By Uche Ugboajah I first heard of the name Ezenwo Nyesom Wike sometime in 1999. Then, he was the dashing chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State. He had contested the local government election as the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and had to reclaim his mandate through the court. A

“What about the Urhobos who had been on the waiting list for years?” BY EKANPOU ENEWARIDIDEKE Even at the risk of being reputationally disfigured, maligned and mobbed, I must say this: King Alfred Izonebi goofed irretrievably with his new-fangled political theory of ‘DELTA-IJAWISM’ which quintessentially embodies the spiky pronouncement that it is the exclusive turn

By Paulinus Nsirim Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike went to the ancient city of Benin, saw and faced the agents of a siege and conquered. But he was also quick to give credit to all those who joined him in the battle to accomplish the sweet victory and reclaim Edo State for the Peoples Democratic Party,

“Did God put us under Ondo State map to be victims of such discrimination?” By Fidelis Soriwei In 2017, when Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, was elected Governor of Ondo State, the people of Arogbo heaved a huge sigh of relief. His emergence inspired so much hope in the minority Arogbo Ijaw Community òf Ese-Odo Local Government

“As it is now, if all the oil wells in the Niger Delta region were to dry up permanently, would the nation or the rest of the states that benefit from its bowels really miss the black gold?” By Matthew Agboma Ozah It is now clear that our policymakers will never be short of curious

BY JONAS ODOCHA The glaring need to develop the Niger Delta region was earlier recognized by the colonial government in Nigeria in 1957, and this translates to over six decades ago. The colonial office in London had then set up the Sir Henry Willinks intervention commission, to study the concerns and fears expressed by the

BY DAKUKU PETERSIDE Some years ago, I was among those invited by the US Consul General to his residence in Lagos for a cocktail party as part of the celebrations of the American Independence Day. I stood at the back of the open arena next to one of the officials of the US Consulate. I

By Tiko Okoye Civic Hive, a nongovernmental organisation (NGO), recently opened a can of worms by accusing the Federal Ministry of Health of engaging in hanky-panky business with regards to recent purchases of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). A spokesman of the NGO disclosed that going by the information it obtained as at August 1, 2020,

By Paulinus Nsirim Today, the body of late Mr. Simeon Nwakaudu, Senior Special Assistant on Electronic Media to the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, will be laid to rest. There is no doubt that his kinsmen at Umuanya Ogbodikwu, in Umuahia South LGA of Abia State will be full of grief that such

By AIG Mbu J. Mbu The unfolding leadership crisis as a result of maladministration in Cross River has taken a dangerous dimension as cannons of threats to life have been unleashed to the critics of the government. One wonders if the saying that facts are threatening to those invested in mischief, afterwards they become afraid

By Enaibo Asiayei  With the Delta State Government yet to fix a date for the forthcoming local government elections in the state, aspirants vying for chairmanship and councillorship in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State have indicated their interest to contest under the platforms of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). At the

By Udeh Daniella Suspense still pervades the Niger Delta region amid a clash of interests as the battle to succeed suspended coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Prof. Charles Dokubo, intensifies. The office of the coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme initiated by the late president Umaru Yar’Adua in 2009, is perceived to be a

BY GABRIEL  UKULI Unsung heroes often experience their moment of glory or greatest level of appreciation only once their journey on earth has passed. We often take for granted the contributions of many who, together, are responsible for building the foundation of our education. It is only upon reflection of their contributions with the finality

By Norrison Quakers, SAN The ongoing probe of the Interim Management of the Niger Delta Development Commission has opened a can of worms in the operations of the Niger Delta Development Commission, and the norms prevalent in Nigeria as a whole. The manifestation of economic and financial crime revealed by the ongoing probe, can be

BY EBIKONDE VICTOR SOKOTO  Gbaramatu Kingdom recently affirmed its leadership role. This was in self-reliance. The Kingdom organized one of the most peaceful and innovative elections in the history of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) since its inception. Without a doubt, this act has stamped the Kingdom’s commitment to the ‘1998 Kaiama Declaration.’ Various quarters

Are the police and the JTF in any collusion with that notorious criminal?

By Jerome-Mario Utomi  In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, a Public institution is an institution conducted with the approval, and from the funds of the public. While explaining that whenever such an institution ceases to have public support, it forfeits its right to exist, Gandhi observed that most institutions maintained on permanent funds are often

BY PIUS UGHAKPOTENI As a participant observer in the Niger Delta project, I am amazed that over the past few weeks an incredibly enormous amount of energy has been expended by various individuals, groups and corporate entities on issues around the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, the Niger Delta and Nigeria at large, with little

By Ben Nanaghan The first ship load of slaves from the Benin Kingdom arrived America over 400 years ago in 1616 and the kingdom harvested richly in Guns, Gun Powder, Gun Canons, Whiskey, Gin, Mirror, Regal Sceptres, Golden Plates and cutleries and of course lots and lots of money for slaves captured and sold. The

By Ken Ugbechie A friend recently asked me: Why are you so obsessed with issues of the Niger Delta? My retort was a simple one, “because Niger Delta Lives Matter.” And why not? But first, a bit of geography: Niger Delta region is a swathe covering over 70,000 square kilometres and barbed on the southern

By Emmanuel Onwubiko These days if you watch the global news as channels, the likelihood is very high that you would hear and see proffs that the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil is depleting at an alarming rate no doubt. However, much of The World’s political and media powers are on this matter. The clamour and

By Jerome-Mario Utomi Similar to history which has a way of repeating itself, the sudden wave of ultimatum issued to the federal Government in a space of one week by two oil producing communities in Delta state, another by two Niger Delta region agitators should be to all a reality to worry about. These communities

By Jerome-Mario Utomi Nigerians and particularly the people of Niger Delta-a region with increasing social difficulties and laced with no good survival record in 2015, thrusted upon President Muhammadu Buhari an important destiny. First, to complete the process of democratization of the nation which has taken over 16 years, as at the time he assumed

By Ekanpou Enewaridideke Dance is an artistic form of expression rhythmically built into man from the womb before expulsion, or after expulsion when man is carried pickaback by nursing mothers. It derives the mainspring of performance from the type of choreographic excellence or ingenuity that underpins the dancing fame of Amgbare Embeleakpo,Augustine Ferebo and Tosi

By Jerome-Mario Utomi On Friday 5th June 2020, during the celebration of World Environment Day co-hosted by Colombia and Germany and streamed live online from Bogotá, I listened with real curiousity to Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez and Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), lead other world leaders calls for action

By Obiaruko Ndukwe The dance of the absurd taking place in the media space in recent times couldn’t have been had President Muhammadu Buhari not ordered for a Forensic Audit of the Books of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC. The National Assembly under Senator Ahmed Lawan and Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila seems to be

By Ekanpou Enewaridideke Ijaw people say that a brook or canal hastily dammed up for fish-hunting can never catch any fish. If you are the type of person who hurries all the time running feverishly, allow Chief Mitin of Ndoro (the Regent) to educate you. To Chief Mitin, there is no basis for haste, because

By Francis Ndimkoha The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) was established in the 3rd Quarter of the Year 2000, under the Act No.6 of the National Assembly which provides for the repeal of the defunct Oil Mineral Producing Areas Commission Decree 1998. This bold move was geared towards a re-organized management structure for an effective

By Ekanpou Enewaridideke The forest is the comfiest home of biodiversity where there has been no invasion of the ecological composition of that biological world. But where no croaking, screeching, hooting, chirping, flapping of wings of birds suddenly caught bedraggled in the ‘JPCLARKED’ night rain, where there is no hissing, or no crackling of leaves

Our Father, the maker of heaven and earth, and the healer of all diseases, we thank you for the way you have protected us and our families since the outbreak of the disease called COVID 19. Lord, you have your reasons for introducing Covid 19 into the world. The reasons we do not know, but

By Magnus Abe I am constrained to say these few words on the worrisome development in my dear state, Rivers. The demolition and auction of private property, the closure of all sources of survival for citizens of Rivers state without due consideration for their means of sustenance in the name of the battle against Covid

By Jerome-Mario Utomi. In the evening of Saturday 2nd May, 2020, a friend who is also a member of the self appointed group of people, who try to prevent crime in my area during the Federal Government directed lockdown period in Lagos, drew my attention to a post that read; private sector should come to