Dennis

The one week free intensive training programme on tying of gele and make-up organized by the chairperson, Bayelsa State Students Management Committee, Mrs Ebinipre Ahoada-Dei, has ended with call on beneficiaries to make good use of the skill acquisition to better their lot. The one week free intensive training registration process was open to all Bayelsans via social media, had over fifty participants trained on make-up and tying of gele. Speaking on the significance of embarking  on  the skill acquisition, Mrs Ahoada-Dei, who thanked Governor Douye Diri for the enablement by given her the opportunity to be part of the prosperity administration, not ing  that the training was her own way of given back to  the  society. Mrs Ahoada-Dei, described skill acquisition as a veritable tool for self-reliant  and  called on women, especially the girl-child to engage in a legitimate business to eke-out a living instead of activities that could truncate their future and portray their families in

  The first African graduate at the prestigious Harvard University in the United States of America, Professor  Lawrence Baraebibai Ekpebu, was on Saturday interred at his hometown, Okoloba, Sabagreia in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. The late Nigerian Ambassador to the Ivory Coast was given a state burial by the state government. Professor Ekpebu, who died on January 2 this year at the age of  87, also attended Princeton University, another Ivy League institution in the U.S. The late accomplished scholar, diplomat, public administrator and intellectual colossus set an enviable academic record at Harvard yet to be broken more than 50 years after. Speaking during his funeral service at the Saint Paul’s Deanery, Okoloba, Governor Douye Diri described Ekpebu as a man of many parts, who distinguished himself as an African icon, legend, intellectual and a transgenerational elder statesman. A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah quoted the govern

  Operatives of the Anti Kidnapping unit, Bayelsa State Command have arrested three suspected kidnappers, recovered one .9mm ammunition, Red Toyota Camry with mutilated plate number and one million naira cash. A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer Asinim Butwat, said the suspects, Emmanuel Ebisco, Williams Zikena, Ekparola Okumo, were arrested at their hideout at Biogbolo community in Yenagao, following an intel that they wanted to procure an AK 47 rifle to out a kidnap  Mr Butswat also said that the suspects have volunteered useful information and are assisting the Police in it’s investigation.  He added that they  will be charge to court at the conclusion of investigation.

Some women in Ogoni land have threatened to boycott the governorship election in Rivers State if the major political parties don’t field candidates from Ogoni extraction in 2023.   This was as the women, during a peaceful walk across the streets of Bori in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, chided the All Progressives Congress for zoning the governorship position to the riverine axis of the state.   The women said the APC, by picking Tonye Cole from the riverine area, showed disregard for the Ogoni people who had suffered age long marginalisation in the politics of the state   Speaking to newsmen, one of the leaders, Mrs. Nuka Isaac, said the Ogoni women would not support the APC and any political party that didn’t pick Ogoni candidate for the governorship contest.   According to her, since Rivers State was created, no Ogoni person has been governor, deputy governor, chief judge or speaker of the state House of Assembly.   “We are going to ensure we mobilise every woman in Og

  The Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, will on May 9, 2022 resume hearing on the appeal filed by the Federal Inland Revenue Service against the ruling of a Federal High Court that the Rivers State Government, and not the FIRS, should collect Value Added Tax and Personal Income Tax in the state.   Following FIRS’ appeal, the appellate court had on September 10 asked all parties to the suit to maintain status quo. The Lagos State Government, through its Attorney General, Moyosore Onigbanjo, had applied to be joined as a respondent in the appeal. The presiding judge, Justice Haruna Tsammani, granted the appeal, noting that Lagos state was able to prove that it had a direct interest in the subject matter of the appeal.   The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja at its last sitting on September 30 referred the matter to the Port Harcourt division of the court for continuation of hearing.   The VAT issue had generated heated arguments across the country, with some persons

  Ahead of the primaries of political parties scheduled to end on June 3, the Independent National Electoral Commission says it will authenticate the membership registers submitted to it by the parties. It, however, warns that any political party that falsifies its figures or has multiple registrations on its register may have its candidate(s) disqualified.   It said whether the parties choose to adopt direct or indirect primaries, the commission would verify their delegates’ lists against the registers they submitted, adding that no infraction would be tolerated from the 18 registered political parties.   Section 77 of the Electoral Act, 2022 mandates all political parties to maintain membership registers and submit the same to the commission not later than 30 days before their respective primaries.   Subsection 2 of the Act states, “Every registered political party shall maintain a register of its members in both hard and soft copies,” while the subsection 3 reads, “Each political pa

The Peoples Democratic Party, on Friday in Abuja, has disqualified two of its 17 presidential aspirants.   The Chairman of the Screening Committee, Senator David Mark, disclosed this to journalists shortly after the conclusion of the exercise at the Legacy House, Abuja, the presidential campaign headquarters of the main opposition.   The screening, which began around 11 am, lasted till 7 pm and involved all the aspirants.   Mark, however, declined to reveal the identities of the disqualified aspirants or the reasons for their disqualification.   He simply noted that the aspirants did not meet the requirements set by the panel.   While it was not clear what yardstick was used to weed out the two aspirants, it might not be far from the requirements of the Independent National Electoral Commission, which had the power to disqualify candidates on grounds of non-compliance with extant electoral laws.   Mark added that the report of Friday’s screening would be transmitted to the PDP National

The Peoples Democratic Party Governorship Screening Committee for the South-South has concluded its task, having successfully screened 56 aspirants from four states.   The Chairman of the committee and Governor of Bayelsa State, Douye Diri, while speaking with newsmen at the end of the exercise on Friday, said the process was hectic but transparent.   Governor Diri disclosed that a total of 57 aspirants from four states were received, but that one of them did not turn up as of Friday evening when the two-day exercise ended.   Meanwhile, a governorship hopeful from Rivers State,  Farah Dagogo, was arrested shortly after he arrived at the PDP South-South zonal secretariat in Port Harcourt 24 hours after he was declared wanted by Governor Nyesom Wike.   Diri stated, “This was a tedious but purely democratic, quite transparent and a family affair. And men of integrity in this committee and the panel have done their job with all the details of depth. And now, we have successfully completed

Peoples Democratic Party presidential screening committee has disqualified two of the 17 presidential aspirants on its platform. The two disqualified aspirants are to forfeit the N40 million each of them paid for the expression of interest and nomination forms. The chairman of the presidential screening committee, Senator David Mark, announced the disqualification of the two aspirants. Mark however, declined a request by journalists to reveal the identities of the affected aspirants and the reason(s) for their disqualification. When asked if the screening committee made any recommendation to the party to refund the N80 million nomination fees paid by the aspirants, Mark said: “Why should the party refund the money?”

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has won the Most Impactful Governor of the Year Award at the 9th edition of the Bayelsa Media Awards held on Thursday in Yenagoa, the state capital. The Bayelsa governor also bagged the Media Pedestal Award for elevating the media profession in the state. Project Manager of the annual event, Victor Binawari, said Governor Diri deserved the awards for his visible development projects and for his ability to unite Bayelsans. Binawari also stated that the governor merited the Media Pedestal Award for making significant contributions to development of the media profession and  promotion of media excellence in the state. In his remarks, Governor Diri expressed appreciation to the organisers for finding him worthy of the awards. Represented by his Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy, Hon. Ayibaina Duba, Governor Diri said what drives his administration’s policies and decisions was the collective wellbeing of all Bayelsans He assur