Rivers
Army Moves To Reconcile Ogoni Communities
As part of efforts aimed at bringing lasting peace in the area, the Nigerian Army has expressed its determination to reconcile warring communities in Ogoniland, Rivers State.
The Six Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt which made the pledge, yesterday, expressed determination to ensure that communities in Rivers State enjoy peace and live in harmony.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC) Six Division, Nigerian Army, Major-General Jamil Sarham, stated this in Port Harcourt during a stalled reconciliation meeting between Bomu and Lewe communities in Gokana Local Government Area of the state.
Sarham, who initiated the peace meeting as part of the Army’s mandate to ensure peaceful coexistence in the society, said absence of one of the warring communities would not deter the division from achieving lasting peace in the area.
The GOC, who spoke through the spokesman of the division, Col Aminu Iliyasu, stated that the command was committed to ensuring communities in Rivers State enjoy peace and live in harmony.
Iliyasu said the step taken falls under Civil Military Cooperation (CiMic), noting that the division was not out to apportion blame to any of the warring communities.
He said, “We are determined to achieve peace not only in the two warring communities, but the entire Rivers State”.
In his remarks, Chairman of Gokana LGA, Paul Kobani, regretted the huge destruction the warring communities had recorded in the crisis.
Kobani, who noted that only representatives of one of the warring communities attended the reconciliation meeting at the Six Division, assured that he would not rest until lasting peace was achieved in the area.
Dennis Nuka & Beauty David-West
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The leadership of Parents Teachers Association (PTA) of Government-owned secondary schools in Rivers State have declared their support for the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (MD/CEO), Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, and his Management team.
The declaration is in appreciation of what they christened “the landmark development projects” executed by the NDDC boss and his the of Managers since he assumed office.
During the visit at the headquarters of the NDDC, Chairman of the PTA, Walson Wadson Allison, who led the delegation, commended Chief Ugbuku and his team for “carrying out projects that have touched the lives of many people living across the entire Niger Delta region, including the education sector”.
He noted that since Ugbuku assumed office in 2023, he and his team have been able to “light-up the various communities in the Niger Delta region through the successful installation of solar lights and boreholes”.
Allison stated that it also include other sensitive infrastructure such as roads, bridges, school buildings, health facilities and human capacity development projects.
He also commended the leadership of the commission for its commitment and investment in the education sector through such means as the award of both local and foreign scholarships to qualified sons and daughters of the Niger Delta.
The PTA Chairman pledged to continue to support the commission in its lofty projects but appealed to the management of the NDDC to consider Rivers State, being the host state of its headquarters, by doing more in the state.
Earlier, Dr. Ugbuku thanked the PTA leadership for the solidarity visit and promised to carry everybody along through the operation of an all inclusive government that opens its doors to all stakeholders.
He stated that his administration has keyed into digital education for the young ones at the secondary and primary school levels, to enable them have a basic foundation in computer education considering the fast evolving dynamics in the education sector and society at large.
The NDDC boss disclosed towards this direction, the NDDC has been and would continue to invest in the training of the young ones in ICT with the provision of relevant equipments to the benefiting children.
He further disclosed that because of the importance of the education sector, the NDDC under his watch, has provided various infrastructure to both primary and tertiary institutions, including furniture and instructional materials to aid teaching.
Soibi Max-Alalibo
In a renewed effort to protect children from vaccine-preventable diseases, the Rivers State Government, through the Rivers State Primary Healthcare Management Board (RSPHMB), has announced the second round of the “Big Catch-Up” vaccination campaign.
The initiative is scheduled to run from February 21st to 26th, 2025, targeting children aged 0 to 59 months across 11 selected Local Government Areas (LGAs).
The Big Catch-Up campaign is aimed at bridging immunization gaps by reaching unvaccinated and under-immunized children in communities.
According to the organizers, vaccination remains one of the most effective ways to safeguard children from life-threatening diseases, strengthening herd immunity across the state.
The campaign will be implemented in Andoni, Port Harcourt, Asari-Toru, Bonny, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Ahoada West, Akuku-Toru, Abua/Odual, Degema, Etche, and Emohua LGAs.
A statement from the RSHMB urged Parents, caregivers, and guardians to take their children and wards to the nearest primary healthcare centers or designated sites to receive the necessary vaccines.
According to the statement, Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, “who continues to prioritize healthcare advancement in the State, has reiterated his administration’s commitment to ensuring that no child is left behind in the fight against preventable diseases”.
The initiative is supported by UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), reinforcing global efforts to improve childhood immunization coverage.
With this campaign, the Rivers State Government is taking a proactive step to secure a healthier future for its children, while ensuring that they are protected from preventable diseases, the statement said.
Theresa Frederick & Charity Amiso
The Chairman of Tai Local Government Area, Rivers State, Hon. Matthew Dike, has warned scrap dealers in the area against looting and vandalizing uncompleted buildings and other structures, telling them to desist or face the full wrath of the law.
Hon. Dike gave the warning when the leadership of Ndi Igbo Community, Rivers and Bayelsa States, paid him a courtesy visit in his office at the Council Secretariat in Saakpenwa.
He also urged those trading in stolen goods or involved in other illicit activities to discontinue such act, saying his administration would not hesitate to clamp down on them.
According to the Chairman, the propensity to engage in illegitimate business is capable of damaging the good reputation of the Local Government Area and hinder the free flow of investment opportunities in the area.
He also commended the Ndi-Igbo Community in Tai and Rivers State for investing in all facets of the economy, a move he said, “accounts for the rapid development of Tai Local Government Area and has contributed immensely to the improved revenue of Rivers State”.
While urging them to do more, he assured the Igbo Community of his administration’s support to create an enabling environment for all who are living and doing business in the Local Government Area.
The Council boss called on investors to take advantage of the new wave of development occasioned by the construction of the Bonny-Bodo Road which will terminate in the Local Government Area, and the siting of other Federal Government projects in the area, which, he said, “makes Tai the epicenter of development in Ogoni”.
Earlier, in an address presented by the Ndi-Igbo Community, Rivers and Bayelsa States, Ndi-Igbo commended the Chairman for his numerous people-oriented projects and programmes such as payment of electricity bills for all residents and businesses in the area, and inauguration of Tai Community Protection Guard to secure lives and properties in the area, a move which they said, enhances the ease of doing business.
They also noted other programmes embarked upon by the Chairman to include the recruitment of 250 adhoc teachers into public primary and secondary schools, as well as engagement of over 100 adhoc Medical Health Workers into the various Primary Healthcare facilities, some of whom are graduates from the Igbo Community in the area.
The Ndi-Igbo Community Rivers and Bayelsa States, assured the Council’s Chairman and the people of Tai Local Government Area that they would continue to invest meaningfully in the area and strengthen the existing harmonious relationship between the two communities.
Theresa Frederick & Charity Amiso
