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Obuama, Blessed Beyond Measures, Banigo Admits …As DELGA PDP Flags-Off Ward-to-Ward Campaigns
Rivers State Deputy Governor and the Peoples Democratic Party candidate for Rivers West Senatorial District in the upcoming elections, Dr. Ipalibo Harry Banigo, has said that Obuama community was blessed beyond measures by the Almighty God.
Banigo made this assertion during the Ward-to-Ward sensitisation and campaign organised by the Degema PDP in Ward 14,Obuama, last Wednesday.
The deputy governor, who expressed gratitude to the people for their support and massive turn out, assured that the Kingdom Mandate, which was ordained by the Almighty God, would offer to them an erudite and effective representation at the Upper Legislative Chambers.
According to her, Rivers people would continue to enjoy righteousness, peace and joy, when they give the PDP their mandate, and urged the people of Degema Local Government Area to vote Sir Siminialayi Fubara, Dr Ipalibo Harry Banigo, Cyril Godwin Hart, and Abbey Peter, for the Gubernatorial, Senatorial, House of Representatives and the state House of Assembly seats.
However, with 39 and 53 days away to the 2023 General Election in Nigeria, members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, have flagged-off their Ward-to-Ward campaigns, to woo electorate to vote for candidates of the party, vying for various offices, both at the state and national levels.
The party’s campaign train, led by the projects-oriented Chairman of DELGA, Hon. Michael John Williams, kicked off the campaign from Degema Consulate, the administrative headquarters of the LGA in Ward 11, and thereafter, proceeded to Degema Town in Ward 12.
Speaking to the people, Williams stated that the PDP had not come to campaign to them, but to celebrate the party’s victory with the people ahead of the polls.
He said the achievements of the PDP in the area were so enormous that the people would not think it twice to cast their votes for the party that had done so well for them.
While promising to bring more dividends of democracy to the people, the council chairman also assured that his administration would address the water challenge of the people of Ward 12 in the coming days.
Williams also announced the immediate appointment of four indigenes of the community as special assistants, two of whom were decampees from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the PDP.
He assured the decampees of inclusion in the party, calling on the leadership of the ward to fully integrate them and carry them along in all activities of the party.
Also speaking, Leader of the PDP and former Chairman of DELGA, Hon. Pleasant Braide, who pointed out the various giant strides of the PDP in the area, stated that the party’s numerous achievements were enough to campaign for it, as against those opposition elements, who make bogus promises and fail to keep them.
He enjoined people of the ward to obtain their Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs), in order to vote for candidates of the PDP, and be ready to defend their votes, adding that the days of ballot box snatching and stuffing by opposition elements were gone for good.
In his speech, candidate of the House of Representatives for Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency, Warisenibo Cyril Hart, thanked the people of Degema for what he described as a brotherly gesture, in zoning the position to Bonny, where the lot fell on him to fly the flag of the party.
He noted that though the seat was meant for both LGAs, without the magnanimity and brotherly consideration of the Degema leaders, Bonny would not have stood a chance at the seat, considering the numerical strength of the former to the latter, adding; “thanks for caring for your brothers.”
Hart, assured the people Degema of quality representation at the Green Chamber, when elected into office, stressing that the National Assembly was not a place to send mediocres, who do not understand the peculiarity and challenges of the people of the Constituency.
The House of Representatives hopeful, who is also a former Caretaker Committee Chairman of Bonny LGA and Board Commissioner, Universal Basic Education (UBE), while commending the chairman of Degema LGA for his monumental achievements in office, stated that he and other candidates of the party would be riding to victory on the successes of the administrations of Governor NyesomWike and Hon. Michael John Williams.
On his part, Chairman of the PDP in DELGA, Chief Taribo Benson, who encouraged members of the party to see the forthcoming elections as an opportunity to work for themselves, added that the party was well entrenched in the area, and would win overwhelmingly as it had been doing since 1999.
Also in their contributions, Leaders of Ward 11 and 12, Chief TonyeTyger and Dr. Emily Solomon, assured the PDP and its candidates of the continued support of their people to the party that has done so much for them.
Highpoint of the campaign was the reception of scores of APC members into the PDP in Ward 12,Degema Town.
Explaining the reason for their defection, leader of the decampees, Alhaji Hart Inumibolmubo, said that it was due to the failure of the APC to carry their members along, as well as the sterling performance of the DELGA Sheriff in projects’ execution as well as human capacity development.
The campaigns were well attended by the crème de la crème of Degema politics, including; the Council Chairman, Hon. Michael John Williams; his Vice, Mrs. Maureen Obuba Harry; Leader of the PDP and former Chairman of DELGA, Hon. Pleasant Braide; former chairmen of DELGA; Hon. Tony Philmoore; and Chief Betterland Davies; as well as member representing Degema Constituency at the state House of Assembly, Hon. Anthony Soberekon.
Others were; Commissioner for Power; Hon. Damiete Herbert Miller; former caretaker committee chairmen of DELGA; Chief TonyeTyger; Chief OmboBenebo; and Hon. OkoriteAdiele; former chairmen of Rivers State Civil Service Commission; Chief Ben Orugbani; and Sir Ngo Martyns-Yellowe; as well as Chairman of DAA-3 Cluster Development Board; Hon. MpakaBotoye.
The rest include; Amanyanabo of Ke and former member, House of Representatives, King AbokoAgolia, OmoniBenebo XII; Chairman of DELGA PDP, Chief Taribo Benson;Second Republic politician and former leader of old Degema LGA; Chief Levy Bealnut Pedro; member of State Executive Council of the PDP; Hon. Alalibo Graham; and former Deputy Mayor, Port Harcourt City LGA, Hon. Alphine Whyte.
Others were; Leader of the Degema Legislative Assembly, Hon. Alapuye Duke; and his colleagues across the 17 Wards of the LGA; House of Representatives Candidate for Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency, Warisenibo Cyril Hart;state House of Assembly Candidate, Hon. Peter Abbey; pioneer Commissioner for Special Duties in Rivers State, Dr. Emily Solomon; former Community Development Committee (CDC) Chairman of Ogurama, Comrade Harmony Douglas; and Dr. Tobin Owuso, amongst others.
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RSG Moves To Diversify Rivers Economy …As Farmers, Others Laud Ibas Over Implementation Of RAAMP
The Rivers State Government has restated its readiness to diversify the economy of the state from oil to Agriculture.
This is as farmers and other stakeholders have commended the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Retd) for approving the implementation of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing project (RAAMP) in the state.
Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this during a meeting on implementation of RAAMP in Ikwerre, Eleme and Ogba Egbema Ndoni Local Government Areas.
Ogolo said the programme would create an agricultural industrial hub in the 23 local government areas, and urged the people to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, rural farmers and other stakeholders in the State have lauded Ibas for approving the implementation of RAAMP in the State.
RAAMP is a world bank program with support from the International Development Association ( IDA), the French Development Agency and the Federal Government of Nigeria.
According to a statement made available to newsmen, the programme aims to strengthen the institutional and financial base for sustainable management of state and rural networks, fostering historic development to enhance food security, creating access in rural communities to boost agricultural processes through creation of durable access roads and agro logistics centres/hub.
Tide source confirms that the program has been in operation since 2020 with 19 states benefitting.
The benefitting states are Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi and Bauchi.
Other beneficiaries are Plateau, Kwarra, Ondo, Niger, Gombe, Anambra, Cross River, Taraba and Benue states.
The source said that 12 new states including Rivers State recently completed their requirements for inclusion into the RAAMP 3.
Speaking at the stakeholders’ meeting at Isiokpo, Nchia and Omoku, headquarters of Ikwerre, Eleme and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government areas respectively, a cross section of farmers described the programme as timely as it would boost food production as well as create markets for agricultural produce.
At Eleme, HRH Emere J D Nkpe warned against politicising the project.
The people also complained against incessant destruction of crops by herdsmen and called for it to be checked.
Also speaking at Omoku headquarters of Ogba Egbema Ndoni Local Government Area,Eze Allison Dan and Barrister Lola Nwaribe commendation the government for the program but warned against it going the way of other programmes.
For Barrister Nwaribe Women in the area needs assistance to break free from subsistence agriculture
Speaking at the three ocal government areas Ogolo said Rear Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas rtd needs to be commended for approving the implementation of the program in the state.
Ogolo said the program is aims at diversifying Rivers economy from oil to Agriculture.
He said the program will also enable farmers to move from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture, adding that access roads will not only be created to farms but markets will be built for farmers to sell their produce.
He listed other benefits to include creation of employment for the youths and helping small traders to boost sales.
Also speaking the state RAAMP Coordinator,Mr Joshua Kpakol said the “the essence of this project is to provide rural access roads and improve agricultural marketing systems across the 23 Local Government Areas of the state”
Kpakol said the project is divided into three components which are improvement of Rural Access and Trading Infrastructure, Sector Reform,Asset management and Agro logistics performance Enhancement and Institutional Development, Project Management and Risk Mitigation.
He urged farmers and traders to embrace the project as it would go along way in changing their fortunes.
At Ikwerre and Eleme local government areas respectively, the sole administrators of the two councils Hon Isaiah Christian and Dr Gloria Obo Dibiah said the councils will work towards the success of the program.
They commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Sole Administrator of Rivers state for ensuring that their respective councils benefits from the programme.
John Bibor
The FCT High Court in Abuja, yesterday, granted the suspended Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, bail in the sum of N50 million and one surety who must be a person of reasonable integrity resident in F.C.T Abuja and owns a landed property within the Abuja Municipal Area Council.
The trial judge, Justice Chizoba Orji, made the declaration in a ruling after taking arguments for and against the bail application from the parties in the suit.
The Attorney General of the Federation, in a three-count criminal charge marked CR/297/25, accused Akpoti-Uduaghan, the sole defendant, of making defamatory statements against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, during a live television broadcast.
The charge, which lists Akpabio and the former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, as nominal complainants, alleged that Akpoti-Uduaghan claimed Bello had conspired with Akpabio to orchestrate her assassination outside Abuja, disguising it as a mob or local attack.
According to the Federal Government, these allegations were made during a live broadcast on Channels Television’s Politics Today on April 3, 2025.
The Federal Government claimed that Akpoti-Uduaghan knowingly or recklessly made these imputations, fully aware that they could harm the reputation of the individuals involved.
The charge alleged that she said, “Let’s ask the Senate President, why in the first instance did he withdraw my security, if not to make me vulnerable to attacks? He then emphasised that I should be killed, but I should be killed in Kogi. What is important to me is to stay alive, because dead men tell no tales. Who is going to get justice for me?”
The charge also cites her statements during the programme as saying, “That you, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, on or about the 3rd day of April 2025, during the same Politics Today programme on Channels Television in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, made the following imputation concerning Yahaya Adoza Bello, former Governor of Kogi State.
“It was part of the meeting, the discussions that Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello that night, to eliminate me. When he met with him, he then emphasised that I should be killed, but I should be killed in Kogi. You knew or had reason to believe that such imputations would harm the reputation of Yahaya Adoza Bello, former Governor of Kogi State.”
The senator is also accused of making defamatory statements about Akpabio during a telephone conversation with Sandra C. Duru in Abuja on March 27, 2025.
The alleged statement is as follows, “That girl that was killed, what’s her name, umm…. Imoren Iniubong, her organs were actually used for the wife, because the wife was really ill… when they killed the girl, and her organs were used for the wife.”
The Federal Government contends that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan knew or ought to have known that this claim would harm the reputation of Senator Godswill Akpabio.
Meanwhile, the Senate President, Bello, and four others have been listed as witnesses in the trial.
The arraignment of Akpoti-Uduaghan was initially scheduled for June 3, 2025. However, the strike action of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria stalled the arraignment.
Meanwhile, a similar matter is also lodged before Justice Muhammed Umar, of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
While Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was slated for arraignment before Justice Umar, she, however, did not appear for the arraignment since the prosecution had not been able to serve her as stated in court.
The prosecution, however, applied for a bench warrant to be issued on the suspended senator, which the court refused.
At the commencement of the hearing, the counsel to the Attorney General of the Federation, David Kaswe, told the Court that the matter is for arraignment of the defendant (Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan).
Natasha was docked, and the three-count read to her. She pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team, led by Professor Roland Otaru (SAN), afterwards informed the Court that a bail application filed on May 27 has been submitted to the court.
Kaswe, however, informed the court that the Federal Government is opposing the bail application and called the attention of the judge to a counter-affidavit filed before the court to this effect.
He proceeded to ask the court to remand the Kogi Senator in prison as she poses a flight risk.
He said, “In view of the charge, we will be asking for a remand in a correctional facility.
The defence counsel, however, interjected, stating, “We already filed an application for bail. We are in a court of law for Justice. We have a motion on Notice dated May 27, 2025. You represent the Ministry of Justice, not the Ministry of Injustice.
“If your lordship graciously will, we urge your lordship to grant the bail application. This is a case where your lordship has the discretion to grant bail, and nobody can query it, not even the president can query it. Even on self-recognition because it is not a case of murder.”
Referencing the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, Otaru added that anybody who is charged with a criminal offence shall be presumed innocent until proven guilty. “And she pleaded not guilty. As she is standing there, she is innocent until proven otherwise,” he added.
Justice Chizoba Orji, after listening to both arguments, however, granted Natasha bail in the sum of N50 million, with one surety who must be a person of reasonable integrity resident in F.C.T Abuja and owns a landed property within the Abuja Municipal Area Council.
Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, has received 119 stolen artefacts from the Netherlands.
The Oba who disclosed this on Wednesday in Benin, the Edo State capital, said plans by some international cartel to re-loot the artefacts were thwarted after he prayed to God and the ancestors.
He said, “I thank President Bola Tinubu for supporting and committing to the efforts former President Buhari put in place to ensure the artifacts are not re-looted because there were groups in this country believed to be an international cartel that had all sorts of conspiracy to re-loot our artifacts.
“They stole and burnt our Kingdom. They killed my people and tried to kill their spirit and their morale. Today, the boldness, courage, and bravery of the Benin people are still there. Events of 1897 reduced that to a significant level that Sometimes when I see my people, they are afraid of the unknown.
“The return of these objects has reawakened the courage we had in our people. We do not want modern-day politics and partisan politics to diminish the courage of our people.
“The Director General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments has been doing wonderful work. His predecessor was part of the conspiracy to re-loot our artefacts. We had a running battle in this hall.
“I addressed my Chiefs in Benin language, and I said these artefacts belong to my ancestors, and I will not sit on the ancient throne and watch the artefacts re-looted. They would rather remain where they are than be re-looted. I thank the government of the Netherlands for working with us. This is part of the efforts to reawaken the morale and spirit of my people.
“After 1897, the kingdom was reduced. There was a government in this state that wanted to reduce the kingdom more and scatter it. I am angry when I speak about it. Why would anybody want to scatter the kingdom.
“The youths were courageous like the youths of those days. They were not afraid of anybody. I vowed that it would not happen. Not in my reign. Not while I am sitting on this throne. God heard my prayers. My ancestors heard my prayers. This throne is not partisan, but I should support what is good for my people.
“I urge the youths to be tough and strong in the face of adversity. This is not for anybody else. It is for my ancestors.”
The Benin Monarch further prayed for the return of more artefacts.
The NCMM DG, Olugbile Holloway, said the commission and the Benin Royal Palace were working hard to ensure more artefacts were returned.
Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, who was represented by the Secretary to State Government, Barr. Musa Ikhilor said his administration would continue to build necessary infrastructure to preserve the returned artefacts as well as collaborate with the Federal Government to improve the storage system for the artefacts.
The General Director of the Wereld Museum, Marieke Van Bommel, said, “The artefacts are looted, and we have a policy in the Netherlands to bring them back. We are bringing back 119 artefacts. We don’t have more. These are the collections in the Netherlands. There are more collections in Europe, but that is not up to us. They have been with us for over 100 years.”