News
Why Niger Delta Is Critical To National Growth – Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed the significance of the Niger Delta region to Nigeria’s economic prosperity, describing it as “the goose that lays the golden egg.”
This is even as he tasked the Niger Delta Development Commission to fast track the completion of abandoned projects that are critical to the development of the region.
Tinubu stated this at the plenary session of the 25th anniversary of the NDDC held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, on Saturday.
Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, the President said his administration’s legacy project, the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, will serve as a viable alternative to the East-West Road.
Tinubu said the flagship infrastructure project ‘will foster trade and connectivity across the region while opening up new investment prospects in the hydrocarbon belt and spurring the growth of eco-tourism and blue economy-based industries in the region’.
He stated, “I have also directed the board and management of the commission, through the Minister of Regional Development, to complete and deliver abandoned critical projects, including the Kaa-Ataba Bridge, Okrika-Borokiri Bridge, Bonny Ring Road, Gbaregolo Roads and Bridges, and the East-West Sampou Roads and Bridges, among several others.”
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Tinubu commended the NDDC leadership for its efforts to improve the commission’s service delivery and encouraged it to sustain the momentum and continue working towards enhancing the region’s development.
He added, “Beyond infrastructural development, the NDDC must continue to prioritise human capital development, as it remains the primary index of progress.
“Projects and programmes that directly impact the lives of ordinary people in rural communities must be prioritised. In this regard, I commend the Board and Management for the ‘Light Up the Niger Delta’ initiative, which has not only reduced night crimes and enhanced security but has also extended trading hours and improved social life across the region.
“I also urge you to place special emphasis on empowering the youth and women of the region.
“The NDDC must constructively engage the youth, steering them away from violence and militancy towards entrepreneurship and other legitimate means of self-development.
“This administration prioritises youth development, and I encourage the NDDC to collaborate with the Ministry of Youth Development to leverage the various initiatives available.”
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He continued, “Furthermore, there can be no sustainable development without peace, security of lives and property, and adherence to the rule of law. The NDDC must continue to work towards sustaining peace in the region.”
The President emphasised the importance of agriculture in the Niger Delta, noting the region’s vast potential beyond oil and gas. He encouraged the NDDC to invest in agricultural initiatives that would unlock and maximise the region’s agrarian resources for the benefit of both the region and the country.
While congratulating the commission on the silver anniversary, he called on the people of the Niger Delta to continue to support his administration’s programmes and policies.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan called on the NDDC to prioritise long-term, people-focused infrastructure over politically motivated short-term projects, saying frequent leadership changes have stunted the commission’s impact.
“In just 25 years, the NDDC has had over 11 CEOs. I thank the President for retaining the current CEO.
“Let the next 25 years be defined by legacy projects, not just visions and promises. Resist the temptation to award projects without proper funding, ” Jonathan stated.
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Rechoing Jonathan’s concerns, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, blamed leadership crises and internal corruption for the NDDC’s historical underperformance.
Akpabio said, “For over 20 years, th3 NDDC operated from a rented apartment at N300 million per year, without connection to the national grid.
“Yet, diesel contracts were preferred over a one-time N70 million grid connection.”
He lauded the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, as the right leader to reposition the commission, saying, “We have found in Dr. Ogbuku a man worthy to take NDDC to the next level.”
On her part, the Director General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, urged the NDDC to deliver measurable results.
She stated, “Over N7 trillion has been sunk into the NDDC since inception. How many solid roads have you built? The Niger Delta still ranks low on human development. A lot needs to be done to meet the aspirations of the people.”
The NDDC Managing Director, Ogbuku, assured stakeholders of a new era of impact driven by partnerships.
“We don’t want to be defined by our past. We’ve decided to create a future for the Niger Delta through partnerships with IOCs, traditional rulers, and stakeholders,” he said.
(PUNCH)
News
Police Arrests Principal Supplier Of Weapons To Bandits In Delta

The Special Assignment Team of the Delta state Police Command has arrested a key supplier of weapons to bandit groups in the northern part of Nigeria
The suspect, one Ahmed Ibrahim (31) male, resident of Ekpan in Uvwie local government area, has long been on the command’s watch list for his alleged role in several high-profile kidnapping and armed-robbery operations.
The Commands Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO), Bright Edafe, in a statement disclosed that acting on credible intelligence from the Force Technical Intelligence Unit (TIU), Abuja, operatives of the CP Special Assignment Team (CP-SAT), led by ASP Julius Robinson, arrested a female suspects, one Jamila Abubakar, at Conoil Filling Station, Warri–Patani Road, Effurun.
READ ALSO:Police Arrest Murder Suspect, Recover Corpse In Delta
The statement revealed that upon her arrest, officers discovered the cash sum of ₦550,000 neatly concealed beneath her bag and suspected to be proceeds from illicit transactions.
According to DAILY POST her apprehension provided a crucial lead that set off a well-coordinated follow-up operation.
“Buildin on that intelligence, the operatives stormed Niger-Cat area of Warri, where they successfully arrested a notorious arms peddler, one Ahmed Ibrahim (31) male, resident of Ekpan in Uvwie Local Government Area, at about 0725 hrs on 22nd October 2025.
“A search led to the recovery of a bag containing one hundred and fifteen rounds 115 rounds of 7.63mm AK-47 live ammunition, 220 rounds of SMG rifle ammunition, and 32 live cartridges”.
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Edafe further noted, that preliminary investigations revealed that, the suspect is a key supplier of weapons to bandit groups in the north and has long been on the Command’s watch list for his alleged role in several high-profile kidnapping and armed-robbery operations.
According to the statement, Ahmed Ibrahim, is also linked to the kidnap and murder of one Ogheneovo Onemu (female), who was abducted on May 27, 2024 at Edjekota community in Ughelli North LGA, and later murdered after a ransom payment of ₦4,000,000.
Commissioner of Police, Olufemi Abaniwonda, described the breakthrough as another testament to the Command’s unwavering commitment to stemming the flow of illegal arms, dismantling criminal syndicates, and bringing offenders to justice.
The CP urged residents to remain vigilant and continue supporting the Police with timely and credible information to aid the fight against crime, assuring the public that the Command will sustain its momentum against criminal elements and remain resolute in protecting the lives and property of all law-abiding citizens.
News
ABU Makes Clarifications On Alleged Production Of Nuclear Weapons

Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has dismissed a viral social media video alleging that the institution was involved in developing nuclear weapons for Nigeria.
The university’s Director of Public Affairs, Auwalu Umar, made this clarifications in a statement issued to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Zaria.
Umar revealed the video is AI-generated and a deliberate attempt to misinform the public about Nigeria’s peaceful nuclear energy programme.
According to him, the video falsely claimed that Nigerian scientists in the 1980s secretly enriched weapons-grade uranium in Kaduna and that ABU researchers obtained centrifuge equipment from the AQ Khan network in Pakistan.
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“The claim is baseless, unfounded, and unsubstantiated,” he said.
He explained that during the 1980s, most scientists at ABU’s Centre for Energy Research and Training (CERT) were still undergoing training abroad and therefore could not have been involved in any uranium enrichment activity.
Umar clarified that the university had no connection with the AQ Khan network and had never received any equipment for constructing a centrifuge or nuclear device.
He noted that by 1987, the only nuclear-related facility at the institution was a 14 MeV Neutron Generator, which became operational in 1988.
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“Nigeria’s first nuclear reactor, NIRR-1, was established much later in 1996 under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Technical Cooperation Programme and commissioned in 2004,” he explained.
Umar stressed that Nigeria’s nuclear activities had always been open, transparent, and strictly for peaceful purposes in line with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Pelindaba Treaty, which both prohibit the development of nuclear weapons.
He reaffirmed that the Centre for Energy Research and Training, established in 1976, operates in collaboration with the IAEA and international partners from the United States, Russia, and China.
“The centre has never engaged in any secret weapons programme,” Umar emphasised, adding that ABU’s research focus remains on peaceful applications of nuclear science for national development.
News
Obasanjo Holds Memorial Service For Late Wife, Stella, Says She Lived Serving Others

Twenty years after her passing, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, his family, aides, and acquaintances honoured his late wife and former First Lady, Mrs Stella Obasanjo, at a memorial service.
The memorial service was held on Saturday, at the Chapel of Christ King of Glory, located within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta Ogun State Capital.
Recall that Mrs Obasanjo passed away on October 23, 2005, at the age of 59, after an unsuccessful elective liposuction treatment and stomach tuck in Spain. The procedure was planned to coincide with her 60th birthday.
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During a brief interview following the service, Obasanjo stated, “We are here to celebrate a life of service.”
DAILY POST reports that the event had in attendance Stella’s son Muyiwa, former Ogun State Governors, Gbenga Daniel and Ibikunle Amosun, among other notable dignitaries.
In his testimony during the church service, John Abebe, Stella’s younger brother, testified that the former first lady would be remembered for her contagious smile, which he claimed always warmed people’s hearts.
He said “Sister Stella was somebody you just couldn’t get angry with because she would always smile through everything, every difficulty.”
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Similarly her only child, Muyiwa, described her as one who was strict and would never tolerate any nonsense.
“She was caring and protective. As an only child. most people understand that, but also strict and would not tolerate any deviation from you. So, I have kept that in mind, and I have continued to try to live my life that way.”
Speaking with newsmen, Daniel and Amosun praised Stella’s candour, saying she lived an exemplary life .
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