News
Dakuku Pledges All-Inclusive Govt …Says Ogoni Struggle Moulded His Life
The Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside has pledged to run an inclusive administration that would include non-indigenes.
Speaking at the inauguration of his campaign committees in Port Harcourt Monday, Dr. Peterside also said that his administration would be anchored on the fear of God.
The APC governorship candidate said that everyone who lives and does business in Rivers State will be made to contribute towards the success of his administration.
He charged the over 15 committees to work hard to carry the message of change to every doorsteps in Rivers State.
Also speaking, the State Chairman of the party Dr. Davies Ikanya Ibiamu urged the committees to ensure people turn out enmass to vote for the party in all the elections.
Ibiamu said that the over one million APC members in Rivers State must be fully mobilized to vote for the party, stressing that it beholves on the committees to take the message of change to every doorstep of Rivers State.
Earlier, the Director-General of Dakuku Campaign Organisation, Chief Victor Tombari Giadom urged the members to make the necessary sacrifices to ensure the victory of the party at all levels in the state.
Meanwhile, Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside, has said that watching the Ogoni fight for justice, equality and environmental rights while growing up as a lad on the streets of Bori, the Ogoni heartland and political headquarters, helped to mould his life.
While addressing a mammoth crowd of Ogoni natives and guests during the 2015 Ogoni Day celebration organised last Sunday, January 4 at the Birabi Memorial Grammar School open field, Dr. Peterside described his visit as “home coming”.
Peterside grew up in Bori where in the cause of the time, built a bond with the famous Wiwa family of Bane.
Dr. Peterside, who was the representative of Rivers State Governor and Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum, (NGF), at the occasion, praised the Ogonis for remaining resolute in the search or a better and cleaner environment.
He recalled that when debate on the UNEP Report for the clean-up of Ogoni land was on the floor of the Federal House of Representatives, his voice stood in total support of the Ogoni.
“I will remind you that when the issue of the clean-up of Ogoni land came up on the floor of the House of Representatives, I was among the few voices that spoke extensively on what the Nigerian State owes Ogoni people. And I said on that occasion that we would do everything humanly possible to ensure that Ogoni land is cleaned-up, and that if Ogoni land was not cleaned-up, we would not rest”.
The APC flag-bearer, who received record-breaking reception from the crowd, told the people how, with the support of Governor Chibuike Amaechi, he, for the first time, constructed every road in Bori.
“The Ogoni struggle became my life and my life became intertwined with the Ogoni struggle. That was why when I had the opportunity to serve as commissioner for works of Rivers State, I, personally, with the support of the governor, constructed for the first time all roads in Bori. Today, the roads I constructed in Bori are a living testimony of what I will do if given the opportunity to serve as governor”.
Recalling what he was growing up on the streets of Bori, fetching and drinking water from Ogoni rivers and streams; cultivating their farmlands made rich by natural manure, Dr. Peterside said his heart is always broken as any Ogoni to see such once fertile lands and rivers ruined and devastated.
“Mr. President, I have drank from the waters of Kpor. I have participated in farming in the farmlands of Nyortem, of Zaakpon, of Kaani. And so, if they talk about social justice, I understand what it means”, he said.
Dr. Peterside said that peace, justice and progress of Ogoni land were uppermost in his heart and would work, if elected governor of Rivers State next month, to ensure Ogoni’s environment was cleaned-up.
“This place (Ogoniland) gave me the formative days of my life. As a young boy growing up on the streets of Bori, I admired the courage of the Ogoni people, their resilient spirit; their spirit of industry. And I can tell you those rare qualities which I observed while growing up in Ogoniland inspired me to the point where I am today.
“We have come in solidarity with the Ogoni people; in solidarity with Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People.
You will recall my relationship with the late Pa Jim Wiwa of Bane and that I participated in most meetings that led to the birth of the Ogoni Bill of Rights not as an outsider but as a son with rights. So, my brothers and sisters, I have not come for politics but I must say that this is like a home coming for me.
“To you our brothers and sisters, as we mark another Ogoni Day, please know that what is uppermost in our mind is peace, justice and progress of Ogoni land”.
L-R: Speaker of House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal (right) with Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, at the APC presidential campaign flag-off held in Port Harcourt, yesterday. Photo: Ibioye Diama
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.”
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