Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara,  has reaffirmed its commitment towards human capital development, particularly education, as a foundation for sustainable development and national progress.

Fubara gave the assurance on Tuesday while declaring open the 85^th Plenary Meeting of the Joint Consultative Committee on Education (JCCE), at the Obi Wali International Conference Centre, Port Harcourt.

The four-day plenary hosted by the State Government, brought together education policymakers, technocrats and stakeholders from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

The session, with the theme ” Infrastructural Development and Teacher Motivation: Panacea for Improved Learning Outcomes”, focused on critical issues affecting the education sector and developing policies to improve teaching and learning outcomes.

Fubara, who was represented by the State Commissioner for Education, Dr Peters Nwagor, said the meeting provided an important platform for stakeholders to exchange ideas, harmonise policies and address emerging challenges confronting the nation’s education system.

The governor said his administration placed human capital development at the centre of its governance philosophy, with deliberate investments in the construction, rehabilitation and upgrading of educational infrastructure across the state.

He, however, noted that infrastructure alone cannot guarantee meaningful educational outcomes, emphasising the need to prioritise the welfare, training and continuous professional development of teachers, whom he described as central to the success of the education system.

Quoting former South African President Nelson Mandela’s observation that education is a powerful instrument for changing society, Fubara said teachers and infrastructure must be treated as complementary components of educational development.

Acc to him, sustained investment in teachers will strengthen the entire education system.

The governor acknowledged the challenges confronting Nigeria’s education sector, including inadequate funding and infrastructure deficits, and called for stronger collaboration between the Federal and State Governments, and other stakeholders to address the problems.

He urged participants to ensure that resolutions reached at the plenary did not end as policy documents but translated into measurable improvements in classrooms, schools and the lives of teachers and learners across the country.

In his remarks, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, represented by the Director overseeing the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Dr Folake Olatunji-David,  commended the Rivers State Government for the hospitality and arrangements put in place to host the plenary.

Alausa highlighted Federal Government’s initiatives aimed at transforming the education sector, including the Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiative, Renewed Hope Energised Education Programme, Next-Generation Student Hostel Projects and the National Digital Learning Initiative, among others.

The minister urged delegates to go beyond identifying challenges and develop pragmatic and actionable recommendations on infrastructure, teacher capacity development and innovative financing.

He said that the outcome of the plenary would be consolidated and forwarded to the National Council on Education, the highest policy-making body in the sector, for consideration and further action.

Akujobi Amadi

The Federal Government has announced a 30-day discount on petrol sold by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), with public transport operators to receive priority under the arrangement.

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, disclosed this yesterday during a press briefing on petrol prices and subsidy-related issues in Abuja.

Oyedele said the measure was designed as a margin discount at NNPC stations and was not a return to petrol subsidy.

“We are offering a discount on petrol dispensed by NNPC Limited for the next 30 days in the first instance with priority for public transporters nationwide. So, it’s not a subsidy; the government is just saying we sell to you at cost,” he said.

The minister said the government was also negotiating a ceiling of N1,350 per litre on the ex-gantry or landing cost of petrol in an effort to reduce sharp fluctuations in pump prices.

Under the proposed arrangement, refiners and importers would absorb any shortfall when costs rise above the ceiling and recover it when crude prices or the exchange rate become more favourable.

Oyedele said the ceiling would be reviewed monthly and the figures published for transparency.

The government is also pursuing other measures to ease the impact of higher fuel prices, including increased cash transfers to vulnerable households, subsidised credit for small businesses and consumers, and a faster rollout of compressed natural gas vehicles.

The minister said the Federal Government had already granted a full waiver of taxes and duties on petrol, which he said was worth more than N3.3tn for the year up to September 30, 2026.

Oyedele stressed that the measures being introduced were not intended to restore a blanket fuel subsidy.

“To be perfectly clear, none of these measures restores a blanket subsidy. To do so would amount to creating longer term harm for a short-term cure. Each measure is designed to reach the people who need help, without putting the wider economy at risk,” he said

The announcement comes as petrol prices at NNPC stations vary across the country.

NNPC’s latest reported price list puts the pump price at N1,355 per litre in Lagos and Rivers, while Abuja is listed at N1,370 per litre.

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The Amaewhule family of Mbodo Aluu in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State has cautioned members of the public against any transaction on a disputed property known as Ada-Oro Farm Land, located behind Omega Power Ministries (OPM) Church, Airport Road.*

Counsel to the family, Barr. Ndubuisi Agumagu, gave the warning while briefing journalists in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, over the ownership tussle involving over 900 plots.*

The matter is before Isiokpo High Court, presided over by Justice Sobere Biambo, in suit No. IHC/246/CS/2026.*

Claimants in the suit are Chief Green Amaewhule and others, while Fabulous Amaewhule and Odibola Properties are respondents.*

Agumagu said the property is a family estate belonging collectively to the Amaewhule family, and no individual member has the authority to unilaterally dispose of any portion.*

He said Fabulous Amaewhule, according to the family’s position before the court, lacks the legitimate authority to sell portions of the land.*

The family warned that anyone who purchases any portion of the land while the matter is pending does so at his own risk and could lose his investment should judgment go against the transaction.*

The warning, he said, was necessary to prevent unsuspecting members of the public from committing resources to a property whose ownership is subject to judicial determination.*