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HOMEF Trains Communities On Energy Transition, Approaches

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Health of the Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) on Friday organised a day dialogue and training programme in order to prepare communities and equip them with the necessary knowledge about energy transition and how best they should handle it when they are confronted.

The one day dialogue/training titled Just Energy Transition & the Use of Cultural Tools to Build Resistance, which held in Benin, attracted participants from Gelegele community in Ovia North East LGA; Aighobahi community, Ovia South West LGA; Uzebu Community, Oredo LGA; Ohovbe community, Ikpoba-Okha LGA, and Okogbo community, Oredo LGA.

In his opening remarks, Cadmus Atake-Enade, Programme Manager, Community and Culture, HOMEF, said the dialogue and training programme was aimed at sensitising community people on ‘just energy transition ‘ and the role they (community people) need to play.

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He added that the purpose of the programme was to train the community people on the best approach to resist extractive activities that are inimical to their health.

READ ALSO: Bassey First Nigerian To Be Honoured With Wallenberg Medal, HOMEF Celebrates

“The idea is to build communities capacity so that they would be able to stand firm and speak up in the face of oppression. Speaking against extractive activities and other environmental degradations in their respective communities is necessary,” he added.

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Taking participants in the climate change crisis and energy transition, resource person at the event, Babawale Obayanju of Oil Change International, said stopping climate change from getting worse was not enough, adding that “if we truly want to improve the world, we need to reduce climate change in a way that is fair.” He said the ‘just transition’ was all about this.

Obayanju, who acknowledged the fact that transition in the energy sector must happen, noted that “but for us in Africa and the global south, our conversation is around how ‘just’ is this energy transition that is already happening.”

According to him, communities need to be properly informed and armed with the necessary information and skills so that they can ask the necessary questions, resist if the need arises, when companies come to their respective communities with energy transition.

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READ ALSO: NNPCL-Dangote Refineries Rift: HOMEF Demands Transparency, Investigation

“The communities need to get that stage where they understand who they are so that they can ask the companies the right questions when they come.

“Information is power. Communities need to prepare themselves in a way that they can tell the government or companies how they want information to be assessed. Information on energy transition or any activities by companies should be brought to the communities in their own language so that they can read what is written, what they are signing and what they are engaging,” he added.

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Giving an account of how oil exploration have affected Gelegele community in the Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State, Naomi Benson, said “the oil spills have not affected our water alone, they have affected our farmland. When we plant seeds, they die.”

According to her, “before now, when you move out you see trees all over the places with natural air, but it is no more so. The oil explorations have affected the whole environment.”

READ ALSO: Food Crisis: HOMEF, GMOs-Free Nigeria Train Abuja Farmers, CSOs, Others On Agroecology

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Benson further lamented: “The oil company in our community promised to sell drugs for us but there is nothing like that. No good healthcare for pregnant women. We are suffering.”

Another Gelegele indigene, Lucky Enyemi, lamented: “They are oppressing us. I am saying so because we are not getting anything in terms of help, education, training and social amenities. We are not feeling the impact of the oil producing community we are.”

On his part, Aaron Ariabor, also from Gelegele community, said “head of office of the company extracting oil from our community is in Lagos, the staff are there too, but we suffer the impact. No any benefit. They have stopped the empowerment they used to give to us.”

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Also narrating his own story, Aimuawmonsa Igbinomwanhia,
from Aighobahi community, Ovia South West Local Government Area, said: “Our community is one of the hosting communities of Okomu oil, but unfortunately we are not getting anything from the company apart from boreholes. The farmland our people were managing before, the government sold it out to some multinational.”

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UNIMAID, Federal Polytechnic Matriculate 82 Degree Students

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University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) in affiliation with the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi has matriculated 82 students into the degree programmes across five courses.

Speaking during the matriculation ceremony at the Federal Polytechnic Bauchi on Tuesday, Professor Muhammad Laminu Mele, the Vice chancellor, University of Maiduguri, charged the matriculated students to strictly adhere to the rules and regulations guiding the two institutions to enable them achieve the set objectives.

The VC, who was represented by Professor Muhammad Ahmad Waziri, Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic Services, warned that any student or group of students trying to breach the peace of the two institutions would face the full wrath of the law.

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READ ALSO:NEDC Hands Over Mega School To Bauchi Govt

The Don further assured that the University and its affiliated institutions would continue to make easy access to higher quality education to the teeming population across the country.

In a remark, the Rector of the Polytechnic, Alhaji Sani Usman, said they were affiliated with the university to pursue academic excellence, describing the affiliation as a huge pillar in the education reforms.

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READ ALSO:Bauchi Govt, UNICEF Strengthen Education Platforms To Improve Learning Outcomes

The Rector, who was also represented by Dr. Dalhatu Saidu, the Deputy Rector of the Polymeric, commended the university of Maiduguri for not only improving the UNIMAID’s conducive learning environment but expanding the horizon to different higher institutions of learning across Nigeria.

He therefore advised the newly matriculated students to pursue knowledge, to interact freely with the Polytechnic staff, be vigilant and be a brother’s keeper, adding that this would help to achieve the desired objectives.

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The affiliated courses included BSc Mass Communication, BSc Accountancy, BSc Public Administration, BSc Business Administration and BSc Banking and Finance respectively.

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Trouble Looms As Egbesu Group Drags FG To Court Over Resource Control, Others

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Group known as Supreme Egbesu Assembly (SEA) has dragged the Federal Government and the National Assembly to a Federal High Court, Yenagoa, over failure to create additional 24 Local government councils in Bayelsa State as the need for Ijaw to control natural resources in its territory.

The Originating Summons marked: FHC/YNA/CS/63/2026 was filed on Tuesday April 21, 2026 by the plaintiffs including; Felix Tuodolo, Weri Digifa, Ebi Waribigha, Kabowei Akamade, Rosebella Jackson, Thomas Jacklloyd, Primrose Kpokposei, David Imole and Welman Warri at the Federal High Court Yenagoa.

Joined as defendants in the suit are the National Assembly, the Clerk of the National Assembly and the Attorney General of the Federation.

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In the court documents, the Egbesu Assembly premised their action on the alleged failure of the federal government particularly the National Assembly to deliberate, approve and amend the relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

This, according to them, is to allow for resource control as well as the creation of additional LGAs in the state to fulfil the requirements in line with the Constitution.

READ ALSO:FG Bans Unauthorized Use Of Ambassador Title

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The group is therefore seeking, among others, the amendment of the constitution by the National Assembly to allow for the right to resource control.

The Supreme Egbesu Assembly described the suit action as a promise kept.

Mranwh, In a press statement announcing the institution of the lawsuit on Tuesday, the Egbesu Assembly recalled that, on 12th February 2026, it wrote to both the Federal Government and the National Assembly wherein its gave a 21-Day ultimatum for the duo to respond to the age-long demands for resource control and creation of additional LGAs or face a lawsuit.

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The statement partly reads: “Recall that on 12th February 2026, we did inform you that we have written to the National Assembly and the federal government on the need for the creation of an additional 24 Local Government Areas in Bayelsa State as well as the control of our God-given natural resources in Ijaw territory.

“We promised that if the National Assembly and or federal government did not respond to these age-long demands, we were going to seek legal actions to address our demands.

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We gave a time frame of twenty-one days for them to respond to us—we got no response!

“Today the Supreme Egbesu Assembly (SEA) has kept to its promise.

“We instituted an action at the Federal High Court Yenagoa against the National Assembly and the Federal Government after the expiration of the 21 days. Today we were in court for the first hearing of both cases.”

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According to the group, creation of additional local government areas for Bayelsa is as old as the creation of the State itself.

The SEA maintained that “there is nowhere in any democracy where a state is limited to just 8 LGAs: more pathetic is the fact that Bayelsa State is an oil bearing State.

“Bayelsa State presently has twenty four Rural Development Authorities (RDA) which can be easily converted to Local Government areas thereby making the State eligible to participate in the sharing of allocation and the development of their areas for the purpose of justice and equity.

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Gentlemen, we wish to inform you that our suit on Resource Control is a revival of our age long agitation.”

The group further stated that Nigeria can no longer operate a system where contributors to the national coffers are not in charge of their resources.

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The group added that the lawsuit is therefore for the Ijaw people.

The Ijaw Nation must be free from all economic strangulation carried out against them by successive Governments,” they added.

The SEA called on all Ijaws to be steadfast and resolute, and continue to support the process by attending all court sessions, stating that “your solidarity is very vital at this point of time in our history. “

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The group also called on other Ijaw organizations, communities, Niger Delta people, organizations and all people of goodwill “to join in the march to control and manage our despoiled and mismanaged natural resources.”

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BREAKING: Tinubu Sacks Wale Edun, Dangiwa As Ministers

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President Bola Tinubu has approved a minor reshuffle of the Federal Executive Council, removing the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, and the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, from their cabinet positions.

Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Yomi Odunuga, said the development was contained in a memo signed by the
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.

According to the memo, Taiwo Oyedele has been appointed as the new Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy.

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Also appointed is Dr. Muttaqha Darma as Minister-designate for Housing and Urban Development.

READ ALSO:VIDEO: I Took Over Leadership From Myself; The Late Buhari Is Me — Tinubu

The memo directed the outgoing ministers to complete handover processes to their respective successors or supervising officials.

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It stated that all handing over and taking over activities must be concluded on or before the close of business on Thursday, 23rd April, 2026.

Explaining the decision, Akume said the changes were aimed at improving coordination and strengthening delivery across key sectors of the economy under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

These changes are aimed at strengthening cohesion, synergy in governance as well as achieving more impactful delivery on the economy to Nigerians, through the Renewed Hope Agenda,” Akume stated.

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READ ALSO:VIDEO: Tinubu Till 2031, City Boy Movement Members Declare At Bayelsa Rally

He added that President Tinubu acted in line with his constitutional powers as provided under Sections 147 and 148 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

The SGF also conveyed the President’s appreciation to the outgoing ministers for their service to the nation and wished them well in their future endeavours, noting that the process of cabinet reinvigoration would remain continuous.

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The statement further noted that Taiwo Oyedele was appointed as Minister of State for Finance in March 2026, while Edun was among the ministers appointed on August 16, 2023.

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