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Guber Polls: 2,000 Communities, Female Youths, Traders Endorse Wike
Over 2,000 communities spread across the 23 local government areas of Rivers State, have endorsed Governor Wike for a second term,
The endorsement was made at a conference of UCDC Chairmen and Secretaries in Port Harcourt.
The Coordinator-General of the United Community Development (UCDC), Mr. John Onwubualili who said that the more than 2,000 communities in the 23 local government areas of the state would support the Governor for second term of office.
Mr. Onwubualili also said it was the desire of the organisation to work with the various stakeholders to ensure free, fair credible and peaceful elections in the state.
“We shall not allow any form of intimidation from any agency to deprive Rivers people from participating in the elections.
“We are also ready to collaborate with INEC and security agencies to ensure that our votes are well counted”.
Onwubualili further said that the group would embark on a one week protest, if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies refused to allow free and fair elections in Rivers State.
He also said that the group would not allow any form of postponement of elections in the state.
According to him, the group will collaborate and synergise with the government and the various development partners to identify needs and ensure proper project sitting and maintenance in the various communities.
The Coordinator-General said the UCDC would hold town hall meetings in the 23 local government areas and in the various constituencies with the view to sensitizing the people on the importance of appreciating the various developmental projects of the present administration in their various communities.
He also requested the government to use the next four years of the administration to embark on human capital development/empowerment, attract foreign investment into the state for job creation as well as the renovation of schools.
Also requested were, the provision of office space for the organisation in Port Harcourt, appointment of a Special Adviser for CDC Affairs as well as financial assistance to the body for the town hall meeting.
Meanwhile, thousands of Female Youths from the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State have endorsed Governor Nyesom Wike for a second term.
Governor Wike was also endorsed by Non Indigenous Female Youths residing in the 23 Local Government Areas of the state .
In a programme tagged: “Female Youths For Governor Wike “, the young ladies took over the Obi Wali Cultural Centre where they displayed their preference for Governor Wike in dance, music and songs.
The mobilisation was so massive that the female youths spread across the vicinity of the Obi Wali Cultural Centre.
All the female youths expressed gratitude to the Rivers State Governor for his developmental strides and commitment to the advance the welfare of Female Youths.
Special Assistant to the PDP Rivers State Governorship Candidate on Female Youths, Hon Soibi Ibibo Jack said female youths from the 23 Local Government Areas are totally in support of the Governor’s re-election.
She said Governor Wike is the most gender-friendly governor since the creation of the state. She that Governor Wike has created opportunities for women to be in government.
Hon Jack said female youths apart from voting for Governor Wike will defend their votes across the polling units of the state.
She said that Governor Wike is the best thing to happen to Rivers State. She said supporting the re-election of Governor Wike will help women get more presence in government.
It was a declaration of profound commitment to the re-election of Governor Wike by the Female Youths of Rivers State.
Selected Female Youths from the different ethnic groups of Rivers State took turns to profess their endorsement of Governor Wike. They stated they will promote the governor’s re-election and deliver their respective units.
Female Artiste, Jikume Bethelem thrilled the audience with some of her popular tunes.
Accepting the endorsement of the Female Youths, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike stated that he is overwhelmed by the mobilisation and support of the female youths for his re-election.
The governor said that the time has come for Rivers women to take their rightful place in the governance of the state. He said that he will continue to promote the growth of women and female youths in governance, politics, business and the Civil service.
“This is an opportunity for the female youths to express themselves. This mobilisation is awesome. What you have done here is to give female youths a voice in the politics of the state.
“By this mobilisation, you are saying that female youths must be involved in governance. You are saying no government will be formed without female youths “, he said.
The governor urged the Female Youths of Rivers State to sustain their mobilisation beyond the elections to enhance their relevance in the polity.
He urged the women to fight for their positions and not wait to receive positions on a platter as has been the case.
He said: “The women should fight for their place in government. They should not wait to be given positions because they are qualified to struggle and win such positions.
“Time has come when women must take their appropriate places in Rivers State”.
The governor stated that with their number, female youths are in the right position to stop anyone from manipulating the electoral process in the state.
Governor Wike directed the Female Youths to go to their respective polling units to form association of women and female youths to mobilise for votes .
“As registered voters, go back to your respective units and form associations of girls/women in each unit. From the Coordinator of Female Youths for Governor Wike, we require 4442 names of girls who will serve as leaders of each of the 4442 polling units.
“In each polling unit, each leader must lead in the mobilisation of girls/women “, the governor said.
He charged the female youths to also lead the charge to defend their votes across the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.
“This is not the period to tie wrapper. This is the period of jeans and canvass. You have to be prepared to defend your votes.
“This is a war between darkness and light. When you are confronting darkness, you get prepared. APC is dictatorship and PDP is freedom. To crush dictatorship you have to be prepared “, he said.
The governor said that in his second term, Female Youths will be appointed as Commissioners and Special Advisers. He added that during the next Local Government Council polls, the state will produce nine female local government council chairmen.
Speaking further, Governor Wike announced that female youths will get allocation of shops at the Mile One Market and Fruit Garden Market when they are completed.
He added that the female youths will receive interest free loans and be given 40 percent of employment out of the new 7000 appointments into the State Civil Service.
Governor Wike urged Rivers State Female Youths to vote massively for Atiku Abubakar and other PDP candidates for the emancipation of the country.
For the February 11 Presidential Rally in the state, Governor Wike directed the Female Youths to mobilise 500 young ladies per local government and wear a distinct uniform for the programme.
Highpoint of the occasion was the defection of Female Youths from APC to the PDP.
Also, traders and construct ion workers have declared their unflinching support for the re-election of Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike.
This is as the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike assured traders at the Fruit Garden Market that his administration would deliver the market next month.
Addressing the traders after inspecting the ongoing construction of the burnt Fruit Garden Market, last Saturday, Wike said work would be sustained because he wants the traders to sell in a conducive environment.
The governor thanked the traders for their support, saying that he will always live up to their expectations.
He said unlike the failed All Progressives Congress (APC), he runs a promise-keeping administration that caters for all sections of the state.
Wike charged the traders to use their permanent voters’ cards to re-elect him and vote for other Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates in order for his administration to deliver more dividends of democracy.
The traders, who trooped out in their numbers to welcome Wike, sang his praises, and assured him of their votes.
Wike took out time to make purchases at the Fruit Garden Market.
Also, last Saturday, the governor inspected the concluding construction works at the Judges’ Quarters in Port Harcourt.
The construction workers, on sighting the governor, broke into singing and dancing, declaring their support for the re-election of Wike.
The Force Criminal Investigation Department, FCID, Alagbon, Lagos, has restated that disputes over land ownership are civil matters that fall under the jurisdiction of the courts and should not be handled by the police.
Speaking with newsmen on Sunday, the FCID spokesperson, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Aminat Mayegun, said the role of the police in land-related cases is limited to addressing criminal infractions that may arise from such disputes.
Her clarification follows growing complaints from property owners and residents in Lagos who have raised concerns about alleged police interference in land disputes, despite long-standing directives that ownership disagreements are civil in nature.
Some residents have accused law enforcement operatives of actions that allegedly worsened tensions, encouraged intimidation and complicated the resolution of land ownership matters, which they insist should be determined strictly through legal proceedings.
Others claim such involvement sometimes tilts in favour of powerful interests, further eroding public confidence.
Mayegun explained that issues relating to land boundaries or ownership are governed by civil law and must be settled in court, stressing that the police lack the authority to determine who owns any parcel of land.
She noted, however, that police intervention becomes necessary when criminal acts are committed in the course of a land dispute.
“The police are duty-bound to intervene and investigate only when land-related disputes give rise to criminal offences, as they have no mandate to determine ownership of land,” she said.
According to her, offences such as obtaining money by false pretence, malicious damage to property, arson, assault or any other act recognised under the Criminal Code Act fall squarely within the responsibility of the police.
She warned that individuals who resort to fraud, violence or destruction of property under the pretext of asserting land rights would be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted.
The FCID spokesperson also cautioned members of the public against taking laws into their hands, urging aggrieved parties to seek redress through established legal channels.
She assured that the Nigeria Police Force would continue to carry out its duties strictly in line with the law and called on citizens to report cases of improper land-related interference through the Police Complaints Response Unit.
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum has unveiled plans to prioritise sugar as a key driver of industrial development across the country.
The initiative, in partnership with the National Sugar Development Council, aims to boost local production, create jobs, and reduce Nigeria’s reliance on imported sugar.
Disclosing this yesterday in a statement, the NGF said it has agreed to include sugar projects as priority beneficiaries in engagements with both local and international development partners.
The decision follows requests by the NSDC to accelerate the development of the sugar sector, with the dual goals of achieving self-sufficiency in sugar production and creating employment opportunities for Nigerians.
Speaking at a meeting with NGF officials, NSDC Executive Secretary/CEO, Kamar Bakrin, highlighted the vast investment potential in the sugar sector and encouraged governors of states with suitable lands to embrace sugar project development.
He identified 11 states with prime sugarcane cultivation potential: Oyo, Kwara, Niger, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Kano, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Adamawa, and Taraba.
“Recent macroeconomic shifts have made domestic sugar production more commercially viable.
“While global sugar prices remain relatively stable in dollar terms, exchange rate fluctuations have made imports significantly more expensive. With locally sourced inputs, Nigeria’s sugar industry now offers robust returns,” Bakrin explained.
He added that Nigeria has approximately 1.2 million hectares of land suitable for large-scale sugarcane cultivation, far exceeding the 200,000 hectares needed to achieve national self-sufficiency.
“Sugarcane projects will empower host communities, promote inclusive development, and support environmental sustainability,” he noted.
Bakrin also cited a model sugar project producing 100,000 metric tons annually, requiring an estimated $250 million investment, with an internal rate of return of 24 per cent. Beyond sugar, the projects generate valuable by-products such as ethanol and bio-electricity, further enhancing profitability and sustainability.
The Director-General of NGF, Abdulateef Shittu, welcomed the initiative, noting that several state governments are already exploring sugar-related investments spanning land development, agricultural schemes, and agro-industrial projects.
He emphasized that effective coordination, credible investment frameworks, and alignment with federal policy objectives are critical for scaling such opportunities.
“The NGF secretariat is committed to supporting state-level development priorities that leverage sugar projects for rural development and job creation,” Shittu stated.
Urban residents in Nigeria enjoy faster internet than rural users, a new report by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has revealed, even as nationwide connectivity shows modest improvements.
The report, which analysed 377,135 network tests using geospatial mapping, found that urban download speeds average 20.5 megabits per second, Mbps, compared to 11 Mbps in rural areas, a gap of about 40 percent. Upload speeds were also uneven, with urban users recording 10.5 Mbps against 6.1 Mbps in rural locations.
Although rural speeds have improved from 8.5 Mbps earlier this year, the NCC said higher latency in rural areas continues to affect real-time services such as voice and video calls.
NCC said: “Urban areas account for just 5.2 percent of Nigeria’s landmass but 96.7 percent of total network activity.
“Rural communities, which cover over 93 percent of the country, experience much sparser usage and slower speeds.”
The report also highlighted that the choice of network operator can sometimes matter more than location.
It stated: “MTN’s average rural download speed of 15.8 Mbps was found to outperform Glo’s average urban speed of 9.5 Mbps, showing uneven performance across operators.
“Major highways, especially the Lagos–Abuja corridor, were identified as ‘digital corridors’ where network coverage is stronger.
“Rural towns along these routes often enjoy better connectivity than remote interior villages, reflecting how road and network infrastructure grow together.”
On technology trends, the report noted that “4G LTE remains Nigeria’s broadband backbone, delivering speeds of 10–20 Mbps in rural areas, while 5G networks, where available, offer speeds of up to 220 Mbps but are still largely confined to dense urban centres.
“Among operators, MTN delivered the most consistent nationwide performance, followed by Airtel. T2 recorded the highest median rural speed at 24.9 Mbps in select regions, while Glo maintained baseline connectivity of 9.5 Mbps across both urban and rural areas.”
The NCC said closing the persistent urban-rural gap will require targeted rural infrastructure upgrades, improved upload capacity, and stronger quality-of-service standards to support digital education, e-government and remote work.
“Improving network quality outside cities is akey to ensuring all Nigerians benefit from digital services,” the regulator added.
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