Politics
Gov Wike To Commission More Projects
The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has promised to inaugurate more projects initiated and completed by his administration.
The Governor who disclosed this in his state broadcast on New Year, said the projects inauguration would commence Monday, 4th January, 2021.
Among the projects lined up for commissioning are the Eteo -Sime-Nonwa-Kira Road, Sakpenwa-Bori Road, Eleme-Afam-Oyigbo Road, Abonnema Ring Road, and Forces Avenue-Olumeni-Harley streets.
Also to be inaugurated are the Mother and Child Hospital, the Real Madrid Academy new building, and the Okoro-nu-Odo flyover.
He pledged the resolve of his administration to create a more robust business environment that will stimulate email growth, empowerment and create tangible jobs for people of the state in 2021.
Gov. Wike expressed dismay over non-adherence to COVID-19 protocols particularly as it concerns wearing of face masks, avoidance of large gathering and social distancing and regular use of hand sanitizer by most persons in the state.
The State Chief Executive also disclosed that enforcement of the ban on illegal motor parks and street trading would commence Monday and warned those flouting the state government law on such illegal activities to stop forthwith as any one caught would face the wrath of the law.
Also last week, Governor Wike declared open the 113th Quarterly General Meeting of the Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council .
At the event which held last Thursday at Secretariat of the council, Gov. Wike said his administration would continue to work with the traditional institution in its efforts to advance community development.
“ What we ask of you in particular is to take the lead in mobilising your communities to key into our plans and reap the benefits of development as a shared commitment to serve and responsibility to the people”
Gov. Wike commended the Chairman of the Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council, King Dandeson Douglas-Jaja for his leadership.
In his welcome address, King Dandeson Douglas-Jaja appealed to the Governor to consider appointing traditional rulers as judges of Customary Courts in the state.
“ Given the customary nature of issues adjudicated at the customary courts, traditional rulers with verse knowledge in the culture and tradition of the people can sit as judges”.
Also within the week under review, Gov. Wike graced the ceremony marking the 150 years of the establishment of Opobo Kingdom held in Opobo town last Monday.
At the event, Gov. Wike expressed delight that the people of the kingdom and their friends could drive by road to attend the function.
He assured the people of Opobo Kingdom that the state government would expedite action towards ensuring the completion of the Opobo axis of the Ogoni- Andoni-Opobo Unity Road by January, 2021.
“ When that road is completed, it will bring development. I am glad that I made a promise to the people of Opobo. We believe that by ending of January 2021 that we will come back to Commission the road”, he said.
Gov. Wike donated N50million to support the building of a befitting palace for King Jaja of Opobo.
Also last week Gov. Wike held a meeting with the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr Mele Kolo Kyari after which the Governor ordered the immediate reopening of Kidney Island Port Harcourt for the operators.
A release by the Governor’s Special Assistant on Media, Kelvin Ebiri, disclosed this and said further discussion to resolve the underlying issues would continue.
Politics
Reps Constitution Review Committee Holds Zonal Hearing For Rivers, C’River, Akwa Ibom In Calabar
A press statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Cross River State Governor, Mr Linus Obogo, disclosed that the Calabar Centre — designated as Centre B — will host representatives and stakeholders from Cross River, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom States.
The public hearing is scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at the Transcorp (Metropolitan) Hotel, Calabar.
The initiative, according to the statement, is designed to promote inclusive dialogue and capture the aspirations of Nigerians from all regions.
It aims to serve as a platform for citizens to contribute meaningfully to the ongoing national efforts to refine and strengthen the country’s legal and institutional frameworks.
“Citizens, civil society groups, professional bodies, traditional rulers, and other interest blocs are invited to participate in this landmark engagement aimed at advancing a more just, equitable, and responsive Nigerian Constitution,” the statement read.
The hearing forms part of the broader review process of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and is seen as a strategic move toward fostering national unity and addressing structural legal issues within the federation.
For the first time since 2022, when then-presidential aspirant Alhaji Bola Tinubu declared he made former President Buhari Nigeria’s President in 2015, Mr Mustapha dismissed the claims, stressing that the merger only contributed about three million votes in addition to Buhari’s existing 12 million votes in the North.
He insisted that former President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to the breakthrough, not the three million votes from the merging parties, which he described as insignificant.
Speaking on the role of the merging parties, particularly President Tinubu, the leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr Mustapha, who was the keynote speaker at the launch of the book ‘According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesman’s Experience’ authored by Mallam Garba Shehu, described the impact of the votes from other merging parties as very insignificant.
In attendance were former Head of State Yakubu Gowon, chair of the event; immediate past Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; SGF George Akume, who represented President Tinubu; PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar; former Chief of Staff to Buhari Ibrahim Gambari; elder statesman Babagana Kingibe; former governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Chris Ngige (Anambra), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Raji Babatunde Fashola (Lagos); former ministers Solomon Dalung and Sunday Dare; former Army Chief Tukur Buratai, and Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu’s spokesman, among others.
According to Mr Mustapha, “I do not intend to stir up any controversy. The merger in 2013 was midwifed to create a Buhari presidency. Let us look at the statistics. In the 2003 election, it was the Obasanjo-Buhari presidential contest where Buhari recorded 12.7 million votes. In 2007, it came to 6.6 million, and it went back to 12.2 million in 2011.
“When we were conceptualising the merger, what would give us a headstart? Obviously, it was at the back of our consciousness that the merger with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), though it had only one state, the ACN had six states, ANPP three states, and when you sum up the total votes that we had as the presidency in 2015, the aggregate of the total votes was 15.4 million.
“So, basically, what we brought to the table after the merger outside the Buhari 12.5 million votes was three million. Before turning to that presidency, it is important to recognise the former President’s role in reshaping Nigeria’s political trajectory.
“In early 2013, as the leader of the CPC, Buhari formally requested and supported the creation of a CPC merger committee, part of a broader coalition-building process that brought together the ACN, ANPP, APGA faction, and elements of the ruling party through the breakaway ‘new PDP’ group. His endorsement and participation, along with other party leaders such as President Tinubu and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, lent credibility and direction to the merger, helping to unify disparate party factions under the banner of the APC. That coalition-building paved the way for the first democratic defeat of an incumbent ruling party in Nigeria’s history.
“President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to that breakthrough. No account of President Buhari’s tenure would be complete without acknowledging the extended periods he spent on medical leave. These moments, while politically delicate, were also telling of his leadership philosophy and personality,” he said.
In his remarks, President Tinubu promised to build on the legacies of former President Buhari, stressing that “nation-building is a relay. The efforts of one administration lay the foundation for the next.
“In this regard, I acknowledge the efforts of my predecessor, President Buhari, and assure all Nigerians that the reform-oriented path he initiated will be consolidated and strengthened under this administration. Our Renewed Hope Agenda is inspired by the desire to build a resilient, just, and inclusive Nigeria—a nation that delivers dividends of democracy to all its citizens”.
Speaking during an appearance on live television on Wednesday, Mr Omokri alleged that Mr Obi’s statements were misleading and damaging to the country’s economic prospects.
Mr Omokri said some investors currently operating in Nigeria were considering exiting the market due to Mr Obi’s remarks.
“That is not true. He doesn’t rile me up. I rile him up. The reason why I came here is because I’m a patriot. Peter Obi lied. You know, foreign direct investors are watching your programme, who are making investment decisions not to come to Nigeria. There are foreign investors in Nigeria that are making investment decisions to leave Nigeria because of the lie he told.
“One of the lies he told is that President Tinubu has borrowed more than the administrations of Yar’Adua, Jonathan, Buhari. That is a blatant lie”, Mr Omokri said.
To buttress his claims, Mr Omokri referenced figures from the Debt Management Office (DMO), maintaining that President Tinubu had actually reduced Nigeria’s external debt burden since assuming office.
“I have here with me data from the Debt Management Office, and Nigerians who are watching can go to DMO.com and search Debt Management Office, Nigeria State of Indebtedness 2015.
“As of 2015, Nigeria was owing a total of $63 billion. When Buhari was leaving office, Nigeria was owing $113 billion. Today, from the DMO, our debt has gone from $113 billion to $97 billion, meaning that Tinubu has reduced our debt by over $14 billion.
“We should be appreciating this man. Yet Peter Obi came here and lied to the Nigerian people. He took the debts and translated them into naira to make it look like the debts have increased”, he said.