Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has sued for a change in the current approach adopted by South South Governors in their pursuit to achieve holistic regional development and economic prosperity.

The governor insisted on de-emphasis in vested individuals’ political interests while looking at the bigger picture of achieving enduring regional integration that will strengthen unity of purpose to change the trajectory of development in the region.

Fubara made the appeal during the meeting of Governors of South-South States, under the auspices of BRACED Commission, at the Bayelsa State Government House in Yanagoa on Tuesday.

This was contained in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Nelson Chukwudi.

BRACED is an acronym for Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo and Delta.

He said: “I want to appeal that if we have to succeed in this drive, we need to keep our political differences aside and understand that the struggle, as at today, is for posterity, for the development of our region.

“It is really sad that in Niger Delta that is the economic base of this country, the construction of a road that you tagged ‘East-West Road’ could be an issue, that we need to beg, protest, and complain to get it fixed. I don’t think it is proper.”

Governor Fubara stated that it is not that the federal authorities do not understand that Niger Delta needs the road but quickly added that they have seen that even the people of the region do not take themselves seriously.

The governor said the moment Niger Delta people stopped playing to the gallery, and place value on themselves, outsiders will have no option than to accord the region and its people due regard.

Fubara said: “On my part, I want to say this: This is not the first time we are meeting. For me, I followed the course of the region meeting in a forum that we tagged “BRACED Commission.”

“BRACED Commission is also one of the bodies that was constituted at that time to support and work out development strategies for this region. But what I am seeing today is just limiting this meeting to only BRACED COMMISSION.

“We need to widen the scope where other leaders of the region should be part of the discussion of the development of the region, and I think this is the direction that will help the region.”

Reading the Communique of the meeting, the new Chairman of the Forum of Governors of South-South States, and Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, said they support the Federal Government Tax Reform Bills, and urged President Bola Tinubu to extend the Value Added Tax (VAT) sharing percentages to oil and gas derivation.

He stated the Forum’s request to the Federal Government to urge relevant stakeholders and agencies to extend remediation of polluted environment ongoing in Ogoni land to other impacted communities and States in the region.

Governor Diri also said that the Forum resolved to establish a structural regional security network to enhance safety and security, foster stable Niger Delta region conducive for economic growth and prosperity.

Highlight of the event was the hosting of Governor Fubara to a surprise 50th Birthday celebration by the Governors of South-South States at the Government House in Yenagoa.

A British-Nigerian politician, Florence Eshalomi, has been appointed as the United Kingdom’s trade envoy to Nigeria.

Her appointment makes Eshalomi the second Nigerian to hold the position.

Confirming her appointment on X on Tuesday, she wrote: “It is an honour to have been appointed as the United Kingdom’s Trade Envoy to Nigeria.

“I’m looking forward to building on my close ties with Nigeria to promote a strong and flourishing economic relationship between our two great nations.

“I am looking forward to strengthening the UK’s relationship with Nigeria to explore shared growth and opportunities for both countries.”

Announcing the appointment in a statement on Tuesday, Jonathan Reynolds, the UK’s Business and Trade Secretary, said the decision was aimed at attracting investment into the UK and boosting economic growth.

“I’ve launched a new team of trade envoys who will use their experience, expertise, and knowledge to unlock new markets around the world for British businesses, attract investment into the UK, and ultimately drive economic growth,” Reynolds said.

Eshalomi, 44, is an MP representing the Vauxhall and Camberwell Green constituency.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Political and International Studies with Law from Middlesex University.

The Rivers State Judiciary Press Corps have dismissed an online media report by ODJ News Hub creator accusing the State Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Amadi, of bias in his rulings.

The publication alleged that the former governor of the state and now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike, had accused the State Chief Judge that the reason for which he was issuing biased rulings against him was because he allegedly dismissed his brother judge from the state judiciary.

The chairman of the group, Elder Samuel Chindah, in a  swift reaction in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, described the online media report as fake and untrue , stressing that the report was an imagination of the faceless writer as it was not the true position of what transpired.

Chinda said that Wike in the said media chat never mentioned the name of the State Chief Judge, but was referring to another judge of the State High Court and noted that the online publication was misleading and erroneous, targeted at bringing the name of the State Chief Judge to disrepute.

The statement read in part, “To put the record straight and for the general public who may be gullible to the online publication ,we wish to state that the state chief judge, Justice Simon Amadi never reinstated Hon justice  Stephen Jumbo as erroneously alleged  in the same online video media chat but to state that justice Stephen Jumbo was the former chief registrar of the state customary court of Appeal and was among the judges designates who were cleared by the National Judicial Council (NJC) to be sworn in as a judge by then former governor of the state, chief Nyesom wike but wasn’t sworn in and later dismissed from the state judiciary service along two other chief magistrates ,who served as chief Registrar High court and secretary , judicial service commission, Rivers state respectively.

“The aggrieved Chief magistrates not certified with the then state government decision, approached the national industrial court, Port Harcourt to challenge their dismissal and emerged victorious after long legal battle.

The court ordered that they should be reinstated and upon the advise of the former Attorney General of the state,prof Zacchaeus Adangor,a senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN)who then refused to proceed an appeal on court of Appeal against the judgement of the nation industrial court but brokered for an out of court settlement.

“Based on the order of the NIC and the out of court settlement brokered by the former Attorney general of the state, Prof Zacchaeus Adangor,the chief magistrates were reinstated in to the service of the state judiciary and , chief magistrate Stephen Jumbo having been cleared by the national judicial council (NJC) was later sworn _in  as a judge of the High court of Rivers state by the state governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara.”

Mr Chindah averred that the State Chief Judge at no time withdrew any appeal filed by the State Government against the judgement of the Industrial Court, and urged members of the public to disregard the online media report as it is fake and untrue.

The statement, however, advised both conventional and online media reporters to abide by the ethics of their profession and also crosscheck and confirm their information before rushing to the press.

Akujobi Amadi