PAP Sends 142 Beneficiaries for Foreign Postgraduate Scholarship in the UK

The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has sent 142 qualified beneficiaries on foreign educational scholarship carefully designed to deepen, enhance and broaden the human capacity needs of the Niger Delta Region and country in furtherance of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.

The PAP Administrator, Chief Dennis Brutu Otuaro, disclosed that beneficiaries of the all-expenses-paid scholarship programme in the United Kingdom were not only qualified but also carefully selected from a rigorous process for quality contributions to industry demands relevant to the accelerated development of the region and country. 

Otuaro spoke at the orientation ceremony held for the departing beneficiaries at the Headquarters of PAP in Maitama, Abuja, on Thursday.

“What we are doing today is a deliberate effort to take Mr. President’s Renewed Hope Agenda to our people. Last year, when we came on board, the mandate was to take this Programme to the people at the grassroots and to the people at the communities.

“If you put the number of beneficiaries today together, about 142, all of them are going for postgraduate studies. We know that when they go and come back, they will add serious values to our communities, nation; and human capacity in the region. In that case, they will contribute any knowledge they have back home to our region.

“We also have other aspects of the Programme. But this educational aspect is on professional courses. It is not an all-comers’ affair. In the areas that we know we can do postgraduate programmes in Nigeria, we are doing them within our country. In terms of the selection process, it is based on qualification and industry demand for the development of Niger Delta and Nigeria,” Chief Otuaro, who promised to do more for Niger Delta people, explained.

The orientation ceremony particularly involved related talks and advice on conducts, tasks, and challenges ahead of the students, many of whom have never travelled outside the shores of Nigeria before.

In one of such important talks, titled: Diplomatic Security Implications, Head of Nigeria Military Police and former Military Attaché to Nigeria High Commission in Ghana, Maj-Gen. M. O. Erebulu, admonished the students to be of good conduct.

“What we are doing today reminds us of the history of this Programme. For the first time, we are having a huge number of students like these going out of the country. PAP has impacted on the lives of the people of Niger Delta.

“Our conduct over there is very important. What you do and get away with at home, you can't get away with over there.

“You're carrying the flag of the country. So, you're an ambassador of this country. When you're caught with drugs, the first reaction is that you're a Nigerian. Abstain from drugs. Don't wait until when your passport expires before renewal. Anything about your visa, do it on time,” Erebulu stated.

In his important talk, titled: The Cultural and Social Dynamics of Studying in the UK and Europe, the Technical Assistant to the PAP Administrator, Mr. Edgar Bio, urged the students to work hard for academic excellence.

Mr. Bio said, “With regards to your obligations as students, see yourselves as beneficiaries of this Programme. Think of what you can give back or do for your country, the Niger Delta and your community.

“The laws of the country where you're going to study, keep and obey them. Keep away from drugs.

“There is what is called over there as conditional rape. Your spoken language, social culture and conducts must be restrained. You must focus on your education.”

Other speakers included PAP Head of Education, Dr. Charles Ariye, who spoke on: the Academic Dynamics of Studying in the UK and PAP Assistant Head of Education, Mr. Anthony Okon, who spoke on: PAP’s Responsibilities to Beneficiaries.

The beneciaries are made up of two batches of 71 students each. The ceremony concluded with a group photograph that followed questions and answers as well as an affirmation of acceptance of the scholarship terms and conditions by all beneficiaries.

AYAKOROMO BRIDGE: THE STEPCHILD OF DELTA POLITICS—Twelve Years of Rust and Lies_Ebikabowei Kedikumo

On the map of Delta, there lives a sick ghost.  

A patient perpetually on life support,

kept breathing not to heal,  

but for politicians to boast,  

“See? He still lives.”  

Its name is AYAKOROMO BRIDGE., the stepchild of Delta politics.

Conceived with fanfare,  

baptised in lies,  

left dangling over the Forcados River  

like an unfinished sentence…  

in the distracted mouth of careless rulers.  

From birth,  

it was bathed in speeches   

and wrapped in promises.  

Phantom budget allocations crowned it 

Numbers glittering on paper,  

but dissolving long before touching the water’s edge.  

Twelve years have passed.  

Still, the bridge has no legs to walk upon the river,  

no spine to bear the footsteps of traders,  

students,  

dreamers.  

Every election season,  

its rusted skeleton is dusted and perfumed for the cameras.  

Paraded like a bride  

who will never see her wedding night.  

And when the cameras leave,  

it’s shoved back into the shadows of deliberate neglect.  

Governors come,  

Governors go,  

but Ayakoromo Bridge remains half-born —  

its ribs showing like a starving beast abandoned at the river’s edge.  

Delta State is no poor man’s pantry.  

Here, money flows like our rivers,  

swollen from oil beneath our creeks,  

from taxes,  

from allocations,  

from the sweat of women selling smoked fish  

in markets with leaking zinc roofs.  

Yet at the great Ukodo Pot of governance,  

the ladle dips deep,  

but only to feed select bowls —  

until the broth runs over.  

Delta Central and Delta North feast on steaming meat,  

while the Delta Ijaw inhale pepper and scent leaves,  

tasting only the memory of the broth.  

Ayakoromo Bridge is the mirror of this inequality —  

a stepchild patted on the head in public,  

but starved in the kitchen  

where the real meals are served.  

Elsewhere in Delta,  

bridges spring up overnight.  

Flyovers bloom at PTI Junction, Enerhen Junction,  

Uromi Junction —  

steel and concrete rising like mushrooms in rainy season.  

But here, across our waters,  

The bridge to promise is built at the speed of a snail  

dragging a wounded hippo.  

A tortoise carrying a dead elephant.  

This is not inability.  

This is not lack of money.  

This is selective development politics

Regions weighed not by need,  

but by electoral convenience.  

Ayakoromo Bridge is not just concrete and iron.  

It is a necklace that could join Delta Ijaw necks  

to the wider heartbeat of the state.  

It could carry goods, children, women, and hope  

across waters that have drowned too many dreams.  

But in Asaba’s chambers,  

our hope is traded for campaign jingles.  

Our dignity filed under "Pending"  -  KIV (Keep In View).  

Twelve years,  

and the bridge’s spine is still unborn.  

Meanwhile, Julius Berger’s name is sung like a psalm  

in places where projects bloom at record speed.  

Delta’s treasury drips with oil wealth.  

But perhaps Delta Ijaw oil,  

votes, and rivers  

are not golden enough  

in the arithmetic of political power.  

So Ayakoromo  Bridge rots under the sun,  

Its rust bleeding into the Forcados  

like the blood of betrayal.  

Its steel ribs jutting from the water like bones  

In the chest of a starving giant.  

The river keeps count.  

The tides have recorded every year of this shame.  

The ancestors are watching.  

Ozubou is watching.  

Odele is watching.  

Olorogun is watching.

Egbesu  has also worn medicated glasses

Watching 

Ukodo —  

remember, they are watching your ladle.  

At the banquet of development,  

give every community its share.  

Let the Delta Ijaw taste the wealth their oil and loyalty have purchased.  

For slow fire will turn even the sweetest pepper soup bitter.  

Our patience is thinner than a canoe in storm tide.  

If your calloused hands keep choking the handle of progress,  

if Ayakoromo Bridge remains a masquerade that dances only in campaign season,  

Abd disappeares when the drums are silent.

Then hear this:  

The river will rise.  

Not with water,  

but with the voices of the betrayed.  

A flood that will not wait for drums.  

A flood that will shake the pillars of Government House.  

Bridges are not mere steel and concrete.  

They are arteries of trust.  

Block an artery long enough,  

and the body revolts.  

Starve Ayakoromo Bridge,  

and you rust not just its iron,  

but the patience of its people ...

until one day, the river will carry not boats,  

but a people ready to finish the bridge themselves,  

with or without you.

Because the tide will not wait forever. 

EBIKABOWEI KEDIKUMO - writes from Ayakoromo Town, Delta State.

Featured Article: The Governor’s Convoy and the Beggar’s Crutch_By William Z. Bozimo

The road tells no lies. On one side, a convoy of tinted glass, sirens tearing through the air, and policemen armed to the teeth. On the other hand, a beggar’s crutch dragging across the tar, the sound swallowed by the roar of exhaust pipes. Both are heading in the same direction, towards the future. Yet only one travels with speed, while the other limps, unnoticed, into the dust. 

This is the parable of our politics. Excess rolling past suffering, neither seeing the other. And the people clap as though they are not the ones being trampled. Nigeria has mastered the theatre of contrasts. Politicians speak of “empowerment” while speeding past the very citizens they claim to empower. They deliver speeches about “development” from podiums built on borrowed funds, while children sell sachet water outside the hall. 

The convoy is not just a line of cars; it is a metaphor for distance, a state so far removed from its citizens that it no longer hears the crutch against the tar. And yet, we have learned to exhilarate. Sirens no longer irritate; they mesmerize. The masses who part the road for the convoy are the same who sleep hungry that night. We clap for our own marginalization like viewers applauding a play where they are both the actors and the victims.

A badge can be a shield, or a weapon. Nigeria must choose wisely. A society becomes truly sick when the beggar stops asking questions and begins admiring the shine of the governor’s motorcade. Poverty, then, is not just in the pocket, but in the imagination. The beggar’s crutch becomes a permanent fixture because he has been convinced that the convoy is the natural order of things.

They say power should live closer to the people; but what happens when power, instead of protection wears the uniform of oppression? Power is like a restless tenant, always moving in before the house is ready. But the road still tells the truth. For one day, the sirens will go silent, the tinted windows will roll down, and the convoy will dissolve into memory. Yet the crutch will remain, passed down from one generation to another, unless we choose to mend it.

Governance was never meant to be a parade of distance. It was supposed to be the bridge between the crutch and the convoy, between the forgotten and the fortunate. Until that bridge is built, every siren is just an echo of inequality, and every convoy is a moving monument to what we have refused to change. At the moment, drums of 2027 thunder in 2025. The ink on today’s unfulfilled promises is not yet dry, yet billboards bloom like impatient flowers.

When people forget their square, they no longer bargain for their future, they are sold to the highest bidder.

William Z. Bozimo

Veteran Journalist | Columnist | National Memory Keeper

ND-PYLF National President, Amb. Marbo invites friends and well wishers on his late father's burial on 28 November, 2025 at Ogbinbiri in Delta State

According to Chief Diplomat Amb. E.O.O. Marbo, the National President ND-PYLF, said:

" Call To Glory!

With gratitude to God almighty, the families of Ogomugo (Abi-dumu) quarter of Ogbinbiri Town, Warri North Local Government Area of Delta state, in Egbema Kingdom, announce the Home Call of their Father, Uncle, brother, grandfather,  great grandfather , which sad event occurred on the 24th of April, 2025.

Late High Chief (Dr.) , Prophet  Oloko Ogomugo Pere Adam (1947-2025).

" On the 28th of November, 2025, the body leaves Obule mortuary, Sapele Delta State, by 8am Prompt to his Home Town, Ogbinbiri through Pontu Waterside, Sapele, Delta State.

" You are all invited to join us to give my late father a befitting burial. Thank you all for your understanding cooperation."

Chief Diplomat Amb. Adam.E. O. O. Marbo,

National President ND-PYLF 

Aka: the voice of the Voiceless, the statement added..

FG rolls out new curriculum for schools, introduces Journalism, Coding and AI literacy amongst new compulsory subjects

The Federal Government of Nigeria has officially unveiled the long-awaited revised Basic and Senior Secondary Education Curriculum, introducing new subjects such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy, Coding, Journalism, and a range of trade skills into the school system.

The move was announced on Monday, September 8, 2025, by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), marks a historic overhaul of Nigeria’s education sector, with reforms designed to reduce curriculum overload, promote skill acquisition, and prepare learners for the challenges of the 21st century.

According to NERDC Executive Secretary, Professor Salisu Shehu, the authentic subject list has been signed, approved, and gazetted, warning stakeholders against circulating or adopting fake versions of the curriculum.

FG Warns Against Fake Lists:

In its statement, NERDC cautioned schools, teachers, and parents:

“We fervently call on all critical stakeholders to disregard any other fake and unauthentic list that is at variance with the approved list provided above.”

To guarantee smooth implementation, the Federal Government announced a nationwide sensitisation campaign and teacher capacity-building workshops, starting immediately.

Implementation Timeline:

The new curriculum will be introduced gradually at the entry points of each three-year cycle:

Primary 1

Primary 4

JSS 1

SS 1

This ensures a phased and sustainable transition without disrupting ongoing school programs.

Breakdown of Subjects:

Primary School Subjects

Primary 1–3 (Minimum 9 | Maximum 10):

English Studies

Mathematics

Nigerian Languages

Basic Science

Physical & Health Education

Christian Religious Studies (CRS) / Islamic Studies (IS)

Nigerian History

Social & Citizenship Studies

Cultural & Creative Arts (CCA)

Arabic Language (Optional)

Primary 4–6 (Minimum 11 | Maximum 12/13):

English Studies

Mathematics

Nigerian Languages

Basic Science & Technology

Physical & Health Education

Basic Digital Literacy

CRS / IS

Nigerian History

Social & Citizenship Studies

Cultural & Creative Arts

Pre-vocational Studies

French (Optional)

Arabic (Optional)

Junior Secondary School (JSS 1–3) (Minimum 12 | Maximum 14)

English Studies

Mathematics

Nigerian Languages

Intermediate Science

Physical & Health Education

Digital Technologies

CRS / IS

Nigerian History

Social & Citizenship Studies

Cultural & Creative Arts

Business Studies

Trade Subjects (Choose one):

Solar Photovoltaic Installation

Fashion Design & Garment Making

Livestock Farming

Beauty & Cosmetology

Computer Hardware & GSM Repairs

Horticulture & Crop Production

French (Optional)

Arabic (Optional)

Senior Secondary School (SS 1–3)

Core and Compulsory Subjects:

English Language

General Mathematics

One Trade Subject

Citizenship & Heritage Studies

Digital Technologies

Science Options:

Biology, Chemistry, Physics

Agriculture

Further Mathematics

Physical/Health Education

Foods & Nutrition

Geography

Technical Drawing.

Humanities Options:

Nigerian History, Government

CRS / IS

One Nigerian Language

French or Arabic

Visual Arts, Music, Literature in English

Home Management: Catering Craft

Business Options:

Accounting, Commerce, Marketing, Economics

Trade Options (Choose one):

Solar Photovoltaic Installation

Fashion Design & Garment Making

Livestock Farming

Beauty & Cosmetology

Computer Hardware & GSM Repairs

Horticulture & Crop Production

What This Means:

The introduction of Coding, AI awareness, and Journalism reflects the government’s bid to produce globally competitive graduates. With more emphasis on skills like renewable energy installation, digital literacy, and entrepreneurship, the curriculum moves away from rote learning toward practical, life-ready education.

Experts say this is a bold step to reduce unemployment, prepare Nigerian youths for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and modernise a system long criticised as outdated and overloaded.

Key Takeaway:

Nigeria’s new subject list signals a paradigm shift in the country’s education system. With AI, Coding, Journalism, and vocational trades now central to learning, schools must align quickly, while teachers undergo capacity development to deliver the new vision.

TIMIDITY: NIGERIA'S SILENT TRAGEDY_By Ebikabowei Kedikumo

I have been thinking…  

And my thoughts are heavy —  

Like wet clothes clinging to the line on a cold morning.  

Perhaps — just perhaps.

If I wring them into words,  

They might drip into someone's soul.  

And spark a needed fire. 

The greatest tragedy of this nation  

Is not bad leadership.  

No.  

It is a country starved in the belly,  

And shrunken in spirit.  

A people trained to believe that crumbs  

Are the banquet they deserve.  

A people taught never to ask questions.  

A population conditioned to cower.

A population of timid people.

Our TIMIDITY is the root of our pain.

From childhood,  

We were moulded like clay in unkind hands.  

In many African homes, questions were dangerous.  

Every “Why?” children dared to utter  

Was a stone hurled into a hornet’s nest.  

A slap…  

A knuckle to the head…  

Swift replies that marked the end of curiosity.  

Do not ask questions.

To disagree with an elder?  

is a  Mortal sin.  

Here, a child could be whipped  

And told to swallow their tears like bitter medicine.  

And after the flogging,  

The silence that followed was unnatural —  

Like a graveyard at midnight.  

We were shushed into obedience:  

“Shhhhh… if I hear pim…”

If you dared to cry,  

The cry was beaten back into your chest,  

Where it pounded like a drum eager to be played.  

When you finally obeyed and gulped it down,  

Your breath come out in hiccups and hums,  

Like a generator with a faulty carburetor.

Coughing in the night.

Some of the broad chests we admire today  

Were not built by push-ups or gym hours,  

But by years spent  

Swallowing tears and storing pain.  

Our TIMIDITY is the root of our pain.

Then came schooling 

A rigid box  

With windows too small for imagination to crawl through.  

No creativity.  

No liberation.  

We crammed our heads with dead facts,  

Only to vomit them onto exam sheets.  

We passed, yes…  we passed.

But we never knew —  

Never asked —  

Why or how it will shape our lives ahead.

Some of our teachers  

Were captains steering ships they had never learned to sail.  

And we?  

We stayed quiet in the sinking boat,  

Believing that drowning politely  

Was better than shouting for rescue.  

We never asked questions.

Our TIMIDITY is the root of our pain.

Then came university

Same story, different verse.  

The script grew older and more stubborn.

We were forced to buy needless books and handouts,  

As if knowledge could be purchased  

Like trinkets at Igbudu market.  

Lecturers cancelled classes  

Like careless gods.

Tossing aside the prayers of mortals.  

No apology for stolen hours.  

No regard for our worth.  

And we convinced ourselves  

This was discipline,  

When in truth,  

It was training in the art.

Of tolerating the unacceptable.  

Our TIMIDITY is the root of our pain.

And in the workplace?  

The same servitude — just a different uniform.  

One week in,  

Your desk floods with duties you never signed up for.  

And the work follows you home  

Like a stray dog that will not stop barking at your door.  

Ask for a pay raise?  

They will baptise in the name of  “Troublemaker”  

And send you packing.  

We learned to bow our necks,  

Not knowing the ground we bowed to  

Was growing thorns beneath us.  

We learned to stay mute,  

Believing it kept us out of trouble.  

Our TIMIDITY is the root of our pain.

And so when politics came knocking,  

We answered with our same bent backs.  

A nation of over 230 million souls —  

Brilliant stars across the global sky —  

Yet dim torches in our own streets.  

We accept governors  

Who can barely prove they went to school.

Governors who stumble over budget figures.

Like toddlers tripping over pebbles.  

“It is confusing me,” says His Excellency —  

And we applaud.

Mr. president promises constant electricity,  

Delivers constant darkness,  

Then returns for our votes,  

Knowing our memories are as short  

As an eyelash’s shadow at noon.  

We vote.  

He wins.  

He under-delivers again.  

We ask nothing.  

We demand nothing.  

We stay docile.  

Why?  

Because we have been taught not to ask questions.  

Our TIMIDITY is the root of our pain.

A governor builds a 300km road  

As though roads were miracles from the heavens.  

Radio stations sing his praise like a hymn.  

Meanwhile,  

A ₦1 billion project is documented as ₦3 billion.  

The missing ₦2 billion floats away —  

Vanishing into thin air 

And we do not ask  

Where the wind carried it.  

We treat our right to speak  

Like borrowed clothes  

We are afraid to stain.  

Our TIMIDITY is the root of our pain.

We have lawmakers  

Commissioning BetNaija shops as constituency projects 

As though gambling away hope were a gift to the people.

Local government chairmen  

Replaces a mere gate  

And throw ribbon-cutting parties  

Costlier than the gate itself.  

Women in matching wrappers dance in the sun,  

A live band booms like victory drums.  

But the only victory here…  

Is for mediocrity.  

We clap for crumbs,  

Unaware that the bakery belongs to us.  

Our TIMIDITY is the root of our pain.

Election season arrives —  

Young men hired as political thugs.

Young men sharpen cutlasses for masters  

Who feed them only palm wine and empty promises.  

They trade blood for politics.  

But when the rewards arrive —  

Scholarships, contracts, lands, foreign trips —  

They are given  

To the politicians’ children.  

Yet the next election,  

The same young men pick up the same cutlasses  

For the same masters.  

A tragic theatre  with repeat actors,

Repeat pain.

Each act bloodier than the last.

But the young men ask no questions.

Our TIMIDITY is the root of our pain.

We have cuddled our suffering  

Like a mother rocking a sick child.  

We have baptised pain as destiny,  

And called hardship heritage.  

But leaders are only mirrors —  

And the people are the faces they reflect.

You. 

Me.

Us

We must kill TIMIDITY  

And clothe ourselves in the wild armour of courage.  

Bravery is not a dry path without fear.

It is steering your ship straight through the storm.

Even God,  

Who reads the deepest diary of the heart,  

Waits for you to open your mouth in demand.

Silent prayers are seeds left unplanted.

Until the timid Nigerian awakens  

To the truth that dreams are rights — not favours,  

That we must speak and never stay silent,  

That "all die na die" —  

Nothing will change.  

The chains will stay.  

The whip will still sing.  

The hunger will still bite.  

The clueless will still rule.  

The small man will remain small,  

And the big man will remain big.  

If we do not speak,  

The tragedy will live on.  

Nothing will change.

Our TIMIDITY is the root of our pain.

EBIKABOWEI KEDIKUMO - writes from Ayakoromo Town, Delta State.

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.