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Articles by Samuel Ese
Disu assures Nigerians of apolitical, unbiased police conduct during 2027 polls
Olatunji Disu, Inspector-General of Police, has pledged that the police will act professionally before, during and after the 2027 general elections, saying lessons from recent polls have been used to prepare commanders and senior officers nationwide. He said the conduct of police personnel during the general elections would make Nigerians happy and proud of the force.
Nigerian Navy to relocate five warships to Bayelsa
The Nigerian Navy is to relocate five warships to Brass in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State to boost maritime security as well as the protection of offshore resources including oil and gas assets. Suleiman Ibrahim, Flag Officer Commanding Central Naval Command, had made the disclosure on Monday while requesting for land for a naval jetty when he and other top military officers paid a courtesy visit to Douye Diri, Governor of Bayelsa State, in Yenagoa.
Obasanjo hails vision behind $1b Azikel refinery
Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria, has hailed what he described as the extraordinary vision of Azibapu Eruani, President of Azikel Group, in establishing the Azikel Refinery. The Azikel Refinery is located at Obunagha community in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State and Obasanjo said Eruani also exhibited entrepreneurial courage while deploying monumental investment in the development of the $1.0 billion refinery.
Trans-Niger pipeline records zero attacks, vandalism in two months
As an indication of improved and growing pipeline security, Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) said that it has recorded two months without any infractions across its operational areas. PINL attributed the development to improved collaboration among host communities, surveillance personnel, security agencies and industry operators.
Obasanjo says Niger Delta deserves more than 13% derivation
..Commissions CDU at $1bn Azikel Refinery Olusegun Obasanjo, former president of Nigeria, has called for an increase in the 13 per cent derivation to oil producing states in the country, saying the present benchmark was a starting point that can be negotiated upwards.
Ex-LP guber candidate urges governors on Tinubu’s fare reduction directive
Udengs Eradiri, a former Governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Bayelsa State, has challenged state governors to urgently comply with President Bola Tinubu’s directive to reduce transportation costs in the country. Eradiri, who is also a former President of the Ijaw Youths Council Worldwide, said on Thursday in Yenagoa that it was time Nigerians began to feel the impact of government interventions through cheaper fares.
Fears as police moves to end cult killings in Bayelsa
There is fear in the St Peter’s and Obele Street axes of Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, following a renewed deadly cult clash between the Bobos and Greenland cult groups. Although the Bayelsa State Police Command has responded swiftly by deploying patrol and other tactical teams to end the violence, residents are still apprehensive because of past experiences. The St Peter’s and Obele Street area has been known for cult related violence in the past with attendant loss of lives and property.
When Rivers Assembly suspended other matters over flooding
Parts of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, were submerged by flash floods late September 2026 flash floods in late September, one of the most devastating disasters in recent years. The flash floods, which resulted from very heavy rainfall, submerged major roads, homes, and businesses across the city, causing untold suffering to both residents and businesses with corresponding losses estimated to be billions of naira in property damage and widespread displacement.
PDP says Bayelsa’s lavish 30th anniversary celebration shameful, display of insensitivity
The Bayelsa State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the lavish celebration of the State’s 30th anniversary amid prevailing hunger, poverty and unemployment, as a shameful display of insensitivity to the plight of ordinary Bayelsans.
Humanitarian group empowers 50 police officers in Bayelsa
…Extends educational support to fallen heroes’ children A humanitarian group, Dougha Tamarkuro Humanitarian Initiatives (DTHI) State-Level Intervention, has empowered 50 Police officers in the Bayelsa State Police Command and extended educational support to children of fallen officers. The event held on Monday at the Police Officers’ of the Bayelsa State Police Command in Yenagoa, under the DTHI National Police Welfare and Resilience Programme.
Scholar hails deployment of 1,000 intervention teachers to public schools in Ogoniland
A Port-Harcourt-based scholar, Dormene Mbea, has applauded the President of KAGOTE and Chief Executive Officer of Giolee Global Resources Limited, Lesi Maol, for what he described as a visionary intervention in the education sector, saying the deployment of 1,000 intervention teachers to public schools across Ogoniland could help steer thousands of children away from societal menace and position them for a productive future.
NCDMB deepens energy ties with China to boost manufacturing
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has intensified its drive to attract Chinese investment, technology and manufacturing capacity into Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. A statement by Obinna Ezeobi, General Manager, Corporate Communications Division of NCDMB, on Tuesday, said the Board engaged more than 100 Chinese Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in Chengdu, China, as part of NCDMB and oil industry’s participation in the 15th China Shale Oil and Gas Summit.
NDDC stresses need for sustainable partnerships to develop Niger Delta
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has emphasised the need for stronger collaboration and sustainable partnerships among stakeholders to accelerate human capital and infrastructure development across the Niger Delta region. Samuel Ogbuku, Managing Director of NDDC, made the emphasis on Wednesday while speaking during a pre-conference briefing ahead of the 2026 Partnership for Sustainable Development Conference in Port Harcourt.
Dutch firm to harness flared gas for electricity, cooking gas in Rivers
A Dutch clean-energy company, Energy Ventures B.V., is partnering the Federal Government on the Agbada-2 project to harness five million standard cubic feet per day of flared gas to produce electricity and cooking gas in Rivers State. Herbert Okibe, Chief Executive Officer, Energy Ventures B.V., made the disclosure on Monday in an interview with journalists in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. “So, this particular project, we are harnessing five million standard cubic feet of gas per day.
State police bill in limbo as assemblies await transmission
…Governors hold key to 24-state threshold Nigeria’s proposed state police system has gotten off to an uneven start, with several Houses of Assembly yet to receive the Constitution amendment bill from the National Assembly, while others that have received it are awaiting further procedural steps before opening debate. The fate of state police now rests with the 36 State Houses of Assembly.
Jonathan calls for unified federal-state salary structure
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has called for civil service reforms that would harmonise the salary structures of the federal and state civil services in the country. Jonathan made the call in Yenagoa during the foundation-laying and fundraising ceremony for the Bayelsa State Association of Retired Permanent Secretaries’ Secretariat Complex on Friday.
Crime: Police charges 8 suspects over missing child in Bayelsa
The Bayelsa State Police Command has charged eight suspects to court over a missing two-year-old girl, a police statement has said. The statement on Friday by Musa Mohammed, Police Public Relations Officer in Bayelsa State, said that the suspects were charged following facts uncovered so far in the investigations, which are continuing to recover Amarachi Blessing Ogbonna.
How sustainability skills can unlock West Africa’s next insurance growth wave
As climate-related risks intensify, regulatory expectations evolve and investors demand greater transparency, insurers’ ability to understand and price emerging risks could determine how effectively the insurance market expands. Sustainability is therefore becoming more than a corporate responsibility exercise. It is increasingly a business imperative with implications for underwriting, investment decisions, product development and the long-term competitiveness of insurers.
NCDMB: Promoting literacy through book reading
It was Malcom X, the African American revolutionary and civil rights activist, who said the only way to hide secrets from the black man was to put it in a book. Such an assertion from someone of his repute is something, especially as he was speaking about an attitude of his own race, the black man.
Answering the difficult question of Niger Delta regional integration
Chairman of Access Holdings Limited, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, who was the keynote speaker at the just concluded Niger Delta Economic and Investment Summit (NDEIS), posed a question; question thriller writers often describe as a 64 million dollar question.
2027: Wike ally says Diri lacks goodwill, capacity to deliver Tinubu in Bayelsa
George Turnah, Bayelsa State Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has described Douye Diri, governor of Bayelsa State, as lacking the goodwill and capacity to deliver the state to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Bayelsa tasks RDAs on project completion to improve rural living standards
Bayelsa State Government has charged its 32 Rural Development Authorities (RDAs) to intensify efforts at completing all ongoing projects for inauguration and use to improve the living conditions of the rural populace. Peter Akpe, deputy governor of Bayelsa State, gave the charge on Tuesday while presiding over a meeting with the chairmen and principal officers of the various RDAs in Yenagoa.
Niger Delta must invest in itself as oil shifts offshore, NDDC boss says
The Niger Delta can no longer rely on its traditional dominance of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry as production shifts to deep offshore fields and corporate headquarters move to Lagos and Abuja, Samuel Ogbuku, managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), has said.
All eyes on Port Harcourt as investment summit courts $50bn
The long-awaited Niger Delta Economic & Investment Summit (NEIS) 2026 takes off today, September 15, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, with the organisers, Niger Delta Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Trade, Mines and Agriculture (NDCCITMA), eyeing an ambitious $50 billion in investments over a five-year period. The Dr Obi Wali International Conference Center, venue of the summit, has been seeing a flurry of activities, as the delegates, which could run up to a thousand, began arriving on Monday.
Bayelsa 2027 Budget: Seeking citizens’ input needs eye on the economy
The Bayelsa State Government has adopted the bottom-up approach in the preparation of the 2027 Appropriation Bill as part of its commitment to an open and accountable governance structure where the people of the state would participate in key decision-making processes. While a bottom-up approach is good, there is also the need to have a balance by keeping an eye on the economy to avoid grounding the ship of state.
Addressing lack of staff accommodation at NDU, Bayelsa premier university
One of the important needs of man is shelter, and for lecturers at Bayelsa State premier institution, Niger Delta University (NDU), the challenge of accommodation has been exacerbated by decades of neglect.
Diri appeals for increase in admission quota of law students at NDU
Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, has appealed to the Council of Legal Education to increase the admission quota of law students into the Faculty of Law at the State-owned Niger Delta University (NDU). Diri made the appeal, Tuesday when an accreditation panel from the council, led by Olugbemisola Odusote, Director General of the Nigerian Law School, paid him a courtesy visit in Government House, Yenagoa.
127 Law students participate in NDDC moot court, mock trial competition
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has organised a Moot Court and Mock Trial Competition for 127 Law students drawn from 16 Universities across the Niger Delta region. The competition, which is currently underway at the Dr. Nabo Graham Douglas Campus of the Nigeria Law School in Port Harcourt, seeks to deepen legal education and practice in the oil-rich region. The programme which commenced on 6th of September is expected to end on the 9th of September 2026.
APC chieftain upbeat about Tinubu’s victory in Bayelsa East
As the campaigns for the 2027 presidential elections begin in earnest, Kojo Sam, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has vowed to deliver a hundred per cent of the votes for President Bola Tinubu in Bayelsa East Senatorial District. He gave the assurance when Warman Ogoriba, Bayelsa State APC Chairman, and members of the party’s State Working Committee paid him a consultative visit at his country home in Okpoama, Brass Local Government Area of the state.
Fubara assents to N1.854trn Rivers 2026 fiscal estimates
Siminalayi Fubara, Governor of Rivers State, has signed the N1.854 trillion 2026 Rivers State Appropriation Bill into law, describing it as a breath of fresh air and the beginning of a new chapter of unity and progress for the State.
37 persons die in Rivers after inhaling petroleum fumes
Not less than 37 persons suspected of oil theft, mostly youths, have died after inhaling petroleum fumes at Okari Jetty in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State. The incident, which occurred in the early hours of Thursday, has thrown the area into mourning, even several others are said to be missing after the incident.
Diri under fire over Bayelsa’s 88.5% poverty index amid N2.3trn FAAC inflow
A kinsman of Douye Diri, Governor of Bayelsa State, has questioned the State’s 88.5% poverty index in view of inflows from the Federation Account amounting to N2.3 trillion in six years. Francis Dufugha, Publisher of the Niger Delta Herald Newspapers, who also hails from Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, said in a statement made available to BusinessDay on Tuesday that the governor must explain.
INEC unveils 19 candidates for Rivers governorship election
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has published a list of 19 candidates, their credentials and other particulars ahead the 2027 governorship election in Rivers State. The campaigns for both Governorship and House of Assembly elections are set to begin on September 9, 2026 and end on February 5, 2027, according to the Commission’s official timetable.
Fubara explains reason behind payroll fraud cleanup in Rivers’ LGAs
Siminalayi Fubara, Governor of Rivers State, has explained why his administration approved a comprehensive staff payroll verification exercise. Governor Fubara said on Monday in Port Harcourt that the cleanup of payroll fraud is targeted at ghost workers across the 23 local government areas of the state.
Police rescue Sarah Chinedu, 42-year old, kidnapped in Bayelsa
The Bayelsa State Police Command has rescued a 42-year-old woman, Sarah Chinedu, after spending over three weeks in captivity at the hands of her kidnappers. She was kidnapped on Tuesday, July 28, at Amassoma and taken to a hideout in a forest at Ogboinbiri Community, all in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state An indigene of Ebonyi State, Chinedu, sells mattresses at Amassoma, where she is resident, and the kidnappers used purchasing a mattress as a decoy to kidnap her.
PAP sends 150 scholarship beneficiaries to UK varsities
…As Otuaro urges Tinubu massive votes The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has sent 150 postgraduate scholarship beneficiaries to several universities in the United Kingdom. Speaking during the pre-departure orientation of the beneficiaries on Thursday in Abuja, Dennis Otuaro, PAP Administrator, also urged Niger Deltans to vote massively for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election to reciprocate his developmental efforts in the region.
Diri tasks Bayelsa Elders’ Council on political neutrality
…As Tinubu’s door-to-door campaign rallies Bayelsa for 2027 polls Douye Diri, Governor of Bayelsa State, has tasked the Bayelsa State Elders Council (BSEC) on political neutrality ahead activities geared towards the 2027 general elections. Governor Diri, who was represented by Peter Akpe, his deputy, gave the charge on Monday during the inauguration of a new leadership of the Bayelsa State Elders Council in Yenagoa.
Bayelsa laments heaps of petitions at ICPC, cautions against frivolous petitions
The Bayelsa State Government has lamented that petitions by Bayelsans to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC) are more than those from other states. Peter Akpe, Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, who made the comment on Tuesday in Yenagoa, cautioned the people against writing frivolous petitions to anti-graft agencies.
Diri blames Nigeria’s faltering democracy on injustice at Jonathan’s democracy dialogue
Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has identified the absence of justice, equity and fairness as the three pillars responsible for Nigeria’s tottering democracy. Diri also stated that without the practice of fiscal federalism and the preponderance of the rule of law, democracy would continue to struggle in the country. He made the comments on Tuesday, while delivering a goodwill message at the 2026 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Democracy Dialogue at the International Conference Centre, Bauchi.
ASUU declares indefinite strike in Bayelsa varsities, NDU, BMU
…UAT gives two weeks ultimatum Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at Niger Delta University (NDU) and Bayelsa Medical University (BMU), owned by the Bayelsa State Government, have declared an industrial action over the alleged refusal of the State Government to implement the 2025 CBA agreement and outstanding 19-month arrears, among others.
Group accuses Diri of marginalising sections of Bayelsa in key appointments
Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has come under attack over alleged exclusion of sections of the State from key political appointments and party positions. Bayelsa Rescue Mission (BRM), a political group, in a statement on Monday, signed by Kalas Agai Nimitenbofa, its Publicity Secretary, described the development, as a dangerous precedence.
PINL says regional energy project incumbent on protection of oil and gas assets
Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) has linked the future of the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP) to the protection of oil and gas assets in Nigeria. Recently, the Heads of State of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Member States signed the Intergovernmental Agreement on the AAGP during the ECOWAS Summit in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
UNICEF, Bayelsa, others collaborate to tackle child malnutrition
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Bayelsa State Government through the state Ministry of Health and Bayelsa State Primary Health Care Board, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have commenced a tripartite collaboration to tackle malnutrition in children below two years in the state.
FG launches grassroots LPG penetration programme in Bayelsa
…Targets five million households nationwide by 2030 The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources (Gas) and the Decade of Gas Initiative, has officially launched the National Grassroots LPG Penetration Programme (NGLPP) in Bayelsa State. The launch marked the commencement of the programme’s nationwide state-by-state rollout to expand access to clean cooking energy and improve the lives of millions of Nigerians.
NCDMB’S Nigerian Content Trainers’ registration certificate goes live Monday
Determined to strengthen quality assurance and standardise human capacity development in the nation’s oil and gas industry, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) will officially launch the Nigerian Content Trainers’ Registration Certificate (NCTRC) on Monday. A statement by Obinna Ezeobi, general manager, Corporate Communications Division of NCDMB, stated that the development marked a significant milestone in the board’s efforts.
Farmers’ coalition lauds NDDC over $500m agric development fund
The Niger Delta Farmers Coalition (NDFC) has congratulated the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) on the successful hosting of the Niger Delta Agricultural Development and Investment Summit 2026, and the launch of the US$500 million Niger Delta Agricultural Development and Investment Fund.
Bayelsa community, oil firm disagree on cause of spill
There is an ongoing dispute over the cause of an oil spill that has devastated farmlands, creeks and streams between Azuzuama Community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State and Oando PLC While the community argued that the spill on the six-inch Azuzuama-Tebidaba flowline was caused by equipment failure due to corrosion, the oil company insisted that the spill was due to third party interference or sabotage.
70 years later, Jonathan, Diri, others reflect on crude oil impact
Former President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State have shared their thoughts on the impact of crude oil production in Nigeria 70 years after it was discovered in commercial quantities. The duo and other stakeholders spoke on Monday about the cost and gains of crude oil exploration in the Niger Delta region at the opening of the 2026 Sweet Crude Dialogue held at the Conference Centre of the Nigerian Content Towers in Yenagoa.
Bridging Nigeria’s steel import gap: Tyro Group’s $100m investment Original
From a position of strength following the establishment of the Ajaokuta and Aladja steel companies in the early 1980s, and a host of small producing companies, Nigeria has become a net importer of steel products. The collapse of the Ajaokuta and Aladja steel mills spelt a challenge for several industries that relied on steel for their operations.
Bayelsa’s checkered blue economy ambition
Bayelsa State has had a checkered romance with the blue economy since it was carved from the old Rivers State by Sani Abacha, the late military President of Nigeria on October 1, 1996. The flirtation with the blue economy began during the tenure of Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, the late first civilian Governor of Bayelsa State, when he procured and commissioned luxurious transport and tourism boats in late 2004.
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