Politics
RVHA To Ensure Compliance To Environmental Laws
The Rivers State House of Assembly (RVHA) last week resolved to cooperate with the state Ministry of Environment and that of Justice to ensure strick compliance of companies operating in the state to environmental laws.
The House’s decision followed a motion by the lawmaker representing Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Constituency I, Hon. Christian Ahiakwo at the Assembly’s plenary session last Thursday in Port Harcourt.
According to Ahiakwo, the motion was to investigate the compliance of companies operating in Rivers State to environmental laws.
The motion prayed that the House should investigate the circumstances surrounding the black soot that has been noticed in the state and its environs.
The lawmaker, in his motion, also prayed the assembly to direct the Rivers State Ministry of Environment to furnish the house with details of compliance level with relevant laws by companies in the state.
Hon. Ahiakwo who noted that the situation portends serious danger for the citizens of the state and the generations to come, urged the assembly to make urgent decision to protect the interest of Rivers people.
The Speaker of the house, Rt Hon. Ikumyi-Owaji Ibani on the note, committed the motion to the House Committees on Environment and that of Justice to investigate and take legal steps on the level of compliance of relevant laws by companies and to solve the problem of black soot currently polluting the environment of the state.
At same Thursday’s plenary session, the 8th Assembly committed three bills to committee stage after an exhaustive debate in the house.
The bills include a bill for a law to amend the Rivers State Education (Returns of Schools) Law No 1 of 2005; a bill for a law to repeal and re-enact the Rivers State University of Science and Technology law, Cap 133, law of Rivers State of Nigeria 1999; and a bill for a law to establish the Rivers State University of Science and Technology Teaching Hospital in the state.
The speaker, Rt Hon. Ikumyi-Owaji Ibani directed the House Committee of the whole, education and health to handle the three bills within 14 days and submit their reports respectively.
Last Friday the lawmaker representing Bonny Constituency, Hon. Abinye Pepple, in company with some stakeholders of the local government council inspected the Bonny Vocational Centre in the area.
According to him, the vocational centre would be equipped with modern technology to stand the test of development in the country and the global areas.
Hon. Pepple who promised to support the rehabilitation of the centre, said the centre would go a long way to provide skills and engage youths in the area in meaningful employments.
The managing director of the vocational centre, Mr Micah Ibiama commended Hon. Pepple for his concern and support to the centre even before the inspection.
Enoch Epelle
The Commission disclosed the figure in its weekly update for week 14 of the second phase of the exercise, which ended on Friday, April 17, 2026.
According to the breakdown, 2,259,288 Nigerians completed their registration through the online pre-registration portal, while 1,489,416 finalized their registration physically at designated centres nationwide.
INEC noted that the figures remain preliminary and are subject to further verification and data cleaning processes to ensure accuracy ahead of the consolidation of the national voter register.
With the conclusion of the registration phase, the Commission has now shifted focus to the display of the Register of Voters for Claims and Objections, a statutory stage aimed at strengthening the credibility and integrity of the voters register.
The display exercise is scheduled to hold from April 29 to May 5, 2026, across designated centres nationwide, providing citizens the opportunity to verify their details and raise objections where necessary.
The Commission urged all registered voters from the concluded phase to take advantage of the exercise to confirm the accuracy of their information and assist in identifying ineligible entries, including duplicate registrations, deceased persons, and non-citizens.
INEC explained that the Continuous Voter Registration exercise is being conducted in phases, with the first phase running from August 18 to December 10, 2025, while the second phase commenced on January 5, 2026 and ended on April 17, 2026.
The Commission further stated that the date for the commencement of the third phase will be announced in due course.
Reaffirming its commitment to credible elections, INEC stressed that maintaining a clean and accurate voter register remains central to ensuring free, fair, and transparent electoral processes in Nigeria.
The Executive Director of IPC, Mr Lanre Arogundade, informed the journalists that the dialogue was sponsored by the European Union, under the auspices of the EU-Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN II), Component 4: Support to Media.
According to the veteran media practitioner, the programme is aimed at strengthening the capacity of the media to promote credible elections through factual, accurate and fair reporting.
He explained that the programme is part of a broader five-year intervention designed to support democratic governance and improve the role of the media in Nigeria’s electoral process, stressing that fact-checking and inclusive reporting are critical responsibilities for journalists, especially during electioneering.
He described the media as a central role agent with regard to upholding transparency and accountability in the democratic process.
A resource person and Director of Journalism Clinic, Lagos, Mr Taiwo Obe, enjoined journalists to embrace the evolving technology so that they would not be in the backwaters in the practice of the profession.
He advised journalists not to downplay Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their bid to remain relevant in the media environment by being abreast of the changing patterns of news consumption.
The journalism teacher explained that with digital transformation of the media industry, it had become imperative for journalists to constantly upgrade and update their skills, stressing the fundamental place of attitude and self-development and underscored the dynamic nature of media consumption in the digital age, thereby compelling journalists to embrace tools and platforms, but without much reliance on AI.
In his lecture, a Professor of Mass Communication at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Adebola Aderibigbe, advised journalists in Ekiti State to ensure that coverage of the upcoming governorship poll is issue-based rather than dwelling on personalities.
He added that sensationalism should not occupy the front-burner of any discussions concerning the 2026 election, admonishing that sustenance of democracy is anchored on responsible journalism.
”Journalists must prioritise accuracy, fairness and balance in their reports by verifying facts and giving all parties involved in political matters the opportunity to present their views”, he said.
According to the university don, the election will not be defined by personalities, but by issues. ”Let issues be the pivotal ring upon which every discussion should be made. Sensationalisation of issues should not be the bedrock of discussions in the 2026 election”, he added.
“Do not hear from Party A without hearing from Party B, otherwise the report will be skewed to one side and once issues of elections are skewed, problems will naturally arise”, he stressed.