Politics
…Warns Firms On Environmental Laws
The Rivers State House of Assembly (RVHA) has warned companies operating in the state to comply strickly to environmental laws or face legal action by the State Government.
The Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Environment, Hon. Christian Ahiakwo gave the warning last Tuesday when the committee hosted the management of the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) at the Assembly Complex in Port Harcourt.
Ahiakwo hinted that the Assembly has already commenced investigation into the operations of some companies, including the NBC, to ascertain the level of compliance to environmental laws and standards.
The lawmaker noted that the committee, in its recent oversight function to some companies in the state, requesting for all environmental documents for thorough investigation into the activities of some companies to bring sanity in the state in the area of environment.
According to Committee Chairman, the Committee’s assignment on companies was to determine the competence of the company’s environmental consultant and to ascertain, if the company is accredited by the relevant Federal Government Agencies or Authorities.
He said, its meeting with the NBC was to look at the relevant documentations to verify all the necessary documents in compliance to the environmental laws of the state.
He added, the Assembly would liaise with the State Ministry of Environment to monitor the activities of companies to ensure they are in total compliance with the state environmental laws.
Ahiakwou said the Assembly would not hesitate to investigate all the companies operating in the State to reveal whether or not the operation of companies in the state have an adverse effect on the environment.
“We want to be sure that the operations of companies in the state do not in any way hamper the environment. We want to be sure that as the companies operate, they are not compromising environmental standards, so that at the end, we will give the companies score cards, and any company found wanting in these areas would be prosecuted accordingly,” Ahiakwo said.
Also speaking, the principal consultant to the NBC, Dr Celina Maduenezia Enville assured that the company would continue to collaborate with both Federal and State Governments on preservation of the environments particularly on the issue of green economy.
The company consultant said the company was committed on recovering and recycling of waste, especially at this time of environmental challenge in the state.
She commended the committee for doing the good job, saying that the NBC will continue to make effort to comply with the environmental laws and policies of governments.
Enoch Epelle
The Commission disclosed the figure in its weekly update for week 14 of the second phase of the exercise, which ended on Friday, April 17, 2026.
According to the breakdown, 2,259,288 Nigerians completed their registration through the online pre-registration portal, while 1,489,416 finalized their registration physically at designated centres nationwide.
INEC noted that the figures remain preliminary and are subject to further verification and data cleaning processes to ensure accuracy ahead of the consolidation of the national voter register.
With the conclusion of the registration phase, the Commission has now shifted focus to the display of the Register of Voters for Claims and Objections, a statutory stage aimed at strengthening the credibility and integrity of the voters register.
The display exercise is scheduled to hold from April 29 to May 5, 2026, across designated centres nationwide, providing citizens the opportunity to verify their details and raise objections where necessary.
The Commission urged all registered voters from the concluded phase to take advantage of the exercise to confirm the accuracy of their information and assist in identifying ineligible entries, including duplicate registrations, deceased persons, and non-citizens.
INEC explained that the Continuous Voter Registration exercise is being conducted in phases, with the first phase running from August 18 to December 10, 2025, while the second phase commenced on January 5, 2026 and ended on April 17, 2026.
The Commission further stated that the date for the commencement of the third phase will be announced in due course.
Reaffirming its commitment to credible elections, INEC stressed that maintaining a clean and accurate voter register remains central to ensuring free, fair, and transparent electoral processes in Nigeria.
The Executive Director of IPC, Mr Lanre Arogundade, informed the journalists that the dialogue was sponsored by the European Union, under the auspices of the EU-Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN II), Component 4: Support to Media.
According to the veteran media practitioner, the programme is aimed at strengthening the capacity of the media to promote credible elections through factual, accurate and fair reporting.
He explained that the programme is part of a broader five-year intervention designed to support democratic governance and improve the role of the media in Nigeria’s electoral process, stressing that fact-checking and inclusive reporting are critical responsibilities for journalists, especially during electioneering.
He described the media as a central role agent with regard to upholding transparency and accountability in the democratic process.
A resource person and Director of Journalism Clinic, Lagos, Mr Taiwo Obe, enjoined journalists to embrace the evolving technology so that they would not be in the backwaters in the practice of the profession.
He advised journalists not to downplay Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their bid to remain relevant in the media environment by being abreast of the changing patterns of news consumption.
The journalism teacher explained that with digital transformation of the media industry, it had become imperative for journalists to constantly upgrade and update their skills, stressing the fundamental place of attitude and self-development and underscored the dynamic nature of media consumption in the digital age, thereby compelling journalists to embrace tools and platforms, but without much reliance on AI.
In his lecture, a Professor of Mass Communication at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Adebola Aderibigbe, advised journalists in Ekiti State to ensure that coverage of the upcoming governorship poll is issue-based rather than dwelling on personalities.
He added that sensationalism should not occupy the front-burner of any discussions concerning the 2026 election, admonishing that sustenance of democracy is anchored on responsible journalism.
”Journalists must prioritise accuracy, fairness and balance in their reports by verifying facts and giving all parties involved in political matters the opportunity to present their views”, he said.
According to the university don, the election will not be defined by personalities, but by issues. ”Let issues be the pivotal ring upon which every discussion should be made. Sensationalisation of issues should not be the bedrock of discussions in the 2026 election”, he added.
“Do not hear from Party A without hearing from Party B, otherwise the report will be skewed to one side and once issues of elections are skewed, problems will naturally arise”, he stressed.