News
Fubara Unveils Steps To Boost Agriculture In Etche …As Omehia Flags Off Egwi-Afara-Mba Road Project Says Road’ll Enhance Connectivity, Economic Activities
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has acknowledged the food basket status of Etche land, and expressed the determination of his administration to boost agricultural activities in the area as agriculture tool to fight hunger and guarantee food sufficiency.
The Governor also said that the reconstruction of the Egwi-Afara-Mba Road is preparatory to the planned effort to increase commercial Agriculture in Etche land.
Governor Fubara gave the assurance at the official flag-off of the 12.3 Kilometres Egwi-Afara-Mba Road project in Etche Local Government Area, last Wednesday.
Governor Fubara stated that the gesture of the road construction, in part, is to express his gratitude to Etche people for their support and firm belief in him and his administration, adding: “Thank you for believing in us, and thank you for still standing with us. Our thank you will not be limited to the construction of roads alone. Our thank you will still extend to the development of your people: manpower development.
“This is because, if we finish (complete) the road project, and we don’t have the right manpower, the rightful employment opportunities and proper engagement of our youths, the road will still be useless. So, we are not going to limit it to just the road, but we will bring agricultural development to Etche, knowing fully well that Etche is the food basket of the State.
“So, what have come to do this afternoon is to do the preparation. This road is part of what we are going to use to transport those Agricultural produce that we are going to generate here.”
Governor Fubara urged the people to give the contractor all the necessary support to ensure that the project is achieved within six months, explaining that, should there be need to extend the completion timeline of six months, it should be because the road has been stretched beyond its current length to link Etche to Imo State as already requested by Ochie of Etche Ethnic Nationality, His Eminence, Eze E. M. B. Opurum.
He said, “So, I hereby direct the Hon Commissioner for Works to extend this project as requested by the Etche people. I am also aware that, once a good thing is about coming, there will be sabotage. You don’t need to fall into that trap. At the end of the day, this project belongs to the Etche people. It doesn’t belong to Fubara.
“I am not doing it with my money. It will be wrong to say I am doing it. The Rivers State Government, under my administration, is executing this project. So, it is not about me, it is about the people that we are serving. It is about the legacy we are leaving behind, and it is about the people that we are going to make happy when we leave the office.”
Governor Fubara explained that the policy of his administration is not to glorify in mere flag-off ceremonies but to ensure that the projects are executed, completed, inaugurated, and actually put to use, noting the importance of the road and significant benefits it affords all Etche sons and daughters, including those opposed to his administration.
Governor Fubara said: “This road will cut across and even in front of the houses of those who want to kill us. But this will be to tell them that the things that others couldn’t do for them, we are not looking at their faces but doing it. What we are doing is for the people of Etche”.
Flagging-off the project, former Governor of Rivers State, Sir Celestine Omehia, expressed delight for being the person to make history by laying the foundation stone for such infrastructure development in rural communities.
He asserted: “Etche is the cassava belt of Nigeria. The highest quantity of cassava produced in Etche and Ikwerre put together can feed Nigeria as long as it can. Your Excellency, one other thing that we can understand is that even the palm trees planted in the area by SIAT Nigeria Limited (formerly Risonpalm Company) are also important to the economic growth and development of Nigeria.”
It is for these reasons, he noted, that the Egwi-Afara-Mba Road project, is of immense economic importance, not only to the Etche people but to Nigeria in general.
He pointed to the fact that Rivers State is the most respected state because of the economic lifeline that it provides Nigeria, lamenting that it is disheartening to imagine that Rivers sons, in the guise of politics, will demarket the State and destroy its economic strength.
He added, “Many Rivers children who are outside the State are trying to bring Rivers State down. If you demarket your own State, no person will respect your State. There are many people outside Rivers State that are trying to demarket the State. Two, three years ago, Your Excellency, some leaders of the State were saying that Ministers from Rivers State must bring projects to the State. Today, we are asking questions.
“When Rotimi Amaechi was the Minister, people were asking questions to say: what are the projects you have brought? Today, we are asking the same question: how many projects have you brought into Etche? How many projects have we received in Ikwerre Local Government? How many projects have we received in Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality? We are waiting.”
Providing the project description, the State Commissioner for Works, Barrister Elloka Tasie-Amadi, said the Egwi-Afara-Mba Road project is scheduled for completion in nine months, clarifying that his ministry is doing its best by pressuring the contractor to take advantage of the clement weather and deliver the project in six months.
He said, “This road starts from Egwi; passes through Afara; and terminates at Mba in Etche Local Government Area. The road is 12.3 kilometres. We have 9,000 meters of drainage in the populated areas, and the road is 10.3 meters wide, 7.3 of the width is a carriageway, and 3 meters is the shoulder, 1.5 meters on the either side of the road”.
In his welcome address, Executive Chairman of Etche Local Government Area, Mr Uzodinma Nwafor, thanked Governor Fubara for being in Etche land thrice in two weeks to inaugurate, flag-off projects, and also attend Etche first festival of food, culture and art, and assured the total support of the people to the present administration.
On his part, Area Manager of Setraco Nigeria Ltd, the firm handling the project, Engr Michael Issa, said the road project is a vital infrastructure that is 12km long with 100meters connecting roads, accompanied by 8.8km of drainage systems, emphasising their delight and honour in being trusted to play a role in actualising it, just as he pledged to deliver quality road that will last a long time.
News
Rivers DPOs Receive Awards For Outstanding Performance In Crime Prevention …As Students, Media Group Honour CSP Worgu, CSP Yusuf
Two Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) in Rivers State have been honoured by separate groups for their contributions to security, crime prevention and improved community-police relations in their respective areas of responsibility.
The beneficiaries are the DPO of Afam Police Division, CSP Endurance Worgu and his counterpart at Oyigbo Police Division, CSP Bello Yusuf.
CSP Worgu was honoured by a group of students under the aegis of Rivers State Graduate Students Associations for what they described as his commitment and outstanding performance in the discharge of his duties.
The students, led by Chidi John Enyie, Esq. said CSP Worgu was selected based on his track record and status as one of the longest-serving young DPOs of Rivers State origin.
According to the group, CSP Worgu has made significant contributions to the protection of lives and property in the area since assuming office following the #EndSARS period.
The students said they were particularly impressed by the improvement in community-police relations under his leadership, noting that professionalism had remained a key feature of his service.
Enyie represented by Comrade Briggs Soku, said the students community was pleased to identify with a Rivers indigene who had distinguished himself in the police force.
He said the students considered it necessary to encourage and celebrate CSP Worgu because of his achievements as a young Rivers man excelling in a profession that many people from the state were often reluctant to join.
Receiving the award at his office in Afam, CSP Worgu expressed gratitude to God and the students for finding him worthy of the honour.
The DPO said the recognition had boosted his morale and encouraged him to sustain his efforts towards maintaining peace and security in the area.
He said he least expected the honour, particularly because it came from the students, adding that the recognition would further motivate him to serve the people better.
CSP Worgu assured residents of Afam that the police would sustain the existing peace in the area.
He appealed to members of the public to support the police by providing credible and timely information, stressing that useful information from residents would make the job of security personnel easier.
Meanwhile, the Ikwerre/Etche Media Association has also honoured the DPO of Oyigbo Police Division, CSP Bello Yusuf, for his efforts in tackling criminal activities in the area.
The media group presented the award following the swift tracking and arrest of five suspected kidnappers who had allegedly terrorised residents of the Kom-Kom axis and other parts of Oyigbo.
The group commended CSP Bello for what it described as his determined efforts to restore confidence and security in the affected communities, particularly Kom-Kom and Obeama.
According to the group, the arrest of the suspects demonstrated the DPO’s commitment to tackling criminality and safeguarding residents.
The media association said residents had received the development with relief, noting that the police action had sent a strong message to criminal elements operating in the area.
Responding, CSP Yusuf appreciated the group for the recognition and reaffirmed that there would be no room for criminality in Oyigbo.
He also commended the media for its role in disseminating credible information to the public, saying the media had remained supportive of the police in the fight against crime.
CSP Yusuf warned criminal elements operating in Oyigbo to leave the area or be prepared to face the full weight of the law.
He assured residents that the police would continue to pursue criminals and work to dismantle their hideouts, regardless of where they might be operating.
News
College Of Bishops Endorses Tinubu, APC Candidates For 2027 Polls
The 5000 Achievers Christian Forum and Colleges of Bishops, Archbishops and Apostles, a Christian interdenominational organisation, has endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and all candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State for the 2027 general elections.
International President of the forum, Archbishop Lucky Aroh, disclosed this during the ordination and consecration of three new Bishops, as well as an award ceremony held in Port Harcourt.
Aroh said the performance of the APC-led Federal Government had endeared the party to the organisation, prompting the forum to declare its support for President Tinubu and other APC candidates in Rivers State.
He said the forum would support all APC candidates in the state during the 2027 elections and urged Nigerians to vote for the party.
Aroh, who is also the General Overseer of Caring Peoples Church, Port Harcourt, charged the newly consecrated Bishops to see their new positions as a great responsibility and dedicate themselves to the advancement of the kingdom of God.
He cautioned them against conduct capable of bringing their offices into disrepute, stressing that their activities would be closely watched by members of the public.
“As Bishops, the eyes of the public are on your activities. You must therefore conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of your calling,” he said.
Also speaking, the International Coordinator of the forum, Bishop Saint Robinson, urged the newly consecrated Bishops to work diligently towards winning souls for the kingdom of God.
Robinson, who was the guest speaker at the event, stressed that the activities of Bishops must at all times be guided by godly principles.
He also called on members of the church to support and cooperate with the newly consecrated Bishops in the discharge of their responsibilities.
The Secretary of the College, Apostle Elizabeth Ayadi Abaye, said the organisation was established to advance the kingdom of God and promote spiritual development.
According to her, the forum has organised several crusades, conferences, prayer meetings, ordinations, consecrations, enthronements, empowerment programmes and other spiritual development activities across the country as part of efforts to win souls for Christ.
Abaye said the organisation has members across the world and disclosed that more programmes had been scheduled to promote the spiritual development and wellbeing of humanity.
The three Bishops consecrated at the ceremony were Prince Alban Chike, Testimony Omenihu Shedrach and Prince Ifemena.
Among those honoured at the event were the Chairman of the Community Development Committee (CDC), Abali Community, Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, Manuchimso Prince Lemmy Wopara, and Clifford Oko Jaja, Coordinator of the 5,000 House-to-House for President Tinubu.
By: John Bibor
News
Police Arrest Fake Soldier, Others For Armed Robbery, Kidnapping
The Rivers State Police Command has arrested a 49-year-old suspected fake soldier, Andrew Atausi, and several other suspects in connection with various criminal activities, including kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, one-chance robbery and the alleged murder of police officers.
The State Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, disclosed this in Port Harcourt, recently during a press briefing at the Command Headquarters, where he said the arrests formed part of the operational achievements recorded by the Command between June and August 2026.
Adepoju said Atausi was arrested on August 10 by police operatives along Ada George, Port Harcourt, while dressed in military uniform and driving a Toyota Hilux painted in Army colours.
The Commissioner said investigation revealed that Atausi was not a member of the Armed Forces, adding that he was suspected to be a serial car snatcher, with three suspected stolen vehicles recovered from him.
He said the recovered vehicles included three Toyota Hilux vehicles without registration numbers and a Toyota Corona Premio with registration number BNY 380 ES, noting that the chassis and engine numbers of the vehicles had allegedly been tampered with.
Adepoju added that an axe and military accoutrements were also recovered from Atausi, as investigation continued into the circumstances surrounding the vehicles and other items recovered from him.
On the June 29 attack on police officers at Aluu Division, the Commissioner said three members of the gang allegedly responsible for the incident had been arrested by operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit, VCRU-AKU.
The suspects, identified as Maduabuchi Emeka, 34, alleged gang leader; Doctor Chinedu Owhor, 42, and Kamachi Joe, 28, alleged armourer, reportedly led operatives to their hideout at Omagwa where two AK-47 rifles stolen during the attack were recovered.
Adepoju recalled that two police officers were killed during the Aluu attack, while others were wounded and one officer had his leg amputated, stressing that efforts were ongoing to apprehend the fourth suspect.
On kidnapping, the Commissioner said five members of a suspected kidnapping syndicate were arrested in Oyigbo Local Government Area, adding that they allegedly confessed to operations in Kom-Kom, Railway, Obeama and Afam communities.
He said two other suspects from the same network, Anele Ogbogu, 35, alleged to be the gang’s armourer, and Kenneth Eke, 38, were arrested on July 27, with one AK-47 rifle and one SMG rifle recovered.
The Commissioner further disclosed the arrest of suspects in connection with alleged firearm offences, armed robbery, cultism and one-chance robbery, with firearms, ammunition and other exhibits recovered during the operations.
Adepoju assured residents that the Command would sustain intelligence-led, proactive and community-oriented policing in collaboration with other security agencies, while urging members of the public to continue providing credible information that would assist the police in combating crime across Rivers State.
By; King Onunwor
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