Dennis

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has again tasked the federal government on its support to the state to cushion the effect of the devastating floods. Governor Diri said considering Bayelsa’s contribution to the nation’s economy, the response of the federal government to the flood situation in the state was not commensurate and fair. His Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, quoted the governor as having made the remark on Sunday at the Chief DSP Memorial Banquet Hall in Yenagoa while declaring open a three-day solemn assembly of fasting and prayers ahead of the state's annual Thanksgiving Day on November 2. While bemoaning the level of destruction caused by the natural disaster across communities in the state, he noted that it would cost the government hundreds of billions of naira to rehabilitate damaged road infrastructure in the state. He also stated that people of the state have been rendered homeless and traumatized with their livelihoods gone. His words: “We a

  The Independent National Electoral Commission has rejected calls for the re-ordering of the sequence of the 2023 general elections.   The National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, INEC, Festus Okoye made this known in an interview with journalists on Sunday.   A civil society group, Conference of Civil Society of Nigeria, had on Saturday called on the commission to re-order the election sequence.   The group said the 2023 polls should start with the governorship elections, and not the presidential election as contained in INEC’s timetable, noting that the re-ordering of the election sequence is necessary to avoid any disruption that might arise from the conduct of the presidential poll.   Responding, Okoye said, “The Independent National Electoral Commission does not and will not on any account share its constitutional and legal powers with any individual, group, or organisation. It is the sole responsibility and prerogative of the commission to o

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), will today (Monday) hold an emergency meeting with security chiefs in Abuja.   Buhari, who was earlier scheduled to inaugurate the NASENI Complex, summoned the meeting which is expected to review and strengthen the security network in the country.   The President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, disclosed in a statement on Sunday that the ceremony had been postponed.   This is happening against the backdrop of the Saturday bomb blast in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, which claimed 100 lives and injured about 300 persons. On Sunday, the death toll rose to 104.   Shehu’s statement titled, ‘President Buhari calls for an emergency security meeting, postpones NASENI complex commissioning,’ read, ‘’The President, who was initially scheduled to commission the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure new Technology and Innovation Complex, will receive briefs from the security chiefs, and inte

  Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has lambasted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, over his comments against the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom.   Senator   Iyorchia  Ayu had earlier said he has the power to stop Ortom’s senatorial ambition and those of others eyeing various positions on the platform of the party.   However, Wike, while briefing journalists at his private residence in Rumiprikon, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area on Sunday dared Ayu to make good his threat.   He said it was unfortunate for Ayu to speak against Ortom who brought him to become the party’s chairman because the governor told him what he was not doing right.   Wike, while reacting to Ayu’s comment that nobody can sack him, said the issue was not about anyone sacking Ayu but honouring his promise if he has any integrity left in him.   “It is most unfortunate. Nobody has said Ayu should be sacked. The word sacking and keeping to your promise are two different t

  The Senator representing Bayelsa Central at the National Assembly, Senator Moses Cleopas, in continuation of his tour of flood ravaged communities across the State, has also visited some communities in Southern Ijaw Local Government area of the State. Senator Cleopas, who visited Funibiri, Opuama, Ekowe, Olugbobiri and Otuan communities of his senatorial district, urged them to remain undaunted just as he also empathized  with other communities he is yet to reach out to. Speaking with journalists shortly after the on the spot assessment tour, Senator Cleopas, lamented that level of damaged occasioned by the flood in the communities, donated cash palliatives to reduce their pains. Senator Cleopas, who lauded the governor for the measures put in place to reduce their sufferings, said he deemed it necessary to also put his token into what the government and other individuals were already doing as a way of sharing in pains of impacted people and Communities. Commiserating with the victim

Chairman of Bayelsa Queens, Pastor Robin Apreala, has  commended the  State government for ensuring that the Nigeria Women Premier league champions NWFL travel to Morocco for the CAF Women Champions League showdown. The Prosperity girls arrived Casablanca, Morocco on Monday ahead of the 2023 Women’s Champions League from Murtala Muhammed International Airport bordered  Royal Air Morocco airline, arrived Casablanca and lodged at the Magic Village Sports Centre in Casablanca. The club chairman in a statement appreciated the government for the continuous support rendered to the team in ensuring that West African champions arrived Morocco for CAF Women Champions League without stress. Mr Apreala noted that the success story of Bayelsa Queens in the last three years would be incomplete without governor Douye Diri and his deputy Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo whose both heart holds a vast reservoir of love towards sports development in the State. He lauded the governor for the premium attentio

  As part of measures to reduce the sufferings of flood victims, the Senator representing Bayelsa Central at the National Assembly, Senator Moses Cleopas, has donated cash palliative to IDP  at Anyama, BDGS and down Yenag oa,  camps across the State.   Presenting the cash palliative to the heads of various camps, Senator Clopas said the gesture is aimed at complementing Governor Douye Diri’s efforts in giving succor to victims, since the state government alone cannot shoulder the challenges occasioned by the flood.   Senator Clopas, who described Bayelsa as worst hit state, lauded Governor Diri  for  putting measures in place to assuage the sufferings of victims and called on the federal government and other relevant agencies to complement government efforts.   Senator Clopas,  while  stress ing  that the state contributed  enormous ly  to the sustenance of the country, wondered why the Federal Government was yet to give the state the attention it deserved.   The erstwhile State PDP ch

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has expressed appreciation to those that have supported the state as it grapples with the raging floods. Governor Diri, who spoke on Wednesday during the weekly state executive council meeting in Government House, Yenagoa, said the support received so far has helped the state in its recovery process. A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah, quoted the governor as assuring that funds and items  received will be published in line with the transparent posture of his administration. The governor said he was grateful to the Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, for visiting the state last weekend, during which he made a pledge to support victims of the flood. He also expressed gratitude to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for his philanthropy and empathy shown to people of the state. Abubakar, who is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, was in Bayelsa on Tuesday to visit victims of the fl

Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, has sympathised with his Bayelsa counterpart, Senator Douye Diri, over the flood situation  in his state, describing it as very pathetic. Mr. Emmanuel, who led a delegation of members of his cabinet to Government House, Yenagoa, on Wednesday, said it was his cabinet’s decision to visit Bayelsa based on the magnitude of the flood that hit the state. He applauded the relentless efforts of Governor Diri in standing by his people in their moment of despair, describing his gesture as a mark of true leadership.  His words: “With what I saw on television, l just could not stay. I did not know the extent of the damage the flood had caused the people of the state. My people played the whole video clip in our Executive Council Chambers and we were moved to tears. We decided at the meeting to be here to sympathise with you and your people.” Mr. Emmanuel said whatever affects Bayelsa also impacts on the people of his state since they share a common a

  The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, on Wednesday announced that Nigeria will launch new currency notes on Dec. 15, 2022.  According to the country’s apex bank governor, the new currencies to be launched are N1,000, N500 and N200 notes.

A  Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has nullified the Primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Rivers State. The court gave the decision, yesterday, in a suit brought before it by some aggrieved members of the party who had during the primaries of the party lamented exclusion. During the APC primaries, some members of the party had alleged exclusion and took protest to the state secretariat of the party in Port Harcourt. However, one George Orlu and four others, who claimed to have purchased nomination forms, had approached the court requesting that the primaries of APC in state be nullified following their alleged exclusion in the process. The court, in its decision, yesterday, ruled that the aggrieved persons were unlawfully excluded from the primaries. In his ruling, Justice E.A. Obile, held that the aggrieved persons were shut out of the primaries unlawfully, adding that the process amounted to nullity. Obile, in the judgement, agreed with the plaintiffs that