FEATURES

FEATURES

Former Rivers State Head of Service, George Nwaeke, has denied reports that he was kidnapped and forced to address the press yesterday.

Nwaeke insisted that he was in Abuja to report himself and event in Rivers State to security agencies.

Yesterday, the former HoS in Rivers State had made damning claims against Governor Sim Fubara.

Shortly afterwards, Nwaeke’s wife had declared him missing, stressing that his whereabouts were unknown.

She suggested in a phone conversation with Fubara that Nweke might have been kidnapped and forced to make the claims against the governor.

However, a video which surfaced this morning showed Nweke claiming to have lodged at Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja.

According to Nwaeke, he would be visiting all the headquarters of security agencies in Abuja to report issues of Rivers State that makes him sick.

He said: “My name is Frank Nwaeke and I’m in Transcorp in Abuja. I came in here this morning from Port Harcourt to meet the security agencies to report myself and things that happened in the state that is making me to feel sick.

“Actually, I was the Head of Service until Monday when I resigned because of the things that are happening.

“After the press interview I granted, I just saw a video of my wife trending, where they went to feed her with all kinds of fallacies that I have been kidnapped.

“I want to clear this that I’m not kidnapped, I’m in Abuja, this is Transcorp Hotel where I’m lodging. They told her I was kidnapping and they wrote a script for her to say all sorts of things.

“I want to put this straight, I’m the head of Service and I’m on oath; my wife does not know what happens in my office – it’s only my domestic or social matters that we discuss.

“I want to clear the air that I’m safe and fine, I’m in Abuja; and by tomorrow morning, I’m going to security agencies to report myself.

“My coming to Abuja was based on the fact that Abuja is where all the headquarters of security agencies are housed. I came here and I think I’m safe to make this report here.”

[DailyPost]

 
 
 
 

Former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi has alleged that the ongoing political crisis in Rivers is a struggle over money sharing between suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike.

In an interview with DW on Friday, Amaechi dismissed the feud as a battle for financial control rather than governance, questioning why Nigerians have not demanded transparency from both politicians.

“The fight between the current governor of Rivers State and the FCT minister is about sharing money. If not, what’s the quarrel?” he said. “Nigerians don’t dislike corruption again. I’ve not seen anybody on the street querying what the problem is. Can both of them speak to the public and tell us what the problem is about?”

His remarks come as President Bola Tinubu, on March 18, declared a six-month state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and the State House of Assembly. In their place, Tinubu appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (Rtd.) as Sole Administrator, citing political instability and pipeline vandalism.

Amaechi condemned the move, arguing that it sets a dangerous precedent where governors can be removed at will. He described the situation as a political power struggle between the president and Wike, with Fubara caught in the middle.

“The president wants a power grab. They want to frighten governors who may not support them in 2027,” he said.

He also questioned the justification for emergency rule, pointing out that other regions facing severe security challenges have not been subjected to similar actions.

“If the president said it is because of insecurity, because they blew the pipeline, what about parts of the country where there is insecurity? Is the president saying they should impose emergency rule on him too?”

Amaechi maintained that security matters fall under the president’s jurisdiction, not the governor’s, and insisted that Fubara is being unfairly punished.

“Rivers governor has no security responsibility; it rests squarely on the president. So why punish a man who did not commit an offence?” he added.

He called on Rivers residents to resist Tinubu’s decision through democratic protests, warning that the emergency rule undermines constitutional governance.

 [Vanguard]

 

Rotimi Amaechi, former minister of transportation, has alleged that President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of emergency rule in Rivers state is a ploy to intimidate governors to support his re-election bid. 

Amaechi spoke in an interview with DW Africa on Friday.

On March 18, Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers, citing the protracted political crisis and vandalisation of oil facilities.

The president suspended Siminalayi Fubara, the Rivers governor; Ngozi Odu, his deputy; and all house of assembly members for six months.

 

Tinubu also appointed Ibok-Ete Ibas as the sole administrator of the state.

The president’s decision has been described as unconstitutional by the opposition, members of civil society and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

In his criticism of the emergency rule, Amaechi claimed the president’s move has sown fear in governors “that if you are not careful, the president will remove you”.

 

He added that Fubara has “no security responsibility” over the Rivers crisis and that the suspended governor is being punished for an offence he “did not commit”.

“It is between the president and the FCT minister. The president wants a power grab. They want to frighten governors who may not support them in 2027. So, there is a rumour everywhere that if you are not careful, the president will remove you,” the former Rivers governor said.

“If the president said it is because of insecurity, because they blew the pipeline, what about part of the country where there is insecurity? Is the president saying they should impose emergency rule on him too? They can’t because he is a democratically elected president. Nobody can impose an emergency rule on him because there is serious insecurity in the north-east, north-west — even in south-east and south-west.

“Rivers governor has no security responsibility; it rests squarely on the president. So why punish a man who did not commit an offence?”

 

Amaechi called on Rivers residents to “resist the president”.

He said the resistance should be done “by democratically protesting against the president”.

[TheCable]

A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has issued a summons to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and seven other parties over the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.

The suit, filed under Suit No: FHC/PH/CS/45/2025, was brought by the Incorporated Trustees of Peoples Life Improvement Foundation, alongside Precious Elekima and Inanna Wright Harry.

 

The plaintiffs are challenging the legality of the emergency proclamation made by the President on March 18, 2025.

 

Others listed as defendants in the suit include the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the National Assembly, the Attorney General of the Federation, Rivers State Sole Administrator Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

In the originating summons, the plaintiffs raised several constitutional questions, including whether the President’s declaration of a state of emergency in the state was valid under Nigerian law. They argued that the action violates Section 305(3)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Article 13 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement Act).

They are also asking the court to:

  • Restrain the state Sole Administrator from appointing caretaker committees for the 23 local government areas;
  • Stop any appointments of commissioners or awarding of contracts;
  • Bar the administrator from spending from the state treasury;
  • Reinstate the suspended executive and legislative arms of the Rivers State Government;
  • And grant a perpetual injunction restraining the President from further suspending any democratically elected officials in the state.

The court has given the defendants 30 days to file their responses. It warned that failure to do so may result in the court proceeding with the case in their absence.

Renowned Niger-Delta activist, Ann-Kio Briggs, has categorically stated that President Bola Tinubu’s suspension of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Nma Odu, was based on misleading and incorrect information.

In an interview with Vanguard on Saturday, Briggs accused the president of being misinformed and deceived by those around him.

“Not only was the president given wrong information, all along, the president has been lied to. It seems the president has never been to Rivers State, so he talks and listens to the people who claim they support him, as if Rivers State people and Ijaw do not support him, which is a big lie,” Briggs remarked.

She continued, emphasizing that the suspension was unjust and unfounded, citing the state’s House of Assembly complex, which she said was over 80% completed with payments already made by Governor Fubara.

“To have anchored the suspension on the claim that he destroyed the complex, which is not proved, and did nothing to provide an alternative place, is a lie,” she added.

Briggs also addressed claims that the suspension was due to insecurity in the state, calling these reports misleading.

She stated, “The president said there was a crisis in the state, indicating insecurity in Rivers State. That, too, was a lie. There was no insecurity. Under the circumstances in which we are operating – the governor of Rivers State is under suspension, all the appointments made by the governor have been cancelled, and new people are coming—it begins to agitate a reasonable person’s mind. If you say you are suspending him for six months, and assuming you revisit the issue, why are the people being removed?

“Not only was our money withheld and now given to the sole administrator, but you also removed people. When Fubara returns, he will remove all the people the sole administrator is putting there because what he is doing is dangerous.

“Why is this uncertainty being created in Rivers State? What have we done as a people? If the president looks back, he would see that everybody is saying he did the wrong thing; the only ones who say that what he did is right are those who claim to support him in Rivers. Are strangers the ones that will come in and deliver the president in 2027 if he is re-contesting for a second tenure? It cannot be.

“The president has been unjust and unfair. Nobody is infallible, so if the president acted based on wrong information, that is a great precedent. He should re-appraise and say he made the decision acting on wrong information, and based on that, the suspension is lifted. We will see him as a great president.”

Naija News reports that Briggs regretted that the president had not adhered to the rule of law in handling the political crisis in the state, adding that the sole administrator was going on with illegalities.

The activist stated, “By what is happening in Rivers State, it can be deduced that the rule of law in this instance has not been adhered to. The Supreme Court said the state should receive its money only when the governor presents a budget to the House of Assembly and it is approved. How did the president release Rivers’ money to a sole administrator against the law? We, the Rivers people, are angry.

“Secondly, we hear, but it is not proven, that the sole administrator is preparing to appoint local government chairmen. We ask where he derives the power to appoint local government chairmen. The Supreme Court has said local government chairmen should be elected, not appointed, or interim chairmen.

“If we have voted, and the Supreme Court said all that was null and void, and the governor removed all the chairmen we voted for, and now the sole administrator wants to appoint local government chairmen, where is the sole administrator getting his powers from? Who told him that he can come to Rivers State and handpick a local government chairman against the law?

“If a governor has been suspended, we hear that the picture of our governor has been removed from the Government House. That is something that will agitate the people of Rivers State. Fubara is not fired; he is on suspension, and everybody has said the suspension is illegal.

“In all that is happening in Rivers State, it is only the president who can bring answers to all the questions. As of now, reasons have shown that there are no facts to suspend the governor of Rivers State. There was no insecurity and blowing up pipelines in Rivers State, and the companies have said nothing was blown up. When you look at all these things, some people do these things to pin everything on the governor. If you know Rivers State, you will understand that the level of calm in the state now is because the suspended governor is a man of peace, and his followers toe the path he has shown them.


“I call on the president to consider all these and let peace reign. We cannot have two governors in this state. The sole administrator should stop seeing himself as the governor of Rivers State; he is not.”

Briggs stressed that the people of Rivers State felt as if they were under military rule rather than civilian governance.

She concluded, “The interpretation of the Rivers people themselves is that they are under military rule in a civilian and democratic dispensation. Boko Haram has sacked many people in Borno State; yet, they are not under military rule. Why should we be under military rule?”

Private oil depots across Nigeria have raised the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, to ₦900 per litre this weekend.

Naija News reports that the hike is attributed to the rising prices of crude oil and other global market factors, impacting the cost of refining and distribution.

A weekend check by Vanguard revealed that major oil marketers, including Rainoil, Prudent, A.Y.M Shafa, and Mainland, have increased their depot prices to ₦900 per litre.

This price surge is expected to lead to an upward adjustment of pump prices when petrol reaches the filling stations.

The price of crude oil, a key feedstock for refining, has risen from $70 per barrel to $75 per barrel, placing additional financial strain on refineries, including the $650,000-barrel per day Dangote refinery.

The increase in crude oil prices has caused the refinery to face higher operational costs, impacting the country’s overall pricing structure of petrol.

According to Vanguard, the Dangote refinery, a major player in Nigeria’s oil sector, did not load trucks based on the country’s Naira-for-Crude program over the weekend, as it continued to lift crude oil via ships charged at dollar rates.

This pricing strategy is crucial for covering the refinery’s increased operational costs, particularly as a significant portion of the crude oil it processes is sourced from the international market in dollars.

Petroleumpriceng.com noted that the situation has put additional pressure on oil marketers, including MRS and Ardova, who are now sourcing their ship supplies in dollars.

This has resulted in an inevitable increase in pump prices, with independent retail outlets in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria selling petrol between ₦930 and ₦950 per litre.

The site further stated, “The inability of the federal government to resolve all issues that hinder the execution of the Naira-crude policy will keep petrol prices rising.”

In a related development, the Major Energies Association of Nigeria (MEMAN) reported that the landing cost of imported petrol had increased by ₦88 per litre in just one week.

MEMAN’s daily energy bulletin, issued on March 26, 2025, indicated that the cost had risen from ₦797 per litre last week to ₦885 per litre this week.

MEMAN also acknowledged the ongoing instability in the market, stating, “As the market stabilizes, challenges will arise, and resistance from those accustomed to price control is inevitable. But with robust regulation, industry collaboration, and public transparency, Nigeria can fully realize the benefits of this transformation.”

The association expressed confidence that a well-functioning, deregulated market would attract more investment, improve operational efficiency, and create a more competitive landscape benefiting both businesses and consumers.

 
  • Companies
  • Transaction is an all-stock deal
  • Deal's $45 billion price tag includes $12 billion in debt
  • xAI valued at $80 billion, integration could make training Grok easier
March 28 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's xAI has acquired X in a deal that values the social media platform at $33 billion and allows the value of his artificial intelligence firm to be shared with his co-investors in the company formerly known as Twitter.
The deal could also help xAI's ability to train its chatbot known as Grok.

The Reuters Tariff Watch newsletter is your daily guide to the latest global trade and tariff news. Sign up here.

"xAI and X's futures are intertwined," Musk, who also heads automaker Tesla and SpaceX, wrote in a post on X, opens new tab: "Today, we officially take the step to combine the data, models, compute, distribution and talent."
Advertisement · Scroll to continue
 
He said the combination values "xAI at $80 billion and X at $33 billion ($45B less $12B debt)".
Representatives for X and xAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Much of the deal's specifics remain unclear, such as how X's leaders would be integrated in the new firm or whether there would be regulatory scrutiny.
Musk, the world's wealthiest man, is also a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump and heads the Department of Government Efficiency.
Saudi Arabian investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who owns the investment company Kingdom Holding, said he had requested the development.
Advertisement · Scroll to continue
 
He noted his companies are the second-largest investors in X and xAI. "After this deal, the value of our investments is expected to reach between $4-$5 billion... and the meter is running," he said in a post on X.
D.A. Davidson analyst Gil Luria said the price tag for X of $45 billion when debt was included was not a coincidence. "It is $1 billion higher than the take-private transaction for Twitter in 2022."
An investor in xAI who declined to be identified said they were not surprised by the deal, viewing it as Musk consolidating his leadership and management at his own companies.
Musk did not ask investors for approval but told them that the two companies had been collaborating closely and the deal would drive deeper integration with Grok, the investor said.
 
OPENAI RIVALRY
Musk's xAI startup was launched less than two years ago and recently raised $10 billion in a funding round that valued the company at $75 billion, according to a media report.
It competes with the likes of Microsoft-backed OpenAI as well as with Chinese startup DeepSeek.
In February, Musk, 53, made a $97.4 billion bid with a consortium for OpenAI, which was rejected and he has sued to prevent the ChatGPT maker from converting from a non-profit to a for-profit business. A judge this month denied Musk's request for a preliminary injunction that would prevent the changeover.
As competition in AI intensifies, xAI has been ramping up its data center capacity to train more advanced models, and its supercomputer cluster in Memphis, Tennessee, called "Colossus," is touted as the largest in the world.
 
xAI introduced Grok-3, the latest iteration of its chatbot, in February.
The X platform could serve to further distribute xAI products, while also providing a real-time feed of users' musings, screenshots and other data.
After buying Twitter, Musk gutted the company's workforce, prompting advertisers to flee the platform and a rapid decline in revenue. Recently, brands have been returning to X as Musk's influence in the Trump administration grows.
 
The seven banks that extended $13 billion in loans to Musk to buy X kept the debt on their books for two years until they were able to sell it all at once last month, according to a source familiar with the transactions.
This was made possible after a surge in investor interest for exposure to AI companies along with X's improved operating performance over the previous two quarters, among other factors, according to two people familiar with the matter.
After the merger, investors who bought the debt from the banks will profit, said Espen Robak, founder of Pluris Valuation Advisors, which specializes in illiquid assets. "For sure the debt is worth more now, if not fully paid off."
Separately, a U.S. judge on Friday rejected a bid by Musk to dismiss a lawsuit claiming he had defrauded former Twitter shareholders by waiting too long to disclose his initial investment in the company.
 
[reuters]
 

Former Rivers State Head of Service, George Nwaeke, has denied claims by his wife, Florence, that he was kidnapped.

Nwaeke stated that contrary to her assertion, he is safe in Abuja where he had gone to voluntarily report himself to security agencies over developments in Rivers State.

In a video released in the early hours of Saturday, the former HoS dismissed his wife’s claim as false, suggesting that she had been misled and given a script to read.

“I am in TRANSCORP Abuja. I arrived this morning from Port Harcourt to meet security agencies and report myself, as well as the troubling events happening in Rivers State. I resigned as Head of Service on Monday because of these developments,” he said.

 

Addressing his wife’s claims, he added, “I just saw a video of my wife trending. She was told I had been kidnapped and given a script to read. I want to make it clear — I am not kidnapped. I am in Abuja, working.

“When I was Head of Service, my wife was not involved in my official duties. That script she read is null and void. I am safe and sound. I will report myself to the appropriate security agencies because Abuja houses their headquarters, and I feel safer making my report here.”

Florence Nwaeke
Florence Nwaeke

Florence, in an emotional interview on Friday, expressed deep concern over her husband’s whereabouts following his resignation.

 

She revealed that after his arrival in Abuja, he called to confirm his safe landing.

However, her fears grew after seeing an online interview with him, which she found suspicious.

“I said, ‘That is not my husband. That is not my husband,” she recalled.

She shared her desperate attempts to contact him, saying, “I sent him a message: ‘Are you under duress? Have they kidnapped you? Talk to me now. Why are you not responding?’ But he didn’t reply. His numbers are not going through. Nigerians, help me!”

Rivers. Fubara
Siminalayi Fubara

Florence raised the alarm after Nwaeke publicly accused Governor Siminalayi Fubara of orchestrating the bombing of the Rivers State House of Assembly in 2023 to prevent his impeachment.

Nwaeke alleged that he witnessed a bag of money being handed over to the former Assembly leader, Edison Ehie, now Fubara’s Chief of Staff, to attack the Assembly Complex along Moscow Road, Port Harcourt.

Last modified on Saturday, 29 March 2025 07:59
The Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, is facing the prospect of a lawsuit following alleged defamatory comments against Emmanuel Uduaghan and his wife, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

The couple’s legal representatives have issued a formal demand for a public apology, warning that legal action will be pursued if the senator fails to comply.

 

In a letter dated March 27, 2025, with reference WIC/W/AB/W3/25, the solicitors representing Chief Uduaghan, a high chief in Warri Kingdom, and Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, accused Nwaebonyi of making damaging statements during a television interview.

The remarks were aired on News Central TV and its affiliate platforms, including DSTV, GOTV, Startimes, and AVO.

During the interview, Nwaebonyi allegedly made derogatory remarks that suggested Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan had a pattern of making false accusations of sexual harassment.

He also implied that her marriage to Chief Uduaghan was based on coercion rather than mutual affection.

The legal representatives of the couple have condemned Nwaebonyi’s comments as an intentional attempt to damage their clients’ reputations.

The statements, which quickly spread across social media, were described as a deliberate effort to tarnish the public image of both individuals.

The solicitors argued that Nwaebonyi’s remarks falsely portrayed Chief Uduaghan as a victim of blackmail and Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan as a person of questionable moral character.

The letter pointed out that these false allegations have caused significant reputational harm, leading to distrust and embarrassment among their political, social, and business associates.

The letter from the law firm demands a public apology from Senator Nwaebonyi within 14 days, to be broadcast on News Central TV and widely shared across social media platforms.

The solicitors warned that failure to comply with this request would result in legal proceedings being initiated against Nwaebonyi to seek redress.

[NaijaNews]

President Bola Tinubu has appointed the national publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Felix Morka, as board chairman of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).

In a statement by his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu also approved the appointment of Hon. Fatuhu Mohammed Buhari from Katsina State as director-general of the National Agricultural Seed Council.

 
 

The president further appointed the following Nigerians as board chairmen of various federal government institutions:

“Mallam Muhammad Massan, APC State Chairman, Bauchi State – Board Chairman, Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute, Ilorin; Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas, APC State Chairman, Kano State – Board Chairman, Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service; Dr. Austian Agada, APC State Chairman, Benue State – Board Chairman, National Agricultural Seed Council; Hon. Macdonald Ebere, APC State Chairman, Imo State – Board Chairman, Federal College of Fisheries and Marine Technology, Lagos.

Others are “Ubong Stephen Ntukekpo, APC State Chairman, Akwa Ibom State – Board Chairman, National Institute for Freshwater Fish, New Bussa; Chief Emma Eneukwu, Deputy Chairman (South) of the APC – Board Chairman, National Automotive Development Council; Aminu Musa Bobi, APC State Chairman, Niger State – Board Chairman, National Library of Nigeria; Pharm. Abass Olayide, APC State Chairman, Oyo State – Board Chairman, Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Kaduna; Alhaji Mohammed Gadaka, APC State Chairman, Yobe State – Board Chairman. Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre; Benjamin Omale, APC State Chairman, Benue State – Board Chairman, National Orthopedic Hospital, Enugu; Rufus Bature, APC State Chairman, Plateau State – Board Chairman, Nigerian Coal Corporation; Alhaji Abubakar Muhammed Kana, APC State Chairman, Kebbi State – Board Chairman, Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies; Hon. Donatus Nwankpa, APC National Working Committee Member, from Abia State – Board Chairman, Project Development Institute (PRODA); Comrade Mustapha Salihu, APC State Chairman, Adamawa State – Board Chairman, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).

Others are Dr Kingsley Ononogbu, APC State Chairman, Abia State – Board Chairman, National Parks Headquarters; Alhaji Abdulmalik Usman, APC State Chairman, Federal Capital Territory – Board Chairman, Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan; Hon. Ibrahim Tukur El-Sudi, APC State Chairman, Taraba State – Board Chairman, Environmental Health Registration Council of Nigeria; Sola Elesin, APC State Chairman, Ekiti State – Board Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Mining and Geosciences.

Emperor Jarrett Tenebe, APC State Chairman, Edo State – Board Chairman, Federal College of Agriculture, Akure; Alhaji Tukur Umar Danfulani, APC State Chairman, Zamfara State – Board Chairman, Federal Medical Centre, Azare; Hon. Aminu Sani Gumel, APC State Chairman, Jigawa State – Board Chairman, Federal College of Produce Inspection and Stored Products Technology, Kano; Barr. Idris Shuaibu, APC State Chairman, Adamawa State – Board Chairman, Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Ibadan.”

[Leadership]