Opinion
RSG And Palm Oil Production
Agriculture has since ancient times been an important human activity. Its importance to man is in various aspects, such as, being the source of many kinds of food for the nourishment of the human body, the provision of employment for millions of people, and producing different types of raw materials for industrial use.
Hence, both the pubic and private sectors are involved in agricultural research and production if the growing human population is to have enough food to eat, if the growth in unemployment is to be largely checked, and, if many industries are to have appropriate and sufficient raw materials for the production of goods.
The importance of agriculture is better appreciated in times of food scarcity, a situation that compels those threatened by starvation to shift their priorities from the purchase of not so essential items to more food to stem the pains of going on an empty stomach.
In Rivers State, the land is so fertile as to easily support the production of many kinds of food and cash crops. But the people’s interest in farming has largely waned owing to a number of reasons, including the fact that farming is usually labour intensive. It has therefore been seen as an occupation of drudgery. Youths, who form the most energetic component of the population of the state, are not prepared for such drudgery. The popular thing among them as far as occupational pursuit is concerned is the search for white collar jobs. The weak and the elderly, who out of having no choice, are now mostly involved in food production.
But the prevailing uncheering circumstance would likely not last for long, as the administration of Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi is encouraging agricultural production in the state by providing various incentives to those prepared to engage in the noble profession of farming. It is doing this through the, training of farmers, provision of loan facilities, rendering advisory services, and ensuring the availability of necessary equipment.
One area where the administration is making noticeable progress as far as increase food production is concerned is as regards palm oil production. Scarcely is there any home in the state where palm oil is not frequently used in the domestic cuisine. Reddish in colour, palm oil is extracted from the fruit of the oil palm tree, a graceful tree commonly found in the forests of most parts of the state. It’s trunk is straight, and at its top is a crown of petiolated leaves running out from the two opposite sides of a long stalk.
When the wind blows strongly the stalk of leaves sways with an attraction that announces God’s creative genius. The fruits of this tree are in bunches, and when ripe their usually partly reddish skin has beneath it a mesocarp rich in this kind of edible oils, that gave to this part of the country, in the days of yore, the name “Oil Rivers”.
The place of palm oil in industrial production is as important as what it can give to our cookery. Palm oil is used in making soap, margarine, and candles, and for other industrial purposes. Its inner kernel is also rich in oil that is used in making margarine, cooking fats and detergents. And with the extraction of oil from the kernels the residue is used as livestock feed; while the tapped sap from the tree is the popular palm wine that pleases the palate. Moreover, from the leaves of this tree comes brooms that keep millions of homes clean, especially in many parts of West Africa. These are just some of the products of the oil palm tree that have given it exceptional significance in its tropical home.
But its ripe fruit is so much sought after, not only by birds, snakes and other wild animals but also by man. The growing demand for palm oil for cooking and industrial use has therefore called for more efficient ways of processing this fruit for oil. It is in this direction that the Rivers State Government has exhibited remarkable initiative designed to improve palm oil production in the state.
Already, it has taken a crucial step as far as the oil palm is concerned in its agricultural scheme by planning to buy back the shares that were sold to private Rivers State investors in its oil palm estate, RISONPALM to enable investors have interest in this massive oil palm farm. This is a move that would attract private investors to invest in RISONPALM, thereby turn around the fortunes of the estate for the better. This turn around is expected in the long run to be manifested in increased production of palm oil and other products.
Furthermore, Government has built 16 oil mills across the state. The process on the test running of the mills has commenced. Speaking during the inspection of the Obeakpu Ndoki palm oil mill, the State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Emmanuel Chinda explained that the projects represent Government’s commitment towards the actualization of its Accelerated Development Oil Palm Initiative (ADOPI).
He had rightly stated during the inspection that Rivers State was a major palm belt, and that the projects would add value to the output of farmers in the state. Besides this, it should be noted that these mills are bringing decency and modernisation to palm oil production in the state. Comparatively, the age-long traditional process of production is characterized by so much unhealthiness and application of human labour.
What the State Government has done in respect of building the Oil Palm Mills would no doubt be of benefit to many palm oil producers in the state, as their income is likely to improve through the use of these factories. And with these mills now being ready for full operation a major leap has been taken in diversifying the economy of the state from the petroleum sector to agriculture. With further reasoning, it could be found that the economic potentials which the oil palm presents to the state are not being allowed to waste, for Government has through the installation of these mills begun the singing of a new song that tells the people that their lives could be made better if they neglect not the oil palm tree.
We commend Gov-ernment’s initiative in setting up these palm oil mills as they would give to the people a very fine grade of palm oil, as they point to the fact that agricultural economics could still find a good footing in the oil palm tree, and as they depict improvement in the process of producing the commodity in the state. The installed equipment should be protected against vandalization by the communities where they are sited so that they would for so many years serve the purpose for which they were built.
Kikpoye-Jonathan is a staff of the Rivers State Ministry of Information.
Neville Kikpoye-Jonathan
Opinion
Betrayal: Vice Of Indelible Scar
The line that separates betrayal and corruption is very thin. Betrayal and corruption are two sides of the same coin. Like the snail and its shell they are almost inseparable. They go hand-in-globe. Betrayal and corruption are instinctive in humans and they are birthed by people with inordinate ambition – people without principles, without regard for ethical standards and values. Looking back to the days of Jesus Christ, one of his high profile disciples-the treasurer, was a betrayer. Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus Christ for just 30 pieces of silver. One of the characteristics of betrayers is greed.
So, when on resumption from his imposed suspension, the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminilayi Fubara threatened to bring permanent secretaries who were found complicit in “defrauding” the State during the days of Locust and Caterpillar regime, he did not only decry a loot of the Treasury but the emotional trauma of betrayal perpetrated by those who swore to uphold the ethics of the civil service. Governor Siminilayi Fubara had least expected that those who feigned loyalty to his administration would soon become co-travellers with an alien administration whose activities were repugnant to the “Rivers First” mantra of his administration. The saying that if you want to prove the genuineness of a person’s love and loyalty feign death, finds consummate expression in the Governor Fubara and some of the key members of the State engine room
Some of those who professed love for Governor Siminilayi Fubara and Rivers State could not resist the lure and enticement of office in the dark days of Rivers State, like Judas Iscariot. Rather, they chose to identify with the locusts and the caterpillars for their selfish interest. Julius Caesar did not die from the stab of Brutus but by his emotional attachment to him, hence he exclaimed in utter disappointment, “Even you Brutus”. The wound of betrayal never heals and the scar is indelible. Unfortunately, today, because of gross moral turpitude and declension in ethical standards and values, betrayal and corruption are celebrated and rewarded. Corruption, a bane of civil/public service is sublime in betrayal. The quest to get more at the expense of the people is the root of betrayal and sabotage.
This explains why Nigeria at 65 is the World’s capital of poverty.
Nigeria is not a poor country, yet, millions are living in hunger, abject poverty and avoidable misery. What an irony. Nigeria, one of Africa’s largest economies and most populous nation is naturally endowed with 44 mineral resources, found in 500 geographical locations in commercial quantity across the country. According to Nigeria’s former Minister for Mines and Steel Development, Olamiekan Adegbite, the mineral resources include: baryte, kaolin, gymsium, feldspar, limestone, coal, bitumen, lignite, uranium, gold, cassiterite, columbite, iron ore, lead, zinc, copper, granite, laterite, sapphire, tourmaline, emerald, topaz, amethyst, gamer, etc. Nigeria has a vast uncultivated arable land even as its geographical area is approximately 923, 769 sq km (356,669 sq ml).
“This clearly demonstrates the wide mineral spectrum we are endowed with, which offers limitless opportunities along the value-chain, for job creation, revenue growth. Nigeria provides one of the highest rates of return because its minerals are closer to the suffer”, Adegbite said. Therefore, poverty in Nigeria is not the consequences of lack of resources and manpower but inequality, misappropriation, outright embezzlement, barefaced corruption that is systemic and normative in leaders and public institutions. According to the World Poverty Clock 2023, Nigeria has the awful distinction of being the world capital of poverty with about 84 million people living in extreme poverty today.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data also revealed that a total of 133 million people in Nigeria are classed as multi-dimensionally poor. Unemployment is a major challenge in the country. About 33 percent of the labour force are unable to find a job at the prevailing wage rate. About 63 percent of the population are poor because of lack of access to health, education, employment, and security. Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG) speculated that unemployment rate will increase to 37 percent in 2023. The implications, therefore, is increase in unemployment will translate to increase in the poverty rate. The World Bank, a Washington-based and a multi-lateral development institution, in its macro-poverty outlook for Nigeria for April 2023 projected that 13 million Nigerians will fall below the National Poverty line by 2025.
It further stated that the removal of subsidy on petroleum products without palliatives will result to 101 million people being poor in Nigeria. Statistics also show that “in 2023 nearly 12 percent of the world population of extreme poverty lived in Nigeria, considering poverty threshold at 1.90 US dollars a day”.Taking a cursory look at the Nigerian Development Update (NDU), the World Bank said “four million Nigerians were pushed into poverty between January and June 2023 and 7.1 million more will join if the removal of subsidy is not adequately managed.” These startling revelations paint a grim and bleak future for the social-economic life of the people.The alarming poverty in the country is a conspiracy of several factors, including corruption. In January, 2023 the global anti-corruption watchdog, Transparency International, in its annual corruption prospect index which ranks the perceived level of public sector corruption across 180 countries in the world says Nigeria ranked 150 among 180 in the index. Conversely, Nigeria is the 30th most corrupt nation in the ranking. It is also the capital of unemployment in the world.
Truth be told: a Government that is corruption-ridden lacks the capacity to build a vibrant economy that will provide employment for the teeming unemployed population. So crime and criminality become inevitable. No wonder, the incessant cases of violent crimes and delinquency among young people. Corruption seems to be the second nature of Nigeria as a nation . At the root of Nigerians’ poverty is the corruption cankerworm.How the nation got to this sordid economic and social precipice is the accumulation of years of corrupt practices with impunity by successive administrations. But the hardship Nigerians are experiencing gathered momentum between 2015 and 2023 and reached the climax few days after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who assumed power as president of Nigeria, removed the controversial petroleum subsidy. Since then, there is astronomical increase in transport fares, and prices of commodities. Living standard of most Nigerians is abysmally low, essential commodities are out of reach of the poor masses who barely eat once a day.
The Dollar to Naira exchange rate ratio at one dollar to N1,000, is the most economy-unfriendly in the annals of the history of Nigeria. The prohibitive prices of petroleum products with the attendant multi-dimensional challenges following the removal of the subsidy, has posed a nightmare better to be imagined than experienced. Inflation, has been on the increase, negatively affecting the purchasing power of low income Nigerians. Contributing to the poverty scourge is the low private investment due to.unfriendly business environment and lack of power supply, as well as low social development outcomes resulting in low productivity. The developed economies of the world are private sector-driven. So the inadequate involvement of the private sector in Nigeria’s economy, is a leading cause of unemployment which inevitably translates to poverty.
Igbiki Benibo
Opinion
Dangers Of Unchecked Growth, Ambition
In today’s fast-paced, hyper-competitive world, the pursuit of success and growth has become an all-consuming force. Individuals, organisations, and nations alike, are locked in a perpetual struggle to achieve more, earn more, and surpass their rivals. Yet, beneath this relentless drive for progress lies a silent danger—the risk of self-destruction. This perilous pattern, which I call the self-destruct trajectory, describes the path taken when ambition and growth are pursued without restraint, awareness, or moral balance. The self-destruct trajectory is fueled by an insatiable hunger for more—a mindset that glorifies endless expansion while disregarding the boundaries of ethics, sustainability, and human well-being. At first glance, it may appear to promise prosperity and achievement. After all, ambition has long been celebrated as a virtue. But when growth becomes the only goal, it mutates into obsession.
Individuals burn out, organisations lose their soul, and societies begin to fracture under the weight of their own excesses. The consequences are everywhere. People pushed beyond their limits face anxiety, exhaustion, and disconnection. Companies sacrifice employee welfare and social responsibility on the altar of profit. The entire ecosystems suffer as forests are cleared, oceans polluted, and air poisoned in the name of economic progress. The collapse of financial systems, widening income inequality, and global environmental crises are all symptoms of this same relentless, self-consuming pursuit. To understand this dynamic, one can turn to literature—and to Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist. In one of the novel’s most haunting scenes, young Oliver, starving in the workhouse, dares to utter the words: “Please, sir, I want some more.” This simple plea encapsulates the essence of human desire—the urge for more. But it also mirrors the perilous craving that drives the self-destruct trajectory. Like Oliver, society keeps asking for “more”—more wealth, more power, more success—without considering the consequences of endless wanting.
The workhouse itself symbolises the system of constraints and boundaries that ambition often seeks to defy. Oliver’s courage to ask for more represents the daring spirit of human aspiration—but it also exposes the risk of defying limits without reflection. Mr. Bumble, the cruel overseer, obsessed with authority and control, embodies the darker forces that sustain this destructive cycle: greed, pride, and the illusion of dominance. Through this lens, Dickens’ tale becomes a timeless metaphor for the modern condition—a warning about what happens when ambition blinds compassion and growth eclipses humanity. Avoiding the self-destruct trajectory requires a radical rethinking about success. True progress should not be measured solely by accumulation, but by balance—by how growth serves people, planet, and purpose.
This calls for a more holistic approach to achievement, one that values sustainability, empathy, and integrity alongside innovation and expansion
Individuals must learn to pace their pursuit of goals, embracing rest, reflection, and meaningful relationships as part of a full life. The discipline of “enough”—knowing when to stop striving and start appreciating—can restore both mental well-being and moral clarity. Organisations, on their part, must reimagine what it means to succeed: prioritising employee welfare, practising environmental stewardship, and embedding social responsibility in the core of their mission. Governments and policymakers also play a vital role. They can champion sustainable development through laws and incentives that reward ethical practices and environmental responsibility. By investing in education, renewable energy, and equitable economic systems, they help ensure that ambition is channeled toward collective benefit rather than collective ruin.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) provides a tangible pathway for this transformation. When businesses take ownership of their social and environmental impact—reducing carbon footprints, supporting local communities, and promoting fair labour—they not only strengthen society but also secure their own long-term stability. Sustainable profit is, after all, the only kind that endures. Ultimately, avoiding the self-destruct trajectory is not about rejecting ambition—it is about redefining it. Ambition must evolve from a self-centred hunger for more into a shared pursuit of the better. We must shift from growth at all costs to growth with conscience. The future will belong not to those who expand endlessly, but to those who expand wisely. By embracing restraint, compassion, and sustainability, we can break free from the cycle of self-destruction and create a new narrative—one where success uplifts rather than consumes, and where progress builds rather than burns.
In the end, the question is not whether we can grow, but whether we can grow without losing ourselves. The choice is ours: to continue along the self-destruct trajectory, or to chart a more balanced, humane, and enduring path toward greatness.
Sylvia ThankGod-Amadi
Opinion
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