Rivers
Monarch Hails OBALGA Boss’ Choice
The Eze Gbakagbaka, Eze Oha Evo III of Evo Kingdom in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, has applauded the choice of Barrister George Ariolu as the Executive Chairman of the local government, describing him as a round peg in a round hole, as he has all the requisite qualities, pedigree, carriage and charisma to give the council area a tremendous facelift in the next three years. Consequent upon this, the first class traditional ruler gleefully sets some development agenda and milestones for the council chairman, which would invariably make him stand out among his contemporaries in the present political dispensation.
According to him, with the tutelage and mentorship he has got from no less a personality than the Executive Governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, who has a knack for assessing the development needs of the people, and delivering on his promise and mandate, Barrister Ariolu is capable of meeting the yearnings and aspirations of OBALGA people.
Eze Eke, who gave this indication in an interview in Port Harcourt said having served under Governor Wike as Chief of Protocols at the council and also Special Adviser, the council chairman must have gotten a great deal from the Governor’s table to be able to turn around the fortunes of the local government, describing him as a very decent man, who is quite knowledgeable and highly educated, being an intelligent and vibrant lawyer.
“I could not have said that for his predecessor. Barrister G. T. Ariolu is somebody that has been groomed and trained, as it were, by the Governor of Rivers State. In other words, he has worked closely with the Governor and must have learnt one or two lessons from him because he has seen what he is doing and all the projects and all the good things that impact on the people from the Governor’s table.George has been around and seen those things. So,it behooves on him to regurgitate what he has gotten from the Governor’s table in Obio/Akpor and that I am very sure he will do”, he said.
The monarch said Ariolu being a grassroots politician, who has so much passion and love for the local government, as well as being a team player, is expected to carry along all the people of the local government both indigenes and non-indigenes, men, women and youths.
“He is a man I know can reach out to all and sundry. He has objectivity and will be able to tackle the myriads of issues that beset the local government,” he intoned.
In order to make a difference, Eze Eke advised the council chairman to have his hands off chieftaincy issues and be the chairman of everybody.
“George is not a one man bulldozer, as it were. His style is to carry all the people together. He is friendly. He understands the people and he understands governance. And he knew what his motives, intentions and his vision were before coming to power. We too we know who George is and that was why we were able to deliver him and voted for him in order to bring to bear those beautiful things in his heart that he wants to do for the people of Obio/Akpor. We should, therefore, continue to support him”, he pleaded.
In terms of projects execution, he said the Governor apparently ushered Ariolu’s coming to the helm of affairs with the recent commissioning and flag-off of several projects as if to welcome him into office, and urged the council chairman to tackle the flooding in front of the council secretariat in Rumuodomaya as well as take interest in the rehabilitation of internal roads in some communities in the local government, which still have bad roads.
Like Governor Wike, the traditional ruler enjoined the council chairman to complete all uncompleted projects started by his predecessors like the Swamp Road project within the Oroigwe axis of the local government as well as direct his attention to the abandoned Fish Farm project in Rumuekini Community and the jetty at Rumuolumeni started by his immediate predecessor, among others.
He said he was sure that Barrister Ariolu had his plans and vision for the local government before he emerged as the executive chairman, adding that “we are only asking him to give attention to these ones and then, feel free to execute the beautiful things in his heart for the people of the local government”.
In the area of security, he urged Ariolu to emulate his master, the Governor whom he described as “the champion of our security” by relating well with security operatives in the local government and create the enabling environment for them to effectively discharge their functions.
The monarch, who superintends over 33 communities within the Evo Kingdom in the local government urged his people, whom he described as peace-loving and hospitable to always support the council chairman to succeed, obey all government regulations and continue to love one another while at the same time remain peaceful.
By: Donatus Ebi
The State Police Command made this known recently in a statement by its Public Relations Officer, ASP Blessing Agabe, in Port Harcourt.
According to the statement, the suspects were arrested by operatives of the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), following sustained intelligence-driven operations launched after the June 29, 2026 attack on the officers.
The suspects were identified as Maduabuchi Emeka, alias “Doctor”, 34, a native of Egbata Community in Omoku; Chinedu Owhor, 42, from Akabuka, Omoku, but resident in Aluu Community; and Kamachi Joe, 28, also from Egbata Community.
The Police said the officers, who were attached to the Aluu Division, came under attack while conducting a routine stop-and-search operation at a security checkpoint along the Mbodo-Aluu axis of the Obiri-Kwerre Road.
The assailants, the Command stated, opened fire on the officers and fled with their service rifles after the attack, leaving two policemen dead.
The Police said one of the officers sustained severe injuries to his leg during the attack, which later resulted in amputation, but he eventually died, while the other officer was also killed in the incident.
Following the attack, the Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adewole Adepoju, directed the immediate deployment of the Command’s operational and intelligence assets to track down the perpetrators and recover the stolen firearms.
The Command said the directive yielded results as VCRU operatives, acting on credible intelligence and sustained tactical operations, arrested the three suspects and recovered three AK-47 rifles and one Scorpion rifle.
The Police said two of the recovered AK-47 rifles were the service rifles allegedly taken from the slain officers during the attack, adding that the recovery constituted a major breakthrough in the investigation.
The Command further disclosed that investigation had allegedly linked the suspects to other murder cases currently under investigation, while efforts were ongoing to apprehend another suspected member of the gang who remains at large.
The Commissioner of Police commended the operatives for the breakthrough and warned criminal elements that Rivers State would not provide a safe haven for those involved in violent crimes, assuring residents that the Command would continue to identify, arrest and prosecute perpetrators.
He urged members of the public to provide credible information to aid ongoing security operations.
By: King Onunwor
Nwordu, who made the pledge while speaking with newsmen at the burial ceremony of his father, Elder Nna Nwordu, popularly called Ezeji, in Emohua Local Government Area, assured that the family would continue to uphold the values and principles which the deceased stood for during his lifetime.
He described his late father as a man who devoted his life to the welfare and upbringing of his children, stressing that his virtues had continued to shape the lives of members of the family.
According to him, although the death of his father had created a painful vacuum within the family, the occasion also provided an opportunity to celebrate a life well lived and the enduring contributions he made to his family and community.
He said the greatest tribute the children could pay their late father was to preserve the good name he left behind and ensure that the values he instilled in them were not allowed to die with him.
Obindah further said the family would remain united and committed to advancing the ideals of their late father, adding that they would also seek to improve on the foundation he established for the family.
He noted that Elder Nwordu’s emphasis on hard work, discipline, integrity and responsibility remained lessons that would continue to guide him and his siblings in their respective endeavours.
The journalist further assured that the family would sustain the relationships and goodwill which their father established during his lifetime, noting that his legacy extended beyond the immediate family to the wider community.
He expressed gratitude to relatives, friends, colleagues, political associates, community leaders and well-wishers who identified with the family during the period of mourning and attended the burial ceremony.
Obindah particularly appreciated those who travelled from within and outside Rivers State to honour the memory of Elder Nwordu, describing their presence and support as a demonstration of the impact the deceased made on the lives of people around him.
He urged members of the family to remain steadfast in upholding their father’s values, stressing that the best way to keep his memory alive was through good character, unity and positive contributions to society.
The former Chief of Staff said the family would not allow the legacies of their departed hero to fade away, but would continue to build upon them and ensure that his name remained a source of pride and inspiration to present and future generations.
The TUC made the demand when its leadership visited the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of RIVCHPP, Dr. Vetty Agala, in Port Harcourt, amid renewed calls for wider coverage of residents under the state’s social health insurance scheme.
Speaking during the visit, TUC Chairman, Comrade Samuel Ogan, commended the management of RIVCHPP for its efforts to expand access to healthcare, stressing that health insurance remained the most sustainable way of protecting workers and their families from the financial burden of illness.
Ogan, however, said workers would be more willing to embrace the scheme if government could develop a system that eliminates visible deductions from their salaries.
He urged the state government to work out a seamless arrangement through which all workers and their dependants could be automatically captured in RIVCHPP’s plans.
According to him, enrolling the entire civil service in the programme would not only protect workers, but also encourage other organisations and individuals to embrace health insurance.
The TUC Chairman pledged that the union would engage relevant stakeholders to facilitate the enrolment of workers into RIVCHPP’s health insurance packages.
Earlier, Agala described RIVCHPP as a strategic initiative of the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, aimed at ensuring financial risk e living and working in Rivers State protection for everyone living and working in Rivers State.
She said the programme was designed to make universal health coverage a reality by enabling residents to access quality healthcare without suffering financial hardship or relying on out-of-pocket payments at the point of care.
Agala, who commended the state government for investing in healthcare infrastructure and manpower, lamented the low patronage of health facilities, noting that the challenge was not necessarily a lack of illness but, in many cases, the inability of residents to afford medical care.
She said RIVCHPP was established to bridge that gap and ensure that people, regardless of their social or economic status, could obtain medical attention whenever they needed it.
The RIVCHPP boss disclosed that the agency had c illnesses. developed packages for residents in the formal and informal sectors, vulnerable groups and people living with chronic illnesses.
She also highlighted the agency’s educational sector plans, under which pupils in primary and secondary schools would pay N9,000 annually, while tertiary institution students would pay N12,000 per academic year. She explained that registered students would remain covered during their holidays.
Agala called on labour unions, international oil companies, religious organisations, community and political leaders, as well as well-meaning individuals, to partner RIVCHPP by sponsoring health insurance for members of their communities.
She stressed that government funding alone could not sustain a viable health insurance system, adding that the number of vulnerable residents currently benefiting from the programme remained only a fraction of the population in need.
In a related development, Agala assured the University of Port Harcourt Medical Students Association (PUMSA) of the agency’s readiness to collaborate with the university’s entire student community to expand access to healthcare.
She gave the assurance when the PUMSA leadership, led by its President, Nelson Fadeh Leteh, visited the agency.
Agala said students constituted a critical segment of the population that RIVCHPP was seeking to bring under its health insurance coverage, stressing that the agency’s objective was to ensure that no resident of Rivers State was excluded from access to quality healthcare.
She said RIVCHPP had begun engagements with relevant authorities to address existing institutional dynamics that could facilitate the enrolment of students, while advising the association to e process in presenting its demands follow due process in presenting its demands.
Earlier, Leteh outlined some of the challenges and hazards confronting medical students, particularly during clinical training, and expressed the association’s desire to enrol its members in RIVCHPP’s programmes.
He said the welfare of medical students remained a priority for the association, noting that the existing health insurance arrangement available to the students was characterised by protocols and bottlenecks that often hindered seamless access to healthcare.
The visit ended with the presentation of RIVCHPP’s promotional materials to the visiting delegations.
By; Wokoma Emmanuel & Theresa Frederick
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