Tinubu’s Rivers rally to spotlight appointments, projects

By Daniel Abia PORT HARCOURT — Federal appointments secured by Rivers indigenes and infrastructure projects executed by the Federal Government are expected to feature prominently at the campaign rally for President Bola Tinubu in Port Harcourt on Saturday, November 7. The rally, scheduled to hold at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, is expected to attract political leaders, All Progressives Congress (APC) members and supporters from across Rivers State.

A chieftain of the APC in the state, Barrister Princewill Dike, said the event would provide an opportunity to highlight the appointments and development projects credited to the Tinubu administration in Rivers. Dike, a member of the Publicity and Media Committee of the Tinubu Campaign Organisation in the state, listed several federal appointments secured by Rivers indigenes.

They include Ambassador Desmond Akawor, Federal Commissioner representing Rivers State on the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), whose appointment was approved by Tinubu in November 2023 and subsequently confirmed by the Senate. He also mentioned Boma Iyaye, Executive Director, Finance and Administration of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and Chief Tony Okocha, who represents Rivers State on the commission’s governing board.

Other appointees listed by Dike are Senator Magnus Abe, Chairman of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall, and Chief Victor Tombari Giadom, Chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Educational Planning and Administration. Dike also cited a disclosure reportedly made by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on October 24, 2026, that Rivers State had secured at least 49 federal appointments under the Tinubu administration.

The appointments, according to the reported disclosure, include directors-general, executive secretaries and heads of federal agencies. On infrastructure, Dike highlighted the 37.9-kilometre Bodo-Bonny Road, which was temporarily opened in December 2025, providing a direct road connection between Bonny Island and the mainland. He said the road had reduced the island’s long-standing dependence on river transportation and helicopter services.

He also listed sections of the East-West Road, particularly the Eleme Junction-Port Harcourt-Ahoada and Eleme Junction-Onne Port corridors, among the Federal Government’s infrastructure interventions in the Niger Delta. Other projects cited include the 700-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, which traverses nine states, including Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Cross River.

Dike further mentioned NDDC projects such as the Kaa-Ataba Bridge, linking Khana and Andoni Local Government Areas, and the Bonny Ring Road and Bridges being undertaken in collaboration with the Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG). He also listed the Federal University of Environment and Technology (FUET), located at Koroma/Saakpenwa in Tai Local Government Area of Ogoniland.

According to him, the November 7 rally would provide an opportunity for stakeholders to discuss federal representation, infrastructure development and the future of Rivers State. He said the event would also enable the state’s political leaders to express appreciation to Tinubu for what he described as his goodwill towards Rivers and assure him of the state’s support in the 2027 elections.