News

Bayelsa residents flee as erosion sweeps houses into river

Published

4 years ago

August 3, 2021

Five buildings and other property in Obogoro Town in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa have been swept into Ikoli River following a landslide arising from coastal erosion.

The incident which took place late Sunday nighthas displaced many locals, as scores of residents were seen fleeing from the ravaging disaster.

The residents are appealing to the Bayelsa and Federal Governments to urgently come to their rescue and tackle the menace.

Ada Gwegwe, a frontline activist in the Save Obogoro Campaign, says the rampaging waters from the river is threatening the entire town.

Residents, fearful for their lives, are packing their valuables and abandoning their homes because of the rampaging coastal erosion in the area.

Mr Gwegwe called on the relevant authorities and NGOs to come to their aid, stressing that the town might soon become history if urgent and proper measures were not taken.

A journalist with Nigerian Pilot, Miss Eunice Nnachi, said previous promises by relevant authorities had remained unfulfilled, nothing that residents lived in palpable fears.

She said in May this year Governor Douye Diri, after inspecting St. John’s Primary School, Ogbogoro, which was washed away by the erosion, directed the commissioners for Works and Infrastructure and that of Environment to canalize the river at Obogoro community in other to salvage the situation.

Miss Nnachi said nothing had been done in that regard.

An Obogoro chief, Richard Somkume, has appealed to the state and Federal Governments to expedite action to save the community from extinct.

Obogoro Community Secretary, Pulu Yogoi, has noted that as the peak of the rainy season approaches, with impending floods, there is a looming danger if nothing is done urgently.

He said in the past the community had experienced severe landslides that washed the NYSC lodge, the community primary school and football field into the Ikoli River.

“Farmlands with crops worth millions of naira have not been spared as the economic livelihood of the people have also been lost to the menace.

“St. Paul’s Primary School, located in Famgbe, a neighbouring community that would have served as an alternative for the pupils has long been washed into the river with children from Obogoro forced to travel far to acquire basic education,” he said.

NAN

Headlines

Tinubu Urges United Front on Development as Africa’s Sovereign Wealth Funds Gather in Abuja

Published

6 hours ago

June 16, 2025

Matthew Eloyi

President Bola Tinubu on Monday called for greater regional cooperation and coordinated action among African countries to unlock transformative development across the continent.

Speaking through Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Fourth Annual Meeting of the Africa Sovereign Investors Forum (ASIF) in Abuja, the President said sovereign wealth funds must evolve from passive fiscal buffers into proactive tools for continental transformation.

“Our future lies not in working in silos but in pursuing regional cooperation and collective ambition,” Tinubu said while declaring the forum open. “Our sovereign wealth funds must become the anchors for pan-African investment platforms that de-risk projects, standardise processes and deliver sustainable outcomes at scale. This is not just a strategy. This is a necessity.”

The forum, hosted by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), had the theme: “Leveraging African Sovereign Wealth Funds to Mobilise Global Capital for Transformative Development in Africa.”

President Tinubu emphasized the need for Africa to adapt to a rapidly transforming global economy by rethinking investment strategies to close infrastructure gaps, build climate resilience, and create jobs for the continent’s fast-growing youth population.

“Africa faces a development dilemma: limited fiscal space, growing expectations, and urgent demands for long-term capital,” the President noted. “There can be no greater inspiration to re-imagine how we invest in setting up critical infrastructure, strengthening our climate resilience, promoting food security, supporting MSMEs, or embracing digital economy to create jobs and expand opportunity.”

He lauded NSIA as a model institution, describing it as “a catalyst in our national quest” to unlock growth in renewable energy, healthcare, agriculture, and more.

Tinubu added that ASIF provided a much-needed pan-African mechanism for sovereign funds to “share knowledge, co-invest across borders and speak with a unified voice in the global financial ecosystem.”

Also speaking at the event, Managing Director of NSIA, Mr. Aminu Umar-Sadiq, said the forum was expected to lay the groundwork for African sovereign funds to co-create sustainable investment vehicles capable of attracting global capital.

“We want to strike the right balance between risk-taking and conservative wealth management,” he said. “And we aim to position ourselves as preferred strategic partners for global investors looking for credible exposure in Africa.”

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, highlighted capital mobilisation, cross-border collaboration, and policy alignment as key priorities for driving long-term development across the continent.

President of AfreximBank, Prof. Benedict Oramah, underscored the importance of investing Africa’s sovereign wealth within the continent, stressing that domestic markets must be strengthened to shape Africa’s developmental future.

Chairman of ASIF, Mr. Obaid Amrane, said the forum had made significant strides in its three years of existence and would continue to champion Africa’s global investment positioning.

Delivering a rousing address, renowned Pan-African scholar Prof. P.L.O. Lumumba called on African leaders to prioritise investments for future generations.

“It is an intergenerational duty for political and economic leaders on the continent to cater for unborn generations,” Lumumba said. “Africa’s resources are inexhaustible. The time to invest in our future is now.”

With a convergence of policymakers, development financiers, and investment leaders, the ASIF meeting in Abuja signalled a united determination to rethink Africa’s path to development—driven not by aid, but by African capital working for African progress.

Headlines

2nd Year Anniversary: Obasanjo storms Zamfara for projects inauguration

Published

6 hours ago

June 16, 2025

Matthew Eloyi

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo will on June 17, inaugurate the newly upgraded Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital, Gusau, Zamfara.

This is contained in a statement issued on Monday in Gusau, Zamfara by Malam Suleiman Idris, Gov. Dauda Lawal’s Spokesperson.

Idris said the project inauguration by Obasanjo would be part of the activities of Lawal’s second year anniversary as governor of Zamfara.

According to him, the hospital has been fully upgraded and equipped with state-of-the-art facilities that meet global standards.

“The former President will inaugurate the renovated Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital, Gusau, Tuesday, June 17.

“The hospital has been fully renovated and is now equipped with state-of-the-art facilities.

“Additionally, Obasanjo will commission major roads in the GRA Area in Gusau, the state capital.

“The facilities are part of the Lawal administration’s Urban Renewal Projects,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Lawal administration had inaugurated schools, hospitals and several other projects, either upgraded or newly executed within the two years across strategic locations in the state.

Lawal had equally provided several logistic support to the security forces in his effort to tackle banditry and kidnapping in the state.

Headlines

Tinubu Postpones Kaduna Trip, Heads to Benue Over Escalating Crisis

Published

7 hours ago

June 16, 2025

Matthew Eloyi

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has rescheduled his planned official visit to Kaduna State and will instead travel to Benue State on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, to address the persistent conflict rocking parts of the state.

According to a statement issued on Monday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the visit is part of renewed efforts by the Tinubu administration to foster peace and restore stability to communities affected by the recurring violence in Benue.

President Tinubu is expected to engage directly with stakeholders—including traditional rulers, political leaders, religious figures, community heads, and youth groups—during a town hall meeting aimed at identifying lasting solutions to the crisis, which has claimed numerous lives and displaced many residents.

In a show of urgency and commitment, the President has already deployed high-level officials to Benue ahead of his visit. These include the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Inspector General of Police, heads of intelligence agencies, the National Security Adviser, and the Chairmen of the Senate and House Defence Committees.

President Tinubu has previously condemned the ongoing violence in Benue, urging all sides to embrace peace, mutual understanding, and unity. He also extended condolences to families who have lost loved ones and those who have suffered due to the prolonged conflict.

Originally scheduled to visit Kaduna State on Wednesday to commission several state government projects, President Tinubu will now carry out the Kaduna leg of his itinerary on Thursday, June 19, 2025.