The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has dismissed reports on social media that a bridge project under construction in Otuogori community, Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, had collapsed
The Commission said an incident occurred at the construction site of the 600-metre Otuogori-Otuegwe Bridge, but insisted that the bridge itself had not been constructed and therefore could not have collapsed.
Addressing journalists during an inspection of the project, the NDDC Director, Bayelsa State Office, Engr. Godknows Alamieyeseigha, described the reports as misleading.
“We don’t have a bridge yet because we are still at the stage of crossing the beams. So, no bridge has collapsed.
“However, there was an incident at the construction site, and we are assessing the circumstances surrounding what happened”, he said.
Alamieyeseigha dismissed suggestions that the incident resulted from structural failure, describing it as an accident during construction.
He expressed confidence that the construction company would address issues identified during the assessment and complete the project.
He also said no bridge had collapsed in Bayelsa State or any of the nine Niger Delta states.
The NDDC Director said the Commission’s current board and management, led by Chairman Chiedu Ebie, and Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, had prioritised quality assurance in project execution.
He added that NDDC engineers and independent consultants regularly inspected project sites across the region to ensure compliance with approved engineering designs and standards.
Also speaking, the Managing Director of the construction firm, Mr. Christian Emiezor, assured that the Otuogori-Otuegwe Bridge was being executed in line with high construction standards.
He explained that the project was still at the preparatory stage, with work focused on positioning the beams before the construction of the main bridge structure.
According to him, the incident occurred during the launching of the beams, which were being positioned on their bearings.
“We are constructing a 600-metre bridge, but as you can see, we have not constructed a bridge yet. What you are seeing is just preparations for the bridge”, Emiezor said.
He described the incident as a minor accident, explaining that a beam resting on a bearing but not yet secured could slide during the positioning process.
“What was going on was the launching of the beams, and in the process, there was a slight accident. Because the beam was resting on a bearing and had not been secured, it could slide. That was what happened”, he said.
Emiezor added that safety measures at the site prevented casualties. “The good thing is that, with the safety measures put in place, no life was lost”, he said.

Enoch Epelle

The second edition of the Niger Delta Blue Economy Investment Summit is expected to attract more than $600 million in investment capital into Nigeria’s blue economy sector.
The three-day summit, scheduled for March 18 to 20, 2027, will be held at Movela Hotels, Warri, Delta State.
Co-convener of the summit, Dr. Uche Igwe, disclosed in an interview with journalists, saying the annual event would bring together key decision-makers and operators to transform the Niger Delta’s blue economy potential into viable investment opportunities.
He said participants would be drawn from the government, the organised private sector, academia, civil society, traditional institutions and community groups across the Niger Delta and beyond.
Igwe said the maiden edition, held in February 2026, had recorded progress through partnerships and the identification of feasible projects requiring funding and further development.
“Since our maiden edition last February, a lot has been achieved. We now have partners who understand our region and who have identified several feasible projects.
“It is now time to go to the next level of ensuring that such projects are made bankable and the necessary funds required are mobilised to ensure that projects leave the drawing board and hit the ground running”, he said.
He commended the Delta State Government led by the State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, for providing what he described as an enabling environment for investment in the sector.
According to him, the second summit will focus on developing investment pipelines and exploring innovative financing mechanisms, including blue bonds, to attract capital into the sector.
“With the feedback we have got so far, more than $600 million of investment capital will enter the blue economy sector through our modest efforts”, Igwe added.
Also speaking, Senior Consultant at Gadfly Consulting Limited, Mr. Philemon Oghenedoro Adjekuko, called for stronger collaboration among relevant government agencies and private sector operators to support Nigeria’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
He said the blue economy could contribute significantly to the country’s economic expansion if stakeholders moved beyond discussions to coordinate action and investment.
Adjekuko, who said he had spent the past three months engaging stakeholders as part of a study on blue finance, expressed optimism about the sector’s capacity to drive economic diversification and strengthen the non-oil economy.
“As someone who has been speaking to stakeholders in the last three months conducting a study omy,” he said.

Enoch Epelle

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, has promised to increase the annual bursary for students in public tertiary institutions from N50,000 to N200,000 beginning from 2027.
The Governor announced this recently during a fireside chat on the second day of the Ibom Ignite 2026 Conference at Ibom Hall, Uyo.
He said the new rates would take effect from February 2027 after governorship election and as he will be sworn-in for another term to continue the government.
Eno said the increase was intended to help students from less privileged backgrounds meet their educational expenses.

“We started by paying a bursary, we moved it, it’s now 50,000 for every student. But again, to show you that we’re engaging, and that we’re thinking about young people, from February 2027 we want to make sure that our young people who come from the kind of background I came from can at least pay their tuition, bursary will move to 200,000″, he said.
He also pledged to sustain free and compulsory education at the primary and secondary school levels.
The Governor urged beneficiaries of the N50 million Ibom Ignite business grant to invest the money in their businesses rather than spend it on personal pleasure or unproductive ventures.
Describing the grant as seed capital for business development, he said beneficiaries needed to use the funds judiciously to improve their livelihoods.
“A seed not properly planted and tended was as good as dead”, Eno said.
Speaking of support for vulnerable residents, the Governor said his administration had built more than 500 Compassionate Homes for less privileged people across the state’s 31 Local Government Areas.
He added that each beneficiary received a N500,000 business grant to support their livelihood.
Eno promised to build an additional 1,000 Compassionate Homes and provide the accompanying business grants across the state’s wards if re-elected.