SR SahelReporters

By Odita Sunday  The newly established Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA) has been positioned to play a pivotal role in Nigeria’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy, with its Director-General/Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Pius Akutah, MON, urging staff to embrace professionalism, accountability and a results-driven work culture. Akutah gave the charge during a town hall meeting with staff at the agency’s headquarters in Lagos, where he described the transition from the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to NPERA as a major institutional transformation requiring a corresponding change in mindset and approach to work. The meeting was one of the first major engagements between the new management and staff following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assent to the Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency Act, 2026, which formally established NPERA as Nigeria’s statutory economic regulator for the ports. Akutah said the new legislation had provided the agency w...

By Aviashima Toom, abuja The Cross River State Police Command is strengthening its partnership with the Homeland Security, Cross River State South, in a renewed effort to tackle crime and improve public safety across the state. The Commissioner of Police, CP Ajo Geoffrey Ordue, announced this when the Director-General of Homeland Security, Cross River State South, Chief Michael Nsan, led a delegation on a courtesy visit to the Command in Calabar. The Commissioner described Homeland Security as a critical stakeholder in the state’s security architecture, stressing the need for stronger collaboration in the face of evolving criminal activities. He called for increased intelligence sharing, information exchange, community engagement and coordinated operations to prevent and disrupt crime. CP Ajo Geoffrey reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to a multi-stakeholder approach to security, assuring that the Police would deepen collaboration with Homeland Security and other relevant ...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja  For years, the Environmental Media Correspondents Association of Nigeria (EMCAN) was expected to serve as a professional home for journalists reporting on the environment—a platform where members could find support, strengthen their professional capacity, access opportunities and collectively advance the cause of environmental journalism in Nigeria. But beneath the identity and activities of the association, a growing sense of discontent had emerged among some members. Questions were raised about transparency, accountability, communication, elections, congresses, access to opportunities and, perhaps most importantly, the welfare of members. For critics of the former leadership, an association established to improve the professional and welfare conditions of environmental correspondents had, over the years, become too concentrated around a small circle, leaving many members wondering what tangible benefits their membership provided. After about ...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja  The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has pledged to deepen its collaboration with the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN) in the areas of media, digital communication, research, and professional development. The commitment was made on Monday, August 31, 2026, when the executive members of ACSPN visited the NCS National Headquarters in Abuja to explore opportunities for institutional partnership. Receiving the delegation on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, the National Public Relations Officer and spokesperson for the Service, Deputy Comptroller of Customs Abdullahi Maiwada, underscored the importance of effective communication in driving institutional reforms. Maiwada said the Service had continued to deploy its monthly newsletter, social media platforms and data analytics as key tools for communicating its activities and reforms to the public. “In every reform, communication mus...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja The Cross River State Police Command has foiled an attempt by a mob to lynch a man accused of stealing mobile phones in Calabar. The incident occurred around Harbour Junction, Calabar, on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, following a distress call received by the police at about 8:30 a.m. According to a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer of the Cross River State Police Command, ASP Eitokpah Sunday Akata, a police patrol team was immediately dispatched to the scene, where officers found a man identified as Chukwu Ebuka being attacked by an angry mob. The officers intervened, rescued Ebuka and evacuated him to an undisclosed medical facility, where he is currently receiving treatment for multiple injuries sustained during the attack. The police also arrested a 56-year-old man identified as Azubike Micheal for allegedly instigating the mob and encouraging others to attack Ebuka. The Command said Micheal is currently in police custody as investi...

By Aviashima Toom, abuja The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced the schedule for the physical screening and documentation exercise for successful candidates shortlisted for recruitment into the Service. The exercise will take place at the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College (NCCSC), Gwagwalada, Abuja. In a statement issued on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, by the Deputy Comptroller of Customs and National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, the NCS directed all shortlisted candidates to appear at the screening venue with the original and photocopies of the required documents. The documents include the National Identification Number (NIN), original Birth Certificate or Declaration of Age, and educational certificates, including O'Level, ND, HND, Degree and other applicable qualifications. Candidates are also required to present a Certificate of State of Origin, two recent passport photographs, a comple...

By Aviashima Toom, abuja The Cross River State Police Command has pledged to strengthen security collaboration with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to safeguard medical personnel, healthcare facilities and patients across the state. The Commissioner of Police, Cross River State Command, CP Ajo Geoffrey Ordue, psc, mnips, mspsp, made the commitment on Monday, August 31, 2026, when he received the leadership of the NMA, Cross River State Chapter, led by its Chairman, Dr. Pius Unimke Agweye, during a strategic engagement at the Command headquarters. The meeting focused on strengthening communication, intelligence-sharing and coordinated responses to security challenges affecting healthcare workers and medical facilities across the state. CP Ajo Geoffrey stressed that the safety of medical personnel is an important component of community security, noting that healthcare workers provide essential services and should be able to carry out their responsibilities in a safe an...