Niger Delta

Bayelsa ANPP Suspends 4 Exco Members

Published

14 years ago

December 31, 2010

The Bayelsa State chapter of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) has suspended four of its executive officers following a vote of no-confidence passed by two-thirds majority of the State Executive Council.

Those suspended were former deputy chairman, Mr. Tuku Ogbogene, pubilicity secretary, Mr. Niccodimus Anthony, Vice chairman (Bayelsa East) Mr. Loveday Abiri and state legal adviser, Mr. Leilei Solomon.

In a communiqué issued after its end of year executive council meeting held in Yenagoa,and signed by state vice-chairman, Barrister Bofede Okporu, who presided over the meeting and Secretary, Mr. Eminah Bioghoemu, the party accused the four members of anti-party activities.

The communique reads in part “The State Executive Committee has today by an overwhelming two-third majority vote pass a vote of no confidence on the four members for gross abuse of office and flagrant breach of the party’s constitution. They are hereby suspended indefinitely from the party”.

“For conspiring to unilaterally reverse the working committee and state executive council’s decisions a behavior aimed at frustrating the ANPP in Bayelsa state, a disciplinary committee will be set up to review their offences and make appropriate punishment.” The statement added.

The party also accused the four members of placing an unauthorised radio announcement reversing the decisions of the party’s joint working committee and executive council on Radio Bayelsa, a development it said was aimed to cause a corporate embarrassment to the image of the party in state.

The communiqué which was endorsed by 22 signatories out of the 34- member state executive council, the party stated that it wished to reaffirmed the validity of all the decisions reached at the State Working Committee meeting of December 14th State Executive Council meeting of December 15th which the four suspended members had sought to reverse.

The party further hinted that its long silence on political development in the state was not because it had lost focus, but that, “we are only undertaking very essential internal body-building and strengthening of our organs for the 2011 general elections”, saying that “we still remain on indivisible and united loving ANPP Bayelsa family”.

It also used the medium to formally announced the emergence of Hon. Ayebide Fatiede as the new state chairman of the party after a state congress election which was conducted on the 3rd of July 2010, the result of which the party had maintained its validity.

“The state executive council has nominated Hon. Ayebide Fatiede who had placed second in the last congress of the party, which was supervised by INEC and the State Security Services in the state as the substantive chairman of the party”, the party stated.

The Tide gathered that the emergence of a substantive chairman followed the recent election of former chairman of the ANPP in the state, Chief Livinus Opuakpa as the National Vice-Chairman (South-South) of the party.

The statement further explained that with Opuakpa’s resignation on the 3rd of September 2010 to contest for the National office, the former state deputy chairman, Mr. Tuku Ogbogene had been the party’s acting chairman before he was suspended along with the three other executive members

Niger Delta

Fouchee Celebrates Asari’s Recognition

Published

23 hours ago

January 10, 2025

The Tide

The Amayanabo of Fouchee Community in Degema Local Government Area, Rivers State, HRH. A.C.Blakk-Iwerima, says the recognition of Alabo, Alhaji Mujaheed Dokubo Asari as the Amayanabo of Torusarama Piri is the icing on the achievements of the Rivers State Governor in 2024.

HRH. Blakk-Iwerima, who was speaking recently to newsmen after the annual thanksgiving service of the Fouchee Community, said the recognition of Dokubo Asari was fit and proper and sounds like music in the ears of all people of Ifoko ancestry.

He commended the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminialaye Joseph Fubara, for the recognition of Dokubo Asari, whose leadership role, he acknowledged, stands out.

He also commended the Governor for the many steps being taken to restore sanity in governance and dousing desperation through people-centered policies in the State.

According to him, “the Kings, Chiefs and people of Fouchee and Ifoko Communities in the Kalabari ethnic nationality are very proud of Alabo, Alhaji Dokubo Asari, whose links with Ifoko has been most rewarding”.

HRH. Blakk-Iwerima promised to give all the support needed to enable the team working on the Fouchee Atlantic Project to succeed, and expressed hope that the Rivers State Government would also give the needed backing.

He further called on Asari to use the recognition to strengthen the Kalabari Se Kobiri and bring all aggrieved persons and communities to see the need to work together.

Niger Delta

Kalabari Media Forum Hails Recognition Of Dokubo Asari As Amayanabo

Published

23 hours ago

January 10, 2025

The Tide

The Kalabari Media Forum has endorsed the recognition of Alabo, Alhaji Mujaheed Dokubo Asari as the Amayanabo of Torusarama Piri and the historical relevance of the award.

A communique issued after the 2024 end of year summit of the Forum also commends the Executive Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminialaye Joseph Fubara for the recognition which they described as the best end of year gift to the Kalabari people.

The Communique signed by the Coordinator of the Forum, Alabo Dagogo Clinton and the Secretary, Mr. Harry Awolayeofori Macmorrison states that the gesture should make the Kalabari people to get back to the drawing board and consolidate on existing inter and intra communal peace within the region.

According to the statement, Torusarama Piri was the first place where the founding fathers of Kalabari converged from different cultures, tribes and backgrounds. Adding that those saying that the Kalabari people are not united should think again.

” As the different founding fathers were able to form a formidable ethnic nationality, modern day Kalabari should be able to sink the differences between the constituent communities and with other non-Kalabari speaking neighbours to achieve the needed internal cohesion for development”. It states.

The Forum further congratulated Alabo Asari Dokubo on his recognition and urged him to use the opportunity to do even more for the Kalabari people and Rivers State as a whole.

According to the statement, the Forum is happy with the recognition of Dokubo Asari not because he is one of the patrons of the Forum, but because he is about the most Kalabari-centric figure living, who has also committed enormous resources for the protection of the Kalabari people.

They urged the Kalabari Se Kobiri and the entire people of the ethnic nationality to work with Alabo Dokubo Asari and put to rest speculations about Kalabari that some persons have exploited against the interest of the Kalabari people over the years.

Niger Delta

We’re Upgrading Tourism Sites Across C’River – Otu

Published

24 hours ago

January 10, 2025

The Tide

Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, has said plans were underway to upgrade tourism sites across the state to meet international standards.

Speaking with newsmen in Calabar, Otu said this was to attract local and international tourists to the state.

He said the state was also working on creating the needed infrastructure to boost tourism in the areas of transportation and accommodation among others.

“We are currently training personnel within the state and outside the country to upgrade our tourism sites. We are partnering with investors to bring some of them to 21st century standard.

“Currently, we are trying to ensure our roads are taken care of. We are not waiting on the Federal Government again because it has become clear that priorities are too many, so, we have to help ourselves.

“We want to ensure people easily access those tourism sites with very little difficulty and we are looking at stabilising our product pricing by making sure transportation is improved. We will explore gas, electricity and train.

“We are going to improve aviation as well”, he said.

Speaking on the just-concluded Calabar Carnival, Otu commended the competing and non-competing bands for their remarkable imput which culminated to the success of the event.

He appreciated everyone who worked behind the scene in the nine months preparation period for the carnival.

According to him, with guidance from renowned professors, researchers, individual artistes and many more professionals, the carnival was improved on.

He said in view of the need to bring back the international carnival, the state would work on ensuring world-class accommodation facilities are put in place ahead of the next edition.

He noted that the state would have a post carnival review to assess the areas to be improved on and other programmes to introduce.

Otu said depending on the outcome of the review, the state would be considering establishing diaspora bands in 2025.

“International carnival is not scrapped, we are looking at the prospect of established diaspora bands in 2025. This time, we are going to have a post carnival review to put things right.

“We are aware that three to four months ahead of the Calabar Carnival, hotels were already fully booked. So, we are trying to make sure we do not only have enough hotels but also ensure they are upscaled to international standards.

“This is because next Calabar Carnival will be a bigger picture with our international carnival in place.

“We already have international hospitality facilities that are moving here, we have hotels that are almost completed which can compete with any hotel across the world”, he said.

Otu, expressed excitement over the exhilarating performance of physically challenged individuals in the carnival.

He said the possibility of having a dedicated carnival band for them in 2025 would be explored.

“We do not see them as being limited by whatever challenges they face. We are looking at some of the things they have put to us but there must be a policy.

“We are looking at setting up a proper structure in their favour. So, to encourage them on the carnival front, the chairman of the Carnival Commission will check if they actually need their own band”, he said.