The Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has declared that it is not the place of the Federal Inland Revenues Service to collect Value Added Tax, VAT, and personal income tax, PITA. In a suit brought by the Rivers State Government, the court, presided over by Justice Stephen Dalyop Pam, also issued an order…
Rivers Closes Largest Slaughter Market Permanently
Rivers State Government has now permanently shut down Oginiba slaughter market located in Trans -Amadi Industrial layout, Portfolio in Harcourt. According to the Commissioner for Agriculture, Fred Kpakol, the decision to close the market permanently was taken at the state executive council meeting on Monday presided over by Governor Nyesom Wike. Briefing journalists after the…
Petrol Scarcity Looms in Rivers as Tanker Drivers Sustain Strike
There are fears that a fresh round of scarcity of petroleum products might hit Port Harcourt and its environs as members of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers, PTD, unit of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, sustain their strike in the city. Already queues have been resurfacing at petrol filling stations. The…
PIB Has Not Done Justice to Host Communities, Omo-Idehen, Biz-Development Expert
The need for the reconciliation and harmonisation of the two different versions of the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB recently passed by the two chambers of the National Assembly has been canvassed by a management and business development expert, George Omo-Idehen. Omo-Idehen suggested that this should be “mandatorily and carefully done, with all objections voiced by…
On his Sixth Anniversary in Office, Wike Praises Self, Blasts Buhari, APC
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Monday thumped his chest with pride to say that he has been able to grow the infrastructure and social services of the state beyond the expectation of both friends and opponents of his government. The governor, who spoke at a special ceremony at Obi Wali International Centre, Port Harcourt…
Obaseki Defers to Benin Monarch on Looted Artefacts
To Seek Audience With Palace To Iron Out Grey Areas The Edo State government on Monday broke its silence on the face-off between it and the Palace of the Oba of Benin, Ewuare 11, Ogidigan, on the custody of stolen artefacts to be repatriated from Germany and other foreign countries. Secretary to the State Government,…
Visit of Kuwaiti, Other Oil Investors Splits Ogoni Groups
A visit to Ogoniland by investors in oil exploration from Kuwait, Dubai and the United States has created suspicion and division between two major pan-Ogoni organizations. On Thursday, the Ogoni Liberation Initiative warned a factional President of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, MOSOP, Sika Fegalo, from making utterances that could lead to…
Passage of PIB Receives Kudos, Knocks from IPMAN Chief
Thursday’s passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB by the Senate has received praise and knocks from the Chairman of the Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, Rivers State branch, Joseph Obele. Obele told TELL magazine that though the PIB would open up the oil and gas sector for massive investments, it was sad news…
Traffic in Port Harcourt as Drivers Protest Multiple Taxes
Tired of paying for multiple tickets on the Oyigbo – Port Harcourt route, commercial drivers plying the route blocked the road, causing serious traffic on Monday. The drivers, who said they would not leave the road until they got assurances from the leadership of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, said they can…
Wike Says He Got Only N52bn from FG
…Vows not to dump PDP Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday in Port Harcourt said that contrary to claims that the Federal Government refunded the sum of N78 billion to the Rivers State Government for federal projects executed by the state, only the sum of N52 billion was received by the state. Wike disclosed…