Connect with us

News

Two More Commissioners Quit Fubara’s Cabinet, Resignations Rise To Nine

Published

on

641 Views

The number of resignations in the Rivers State Executive Council has risen to nine after two more commissioners handed in their resignations following the depature of seven of their colleagues from Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s cabinet.

The latest to resign are the Commissioner for Special Projects, Emeka Woke and the Commissioner for Environment, Austen Ben-Chioma.

While Woke served as the Chief of Staff to former governor and current FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, Ben-Chioma served as Commissioner for Urban Development in the immediate past administration.

Woke was also former Local Government Chairman of Emohua Local Government Area.

His letter of resignation is dated November 14, 2023 as that of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Professor Zacchaeus Adangor (SAN), whose resignation was first to be reported.

“My decision to resign at this time necessitated by pressing family demands for my time and attention as well as the desire to afford other deserving Rivers people the opportunity to serve you and the state in that capacity,” Woke’s letter read in part.

However, Ben-Chioma’s letter is dated December 15, 2023 as the case with the rest of the cabinet members that have resigned.

He also highlighted that his decision to resign was due to personal reasons.

Those who resigned earlier include the state’s Attorney-General (AG) and Commissioner for Justice Prof Zacchaeus Adangor, Commissioner for Works George-Kelly Alabo, Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Commissioner Inime Aguma and Commissioner of Finance, Isaac Kamalu.

Others are Commissioner of Transportation, Dr Jacobson B. Nbina, State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Prince Chinedu, as well as the State Commissioner for Housing, Gift Worlu.

The seven commissioners that earlier resigned from Governor Fubara’s cabinet
The resignation of these nine Commissioners have so far come to public knowledge since the escalation of the political crisis in Rivers State.

One Commissioner, Henry Ogiri who was in charge of the Ministry of Power had before the new wave of resignations, left in November to take up a federal appointment as a Commissioner in the National Population Commission.

The Rivers State cabinet is now left with about 8 commissioners assuming more cabinet members have not resigned yet.

‘No Crisis In Rivers State’
Meanwhile, Amid the political uncertainty that has now seen nine members of his cabinet resign in the last 48 hours, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, on Friday assured investors that there is no crisis in the state

The governor, who spoke during the flag off of 20,000 housing units in the Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state, told investors that Rivers State is very safe and secure for their investments.

“Rivers State is a haven for investment. What we are doing today is to let the world know; not what you hear on the radio or what you see on the screen of television, ‘Rivers State is not safe, there is a crisis’.

“Rivers State is safe and secure for anybody anywhere to come and invest, your investment is safe in our hands,” Fubara said.

Fubara also assured the people of the state that his government will take care of them and defend them, adding that his administration is not interested in fighting anybody.

“For our people, I want to assure you that our governance has nothing to do with fighting anybody. Our governance is to take care of and defend our people.

“I can assure you here that this is the beginning of our service to the people of Rivers State. It is not service to big men like me but like to the low-income people,” he said.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News

JUST IN: Tinubu Departs Paris for Nigeria After Extended Vacation

Published

on

13 Views

President Bola Tinubu has ended his working vacation in Europe and departed Paris for Nigeria on Tuesday, with his aircraft expected to land at Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos later in the evening.

The announcement was made by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. Tinubu left Abuja on August 30 for what was initially billed as a three-week working vacation.

He spent one week in London before proceeding to Paris. The trip was later extended, bringing his total time abroad to about 30 days.

The President chose to return through Lagos rather than Abuja to honour the memory of the late Chief MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.

On Independence Day, October 1, he is scheduled to attend the premiere of a movie celebrating Abiola at the Wole Soyinka National Theatre in Iganmu, Lagos.

While in Lagos, Tinubu will hold strategic meetings with political leaders and associates over several days as preparations for the 2027 general elections intensify. He is expected to return to Abuja after those engagements.

During his stay in Paris, the President attended a private dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron and held meetings with business leaders, including Vincent Bolloré of the Bolloré Group.

He also met with First Holdings Chairman Femi Otedola and witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ogun State Government and DP World for a deep seaport and Blue Marine Economic Zone.

Continue Reading

News

National Assembly Plans to Translate Laws into Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba

Published

on

12 Views

The National Assembly plans to translate Nigerian laws into Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba and other indigenous languages as part of a broader effort to digitise parliamentary records and make legislation more accessible to citizens.

Henry Nwawuba, Executive Secretary of the National Assembly Library Trust Fund, announced the initiative on Monday in Abuja while declaring open the 2026 National Assembly Library Week. The event was themed “Parliamentary Memory: Connecting Records, Legislation and the People.”

Nwawuba said the translation would help more Nigerians, especially those not proficient in English, understand the laws that affect their daily lives. He described the library as the knowledge infrastructure of the legislature and a repository of its institutional memory.

The move forms part of a digital overhaul that includes upgrading the e-library, creating electronic repositories, developing a National Assembly Library mobile application, and introducing a Bills Tracker to allow the public to monitor the progress of proposed laws in real time.

The library will also produce infographics, audiovisual materials and short video explainers to simplify bills, Acts and legislative procedures. Officials said the upgrades would help curb the spread of fake or unverified legislative documents online.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio, represented by Senator Osita Ngwu, and Speaker of the House of Representatives Abbas Tajudeen, represented by Professor Julius Ihonvbere, both stressed the need for lawmakers to use the digital tools while prioritising cybersecurity.

Continue Reading

News

BREAKING: Court Order Threatens Dangote Kenya Refinery Launch

Published

on

15 Views

A Kenyan court order requiring parties to maintain the status quo on disputed land has cast uncertainty over the planned groundbreaking of Aliko Dangote’s multi-billion-dollar oil refinery in Lamu, scheduled for Wednesday, September 30.

The Malindi Environment and Land Court, in an order dated September 25 and made public this week, directed that the existing situation on Land Reference No. 13061 in the Hindi/Manda Magogoni area be preserved until a hearing on October 14. The order followed a petition by 133 residents of Chandavai in Lamu County, who claim the land is ancestral property their families have occupied, farmed and developed for generations. They allege inadequate recognition, compensation and resettlement in the acquisition process.

Judge Jane Onyango declined to certify the application as fully urgent in a way that would explicitly cancel the ceremony and refused a separate request to restrain the Office of the President, Dangote Industries, the Lamu County Government and other respondents from proceeding with the groundbreaking. However, the status quo directive bars clearing, excavation, fencing, demolition, construction or other interference with occupied portions of the land in the interim.

Dangote Group said the ruling has not halted the groundbreaking ceremony itself. “The court has not halted the groundbreaking ceremony of the refinery at this stage. However, activities at the site may be affected by the ruling as both parties are required not to carry activities until the case is heard on 14th October,” the company stated.

Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi confirmed the ceremony would proceed as planned. Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, downplayed the development while speaking to investors in Nairobi, describing such legal challenges as “normal for us in Africa” and comparing it to past disputes elsewhere on the continent. He insisted the project would continue.

The proposed facility is a 700,000-barrel-per-day greenfield oil refinery and petrochemical complex estimated to cost $15–16 billion (roughly Ksh2 trillion). It is intended to process crude from Kenya’s Lokichar fields and other East African sources, reduce the region’s heavy reliance on imported fuels, create jobs and support industrialisation. President William Ruto is expected to attend the ceremony alongside Dangote. Heavy equipment has already begun arriving at the Port of Lamu.

The case returns to court on October 14, when respondents will have the opportunity to file responses and the matter will be heard inter partes. Until then, the legal constraint on site activities remains in force even as organisers press ahead with the ceremonial launch.

Continue Reading

Trending