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Community Seeks RSG’s Intervention In Navy’s Detention Of Leaders
The people of Rumuolumeni Community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State have called on the state government to come to their aid in what they alleged as illegal arrests and detention of some of their leaders by the authorities of the Nigerian Navy, NNS Pathfinder.
The arrests and detention followed protests by the youths and residents of Rumuolumeni at NNS Pathfinder, which is host to Ocean Marine Solutions Limited, an oil servicing firm over alleged refusal of the company to employ people from the area.
Following this allegation, youths barricaded all entrances and exits to and from the community as early as 5am, yesterday, resulting in what could be described as airtight gridlock in the community.
When The Tide visited the scene, personnel of the Army and Navy had cordoned off the Town Hall of the community where they were said to be dialoguing with the youths of the community.
A youth leader in the community, Felix Chinda, who spoke to The Tide, said the action of the youths was in reaction to the unlawful detention of some of their leaders who had gone into the Naval Command to have peaceful dialogue over the refusal of Ocean Marine Solutions (OMS), to employ youths for over seven years of its operations in the community.
According to Chinda, “the issue is that the Navy, NNS Pathfinder, is a government agency in Rumuolumeni, which is host to them. They (Navy) hosted a company called OMS for over seven years without the consent of the community, without any MoU with the community, without any employment of the youths of the community. Meanwhile, all efforts made to dialogue with the company or the Navy had been abortive”.
He explained further that past and present executives of the Rumuolumeni Employment Bureau (REB), and the Community Development Committee (CDC) of the community had made several efforts, including writing to the company and the Navy to enhance dialogue over the issue, to no avail.
“They (REB and CDC) have written several letters over the years to the Commanding Officer (CO) of NNS Pathfinder and the company, but there had been no response from either the Navy or the company till today.
“Yesterday, the community, out of annoyance, seized two of the coastal buses that convey workers of the company to and from work daily in order to get the attention of the company and the Navy. All the staff in the bus were allowed to go. It was the only option we had left to get necessary attention in order to resolve the issue peacefully”, he said.
He added that the Naval personnel later came, well equipped, and took the buses, after which “they invited the CDC chairman, REB chairman, and their members to a meeting inside the command. They told us they wanted to resolve the matter with the company.
“As our people got to the venue, they arrested them and have detained them until now. That is why we demand for their release. We also demand that the company comes to terms with us and sign an MoU”, he said.
According to Chinda, those in detention include, the CDC Chairman, Barrister Ikechi Williams; the REB Chairman, Comrade Noble Nnamdi Orlu; and Youth President, Bobo Chimo; and other leaders such as Barrister George Ariba; and Uchechukwu Onukwuru.
Chinda used the opportunity to call on the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, to intervene in the matter before it degenerates further.
Also speaking, the Vice Chairman of the Community Employment Bureau (REB), Emmanuel Ikenga, said the development was a show of disrespect for the host community.
Ikenga said, “Our CDC and REB chairmen have been held hostage by the NNS Pathfinder. When the youths heard of it, we came out this morning to block the road until they release our people.
“The protest will continue until they release our people. Our demand is that the company should come out clear and give us employment”, he insisted.
The Secretary of CDC in Rumuolumeni, Henry Amaewhule, threatened that the youths would remain on the road until their leaders were released, while insisting that the marine company come to a roundtable with the community.
He said: “The reason for the protest is that we are demanding the unconditional release of our CDC leaders and others.
“We are demanding employment in Ocean Marine Solutions; they have been there for over 20 years now, and being harboured by the Navy in collaboration with the Commanding Officer.
“Why will they arrest our representatives as if we do not have youths? Why will they come to our community to oppress us?
“We have been in good terms with the Nigerian Navy. We are a peaceful community, hosting a lot of multinational companies, and they have not complained before. We have never been in this mood before, and we want the release of the arrested persons.”
Several of the youths, who blocked the roads for hours, were seen carrying various placards with inscriptions, “Ocean Marine Solutions employ our youths”, “We are a peace-loving community”, “NNS Pathfinder stop intimidating us”, “After the release of our leaders, we want a roundtable discussion for our youths to be employed by OMS”, and “Enough is Enough”.
The protests resulted in traffic gridlock in the area as a result of blockage of the roads at St. John’s Junction and Aker Base Road Junction of Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt.
At time of this report, a joint task force made up of the Nigerian Army, Police and the Nigerian Navy have been deployed to the area to ensure that there was no security breach.
Meanwhile, negotiations to end the protest and resolve the dispute has started with representatives of the Rumuolumeni chiefs, elders, the Navy and other stakeholders at the Palace of Paramount Ruler, Eze Ndubueze Wobo.
The Tide gathered that a representative of the community in the meeting, Collins Wagbara, called for the release of the five members of the community detained by officers of NNS Pathfinder.
Efforts made to get to the commanding officer to comment n the matter proved abortive as at press time.
However, a senior Naval officer, who said he has not been authorised to comment on the development, revealed to The Tide that the Navy has commenced moves to resolve the disagreement.
The source added an official statement would be released to the press in due time.
By: Sogbeba Dokubo
President Bola Tinubu has ordered a Federal Executive Council committee to move swiftly on measures to further reduce food prices across the country.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, disclosed this in Abuja, on Wednesday.
According to him, the directive focuses on ensuring safe passage of farm produce across transport routes to cut logistics costs.
“The President has given a matching order with a Federal Executive Council committee already handling it on how we are going to promote safe passage of agricultural foods and commodities across our various routes in the country,” Abdullahi said at a capacity-building workshop for Senate correspondents.
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Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has faced worsening food insecurity since the removal of fuel subsidy, high transport costs, and insecurity on major highways disrupted the movement of goods.
Despite government interventions, food remains largely unaffordable for millions.
The minister said the plan is tied to Tinubu’s broader vision of food sovereignty—beyond availability to ensure affordability, accessibility, and nutrition on a sustainable basis.
To back this up, he revealed that government is set to roll out a Farmer Soil Health Scheme to boost productivity and a revamped cooperative reform initiative to mobilise resources and empower rural farmers.
“Mr. President has shown tremendous interest in the cooperative sector as a veritable tool for resource mobilisation, for economic activity generation, and to improve the livelihood of members,” Abdullahi added.
The event, with the theme, “Parliamentary Reporting: Issues, Challenges and Responsibilities,” also featured Senate Media Committee Chairman, Senator Yemi Adaramodu; ex-presidential aide, Senator Ita Solomon Enang; and NILDS DG, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman.
The Federal Government has warned contractors, including foreign firms, that any breach of regulations in road projects awarded to them may lead to arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, issued the warning during an inspection of the ongoing dualisation of the East-West Road (Section IIIA) from Eleme Junction to Onne Port Junction in Rivers State.
The section is being executed by Reynolds Construction Company (Nigeria) Limited.
Responding to questions from journalists, Umahi commended the quality of work on the project but expressed displeasure over the slow pace, stressing that the December completion deadline remains sacrosanct.
On the project, he said:“The quality of the work is excellent, but the pace of work is totally unacceptable. Let me make it very clear to the contractor that this project will neither be reviewed nor varied in price or claims.
“I’m sure we have issued over 10 warning letters to them. If they fail to comply with the completion deadline of December 15, we will not extend it.”
He added that the ministry had already put measures in place to enforce compliance
“The comptroller has negative certificates to issue, and I will recover the money from any of their other projects. All those letters are on record, and when the time comes, they will be invoked. Any contractor who refuses to abide by regulations will have the EFCC and ICPC to contend with,” he said.
Umahi further disclosed that the Federal Government had directed that road projects valued below N20bn would no longer be awarded to expatriate companies, in line with its “Nigeria First” policy aimed at strengthening indigenous capacity in the construction sector.
“This is part of the Nigeria First policy of the Federal Government. Henceforth, no expatriate firm will be awarded any project valued below N20bn. Such projects must go to indigenous companies, while expatriates focus on higher-value projects requiring more technical capacity,” he said.
The minister also noted that the Federal Ministry of Works had adopted a funding prioritisation framework to sustain road projects initially financed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited under the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme.
He stressed that President Bola Tinubu had directed that none of such projects should be abandoned, adding that priority would be given to critical economic corridors.
Umahi also decried the indiscriminate parking of heavy-duty vehicles on highways, saying it was damaging the pavements of completed sections of the road.
He said letters would be sent to state governors and the Inspector-General of Police to enforce punitive measures against defaulters.
Earlier, the Federal Controller of Works in Rivers State, Mrs Enwereama Tarilade, said RCC had completed 15km of the right carriageway and commenced work on the left carriageway, with one kilometre already laid in Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement.
The Rivers State Government says it will ensure the smooth and successful takeoff of the newly established Federal University of Environment and Technology (FUET), in Ogoniland.
This commitment was made yesterday by the Administrator of Rivers State, Retired Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), during a courtesy visit by the university’s Governing Council and Management team at the Government House, in Port Harcourt.
The high-level delegation was led by the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Council, Professor Don Baridam and the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Chinedu Mmom.
In his address, Administrator Ibas warmly congratulated the pioneer council and management on their appointments, describing their task as both a recognition of individual accomplishment and a historic call to duty.
“This is not just a recognition of your personal achievements but also a call to history to shape an institution that will have a profound impact on Rivers State, the Niger Delta, and indeed our country,” he stated.
The Administrator commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the establishment of the specialized university in Ogoniland, describing the initiative as “timely and strategic.”
He emphasized that the university’s presence offers a critical opportunity to drive research, innovation, and community-focused solutions to the region’s pressing environmental and developmental challenges.
He further noted that the university’s core focus aligns perfectly with the priorities of his administration.“We consider this university not merely as another institution of higher learning but as a strategic partner in our collective effort to rebuild Rivers State under the ongoing state of emergency and beyond,” he affirmed.
Responding to specific requests presented by the delegation, Administrator Ibas assured the university of immediate support in critical areas essential for the its commencement.
These include the provision of operational vehicles, key facilities, and the completion of the access road to the campus, adding that other vital needs, such as perimeter fencing, refuse disposal, and the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy, would be addressed within the framework of the state’s broader infrastructure and support programmes.
To ensure swift action, the Administrator directed the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) to work closely with the university’s Governing Council to prioritize the sequence of requests, particularly those tied to the commencement of academic activities in September 2025.
“Let me assure you that Rivers State Government will stand as a dependable partner to the Federal University of Environment and Technology. We see this university as part of our long-term investment in knowledge, innovation, and the future of our youths,” he emphasized.
In his remarks, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Professor Don Baridam, reaffirmed the university’s commitment to academic excellence, innovation, and community development.
He disclosed that the Federal Government has directed the institution to formally commence its academic session in September 2025, adding that preparations are in full swing to ensure a smooth take-off with adequate infrastructure and resources in place.
“Today’s meeting marks the beginning of a strategic partnership between the Rivers State Government and FUET, envisioned to establish the university as a premier hub for research, innovation, and sustainable development in the Niger Delta”, he said.
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