Business
RISONPALM: APGA Candidate Lied- RSG
Contrary to claims by the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance in Rivers State, Sir Celestine Omehia, the Rivers State Government said that it has concluded arrangement for the resuscitation of Risonpalm.
The state Commissioner for Agriculture,Mr. Emanuel Chinda who said this while reacting to statement by the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) on the company, Sir Celestine Omehia on the resuscitation of the company, said that the Amaechi-led administration has finished arrangement for the resuscitation of Risonpalm.
He said that what the government is waiting for now is the full implementation of the arrangement which is totally private sector driven.Meanwhile, Mr Chindah has described as false claims by Sir Omehia that his campaign convoy was attacked at Ogbakiri.
He said that investigation showed that the convoy of the former governor was not attacked at all. I have it on good authority that Celestine was never attacked. He should be able to prove that point because Ogbakiri people are very hospitable people but more importantly they are very civilized people”.
Mr Chindah also described as laughable allegation of his involvement in the act, stressing that on the day of the alleged attack, he was out on campaign tour of Ogu/Bolo with the Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amamechi.
The commissioner urged the APGA governorship candidate to stop playing politics with the people of Ogbakiri.
“If Celestine has things to do for us as governor, let him come out and say so and stop distracting people. As far as lam concerned this tactic is diversionary, he said.
Mr Chindah who is a son of Ogbakiri said that his people have decided to vote for Amaechi for the singular act of restoring peace to the area.
The commissioner used the occasion to call on all governorship candidates in Rivers State to join hands with Governor Amaechi to develop the state.
Meanwhile, Governor Chibuike Amaechi Re-election Campaign Organisation has denied allegations of financial impropriety levelled against the governor.
A member of the Campaign Organisation, Mr Emeka Woke told newsmen in Port Harcourt on Sunday that the governor had displayed utmost honesty in the discharge of his duties.
Woke, who is also the Chairman of Emohua Local Government Council of the state, was reacting to a statement credited to the National Secretary of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr Kenneth Kobani accusing the governor of financial dishonesty.
He said that Amaechi had been of great service to Rivers people since he assumed office by embarking on projects which were seen as impossible in the years past.
“This is a governor that has periodically rendered his account of stewardship to the state, making everybody know what has come in and what has been spent.
“He has also during the regular town hall meetings told every community the number of on-going projects in their domain and the amount they are being implemented,’’ Woke said.
He said that no smear campaign against the governor would change the mindset of Rivers people to re-elect him.
“It is clear that Rivers people are happy with the on-going developmental activities in the state, who ever knew that all these will be possible.
“Let me urge Rivers people to remain committed in their support for the governor as the election draws nearer,’’ Woke said.
Cornerstone of Financial Services
A survey of more than 1 000 global finance leaders undertaken by digital payment network Ripple shows that 72% of respondents believe they need to offer a digital asset solution to remain competitive.
According to Ripple, leaders from the banking, fintech, corporate and asset management sector have made it clear that the “digital asset revolution is happening now”.
“Digital assets are quickly becoming a cornerstone of financial services, underpinned by progressive regulation, growing interest from Tier-1 banks, a steady consumer shift from banks to fintech providers, and booming stablecoin adoption,” Ripple says.
The survey was conducted in early 2026 and the findings released in March.
Stablecoin Boon or Bane?
Ripple has experienced significant success in the stablecoin sector since launching its Ripple USD (RLUSD) stablecoin in 2024.
With a market cap of $1.56 billion, it is considered a major regulated player in the market.
No doubt the platform was pleased to learn through its own survey that financial leaders were most bullish about stablecoins.
Roughly three-quarters of respondents believed they could boost cash-flow efficiency and unlock trapped working capital.
Ripple noted that finance leaders were thinking about stablecoins as more than “just a new way to execute payments”; instead, they viewed them as effective tools for treasury management.
In March 2026, Ripple began testing a new trade finance model built around RLUSD in a bid to increase the speed of cross-border payments.
The pilot initiative, developed alongside supply chain finance company Unloq [https://unloq.com], is running on the XRP Ledger inside a testing framework developed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
The Asian city-state is one of the platform’s biggest growth markets.
The idea behind the project is to see whether stablecoin-based settlement can streamline trade finance, too often hampered by reliance on intermediaries and slow reconciliation.
The only potential drawback is that if the initiative takes off, the Ripple to USD price could be negatively affected.
Ripple has always championed its native XRP token as a bridge asset, the “middleman” in the process of a financial institution turning dollars in the US into pounds in the UK, for example.
Ripple converts dollars into XRP and then back into pounds.
If RLUSD can do exactly the same thing, questions will be asked about XRP’s relevance.
That is a bridge Ripple will have to cross if it gets to that point.
Tokenisation Partners
Another interesting finding from Ripple’s survey is that most banks and asset managers are seeking tokenisation partners to help execute their strategies.
Some 89% of respondents said digital asset storage and custody were top priority. “Token servicing/lifecycle management also ranks highly for banks at 82%, while asset managers place greater emphasis on primary distribution at 80%,” Ripple found.
The survey also revealed that just more than half of fintechs and financial institutions want an infrastructure provider that can offer a “one-stop-shop solution”. This rose to 71% among corporate financial leaders.
Ripple attributes this to institutions and firms wanting uncomplicated, cohesive systems.
Infrastructure Rules
In its final analysis, Ripple says companies across the board are looking for partners and solutions that are “secure, compliant, battle-tested and that enable growth and execution”.
“The message is clear: infrastructure decisions made today will shape competitive positioning tomorrow.”
No surprise that this is precisely where Ripple is placing much of its focus.