Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, on Sunday said he dissolved the state executive council to flush out those he termed disloyal to the system. He also said the first was taken  in consultation with the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party  (PDP) in  the state. Speaking during the Election Thanksgiving Service in honour of the Majority Whip of the Rivers State House of Assembly at St. Martin’s Anglican Church, Ogu on Sunday, Governor Wike said that the dissolution  was done to rejig the machinery of government to move the  state forward. He said: “This is when you know  those who are loyal  and those  who are not loyal. There  is no crack in government.  We are working together. The  dissolution  was done in consultation with the leadership of PDP  in the state. “You must work with those who are loyal.  Those who are  not loyal will be shown the way  out. Those who are loyal will come back. ...

By Andy Adaigbe The governor of Rivers State Nyesom Wike has sacked all members of his cabinet, less than 48 hours after the State’s commissioner of information Austin Tam-George resigned. No reason was given for the dissolution of the cabinet “Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has dissolved the State Executive Council. The governor directed all former commissioners to hand over to their respective Permanent Secretaries,” Wike’s special assistant on electronic media, Simeon Nwakaudu. said in a statement. “Governor Wike thanked the former commissioners for their service to the state and wished them well in their future endeavours.” Nwakaudu said the governor had directed all the former commissioners to hand over to permanent secretaries in their respective ministries. It will be recalled that Mr. Austin Tam-George tendered his resignation less than 24 hours after Harrison Iheanyichukwu, the state commissioner for works, was sacked. Tam-George did not state the reason for his ac...

The Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ, Ika Corresponds Chapel has congratulated the new executive of the state council of the union led by comrade Michael Ikeogwu, on their landslide victory in the NUJ election.  The Chapel, in its just concluded congress held in Agbor, under the chairmanship of Comrade Maxwell Momah, said the victory of comrade Ikeogwu was a victory for all NUJ members in the state and urged the Union members to support the administration in order to move the union forward.  In the same vein, Comrade Momah, encouraged the new executive to deliver on their mandate in line with their manifesto. He said there was need for the the state exco to carry the chapel members along in their policies formulation and implementation in accordance with the best practices of the Journalism Profession.

By Andy Adaigbe. There are strong indications that  the Delta state college of education, Agbor will soon be upgraded to a University Status. This may not be unconnected with the recent moves by different groups and individuals to prevail on the state government to upgrade the school to a University of Education.  Recently, The executive members of Agbor Community led by its President General, Mr Lucky Mgbeken, paid a courtesy visit to the Provost of College of Education, Agbor, Dr. Joseph Ukadike where they said they had visited His Royal Majesty, Dr. Benjamin Keagborekuzi I, the Dein of Agbor Kingdom and His Excellency, the Governor of Delta State, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, appealing to the governor to assist in upgrading the College of Education Agbor to a University of Education. The Agbor community leadership said the appeal became necessary because the students' intake into the NCE programme of the College was at its lowest ebb. According to them, functional education wa...

 I Was Neither Arrested Nor Detained The Executive Chairman, Ika South Local Government council, Delta State, Mr. Fred Ofume has refuted reports by some sections of the media, particularly the social media alleging that he was arrested recently by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad ( SARS) for allegedly ordering the demolition of the property of one Mr. Alex Ikpeazu valued at Over N100 Million. Addressing journalists at the weekend in his country home, Agbor, the administrative headquarters of the Council, Ofume, while describing the allegation as baseless, false and unfounded, said he has never been arrested by any law enforcement agency on any issue bothering on threat to life, malicious damage or any other misdemeanours acts as claimed by the report which according to him, originated from Sahara Reporters. Putting the records straight, the council boss said "It is true that the Council, Ika South Local Government council has been having crisis with One Mr Alex Ikpeazu over the true...

Rivers, Delta, Akwa Ibom get highest payment The Federal Government has paid the sum of N516.38 billion to states as refunds on over-deductions for external debt service.  If the governors make good their promises to pay the backlog of workers’ salaries, then there would be an unprecedented economic relief throughout the country in the days ahead.  The governors had at their meeting in Abuja, last weekend, promised to pay the backlog of workers’ salaries from the second tranche of the refund.  Rivers State topped the list with N34.925 billion, followed by Delta and Akwa Ibom with N27.606 billion and N25.981 billion, respectively. Gombe received the least refund of N8. 945 billion.  The Federal Ministry of Finance, in a statement by its Director of Information, Mr. Salisu Na’Inna, in Abuja, yesterday, said the payment was in line with the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari on November 21, 2016, in partial settlement of long-standing claims by state governments. ...

Google, Thursday, announced plans to train 6000 African journalists in data journalism skills by the end of February 2018. Google News Lab and the World Bank according to a press release are working with Code For Africa to empower journalists in Africa by giving them the necessary support to better understand the Web and how to use the tools available to them online. The Code For Africa Digital Journalism initiative will take place over the next 9 months (to February 2018) and see 6 000 journalists trained in 12 major African cities – Abuja, Lagos, Nairobi, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Casablanca, Dakar, Freetown, Dar es Salaam, Kampala, and Yaounde. Code For Africa is a data journalism and civic technology initiative operating across Africa that trains and supports journalists and civic activists to better understand and use web tools for news reporting and storytelling. Training will take place in three formats. Beginning June 15, in-person training sessions will be held in the c...

My dear colleagues, we are very fortunate to be given consideration to serve in the Government of Delta State, this is because with the huge population of the State, the diverse cultural, political and social wealth that abounds in every nook and cranny of the State, our differences in language, culture, social background, religion and economic prospect in different occupational backgrounds, any person that is called upon to assist Governor actualize the prosperity agenda of Governor Okowa is not only lucky but also expected to enrich the flow of ideas in the state  for the benefit of the people. Everyone’s appointment carries political significance because we are all expected as servants of the people duplicate the presence of Governor Okowa in every Unit, ward, and community and make the people feel his presence. This is because as political aides of the Governor we carry a heavy burden of responsibility to live above board in conduct and character. We must in our daily conduct a...

Gentlemen of the Press, On behalf of my distinguished colleagues, I gladly welcome you to this press briefing on the activities of the House in the past one year as we mark the second anniversary of the Sixth (6th) assembly. Let me start by appreciating your role as members of the fourth estate of the realm in promoting the activities and deliberations of the House. The role of the press in a democratic dispensation cannot be over emphasized; that is why the Legislative arm of Government holds the media in a very high esteem. I want to express our gratitude to the media for their coverage of the activities of the House. We, however, enjoin our vibrant journalists in Delta State to shun speculative stories that would erode their credibility. Let me implore our gentlemen of the Press to always cross-check their facts from our offices which are indeed open to them before going to Press. I want to state here that as an arm of Government, the House has undergone some challenges. But by God’...

The Delta State Governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa has expressed sadness over the death of topnotch estate dinosaur, Sir Samuel Parma Ogoefuna Fortune Ebie who died on Sunday in Lagos at the age of 79 years. In a condolence statement in Asaba on Monday by his Chief Press Secretary, Charles Aniagwu, Governor Okowa noted that the late Founder and President of Estate firm of Fortune Ebie & Co. has shaped and impacted positively into the Nigeria Estate for several years. "On behalf of my family, the government and people of Delta State, I commiserate with the Ebie Family of Agbor - Alidinma, the Ika nation over death of one time head of Onu Ika, Sir S. P. O. Fortune Ebie. "Sir Ebie contributed immensely towards the develpment of Nigeria's housing sector while at Federal Housing Authority, Shelter Afrique and Zenith Bank Plc where he served as a Director and contributed immensely to the banks magnificent and meteoric rise to prominence. The Governor furt...

Residents of Emuhu community in Ika South LGA, have expressed relief over the restoration of Electricity supply in the area.   The residents who appreciated an illustrious son of the community,  Mr. Paul Alika, for paying the community electricity bill of over 1,100,000 naira, said they have been in total blackout as a result of disconnection of their electricity by BEDC for over a long period of time. They disclosed that they were not able to meet up with the payment of their electricity bill, stressing that the BEDC estimated billing method was too high for the residents as a result of them being peasants.  They prayed God to bless Mr Alika for his philanthropic gestures and grant all his heart desires.  Mr. Alika, who is a stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, disclosed that he was moved with sympathy and love for the community haven observed that the community has been in total blackout for many months. He however called on the management of the B...