Politics
RSG Begins Another Round Of Projects Inauguration
A release by the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim, last week, said another round of projects inauguration would kick-start today with the commissioning of the Okoro-nu-Odo flyover bridge .
The former Governor of Cross Rivers State, Donald Duke will officially Commission the project.
According to the release, Rumuogba flyover will follow suit on Tuesday, 2nd March, 2021 and the former Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso will do the official commissioning.
Other legacy projects which would be inaugurated in the state include GRA Phase Two Road Projects, the New Government House Clinic and Press.
He explained that apart from unveiling of completed projects, this week would also witness the flag off of the two newly approved flyover bridges, one at Aba Road/ Rumukalagbor and the second one at Olu-Obasanjo/ Ikwerre Road .
The one week inaugurations would attract top political leaders and other personalities across the country to the state .
Another major event last week in Government House Port Harcourt was the courtesy visit by the new Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Friday Eboka. The Police boss said his visit was to solicit for effective synergy with the State Government which was needed for him to succeed in fighting crimes in the state.
The Commissioner of Police said: “ My duty in this state is to fight crime and criminality. I know I cannot do that work alone without synergy with other stakeholders”.
Eboka also informed the Governor that he had dissolved the E- Crack team of the State Police Command because of the uncanny report agaist it and redeployed the officers to other units.
The Rivers State Chief Executive advised the State Police boss to shun politics and concentrate on his mandate to fight crime without fear or favour.
He said there was so much criminality in the society and urged police officers not to abandon their duties of protecting lives and property. The Governor emphasised that nobody should be above the law and said if any criminal was arrested, such a person should be charged to court.
He further charged the police commissioner to get rid of bad eggs in the command and assured him of the state government support in fighting crimes in the state.
The Governor noted the increase in the level of kidnapping in the state and blamed the unfortunate situation on the immediate past Police Commissioner whom he accused of abandoning his duty.
Also within the week under review, Governor Wike played host to the Senate Committee on Niger Delta led by it’s chairman, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi.
The Governor expressed disappointment with the National Assembly for confirming the sacked Service Chiefs as Ambassadors. He wondered why Senators who agreed with Nigerians on the poor performance of the Service Chiefs should turn round and clear them for ambassadorial positions.
Wike lamented the failure of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to achieve it’s core mandate and blamed the situation on National Assembly, the Presidency and the ruling political party.
“ The National Assembly is part of the problem of NDDC. The Presidency is part of the problem of NDDC and the party in power is part of the problem of NDDC, whichever party it is. They don’t allow NDDC to perform. We too in N’Delta are not allowing them to perform. We are enemies of ourselves”, he said.
Chairman of the Committee, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi lauded Governor Wike for being a strong voice for the region and assured him that the committee would do everything possible within the limits of the Constitution through their oversight functions for them to achieve their objective.
Also last week, the Brick House landlord received the Chairman/ CEO of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier-General Mohammed Marwa (rtd) in his campaign against illicit drug in the country.
By: Chris Oluoh
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the deadline for political parties to submit the list of candidates for the 2027 governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections from Saturday, August 8, to Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
The commission announced the extension in a statement issued on Saturday and signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna.
According to INEC, the decision followed appeals by political parties for additional time to complete the submission process through the dedicated online portal.
“The submission window, which according to the revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the General Election was originally scheduled to close on Saturday, 8th August, 2026, has been extended to Tuesday, 11th August, 2026,” the commission said.
In a a related development, INEC announced the suspension of PVC collection in Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
The commission said voters who applied for replacement of lost, damaged or defaced Permanent Voter Cards would have until midnight on Sunday, August 9, to print downloadable copies of their cards.
The electoral body explained that the deadline was necessary to enable it compile data on downloaded PVCs and produce final statistics on the total number of cards collected ahead of the election.
INEC said PVC collection in Osun commenced at the Registration Area level from July 22 to 28, 2026, but was extended to July 31 following complaints about large crowds and difficulties experienced by voters at collection centres.
The exercise subsequently moved to the local government level and ran from August 1 to 7.
The commission also disclosed that replacement downloadable PVCs had been made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas following the theft of cards during attacks on the two collection centres.
It stressed that the stolen cards could not be used to vote.
INEC reassured Osun residents of its preparedness for the August 15 governorship election.
“The commission reiterates that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
“INEC reassures the people of Osun State of its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election on 15th August, 2026,” the statement said.
The commission said the deadline, initially set for Saturday, 8 August, has been extended to Tuesday, 11 August 2026, following appeals from political parties for more time.
INEC also announced that the window for voters who applied to replace lost, damaged or defaced PVCs to download their replacement cards will close at midnight on Sunday, 9 August.
The move is to enable the commission compile final PVC collection figures ahead of the 15 August Osun governorship election.
INEC said replacement downloadable PVCs have also been provided to affected voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas after hoodlums carted away cards from two collection centres, stressing that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
The commission reaffirmed its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive election in Osun State.
Gov. Kefas made the remarks over the weekend at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jalingo, during the flag-off of the second phase of the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach in Taraba State, organised as part of activities marking Prof. Yilwatda’s 58th birthday.
The governor commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing to mark his birthday by providing medical care to people in need.
“What Professor Nentawe did is a powerful demonstration of what leadership should be,” Gov. Kefas said.
He assured that his administration would continue to support initiatives that complement government efforts to improve healthcare delivery and the wellbeing of residents.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Yilwatda called on Nigerian leaders to embrace the culture of giving and use their positions to touch the lives of the less privileged.
He said his decision to celebrate his 58th birthday in Taraba State was deliberate and informed by the needs of underserved communities, particularly people who face difficulties accessing healthcare because of distance and financial constraints.
According to him, the intervention followed a needs assessment and was extended across the three senatorial districts of the state.
He said the exercise commenced on August 3 at Takum General Hospital and covered the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Wukari; First Referral Hospital, Sunkani, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area; General Hospital, Bali; General Hospital, Gembu; and FMC Jalingo.
Prof. Yilwatda said the intervention provided medical services to thousands of beneficiaries, including people who required surgical procedures.
He said sustainable national development could only be achieved when strong institutions placed Nigerians at the centre of development.
“Leadership is about service,” he said, urging political and public leaders to make giving back to society an important part of their responsibilities.
He reaffirmed his commitment to serving Nigeria and its people, saying his personal vision was to make every day of his life useful to humanity.
“Every day that I live, the vision is: let it be useful to humanity,” he said.
The Taraba State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bordiya Buma, commended the initiative, saying it was consistent with the Renewed Hope agenda and efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery in the state.
Dr Buma said the second phase followed the successful completion of the first phase, which was conducted simultaneously in six local government areas, with two LGAs selected from each of the three senatorial districts.
According to him, more than 10,000 patients were attended to during the first phase, including people with medical and surgical conditions.
He disclosed that 327 general surgeries, 71 eye surgeries and 575 dental procedures were carried out during the exercise.
The commissioner expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach and thanked Prof. Yilwatda for supporting the initiative and choosing Taraba State as a beneficiary.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, also commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing Taraba State to mark his 58th birthday through a medical outreach.
Prof. Pate said making healthcare the centrepiece of the birthday celebration was significant because health affects everyone.
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