The Nation Newspaper

Tag: P/Harcourt

  • 24 states, 144 players in P/Harcourt

    The Badminton Federation of Nigeria, the organisers of the first Rivers Governor’s Badminton Championship has confirmed 144 athletes from 24 for states for the championship, which served off yesterday (Wednesday) at the Alfred Diette Spiff Civic Centre in Port Harcourt.

    The tournament, the biggest money-spinning event in the country, has attracted the best players in the country with top seeds, Dorcas Adesokan and Anu Opeyori leading some of the best players to the tournament. Some of the players who have represented Nigeria at international tournaments will bring their experience to bear in the championship.

    According to the BFN, the tournament will also be used as a test run for the All African Badminton Championship, holding in April 2019 also in Rivers State.

    “With Rivers State winning the bid to host Africa’s most prestigious Badminton Championship, the BFN and the Rivers state government thought it wise to establish a National Badminton Championship, to test run the facilities in the state and in the process, institute a National Badminton Championship in the state for the first time ever,” the organisers added.

    According to BFN, The points garnered by players in this championship is for national ranking, while the African Championship is a qualifying event for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

    The Badminton Federation noted that all the participants were ready to play their part in an exciting tournament with the National Sports Festival, which ended in Abuja last week, serving as preparation for the Rivers Governor’s championship.

    “The National Sports Festival gave the players the opportunity to get in shape for the National Championship. Once the Sports Festival ended, arrangements were made to transport the players from Abuja to participate at the National Championships.

    The BFN also assured that the Local Organising Committee (LOC) is currently working round the clock to explore opportunities for partnerships to make the event a truly remarkable one.

  • Folly as wisdom by P/Harcourt DisCo

    SIR: There is an area in Port Harcourt designated Borikiri 11 by Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, PHED. This area comprises of an estimated 39,000 households.

    For about six weeks now, power supply to this area has been extremely erratic.

    Unfortunately, the reason is not because there is no power to distribute or because of dysfunctional equipment. At least two of the top officials of PHED responsible for supply to this area said Borikiri 11 is a “High revenue loss area”. So supply is kept to a minimum as a device to reduce revenue loss.

    A good number of power consumers here have pre-paid meters; these cannot be part of the customers responsible for revenue loss; could they? The authorities have no answer to that.

    If a subscriber on pre-paid meter pays for power and there is no supply, there should be a breach of contract whereby the power supply company is liable to pay damages should the matter go to court. This knowledge would, among reasonable men, make the power company realize that the method outline above for reducing their losses is counterproductive.

    The company has been advised to hire security personnel and additional civil hands, and cut off supply lines to non-paying clientele and power thieves and patrol the area for recalcitrant customers.

    In Rivers State, the young men at Obigbo resisted PHED revenue device by shutting down the Afam Station until the elders in the area prevailed on them to remove their barricades on the promise by PHED to resume supply on an acceptable scheme. The young men at Ogbu-Nu-Abali also reacted like the Obigbo youth with some damage to PHED equipment.

    One wonders: is PHED waiting for youth in Borikiri 11 to go on the rampage before adopting reason?

    This piece is written in the hope that some reasonable persons, especially in the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, the power ministry and in power company circles, who see this report, would take up the gauntlet and advise PHED to go on a course, better than the present.

     

    • Bapakaye I. Dibi, Esq.,

    Port Harcourt.

  • PENGASSAN, NUPENG picket Lagos, P/Harcourt GE offices

    PENGASSAN, NUPENG picket Lagos, P/Harcourt GE offices

    The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff  of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) yesterday shut down General Electric’s (GE’s) office at Bishop Aboyade Cole Street, Victoria Island over the its failure  to honour the agreement it signed with Arco Group Plc, a member of PENGASSAN  and  leading oil and gas servicing company.

    Also in Port Harcourt, PENGASSAN was joined in the picketing by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).

    The oil workers accused GE of failing to pay Arco and the workers for services rendered. These include outstanding allowances, overall allowance, severance and contract allowances.

    The picketing started around 6.30 am, with hundreds of members of PENGASSAN blocking the entrance into GE’s office, thereby paralysing activities of the company.

    Addressing reporters, Lagos Zonal Chairman, PENGASSAN, Comrade Abel Agarin, said the union decided to picket GE because the company has failed to honour   the agreement  between the two parties, despite the involvement of the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige in the matter.

    Agarin said the picketing became inevitable because GE has failed to pay Arco Group, demobilisation due to them to enable them pay their workers, having been laid off from the OBOB/Ebocha/KwaleAgip gas plants in the Niger Delta without their severance benefits.

    The workers were declared redundant with effect from October last year and their services severed.

    Mr. Agarin lamented that the workers who are now jobless are facing untold hardship and GE appeared to be unmindful of their situation over these last six months. He referred to the meeting with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige in Abuja on November 30 last year and attended by all stakeholders in the matter. He said GE in the presence of the Ngige gave an undertaking to pay to Arco, the money due to it once Arco fulfilled all requirements for demobilisation from the gas plants.

    Mr. Agarin expressed surprise that GE reneged on the undertaking to pay the money within 30 days of Arco’s demobilisation from the gas plants.

    “Instead of paying the prescribed demobilisation fee to Arco to enable Arco to pay the severance benefits of over 150 members of their Union that are affected by the lay-off from OBOB/Kwale/Eboch gas plants, GE is busy demanding untenable conditions for payment even when Agip had certified the demobilisation of Arco from the gas plants.

    “This is a downright negation of the promise that GE made before the Minister of Labour and Employment and other stakeholders at the November 30, 2016 meeting which representatives of PENGASSAN also attended,” Mr. Agarin added.

  • 200 units ‘Garden Heights’ estate inaugurated in P/Harcourt

    Port Harcourt Gardens Limited, a real estate development company in River State, has launched its multi-billion naira Garden Heights Estate in the state. The estate, which consists of over 200 housing units, is located in GRA Phase 3, Port Harcourt.

    The estate, which was inaugurated by the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, represented Phase 1 of the project, with about 24 housing units, which comprised studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments, including semi-detached bungalows and fully detached duplexes.

    At the inauguration of the project, Governor Wike commended the management of the estate for its vision in changing the face of middle class residential housing in the state and for supporting the effort of the government in meeting the housing needs of the people.

    He lauded the firm’s courage to invest in the state and promised that his administration would continue to partner credible investors with unique plans for the advancement of the state.

    “I am, particularly, impressed because the developers of this project were groomed in this state. They returned because they have confidence in what this administration is doing in terms of creating an enabling climate for businesses to thrive. Rivers State currently counts for one of the highest returns on investment in the country, despite a few challenges being experienced recently,” he said.

    The firm’s Managing Director, Mr. Uche John, explained that Garden Heights is set to become the focal point of reference to luxury living in Port Harcourt with facilities that offer security and comfort at an affordable price to the middle class socio-economic strata of the state.

    “Garden Heights is one of the best real estate investments in the Nigerian market presently and offers a return on investment unmatched anywhere else in this area. With just an initial deposit of N3.5million you can own your dream home, which combines the unique architecture with attractive natural scenery,” he said.

    John called on Nigerians to take advantage of the opportunity the firm was offering the public to own a decent home, especially the special price offer being made available on the ongoing four housing projects in the city.

    “Port Harcourt Gardens is a private real estate development firm established with the vision to change the middle class residential housing real estate market by delivering premium affordable residential housing to the citizenry of Port Harcourt and the entire Southsouth region. Currently, we have four estates of similar sizes in Port Harcourt located at Woji, Eliozu, Airport Road and this particular one in GRA being inaugurated today,” he said.

    On completion, the four estate projects by the firm is expected to deliver a total of 600 housing units to residents of Port Harcourt.

  • Enyimba to play ACL games in P/Harcourt

    Enyimba to play ACL games in P/Harcourt

    Seven-time Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) champions, Enyimba will play their home fixtures in the 2016 CAF Champions League at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt.

    Renovation work continues at pace at the Enyimba Stadium in Aba but it seems increasingly unlikely that the refurbishment will be completed in time for the club’s opening game in the competition on February 28.

    Enyimba will face Ugandan club, Vipers SC in the preliminary round of this year’s edition of Africa’s premier club competition with the first leg set to be held on the weekend of February 12 to 14 at the 5 000-seat Bunamwaya Stadium.

    “The ongoing rehabilitation work at the Enyimba Stadium is not moving at a very quick pace. It is looking very unlikely that we will play the return fixture (against Vipers) at our own stadium so we have opted for the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt to play that game.

    “We have already received clearance from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to that effect,” Farriel Allaputa, spokesman of Enyimba, told supersport.com.

    Enyimba are two-time winners of the CAF Champions League.

  • Explosion scene was gruesome, says survivor of P/Harcourt gas fire

    Following the death of four persons, including the shop owner, after an explosion which occurred inside a gas refilling shop, a lucky survivor, Mr. Antony Aguewo, has described the explosion as gruesome.

    The shop is located at Eliozu, near ABC Transport Company in Port Harcourt.

    Speaking with The Nation, Aguewo said: “I’m a new person here, and I don’t know the name of those who died. But the explosion happened few minutes after I left the place. As soon as I left the place, I heard a loud noise and when I turned back, I discovered that where I just left was on fire.

    “Two persons died on the spot, while another had his legs shattered. So many other people had varying degrees of injuries. When the police came, we assisted them to evacuate victims’ remains and those who need medical attention were taken to the Military Hospital and Braithwaite Specialist Memorial Hospital (BSMH).”

    The Rivers police Spokesman Muhammad Kidaya Ahmad, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed the death of four persons in the incident.

  • Flavour, Wizkid excite fans at Glo Slide‘n’ Bounce P/Harcourt

    Flavour, Wizkid excite fans at Glo Slide‘n’ Bounce P/Harcourt

    Glo ambassadors and music acts, Ayo Balogun, popularly called Wizkid, and Chinedu Okoli, also known as Flavour, penultimate weekend in Port Harcourt, showed why they are crowd favourites at the Slide ‘n’ Bounce concert, organised by telecoms operator, Globacom.

    At the event which held at the Aztech Arcum  Event Centre, Wizkid performed his very popular tunes, including the smash hit Ojuelegba  which sent his fans wild with excitement as they danced and sang to the beat. Flavour also put up a command performance, belting out his very popular beats such as Ada Ada and Baby Oku and wriggling his waist to the delight of his fans.

    Quite significantly, Wizkid and Flavour came with their live bands which boosted their performance and excited the audience even more.

    Performing alongside the duo were Bez and Burna Boy. Soul singer and talented guitarist, Bez, did his popular track That Stupid Song and other songs while  Burna Boy also excited the audience with Checks and Balances, and Run My Race. Complementing the artistes’ performance was popular disc jockey, DJ Xgee, who played popular  dancehall tunes from his turntable.

    Popular comedian, Okey Bakassi, who compered the show dished out rib-cracking jokes to the delight of the audience.

    Newly signed Glo ambassadors Chiwetalu Agu and Patience Ozokwor popularly known as Mama G were special guests at the event and their presence further excited the crowd, as both interacted with their fans in a meet and greet session.

    Asked why she plays the roles of wicked wife or mother-in-law in her movies, Ozokwor said she merely interpretes all roles given to her with passion towards making them sound real. “That does not make me a wicked woman, I am merely committed to entertaining and teaching my viewers that wickedness is not socially-acceptable”, she said.

    On his part, Agu disclosed that he is simply exhibiting his God-given talent anytime he uses long-winding local puns and anecdotes in order to inject subtle comedy into his roles. Holding an elephant tusk aloft, Agu created a punch-line from how he perceived the relationship between men and women, which drew an exhilarating response from the audience.