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NGO To Recruit 560,000 Youth For Mangrove Planting In Ogoni

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A Non-Governmental Organisation, ‘Eco-Citizen Ogoni ‘Initiative, has launched an Eco Volunteer Portal to register 560,000 youth volunteers for the takeoff of the planting of 560million Mangrove trees in Ogoniland, Rivers State.

Launching the portal in Port Harcourt on Tuesday as part of activities to mark the International Youth Day, 2025, the Coordinator of ECOI in Ogoni, Nature Dumale, said the youths would be recruited as part of the Global Green Marshalls and would be expected to conclude the project in 2035.

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Dumale stated, “The groundbreaking digital platform, the Eco-Volunteers Portal, is designed to mobilise and equip 560,000 Ogoni youth as Global Green Goal Marshalls.

“Aligned with this year’s global theme, ‘Local Youth Action for the SDGs and Beyond,’ the platform is a powerful symbol of youth-led transformation at the grassroots, showcasing how Ogoni youth are not only responding to the climate crisis, but reimagining development through community-based action, digital innovation, and regenerative impact”.

READ ALSO:Enabulele Praises Team Edo for Displaying Resilience, Consistency At Ongoing N’Delta Sports Festival

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He explained that the portal represented a hub for green innovation, civic engagement, and youth-led systems transformation in Ogoniland and beyond, adding that it would activate a bold new architecture for SDG localisation, turning ecological restoration into real economic opportunity.

Dumale further said the 560,000 trained Eco-Volunteers would be deployed in 56 wards in the four local government areas of Ogoni, and that the initiative would catalyse over 500,000 green-blue economy jobs in sectors like clean energy, regenerative agriculture, aquaculture, sustainable transport, eco-enterprise, and circular economy innovation.

He noted that the portal would deliver climate-smart, community-led development aligned with SDGs 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, and 15.

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According to him, “Through real-time dashboards, peer-led learning labs, fellowship placements, mission tracking, and a youth-centred opportunity marketplace, the platform positions Ogoni’s young people as designers and defenders of a just, regenerative future.

READ ALSO:Family, CSO Protest Abduction Of 12-year-old Girl In Rivers

This portal is our response to history and our bridge to the future. It affirms the role of Ogoni youth not just as volunteers, but as visionaries. They are not waiting for opportunity to arrive, they are building it, one mangrove, one enterprise, one mission at a time.”

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He said the portal also signalled a new model for planetary cooperation, rooted in the Global South, adding that with linkages to Africa-wide green youth movements and diaspora innovation networks, it would create a digital commons where local stories could scale global impact.

Dumale continued, “The Eco-Volunteers Portal comes at a critical time in Nigeria’s environmental journey, aligning with national climate adaptation goals and the broader vision for a just energy transition.

“It builds on the momentum of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, while charting a youth-driven pathway to sustainable peace, jobs, and justice”.

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READ ALSO:Ogun Police Arrest Two Soldiers, Suspected Cultist, 19 Others During Midnight Raid

In her remarks, Senator Ireti Heebah Kingibe, Deputy Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, said: “We must move from remediation to regeneration — and that starts with empowering young people at the frontline.”

This initiative represents a critical shift from extractive development to ecological stewardship. It is not just Ogoni’s future at stake — it is Nigeria’s promise to its youth and its ecosystems.”

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Also speaking, Global Director of the ECO2RUPPERS Africa Initiative, Victor Wilkinson Agih, said, “This is more than a portal. It is a platform for intergenerational equity and distributed leadership.

“From the restoration of degraded ecosystems to the reinvention of livelihoods, this model shows what is possible when youth are not just included, but trusted, trained, and resourced to lead.”

The key features of the platform were listed as digital onboarding of 560,000 Eco-Volunteers; green-blue skills training and micro-credentialing; a project mission dashboard to coordinate SDG action in real time; youth-led enterprise support via funding links and circular marketplaces; and inter-ward and diaspora collaboration tools, including challenge campaigns and fellowships.

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Tinubu Appoints Prof. Akinfeleye, Others To Varsities’ Governing Councils

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President Bola Tinubu has appointed Chisom Obih to the Governing Council of Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State.

Obih’s appointment follows the death of a member of the council.

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Tinubu also appointed Prof. Ralph Akinfeleye, a renowned communications specialist, to the Governing Council of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State.

This was disclosed in a press statement on Tuesday signed by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

READ ALSO:Tinubu Appoints New MD For Bank Of Agriculture

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The statement noted that Akinfeleye is the former Head of the Department of Mass Communication at the University of Lagos and the Chairman of the Centre of Excellence in Multimedia and Cinematography/Unilag Radio 103.1 FM and Television.

Formerly a member of the Governing Council of Yakubu Gowon University of Abuja, Akinfeleye replaces Mr. Wahab Owokoniran, who was appointed Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Federal University of Transport, Daura, Katsina State,” it said.

The statement also said that the President named Prof. Ibrahim Adamu Yakasai as the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Health Sciences and Technology, Tsafe, Zamfara State.

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READ ALSO:Tinubu Appoints New NABTEB Registrar, UBEC Chairman, Others

The President appointed Mr. Hamisu Yusuf Yelwa as the university’s registrar, Usman Nakazalle Sanusi as the Bursar, and Dr. Shehu Aminu Liman as the Librarian.

A retired Colonel from the Nigerian Army, Prof. Yakasai, is the Provost of the College of Health Sciences at Bayero University in Kano. He is also the chairman of the Committee of Provosts of Colleges of Medicine in Nigeria and a governing council member at the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo, Benue State.

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“He obtained an MBBS at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He later won a scholarship from the European Economic Commission to do his postgraduate studies in the United Kingdom, where he obtained a membership to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and a fellowship at the same prestigious college.

READ ALSO:2027: Tinubu Has Done Much For N’Delta, Deserves Our Support — Otuaro

Prof. Yakasai obtained a Master’s in Medical Education at the University of Winchester and subsequently went to the USA to pursue the Fellowship of the International College of Surgeons, FICS (USA), and the Fellowship of the American College of Surgeons.

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“He also served as the Director-General of the Hospitals Management Board, Kano State,” it added.

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Peter Obi Questions Due Process In Ibom Air Passenger’s Lifetime Ban

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The Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has condemned the lifetime flight ban imposed by the Airline Operators of Nigeria and Ibom Air on passenger Comfort Emmanson for alleged misconduct, as stated in his X post on Tuesday.

Obi criticised Nigeria’s justice system, likening it to a “spider’s web” that ensnares the weak while allowing the powerful to escape, and questioned the fairness and due process behind Emmanson’s sanction.

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The incident, captured in videos shared on X on August 10, 2025, showed Emmanson, a woman in her twenties, angrily confronting an Ibom Air flight attendant and airport security officials.

In response, Ibom Air restricted her travel, and the AON placed her on a lifetime no-fly list, describing her actions as one of the “most severe cases of unruly behaviour” in 2025, leading to her remand in Kirikiri Correctional Centre until October 6.

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On Monday, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority director of public affairs and consumer protection, Mike Achimugu, said that while the airline had the right to pursue prosecution, the parties could still settle out of court if they agreed to, allowing for possible withdrawal of the case.

The former Anambra governor questioned the process that led to Emmanson’s sanction, asking whether all avenues for justice and compassionate resolution had been exhausted.

Obi said it was a “tragic irony” that a young woman could be barred for life while “those in positions of authority perpetrate far greater offences that harm the nation deeply, yet move freely in comfort, shielded from consequences”.

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This morning, I woke up to learn that the passenger, the young Ms Comfort Emmanson in her twenties, has been banned from flying for life — once again showing how our system works, proving the truth of Anacharsis’s words that ‘the law is like a spider’s web: it catches the weak, while the powerful break through with ease’,” Obi wrote.

READ ALSO:Presidency In Nigeria Should Be Five-year Single Tenure — Peter Obi

There is something systemically wrong and unjust about this authoritarian decision.

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“What due process was followed overnight, leading to this sanction? Have we exhausted the avenues of justice and compassionate resolution in this matter?

“It is a tragic irony that a young lady in her twenties can be banned for life, while we — her parents — commit worse crimes against humanity and are celebrated.

“Those in positions of authority perpetrate far greater offences that harm the nation deeply, yet move freely in comfort, shielded from consequences.

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REAS ALSO:Jonathan, Obi Can’t Match APC’s Strength For 2027 – Mustapha Salihu

“In Ms Emmanson’s case, the authorities acted with lightning speed, but the same urgency is absent when dealing with the influential and politically connected.

“If this young woman, who indeed acted wrongly, now seeks to apologise, who will hear her cry in a country where the pain of the poor is invisible and the dignity of the less privileged is often disregarded? Justice must be consistent, or it becomes oppression in disguise.”

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Restating the need for compassion and rehabilitation, Obi said, “power must never determine who is punished”.

READ ALSO:How APC Can Be Defeated In 2027 – Peter Obi

The incident happened days after a row at the domestic terminal of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, involving Wasiu Ayinde, a popular Fuji musician.

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The musician was placed on a no-fly list, pending the outcome of a full investigation.

The NCAA also petitioned the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Inspector-General of police to investigate the incident.

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IG Upgrades Police Legal Section To Directorate

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The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode, has approved the upgrade of the Legal Section of the Nigeria Police Force to the Directorate of Legal Services.

Egbetokun said the move was aimed at creating a clear institutional identity for the Force’s legal operations, strengthening cohesion, and securing recognition across both domestic and international jurisdictions.

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In a statement on Tuesday, Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the new directorate would be the apex legal arm of the force, responsible for the coordination and delivery of legal services..

According to the statement, Adejobi said the responsibilities will include legal training, comprehensive policy review, and structured engagement with prosecutorial bodies, the judiciary, and other relevant stakeholders in the justice sector.

READ ALSO:NIMC Announces Upgrade Of NIN Enrolment Portal For Nigerians In Diaspora

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He said, “In line with the ongoing strategic reforms aimed at strengthening institutional capacity and enhancing operational efficiency across all departments of the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector-General of Police has approved the elevation of the Legal Section of the Force to the Directorate of Legal Services.

“The Directorate will serve as the apex legal arm of the Nigeria Police Force, responsible for the coordination and delivery of legal services, including legal training, comprehensive policy review, and structured engagement with prosecutorial bodies, the judiciary, and other relevant stakeholders in the justice sector.

“The move is designed to create a clear institutional identity for the Force’s legal operations, strengthen cohesion, and secure recognition across both domestic and international jurisdictions.”

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READ ALSO:IGP Decorates Six New DIGs, One AIG

The IG also announced the appointment of Assistant Inspector-General Ohiozoba O. Ehiede as the pioneer Director of the Directorate of Legal Services.

AIG Ehiede brings with him a wealth of experience, proven leadership, and a distinguished record of service, which are expected to drive the Directorate’s mandate with excellence,” Adejobi quoted the IGP as saying.

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This upgrade reflects the Nigeria Police Force’s renewed commitment to aligning its operations with global law enforcement standards and ensuring that legal processes within the Force meet the highest levels of professionalism, transparency, and efficiency. By consolidating its legal structures under a directorate framework, the Force aims to improve its prosecutorial prowess to meet the international best policing standards, ” the statement added.

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