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N’Delta Defence Makes Fresh Demands …As HNDC Slams Avengers
The Niger Delta Defence group has listed fresh demands to the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The demands include that “all refineries and petrochemical companies must shut down their activities and leave the region immediately until the Federal Government is ready to turn around the fortunes of our people.”
In a statement made available to The Tide via email, the group said the government should as a matter of urgency visit the demands or face massive action which shall cripple the economy and bring it to a standstill.
The group is also asking that “the UNEP report implementation on Ogoniland should commence immediately.
“No attempt must be made to resume oil exploration in Ogoniland until the UNEP report has been 100 per cent implemented.
“The Federal Government must immortalise Ken Saro- Wiwa and other Niger Delta agitators who were gruesomely killed.”
The group further insisted that “The Niger Delta region must be allowed to control its resources.”
It further accused the incumbent administration of turning the fight against corruption into the fight against perceived political opponents from the Niger Delta region.
The statement further reads: the “the Ogoni cleanup which is still a scam by the Federal Government is now being used by some selfish and political gladiators to gain popularity and score cheap political points.
“Even the 500,000 empowerment programme has now been programmed to favour only a particular political party.
“Today, instead of the Nigerian government to develop the region, it is now using most of our people to destabilise and set confusion in order to divide us to achieve its selfish aim,” the group said.
The Niger Delta Avengers, who came to the spotlight in February, has in recent months allegedly carried out attacks on oil pipelines and facilities run by international companies, including Shell and United States firm, Chevron.
The Tide gathered that attacks were partly responsible for a fall in Nigeria’s oil production of 800,000 barrels per day.
Meanwhile, a non-governmental organisation based in the Netherlands, Hope for Niger Delta Campaign (HNDC) has condemned the activities of Niger Delta militants in the region.
Those affected are groups that have claimed responsibility for attacks on oil and gas installations in the region and also vowed to reduce oil production in the region to zero.
In a statement made available to The Tide via email, yesterday, the HNDC applauded President Muhammadu Buhari for ordering the withdrawal of soldiers from the region in a cease fire move.
Signed by its Founder and Executive Director, Mr Sunny Ofehe, the HNDC said that the attacks will not only cripple oil production but will have serious health implications for the people of the region.
The group urged the militants to use the window provided to dialogue and present their agitation to the Federal Government if they actually are in the interest of the Niger Delta people.
“The environment has faced despoliation from crude oil extraction. The main occupations of the people which are farming and fishing have been gravely affected by oil spills and pollution from gas flaring.
“Any meaningful agitation should be targeted at addressing these situations and calling on the government and oil multinational companies to meet these needs and remediate the environment of the people. This must be done in an organised manner with all stakeholders.”
Meanwhile, members of the Gbaramatu Communities Chairmen Forum have written to President Buhari, demanding the construction of an Export Processing Zone, Gas Revolution Industrial Park, Ogidigben and Gbaramatu Seaport component of the projects.
In a letter signed by Demebi Johnbull and 10 others, the forum said: “the benefits of these projects are enormous as they can absorb the teeming restive youth and further boost economic activities of the communities, Delta State and the federation”.
Susan Serekara-Nwikhana
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, has dissolved the State Executive Council.
The governor announced the cabinet dissolution yesterday in a statement titled ‘Government Special Announcement’, signed by his new Chief Press Secretary, Onwuka Nzeshi.
Governor Fubara directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most Senior officers in their Ministries with immediate effect.
He thanked the outgoing members of the State Executive Council for their service and wished them the best in their future endeavours.
The three-paragraph special announcement read, “His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS, Governor of Rivers State, has dissolved the State Executive Council.
“His Excellency, the Governor, has therefore directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most Senior officers in their Ministries with immediate effect.
“His Excellency further expresses his deepest appreciation to the outgoing members of the Executive Council wishing them the best in their future endeavours.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday told the National Assembly that it requires N873.78bn to conduct the 2027 general elections, even as it seeks N171bn to fund its operations in the 2026 fiscal year.
INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, made the disclosure while presenting the commission’s 2026 budget proposal and the projected cost for the 2027 general elections before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters in Abuja.
According to Amupitan, the N873.78bn election budget covers the full conduct of national polls in 2027.
An additional N171bn is needed to support INEC’s routine activities in 2026, including bye-elections and off-season elections, the commission stated.
The INEC boss said the proposed election budget does not include a fresh request from the National Youth Service Corps seeking increased allowances for corps members engaged as ad-hoc staff during elections.
He explained that, although the details of specific line items were not exhaustively presented, the almost N1tn election budget is structured across five major components.
“N379.75bn is for operational costs, N92.32bn for administrative costs, N209.21bn for technological costs, N154.91bn for election capital costs and N42.61bn for miscellaneous expenses,” Amupitan said.
The INEC chief noted that the budget was prepared “in line with Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates the Commission to prepare its election budget at least one year before the general election.”
On the 2026 fiscal year, Amupitan disclosed that the Ministry of Finance provided an envelope of N140bn, stressing, however, that “INEC is proposing a total expenditure of N171bn.”
The breakdown includes N109bn for personnel costs, N18.7bn for overheads, N42.63bn for election-related activities and N1.4bn for capital expenditure.
He argued that the envelope budgeting system is not suitable for the Commission’s operations, noting that INEC’s activities often require urgent and flexible funding.
Amupitan also identified the lack of a dedicated communications network as a major operational challenge, adding that if the commission develops its own network infrastructure, Nigerians would be in a better position to hold it accountable for any technical glitches.
Speaking at the session, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) said external agencies should not dictate the budgeting framework for INEC, given the unique and sensitive nature of its mandate.
He advocated that the envelope budgeting model should be set aside.
He urged the National Assembly to work with INEC’s financial proposal to avoid future instances of possible underfunding.
In the same vein, a member of the House of Representatives from Edo State, Billy Osawaru, called for INEC’s budget to be placed on first-line charge as provided in the Constitution, with funds released in full and on time to enable the Commission to plan early enough for the 2027 general election.
The Joint Committee approved a motion recommending the one-time release of the Commission’s annual budget.
The committee also said it would consider the NYSC’s request for about N32bn to increase allowances for corps members to N125,000 each when engaged for election duties.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Simon Along, assured that the National Assembly would work closely with the Commission to ensure it receives the necessary support for the successful conduct of the 2027 general elections.
Similarly, the Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Bayo Balogun, also pledged legislative support, warning INEC to be careful about promises it might be unable to keep.
He recalled that during the 2023 general election, INEC made strong assurances about uploading results to the INEC Result Viewing portal, creating the impression that results could be monitored in real time.
“iREV was not even in the Electoral Act; it was only in INEC regulations. So, be careful how you make promises,” Balogun warned.
The N873.78bn proposed by INEC for next year’s general election is a significant increase from the N313.4bn released to the Commission by the Federal Government for the conduct of the 2023 general election.
President Bola Tinubu yesterday expressed grief over the death of a former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities and one of Africa’s foremost literary scholars, Professor Emeritus Biodun Jeyifo.
Jeyifo passed away on Wednesday, drawing tributes from across Nigeria and the global academic community.
In a condolence message to the family, friends, and associates of the late scholar, Tinubu in a statement by his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, described Jeyifo as a towering intellectual whose contributions to African literature, postcolonial studies, and cultural theory left an enduring legacy.
He noted that the late professor would be sorely missed for his incisive criticism and masterful interpretations of the works of Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka.
The President also recalled Jeyifo’s leadership of ASUU, praising the temperance, foresight, and wisdom he brought to the union over the years.
Tinubu said Jeyifo played a key role in shaping negotiation frameworks with the government aimed at improving working conditions for university staff and enhancing the learning environment in Nigerian universities.
According to the President, Professor Jeyifo’s longstanding advocacy for academic freedom and social justice will continue to inspire generations.
He added that the late scholar’s influence extended beyond academia into political and cultural journalism, where he served as a mentor to numerous scholars, writers, and activists.
Tinubu condoled with ASUU, the Nigerian Academy of Letters, the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, the University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University, Oberlin University, Cornell University, and Harvard University—institutions where Jeyifo studied, taught, or made significant scholarly contributions.
“Nigeria and the global academic community have lost a towering figure and outstanding global citizen,” the President said.
“Professor Biodun Jeyifo was an intellectual giant who dedicated his entire life to knowledge production and the promotion of human dignity. I share a strong personal relationship with him. His contributions to literary and cultural advancement and to society at large will be missed.”
Jeyifo was widely regarded as one of Africa’s most influential literary critics and public intellectuals. Among several honours, he received the prestigious W.E.B. Du Bois Medal in 2019.