Politics
100 Days: Wike Commissions More Key Projects
As celebration of the first100 Days of Governor Nyesom Wike’s second term administration entered its second week, the governor commissioned more key projects.
The projects inaugurated last week were the Rumuwoji International Market, the Real Madrid Football Academy, the Civil Servants Quarter, Sea Bed Model Primary School and the Reconstructed Government Craft Development centre ( GCDC).
Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum and Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi who commissioned the Rumuwoji market last Wednesday, expressed happiness at the rate the Rivers State Governor was delivering projects in the state.
“We are proud of him. We are proud of the work he is doing in Rivers State. He is going to continue to commission projects till 27th September. This is almost ten days from now.
“Even if it is one project per day, it will be almost ten days now.Now I understand why they refer to him as Mr Project”, Fayemi said.
Governor Wike stated that the market project was in fulfilment of the promise he made to the people during his electioneering campaign in 2014.
“ When we make promises to the people , we are bound to fulfil the promises. Hold us accountable to our promises because there is no excuses. We made a promise and we have fulfilled that promise “, he said.
Last Monday, the Governor also inaugurated the Sea Bed Model School. He assured Rivers people that his administration will continue to uplift the standard of education.
Wike announced that the state government had awarded contract for the construction of 69 primary schools across the state.
Chairman of the Rivers State Universal Basic Education Board, Ven. Fynface Akah said for 106 years the Sea Bed Model School has been in existence, the reconstruction by Wike administration was the first time it witnessed upgrade.
The Government Craft Development Centre, Port Harcourt was commissioned last Tuesday. Wike remarked that technical and vocational training remained one of the surest ways of reaching out to thousands of Rivers youths.
In the week under review, the Rivers State chief Executive, lamented deliberate marginalisation of Rivers State by the APC-led federal government.
He said: “The federal government released N148 billion for the reconstruction of roads and it didn’t consider one road in Rivers State”. This, he said is in spite of the fact that Rivers State produces the oil used in financing federal projects.
He made the lamentation, Thursday before the official commissioning of the Civil Servants Quarters in Port Harcourt.
He expressed happiness with the quality of the project and urged civil servants to maintain the facility.
Commenting on the constitution of his cabinet, Gov Wike disclosed that a list of possible nominees had been sent to the security agencies for profiling.
On Saturday, Rivers State Government unveiled state- of- the-art Real Madrid Football Academy in Port Harcourt.
The Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, who did the official commissioning, said: “ There has always been great football talents from Rivers State. Great players like Taribo West, George Finidi and Joseph Yobo, this project will create more stars”, and commended Gov Wike for his commitment to the development of Rivers State.
In his address, Governor Wike said: “ Today is one of the happiest days of my life. Today, our dream has come to fruition by the help of God”.
Area Manager of Real Madrid Foundation for Africa and middle East, Mr Inego Vallejo assured Rivers State Government that the club will continue to support the sustained development of the academy.
Another major event last week in Brick House was the visit of six state Governors. They are Governors of Adamawa Umaru Fintri, Imo, Emeka Ihedioha, Oyo, Seyi Makinde, Benue, Samuel Orton, Sokoto, Aminu Tambuwal, and Zamfara, Muhammed Matawale.
Addressing journalists after a close door meeting Friday with Governor Wike , Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal said they were in the state to celebrate with Rivers people the good governance of Governor Wike as he marks the first 100 days of his second term administration.
Chris Oluoh
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.