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Curfew Still In Force In Gokana -RSG …As Community Moves To Resettle Bomu, Lewe IDPs

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Rivers State Government says the dusk to dawn curfew imposed in Gokana Local Government Area  in the wake of the communal and cult clashes in the area is still in force.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Conflict Resolution, Chief Okorie Abelekum who stated this while addressing indigenes of Bomu and Lewe communities in the area said that the security agencies will arrest anyone who violates the curfew.
Chief Abelekum who condemned the killings and destruction of property in Bomu and Lewe communities, urged the leadership to call their youth to order with a view to stopping the killings which he described as senseless.
The Special Adviser also said that the government will embark on mass arrest, if they failed to take advantage of the Special Amnesty programme declared for  Ogoniland by Governor Nyesom Wike to handover their weapons.
Chief Abelekum warned those who are in the habit of hiring guns for communal conflicts to desist in their own interest and that of their community.
He warned cultists in New-ol community to handover their guns to the government. Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Amnesty, Mr Ken Chindah, told cultists in the area that the state government has given them another opportunity to repent and handover their guns.
Mr Chindah said that anyone who refuses to comply with the programme this time around would be dealt with according to the law.
Earlier, the caretaker committee chairman of Gokana Local Government Area, Hon Louis Alawa had said that the crisis in Bomu and Lewe was caused by illegal oil bunkering.
Meanwhile, the Chairman, Caretaker Committee of Gokana Local Government Area, Rivers State, Louis Alawa, has assured the displaced people of Bomu and Lewe of the determination and commitment of the administration  to settle the land dispute, which has caused serious communal conflicts, resulting in deaths.
Alawa gave the assurance last Monday during a visit to both communities to ascertain the level of destruction and damage to properties, while commiserating with those who lost loved ones, just as he appealed to the displaced persons to return home, as peace had been restored to the communities.
Responding to the assurances from the caretaker chairman, the affected people pleaded for government intervention by resolving the disagreement quickly, and helping in the rebuilding of their destroyed homes, resettlement and reintegration.
They told the caretaker committee chairman that they have no homes to return to, as their houses were razed during the communal conflict.
The Tide recalls that thousands of people, especially children and women from Lewe and Bomu communities in Gokana Local Government have been sacked from their communities following a communal war that broke out between the two communities in December, 2016.
The displaced persons have since then been taking refuge in churches and other public places in neighbouring communities.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Government has confirmed that six people died in a communal clash last December between the people of Lewe and Bomu communities in Gokana.
The Special Adviser to the Rivers State Governor on Conflict Resolution, Okorie Abelekun, gave the figure during a visit to both communities as a result of the clash.
Abelekun regretted the level of carnage and destruction recorded during the crisis, and warned that government would no longer tolerate communal crisis in the state.
Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Amnesty, Kenneth Chinda, enjoined youth who were yet to embrace the State Government Amnesty Programme to take advantage of the second opportunity given by the Governor Nyesom Wike-led administration this week to submit their arms and embrace peace.
The Tide reports that the team accompanied by men of the 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, also addressed some former cultists who voluntarily renounced cultism through a Catholic Priest, Reverend Father Abel Akpulu.

 

John Bibor & Susan Serekara-Nwikhana

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Rivers Capable Of Delivering Massive Votes For Tinubu, Chinda, Others -Fubara …Charges APC, Rainbow Coalition To Embrace Team Work

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Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has declared that the  State is capable of delivering massive votes for President Bola Tinubu,  the  All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Rt. Hon. Kingsley Chinda and other candidates of the Rainbow Coalition in the 2027 general elections.

Fubara, who stated this yesterday at the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in Port Harcourt, said the surest path to victory is for the  members of the Presidential Campaign Council drawn from the APC and the Rainbow Coalition to embrace the spirit of teamwork.

He said what the state was witnessing in the current political season is a repeat of the successful mobilization done in 2022 and 2023, when a large campaign council worked in unity to deliver victory for him and for President Tinubu.

He added that the present council is bigger, wider and better coordinated and should therefore achieve even better results.

He noted that the beauty of the new council is the fact that some persons who were in the opposition camp during the previous elections are now part of the team, saying their inclusion has made the task easier, provided everyone works as one team and with sincerity of purpose.

The governor thanked the  Coordinator of the Presidential Campaign Council for Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, and other leaders who worked tirelessly to bring the council to fruition, stressing that nothing  is impossible especially when people work together for a common purpose.

He expressed optimism that with seriousness and commitment, the state would record a higher number of votes than it recorded in 2023.

Fubara, while congratulating members who made the list, appealed to those whose names were omitted not to be discouraged, as there are still sub-committees to be constituted and the list can still be updated, even as he warned against double loyalty.

He said the state has gone past the stage of division and is now looking to the future and what God holds for Rivers people, expressing confidence that with the strategy already put in place, the APC and the Rainbow Coalition would come out victorious in 2027.

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and Coordinator of the Campaign Council, Chief Nyesom Wike, while  inaugurating the Council, lauded Fubara for finding time to attend the ceremony and other engagements of the Council in spite of his busy schedules.

Wike, who is also the National Leader of the PDP/ Rainbow Coalition, reminded members of the Council that they were chosen based on their capacity to participate  in the activities of the group and deliver positive results.

He charged them to work hard to win votes for the candidates of the APC and the Rainbow Coalition for the Presidential, Governorship, National Assembly as well as State House of Assembly elections next year.

He disclosed that apart from the Presidential Campaign Council and its sub-committees, the Local Government Campaign Councils will soon be inaugurated to ensure better coverage of the grassroots during the current campaign season.

 

 

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RSG Floats MNET Culture Content Promo

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The Rivers State Ministry of Culture and Tourism  has floated a culture content platform in collaboration with digital television group, Multichoice.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Mr. Freddy Ndigbara, disclosed this after a meeting with MultiChoice Head of Content Acquisition, Don Dotun Ojon, in Port Harcourt.

He assured that content entrepreneurs and film makers would enjoy the platform by promoting culture and other contents to sell the states tourism potentials.

He said MultiChoice M-net was now open to increase its patronage for content shots on locations in Rivers State, describing the State as one that has numerous potentials for film tourism.

“We were privileged to have Don Ojon with us at the Rivers International Film Festival (RIFF) at the weekend in Bonny and he saw, first hand, the numerous sites and opportunities that are open to creatives in the State. After that, we felt it was important to deepen the conversation and he obliged. This is a cheering news for the sector in the State,” he said.

Ndigbara stated that “Rivers State has many more untold stories to tell, many more contents to reel out and the assurances from the M-net Acquisition Manager is an indication that the industry in the state will soon enjoy a new lease of life”.

The Permanent Secretary thanked Ojon for the visit and assured that creatives in the State would grap this opportunity and show the world that Rivers State is a major hub for film tourism in Nigeria.

On his part, Ojon said the visit was to discuss on ways of promoting tourism in the State using creatives and film.

Ojon said although the company has recently been acquired by canal+ France and is undergoing restructuring, he would promote the chances of Rivers State to host the MultiChoice talent factory in the State.

With Asaba, capital of Delta State, being saturated, Ojon said the next port is Rivers  State, which he said is capable of building fresh crop of creatives, new locations, new story lines and concepts.

He, therefore, called for collaboration from stakeholders in the State.

Kevin Nengia

 

 

 

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APC Presidential Campaign Storms PH, ‘Morrow

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Barring last minute changes, the presidential campaign train of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will storm Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, tomorrow.

This is according to a campaign timetable released by the APC Campaign Council last month.

The Tide reports that the APC presidential campaign kicked off in Kaduna on October 24 with President Bola Tinubu in attendance.

The campaign train later moved to Cross River, Gombe, Nasarawa, and Ekiti on November 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively with the Vice President, Kashim Shettima representing the President at the rallies.

President Tinubu is personally scheduled to attend 12 states including Rivers, Kaduna, Plateau, Oyo, Borno, Enugu, Bauchi, Sokoto, Delta, Kano, Adamawa and Lagos.

The Rivers State rally, scheduled to hold at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt, is expected to witness a large crowd of party supporters drawn from a coalition of political parties in the State.

The party is expected to round off its presidential campaign in Lagos State on January 9, 2027.

The Tide reports that Tinubu has not visited Rivers State as President since he assumed office in May 2023. His last physical visit to the State was before his inauguration on Wednesday, May 3 – Thursday, May 4, 2023, when he was hosted by then Governor Nyesom Wike in Port Harcourt to commission the Rumuola/Rumuokwuta Flyover and the Magistrates’ Court Complex.

Tomorrow’s visit will be his first to the State since assuming office.

 

 

 

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