Ijaw, Urhobo Groups Boycott CVR, Demand Implementation of Supreme Court Judgment on Warri Constituency Delineation

The Ijaw and Urhobo ethnic groups of Warri Federal Constituency have declared their boycott of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, demanding that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must first implement the final report of the Supreme Court-ordered fresh delineation of electoral wards and units in the constituency.

The protesters who stormed the INEC headquarters in large numbers came from Warri North, Warri South and Warri South West Local Government Areas making up the Federal constituency.

The groups made their position known on Tuesday during a peaceful protest to the INEC headquarters in Abuja where they expressed deep worry over the INEC’s CVR in the area.

They Carried placards with inscriptions such as “Warri Federal Constituency: No Ward, No Units for CVR”, “CVR Today is Political Fraud in Warri Federal Constituency”  and “INEC,  Give Us the Final Report.”

 Spokesman of the groups, Chief David Reje from the Egbema Clan of Warri North Local Government Areas accused INEC of undermining the constitutional rights of the people by conducting the CVR with the “defunct arrangement” that the Supreme Court had earlier nullified.

Chief Reje, expressed their displeasure noting that despite INEC’s field exercise and stakeholder engagements, which produced a new delineation report in compliance with the apex court judgment, the commission has failed to release and implement the final report.

“Our patience and cooperation are being taken for granted as machinery has been set in place to disenfranchise us from participating in future elections. 

“We can no longer wait while our democratic rights guaranteed by the Constitution and reaffirmed by the Supreme Court judgment are being eroded" Chief Reje warned. 

The groups said they had travelled from Warri to Abuja to draw INEC’s attention to their plight, warning that they might be compelled to occupy the commission’s premises until their demands were met. 

“They described the move as the second phase of their “non-violent struggle to restore political dignity.”

They further noted that they had come under “consistent pressure” from their people and could not guarantee that the agitation would remain contained if INEC continued to ignore the court order.

They demanded that ; INEC must immediately release and implement the delineation report and the CVR should only proceed on the basis of the newly approved electoral arrangements.

 “We shall not stand idly by and watch our democratic rights and franchise frittered away. A stitch in time saves nine.” he maintained.

INEC National Commissioner, Abdullahi Abdulzuru, in his response assured the Ijaw and Urhobo groups of Warri Federal Constituency that their concerns over the implementation of the Supreme Court-ordered delineation of electoral wards and units will be addressed.

He commended the groups for adopting a peaceful approach in presenting their grievances and acknowledged receipt of their formal petition.

“I have listened carefully to your demands and read through your submission. I will tender the documents to the commission,” Abdulzuru said.

He further stressed that INEC is a law-abiding institution with no intention of disenfranchising any group of Nigerians.

“As a commission, we are committed to upholding the law. There is no intention, as far as INEC is concerned, to disenfranchise anybody from any exercise. We will get back to you be rest assured,” he added.

Prominent figures who signed the document tendered by the protesters  include Dr Joel Bisina, Olorogun Victor Okumagba, Chief Godspower Gbenekama, Chief John Eramvor, Dr Paul Bebenimibo, Chief Sylvester Femi Okumagba, Chief Arthur Akpodubakaye, Chief Wilson Ogbodu, Chief Emmanuel Serondi and Chief Mrs Ann Gagiyovwi (JP)

Others are Rev. Samuel Ako, Amb.Jude Ebitimi Ukori (JP), Hon. Frank Pukon, Chief Mrs Vero Emmanuel Tangbewei and Comrade Mrs Margaret Ikinbor

HOUSING: Delta Partners FG, As Oborevwori Hands Over Land to FMBN, Waives N200m Fee

Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, Tuesday, presented a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) to the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) for the construction of a workers’ housing estate in Ibusa, Oshimili North Local Government Area of the state.

 

The governor, who received the management of FMBN led by its Executive Director, Loans and Mortgage Services, Dr. Mohammed Sani Abdul, at Government House, Asaba, said the gesture was part of his administration’s commitment to partner the Federal Government in providing housing for workers in the state and in line with his resolve to improve on their welfare.

 

Oborevwori disclosed that the land, measuring about 10.1 hectares and situated at Core Area 2, Ibusa, was allocated for the development of a housing scheme under the collaboration of the FMBN, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and Trade Union Congress (TUC).

 

He explained that although the C of O was ready since January 2024, the presentation was delayed by administrative processes, adding that he waived statutory fees amounting to about N200 million to ease the acquisition process in the interest of workers.

 

“Most of the salaries of our junior and middle-level workers are consumed by rent. That is why this housing scheme is so important. I appeal to the Federal Mortgage Bank to ensure the project is delivered on time and made accessible to those for whom it is intended,” the governor said.

 

While commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for encouraging federal agencies like FMBN to collaborate with subnational governments, Oborevwori pledged continued support for the project.

 

Earlier in his remarks, Dr. Abdul commended the governor for his strides in infrastructural development across the state, particularly in Asaba and its environs. 

He called on local government councils in Delta to contribute to the National Housing Fund to enable the bank extend housing projects to grassroots areas.

 

He explained that the FMBN, established over 32 years ago, is committed to addressing the country’s housing deficit, estimated at between 20 and 22 million units, through mortgage creation and construction loans.

 

According to him, the bank currently has about nine ongoing housing projects in Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and other parts of the country, and is determined to replicate the initiative in Delta State.

 

“With the Renewed Hope Mega Mini-City project of Mr. President, our target is to provide affordable housing for Nigerians at all levels, especially those at the bottom of the pyramid. Delta is very key to the success of this national plan, and we want to make a lasting impact here,” Abdul added.

Just-ln: PAP Office lssues Press Statement, Clears Air over 5,000 Itsekiri Graduates of Novena Varsity

•••"We Are Not Owning Fees In Any Institution"_Otuaro

The Presidential Amnesty Programme has said that it is not owing school fees of 5000 students of Itsekiri extraction in Novena University, Ogume, Delta State.

The PAP in a statement on Tuesday stated that the agency is not owing fees in Novena or any institution within or outside the country.

The agency was reacting to claims by the so-called Office of the Sole Representative of His Royal Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III, CFR, the Olu of Warri to NNPLC, that the Amnesty Programme is "indebted" to Novena University concerning "all Itsekiri students" who graduated from the institution purportedly under the programme's scholarship scheme.

The monarch's agent, Collins Oritsetimeyin Edema, made a curious claim in a statement that the alleged liability made the Olu's palace to announce an intervention to settle the "outstanding tuition and clearance fees" of all the affected Itsekiri graduates of Novena.

But PAP said that there were no records in Novena University and the Amnesty Office concerning award of scholarship to the 5000 Itsekiri students of the institution.

PAP explained in the statement that the report of an inquiry into the issue by previous heads of the agency revealed that the 5000 Itsekiri indigenes were sent to the management of Novena university by the Itsekiri National Youth Council (INYC) in 2017 without the involvement of the agency.

It added that it was not conceivable for the PAP to take responsibility for the students who were not deployed by the agency.

The statement reads, “The management of PAP wishes to state unequivocally that it is not owing Novena university any tuition fees on account of the said Itsekiri graduates and any claim to the contrary is totally false, baseless, and represents an attempt to stand truth on its head.

“PAP wishes to say also that it is not owing tuition fees in any institution within or outside the country.

“To set the records straight, it is necessary to inform the public that the affected Itsekiri graduates were a subject of a formal investigation launched by a previous PAP leadership into allegations of scholarship admission racketeering under the programme's formal education at Novena. Three other partnering universities were also investigated.

“The report of the inquiry showed that the affected Itsekiri graduates constituted a list of 5000 Itsekiri indigenes that was sent to the management of Novena university by the Itsekiri National Youth Council (INYC) in 2017 purporting them to be PAP  scholarship beneficiaries.

“The investigation revealed that the list in question did not emanate from the PAP, and did not also have any authorization or approval of the Amnesty Programme office. Therefore, the affected Itsekiri indigenes could not have been deemed to be beneficiaries of the PAP scholarship scheme.

“Additionally, the inquiry also revealed that there was no correspondence between the PAP and Novena university indicating that the PAP approved the purported list of 5000 Itsekiri students to be deployed to the institution.

“The investigative committee, during its work, met with the INYC president and the secretary, as well as principal officers of Novena university led by its Vice-Chancellor who could not produce any documentation between the PAP and the institution on the affected Itsekiri graduates.

“At the end of the exercise, the PAP duly informed the management of Novena university that the Amnesty Programme office would not bear any liability for the affected students. Doing so would have amounted to encouraging sharp practices.

“Therefore, the PAP could not have accepted responsibility and obligation where it had none. The affected Itsekiri graduates of Novena university that the Olu's palace is intervening for, were never beneficiaries of the amnesty programme's scholarship.

“All the PAP administrations that preceded the current one headed by the Administrator, Dr Dennis Otuaro, had seen the official report of the investigation and they respected the incontrovertible truth so established.

“Thankfully, Dr Otuaro has expanded the PAP scholarship scheme in order to create more access to higher education for ex-agitators and beneficiaries, and aggressively bridge the human capital development gap in the Niger Delta.

“His noble reforms and initiatives to ensure that the PAP renders efficient service to the people of the Niger Delta have been applauded in official quarters, as well as by all well-meaning individuals and organisations.

“Dr Otuaro remains unwaveringly committed to deepening the implementation of the programme's mandate, especially through his policy of inclusivity, to complement the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, GCFR, for the Niger Delta.”

Signed:

Mr Igoniko Oduma,

Special Assistant on Media to the Administrator, Presidential Amnesty Programme.

09/09/2025

Singapore, A Nation Rosed From Rejection to A Global First World Country in the Universe

On August 9, 1965, the world witnessed an event almost unheard of in modern geopolitical history. A country did not gain independence through struggle, negotiation, or referendum, but through outright rejection.

Singapore was expelled from the Malaysian Federation.

It became a nation not by aspiration, but by force.

After months of ethnic tensions, violent riots, political rifts, and deep economic disagreements, the Malaysian Parliament voted unanimously 126 to 0, with no abstentions, to remove Singapore from the federation.

The decision stunned the region. Even Singapore’s own leaders were unprepared for the sudden break.

Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding Prime Minister, broke down in tears as he addressed the nation on live television:

“For me, it is a moment of anguish... My whole life, my whole adult life, I have believed in the unity of the two territories.”

What Singapore inherited that day was not a land of promise, but a landscape of hardship. It was a small, densely populated island of just over two million people, surrounded by larger and unfriendly neighbours. It had no natural resources, no military, and not even full control over its water supply, the water Singaporeans drank still came from Malaysia. Nearly 85 percent of the population lived in overcrowded slums. Unemployment hovered around 14 percent. Racial violence simmered dangerously.

Many believed Singapore would not survive two years on its own. Some economic experts in Malaysia expected Lee Kuan Yew to return, humbled, begging for reintegration.

But Lee had no intention of returning. He had no intention of begging.

Instead, he embarked on one of the most ambitious and successful nation-building projects in modern history.

Lee Kuan Yew was not merely trying to govern; he was trying to reinvent. He envisioned a country not defined by landmass or resources, but by discipline, integrity, and resilience.

He declared war on corruption, enforced transparent governance, and institutionalized meritocracy, rewarding ability, not privilege. He launched sweeping reforms in housing, education, defense, and urban hygiene. The Housing Development Board (HDB) rolled out the world’s most ambitious public housing program. He famously banned chewing gum, not out of pettiness, but as part of a broader campaign for cleanliness and order. Strikes, riots, and public disorder were clamped down on with uncompromising resolve.

Lee studied and borrowed from systems that worked. He adopted elements of American capitalism, British civil service discipline, and European infrastructure planning, while looking to Japan’s culture of productivity and duty as a moral compass for his people.

He didn’t invent everything from scratch. He copied what worked, refined it, made it uniquely Singaporean, and enforced it with clinical precision.

“We are ideology-free,” he once said. “We just want what works.”

By the end of the 1970s, the transformation was undeniable. Slums had given way to clean, orderly estates. The streets were safe. Foreign investors poured in. The docks that once handled goods for others became one of the world’s busiest ports. The factories of the early years evolved into high-tech hubs and financial districts. Within a generation, Singapore achieved what Lee himself called the leap “from Third World to First.”

This was not the result of fate, and certainly not of luck. It was design cold, calculated, and visionary.

Singapore today stands as one of the most prosperous, secure, and efficient nations on Earth. It is a testament to what leadership, vision, and relentless discipline can achieve, even when the world turns its back on you.

Lee Kuan Yew’s legacy can still be felt in every system, every street, every school, and every law in Singapore. He built a nation that refused to fail, and a people who learned never to wait for charity, but to earn dignity through order, labor, and pride.

Singapore’s rise from rejection to global admiration remains one of the most unlikely success stories of the modern era.

A nation born unwanted, but raised unmatched.

The Songs That Outlive the Singers_By William Z. Bozimo

Every age is filled with voices that rise, tremble, and then fade away. Men come, women go, rulers ascend, prophets fall silent. Yet through it all, one truth remains: the song often outlives the singer. History does not always preserve the face, but it rarely forgets the refrain. 

The griot may be buried, but his tale will be retold in whispers under moonlight. Even tyrants who thought that they silenced truth discovered too late, soon realized that truth does not need a mouth to breathe, it simply survives in memory, in conscience, and in the stubborn testimony of the oppressed. 

The song that outlives the singer is not always the melody. It can be embedded in a proverb carried across generations, verses written on prison walls, a slogan that is often used in the streets, or even a scar on a nation’s conscience. These are the notes that defy silence. 

They echo in classrooms where children learn the names of past heroes, in parliaments where stubborn truth resurfaces after many decades of secrecy. In marketplaces where women trade not just goods but stories. Life’s tragedy is not just death for all must die. The tragedy is one's silence while alive. 

A man who sings nothing leaves nothing. People who forget their melody condemn themselves to be sung about only by others. Legacy is not just what we build with bricks or wealth, but what we leave in the memory of those who come after us. We may not recall the hands that carved the drum, but we still dance to its rhythm. 

Look closely: Africa is filled with the songs of the forgotten; songs that refused to die. The voices of Biko, Sankara, and Azikiwe, plus countless unsung mothers still breathe daily in the wind, shaping the aspirations of generations unborn. Their bodies may rest, but their words remain restless because the melody is immortal.

The question each of us must ask is simple: what song will survive me? Will my words heal or harm? Will my silence empower oppression or encourage freedom? Will the next generation sing of my courage or curse my cowardice?

✍🏽 William Z. Bozimo

Veteran Journalist | Columnist | National Memory Keeper.

Ogbe-ljoh Warri kingdom Invites the General Public to the 10Th Coronation Anniversary of HRM. King Couple Oromoni, Monbene lll, on the Throne

Francis Tayor

The Ogbe-ljoh Warri Traditional Council of Chiefs on behalf of the peace loving and good people of Ogbe-ljoh Warri kingdom in Warri South and South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria, hereby heartly invites her friends, subjects, neighbouring kingdoms and the general public to joined them celebrate His Royal Majesty, King Couple Mackson Oromoni, Monbene lll, the Pere Ama-Okosu of Ogbe-ljoh Warri kingdom on the auspicious occasion of his progressive 10th Year Coronation Anniversary on the throne.

In a statement disclosed to the Press in Warri on Wednesday 3rd September, 2025 by the Chairman and Secretary of the Ogbe-ljoh Warri kingdom 10th Coronation Anniversary Planning Committee, Chief. Boro Opudu (Evang.) and Chief. Monday Keme, stated that the royal celebration would commenced on Monday 22nd to Friday 26th September, 2025 at the traditional headquarters of the kingdom Ogbe-ljoh main Town, Delta State.

Opudu stressed that there are series of activities lined up for the 10th coronation anniversary ranging from conferment of chieftaincy titles to well deserving illustrious sons and daughters of ljaw nation, Masquerade dance display, Novelty football match competition, Award presentation, Free Medical Services, Quiz/Essay writing competition, Wrestling competition, Cultural dance display, Paddling competition among others.

The one week long event would also feature the best of ljaw traditional and high life owigiri music display, such as the likes of FC Story Teller, Chief. Barrister.S.Smooth, the Paddle of Niger Delta, Chief. Kingsley Takembo alias Mienkuro 1 of Niger Delta, Prince Abraham Donokoromo alias lsaba Abraham, Dr. Gesi-ere Nicholas, daughter of the legendary late ljaw music King Robert Ebizimo, King Allen Alabor, Hero Beremi of Arogbo-lbe, the Bayelsa Cultural Troupe, Dr. Alfred lzon-ebi alia Jking and the son of the soil, Tare Okiri popularly known as Mr. Harrysong respectfully would be live to spice up the ceremony with mesmerizing melodies to entertain potential distinguished guests and dignitaries at the occasion.

Read below in chronological order of the programme as scheduled:

10TH CORONATION ANNIVERSARY

 ACTIVITIES

MONDAY 22ND SEPTEMBER 2025 (DAY 1) 

* CONFERMENT OF CHIEFTAINCY TITLE 

* FC STORY TELLER 

* TUG OF WAR

* TINIWEI 

* AROTENGHAN QRTS/ITS VILLAGES

* PEREBIRI QRTS/ITS VILLAGES 

MUSIC BY : BARRISTER SMOOTH

TUESDAY 23RD SEPTMBER 2025 (DAY 2) 

* MASQUERADE DISPLAY

* IKIANDUMU QRTS/ITS VILLAGES

* OTURUBIRI QRTS/ITS VILLAGES 

* PADDLING COMPETITION 

* FREE MEDICAL TREATMENT 

MUSIC BY: KINGSLEY TAKEMBO 

WEDNESDAY 24TH SEPTMBER 2025 (DAY 3)

* NOVELTY FOOTBALL MATCH GBARAMATU V OGBE-IJOH 

* AWARD PRESENTATION 

* ISABA ABRAHAM & GESI-ERE NICHOLAS 

THURSDAY 25TH SEPTMBER 2025 (DAY 4)

* LOTIEBIRI QRTS/ITS VILLAGES

* OGUMABIRI QRTS/ITS VILLAGES

* QUIZ/ESSAY WRITTEN COMPETITION 

* WRESTLING 

MUSIC BY:  KING ALLEN AND HERO

FRIDAY 26TH SEPTMBER 2025 (DAY 5) GRAND FINALE

* BAYELSA CULTURAL GROUP 

MUSIC BY: JK ALFRED IZONEBI

HARRYSON..

Opinion: “2031: When Nigeria’s Youth May Finally Claim the Crown”_By William Z. Bozimo

Nigeria’s politics has always been a theatre of age and endurance. Elders occupy the front seats, holding the keys of state, while the young are often told to “wait their turn.” Yet, as the clock ticks toward 2031, a storm gathers. The youth restless, educated, and digitally armed are no longer content to be spectators. 

From the First Republic to the Fourth, power has always been a relay baton passed within familiar circles. Our fathers cloaked in agbadas heavy with history, speaking of patience. They remind us of the sacrifices made, wars fought, and roads paved. Yet the younger generation asks, with equal urgency: “Must destiny always be delayed? Must our tomorrow always be borrowed?”

Today’s Nigerian youth are not the silent observers of yesterday. They are bloggers, coders, entrepreneurs, and activists. Their platforms are no longer street corners but WhatsApp groups, TikTok streams, and Twitter spaces, where debates are fierce and ideas unfiltered. In their voices lies a clear message: “they want a seat at the table, not crumbs from it.”

Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has signalled willingness to serve just one term if elected in the future, promising reform over longevity. His words resonate with a demographic tired of having recycled leadership. Yet Obi’s shadow also inspires younger gladiators, men and women under 50 years of age who quietly sharpen their tools for the battles ahead. In boardrooms, classrooms, and town hall meetings, names unknown today may carry the flags of 2031.

No Nigerian election is complete without the rhythm of regional demands. The Ijaws of the Niger Delta murmur of long-denied leadership. The North watches carefully, while the South calculates with caution. Each bloc prepares, but it is the youth across these territories who may upset the old balance? Note that their allegiance is not bound by ethnicity as tightly as their parents; rather, they speak a language of opportunity, inclusion, and reform.

2031 is not merely another election year. It is a referendum on whether Nigeria’s democracy can rejuvenate itself or remain trapped in the cycle of elders' dominance. The stakes are higher than party victories and they touch on whether young Nigerians will continue to migrate in despair, or stay to build the country they dream about.

The elders may still clutch their sceptres, but history is restless. The children of thunder are restless, ambitious, and digitally united; preparing to storm the stage. If Nigeria is to march forward, it cannot silence its dawn. The ballot of 2031 may yet prove to be the mirror where old promises fade and a new Nigeria begins.

“The children of thunder are not bound by the chains of yesterday’s politics anymore.”

William Z. Bozimo

Veteran Journalist | Columnist | National Memory Keeper

THIRD MAINLAND BRIDGE: Activist, Mulade demands monumental projects for Niger Delta coastal areas

A renowned peace, environmental and justice advocate in Delta State, Comrade Mulade Sheriff, PhD, has urged the Federal Government led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to link up strategic locations in the Niger Delta's coastal areas to the urban centers with viable bridges and road projects to open them to massive infrastructural development and to boost economic activities that will yield more revenues for the country.

Mulade's call is coming on the heels of the FG's unveiling of plans through the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, for a massive upgrade of the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos State, with a whooping N3.8 trillion already allocated to tackle the deep structural issues threatening the bridge’s viability

It would also be recalled that N21 billion had been spent earlier on emergency repairs of the bridge late last year, while another bridge in Lagos, the Carter Bridge, with similar structural findings to the Third Mainland Bridge indicated it is beyond repair and will cost N359 billion for a replacement, according to a recommendation from construction giant, Julius Berger.

According to Mulade, "While I commend the President Tinubu government for undertaking landmark projects including the recent allocation of N3.8 trillion to the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos, why considering that, a significant project that will give sense of belonging to the people of the Niger Delta coastal areas, who continue to bear the brunt of oil and gas exploration and exploitation activities, should also be considered.

"For instance, a project such as the Warri-Gbaramantu-Escravos Bridge, the Forcados-Ogulagha Bridge, extension of Ayakoroma Bridge to land in Burutu Forcados Terminal, means most of the coastal areas including Odimodi, Izon-Burutu to Age, Obotobo, among others will easily open up to infrastructural and economic development," he stated.

Speaking further on the recent allocation of N3.8 trillion by the federal government for the Third Mainland Bridge, Mulade, who is the Ibe Serimowei of Ancient Gbaramatu Kingdom, stated that while most of the funding for the project will come from oil revenues in the Niger Delta, the coastal areas which play host to the oil and gas industry and blue economy are deliberately neglected.

He said, "If this amount can be thrown into that project, then what is the fate of the people of the Niger Delta, where the oil and gas is being flared on a daily basis to generate not less than 80 percent of the amount that will go into that project? 

"We agree Lagos has IGR that can run itself to a reasonable extent, but 80 percent of the fund will come from the oil revenue, of course, from the FEC, to construct that bridge. 

"And we have been clamoring for a single road to even connect Escravos Terminal in Gbaramatu Kingdom area Delta State, which is an economically viable end, because of the Escravos Terminal, but nothing has been done. We also clamoured for Burutu hosting the Forcados Terminal and one of Nigeria first seaports, still none. Even Brass, it is the Bayelsa State government that took the bull by the horn to construct that bridge, and we pray that he will be able to complete it," he added 

Mulade further alleged that governors in the region who are none Ijaws are deliberately neglecting the development of the coastal areas largely occupied and dominated by the Ijaws but their actions continue to keep the people in poverty, hardship and deliberate neglect.

"I feel the non-Ijaw governors in the region are deliberately depriving us of significant developmental projects which is our rights in Nigeria but they refusal to execute people oriented and impactful projects in the coastal areas with life transforming development as they plan to lure investors to do business in their own areas (upland) while leaving our people shortchanged, forcing them to migrate to upland for education, health, business and development."

He therefore appealed to the Tinubu government to change the narrative by opening up the coastal communities in the region to attract more investors, to create jobs, offer opportunities for wealth creation among other benefits he said are yet untapped because of the lack of affordable transport Infrastructures.

Just-ln: Aggrieved N'Delta Ex-agitators Writes IGP, to Embark on Peaceful Protest Against PINL on 29th/30th September, 2025 in Abuja

Following the poor performance and breach of contract agreements with host communities by the Pipeline lnfrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL), an oil pipeline surveillance company owned by the Olu of Warri, HRM. Shola Emiko over many years of operation in the Niger Delta region, the aggrieved ex-agitators under the aegis of Aggrieved Freedom Fighters Forum, has written an open letter to the Nigerian security agencies, especially the lnspector General of Nigeria Police Force, lGP Olukayode Adeolu Egbetokun Ph.D, NPM, in order to notify him ahead of peaceful and non-violence protest on the 29th and 30th of September, 2025 against Pipeline lnfrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) at NNPCL Tower Abuja.

In the open letter addressed to the lnspector General of Police dated 1st September, 2025 and signed by the leader of the forum, Don General Cairo, stressed that the purpose of the protest is to expressed their displeasure with  Pipeline lnfrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) and demand termination of its contract with NNPCL over lack of performance, breach of contract agreements with host communities, sponsoring of tribal war in the Niger Delta region among other issues of national interest as the company has operated for many years without any visible or positive impact in safeguarding the nation's critical oil pipeline infrastructures.

Don Gen Cairo affirmed that the aggrieved ex-agitators of Niger Delta would mobilized in their large numbers in a lawful and peaceful manner to converged at the NNPCL Tower Abuja as well as the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs to press home their demands without fear or favour.

According to the open letter, read below:

AGGRIEVED FREEDOM FIGHTERS FORUM OF NIGER DELTA

Office of The lnspector General of Police, Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, Louis Edet House, Area ll Garki, Abuja, FCT, Nigeria.

1st September, 2025

Dear Sir,

 LETTER OF PROTEST

The Leadership of the Aggrieved Freedom Fighters Forum of Niger Delta wishes to notify the lnspector General of Nigeria Police Force of our intention to embark on a peaceful and non-violence protest on the 29th and 30th of September, 2025.

The purpose of the protest is to register our displeasure with Pipeline lnfrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) and to demand termination of its contract with NNPCL over lack of performance, breach of contract agreements with host communities, sponsoring of tribal crisis in the Niger Delta region among others as the company has operated for many years without any visible or positive impact in safeguarding the nation's critical oil pipeline infrastructures.

We shall, in a lawful and peaceful manner, converged at the NNPCL Tower Abuja as well as the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs to press home our demands.

Thank you for your attention, and may God bless you, the statement added.

Yours Faithfully,

Signed:

Don General Cairo,

Leader, Aggrieved Freedom Fighters Forum.

Delta lndependent Power Plant Generation will Boost the State Economy and Create Employment Rather than National Grid, Engr. Tobi Oburumu Urges Gov. Oborevwori

According to the warri based astute professional civil engineer, Tobi Oburumu in his professional piece of advice titled: 'Domestic Policy 101' to the Delta State Government under the leadership of His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Elder Sheriff Francis Oborevwori, said:

Delta is on the right track taking steps to enhance rural/Urban electrification but going independent is a more strategy approach. 

90% of Delta state, meaning most of her rural and riverine communities have not being connected to the national grid, this is a huge market awaiting to be explored.

Don't pursue that connectivity to the national grid but establish independent power plants in strategy locations of the creek close to gas pipelines (Build Gas Turbine plants).

Access to gas is guaranteed through JV with the IOC's/ NNPC. The process is simply  buying gas and selling the output as electricity. Investors are all over the world  ready to commit financial/technical resources with government commitment as a guarantee.

This will serve as a social responsibility for the IOC's, generation of revenue for the government and creation of Job for the people. Although the governor is working so hard with vision and commitment to achieve 100% electrification of the state. 

My candid advice is for him to pursue power independency in off grid areas rather than connect such areas to the national grid. If the Discos want to connect this areas with their resources,allow them but  the state government as a policy should go for power independency as a business/economic policy. 

The target market is huge including the federal government via her agencies like the Federal maritime university, oil and gas federal hospital and the Nigerian port Authority.

This will also woo private production and processing companies to the  riverine areas of the state like seafood processing companies and many more.

Opinion: “The Ballot in the Storm: Rivers at the Crossroads.”_By William Z. Bozimo.

There are times when democracy walks with a limp. Rivers State today is such a theatre, where the ballot paper flutters not like a symbol of choice, but like a kite tossed in the storm of power. First, the Supreme Court “tore down” the October 2024 elections, declaring them a house built on sand. The Supreme Court’s nullification emphasises adherence to legal standards.

Then came the promise of a new dawn in August 2025. What the people wished for was a festival of representatives celebrating, and not a tug of legitimacy and expedience. The state electoral umpire shifts dates like a restless drummer searching for rhythm, while civil society raises its voice, crying foul over short notice and shaky grounds. Above it all, the ghost of a state of emergency hovers. 

A governor suspended, a legislature in limbo, and the people asked to believe that their vote still matters. Democracy as the name implies is supposed to be like a river flowing, nourishing, and cleansing. However, in Rivers State, the water feels dammed and its current is redirected by unseen hands. The state of emergency and the rescheduled elections highlight tensions between power and procedural legitimacy.

The APC claims victory in 20 councils and the PDP is left with scraps, while voices like Atiku thunder from afar, urging the rejection of the election results, calling it a “shameful eyesore.”Observers nod politely at the conduct of voters and the security agency, but the profound question remains: when an institution wobbles, can the ballot still stand as the people’s staff of office?

Rivers' populace is not just voting for chairmen and councillors, but it is voting for greatness by faith. Therefore, if the local is broken, then the national cannot be whole. Likewise, when the ballot is mocked at the grassroots level, what then becomes of 2027 when the giants gather again? The local governance systems under the emergency rule at the moment raise important questions about democratic standards, federal influence, and electoral integrity.

Nigeria’s political season is already in full swing, though the 2027 elections are nearly two years away. Scenic imagery of political elites sprinting before the race even begins.

The storm is fierce, but storms do not last forever. Somewhere beneath the noise, the people still wait.

Farmers, traders, and the youths are holding on to the confidence that democracy, however battered, will yet find its footing somehow. The question now is whether the custodians of power will let the river flow free, or whether they will continue to bottle its waters for their own thirst.

William Z. Bozimo

Veteran Journalist | Columnist | National Memory Keeper.

How 14 years old girl was raped and impregnated by her stepfather in Kwale, Delta State

By: Israel Joe

Ofiemo Abigail married a man. After giving birth to three children, 2 girls and one boy, she left Warri for another Orogun man farming in the Kwale area of Delta State. She carried her three children along to Kwale and now had two other children for the new man known as Emmanuel.

The new man dęfíIęd and started molesting the eldest daughter until she got admitted into the Delta State University, Abraka, and left the house. In order to please the new man again, the mom kept calling the young daughter Destiny to allow the useless man to sleep with her. The man got Destiny, the younger daughter pregnant last year at age 13. When the pregnancy got to 9 months, they gave this little girl a concoction to drink, and she had a still-birth.

As if this wasn't enough, the man continued sleeping with the girl to the mother's knowledge and the mother had told the girl that she must not tell anybody about it just the way she warned her eldest daughter now in the university. As you can see, the girl is now 4 months old pregnant.

The father, who does PSP (watse disposal) job, had to raise 15k to his eldest daughters to go to Kwale to bring Destiny and the boy back to Warri. Destiny had called the father that she would ḍíę if she isnt taken out of her mother and stepfather's house as they wanted to do the ąbørtíøn the next day. This little girl has suffered, and poverty is a bąstąrd.

I was called by the younger brother to the former Chief of Defence Staff, Irabor. As a good friend of mine, he appealed that I should help handle this issue because I have recently committed myself more to my private library for academic research and assignments. 

It was difficult to entertain people at my private residence, but hearing the story of this little girl and her father, this morning broke my heart. The man couldn't even raise money to take the daughter to Kwale Police station to lay a complaint, and right in my present, the mother kept calling that the medicines to take out this second 4 months old pregnancy were ready. What a life?

Comr. Israel Joe 

#Justice4Destiny

Opinion: Lagos, The Land Where Sleep is Banished_By William Z. Bozimo.

They say Lagos never sleeps but it is not because it is a city of dreams, but it is a city of survival. Her children doze in danfos, nap on okadas, and snatch seconds of rest while traffic lights blink red. Sleep becomes a total stranger where rent is due and bread costs more than yesterday’s wage.

Every dawn, yellow buses awaken before the cock crows, their conductors’ voices cracking the fragile night: “Oshodi! CMS! Mile 2!” They herd Lagosians like cattle, each human body packed as if poverty were contagious. Yet in the rattle and roar, jokes are shared, prayers are muttered, and resilience is rehearsed daily.

On Victoria Island, glass towers touch the sky. Air-conditioned offices hum while mainland mothers hawk sachet water under bridges. Lagos is a city of two faces: one painted with foreign perfume, while the other smeared with sweat and dust. The bridge between them is not only Third Mainland, it is inequality stretched too far.

“Eko for Show,” they boast. But beneath the boasting lie bruises. The tailor chasing one more client, the banker counting not naira but borrowed hours, the market woman bargaining with stubborn inflation; all are hustlers, carrying hope in tired palms. In Lagos, survival itself is performance art.

But the lagoon remembers. The sea creeps closer, swallowing Lekki one tide at a time. Still, mansions rise on sand that shifts, as if concrete were stronger than memory. Lagosians build, but the ocean waits with patient hunger. Lagos is not a city you live in, it is a city you survive.

Lagos is like a jungle city, where you find first-hand indiscipline at the highest order, and everyone wants to get to the first place and outshine the other; thereby making the “jungle justice” a reality.

When night finally falls, it does not bring peace. Generators growl, horns snarl, lovers argue, and dreams wrestle with tomorrow’s expenses. “Las Gidi” does not sleep because her people cannot afford to do so. Yet, in this insomnia, they weave songs, inventions, and resilience that shame softer cities. As the saying goes, EKO ONI BAJE. Long live the industrial hub of Africa.

✍🏽 William Z. Bozimo

Veteran Journalist | Columnist | National Memory Keeper.

South-South People Mourn IGP Solomon Arase, Declares him a National Hero of Special Class

PRESS STATEMENT 

SOUTH-SOUTH PEOPLE MOURN IGP SOLOMON ARASE, DECLARES HIM A NATIONAL HERO OF SPECIAL CLASS 

The Board of Trustee and National Executive Committee of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), the apex socio-political body of the South South geopolitical zone, has received with shock, pain and  total devastation news of the death of Chief Dr. Solomon Ehigiator Arase, former Inspector General, Nigerian Police Force (NPF) and former Chairman, Police Service Commission, which sad event occurred earlier Sunday, 31st August, 2025. 

The entire Niger Delts mourns the loss of a towering figure in law enforcement, a distinguished academic, and a sound lawyer who left an indelible mark on the Nigerian security landscape and public service. 

Dr. Arase's remarkable career was characterized by his unwavering commitment to excellence, his passion for justice, and his tireless efforts to promote safety and security across the country. As a seasoned law enforcement officer, he brought his vast experience and expertise to bear on the challenges facing national security and the Nigeria Police Force in particular.  His diligence and contributions towards welfare of men and women of the Nigerian Police Force, earned the respect and admiration of his peers and the public on how to make Nigeria more safe and  respectable in the comity of nations. 

PANDEF also recalls with nostalgia Dr. Arase, as former Chairman of its Edo State Chapter and now a BOT Member, leaves behind  impressive achievements and was known more for his humility, kindness, and generosity of spirit. He was a true leader, a mentor, and a role model who inspired many.

He was indeed a true Nigerian hero of Special Class and will always be remembered in the annals of the country's history. 

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, the people of Sabondida Ora, Edo State  and rest of Nigeria during this difficult time. May his legacy continue to inspire and motivate us to build a more prosperous Niger Delta, and  more just, and safer Nigeria.

May his soul rest in peace. 

Ambassador Dr Godknows Boladei igali, OON 

National Chairman

Barrister Preye Onduku Appreciates Friends, Family and Well Wishers on Successful Burial Rites of late Father ln-law in Benin City

Barrister Preye Onduku, a Warri based legal practitioner and critical stakeholder in ljaw nation has expressed his deepest gratitude to God Almighty, families, colleagues, friends and well wishers who stood by him before, during and after the final burial rites of his beloved father in-law, late Pa. Elder Solomon Osayande Ehigiator over the weekend in the ancient Benin City, Edo State Capital.

The burial ceremony took place on Thursday 28th and Saturday 30th August, 2025 at late Pa. Ehigiator compound at No 5 Upper Mission Lane, off Upper Mission Road, Benin City. 

Barrister Preye who is married to Francess Aghogho Onduku (Nee) Ehigiator on behalf of his family, appreciated his friends, colleagues and well wishers, especially the Onduku family of Ayakoromo and Bozimo family of Ezebiri both in Burutu and Bomadi LGAs of Delta State over their support in kind, finance, presence and prayers, wishing them God's peace and blessings upon their lives and families.

According to the statement, read below:

" On behalf of myself and Family, we deeply appreciate friends, colleagues, well wishers, the Onduku and Bozimo's family's for the show of love, kindness and strong support on the occasion of my father ln-law, late Pa. Elder Solomon Osayande Ehigiator burial with your money, presence and prayers. 

" We are immensely grateful. God bless the Onduku and Bozimo family's. Blood is thicker than water ! Once again Adooh ", the statement added.

Among those present include; Hon. Trust Edumogiren, Barrister Akin, Mr/Mrs. Ebipade Lyon, Mrs. Dorcas Oburumu, Preye Asu, Dr. Akposeye Bozimo, Mr/Mrs. Ayaebi Onduku, Oyinbi Onduku, Kile Areweremi, Sister Etipou Onduku, John Tuedon, Stella Agidee, Tams Okunbiri Daubimene among others..