By GOODNESS TORITSEJU MENE Ugbuwangue community in Warri, Delta State, was agog on Tuesday as dignitaries, traditional rulers, and top government officials gathered to commission the Renewed Hope Mother and Child Specialist Hospital, an 80-bed, world-class facility built by the Federal Government through the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Speaking on behalf of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, Chief of Staff Hon. Johnson Erijo hailed the project as “a beacon of hope and a critical step forward in achieving health-related sustainable development goals.” He assured that the hospital, now handed over to the…
Author: Spade Nigeria
by The Nation In line with its modernisation drive and commitment to trade facilitation, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has engaged in a high-level consultation with the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) on the implementation of the Unified Customs Management System, more commonly known as B’Odogwu. Following concerns raised by freight forwarders and Licensed Customs Agents regarding delays and demurrage linked to the B’Odogwu rollout, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, met with the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Dr. Akutah Ukeyima, on Monday, 19th August 2025, at the Nigeria Customs Service’s headquarters, Abuja. This was contained in…
By Dr. Joseph Tedwins Emudainohwo. Silent in Ikot Ekpene At the public hearing in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom, Senator Ede Dafinone was part of the panel on state creation. For nearly six hours, he said nothing—except to introduce himself. Anioma State was loudly cheered. A state for the Itsekiri and Ilaje got a hearing. But Ethiope State, the Urhobo demand, never made it to the floor. Ethiope Bill: Abandoned by Its Own Senator On July 19, 2025, in Yenagoa, the House of Representatives finally gave Ethiope State a public hearing—thanks to Hon. Benedict Etanabene, not Dafinone. Why? Because Dafinone refused…
By GODFREY ODOGWU The renewed quest for the creation of Anioma State effectively took off on the 31st of August 2024, when Distinguished Senator Ned Munir Nwoko, after months of consultations across Anioma land convened a Summit of Ndi Anioma at the prestigious Grand Hotel, Asaba, to discuss the agitation for Anioma and her future. On that day, over three thousand Anioma sons and daughters, including over twenty five Traditional Rulers and dozens of High Chiefs from Aniocha/Oshimili, Ika, Ukwuani and Ndokwa, representatives of Professional bodies, students, youth organizations, artisans, women groups and Associations, all thronged into the Nnebisi Hall…
By Kennedy Kanma As a young man growing up in the defunct Bendel State in the 1970s and ‘80s, I read some of Professor Zulu Sofola’s seminal literary works, and I was greatly inspired. I dare say that her plays and essays left a lasting impact on my impressionable mind. Today, I still remember Sofola’s works like Wedlock of the Gods, King Emene, The Sweet Trap, Old Wines Are Tasty and The Deer and the Hunter, among others. Back in the day, I had no inkling that Professor (Mrs.) Sofola hailed from Aniomaland. But I was in awe of her…
Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Emomotimi Dennis Guwor, has congratulated the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Chief Samuel Ogbuku PhD, on his landmark birth anniversary. Rt Hon Guwor who described Chief Ogbuku as a worthy son of the Niger Delta, and a great ambassador of the Ijaw nation, warmly felicitated with the NDDC Boss as he marks 50th birthday today, Tuesday, 19 August 2025. The Speaker in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, CPS Nkem Nwaeke, stated that turning 50 is a profound milestone and a time for reflection, gratitude,…
By Olabode Opeseitan Once hailed as the firebrand of Northern Nigerian politics, Nasir El-Rufai now finds himself in a curious twilight—boasting of a coalition that would sweep APC into the dustbin of history, only to be swept aside by the very electorate he presumed would rally behind him. His recent mobilization in Sokoto, where he declared APC “clannish and incompetent,” was meant to ignite a revolution. Instead, it fizzled like a damp matchstick. A WhatsApp Tsunami Without Kinetic Energy The opposition coalition—ADC, Atiku, El-Rufai, Peter Obi, Amaechi, Aregbesola—was hyped as a political tsunami. But the only waves it generated were…
Senator Ned Nwoko (Delta North) on Monday joined fellow lawmakers at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, to welcome Senate President Godswill Akpabio back to the country. Akpabio’s arrival at about 4 a.m. dispelled rumors about his health and signaled the beginning of what is expected to be a vigorous legislative session aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda. The Senate President had just concluded his participation at the 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva, Switzerland, before making a brief vacation stop in London. In a statement, Senator Nwoko described Akpabio’s return as a source of…
By ENITAN ABEL JOHNGOLD ORHERUATA, mnipr A political support group under the aegis of ‘Deltans Want More’ has declared that the 2027 governorship campaign against Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, would amount to a waste of time, money, and resources, given his sterling performance since assuming office. Speaking in Jeremi Ughelli South Local Government Area, while addressing members and other party faithfuls cut across various communities, the Convener of the group, Olorogun Ese Kakor, urged Deltans across party lines to unite behind the Governor to enable him consolidate on his MORE Agenda and deliver even greater dividends of…
The Delta State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has been thrown into fresh controversy following what many describe as a brazen assault on press freedom by its chairman, Comrade Churchill Oyowe. Last week, Oyowe stunned colleagues when he wielded the axe against journalists who dared to question his leadership style, yanking them out of the council’s official WhatsApp platform. His action, which many have likened to the high-handedness of a “dictator in a newsroom,” has triggered widespread condemnation among members. The crisis began after a member posted comments criticizing the suspension of the council’s secretary, Comrade Victor…