News

Rivers Community Tackles NPDC Over Alleged Oil Well Diversion

Published

6 months ago

February 20, 2025

Umuedeokwara Odagwa community in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State has raised the alarm about the alleged diversion of their oil wells to Abia Dtate.

The communities blamed the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company for erroneously moving some oil wells in Umuedeokwara to Owoza community in Abia state.

This, they said, caused the Rivers State Government huge revenue loss, over the years.

A member of the Host Community Development Trust Fund, Goodness Nwogu, stated this while addressing newsmen in the Imo River forest, a boundary between Imo and Rivers State.

He alleged that it was wrong for NPDC to deny the community of its 15 oil wells thereby affecting Petroleum Industry Act funds and development.

Nwogu said, “We have 15 oil wells including 60 which have been in operation since 1961. But in the NPDC record, it said we have only eight and out of this eight, only four are functioning. That is not correct. They allocated some of our wells to the Owoza community in Abia state thereby denying us our legitimate resources.

“By this diversion, Rivers State is losing at least N10bn daily going by about 4,000 bpd oil production.”

Nworgu called on the Rivers State Government to regain the resources it is losing to its neighbouring state.

He stated, “We have 15 functional oil wells, two manifolds, one booster plant, one flow station and one jetty. But NPDC is telling us that some of these facilities belong to Abia state thereby denying us of our revenues.

“We must fight to reclaim what belongs to us. Rivers State Government must rise to this threat. We give NPDC two weeks to reverse all the diverted oil wells otherwise we will shut down the flow station and the two manifolds.”

The community leader also lamented the lack of basic amenities in the area, blaming the oil company which took over the management of the oil facilities in the community from Shell Petroleum Development Company about two years ago.

He rejected a situation where everything concerning the community is rooted in Abia state.

He warned that this could spark a communal clash between Umuedeokwara and Owoza communities in Rivers and Abia states respectively.

The community also demanded N50bn from another oil company, whose alleged oil spill since last December, it said, has destroyed the mangrove and the aquaculture of the area leaving farmers and fishing folks jobless.

A member of the Community Development Board said the spill was due to equipment failure from the company and has left “a large part of the vegetation destroyed.”

He added, “Yes, JIV visited the site of the spill but HEIRS secretly went there and dug over 16 pits to divert the spilled crude.

“The damage is huge and we are demanding N50bn in compensation, remediation of the land and restoration of our flora and fauna. These companies are not taking our interests seriously. We have no hospitals, no employment for the youths, and no electricity. Why are we an oil-producing area?”

News

BREAKING: Former Inspector-General Of Police, Solomon Arase, Is Dead

Published

33 minutes ago

August 31, 2025

Editor

Former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Solomon Arase has passed away at Cedarcrest Hospital in Abuja.

As of the time of filing this report, neither his family nor the Nigeria Police Force has issued an official statement confirming the development.Japan trip

Arase, who served as Nigeria’s 18th Inspector-General of Police, was later appointed Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC).Japan trip

Before becoming IGP, he headed the Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Bureau, the police force’s top intelligence unit.

Born on June 21, 1956, in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State, Arase studied Political Science at Ahmadu Bello University, graduating in 1980, and joined the Nigeria Police Force on December 1, 1981.

News

Shock As Adeleke Employs Roadside puff-puff Hawker As Govt House Chef

Published

19 hours ago

August 30, 2025

Editor

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Thursday shocked a female puff-puff seller during a rally in Osogbo by buying all her snacks with ₦50,000 and offering her employment as a chef at the Government House.

This happened when Osun public servants trooped out in their thousands in what they called an appreciation solidarity rally in support of the governor for his support and care since he took over state governance.

It was observed that the governor, who sat in the bus, had sighted the woman who was among the crowd cheering him.

He immediately beckoned to the woman carrying a plastic container filled with puff-puff on her head and asked how much it would cost to buy all the snacks.

The female hawker, who was visibly surprised and star-struck at the level of her proximity to the governor, found it difficult to even tell the governor how much she sold the snacks.

Surprisingly, Adeleke handed her a bundle of ₦50,000 to the cheers of the crowd.

The lucky woman knelt down in appreciation of the governor’s generosity.

Excited onlookers quickly rushed to share the snacks in the plastic already purchased by the governor.

The governor invited the vendor inside the vehicle where one of his officials questioned her academic background, and she revealed that she holds a Nigerian Certificate in Education.

Adeleke further asked about the dishes she could prepare and instructed his aides to take her contact details for employment as a chef in the Government House.

Confirming the development, the Commissioner II at the Osun State Civil Service Commission, Olaniyan Taofeek, shared the video on X (formerly Twitter), writing: “The moment Gov. Adeleke turned the life of a puff-puff seller into a Government House chef.”

A Special Assistant to the Governor on Digital Media, Oni Gbenga Lawrence, also corroborated the incident in a post on X, stating: “Moment Governor Ademola Adeleke turned the life of a puff-puff seller to Government Chef… not only ₦50k but he invited her into his car and employed her as chef in the Government House.”

The Guardian correspondent, who was at the scene of the welcome rally, made efforts to interview the lucky vendor, but they did not yield as she was not allowed to alight from the bus throughout the event.
(The Guardian)

News

Katsina Govt Revokes Licenses Of All Private, Community Schools

Published

19 hours ago

August 30, 2025

Editor

The Katsina State Government has withdrawn the operating licenses of all private and community schools in the state, with effect from August 13, 2025.

The announcement came through a circular issued by the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education and signed by Commissioner Hajiya Zainab Musa-Musawa.

The ministry’s Public Relations Officer, Malam Sani Danjuma, released the document in Katsina on Saturday.

According to the circular, the move is part of the government’s effort to strengthen quality assurance and standardization within the education sector.

“The withdrawal of licenses is aimed at ensuring that schools operate in line with approved standards and provide quality education to students,” Danjuma said.

The circular also outlined a review of fees for license application, registration, and annual renewal.

“Owners of affected schools are required to obtain fresh licenses by submitting proof of payment to the ministry on or before September 30, 2025.”

The statement also added that school operators have been warned not to increase tuition or other charges without government approval.

The ministry further promised to issue additional guidelines soon, including categorization of schools and the revised fee structure.