Index to Nigerian Newspapers

Victims of last year’s flood in Bayelsa State and other residents of the state have called on the state government to promptly clear the drainages and canals around Yenagoa, the state capital to avert the devastating effects of the anticipated flood this year. The Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) had predicted that the heavy rainfall that will reach its peak between July and September, 2024 will cause flooding higher than last year’s own.

Disturbed by the prediction and suffering of last year’s flood, some residents around the cemetery road, Azikoro village in Yenagoa, told members of the Federated Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) who went round to see the level of government’s preparedness ahead of the anticipated flood that they needed the relevant government agencies to clean up the canals that empty water into the area from the cemetery area of the state.

Engr Udengs Eradiri, the Labour Party governorship candidate in Bayelsa State, urges youths to rise up against the old order and save the state. He believes coastal communities and ocean cities like Odioma hold the key to unlocking resource potential and a new Bayelsa. Eradiri plans to employ teachers, train them, and pay their arrears. He aims to revive Bayelsa's economy with agriculture and self-sufficiency in food production when elected.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has denied any move to influence the nomination of a minister from Bayelsa State in the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying some politicians in the state might have wrongly misinterpreted his recent visit to the Presidential Villa. Jonathan in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr Ikechukwu Eze, said his recent visit to the presidential villa was to brief Tinubu, who has just been elected as the Chairman of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, on the recent developments in the sub-region; himself is the Chairman of ECOWAS Council of the Wise.

“While we once again dismiss the claim as untrue, we advise Nigerians to ignore mischief makers and their web of fake news because of the danger they pose to the peace and healthy growth of our nation,” he said.

The West African Elders Forum (WAEF) 2023 Election Mission to Sierra Leone has arrived in Freetown to encourage and support a peaceful democratic transition ahead of the country’s general election scheduled for this weekend, June 24. Former President and Chairman of the forum, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, is the head of the mission.

The team also has former Burkinabe Prime Minister and one-time President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Kadre Ouedraogo and staff from the WAEF secretariat as members. A statement by the Communications Officer of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation,  host of the WAEF secretariat, Mr Wealth Dickson Ominabo, on Wednesday, quoted the head of mission as urging the people of Sierra Leone to approach the election with utmost patriotism by prioritising the nation’s peace and stability and refrain from acts capable of undermining the nation’s democracy.

On Wednesday night, an accident involving the motorcade of the former president Goodluck Jonathan resulted in the deaths of two aides. His Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ikechukwu Eze, released a statement in which he said, "Former President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has expressed deep sadness over the unfortunate tragic death of two police officers attached to him, in a road crash today at the vicinity of the Abuja airport, while on his way out of the airport."Dr. Jonathan observed with grief that Inspectors Ibrahim Abazi and Yakubu Toma, who had passed away, were honourable men and women who were committed to carrying out their jobs and serving the country. In the collision, which featured a car carrying the security guys, two other officers also suffered injuries.They were taken by ambulance to an Abuja hospital, where they are responding to care. The former President's office sent condolences to the dead families and the Police High Command.