region. Speaking during an interactive meeting with Women Leaders of Ethnic Nationalities and key stakeholders in the Niger Delta region at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt, the Managing Director of the Commission, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, stated that the NDDC was focused on building strategic partnerships with the women and youths of the Niger Delta region. He said: “The women form the core of our development programmes. We have met and spoken with the youths.…

IN a bid to curb oil theft and illegal refining of crude oil in the Niger Delta area, a presidential delegation inspected government assets in some states within the oil-rich area on Saturday. The delegation was led by Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser (NSA) to President Bola Tinubu. On the delegation with the NSA were the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa; and the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt Gen Taoreed Lagbaja. Others include Minister of Defence, Muhammed Badaru; Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle; Minister of State (Oil), Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri; and Minister…

THE Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has embarked on exploratory discussions with the development agencies of France and Germany to propel job creation and boost farmers’ productivity in the Niger Delta region. Driven by a commitment to advance sustainable development, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, led a high-level delegation on a two-day visit to the French Development Agency (AFD) and the German Development Agency (GIZ) offices in Abuja. Accompanying him were the NDDC Executive Director of Finance and Administration, Major General Charles Airhiavbere, (Rtd.) the Executive Director of Projects, Mr. Charles Ogunmola, an expert in partnerships, Dr. Uche…

THE Federal Government has restated that the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) Ltd would be back on stream by December. This is part of the government’s commitment to ending petroleum product importation as soon as efforts are being redoubled to restore the nation’s local refining capacity. The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, said this, according to a Friday statement by the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited Garba Deen Muhammad. He quoted the Minister as giving the assurance during an inspection tour of the rehabilitation work progress at the…

NIGER Delta Stakeholders have charged the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC to entrench collaboration and partnership in the development of the Niger Delta Region by holding quarterly Partners for Sustainable Development, PSD, forum for the various stages of its budgeting. This was part of the resolutions contained in a communique issued at the end of a two-day PSD Forum, 2024 Budget of Reconstruction Conference Held at Ibom Icon Hotel, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. The stakeholders also stressed the importance of the PSD forum in the Budgetary Process, noting: “The PSD Forum is aimed at eliminating duplications and institutional suspicions in…

PERMANENT Secretary, Ministry of Niger Delta Development, Dr. Shuaib Belgore has commended the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, for developing a budgetary process that involves stakeholders in its efforts to develop the Niger Delta region. Presenting a keynote address at the NDDC Partners for Sustainable Development (PSD) Forum – NDDC 2024 Budget of Reconstruction Conference in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State, Belgore noted that the Commission is evolving and adopting a budgetary process that is in tandem with the provisions of extant laws. He said that NDDC budgets over the years had been faced with challenges, which included belated submission, delayed approvals…

THE Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno has said the government would soon introduce buses for free public transportation as part of its palliatives to cushion the effect of the subsidy removal on fuel. Eno said the government was in talks with some companies on the matter and as soon as the arrangement was concluded, the free public transport buses would be introduced. Speaking at the weekend in Uyo on his decision to fly the state-owned commercial airline, Ibom Air, instead of his official jet, the governor said his action was a marketing strategy for the airline. He debunked…

ERSTWHILE Director of New Media at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr. Pius Oghenevwairhe Ughakpoteni, has been appointed the new Director, Corporate Affairs of the Commission, following the retirement of the outgoing Director, Dr. Ibitoye Abosede. A management expert and skillful writer with insightful and analytical skills, which he apparently acquired during his many years in journalism practice, Ughakpoteni has been serving as the Director of New Media since October 2022, after a seven-month stint as the Director of Abuja Liaison Office of the NDDC, leading a team of talented and passionate professionals who have been using digital platforms…

JUSTICE Mary Ukaego Peter-Odili has refuted allegation that she is, ‘currently negotiating a pathway for Bola Tinubu” and that “she meets regularly with Appeal and Supreme courts” in that regard. An online newspaper (Not News Point Nigeria) had published that Justice Odili is in negotiation with the Presidential Tribunal, Appeal and Supreme Courts on behalf of President Bola Tinubu. But Justice Odili refuted the allegation in a press statement issued by the Media Assistant to the Justice, Chief Felix Enebeli and made available to News Point Nigeria, Wednesday. According to the statement, while the defamation arising from the false allegation…

JUSTICE Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court Abuja has issued a temporary order stopping the move by the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, to impeach his Deputy, Phillip Shaibu, over their irreconcilable differences. Justice Mohammed issued the temporary order while ruling in a motion on notice filed by Shaibu praying the court to stop the move to ease him out of office by his principal. In the ruling, Justice Mohammed directed the parties in the suit to maintain status quo. The order for the status quo is to be in force till the time the defendants shall show cause…

THE Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, in a landmark judgment, has “ordered the disclosure of the spending details of over N200bn public funds collected by the government of former Delta State governor Ifeanyi Okowa from the Universal Basic Education Commission [UBEC] fund and allocations from the Federation Accounts.” The court ordered the Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to “disclose details of budgetary allocations and actual spending by the Okowa government between 2015 and 2019, including specific projects carried out to improve primary education in Delta State, and the locations of such projects.” The judgment was delivered by Honourable Justice…

A CHIEFTAIN of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State, Chief Charles Obule, has slumped and died in Sapele Local Government Area of the state. Until his death, the late PDP chieftain was a party leader in Delta State and a former governorship and senatorial aspirant of the party. Obule, who held the traditional title of “Erhi of Okpe Kingdom” reportedly died on Tuesday after a protracted illness at the age of 65. Meanwhile, the Delta State governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, has expressed sadness on the passing of the “renowned party chieftain, businessman, politician and philanthropist.” Governor Oborevwhori, in a…

THE Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has announced that it has attracted several partnership requests from the European Union, foreign and domestic entities, State Governments, and the private sector due to its transparency and accountability in delivering its mandate. The NDDC Managing Director/CEO, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, disclosed this during his visit to Ondo State Government House, where he was received by the Acting Governor of Ondo State, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa. Dr. Ogbuku said that the NDDC has gained the confidence and trust of investors and stakeholders willing to collaborate with the commission to develop the Niger Delta region and empower…

UNKNOWN gunmen have reportedly kidnapped nine travellers in Oben, a border town between Edo and Delta states. This newspaper learnt that the incident happened along Jesse-Oben Road on Friday night and had caused panic in the community. A hunter, Mr Obehe Adika, who claimed to have witnessed the incident, said he heard gunshots and tyre-screeching sounds from the bush where he was hunting around 9pm. He also claimed to have seen a Hilux van filled with gunmen, who attacked and kidnapped the passengers, who were in a Toyota Hiace bus heading to Delta State. “I saw them (gunmen) dragging the…