News

Wike Chides Rivers Elders For Faulting Tinubu’s Intervention, Backing Fubara

Published

2 years ago

December 24, 2023

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has warned residents of Rivers State against getting involved in any political conflict without knowing the causes.

He also faulted some elders of the state for faulting President Bola Tinubu’s intervention in the crisis between him and the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara.

The minister spoke on Sunday while addressing the congregation during a thanksgiving and marriage anniversary of the immediate past Rivers State Commissioner for Works, Dr Des George-Kelly, at the Kings’ Assembly in Port Harcourt.

Wike lampooned elders of the state who recently said Tinubu did not have constitutional powers in the manner he handled the political crisis in the state.

He said, “Let me tell the church, you know blackmail is the easiest thing. So many of you may be believing what is going on. So many of you may also follow on the road without knowing where you are heading.

“If I were you, sit down and ask yourself can this be true? But just because we are no longer in power you may want to believe everything they have said. Power and money if you are not careful can destroy you. It can also make, depending on how you handle it.”

Wike said he has never done anything that will bring Rivers State backward, saying, it was during his tenure as governor that he fought so many states to bring back our oil wells.

He added, “The money accruing from those oil wells today is not in my pocket but for the interest of the state.

“To show character, when I was here I never went to see the Federal Government. I was the only opposition to the federal government. I challenged them.

“That is how you know people when they say they want to do something and they do it. I’m not a man that you can convince just because of a porridge of yam, no. it is not possible.

“Don’t get involved in any fight between two politicians without knowing the root cause.”

Continuing, the FCT Minister said, “In any facet of life, there are rules and they must be obeyed. As a pastor, there are rules you must follow. So as politicians, we must follow rules.

“While I was governor I followed those rules, and that’s why I was able to succeed.

“When I was running for governor in 2014/2015, I was invited that some elders wanted to see me. When I got there, I saw only two people. Just two of them constituted themselves as elders over the whole state.

“They said elders of the state have decided that I should not contest the election. I said it must be a joke. Now they’ve come back again as elders.

“Check everyone there, some of them their sons lost the election. Everybody wants to take their pound of flesh. ‘Wike prevented me from this. Wike made me not to be that. Wike made me not to be that.’ Even those that Wike made have joined them.”

While warning against propaganda, he expressed dismay that the same group of elders who were calling on the President to wade into the crisis were the ones now faulting his intervention.

“You are the ones who said the President should intervene. Now the President has come to bring peace, you said no, you don’t have the constitutional powers.

“All of us must love this state but don’t listen to propaganda. There is nothing I’m looking for in this state now. I have my own budget as FCT Minister. I have my own commissioners.

“All I’m saying is if you are a politician play according to the rules.”

He said those bringing in ethnic sentiments were ill-informed, saying, “All of us in this state irrespective of where you come from know this state belongs to all of us. There is nothing like Ijaw, there is nothing like Ikwerre. All I know is Rivers State.

“If you want to settle us, set out the facts. Don’t just be shouting asawana (a popular solidarity mantra). No, because when we were choosing who would rule you never shouted ‘asawana’

“Now they’re carrying flags and shouting asawana up and down. Are you people aware that Mr President actually called us privately and told us what to do, he didn’t do it and now Mr President then said okay, the larger house should come and they’re saying he does not have the constitutional right to do that. I have subjected myself to the peace process.”

He described George-Kelly as reliable and dependable, saying he is one that delivers when a task is assigned to him.

In attendance were some of the 27 lawmakers believed to be loyal to Wike as well as some of the commissioners who recently resigned from Fubara’s cabinet.

News

Gombe Wins Northeast Quiz Competition On Legislature, Democracy

Published

3 hours ago

October 31, 2025

Editor

Gombe State has emerged as the winner at the 2025 North East Zonal Quiz Competition on legislature and democracy organised by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) for senior secondary schools across Northeast on Friday.

Speaking before the commencement of the 2025 edition of the zonal debate which focuses on the legislature, democracy and governance, the Director-General of NILDS, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, said the exercise was to deepen the knowledge of legislative and democratic governance among secondary school students and youth.

According to him, it was also to broaden their knowledge on the history, practice and procedure of the legislature and encourage deeper understanding of civic and democratic governance.

The competition, he added, would stimulate the interest of the young students in politics and make them more proactive in matters relating to the legislature and democracy.

He explained that enhancing the knowledge of young Nigerians in the legislature would not only foster an inclusive and participatory legislature in Nigeria but would also serve as an avenue for citizen engagement in the legislative process.

Represented by Mr Jeremiah Agada, NILDS Northeast Zonal Quiz Coordinator, Sulaiman added that the quiz competition would take place in all the six geo-political zones and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“It is also to inspire young Nigerians to cultivate the interest to participate in legislative governance.

“This 10th edition of the competition is therefore the fourth time the competition has been held at the national level.

“As the 2025 NILDS Zonal quiz competition is declared open, I therefore urge all competing students and their teachers to abide by the rules of the game so that the desired objectives of the competition are achieved,” he said.

Also speaking, the Bauchi State’s Commissioner for Education, Dr Muhammed Lawal, said the exercise was a welcome development in the circle of education, adding that it was a ground where students in the zone could be tested among other students in the country.

“This will enable us to improve the quality of our delivery in our various schools to our teeming students across the zone.

“I want them to take it upon themselves that in an engagement like this, there is no loser. You put in your best, and if at the end of the day, you don’t make it up to the top, your efforts will be crowned.

“I hope this will be well covered because it will stimulate other schools to be part of and perform better so that they can come up to this level as well,” he said.

Mohammed appreciated the commitment of teachers and moderators who coached the students to fully participate in the competition and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to revamping the education sector under Gov. Bala Mohammad’s leadership.

Announcing the winner of the competition, the Quiz Master Mr. Lucky Tongs, announced Gombe State as the overall winner of the debate with 75 points

He also announced Taraba State as the first runner up with 55 points and Yobe State as the third position with 50 points, adding that the winner is expected to represent the Northeast sub-region at the National competition in Abuja.

Other states that participated in the competition included Adamawa and Bauchi.

News

Police Arrest Nollywood Production Manager For Assaulting Crew Member

Published

6 hours ago

October 31, 2025

Editor

The Lagos State Police have arrested a Nollywood production manager, Anierobi Courage, for allegedly assaulting a crew member.

Anierobi Courage, better known as Nwa South, reportedly assaulted the head of makeup, Mary Chizzy Eze, on October 28, 2025, while on the set of the film “Lagos to Opulence.”

A trending video of the physical altercation showed the production manager pressing Mary’s throat after slapping her, an act that has sparked widespread outrage on social media.

Reacting to the public condemnation, the Nigeria Film Crew Community (NFCC), in a statement released on Thursday, described Courage’s actions as “animalistic behaviour.”

Announcing his arrest, NFCC called on Nollywood producers and other stakeholders to blacklist Courage across all productions.

“The production manager violently hit and strangled Mary Chizzy Eze for speaking up against unequal treatment among the crew. While she has received medical care, he has been arrested.

“This level of disregard for human dignity is unacceptable. We stand firmly against all forms of abuse, assault, and crew maltreatment,” the NFCC said.

News

‘EFCC Collected N10m Before They Released Me’ – Oladips Alleges [VIDEO]

Published

7 hours ago

October 31, 2025

Editor

Popular Nigerian singer, Oladips has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, of collecting N10 million from him.

The rapper made this known nearly a year after he was arrested by EFCC during a midnight raid in his estate.

Oladips was arrested with some of his neighbors for alleged fraud in November 2024.

He was released after spending five days in detention.

Speaking about his experience with the EFCC, Oladips in his latest interview on Trending podcast, stated that nothing was found on him after the EFCC investigations.

While revealing that the EFCC collected N10 million from him before his release, he lamented that “Nigeria just happened to me”.

“It’s just one smelling place like that. They just packed us there like sardines and they gave us nonsense food. Funny enough it was Zlatan that was sending me food. Zlatan is not even a friend, that’s my blood.

“He was sending someone to buy good food for me because the food there is bad. They just packed us there like sardines. I’m not even supposed to be there first of all. Like, why did I spend four to five days there when you people (EFCC) didn’t find anything on me, not even a single thing. And they still collect N10 million from me before they released me.”

When asked “Is it a thing you can take up against the EFCC later, or you will just allow the sleeping dog lie?”, the singer responded “Who is my father?”

“Who is my father now? At the end of the day, who is my father? It’s just me and my truth. It’s not something I will want to. I don’t just know how the system works. I for dey their page now if to say I dey do Yahoo. They didn’t find anything on me. If they are watching this, they know that I’m saying the truth.

“They collected money from me before they released me. They didn’t find anything on me. So, what was the money for? What was all that stress and suffering for? It’s just Nigeria. Nigeria just happened to me,” he said.

https://x.com/i/status/1983504280972615813