News
Wike Is Building Infrastructure For ‘morrow, Nsirim Affirms
The Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Pastor Paulinus Nsirim, has stated that all the infrastructural development projects embarked upon by the state Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, are envisioned to serve the state better in years to come.
Making this known, yesterday, when the Zonal Director, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Port Harcourt Network Centre, Madam Bosede Adebayo, and her management team paid him a courtesy visit in his office, the commissioner said beyond creating employment for Rivers people, this was to enable the state meet the needs of the present and future generations of the state.
“If people knew that Rivers State would be like this, be congested this way, I think there would have been a ring road or some other thing by now. So, he (governor) has envisioned that in the next five to 10 years, because of the kind of investment flow that is coming in here now, Rivers State would need the right infrastructure to accommodate it. So, he’s building infrastructure for tomorrow”, he said.
According to Nsirim, unfortunately, many people who don’t understand the governor politicise everything.
“There was a time they politicised that they were demolishing peoples’ houses. But the houses that were demolished, compensations were paid to those who were affected”, he said.
While noting that the existing relationship between the ministry and NTA should be strengthened, Nsirim emphasized the need for the station, which represents the media, to spearhead the need to let the world have the true picture of what Rivers State stands for.
“Rivers State is blessed to have a visionary leader now, a man who has come to really define governance. I say that with a very strong sense of responsibility because we have seen leaders come and go. That passion to develop Rivers State and make it the destination of choice is what we see in Governor Nyesom Wike every day.
“We believe that the various media houses need to join the Rivers State Government to project the state as a destination of choice.
“We say proudly that we have what it takes: we have the right leadership, we have the right infrastructure, we have a welcoming environment, we have a culture that is second to none, and here remains the headquarters of the hydrocarbon industry. We have all it takes for investment, and we will join NTA to be part of the narrative that will position Rivers State as the destination of choice”, he explained.
To do this, he continued, “We need to set an agenda for Rivers State, and the issue is, if you live and do business in Rivers State, we have a shared prosperity to protect. As Zonal Director, if River State is doing well, it will reflect on the revenue you make, it will reflect on your personality. So, we want everybody to understand that we’ve gotten the right leadership, we need to come together to support that leadership.
“The narrative out there is that this is a no-go-area. But we understand the political economy. People would want to make Rivers State look bad so that some other areas will benefit from capital flight and all that. But we’re saying ‘no’. The time to change that narrative has come, and we’re lucky we have you now at the Zonal Network Centre.
“Help us, with your team of dedicated professionals, to design programmes that will help to project the interest of Rivers State, help us to design programmes and projects that would project the image of Rivers State”, he added.
Earlier in her speech, the Port Harcourt Network Centre Zonal Director of NTA, Madam Bosede Adebayo, explained that the reason for the visit was to congratulate the commissioner on his appointment, and pledge the station’s loyalty to work with him and the state government.
“Our coming today is two-fold: to congratulate you, and secondly, to pledge our loyalty, to say to you that the NTA is there for you. I also want to thank, through you, the state government for patronage given to my team, and like Oliver Twist, to say, please, we are available, at the shortest time, we are ready to give you the best of our services.
“Our facilities have also been improved upon to make sure that we do not disappoint you. So, we look forward to doing business together. Not only business together, we are ready to support you and your initiatives, and every other thing that you would want us to do”, she said.
In order to boost the synergy, Adebayo stated the need for the state to have a programme that would showcase the activities of government and its agencies that should have a feedback mechanism from the people.
“We believe Rivers State Government should have a programme on our channel, possibly every week, let it run for 30 minutes, highlighting the activities of the various agencies, and what the government wants the people to know. There should be a forum for a feedback”, Adebayo added.
In the entourage of the zonal NTA boss were managers in the station, while the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Barrister Ibiwari Clapton-Ogolo, and directors in the ministry were also present.
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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