Politics
Assemblyman Laments Lack Of Access Road To S’Ijaw
A member of Baye1sa State House of Assembly, Mr Kobowei Benson, has lamented that after 50 years of Independence and 14 years, since Bayelsa state was created by late General Sani Abacha on October 1, 1996, more than 90 per cent of comunities in Southem Ijaw local govemment area are yet to be accessed by road.
The chairman, House Committee on Information, Culture and Tourism, in the Assembly, Mr. Benson, stated this during a courtesy call on him by a socio-political group, the Southern Ijaw Initiative for Equal Co-existence, at the Assembly Complex. According to the lawmaker, representing Southem Ijaw Constituency IV, dividends of democracy should be evaluated based on the standard of living of the electorate and not necessarily on the number of physical structures in an area.
He, therefore, called on political office holders to always put the collective interest of the people above their personal gains, while assuring that he would remain focused in his development initiative for the people of the constituency.
The honourable member stressed that his develomental initiative for his constituency go beyond the normal constituency projects, adding that he was using part of his allowances to embank on people-oriented projects in the area in a bid to give the people a sense of belonging.
He also called on the federal govemment to commence massive infrastructural development in the Niger Delta region in line with the amnesty programme, to give the people at the grassroots the assurance of govemment’s sincerity in implementing the amnesty programme for ex-militants.
Mr Benson maintained that only a well crafted development agenda could assuage the younger citizens of the nation from anti social vices, adding that the period of militancy brought a lot of set back to the country, resulting in the dwindling oil revenue.
He regretted that after fifty years of political independence, most rural communities in the Niger Delta were still wallowing in abject poverty, even as there were not commensurate social amnesties to show for the huge oil revenue that was being generated from the region.
He commended the leadership of the Southern Ijaw Initiative for Equal Co-existence, for the visit and promised to carry every body along in this political agenda.
Earlier, the leader of the group, Mr Kemepaomene Fawei, had declared the group’s support for the Lawmaker, in his bid to contest for the state House of Assembly seat, come 201l.
According to him, findings by the group about Mr. Benson showed that he was the most reliable among the aspirants that have indicated interest to contest the Southern Ijaw Constituency IV House of Assembly seat.
He added that despite the daunting challenges, the lawmaker was still able to attract several development projects to communities in the constituency.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the deadline for political parties to submit the list of candidates for the 2027 governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections from Saturday, August 8, to Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
The commission announced the extension in a statement issued on Saturday and signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna.
According to INEC, the decision followed appeals by political parties for additional time to complete the submission process through the dedicated online portal.
“The submission window, which according to the revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the General Election was originally scheduled to close on Saturday, 8th August, 2026, has been extended to Tuesday, 11th August, 2026,” the commission said.
In a a related development, INEC announced the suspension of PVC collection in Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
The commission said voters who applied for replacement of lost, damaged or defaced Permanent Voter Cards would have until midnight on Sunday, August 9, to print downloadable copies of their cards.
The electoral body explained that the deadline was necessary to enable it compile data on downloaded PVCs and produce final statistics on the total number of cards collected ahead of the election.
INEC said PVC collection in Osun commenced at the Registration Area level from July 22 to 28, 2026, but was extended to July 31 following complaints about large crowds and difficulties experienced by voters at collection centres.
The exercise subsequently moved to the local government level and ran from August 1 to 7.
The commission also disclosed that replacement downloadable PVCs had been made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas following the theft of cards during attacks on the two collection centres.
It stressed that the stolen cards could not be used to vote.
INEC reassured Osun residents of its preparedness for the August 15 governorship election.
“The commission reiterates that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
“INEC reassures the people of Osun State of its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election on 15th August, 2026,” the statement said.
The commission said the deadline, initially set for Saturday, 8 August, has been extended to Tuesday, 11 August 2026, following appeals from political parties for more time.
INEC also announced that the window for voters who applied to replace lost, damaged or defaced PVCs to download their replacement cards will close at midnight on Sunday, 9 August.
The move is to enable the commission compile final PVC collection figures ahead of the 15 August Osun governorship election.
INEC said replacement downloadable PVCs have also been provided to affected voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas after hoodlums carted away cards from two collection centres, stressing that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
The commission reaffirmed its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive election in Osun State.
Gov. Kefas made the remarks over the weekend at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jalingo, during the flag-off of the second phase of the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach in Taraba State, organised as part of activities marking Prof. Yilwatda’s 58th birthday.
The governor commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing to mark his birthday by providing medical care to people in need.
“What Professor Nentawe did is a powerful demonstration of what leadership should be,” Gov. Kefas said.
He assured that his administration would continue to support initiatives that complement government efforts to improve healthcare delivery and the wellbeing of residents.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Yilwatda called on Nigerian leaders to embrace the culture of giving and use their positions to touch the lives of the less privileged.
He said his decision to celebrate his 58th birthday in Taraba State was deliberate and informed by the needs of underserved communities, particularly people who face difficulties accessing healthcare because of distance and financial constraints.
According to him, the intervention followed a needs assessment and was extended across the three senatorial districts of the state.
He said the exercise commenced on August 3 at Takum General Hospital and covered the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Wukari; First Referral Hospital, Sunkani, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area; General Hospital, Bali; General Hospital, Gembu; and FMC Jalingo.
Prof. Yilwatda said the intervention provided medical services to thousands of beneficiaries, including people who required surgical procedures.
He said sustainable national development could only be achieved when strong institutions placed Nigerians at the centre of development.
“Leadership is about service,” he said, urging political and public leaders to make giving back to society an important part of their responsibilities.
He reaffirmed his commitment to serving Nigeria and its people, saying his personal vision was to make every day of his life useful to humanity.
“Every day that I live, the vision is: let it be useful to humanity,” he said.
The Taraba State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bordiya Buma, commended the initiative, saying it was consistent with the Renewed Hope agenda and efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery in the state.
Dr Buma said the second phase followed the successful completion of the first phase, which was conducted simultaneously in six local government areas, with two LGAs selected from each of the three senatorial districts.
According to him, more than 10,000 patients were attended to during the first phase, including people with medical and surgical conditions.
He disclosed that 327 general surgeries, 71 eye surgeries and 575 dental procedures were carried out during the exercise.
The commissioner expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach and thanked Prof. Yilwatda for supporting the initiative and choosing Taraba State as a beneficiary.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, also commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing Taraba State to mark his 58th birthday through a medical outreach.
Prof. Pate said making healthcare the centrepiece of the birthday celebration was significant because health affects everyone.
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