Politics
Gov Wike Receives Report On Police Brutality, Others
Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, last week, received the report from the Commission of Inquiry that investigated Human Right Abuses, Police Brutality and Extra-Judicial Killings by the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in the state.
Chairman of the Commission, Justice Chukwunenye Uriri (rtd) submitted the report, last Friday, in Government House, Port Harcourt. He disclosed that the Commission received 190 petitions, out of which, 82 were struct out for lack of due deligence or jurisdiction and considered 108 of them.
Uriri remarked that the police officers who committed the crimes agaist Rivers people especially, Mr Akin Fakorede and his cohorts do not have any affinity with the state.
Governor Wike who commended the members of the Commission for their dedication and set up a five-member committee, mainly lawyers, from the State Executive Council to study the report and determine the content of a White paper , which would be considered in the next Executive Council meeting.
The Governor challenged the Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioner of Police in the state to implement the White paper as a proof that Federal Government was serious about ending police brutality in the country.
Also last week, the Rivers State Executive Council approved the construction of two new flyover Projects in Port Harcourt City.
The state Commissioner for Works, Eloka Tasie-Amadi, who briefed journalists after the Council meeting, last Wednesday, said the two projects woul cost the state N12.4 Billion .
The Commissioner stated that one of the flyover bridges is situated at the inter-section of Olu-Obasanjo and Port Harcourt Expressway popularly called, Waterlines Junction, while the second one is located at the inter-section of Olu-Obasanjo and Ikwerre Road, up to the Azikiwe Street in Diobu Area of the city.
The State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim, remarked that the approval for the two additional flyovers was historic and had given further impetus to the urban renewal programme of the Wike administration.
Nsirim used the opportunity to announce the third phase of project inauguration scheduled to begin from the 1st March. According to him, list of the projects to be inaugurated would be made public in due course.
The Rivers State Chief Executive had warned that if the Nigerian Governors Forum went ahead to endorse fresh withdrawal of fund by the Federal Government from the Excess Crude Account, he would have no option than to contest it in court.
He questioned what happened to the $1Billion withdrawn from the account in 2017, on the stance that it would be used to fund the fight agaist Boko Haram insurgents in the North East.
Governor Wike declared his stand last Friday when the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, paid him a courtesy visit in Government House Port Harcourt.
The Governor said he would not support the plan for any fresh withdrawal unless Rivers State was given her 13 per cent share from the account.
Wike who reminded the Emir of Kano how his late father and other leaders in their time were strongly committed to peace and national unity, expressed regret that the present political and religious leaders were not building on such successes.
He accused heads of security agencies, particularly the Inspector-General of Police of politicising security by posting Commissioners of Police to the state on orders of a politician in the ruling party.
The Emir had earlier, commended Governor Wike for the protective and fatherly role he had continued to play in this turbulent times of the nation’s history. He equally lauded the Governor for the giant strides recorded in all spheres of governance and urged other leaders to emulate him. him.
The Senate Chief Wipe and former Governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Uzor-Kalu was among top dignitaries who visited the Brick House, last week. Uzor-Kalu who inspected some projects in the state, praised Gov Wike for the infrastructural revolution in the state under his administration.
He described the Governmen House Hospital as second to none in the country and also expressed excitement over the flyover Bridges, Mother and Child Hospital, Real Madrid Academy.
“ All the facilities I have seen here is first class”, he said, and admired Gov Wike’s payment of 70 per cent to contractors upfront.
Also last week, the Brick House landlord released the sum of N400million for members of Ekporo community in Eleme Local Government Area for the rebuilding of the community and compensation to families fatally affected by inter communal clashes eight years ago.
Secretary to the State Government, Dr Tammy Danagogo, represented the Governor at the event.
By: Chris Oluoh
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.
Politics
Tinubu’s Contribution To Buhari’s Presidency Marginal – Ex-SGF

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”.
Politics
Your Lies Chasing Investors From Nigeria, Omokri Slams Obi
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.
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