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Wike Presents Certificate Of Recognition To Oba Of Ogbaland …Tasks NDDC To Adopt Regional Dev Approach
Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has presented certificate of recognition and staff of office to the Oba (Eze Ogba) of Ogbaland, Dr. Nwachukwu S. Obuoha.
The brief presentation ceremony held at the Banquet Hall of Government House in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
Wike said the king was long recognised by the state government, the day he was crowned as Oba of Ogbaland.
He stated that the presentation event was mere ceremony to affirm what has been done.
Wike charged the king to use the opportunity of being the traditional father over Ogbaland to foster unity, promote peace and harmony among his subjects.
The Rivers State governor noted that the throne, while the former King Chukumela Nnam Obi II was alive, commanded honour, respect and candour across Nigeria.
Wike advised the king not to indulge in any act that would bring the throne to disrepute.
The governor also charged the Oba of Ogbaland to dissuade the youths in his domain from any act of violence that would disrupt the peace among the people and threaten economic activities in the area.
Wike recalled the dark episode of December 31, 2017 breaking into 2018, when some youths under the guise of unknown gunmen, killed innocent persons in Omoku, the headquarters of the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area.
Results of some of those criminal activities, Wike said, scared off financial houses, and killed the bustling business climate in Omoku.
Wike warned against any act that would return the area to such situation because the state government had done so much after then to restore peace.
The governor pointed to demands that youths put forward to operators of International Oil Companies (IOCs), and said it should be done in concert with his palace and the state government.
Such synergy, Wike insisted, would ensure that nobody takes the law into their hands, and the demands would be pursued to logical conclusion.
Wike also berated those who have subjected the Eze Ogba stool to litigation and attempting to bring it to disrepute.
The governor assured Eze Obuoha necessary support to ensure that the revered stool is not ridiculed.
In his speech, the Oba (Eze Ogba) of Ogbaland, Dr. Nwachukwu S. Obuoha as Obi III, said only God makes kings in Ogbaland, and he was grateful to be on the saddle to serve the land and its people faithfully.
Obuoha thanked Wike for the support given to his family since their father died.
He also acknowledged the astute leadership Wike has provided the state by giving meaning to governance and made its fame to travel across the world.
Meanwhile, Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has advised the new board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to do things differently.
Such difference, Wike maintained should be the adoption of a regional development approach that would strictly commit to the holistic development of Niger Delta states.
Wike gave the charge when the new Chairman of NDDC Governing Board, Mrs. Lauretta Ifeanyi Onochie, led other members of the board, on a courtesy visit to him at Government House, Port Harcourt, last Friday.
The governor urged the board to embrace the conceptualisation and implementation of projects like the construction of highways with bridges to link states.
Such projects, he opined, would serve as economic corridors to ease interstate movements and promotion of socio-economic integration within the region.
“I read what you said that things will be done differently. I want to believe that you’re sincere. Sometimes, I feel ashamed where I come from. We talk about underdevelopment, but look at the amount of money that has passed through NDDC, then look at the projects on ground.”
The Rivers State governor said when projects are awarded; they should not be given to portfolio or political contractors, but to competent ones who would stick to delivering quality and enduring projects.
“There is what we call regional development projects that can link up two states, those are the kind of things NDDC should go for, and give it to competent contractors. Leave these political contractors out. Leave all these portfolio contractors out. Leave them alone. You have come to my state, and you have seen what I have done.
“If I didn’t use Julius Berger, and had used these political contractors, you won’t have seen anything here. Of course, you know how expensive Julius Berger is. From 2019 till now, we have done 12 flyovers by Julius Berger. You know how much we are talking about, and you can replicate that. Even though they are expensive, but you’ll see the value.”
Wike envisaged a situation where NDDC could devote huge sums annually, for example, to execute projects in each state of the region without distorting existing development master plan.
The governor said it was shameful to see the unproductive model NDDC had operated, serving as mere cash cow to politicians, and spending about N10billion in futile attempt to rig the 2019 elections in Rivers State.
“NDDC has become a cash cow for politicians. Look at the money NDDC lost in this state just to win election here. N10billion wasted. N10billion you could have used to construct a mega project in the state!”
Wike noted how NDDC, often, entered and awarded projects in states, including Rivers State, without recourse to existing development master plan.
According to him, what turns out eventuallywas duplication of projects.
He pointed to how such practice had contributed to the wastage of trillion of Naira that has passed through NDDC.
He also faulted the use of political contractors who do not have the required competence to deliver quality projects.
This, he regretted, sees the NDDC accepting all kinds of projects nominated to it that include the construction of roads that terminate at the gates of residences of politicians.
The governor noted how NDDC fraudulently claimed to have reconstructed the Chokocho- Igwuruta Road, and signed off the money when, in actual fact, the road was reconstructed and delivered by his administration.
Wike also demanded that NDDC pay up its partnership and contractual obligation of N2.5billion, which was half of the N5billion mutually agreed between it and the Rivers State Government for the reconstruction of the dualised Eastern By-pass Road leading to NDDC Headquarters.
The governor said NDDC had entered into similar agreement for the construction of the Mother and Child Hospital, collected the money paid by the Rivers State Government, and refused to pay up theirs.
He said his administration eventually jettisoned the agreement, funded and completed the construction of the hospital.
In her address, the new Chairman of NDDC Governing Board, Mrs. Lauretta Ifeanyi Onochie, said they visited to formally introduce themselves to him as the governor of their landlord state.
Onochie noted the remarkable quality of infrastructure delivered by Wike administration that had transformed the entire landscape of Rivers State.
“It has been an exciting moment for all of us here, and particularly myself being that I lived briefly in Port Harcourt before my youth service, and I wedded in Port Harcourt. Then, thereafter, I kept coming back and Port Harcourt was still Port Harcourt.
“But, I have come back now, and I cannot believe my eyes. I can’t recognise anywhere. The development that has taken place in Port Harcourt, let me speak about the one I have seen, is amazing, and it’s brilliant. And I want to thank you.”
She said they came to ask for guidance and seek the governor’s advise on how best the new board could break away from the provision of poor services and projects known for NDDC, and replicate his quality project delivery mantra across the region.
“We are here to ask for your guidance. You have said it, and you have spoken about the poor services that NDDC had been known for. Trillions of Naira had been pumped into this commission, and we have little or nothing to show for it. We are here now, very determined to do things differently.”
A Coalition of civil society organisations has urged the Federal Government to take proactive steps towards addressing the persistent gas eruptions in Bille, Rivers.
The coalition, made up of the People’s Assembly and Bille Working Group, made the call in an open letter addressed to President Bola Tinubu, and read to journalists in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
Reading the letter, the coalition’s convener, Dr Isaac Osuoka, said that the persistent gas eruption in Bille had led to serious environmental and public health challenges.
Osuoka, also the Executive Director, Social Action, urged Tinubu to establish a presidential task force to investigate and contain the gas leak in Bille.
He also called for the immediate relocation of residents to safe shelters, provision of clean water, food and healthcare services.
Dr Emem Okon, the Executive Director, Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre, stated that gas had been bubbling from the ground, creeks, boreholes and hand-dug wells in the community since October 2025.
Okon said that the gas had triggered several fires and explosions, and that residents of the community had reported respiratory problems, vomiting and other illnesses associated with exposure to the emissions.
According to her, preliminary investigations by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) have yet to identify the source of the gas.
Mr Kentebe Ebiaridor, the Coordinator, Oilwatch International, called for the publication of results from preliminary soil and water tests conducted in Bille for the residents to know the nature and extent of the contamination.
Ebiaridor urged the Federal Government to deploy medical teams to screen and treat affected residents, and immediately commence an independent study on the health impacts of the leak.
He further called for the suspension of oil and gas operations around OML 18 and 24 until the source of the gas leak was identified and the affected areas declared safe.
Ebiaridor urged the government to hold current and former operators of the oil leases accountable for environmental damage on the community.
Another speaker, Dr Bieye Briggs, urged the National Assembly to fast-track the NOSDRA Amendment Bill, 2025 to provide the agency with statutory funding and stronger enforcement powers.
Briggs urged the Federal Government to activate the regional Spill Command Centre, and make the Upstream Remediation Fund accessible for the Bille crisis and other affected communities in the Niger Delta.
The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has banned drone operations and fireworks in Uyo and announced temporary traffic restrictions ahead of President Bola Tinubu’s visit to the State today.
The state Commissioner of Police, Baba Mohammed Azare, announced the measures yesterday while briefing journalists at the Police Headquarters in Ikot Akpan Abia, Uyo.
He said the restrictions were part of security arrangements to maintain public order, protect strategic locations and ensure the smooth movement of the President’s convoy during his engagements.
“There will be total restriction on the operation and flying of drones within Uyo metropolis throughout the period of the visit. Members of the public, drone operators and service providers are advised to strictly comply with the directive,” he said.
The police commissioner also announced a ban on fireworks, knockouts and other explosive sound-producing devices within the state capital during the visit.
He said the measure would prevent panic and allow security personnel to respond effectively to genuine security threats.
The command also announced temporary restrictions on public access to designated routes and locations in Uyo to facilitate the movement of the presidential convoy.
The affected areas are Airport Road, Shelter Afrique Junction, Oron Road, Nung Oku Junction, Mbierebe Junction and Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.
“Motorists are urged to plan their journeys, exercise patience and cooperate with traffic and security personnel deployed along the corridors.
“Members of the public are advised to avoid the routes during the restriction and use alternative routes,” Azare said.
He also urged residents to plan their journeys, exercise patience and cooperate with traffic and security personnel deployed along the affected corridors.
The commissioner said the command, working with other security agencies, had put in place security arrangements to ensure a peaceful and hitch-free visit.
He appealed to residents to understand that the temporary restrictions were necessary security measures and not intended to cause hardship.
Azare urged members of the public to remain law-abiding, avoid restricted areas and report suspicious movements to the nearest police station or through police emergency channels.
Tinubu’s visit to Akwa Ibom is a working visit during which he is expected to inaugurate major infrastructure projects executed by Governor Umo Eno’s administration under its ARISE Agenda. The projects cut across aviation, road infrastructure, tourism, healthcare, land administration and security.
Among the projects scheduled for inauguration are the international terminal building and airport hospital at Victor Attah International Airport, Aviation Village, ARISE Palm Resort, the 14.5-kilometre Nsit Atai–Okobo Road, Ring Road 3, the Command and Control Centre and the AkwaGIS building.
The state government had earlier announced plans for the President to inaugurate projects as part of activities marking Akwa Ibom’s 39th anniversary in September.
The airport projects are particularly significant to the state’s ambition to expand aviation, tourism and investment.
The international terminal is expected to strengthen the airport’s capacity to handle international operations, while the Aviation Village is intended to provide accommodation for aviation workers. The airport hospital is also among the facilities lined up for inauguration.
The road projects are also expected to improve connectivity. The 14.5-kilometre Nsit Atai–Okobo Road links communities in the two local government areas, while Ring Road 3 is designed to improve movement within Uyo and ease pressure on existing roads. The Command and Control Centre, meanwhile, is intended to strengthen security surveillance and coordination in the State.
The Rivers State Ministry of Culture and Tourism has floated a culture content platform in collaboration with digital television group, Multichoice.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Mr. Freddy Ndigbara, disclosed this after a meeting with MultiChoice Head of Content Acquisition, Don Dotun Ojon, in Port Harcourt.
He assured that content entrepreneurs and film makers would enjoy the platform by promoting culture and other contents to sell the states tourism potentials.
He said MultiChoice M-net was now open to increase its patronage for content shots on locations in Rivers State, describing the State as one that has numerous potentials for film tourism.
“We were privileged to have Don Ojon with us at the Rivers International Film Festival (RIFF) at the weekend in Bonny and he saw, first hand, the numerous sites and opportunities that are open to creatives in the State. After that, we felt it was important to deepen the conversation and he obliged. This is a cheering news for the sector in the State,” he said.
Ndigbara stated that “Rivers State has many more untold stories to tell, many more contents to reel out and the assurances from the M-net Acquisition Manager is an indication that the industry in the state will soon enjoy a new lease of life”.
The Permanent Secretary thanked Ojon for the visit and assured that creatives in the State would grap this opportunity and show the world that Rivers State is a major hub for film tourism in Nigeria.
On his part, Ojon said the visit was to discuss on ways of promoting tourism in the State using creatives and film.
Ojon said although the company has recently been acquired by canal+ France and is undergoing restructuring, he would promote the chances of Rivers State to host the MultiChoice talent factory in the State.
With Asaba, capital of Delta State, being saturated, Ojon said the next port is Rivers State, which he said is capable of building fresh crop of creatives, new locations, new story lines and concepts.
He, therefore, called for collaboration from stakeholders in the State.
Kevin Nengia
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