News
Fuel Scarcity: Groups Plan Protest
A group of civil society organizations and social media activists and commercial drivers in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, have said they are ready to embark on mass protest to demonstrate their displeasure over the lingering fuel scarcity in the state.
Specifically the civil society groups said they have collected signatures of Nigerians for ‘Occupy Nigeria’ protest in Port-Harcourt on Thursday, against the unending scarcity of petroleum products and current economic hardship in the country.
One of the facilitators of the proposed protest, Livingstone Wechie, said the action is due to hold on Thursday in Port-Harcourt.
He said the action seeks to draw the attention of the Federal Government on the need to take urgent steps to end the current economic hardship facing Nigerians due to the lingering fuel scarcity across the country, especially Rivers, Lagos states, and Abuja.
Wechie emphasised that the protest in Port-Harcourt also seeks to demand that the Federal Government end the era of blame game and evolve measures that will restore confidence in the citizens.
However, both private and public filling station owners have also called on the Rivers State Government, to extend the mandate of the task force to include the monitoring of the activities of depot owners, and not only filling stations.
In an interview with the dealer of Sky Mint Energy Limited filling station along Iwofe-Wimpey Junction, Mr Onyema Otata, said government should enforce the compliance of filling stations with the regulated pump price of petrol.
He said that this can only be possible if government ensures that private depot owners sell the product to filling stations at government-regulated pump price.
Otata further said that the inability of the task force to force compliance has made depot owners to consistently sell the product to willing filling station owners at very high prices.
According to him, “since we buy at very high prices at private depots, we are also forced to sell to our customers at prices which allow for marginal profit,” admitting that “on Friday, we sold at N300 per litre but today (Saturday), we are selling at N200.”
At Propel Filling Station along Ada-George Road, Miss Juliet Njiedika told The Tide that, “as at yesterday (Friday), we sold N300, but today (Saturday), we are selling N250.”
She admitted that the excruciating hardship was hitting hash blow on both owners of filling stations, motorists and other customers resident in the state.
A motorist, Peter Israel, regretted that the task force set up by the state government has achieved little result as private filling stations sell the product at very high prices, while some major filling stations, which have stock of petrol either concentrate on selling to black market operators or completely hoard to product in order to hike the price when customers become desperate to get it at all cost.
Israel said most private filling stations sell the product at between N250 and N300 per litre, complaining that in spite of announcements by the state Ministry of Environment that many filling stations have received the product for sale, only very infinitesimal number across the state capital are actually open to the public, and are selling at official pump price.
He said that the situation has made queues at the few major filling stations longer than necessary, and customers staying, sometimes, two to three days at filling stations before they are able to buy petrol at government-approved pump price.
Another motorist, Ifeanyi Onyechukwu, said “right now, there is no fuel anywhere, and worst still, if you see to buy, it is very expensive”, adding that high cost of procuring petrol has had ripple effect on transport fares, which he said has skyrocketed by over 300 per cent.
Efforts to talk with the NNPC mega station management proved abortive as few officials seen at filling stations in Port Harcourt declined comments, and rather referred our correspondents to NNPC headquarters for answers to the festering enigma.
The situation which became more serious over the weekend caused most motorists operating in the city to park their auto mobiles as there was no petrol to buy.
Few stations with the product who were besieged by long queues sold at the rate of N200.00 per litre while at the back market, a litre sold for N300 and above.
Black marketers s also sold 10 litres for between N2,500 and N3,000 and 20 litres at between N5, 500 and N7,000.
Transporters increased their charges by 100 per cent.
From Rumuokoro to Mile 3 Park that normally cost N100 went up to N200, from Mile 1 Flyover to Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST) that normally went for N50 by taxi went up to N100.
Investigation further revealed that Iloabuchi to UST backgate is now N100 from the former N50, while Port Harcourt to Ahoada is now N600 from the previous N500.
Similarly, Port Harcourt to Andoni is now N900 from N600, Port Harcourt to Omoku N800 from N600, while Port Harcourt to Bori is now N500 from N400, while the fare from Port Harcourt to Okrika which was previously N250, is now N300.
Infact, passengers said, every stop by taxi and bus within the Port Harcourt metropolis is now N100 instead of the usual N50.
Chris Oluoh & Susan Serekara-Nwikhana
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has cautioned parents to closely monitor their children’s craving for cookies and gummies, warning that some of the products may contain illicit substances being smuggled into the country.
In a statement posted yesterday, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said recent seizures by the agency’s officers had revealed attempts by criminal elements to introduce prohibited substances under the guise of everyday snacks.
“As parents, if your kids and young ones always crave for cookies and gummies, you may have to pay a little more attention. There may be more to it than ordinary cookies and gummies,” Babafemi wrote, sharing images of seized packages.
The photos showed colourful pouches of “Cookies Delta 8 Gummies” in flavours such as Hawaiian Rain Pineapple Guava and Thai Mango, labelled as vegan and hemp-derived, alongside the actual gummy products.
The warning comes amid a major interception by the Nigeria Customs Service at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos.
Officers seized two 40-foot containers containing large quantities of cannabis-infused products concealed among legitimate imports such as used vehicles, generators, batteries and fabrics.
The consignment included thousands of Delta-8 cannabis pre-roll cookies, packs of cannabis-infused gummies and other cannabis-infused cookies, with a combined estimated street value of about ?373.8m.
The items were subsequently handed over to the NDLEA.
NDLEA officials described the products, which originated from the United States and were packaged to resemble ordinary vegan snacks with appealing flavours, as an emerging public health threat.
They noted that the attractive packaging could appeal especially to children, students and young people, raising the risk of accidental consumption of concentrated cannabis.
The Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA) has announced plans to partner with the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) to strengthen efforts at combating illegal waste dumping and improving environmental sanitation across the state.
The partnership was unveiled during a meeting between officials of RIWAMA and the leadership of the Rivers State chapter of the PCRC in Port Harcourt, recently, where both organisations pledged to work together to restore the Garden City status of the state capital.
In his speech, the Supervisor of Market and Community Sanitation in RIWAMA, Mr. Omereji Ukoha, said the collaboration was in line with the vision of the agency’s Managing Director, Dr. Ibimina Wokoma, and the Board Chairman, Dr. Samuel Nwanosike, to promote a cleaner and healthier environment.
Ukoha described the PCRC as a strategic grassroots partner capable of mobilising communities and driving behavioural change through sustained public enlightenment on proper waste disposal.
He expressed concern over the increasing rate of indiscriminate refuse dumping in parts of Port Harcourt, particularly in New GRA, where blocked drainage channels and illegal shanties have continued to contribute to flooding and environmental degradation.
According to him, the agency is determined to intensify enforcement against environmental offenders, warning that unregistered cart pushers and residents who patronise them would be prosecuted in accordance with the provisions of the RIWAMA Act, 2014.
The RIWAMA official urged residents to embrace proper waste disposal practices and patronise only government-approved waste operators in order to safeguard public health and protect the environment.
Responding, the Chairman of the Police Community Relations Committee in Rivers State, Dr. Voke Emore, commended RIWAMA for seeking collaboration with the committee in addressing environmental challenges confronting the state.
Emore said the PCRC would deploy its community-based structures across the state to support public sensitisation and encourage residents to comply with environmental sanitation regulations.
He also called on local government councils to play more active roles in waste management, noting that they collect sanitation levies and should complement the efforts of the state government in maintaining a clean environment.
The PCRC chairman described indiscriminate refuse disposal as a serious environmental and public health concern, stressing that sustained collaboration among government agencies, community leaders and residents remained critical to achieving lasting sanitation goals.
Both organisations expressed optimism that the partnership would promote cleaner communities, reduce environmental hazards and strengthen public participation in efforts to ensure a healthier and more sustainable environment for the people of Rivers State.
King Onunwor
The Rivers State Police Command has arrested five suspected members of a kidnapping syndicate allegedly terrorising communities in Oyigbo Local Government Area of the State.
The State Police Command disclosed this in a statement by its Public Relations Officer, ASP Blessing Agabe, in Port Harcourt, recently.
The suspects were arrested during a coordinated operation at Oyigbo, following directives by the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Command, CP Olugbenga Adewole Adepoju.
Those arrested were Ezekiel Emmanuel, 44, from Benue State; Chukwuma Mbanefor, 51, from Anambra State; Nicholas Diala, 65, from Imo State; Ndubuisi Uwakwe, 49, from Abia State; and Ifeanyi Nwakwo, 51, from Imo State.
The Command said the arrest represented another significant operational success in its ongoing efforts to dismantle criminal networks operating in the State.
According to the Police, preliminary investigation indicated that the suspects were allegedly involved in kidnapping operations within Rivers State.
The suspects, during interrogation, allegedly confessed to their involvement in kidnapping and further admitted participating in several operations carried out in Kom-Kom, Railway, Obeama and Afam communities.
The Command said investigation was ongoing, with efforts intensified to identify and apprehend other members of the suspected syndicate who may be connected with the criminal activities.
The Police boss said the operation reflected the implementation of operational directives and the intelligence-driven policing strategy of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, psc, NPM.
Adepoju reaffirmed the Command’s determination to sustain aggressive intelligence-led operations against kidnapping, cultism, armed robbery and other violent crimes across Rivers State.
He warned kidnappers and other criminal elements operating in the State that there would be no safe haven for them, stressing that the Command would relentlessly pursue, arrest and ensure that those found culpable were brought to justice.
The Commissioner further assured residents of the Command’s commitment to protecting lives and property, urging members of the public to remain vigilant and cooperate with security agencies in the fight against crime.
He appealed to residents to provide the Police with credible and timely information capable of assisting security operatives in preventing criminal activities and apprehending suspected criminals.
The Command urged members of the public who may have useful information on the activities of the suspected kidnapping syndicate or other criminal elements to contact the Police through its emergency lines, assuring that such information would assist ongoing investigations.
King Onunwor