News
Amaechi, Abe, Others Express Shock Over Harry’s Death
Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has received with shock and disbelief the death of the former Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Tonye Harry.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, David Iyofor, Governor Amaechi described Harry’s death as deeply shocking and traumatic for him, recalling with nostalgia and fond memories the life and times of Tonye Harry.
“I am still traumatized by the sad news of the death of Rt. Hon. Tonye Harry. I still find it impossible to come to terms that Tonye is no more. I was with him, by his hospital bed shortly after he fell ill, and everyone was very hopeful that he was going to come out of the health crisis, stronger and better. Sadly, he couldn’t make it but God knows best,” the governor said.
“Rt. Hon. Tonye Harry will be dearly missed. He was a thorough and distinguished legislator, an astute politician who believed that politics and public office should be about service to the people. Over the years, he worked very hard and diligently to make Rivers State a better place. His contributions to the legislative development of the state were indeed enormous. We worked together, very closely; he was a friend and brother that will be dearly missed. He has left a vacuum that will be very difficult to fill,” Amaechi added.
“He left behind a loving wife and wonderful family that will really miss him. But God knows best. I pray God Almighty to give them the strength and fortitude to bear this great loss.”
Harry was the Deputy Speaker of the Rivers State legislature while Amaechi was Speaker for the eight years of the Dr Peter Odili administration.
Also speaking, the Rivers State Deputy Governor, Engr. Tele Ikuru, said that the death of former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Tonye Harry, has robbed the state and nation of an erudite politician par excellence whose contributions to the growth of democracy cannot be quantified.
Engr. Ikuru was reacting to the news of the demise of the late Speaker and lawmaker who was representing Degema Constituency in the state House of Assembly.
“The news of the death of my friend and brother, Tonye Harry, came to me as a shock. I feel bad about what has happened. I feel bad that we have lost a gentleman who has not only helped to raise the benchmark of legislative business but also added great value to our democracy. He served us, as a state, well and helped in no small measure to stabilize the polity,” Ikuru said.
The deputy governor prayed for the repose of his soul, urging his bereaved family to take solace in the fact that he served well as a father, politician and leader.
Similarly, the Senator representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District, Senator Magnus Abe has described the demise of Rt. Hon. Tonye Harry as a great shock and a devastating tragedy.
Rt. Hon. Harry, a one-time Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly was Deputy Speaker while Senator Abe was Minority Leader during the Fourth Assembly.
Abe said, “Tonye was a methodical lawmaker, reliable friend, brother, team player and an astute politician whose wealth of experience furthered the stabilization of the Fourth Assembly” and contributed immensely to the development of Rivers State.
The chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), who disclosed that he was horrified by the news, stated that the tragedy was a great loss to the state, country and democracy.
“Tonye left us at the time his country, family and beloved people of Degema Constituency needed him most”.
Abe offered deepest condolences on behalf of his family and the South-East Senatorial district to the government and people of Rivers State and the deceased family, praying God to grant them the fortitude to bear the painful loss.
Meanwhile, the Executive Chairman of Degema Local Government Area, Hon. Ibigoni Daddy Pokima has described the death of the former Speaker and member representing Degema Constituency in the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Tonye Ezekiel Harry as a rude shock and huge loss to the state and the nation.
In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Rev. Success Ekine, Hon Pokima described Rt. Hon. Harry as a caring father, frontline legislator, and a leader-par-excellence, stressing that his demise at this critical period in the political history of Rivers State was a loss too many.
His words: ”Rt Hon. Tonye Harry’s death has created a great vacuum in the political and legislative engineering that will take a very long time to be filled in the state and the nation”.
Hon. Pokima expressed his heart felt condolence to the bereaved family and the good people of Degema, and prayed God to grant the family he left behind, especially his wife, Barrister Sotonye Harry and the children, the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
However, Hon. Pokima has also declared a week-long mourning in the area from today in honour of the late political leader.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 1.63 million pills of tramadol concealed in two long trailers heading for Kano as it intensified efforts to dismantle a transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria corridor.
The agency also arrested an 80-year-old suspected drug dealer in Rivers State, a businesswoman linked to cannabis shipments from Canada, a Chadian woman, a couple and other suspects in coordinated operations across Lagos, Edo, Kogi and Rivers states.
The NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement, yesterday.
According to the statement, the latest intelligence-led operation came barely one week after NDLEA operatives recovered 558,900 pills of tramadol concealed in the false-bottom compartment of a truck that entered Lagos through the Togo-Benin Republic route.
Babafemi said, “Ongoing efforts to dismantle a transnational drug trafficking syndicate smuggling tramadol from Togo, through Benin Republic into Nigeria have yielded another success with the interception of two long trailers used to move One Million Six Hundred and Thirty (1,630,000) pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in fabricated compartments of the trucks across multiple borders into Lagos.”
He added that one of the two trailers was intercepted on July 2 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, where operatives recovered 853,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor.
Babafemi said, “One of the two trucks already heading to Kano was tracked and located on 2nd July 2026 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway where NDLEA officers recovered 853,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor of the trailer and arrested the 22-year-old driver Jabir Kabiru.”
He further disclosed that another trailer was intercepted two days later on the same route.
“Two days later, 4th July, NDLEA operatives acting on processed intelligence successfully tracked and recovered the second trailer from the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway while heading to Kano. A total of 777,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor of the truck were evacuated and the 22-year-old driver Muhammed Nuhu arrested,” the statement read.
According to Babafemi, investigations established a link between the three intercepted consignments.
He said, “Investigations revealed that all three trucks and consignments intercepted on 21st June, 2nd July and 4th July belong to the same transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria axis.”
The agency also intercepted 4.70 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
Babafemi said, “Two consignments of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, with a combined weight of 4.70 kilograms have been intercepted at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos. The cargoes, which arrived the Lagos airport from Canada in cartons with ‘Odugwu’ boldly written on them, came aboard British Airways and Ethiopian Airlines flights on 24th June and 3rd July respectively.”
He said two cargo agents, Ali Rotimi Samson and Orimolade Oluwagbenga, were initially arrested in connection with the shipments, while another suspect, Edeh Onyeamachi Stanislus, was apprehended after arriving at a logistics company to take delivery of the consignments.
The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has denied claims that it has commenced registration for a purported ?50,000 National Support Allowance.
The ministry, in a public notice posted on its official X handle, yesterday, described messages, links and websites advertising the alleged programme as fraudulent.
It urged Nigerians to disregard such claims and verify information only through official government channels.
“The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has NOT commenced registration for any ?50,000 National Support Allowance,” the ministry said.
It added, “Disregard fraudulent messages, links and websites claiming otherwise. Verify any info only through official govt channels.”
The alert is in response to a circulating scam flyer that falsely claims the program is ongoing under President Bola Tinubu’s directives.
The fake advertisement, which includes text in Hausa and English, directs victims to a suspicious website (kluspz.com) for applications.
The ministry’s warning comes amid heightened concerns over digital fraud targeting vulnerable populations seeking social support.
Similar scams have previously surfaced around programs like N-Power, prompting questions from citizens in replies to the official post.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed its preparedness for a major national struggle for a comprehensive review of the national minimum wage.
NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, hinted at this while making his remarks at the commissioning of the Comrade Godwin Abumisi Pensioners Legacy House and Multipurpose Hall in Abuja.
Ajaero said it is no longer acceptable to discuss the welfare of workers without also discussing the welfare of those who have completed their active years of service.
He advised workers and pensioners to get prepared for the ideological and economic battles that lie ahead.
According to the NLC president, “The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) is one of the proud affiliates of the Nigeria Labour Congress. Therefore, your struggle is our struggle, and your welfare remains a priority for the organised labour movement.
“We are currently in the preparatory stages for a major national struggle for a comprehensive review of the national minimum wage.
“However, let me state unequivocally that it is no longer acceptable to discuss the welfare of workers without also discussing the welfare of those who have completed their active years of service.
“Accordingly, the Nigeria Labour Congress will not only push for a new national minimum wage but will also demand the establishment of a national minimum pension. It is a historical injustice that men and women who devoted their youth, strength and productive years to the service of this nation should be condemned to live below the poverty line after retirement.”
Ajaero noted that the cost of living has risen astronomically as food, healthcare and transportation have become increasingly unaffordable.
“We cannot continue to allow our senior citizens to survive on pensions that have become poverty wages. Every retiree deserves to live with dignity after decades of faithful service to the nation,” he said.
He urged pensioners across the country to remain united and prepared as the process begins, adding: “This Legacy House should not merely be seen as a physical structure; it should become a centre for mobilisation, strategic engagement and solidarity as we prepare for the struggles ahead.”
The NLC president pointed out that the working class has always understood that “those who exploit workers are united in advancing their interests. We too must remain united in defending our collective interests and ensuring that government fulfils its obligations to both serving workers and retirees.”
He urged pensioners across the country to remain united and prepared as the process begins, adding: “This Legacy House should not merely be seen as a physical structure; it should become a centre for mobilisation, strategic engagement and solidarity as we prepare for the struggles ahead.”
The NLC president pointed out that the working class has always understood that “those who exploit workers are united in advancing their interests. We too must remain united in defending our collective interests and ensuring that government fulfils its obligations to both serving workers and retirees.”
He said the completion of the project should serve as a clarion call to all workers and lovers of the masses.
“We must not only build physical structures but also build a strong movement capable of compelling government to honour its commitments,” he said.
Ajaero further stated: “We will continue to demand the immediate payment of all outstanding pension arrears and the implementation of a pension regime that guarantees every retiree a life of dignity and security.
“Together, we shall continue to fight until every Nigerian worker and pensioner receives the justice, respect and welfare they deserve.”
-
News3 days agoFamily Seeks Police Help As Woman Goes Missing After Fleeing Female Circumcision Threat
-
News3 days agoRivers NUJ Seeks Recruitment Into State Media Houses …Urges Govt To Reposition Public Service
-
News3 days agoNDLEA Intercepts 1.63m Tramadol Pills, Arrests 80-Year-Old Suspect
-
Oil & Energy3 days agoNCDMB Partner Renaissance To Train 300 Youths On oil, gas Skills
-
News3 days agoNigeria Hosts World Public Relations Forum Sept …As Experts Seek Inclusion Of PR In Decision Making
-
Oil & Energy3 days agoAbia Secures $145m Investment Commitment To Establish Solar Manufacturing Plant
-
News3 days agoTinubu, Fubara Condole Amaechi Over Mother’s Death
-
News4 days agoSpain Are World Champions ….. End Argentina, Messi’s Dreams