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By Paul Williams Non-governmental organisation Kebetkache Women Development & Resource Centre has begun planting five million propagules in communities across the Niger Delta as part of a long-term initiative to restore oil-degraded coastal ecosystems in the region. The ‘5 Million Mangrove Campaign’ was flagged off on World Mangrove Day, July 31, 2026, in Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State, with the Kebetkache team leading local collaborators, environmental experts and others to plant 5,000 seedlings in Kporghor and Gio communities. The team, which began planting 2,000 seedlings in Gio on July 31, continued in Kporghor on September 15 with 3,000…

By Paul Williams The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, has tasked senior police officers to translate the knowledge and resolutions from the just-concluded Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers (CARSPO 2026) into practical action across commands and formations. He stressed that the true measure of the conference would be the changes recorded across the Force after participants return to their respective commands. The IGP directed participating officers to adopt a train-the-trainers approach by cascading lessons from the conference to deputy commissioners of police, area commanders, divisional police officers, tactical commanders and other personnel under their supervision. Ahead of…

By: Ehichioya Ezomon The importance and relevance of former Rivers State Governor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Chief Nyesom Wike, to the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023 and his contribution to the cabinet therefrom were brought home to members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by ex-Edo Governor and Senator representing Edo North, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, on Friday, January 3, 2025. It’s at a New Year luncheon organised by Wike in Port Harcourt, the Rivers capital city, where Oshiomhole, likening then-Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to a football club allowing its “best player”…

The Board of Trustees of the BRACED Tourism Promotion & Development Initiative (BTPDI), sponsors of the Africa Blue Economy Roundtable (ABER) has announced the appointment of veteran journalist Hajiya Madina Dauda Nadabo as Director of Communications and Public Affairs. Hajiya Nadabo brings over four decades of distinguished experience in journalism, public communication, and international broadcasting. She currently serves as Bureau Coordinator and Programme Officer for the Voice of America (VOA) in Nigeria, a role she has held since 1998 across the English and Hausa services. Announcing the appointment in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Tuesday, Convener/CEO of ABER and Chairman…

By Gloria Boma Harry Development is fundamental to the well-being of citizens. It provides essential amenities, creates opportunities, stimulates economic activity and, ultimately, improves the quality of life. The essence of democracy is not merely the periodic election of political leaders; it is the expectation that those entrusted with public office will deliver the dividends of democracy at the federal, state and local levels. But development does not happen by rhetoric. Whether it involves infrastructure, human capital or economic transformation, meaningful development requires deliberate planning, sustained investment, effective implementation and, most importantly, time. It is against this background that the…

By Emma Sunday A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Rivers State, Dr. Joseph Ile, has declared that the party has the brightest prospect of winning the 2027 presidential election, citing the strength of its presidential ticket and growing public dissatisfaction with the ruling APC. Dr. Ile made the assertion on Saturday in Ubima, Ikwerre Local Government Area, while speaking with newsmen on the sidelines of the funeral of Late Mrs. Mary Orduah, mother of the former Minister of Transportation and ex-governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. He said the ADC presidential candidate and former…

ByNemi Tamuno The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, is facing a fresh internal crisis, with sources pointing to a deep rift between the party’s governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over his cross-party Rainbow Coalition. What began in January 2026 as a tactical alliance of APC, PDP, Labour Party and Action Alliance members during the Wike-Fubara supremacy battle in Rivers State has now become a subject of national controversy within the ruling party. The coalition was initially presented as a vehicle to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027. However, top loyalists…

Names of some high-profile senatorial candidates in the January 16, 2027 elections have been omitted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Although the reason for their omission is unknown, it is strongly believed that it would not be unconnected with administrative procedure. The Delta South African Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Dr. Austin Orette, is however not happy and he told party faithful and journalists who gathered at Ozoro, headquarters of Isoko North Local Government Area on Thursday in clear terms. ‘’My concern with INEC is not simply that my name was omitted from a published candidate list. My concern…

By Lanre Olagunju There is something curious about the Nigerian relationship with the police. We complain about them. We criticise them. We film them. We sometimes mock them. But when the armed robbers arrive, we call the police. When kidnappers invade a community, we call the police. When violence breaks out at night, when a missing child needs to be found or when an armed criminal is on the loose, the same institution many Nigerians love to hate suddenly becomes the institution we expect to save us. But what do we owe those we ask to protect us? Nigeria has…

By Paul Williams Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, has proposed the establishment of an Orange Economy Security and Intellectual Property Coordination Desk within an appropriate existing structure of the Nigeria Police Force.  He made the proposal on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, while delivering a lecture to participants of Senior Executive Course 48, 2026, at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Plateau State. The lecture, titled “The Orange Economy and Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development in Nigeria: The Role of the Nigeria Police Force,” examined the relationship between security, entrepreneurship and the growth of Nigeria’s creative industries. It emphasised the role of law enforcement in protecting intellectual property, businesses, digital platforms and other assets that support the sector. Disu noted that film, music, fashion, publishing, advertising, digital content, gaming, tourism, heritage and the arts are increasingly driven by entrepreneurship, technology and intellectual property. He stressed that these industries can make a stronger contribution to employment, investment and national development when creators, businesses and their intellectual assets are adequately protected. The IGP, as part of measures to strengthen the Force’s response to crimes affecting the sector, proposed that the envisaged coordination desk should support specialised policing, inter-agency collaboration, dedicated reporting mechanisms and improved engagement with relevant stakeholders. He further advocated an intelligence-led and partnership-based approach to tackling organised piracy, counterfeiting, cyber-enabled fraud and other criminal activities affecting creative enterprise. Disu also emphasised the importance of financial investigation, where applicable, in tracing proceeds linked to criminal networks operating through payment accounts, digital wallets, advertising revenues, logistics networks and online distribution channels. He called for stronger collaboration between the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Copyright Commission and other relevant institutions on intellectual property protection. He also identified the protection of film locations, concerts, festivals, tourism sites and cultural assets; improved cybercrime response; preservation of digital evidence; and sustained engagement with creative communities as key areas requiring greater attention. The IGP highlighted the preventive value of legitimate economic opportunities, noting that providing young Nigerians with credible pathways from talent to lawful income and employment can help reduce vulnerability to criminal activity. He stressed that piracy, fraud, extortion and other forms of criminality can weaken businesses, discourage investment and undermine innovation. Disu further stressed that effective policing of the sector must protect both public safety and the rights required for creativity and enterprise to thrive, noting that professional, accountable and rights-respecting policing is essential to building confidence among creators, entrepreneurs and investors. Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, in a release, said the Nigeria Police Force remains committed to working with government institutions, industry stakeholders, creative professionals and communities to strengthen intellectual property protection, secure creative enterprise and provide an enabling environment for innovation, investment and legitimate economic activity to thrive.