Senator Ned Nwoko visited Ndokwa to meet the President-General of Ndokwa Neku Union at his residence at Ezhionum. The Distinguished Senator briefed the mammoth audience of his activities at the Senate. He outlined his Bills, motions and key oversight functions across Ndokwa ethnic nationality.
The Distinguished Senator emphasised on the need to garner supports acrosd board towards the actualization of the proposed Anioma State creation.
The President-General of Ndokwa Neku Union, Gen. Mike Ndubisi Rtd informed the Senator of the position of Ndokwa ethnic nationality, which is in agreement and in-line with the Senator's mandate of pushing for the actualization of Anioma State.
According to NNU president general "after your speech at the Anioma state summit, we Ndokwa Neku Union, the headquarters of Ndokwa Nation saw every reason to give our total support" the PG said.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has commissioned $115 million worth of operational terminal equipment at the Onne Seaport in Rivers State.
The upgrade was spearheaded by the West Africa Container Terminal (WACT), a key terminal at the port and a subsidiary of APM Terminals.
The inauguration took place on Wednesday at the Onne Port, where the Vice President was represented by his Personal Assistant on Subnational Infrastructure, Mr. Musaddiq Mustapha.
Shettima reaffirmed the federal government’s dedication to infrastructure development as a driver of economic growth.
He highlighted that the new facility, equipped with state-of-the-art terminal machinery, advanced technology, an administrative building, a maintenance workshop, and an upgraded CCTV surveillance system, is set to enhance the terminal’s operations.
He said, “Today’s event is not just a celebration and commitment by WACT and its partners, it also marks the beginning of a new chapter at Onne Port.”
“This equipment will provide expanded opportunities for trade development within the Nigerian maritime sector.”
“The achievement also demonstrates dedication and commitment of the company and other stakeholders who have contributed resources and expertise to actualising this vision,”
Mr. Frederik Klinke, Managing Director of APM Terminals, praised the federal government for creating an enabling environment that has facilitated ease of doing business in Nigeria.
Klinke highlighted that over nearly three decades of terminal operations, the company has maintained a strong safety record.
He also noted that APM Terminals has launched various manpower development programs that have positively impacted its host communities as part of its corporate social responsibility efforts.
Promotion of ease of business and revenue generation
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola, praised APM Terminals for its significant investment in the West Africa Container Terminal (WACT).
He assured that the ministry would continue to back terminal operators in modernizing the port and reducing the cost of doing business at the nation’s key entry points.
Comptroller-General of Customs, Mr. Adewale Adeniyi, also noted that the WACT upgrade would enhance the Nigeria Customs Service’s (NCS) revenue generation efforts.
Enugu that already has the lowest GDP in the south east and one of the lowest in the country. Yet government is trying the lower ease of doing business.
Ebubu: Some of their leaders prefer grouping Anioma as SS state.
It can't fly. Because SS has 6 states already while SE has 5 states only. Do they want to have 7 SS states whereas SW with two Presidents have only 6 states. Do they want to have 7 states like North West the owners of Nigeria? Inequality is trying to be solved by giving SE 6 states and you're trying to create more inequality. If that's the only way to go about it they will jeopardise the Anioma state dream and it becomes an unrealistic dream once again, filled with dust and kept in the shelf by the Presidency.
Declaring Anioma can come to the SE but will never be part of IPOB or Biafra or pro-secession would be better. About not having historic ties with SE, that does not matter. There are legitimate Igala communities in Anambra and Enugu states.
Nwoko believes Anioma will help end agitation in the south east instead of joining the agitation. Anyone using the agitation to thwart the state creation is being mischievous.
Ikaeniyan0: Ikoro Agbor, Agbor Youths group said “Agbor Kingdom has no shared history, governing commonality, or association with the Igbo, before or after British Colonialism & Agbor Kingdom remain United in the quest for Anioma State”
Owa Progressives in Owa Kingdom also believed “wholeheartedly supported the creation of Anioma State as part of the South-South region to address misrepresentation of its people. This will also help boost economic activities within the region. However we reject the annexation of the ANIOMA region to the South East Region”
Armaggedon: Good. Thanks for bringing the true picture. What of Okowa?
Okowa didn't attend. He announced that Okowa wants Anioma in south south. But that is believed to be more of a clash of ego between a serving senator and a former governor over who takes preeminent position in Anioma than Okowa's real position. Most other stakeholders support Anioma either in South East or south south. I believe things will be sorted out before public hearing.
Stakeholders at a summit to discuss issues on the creation of Anioma state out of Delta have endorsed the proposal, saying it doesn’t matter whether the state when eventually created is in south-east or south-south geographical zones.
According to the constituents drawn from the nine council areas that make up the proposed state, time has come to realise the dream of Igbo-speaking people of the big heart even as they called on all to support the facilitator of the project, Senator Ned Nwoko.
Various speakers at the summit held in Asaba weekend appealed to sons and daughters of Anioma extraction to unite for the cause and see the agitation as a collective responsibility .
They traced the agitation for the state to several decades ago when fore fathers of the area including the premier of defunt Midwest region , Sir Dennis Osadebey ,some prominent traditional rulers in Aboh and Asaba divisions amongst others vigorously pursued the agenda.
Addressing a mammoth crowd of traditional rulers, chiefs and community leaders , former and present national and state assembly members, businessmen, women , youths, etc , Senator Ned Nwoko assured that Anioma state would be created having done his homework well adding that immediate past governor of the state Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has given him his words of supporting the state.
“I didn’t start the campaign for the creation of Anioma state but I hope to finish it. We will amend the constitution of Nigeria to have Anioma state.This process of getting it done has already started.”
Nwoko said the bill for creation of Anioma had gone through the first reading at the red chambers adding that before the end of the year, it is expected to go through the second reading.
He promised to mobilize Anioma people to the public hearing on the bill in Abuja assuring that “we will get support across the country as required by the constitution.”
The senator representing Delta north doused the rumour that his struggle for Anioma is to make himself governor of the new state stressing that it is for the good and well being of the people he represents at the national assembly.
He explained that when eventually the state is created, the first governor will come from Ndokwa nation, which has oil wells and gas more abundantly and has contributed immensely to feeding the nation but highly marginalized over the years.
“I want freedom for my people. The first governor of Anioma state will come from Ndokwa land. Out of the nine local government areas, three are oil producing. The three are Ndokwa nation. But it has remained the most backward. It produces oil and gas but the environment is devastated.”
Jamaican reggae icon Buju Banton has revealed that he has Igbo heritage, tracing his roots to the Igbo tribe of Nigeria.
During a recent appearance on the popular Drink Champs podcast, co-hosted by N.O.R.E and DJ EFN, Banton discussed his cultural lineage, stating that his tribe, the Maroons, originated from the Igbo people.
Banton expressed deep concern over the current situation in Jamaica, where he claims that the Indigenous Maroon lands are under threat.
According to the reggae legend, the Jamaican government is allowing Chinese and other foreign entities into their region, leading to the displacement of the Maroon community.
Buju Banton said, “Our Indigenous way of life and our land are being threatened by the current government of Jamaica which seeks to bring Chinese and other nationalities into the Cockpit region which is an Indigenous sacred region to usurp us the Maroons as the warriors.
“Maroons are some of the Indigenous warriors on my Island. We fought the British relentlessly. We are called Blackmaroons. My generation originated from Nigeria. I am an Igbo man according to my bloodline.”
Coming to the issue of citizenship. Well, it's not clear whether the so-called home affairs of south Africa found any evidence of crime against Chidimma's mother or they simply put out such statement to calm their raging xenophobic mob. What is clear is that the investigation was a witch-hunt driven by xenophobia. If I were the winner, I wouldn't be proud having the crown when someone more popular was bullied out. It's also interesting how she has suddenly become their citizen now she is coming to miss universe Nigeria.
An appellate court in the United States has rejected Nigeria’s sovereign immunity and authorised a Chinese consortium to proceed with its efforts to confiscate Nigeria’s assets abroad, aggravating a crisis that President Bola Tinubu has been trying to manage in Europe and prevent from spilling to other jurisdictions.
The decision on August 9, 2024, came after judges at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in Washington found that Nigeria had gruesomely violated both fundamental and commercial rights of executives at a Chinese firm that had entered into a trade zone agreement with Nigeria.
The Chinese workers of Zhongshan had approached the U.S. judicial system to retrieve an outstanding arbitration award for breach of contract after initially winning their case in the United Kingdom in 2021. The Chinese expatriates were awarded $55.6 million in compensation from Nigeria and $75,000 in moral damages, alongside interest and legal and arbitration fees, court filings said.
The proceeding stemmed from a breakdown of a contract between Zhongshan and Ogun State government, which had entered into a deal with the Chinese expatriates in 2007 to develop a free trade zone. After years of developing the project, court filings alleged, former Governor Ibikunle Amosun unilaterally terminated the contract and deploy crude tactics to avoid following the terms laid in the initial paperwork signed by all parties.
The Chinese also said they were arrested, detained and detained for weeks without charges, during which uncivilised Nigerian police officers tortured them in custody. The UK court said it was satisfied with the evidence submitted by the Chinese before awarding them nearly $60 million.
As the Chinese sought to enforce the judgement in the U.S., Nigeria argued before the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in Washington that its sovereign immunity forbade the matter from being entertained in a U.S. court.
However, the federal judge denied Nigeria’s argument, saying the country is a signatory to the New York Convention that allowed arbitration between persons, which may include a sovereign entity.
Nigeria subsequently filed an interlocutory appeal in the matter on April 22, 2024, and two of the three-man panel decided that the matter should proceed because Nigeria had lost its grounds for immunity when it joined Ogun in violating the contractual agreement.
The court said that since Ogun is a federating unit of Nigeria, the country can be held liable for the breach against the Chinese.
“Whether the arbitration exception applies in this case therefore turns on whether a treaty—specifically, the New York Convention—governs the Final Award,” the majority, Patricia Millett and Michelle Childs, said. “We hold that it does because the Final Award arose from (1) a legal relationship, (2) that is considered as commercial, and (3) is between persons.”
The judges also concluded that “Zhongshan and Nigeria shared a legal relationship because Nigeria owed Zhongshan legal duties under the Investment Treaty.” The treaty was signed between Nigeria and China in 2001, allowing free trade zones to be established to promote the commercial interests of both countries.
The dissenting judge, Greg Katsas, said Nigeria should not be stripped of its immunity because the targeted assets also came under the country’s sovereign umbrella.
The matter can now proceed in the lower court, which had already signalled its intention to allow the Chinese to pursue Nigeria’s assets in the U.S. Nigeria has fixed assets across the U.S. and deposits from crude earnings with financial behemoth JP Morgan.
The decision came days after the Chinese investors obtained court orders in France to pursue Nigeria’s European assets. They immediately initiated attempts to seize Nigeria’s private jets in different European jurisdictions.
In separate but similar statements, the the federal government and Ogun State attacked the Chinese as fraudulent, compared the case to the infamous P&ID case and said efforts had commenced to overturn the judgement in France.
Both authorities, however, did not immediately say whether they had heard about the development in the U.S., much less if they would appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, which may or may not grant certiorari.
Atlas Oranto Petroleum International Limited (AOPI), made up of Atlas Petroleum International Limited and Oranto Petroleum International Limited, an oil & gas firm with specialisation in oil drilling, has expanded its global reach with the signing of oil prospecting agreement in Venezuela.
[b] Chairman of Oranto Petroleum Limited, Prince Arthur Eze, who recently signed the agreement in the presence of Venezuelan President, Nicolas Madura, said this is the beginning of the company’s expansion to North and South America.
Before the Venezuelan deal, Oranto Petroleum has been a major player in the oil sector in Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, Uganda, Mozambique, etc.
Last year, Uganda extended an oil exploration license to Oranto Petroleum by two years, beyond the December 29, 2023 expiration date of the initial deal for Ngassa Shallow and Deep areas in the western Hoima and Kikuube districts signed in 2017. In 2017, Oranto was issued two petroleum exploration licenses for the Ngassa Deep and Ngassa Shallow contract areas in Uganda.
Atlas Petroleum International Limited had announced the Venus oil discovery in Block P, Equatorial Guinea, jointly with its partners Vaalco as Operator, and Guinea Ecuatorial de Petroleós Co. (GEPetrol) as the state-owned oil company of Equatorial Guinea, representing the interests of the state.
The joint venture will acquire, convert and install oil production infrastructure over the next three years. Venus field activities are expected to add 23.1 MMbbl of oil of 2P gross reserves. The partners expect oil production from the field to reach about 15,000 gross b/d of oil upon completion of the two development and injector wells.
A statement by Vaalco Energy, Inc. on the Block P Venus discovery Plan of Development (POD) in Equatorial Guinea, said: “Atlas Petroleum, as a legacy investor in Equatorial Guinea, has been a partner in Block P prior to Vaalco’s entrance to the block, and remains an investor with an active participating interest in Block P. Any claims to the contrary by Vaalco or any company are false, outrageous and misleading.
“Atlas has not relinquished any part of its interest and does not intend to walk away from Block P. Any assertion by a company that has decided to drill and develop an oil field in the media are wrong. We know work is done on platforms not with the media and we urge our partners to refrain from this. We are in constant communication with the government and have never received a letter from the government or GEPetrol that our PSC and interest have been cancelled.”
wunmi590: Don't mind him, the fund he's even talking about was originally donated to Biden and Kamala re-election bid, so transferring the money to Kamala as the the new candidate now shouldn't be giving him a sleepless night..
He should channel that energy to campaign and continue telling lies to his followers
what do you mean by "Biden and Kamala re-election bid"? Biden has not even been nominated by the democratic party, talk more of having a running mate. Did you give them joint ticket? The form says "Biden for president". Neither Kamala nor democratic party was mentioned.
naptu2: There's absolutely nothing wrong with that tweet. It is usually announced at plenary when a senator or member of the House defects from one party to the other and the social media handles of the Senate and House have a duty to report exactly what happens and what is said at plenary.
This is not new and it has always been the case.
There is something wrong with the use of the word "dump" by the official senate handle.
Nollywood actress and wife of Delta North's senator Regina Daniels has joined the campaign for the creation of Anioma state from Delta state. For her, it is the only viable alternative, being endowed with land mass and oil and gas resources. According to her, Anioma's cultural homogeneity and strong affinity with the south east makes it the most suitable proposal for a sixth South East state which will help in addressing historical injustice against the region.
Politics › Re: Ndokwa Neku Union (NNU) Backs Anioma State by Noneroone(op): 7:04am On Sep 06, 2024
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