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Diri Wants Legislation To Cater For Legionnaires’ Families
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has called for proper legislation that will cater for the families of legionnaires and fallen heroes who paid the supreme price for the indivisibility of Nigeria.
Represented by the state Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, Governor Diri made the call at the weekend during the 2022 State Emblem Appeal Fund Launch of the state Legion, in Government House Yenagoa.
He maintained that only laws passed through the National and state Houses of Assembly could promote and protect the welfare of families of surviving and departed heroes in the country, urging government at all levels, especially the federal government to take the initiative that will increase and expand the social security portfolio, including provisions that will offer scholarships to the children of fallen heroes.
Senator Diri, who decried a situation where most individuals and institutions made pledges during the emblem appeal launch without redeeming them, argued that the annual fund raising event alone is not enough to take care of the war veterans and their families.
While expressing dissatisfaction at the manner in which the labour of the nation’s past heroes and legionnaires are not being adequately recognised, Senator Diri said it was high time those at the helm of affairs practised what they sing in the national anthem.
“I really want to suggest that the National and State Houses of Assembly should look at the possibility of making laws that would expand the coast of the present provisions for fallen heroes.
“So let me use this opportunity to encourage government at all levels, especially the federal government to take the initiative to increase and expand our social security portfolio to include provisions that would take care of the needs of fallen heroes
“I am personally pained whenever we talk about fallen heroes in our country because it is not unconnected to the usual style of our labour not being recognized. We sing it in our national anthem but the significance of what it says will only make meaning if we walk the talk.
“So, it will be empty verses and empty vows if we continue to sing our national anthem and pledge that we cannot forget the labour of our heroes past, but yet what we do is to neglect, ignore and disparage their plight and programmes”, the Governor said.
Senator Diri while responding to some of the demands made by the State Legionnaires, endorsed the suggestion that the emblem launch in the state should hold before the end of every year, just as he promised looking into the request of including legionnaires in the annual Armed Forces Remembrance Day organising committee.
He urged the leadership of local government councils in the state to equally mark the Day in their respective areas every January 15.
Speaking earlier, the State Chairman of Nigerian Legion, Mr. Ogele Okubokeme, recalled that the Armed Forces’ remembrance day was set aside to honour all the veterans both living and dead who had paid the supreme price to defend the sovereignty of Nigeria.
Mr. Ogele Okubokeme noted that the objective of the emblem launch was to give patriotic citizens the opportunity to make freewill donations that would go a long way to alleviating the challenges faced by families of legionnaires and the departed heroes.
He appealed to the State Government to make the Emblem Appeal Fund Launch at least two months to the main event in order to give enough room for people to support the programme
Highpoints of the event were financial donations made by Governor Diri, his deputy, Senator Ewhrudjakpo, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Abraham Ingobere, the Chairman, State Traditional Rulers Council, King Alfred Diete-Spiff among others and their decoration with the Armed Forces Rememberance Emblem.
By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
The Nigeria Immigration Service has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this yesterday while inspecting Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
He said the centralised production system aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for better service delivery.
The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has disbursed N2.225 trillion as federation revenue for the month of August 2025, the highest ever allocation to the three tiers of government and other statutory recipients.
This marks the second consecutive month that FAAC disbursements have crossed the N2 trillion mark.
The revenue, shared at the August 2025 FAAC meeting in Abuja, was buoyed by increases in oil and gas royalty, value-added tax (VAT), and common external tariff (CET) levies, according to a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting.
Out of the N2.225 trillion total distributable revenue, FAAC said N1,478.593 trillion came from statutory revenue, N672.903 billion from VAT, N32.338 billion from the Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL), and N41.284 billion from Exchange Difference.
The communiqué revealed that gross federation revenue for the month stood at N3.635 trillion. From this amount, N124.839 billion was deducted as cost of collection, while N1,285.845 trillion was set aside for transfers, interventions, refunds, and savings.
From the statutory revenue of N1.478 trillion, the Federal Government received N684.462 billion, State Governments received N347.168 billion, and Local Government Councils received N267.652 billion. A further N179.311 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) went to oil-producing states as derivation revenue.
From the distributable VAT revenue of N672.903 billion, the Federal Government received N100.935 billion, the states received N336.452 billion, while the local governments got N235.516 billion.
Of the N32.338 billion shared from EMTL, the Federal Government received N4.851 billion, the States received N16.169 billion, and the Local Governments received N11.318 billion.
From the N41.284 billion exchange difference, the Federal Government received N19.799 billion, the states received N10.042 billion, and the local governments received N7.742 billion, while N3.701 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) was shared to the oil-producing states as derivation.
The Governing Council of Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori, has decried the inadequate power supply and poor state of infrastructural facilities and equipment at the institution.
The Council also appealed to the government, including Non-Governmental Organisations, agencies, as well as well-meaning Rivers people to intervene to restore and sustain the laudable gesture, dreams and aspirations of the founding fathers of the polytechnic.
The Chairman of the newly inaugurated Council, Professor Friday B. Sigalo, made this appeal during a tour of facilities at the Polytechnic, recently.
Accompanied by members of the team, Prof Sigalo emphasised the position of technology, technical and vocational education in sustainable development.
He noted that with the prospects on ground, and the programmes and activities undertaken in the polytechnic, there is no doubt that the institution would add values to the educational system in our society and foster the desired development, if the existing challenges are jointly tackled.
This was contained in a statement signed by Deputy Registrar, Public Relations, Kenpoly, Innocent Ogbonda-Nwanwu, and made available to The Tide in Port Harcourt.
The chairman who restated the intention of his team of technocrats to ensure that KenPoly enjoys desirable face-lift, said the Council would deliver on its core mandates, accordingly.
Earlier, the Rector, KenPoly Engr. Dr. Ledum S. Gwarah, commended the appointment of Professor Friday B. Sigalo as Chairman of the KenPoly Governing Council.
He described him and his team as seasoned technocrats and expressed confidence in their ability to succeed.
The Rector pledged the management’s support to the Council to ensure that KenPoly resumes its rightful place in the comity of polytechnics in the country.
Facilities visited by the Governing Council include KenPoly workshops, laboratories, skills acquisition centre, library, hostels and medical centre.
Chinedu Wosu
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