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  • Tinubu nominates Abe, Adeniji to chair NUPRC, NMDPRA boards, seeks Senate confirmation

    Tinubu nominates Abe, Adeniji to chair NUPRC, NMDPRA boards, seeks Senate confirmation

    …submits 21 nominees for oil and gas regulators

    …urges expeditious approval following CEOs’ confirmation

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated Senator Magnus Abe and energy expert, Adegbite Ebiowei Adeniji, as board chairmen of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), respectively, and has asked the Senate to confirm their appointments.

    According to a statement issued on Monday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President, in two separate letters to the Senate, sought confirmation of 21 nominees to serve on the boards of the two key petroleum-sector regulators established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

    For the NUPRC, President Tinubu nominated Abe, who represented Rivers South-East Senatorial District for two terms, as board chairman.

    Abe is a former board member of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and currently chairs the National Agency for the Great Green Wall.

    Other nominees for the NUPRC board as non-executive commissioners are Engineer Paul Yaro Jezhi, a former chairman of the Trade Union Congress in Kaduna State, and Mr Sunday Adebayo Babalola, a former deputy director of the defunct Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR).

    The President also nominated seven executive commissioners for the NUPRC.

    They are Muhammed Sabo Lamido (Finance); Edu Inyang (Exploration and Acreage); Justin Ezeala (Economic Regulation and Strategic Planning); Henry Darlington Oki (Development and Production); Indabawa Bashari Alka (Corporate Services and Administration); Mahmood Tijani (Health, Safety and Environment); and Ms Olayemi Adeboyejo as Secretary and Legal Adviser.

    While Lamido and Adeboyejo were first appointed in 2022 under former President Muhammadu Buhari, and Alka in 2023 by President Tinubu, Inyang, Ezeala, Tijani, Babalola, and Jezhi are new nominees.

    In the second letter, the President nominated Adeniji, a lawyer with over 30 years’ experience in energy and natural resources, as chairman of the NMDPRA board.

    Adeniji previously served as special technical adviser to the Minister of State for Petroleum on upstream and gas issues and was part of the World Bank Oil and Gas Policy team that advised Nigeria on petroleum-sector reforms.

    Read Also: Photo of Tinubu–Kagame Paris meeting is authentic – Presidency

    He is currently the managing partner at ENR Advisory.

    Also nominated as non-executive members of the NMDPRA board are Chief Kenneth Kobani, a former Minister of State for Trade and ex–Secretary to the Rivers State Government, and Mrs Asabe Ahmed.

    Other nominees include Abiodun Adeniji (Executive Director, Finance); Francis Ogaree (Executive Director, Hydrocarbon); Oluwole Adama (Executive Director, Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure); and Dr Mustapha Lamorde (Executive Director, Corporate Services and Administration).

    Additional proposed members are Yahaya Nasamu Yinusa (Executive Director, Distribution Systems); Adeyemi Murtala Aminu (Executive Director, Corporate Services); Ms Modie Ogechukwu (Executive Director, Economic Regulation and Strategic Planning); and Barrister Olawale Dawodu as Board Secretary and Legal Adviser.

    President Tinubu urged the Senate to consider and approve the nominations expeditiously, noting that the requests followed the recent confirmation of the chief executive officers of the two agencies.

    The Senate had earlier confirmed Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan as CEO of the NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as CEO of the NMDPRA.

    According to the statement, the President charged all appointees and nominees “to discharge their duties and responsibilities professionally as regulators of the oil and gas sectors.”

  • Ganduje, Abe, Afikuyomi, others get board chairmanships

    Ganduje, Abe, Afikuyomi, others get board chairmanships

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of board chairpersons for 42 federal organizations and a secretary for the Civil Defence, Immigration, and Prisons Services Board.

    The President also named a new Managing-Director for the Nigerian Railway Corporation and a Director-General for the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI).

    In a statement released on Thursday by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the appointments were described as part of the administration’s efforts to strengthen governance and institutional performance.

    President Tinubu directed the appointed board chairpersons to respect their non-executive roles and refrain from interfering in the day-to-day management of their respective organizations.

    The appointments take immediate effect.

    Among the key appointees are Hon. Hillard Eta (Cross-River) as Chairman of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi (Lagos) as Chairman of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs.

    Former Kano State Governor, who is the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi U. Ganduje, has been named Chairman of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), while Secretary of the party, Sen. Surajudeen Bashiru Ajibola, takes on the role of Chairman of the National Sugar Development Council.

    H.E. Sulaiman Argungu has been appointed Chairman of the Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Company, and Sen. Magnus Abe will serve as Chairman of the National Agency for Great Green Wall.

    Barr. Festus Fuanter will chair the National Teachers Institute, while Raji Kazeem Kolawole has been named Director-General of the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI).

    Chief Victor Tombari Giadom is now the Chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Educational Planning and Administration, and Comrade Mustapha Salihu takes on the role at the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria.

    Read Also: Niger tanker explosion: A heartbreaking tragedy – Ganduje

    Hon. Hamma Adama Ali Kumo will chair the Industrial Training Fund, and Donatus Enyinnah Nwankpa has been appointed Chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Science Laboratory Technology.

    Sen. Abubakar Maikafi has been named Chairman of the Sheda Science and Technology Complex, and H.E. Nasiru Gawuna will chair the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria.

    Sen. Tokunbo Afikuyomi has been appointed Chairman of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion, while Chief D.J. Kekemeke will serve as Chairman of the Nigerian Postal Service.

    Other notable appointments include Hon. Musa Sarkin Adar as Chairman of the National Inland Waterways Authority; Prof. Abdulkarim Kana Abubakar as Chairman of the National Steel Council; and Hon. Garba Datti Muhammad as Chairman of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency.

    Mu’azu Bawa Rijau has been appointed Chairman of the National Biosafety Management Agency, and Hon. Durosimi Meseko will chair the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute.

    In the health sector, Hajia Zainab A. Ibrahim has been named Chairman of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe, while Aare Durotolu Oyebode Bankole will chair the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti.

    Mr. Abdullahi Dayo Israel has been appointed chairman of the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, and Dr.  Mary Alile Idele will chair the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba.

    Additional appointments include Nze Chidi Duru (Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja); Hon. Emma Eneukwu (Federal Medical Centre, Owerri); and Mr. Uguru Mathew Ofoke (Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia).

    Barr. Felix Chukwumenoye Morka will chair the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, while Alh. Bashir Usman Gumel has been named Chairman of the Federal Medical Centre, Yola.

    Dr. Ijeoma Arodiogbu will chair the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital in Ebonyi State; and Chief Edward Omo-Erewa has been appointed Chairman of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency.

    Yusuf Hamisu Abubakar will lead the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and Hon. Ali Bukar Dalori has been named Chairman of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi.

    Hon. Lawal M. Liman will chair the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital in Zaria, and Dr. Abubakar Isa Maiha will oversee the Federal Medical Centre, Katsina.

    Isa Sadiq Achida has been named chairman of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), while Dr. Mohammed Gusau Hassan will chair the Federal Medical Centre, Birnin Kudu; and Amb. Abubakar Shehu Wurno will chair the Sokoto-Rima River Basin Development Authority.

    Augustine Chukwu Umahi will lead the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, while Engr. Babatunde Fakoyede will chair the Federal Scholarship Board.

    Finally, Hon. Shola Olofin has been named chairman of the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund. Dr. Kayode Isiak Opeifa has been appointed managing director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation; and Major Gen. Jubril Abdulmalik (Rtd) will serve as Secretary of the Civil Defence, Immigration, and Prisons Services Board.

  • Abe reconciles with Wike, Okocha, seeks peace in Rivers APC

    Abe reconciles with Wike, Okocha, seeks peace in Rivers APC

    Senator Magnus Abe has confirmed that he has reconciled his differences with the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike.

    Abe sent tongues wagging last weekend when he attended the Thanksgiving organised by the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker Committee in Rivers, Chief Tony Okocha.

    It would be recalled that Abe left the APC to fly the governorship flag of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the last election, but made a U-turn to return to the party after he lost at the poll.

    The former senator, who represented the Rivers Southeast Senatorial District, said his decision to reunite with the APC and support the Okocha’s caretaker committee was to end the rift in the party.

    Abe, who wrote on his verified Facebook page commended Wike for reconciling with him, describing the minister’s mediation as direct, truthful and sincere.

    He wrote: “Be yourself and let others be themselves. I believe that the APC in Rivers State will benefit from the process of peaceful reunification, and reintegration.

    “I have made peace with the Hon Minister of the FCT, and former Governor of Rivers state. I accompanied him to Chief Tony Okocha’s Thanksgiving to show that my commitment to end the rifts in our party is total.

    “I want to publicly thank the minister, he could have behaved like other politicians – made peace with me, and still encouraged me, Tony and others to continue fighting (You bring Magnus in the morning through one door, then bring Tony in the evening through the other door). But his style is direct, truthful, and sincere, and it will create a united team.

    Read Also: Atiku, Wike and the battle for PDP’s soul

    “The disagreements within is over and done for good, because the oxygen for conflict has been extinguished. It may take a little while but the result is that all those with us, who sincerely wish us well will go with us and tow the path of unity because we all know that it is the right way to go.

    “Let me also thank Chief Okocha, of course, he knew I was coming, and he received me well. My home is in the APC. Let us come together. Everyone will benefit from us working together.

    “When it is time we will speak. For now, make I dey my dey. Let us focus on the economy. God bless u all.”

  • Abe blames politicians for insecurity

    A former representative of Rivers Southeast Senatorial District, Senator Magnus Abe, has described politics as one of the root causes of insecurity in Nigeria.

    Abe who spoke through his spokesperson, Parry Benson, said the 2019 Niger Delta Chief Executive Officers; (CEO) summit, with the theme: “Economic Revitalisation for Sustainable Development,” at the Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt in Rivers State.

    The former Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG) urged all political leaders to commit themselves to the principle that they will not send their followers on any errand or mission that they themselves will not undertake and to which they will not send their own children.

    He said: “Politics is one of the root causes of insecurity. If you doubt me, simply look at the level of violence in the Niger Delta on election day and during the campaigns.

    “We cannot armed boys, feed them, instigate violence during elections and then after the elections we begin to talk and pretend that we do not know what is going on or when the society begins to fall apart, we act as if we do not know what is at the bottom of it.

    “If we take violence out of our politics, violence in the society will reduce to manageable proportions. There is violence everywhere in the world, but violence can only spiral out of proportion when it is state-sponsored or state tolerated.

    “If we take violence out of our elections, it will not only solve the problem of insecurity in the Niger Delta, but we will enthrone good governance, because it will substantially reduce godfatherism as it will become impossible for any leader to singlehandedly handpick every member of the House of Assembly and every local government chairman.”

    Abe also stated that if the law was fairly and impartially enforced, and effective mechanisms for review of state actions were  created, progress would be made.

    He said the state actors that violated the rules should be punished, while the private actors that compromised the system should also be sanctioned.

    The senator said: “The scenario I will like to point out, about the issue of insecurity in the Niger Delta, is to say that insecurity in this region started out of the insincerity of the political leadership.

    “It is sustained in large part by political leaders who are determined to control the rest of us by all means, fair and foul, and so, they sponsor and protect violent youths to intimidate the rest of us and control the political space.”

    Abe also expressed shock over a statement credited to the  Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Prof. Nelson Brambraifa, that sought to disparage the Niger Delta CEO’s Summit for political reasons, describing the statement as unfortunate, unfounded and uncalled for.

    He said: “I was shocked and stunned beyond words, that the Managing Director of NDDC issued the statement, because he was not politically comfortable with some of the persons invited and I asked myself; how can we develop the Niger Delta with this kind of thinking?

    “If you did not want to attend, you could quietly stay away. I was planning to quietly stay away. You could send somebody to represent you. If they asked you for sponsorship or for support and you did not want to give the support, it is your prerogative.

    “You have been giving money to people in all sorts of empowerment schemes that empowers nobody. When I heard that, I said, I would come. We must all condemn the kind of behaviour that will place politics above development.

    “It does not help the Niger Delta. We should have the courage to say what is right and insist that the right things be done.”

    The former Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), also urged the CEOs to join to make politics in the Niger Delta region right, in order to prevent politicians from using government to mess up their businesses.

    The immediate past Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, who chaired the occasion, in his address, called on CEOs in the Niger Delta to invest in agriculture, as an alternative to oil.

    Lokpobiri described agriculture as the largest employer of labour, insisting that investment in agriculture would reduce unemployment and agitations/restiveness in the Niger Delta.

    The facilitator of the Niger Delta CEOs Summit, Ernest Sorgwe, earlier in his address, stated that the programme was put together annually to stir up the right conversation among the people of the crude oil and gas-rich region.

    Sorgwe said: “We do it (summit) to stir up the necessary conversation to change the narrative, because a place is not made by the name, but by the people who live in the environment.”

     

  • Abe: I remain committed to APC

    Senator Magnus Abe (Rivers Southeast) has restated his commitment to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    According to him, respect for internal democracy, rather than impunity, would end the raging squabbles in the APC in Rivers.

    A statement yesterday by his spokesperson, Parry Benson, said Abe spoke on a live radio programme, where he promised to champion the enthronement of internal democracy within APC.

    He noted that his resolve was anchored on the fact that he and others left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) because of impunity and high-handedness, and would not allow the same things to happen in the APC.

    The statement reads: “You know this was the same struggle that took us out of the PDP. It was the same struggle for internal democracy and respect for human rights, respect for the citizens, respect for constitution and respect for due process, rather than impunity.

    “That’s what made us leave the PDP and join APC. So, if after making these sacrifices, getting this far and we abandon this struggle, what was it about?

    “I believe it is not only justified, but also necessary today, tomorrow, and as long as there are human societies, the fight to make the world better and make it function better for everybody will continue, nonstop.

     

  • Abe threatening my life, says APC chieftain

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has accused Senator Magnus Abe (Rivers Southeast) and his allies of plotting to eliminate him and his family.

    He called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Inspector-General of Police (IG), Mohammed Adamu, to protect his family from the threats to their lives.

    Eze, in an online statement yesterday, alleged that some of Abe’s allies called him and threatened that his family would be wiped out for his utterances against the senator.

    The statement reads: “Abe is Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) mole in APC. He is a selfish and ambitious man who will do anything for power. Abe is angry that I exposed how he teamed up with elements within and outside Rivers State to ensure that APC did not field candidates in the general elections.

    “I also exposed how Abe ceaselessly castigated and impugned Rotimi Amaechi’s person. To expose Abe’s intentions, his associate, one Augustine, called me on Saturday morning with mobile number 08183636808, saying they had set up a militia committee to monitor and kill me and all members of my family, for what I wrote about their principal (Abe), to confirm why they were called vultures.”

    Eze added that he did not know what he did to warrant the threats, besides exposing Abe’s plots against Amaechi. He alleged that the senator was using APC platform to lobby for ministerial appointment.

    The party chieftain said he has reported the threats to the police, but insisted that should anything unfortunate happen to him or any member of his relatives, Abe should be arrested.

    Abe’s spokesman, Parry Benson, refused to comment. But Abe’s ally, Kennedy Friday, said: “Chief Eze is a purveyor of lies and a crisis entrepreneur who lives by churning out falsehood and assassinating the character of people who disagree with the Minister for Transportation.

    “Having seen the groundswell of condemnation trailing his despicable writings and lies against eminent sons of Rivers State, he is now churning yet another lie from his imagination, possibly to scam the minister who employed him for this role.

    “There is nobody in this country who does not know that Chief Eze is a purveyor of lies and hate.”

  • Abe urges forgiveness in Ogoni land

    Senator Magnus Abe (Rivers South-East) has appealed to the people of Ogoni to imbibe the spirit of forgiveness to usher in peace, progress, and prosperity in Ogoni land.

    A statement by his spokesman, Parry Benson, said Abe made the appeal at a multi-stakeholders meeting of Ogoni leaders at Saakpenwa, headquarters of Tai Local Government Area.

    According to him, until there is genuine forgiveness among the leadership and the people, peace and progress may elude them. He noted that even the Ogoni clean-up cannot happen in an atmosphere of violence, and bitterness.

    Read also: Abe hails Buhari on Ogoni land clean-up board

    The senator urged them to put behind whatever might have been responsible for their differences and chart a new way forward for a new beginning.

    He said: “It is important that we understand that without forgiveness, this land cannot move forward. All of us have had our differences, but we cannot pursue our differences while Ogoni is sinking; let us forgive one another.

    “It is our responsibility, as leaders of the people, to bring the current state of insecurity and hopelessness in the land under control so that peace, prosperity and progress will find a place in Ogoni land. We must restore order in this land”.

  • Why Ogoni clean up exercise may fail, by Abe

    The Senator representing Rivers South East, Magnus Ngei Abe, on Thursday, warned that the ongoing Ogoni cleanup programme may not succeed due to increasing spate of security issues.

    He also said that unrestrained pollution of Ogoni land is another reason the cleanup exercise may fail.

    Abe who stated this as part of his lead debate on a Bill for Act to establish the Federal University of Environment, Science and Agriculture in Ogoni Land noted that every day at least six people are killed in Ogoni land.

    He said that he is aware that contracts have been awarded for the cleanup programme but feared that insecurity is a major issue in the area.

    He lamented that the security situation in Ogoni land is not one that any meaningful cleanup programme could go on.

    The people of Ogoni, he said, were running away as a result of the worsening security situation being experienced in the area.

    Urging the Federal Government to take measures to stem the tide of insecurity, Abe insisted that unless the security and continuous pollution of the environment are addressed, no meaningful cleanup programme can take place.

    For government must address security and pollution issue to enable contractors to work effectively.

    Read Also: Abe: I knew Supreme Court would strike out my motion

    Abe said, “I am aware that contracts for the clean-up of Ogoni land have been awarded. Right now as we speak, the security situation in the area does not provide for a meaningful economic or even contractual activity could go on. As we talk now, every day, at least six people are killed in one community or the other. There is no day they are not killing people. Many residents of the various communities have abandoned their homes and ran away due to violence. So, in that kind of atmosphere, it will be difficult for me to say there is any contractor somewhere in the bush alone working? I don’t think that is possible at this time but I know that contracts have awarded and I believe that it is our responsibility as a nation to address these security issues so that real development can take place.

    “Any clean-up that goes on without first addressing the issue of the continued pollution of the environment is a waste of everybody’s money because as the clean-up is going on, the criminals will be spoiling the exercise. Addressing the security issues in Ogoni land, is foundational to the success of the clean-up. However, due to public pressure, people want to see the clean-up exercise going on and that contracts are awarded, people want to believe that something is going on not considering the security challenges in the area.”

    On how to address the situation he said: “What I think should be done to address the issue of insecurity, every society rewards the behaviour you want and punish the behaviour you don’t want. In the Niger Delta, violence is being rewarded. If you engage in violence you are rewarded. All over the country criminality is being rewarded.

    “People must be held accountable for their action. When people kill people, you say it is cult, it should be murder.

    “What does Nigeria expect of Nigerians, we don’t know because we have not agreed. We must be a nation that stands by the truth. If we really want change in Nigeria, everybody must stand up for it. What is happening is that everybody thinks that they can secure their space. We must decide that we can not tolerate what is wrong. Everybody cannot go to jail, it is not possible. Stand for the truth.”

    On the proposed university, he said, ‘One critical objective of the University will be to establish improved scientific standards and train more competent apprentices and student that will fill the vacancies that expatriates are currently occupying due to lack of local competencies.”

    He added that the university when established will produce specialists and graduates in different areas of environmental challenges such as: Environmental Management/Engineering, Environmental Accidents, Water Pollution, Hazardous waste detection and management, Soil Contamination, Ozone Depletion, Assessment, Remediation, and protection of air and water resources, River Basin Management, Flood Protection and Drought prevention.

  • Abe, Emerhor, Ogboru others hail victory

    Senator Magnus Abe (Rivers South East) has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on his re-election as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

    A statement by Abe’s spokesman, Parry Benson, congratulated Buhari and Nigerians who helped make history.

    The Senator urged the government to punish those found guilty of electoral offences no matter how highly placed. He condemned the violence in Rivers State and other parts of the country.

    Abe said though the elections were far from being perfect, it, however, satisfied the yearnings and aspirations of the majority of Nigerians.

    The statement reads: “Though the elections were in no way perfect, but nobody can dispute the fact that it has answered the yearnings of majority of Nigerians. It is a clear expression of the wish of the Nigerian people for continuity and progress.

    “We, therefore, call on Atiku Abubakar and members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to accept the people’s verdict and extend their hand of fellowship to the President-elect so that we can work together.”

    Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, has congratulated President Buhari for his re-election.

    Emerhor, in a statement yesterday in Warri, also thanked Nigerians for trusting the president enough to give him another chance at serving the country.

    According to the chieftain, Nigerians should be assured that President Buhari would continue to deliver on his promises to them.

    Emerhor, who praised his followers, especially the over 4,000 Buhari canvassers and their coordinators, said he contributed to delivering more than the required 25 per cent to the party.

    He said: “I write on behalf of the Mainstream APC in Delta State, to greet president-elect, President Muhammadu Buhari, for his landslide victory in the February 23 elections.

    “We have no doubt that your victory was well-deserved in view of your visible achievements in your first four years. I also thank Nigerians for voting to move the country forward, and giving our President four more years to consolidate on the foundational achievements of his first four years…”

    The Delta State governorship candidate of the APC, Great Ovedje Ogboru, described President Buhari’s victory as a testimony of his good works in the last four years.

    Ogboru said the victory is an indication of the confidence Nigerians have in Buhari despite the attacks and criticisms on him.

    The candidate also hailed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for conducting credible elections, saying the victory has revealed how much Nigerians love Buhari.

    He said: “From the onset, I knew Buhari was going to win because he has done a lot for Nigerians, and I was optimistic that he would be rewarded with votes. This has shown that good work deserves appreciation, and Nigerians exhibited that last Saturday.”

    The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide also hailed the victory.

    A statement by the spokesman, Daniel Dasimaka, described President Buhari’s victory as a testament of the level of acceptance he enjoyed in the country.

    He, however, urged the President to reward the efforts and support he received from the Niger Delta by developing the region in his second term.

    Prior to the election, IYC endorsed Buhari and gave reasons why the region should vote for him.

    Dasimaka said beyond the endorsement, like minds in IYC worked to garner votes for the President following their conviction that he meant well for the region.

    He said: “We congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari and urge him to treat his victory as a victory for all Nigerians, and see the country, including regions and state where he did not win, as his constituency.

    “We urge the President to utilise and build on the support he and his party received from the Niger Delta by developing the region and Ijaw land…”

  • Abe: our struggle for justice continues

    Senator Magnus Abe (Rivers South East) has insisted that the struggle to enthrone equal rights and justice in the Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) will continue.

    Abe was reacting to the removal of Mr. Derek Mene as executive director of Finance and Administration (EDFA)  at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

    A statement by his spokesman, Parry Saroh Benson, said no level of arm-twisting would make him abandon the struggle for justice.

    The statement reads: “Our struggle predates the present NDDC, and will outlive dissolution of the board. No manner of strong-arm tactics will compel us to give up the struggle. If anything, every act of injustice strengthens our resolve.

    “First, let me thank President Muhammadu Buhari for the privilege given to Derek Lenyie Mene (executive director, Finance and Administration of NDDC) and Iboroma Harry (Rivers State commissioner on the board), both Rivers sons.

    “However, it is an open secret that Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, had long threatened to remove Mene from the commission for his principled stand on injustice and fairness in Rivers politics, particularly as it affects the marginalisation of Southest from the state leadership.

    “Coincidentally, the only executive removed in the dissolution of the board is Derek Mene, and his position has now been given to someone from Rivers East, the home district of Amaechi and Governor Nyesom Wike.”

    “Positions, money and power will come and go but truth and honour are everlasting. Let me assure all lovers of justice in APC that the struggle for fairness, equity, justice and respect for our members in APC is no way affected by dissolution of NDDC board.