Category: South East

Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa will inaugurate some projects in the Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, as part of activities to mark the institution’s 30th anniversary and 14th convocation ceremony on April 30.

Vice Chancellor Prof. Andy Egwunyenga, at a news conference yesterday, said only graduates between 2019 and 2021 are eligible to participate in the convocation ceremony, which was suspended since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the vice chancellor, the university can now boast of 12 faculties, over 85 departments, more than 100 academic programmes, and 27 directorates and research centres.

He listed the Faculty of Pharmacy Complex and access link roads, Animal House and Faculty of Science, Faculty of Arts Complex, Department of Nursing Science Extension, Educational Technology Building and laying Foundation Stone of the Faculty of Management Sciences Complex, as some of the projects to be inaugurated.

Governor Okowa has also said he is committed to allowing God’s will prevail on the choice of who will succeed him in 2023.

Okowa stated this at the 70th birth anniversary and thanksgiving service of Chief Oritsetimeyin Adams, at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke’s Anglican Church, Sapele, Sapele Local Government Area.

The governor said he was not willing to lord himself on the people, but would rather allow God provide the people with a worthy successor as governor.

He said: “The choice of a successor is not by wish of man but by the will of God. I thank the Church and our leaders for their consistent prayers for our dear state because it is not about us, but about what God wants. So, pray that whoever God wants will be the governor and may that person emerge as governor for the good of the people of Delta. May God’s will be done in Delta State and may it be well with us in Nigeria.”

Okowa congratulated the celebrator for attaining the Biblical three scores and 10 years, and urged him to rededicate his life to the service of God and humanity.

Bishop of Oleh Diocese (Anglican Communion), Rev. John Aruakpor, in his sermon, congratulated Adams for using his positions to attract development to his people. The bishop said every celebration was a day to look back and give thanks to God for His grace upon our lives. He added that the grace of God had helped the celebrant all through his life.

The cleric, who spoke on ‘The value of man’s life’, said a man’s worth does not consist in the abundance of his possessions, but by the value of service he renders to others.

The Delta State House of Assembly has approved a request by the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for a bridging finance facility of N150 billion.

The governor’s request was contained in a letter which was read by the Speaker, Sheriff Oborevwori, during plenary.

Okowa’s letter reads: “The requested credit facility would be principally tailored towards defraying arrears of unpaid certificates earned by contractors, with respect to completion of some critical ongoing legacy projects awarded by past and present administrations.”

The governor also said part of the loan would be tailored towards taking care of outstanding pension commitments in the contributory pension scheme of state and local governments, amounting to N20 billion and N10 billion.

The letter added: “I wish to inform you that the state is expecting refund from the Federal Government, being Petroleum Subsidy Payments made without recourse to the 13 per cent derivation due to oil producing states from January 1999 till November 30, 2021. Delta State’s portion amounts to N270.6 billion.

“Bearing in mind the administration’s resolve to finish strong, it is necessary for the state to capitalise on the refund to defray arrears of unpaid certificates earned by contractors with respect to completion of some critical ongoing legacy projects awarded by past and present administrations.”

The motion for approval was moved by the Majority Leader, Ferguson Onwo, and seconded by the Chief Whip, Mrs. Pat Ajudua. The motion was unanimously adopted by the Assembly when put to a voice vote.

Some delegates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom have raised concerns that Governor Udom Emmanuel is planning to rig the governorship primaries slated for May 21.

The delegates said one of such plots to rig the primaries in favour of Pastor Umo Eno, the governor’s preferred candidate, was to move the venue to the Ibagwa Army barracks in Abak Local Government Area. They said it was unusual for the venue to be relocated from the usual Uyo Township Stadium.

One of the statutory delegates, John Etefit, said the move was an attempt to stampede delegates. “After fruitless efforts to get most of us to support the aspiration of Eno, subtle and open threats have been employed, which we resisted, and now the idea of taking the primaries to the barracks have birthed.

“We were told by core Eno supporters that their final joker is the barracks where only their supporters will be allowed in and others turned back, and if they insist on getting in, soldiers will be directed to unleash mayhem on them.”

Another delegate, Asuquo Ekanem, from Oruk Anam Local Government Area, said: “Democracy is fully under threat in Akwa Ibom State, the government in sheer readiness to impose their preferred aspirant is leaving no stone unturned in enthroning dictatorship; they are no longer appealing or lobbying us to accept their aspirant, but asking us to wait and see if we will even access the venue. We were told our names will be called, but  accreditation tags will be given to their men and there is nothing we will do about it.”

State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Borono Bassey, said the matter was still in the realm of speculation. “It’s purely speculations by outsiders at this moment,” he noted.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed reports that voter registration resumed in some local government areas of Imo State as misleading.

The Commission suspended the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise in Orsu, Njaba and Ihitte-Uboma councils after gunmen attacked a registration centre.

An INEC worker, Anthony Nwokorie, was killed, while two others were abducted.

A statement by INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, reads: “Our attention has been drawn to reports that INEC has resumed the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in places where the exercise was earlier suspended in Imo State. This is misleading.

“Recall that following the unfortunate incident in Ihitte-Uboma Local Government Area, where our worker was killed, and reports of insecurity in other parts of the state, the Commission suspended the exercise in all the 54 additional centres. The exercise is still confined to our state and local government offices, except in Orsu, Njaba and Ihitte-Uboma councils where it is suspended indefinitely. “The position of the Commission has not changed. While the Commission is not unmindful of the imperative of giving every eligible Nigerian the opportunity to register and vote in future elections, the safety and security of citizens involved in the exercise is a paramount concern.

“We appeal to the public to discountenance the purported resumption of the CVR in the three councils. Such statements are capable of misleading the public and further jeopardising the safety of registrants and officials, as well as the security of the Commission’s facilities. At the appropriate time, the Commission will announce any new decision on the matter after consultation with security agencies and critical stakeholders.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Commission has not appointed any unofficial spokesperson on any its activities.”

Governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Senator Magnus Abe, has said the party will not accept the emergence of any governorship candidate from a kangaroo process.

Abe insisted that nobody, inspite of wealth or social status, could enslave Rivers people.

A statement by his spokesperson, Parry Benson, said Abe spoke at the National School Field, Okrika, during a meeting with the people of Okrika and Ogu/Bolo Local Government Area. He noted that Rivers people would not allow anybody enslave them through crooked maneuvering, and so advised his supporters to brace up for the fight ahead ‘which will not be easy’.

He said: “I have said it before and want to say it again, that Rivers people have never been slaves to anybody and, nobody, no matter the amount of money he has, can enslave us. We can chart our own destiny. Let me assure you all that the road ahead will not be easy but you have the power, the capacity and audacity, and I know that we can do it. We will do it and we’ll win.

“I will present myself to the Rivers people and if they decide to choose a better person over me through a transparent process, I will support that person. We must have a clear and transparent process. But if they bring somebody through a Kangaroo process, we will not accept. We will challenge it.”

A former member of the Rivers State House of Assembly and APC stalwart,  Golden Ben Chioma, said members of the party  unanimously agreed to support the aspiration of the party’s national leader, Bola Tinubu, to become Nigeria’s president in 2023.

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has mourned the death of elder statesman, Alabo Tonye Graham-Douglas.

Wike, in a statement by his media aide, Kelvin Ebiri, said Rivers State had lost one of its worthiest sons.

The governor noted that Graham-Douglas’ service to Rivers State as a commissioner, and the nation as Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture; Aviation, and Labour and Productivity, was exceptional.

The statement reads: “Graham-Douglas’s death is indisputably the passing of an era. He was a colossus in public life. He served our dear state and the nation with patriotism. The state has lost one of its worthiest sons.

“On behalf of the government and people of Rivers State, I express my condolences to the Graham-Douglas family and all those who mourn his passing.”

Former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dakuku Peterside, described Graham-Douglas’s death as a blow to Nigeria, Rivers State and the Ijaw Nation.

He said the deceased was part of the generation that envisioned a glorious and prosperous Rivers State.

“The deceased believed in and championed the cause of Rivers State, he is a great statesman in words and in deeds; he was a rallying point for anything progressive and development-driven.

“I am proud of his accomplishments and what he represented, his house was always open for us as his adopted children and we benefited immensely from his deep insights on topical issues,” Peterside said.

Edo State is collating data of residents to help the government’s planning and delivery of essential services, Governor Godwin Obaseki has said.

The governor added that residents will be issued identification numbers afterwards. He spoke yesterday when he received the template of the pilot phase of the Edo Identification Scheme (EIS) at the Government House in Benin.

He said: “As a government, we must have data and information of residents in the state, for whom we are supposed to provide services. As a state, we now need a single source of truth where there is a common denominator that links people and services together.

“This is very significant, because it is happening everywhere in the world. I am very excited that we are linking this to the National Identification Number (NIN) protocol so that whatever we are doing is linked to a single source of identification.

“We are very anxious about seeing the pilot roll-out. The whole idea is to see that the five million or more residents in Edo get to be identified and have a source of identity for which the government can get data to plan for them….”

We look forward to executing this, and hope that within the 90 days period this pilot ought to have been concluded, we would get good reports, and by the third quarter of this year, we should start a full rollout.”

A Rivers State governorship aspirant on the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform, Tekena Iyagba, has disowned the consensus arrangement which produced Tonye Cole as the party’s candidate.

The Tekena Iyagba’s Governorship Campaign Organisation said Iyagba is still in the race as he did not, at any point, agree to a consensus. A statement by the spokesperson, Deborah Agbalama, said Iyagba was still seeking votes for the governorship primaries.

The statement reads: “Iyagba’s ambition is born out of the conviction that it’s time to distinguish politics from governance and make Rivers State an urbanised and industrialised haven for residents and prospective investors.

“We appreciate the support so far, and those who have reached out to us to be a part of this campaign train, urging them not be dissuaded by these speculations.

“Our candidate, Tekena Iyagba, consulted with the people of Wakrike as a bonafide Ijaw son from Okrika and Ogu-Bolo before joining the race, and cannot make such a decision as he is a serious minded person who is known to keep to his promises.”

Bayelsa State government has admonished Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas (HOSCON) to complement government efforts in sensitising the people on the dangers of illegal oil refining.

It urged the host communities to particularly warn the youths on the environmental and health hazards associated with illegal bunkering and refining of crude oil.

Deputy Governor Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo spoke when members of the Bayelsa State Executive and Elders Council of HOSCON visited his office in the Government House, Yenagoa.

Ewhrudjakpo, who condemned the call for legalisation of illegal refining, said HOSCON has a strategic role to play in the ongoing sensitisation efforts of government to discourage youths involved in the act.

He advised the group to educate the communities on how best to demand their rights from oil companies operating.

Responding to the group’s requests, especially on the passage of the BYSOPADEC Bill pending before the House of Assembly, Ewhrudjakpo urged HOSCON to leverage on its over 1,200-community membership capacity to prevail on the Assembly to pass the bill into law.

He also promised to convey their demands for a bus and the award of contract jobs to HOSCON, to Governor Douye Diri.

State Chairman of HOSCON Pastor Samson Dabbey-Graham said the visit was to formally introduce the new executive members to the deputy governor and explore areas of collaboration with government.

Dabbey-Graham pleaded with the Diri administration to empower the association with contract jobs to enable it raise funds to start a palm oil mining factory in the state.

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has described the alleged killing of 300 cows in the Southeast as fictitious.

The group also alerted to the Federal government’s deployment of terrorists in the region, under the guise of security agencies.

A statement by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, called on indigenes to be prepared as their plan was to take over the Southeast and other regions. It wondered why the Federal Government would deploy troops over missing cows, but do noting over missing soldiers.

The statement reads: “We wish to raise the alarm over the deployment of terrorists in the Southeast, under the guise of security agents, by the Federal Government.

“The Federal Government has started once again to deploy more military and police personnel in the Southeast to clear the way for jihadists and terrorists to invade the region and take over the land. We are calling on every indigenous tribe in Nigeria to be prepared because their plan is to start with the Southeast and pursue their conquest to other regions. So nobody should think that their own region is free from these jihadists.

“This is their agenda of 200 years ago, which they planned to actualise in 2022, but we must resist them. The Nigeria terrorists’ nation and its security agencies raised false alarm of missing 10 to 300 cows. This is only a smoke screen to invade our land; they think we are fools, but they will fail as they used to fail. “Since bandits and terrorists masquerading as herdsmen started invading ancestral communities in Nigeria, and killing innocent citizens without provocation, latest being the Benue incident where over 20 persons were slaughtered one day, how many of the perpetrators have been brought to book? Now they alleged that cows are missing and they are deploying troops in search of it.

“The global world should take note of the plans of these jihadists in security uniforms in Nigeria. The world must look into the constant killing of innocent citizens in the South Eastern states without cause.

“Nigeria security agencies have mapped out this region for total destruction and extermination. We beg the world to come to our rescue because we are under serious attack. The fictitious allegation of killing 10 to 300 cows is totally false. The Nigerian Joint Task Force (JTF) could not rescue Biafrans kidnapped and chased by terrorist herdsmen who are behind the criminalities in Enugu, Abia and some parts of Imo states, but now they want to rescue cows…”