Politics
Wike Imposes Curfew To Check Security Breaches
Security dorminated affairs last week in Government House, Port Harcourt. The State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, who made state broadcast twice within the week, imposed a dust-to-dawn curfew restricting human and vehecular movements.
In a state broadcast last Tuesday, Governor Wike announced a night curfew from 8.00 pm to 6.00 am with effect from Wednesday, April 28, 2021.
The Governor explained that the curfew became necessary following the gruesome murder of security personnel on duty penultimate Saturday by some yet-to-be identified blood-thirsty gunmen along Port Harcourt-Owerri Express Way and another similar attack at Abua in Abua/Odual Local Government Area by unknown gunmen which also led to the death of officers and men of Nigerian Army.
“ Consequently, a night curfew is hereby imposed and no person or vehicle is allowed into or out of Rivers State from 8.00 pm to 6.00 am from tomorrow (Wednesday) April 28, 2021 until further notice”, he said.
Governor Wike who was compelled to make another broadcast last Thursday said after a review of the security situation, the security council observed that there was possibility of further deadly attack in the state, hence, the state government had to impose a dust-to-dawn curfew prohibiting human and vehecular movements from 10.00 pm to 6.00 am with effect from 29 April, 2021.
Wike who condemned the unwarranted attacks, demanded that the perpetrators of the attacks be fished out and brought to justice.
On Tuesday last week, the Governor had an interactive session with traditional rulers, political and opinion leaders of Andoni Nationality and stated that the security situation and the unchallenged killings of innocent citizens by outlaws in parts of the country were a clear manifestation of bad leadership.
He charged the delegation to collectively work with the state government to tackle the issue of insecurity in Andoni.
The State Chief Executive assured that the Andoni axis of the Ogoni-Opobo-Andoni Unity Road would be completed by August,2021.
The Okan Ama of Ikuru Town, King Aaron Ikuru, who spoke on behalf of the delegation, said they were in Government House to seek intervention of the state government in the security challenges in Andoni.
Also last week, Governor Wike hosted a delegation from the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Government House Port Harcourt. The Governor attributed the huge success in reducing the rate of malaria infection and HIV/AIDS among the people to the robust partnership between the state government and WHO.
He further remarked that the issuance of Polo free status certificate of clearance to Nigeria was made possible because of the partnership with WHO. He also listed some of the major achievements of his administration in the health sector and expressed surprise that the Health Contributory Bill had not been brought to him to sign into law.
WHO representative to Nigeria, Dr Walter Kazadi, commended Governor Wike for the remarkable leadership he had continued to provide in the fight against COVID-19 in Rivers State, pointing out that it was leaders like Wike who were committed to counterpart funding that had improved health indices in the country.
Also within the week under review, Governor Wike was honoured with “ Governor Of The Year In Infrastructural Development”, by the Independent Newspapers Limited.
At the event which took place at the Convention Centre, Eko Hotels and Suites, Lagos , over the weekend, the Managing Director, Independent Newspapers Limited, Mr Steve Omanufeme, said that Governor Wike had used the construction of roads and other infrastructure to expand the economy of the state.
The State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim, who represented Gov Wike at the event thanked the management of Independent Newspapers for recognising the developmental strides of the Rivers State Governor.
Nsirim noted that within the last six years, Gov Wike has redefined governance by embarking on people oriented projects across the 23 local government areas of the state even in the face of COVID-19 which is slowing down governance across the globe.
The former Vice President , Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Gov of Nasarawa State, Engr Abdullahi Sule, Gombe State Governor, Muhammed Inuwa Yahaya, and Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku also received awards .
Another major event in Brick House, last week was the Workers’ Day celebration which was celebrated at the Sharks Stadium, Port Harcourt last Saturday.
Gov Wike who was represented at the event by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Tammy Danagogo, charged workers in the state to be part of the success story of his administration.
The Governor assured workers of the State Government’s willingness to look into their demands when properly channelled as was done in the recent Tripartite Committee meetings.
By: 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.
