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Rivers Orders Schools To Reopen, Today …As WAEC Releases Exams Timetable
The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has approved the resumption of schools, today, for exit classes for both private and public schools across the state.
The approval was made, yesterday, according to a statement signed by Commissioner for Education, Prof. Kaniye Ebeku.
The statement states, “Following satisfactory preparation for the re-opening of schools in Rivers State, the state Governor, His Excellency Governor Nyesom Wike, has approved the re-opening of secondary schools in the state for the purpose of allowing candidates in exit classes only to return to school and revise with their teachers and write their exit examinations.
“Accordingly, all affected teachers and candidates in both public and private schools are hereby directed to return to school with effect from Wednesday, August 5, 2020.
“All responsible officers should please ensure the observance of extant Covid-19 Protocols in their schools,” it added.
The Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Prof Kaniye Ebeku, had confirmed that the state government had taken every necessary precautions to ensure the safety and health of students and the teachers against the threats of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Consequently, he said that the government had made efforts to clean up schools ahead of the reopening.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after routine inspection of environmental clean-up of some schools across the state in line with Covid-19 protocols, last Monday, Ebeku assured that students in the state have been equipped for the forthcoming WASSCE.
The commissioner said that the state had earlier commenced preparatory classes for exit students via e-learning, hence students were prepared for the examinations.
He said, “In this state, we started early to ensure that our students are kept in good form, and so, if the WASSCE comes today, I am sure that our students will be more than able to perform because we have chosen to do the needful to ensure that they are not lousy and idle at home.. They have been engaged meaningfully through the Television and Radio programmes the ministry has been anchoring since March, by the directive of the state Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike.”
Ebeku further explained that, “Well, the approach of the Rivers State Government is this way… we thought we should prepare the environment before inviting the students to come to the premises. We do not think it is reasonable for the students to just resume and enter filthy environments with all the associated risks.
“..Because of the need to protect the health of the students, we thought first of all, we should prepare”, he stressed, and expressed satisfaction with the level of preparedness of the schools visited.
He said: “As you can see, I am on routine monitoring of the exercise of cleaning up of the school premises…so far, so good, you can see that we have started to tidy up the environment, and I have inspected the halls that are being prepared for the WAEC exams candidates, and I can tell you loud and clear that all is looking well and good”.
During the routine monitoring exercise, Ebeku visited Government Girls Secondary School, Rumueme; Government Girls Secondary School, Rumuokwuta; Community Secondary School, Rumuepirikom; Hallel College, and Brookstone Secondary School, both in Rukpokwu.
Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, had lauded the courage and commitment of troops of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in North East Nigeria.
Abubakar gave the commendation during a morale-boosting visit to the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI in Maiduguri, Borno.
This is contained in a statement by the Director, Public Relations and Information, NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, yesterday, in Abuja.
The CAS said their sacrifices were etched in the history of the nation, and in the hearts of millions of Nigerians who sleep safer because of the troops’ vigilance.
He emphasised that their bravery and resilience in the face of adversity have not gone unnoticed, saying his visit underscored the vital role airpower plays in neutralising threats and protecting communities.
Abubakar pledged continued investment in cutting-edge technology to empower frontline units.
According to him, the NAF remains steadfast in its mission, guided by leadership, strengthened by unity, and driven by the selfless service of its personnel.
The visit comes at a critical moment, reinforcing the importance of public support for military operations and spotlighting the human element at the heart of national defence.
Nigeria’s soft drinks and beverage market continues to show strong growth potential, making it the leading consumer of soft drinks in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association.
A statement by the VDMA disclosed during a press conference held in Lagos ahead of drinktec 2025, that Nigeria consumed over 53 billion litres of soft drinks in 2024, placing it well ahead of other African countries such as Ghana and South Africa.
Despite challenges such as inflation and a weakening naira, Nigeria’s growing population, rising urbanisation, and expanding middle class are key factors driving demand in the beverage sector.
Bottled water led the segment with 48.7 billion litres sold in 2024, a figure projected to rise by 27% to 62 billion litres by 2028.
Carbonated soft drinks followed with 3.4 billion litres, expected to reach 4.4 billion litres by 2028, while energy drinks are forecasted to grow by 30% over the same period. Juices, though relatively small, are also on an upward trajectory.
“The Nigerian beverage market is expanding quickly due to increasing accessibility and affordability,” VDMA stated, citing data from Euromonitor International.
Set to take place in Munich from 15 to 19 September 2025, drinktec is the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry.
VDMA, a key exhibitor and technical partner for the event, revealed that Nigerian participation is expected to be strong, especially as the country anticipates economic recovery.
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has condemned the recent ban placed on a song by Nigerian musician, Eedris Abdulkareem, describing the development as a return to the culture of censorship and a threat to the right to free expression.
Abdulkareem had waxed a song titled “Tell Your Papa” which criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
In a statement issued from New York University, Abu Dhabi, yesterday, Soyinka criticised the action and its wider implications, saying it echoed past attempts to stifle artistic and socio-political commentary in Nigeria.
“Courtesy of an artist operating in a different genre – the cartoon – who sent me his recent graphic comment on the event, I learnt recently of a return to the culture of censorship with the banning of the product of a music artist, Eedris Abdulkareem,” Soyinka said in the piece posted on PM news.
He expressed irony in suggesting that the ban did not go far enough, stating, “It is not only the allegedly offensive record that should be banned – the musician himself should be proscribed. Next, PMAN, or whatever musical association of which Abdulkareem is member, should also go under the hammer.”
Soyinka noted that he had not listened to the banned song but stressed that the issue transcends content and concerns a fundamental democratic principle.
“It cannot be flouted. That, surely is basic. This is why I feel that we should look on the bright side of any picture and thus recommend the Aleshinloye cartoon – and others in allied vein – as an easy-to-apprehend, easy-to-digest summation of the wisdom of attempting to stifle unpalatable works of art or socio-political commentary,” he said.
He also pointed out the irony that censorship often benefits the targeted artist.
The ban is a boost to the artist’s nest egg, thanks to free governmental promotion. Mr. Abdulkareem must be currently warbling his merry way all the way to the bank. I envy him,” he added.
The literary icon warned that such censorship was not only counterproductive but also dangerous to democratic development.
“We have been through this before, over and over again, ad nauseum. We know where it all ends. It is boring, time-wasting, diversionary but most essential of all, subversive of all seizures of the fundamental right of free expression,” Soyinka said.
He warned that the ban creates “a permissive atmosphere of trickle-down power,” where state authorities feel emboldened to clamp down on dissent.
Soyinka’s statement also touched on broader issues of impunity and mob violence in Nigeria, lamenting the recent lynching of 19 youths in Edo State.
“My heart goes out to friends, colleagues and families of victims and traumatised survivors of this senseless slaughter. Our thirst for justice must remain unslaked,” he said.
Referencing the 2022 killing of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto, Soyinka criticised the culture of impunity, saying, “Identified killers were set free to gloat, and paste their photos on the Social Media… in full daylight glare, in the presence of both citizen voyeurs and security forces.”
He called for accountability, warning that “as long as the culture of impunity is given the sheerest strain of legitimacy in any given cause, such gruesome assaults on our common humanity will continue to prevail.”
Soyinka concluded by urging the relevant regulatory body to reverse what he described as a “petulant irrationality,” warning that any government that only tolerates praise-singers “has already commenced a downhill slide into the abyss.”