Politics
RSG, Labour Resolve Issues
The planned protest by the organised labour in the state was averted last week following an agreement reached Monday night at Government House, Port Harcourt, between the Rivers State Government and leadership of labour unions.
The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba, who read the agreement before newsmen in Government House said the parties agreed to sign the agreement on the implementation of the new National Minimum Wage and its consequential adjustment.
He also said that the parties agreed to set up a tripatite committee to resolve the adjustment of pensions in line with the Constitution and payment of pension and gratuity.
The agreement also included the unsealing of the NLC Secretariat in the state by the state Government,payment of salary withheld from health workers due to the 2017 strike action, and remittance of check off dues to various labour unions and to discontinue all on-going litigations, among others.
Consequent upon the agreement, organised labour officially announced the suspension of the strike action expected to commence last Tuesday.
The NLC President commended Governor Nyesom Wike for his statesmanship that facilitated amicable resolution of the dispute.
In his reaction, Governor Wike expressed satisfaction that all contending issues were peacefully resolved during the meeting.
Speaking to journalists after inspection of on-going projects in Port Harcourt and Obio /Akpor Local government areas last Tuesday, Governor Wike said , the issues bordered on understanding.
“All the issues were mere understanding and now that they have understood our position, they said they have to suspend the protest.
“ So for me, I am happy that there was nothing like conflict. At the end of the day, those of them who were thinking that Rivers State would be shut down were highly disappointed”, he said.
The Rivers State Executive Council met last Wednesday and arrived at crucial resolutions. The meeting which was held at the Banquet Hall in Government House was presided over by Governor Nyesom Wike.
State Commissioner for Health, Prof Princewill Chike, who addressed the press after the meeting disclosed that the Council approved the revamping of Kelsey Harrison Hospital as well as the Dental and Maxilo-Facial Hospital, both in Port Harcourt.
Prof Chike said, with the approval, Rivers State University Teaching Hospital would get accreditation for internship for Dental Residency training by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.
Also speaking, the state Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mrs Tonye Oniyide said that the Council approved the sum of 472,92,88 million Naira for the rehabilitation of Port Harcourt Zoological Garden, and noted that the rehabilitation would boost tourism development in the state.
Also last week, the State Chief Executive, inaugurated a committee to revive Dormant Health Facilities owned by Rivers State Government.
The committee has as its Chairman, Her Excellency, Dr Ipalibo Harry Banigo, the Deputy Governor, and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Mrs Ndidi Uchay, as Secretary.
Other members of the committee were the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice,Prof Zaacheus Adango, Commissioner for Health, Prof Princewill Chike, Chairman Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH), Dr J N Hart, Chief Medical Director of RSUTH, Dr Friday Aaron, and the Chief Medical Director of Rivers State Hospital Management Board, Dr Kenneth Okagwa.
The Governor charged the committee to take all needed measures to revamp the dormant health facilities, particularly, the Kelsey Harrison Hospital, and to also reposition the Dental and Maxilo-Facial Hospital to serve the state better.
Chris Oluoh
Politics
Reps Constitution Review Committee Holds Zonal Hearing For Rivers, C’River, Akwa Ibom In Calabar
A press statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Cross River State Governor, Mr Linus Obogo, disclosed that the Calabar Centre — designated as Centre B — will host representatives and stakeholders from Cross River, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom States.
The public hearing is scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at the Transcorp (Metropolitan) Hotel, Calabar.
The initiative, according to the statement, is designed to promote inclusive dialogue and capture the aspirations of Nigerians from all regions.
It aims to serve as a platform for citizens to contribute meaningfully to the ongoing national efforts to refine and strengthen the country’s legal and institutional frameworks.
“Citizens, civil society groups, professional bodies, traditional rulers, and other interest blocs are invited to participate in this landmark engagement aimed at advancing a more just, equitable, and responsive Nigerian Constitution,” the statement read.
The hearing forms part of the broader review process of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and is seen as a strategic move toward fostering national unity and addressing structural legal issues within the federation.
For the first time since 2022, when then-presidential aspirant Alhaji Bola Tinubu declared he made former President Buhari Nigeria’s President in 2015, Mr Mustapha dismissed the claims, stressing that the merger only contributed about three million votes in addition to Buhari’s existing 12 million votes in the North.
He insisted that former President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to the breakthrough, not the three million votes from the merging parties, which he described as insignificant.
Speaking on the role of the merging parties, particularly President Tinubu, the leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr Mustapha, who was the keynote speaker at the launch of the book ‘According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesman’s Experience’ authored by Mallam Garba Shehu, described the impact of the votes from other merging parties as very insignificant.
In attendance were former Head of State Yakubu Gowon, chair of the event; immediate past Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; SGF George Akume, who represented President Tinubu; PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar; former Chief of Staff to Buhari Ibrahim Gambari; elder statesman Babagana Kingibe; former governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Chris Ngige (Anambra), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Raji Babatunde Fashola (Lagos); former ministers Solomon Dalung and Sunday Dare; former Army Chief Tukur Buratai, and Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu’s spokesman, among others.
According to Mr Mustapha, “I do not intend to stir up any controversy. The merger in 2013 was midwifed to create a Buhari presidency. Let us look at the statistics. In the 2003 election, it was the Obasanjo-Buhari presidential contest where Buhari recorded 12.7 million votes. In 2007, it came to 6.6 million, and it went back to 12.2 million in 2011.
“When we were conceptualising the merger, what would give us a headstart? Obviously, it was at the back of our consciousness that the merger with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), though it had only one state, the ACN had six states, ANPP three states, and when you sum up the total votes that we had as the presidency in 2015, the aggregate of the total votes was 15.4 million.
“So, basically, what we brought to the table after the merger outside the Buhari 12.5 million votes was three million. Before turning to that presidency, it is important to recognise the former President’s role in reshaping Nigeria’s political trajectory.
“In early 2013, as the leader of the CPC, Buhari formally requested and supported the creation of a CPC merger committee, part of a broader coalition-building process that brought together the ACN, ANPP, APGA faction, and elements of the ruling party through the breakaway ‘new PDP’ group. His endorsement and participation, along with other party leaders such as President Tinubu and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, lent credibility and direction to the merger, helping to unify disparate party factions under the banner of the APC. That coalition-building paved the way for the first democratic defeat of an incumbent ruling party in Nigeria’s history.
“President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to that breakthrough. No account of President Buhari’s tenure would be complete without acknowledging the extended periods he spent on medical leave. These moments, while politically delicate, were also telling of his leadership philosophy and personality,” he said.
In his remarks, President Tinubu promised to build on the legacies of former President Buhari, stressing that “nation-building is a relay. The efforts of one administration lay the foundation for the next.
“In this regard, I acknowledge the efforts of my predecessor, President Buhari, and assure all Nigerians that the reform-oriented path he initiated will be consolidated and strengthened under this administration. Our Renewed Hope Agenda is inspired by the desire to build a resilient, just, and inclusive Nigeria—a nation that delivers dividends of democracy to all its citizens”.
Speaking during an appearance on live television on Wednesday, Mr Omokri alleged that Mr Obi’s statements were misleading and damaging to the country’s economic prospects.
Mr Omokri said some investors currently operating in Nigeria were considering exiting the market due to Mr Obi’s remarks.
“That is not true. He doesn’t rile me up. I rile him up. The reason why I came here is because I’m a patriot. Peter Obi lied. You know, foreign direct investors are watching your programme, who are making investment decisions not to come to Nigeria. There are foreign investors in Nigeria that are making investment decisions to leave Nigeria because of the lie he told.
“One of the lies he told is that President Tinubu has borrowed more than the administrations of Yar’Adua, Jonathan, Buhari. That is a blatant lie”, Mr Omokri said.
To buttress his claims, Mr Omokri referenced figures from the Debt Management Office (DMO), maintaining that President Tinubu had actually reduced Nigeria’s external debt burden since assuming office.
“I have here with me data from the Debt Management Office, and Nigerians who are watching can go to DMO.com and search Debt Management Office, Nigeria State of Indebtedness 2015.
“As of 2015, Nigeria was owing a total of $63 billion. When Buhari was leaving office, Nigeria was owing $113 billion. Today, from the DMO, our debt has gone from $113 billion to $97 billion, meaning that Tinubu has reduced our debt by over $14 billion.
“We should be appreciating this man. Yet Peter Obi came here and lied to the Nigerian people. He took the debts and translated them into naira to make it look like the debts have increased”, he said.