Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has signed the state’s N1.84tn 2026 Appropriation Bill into law, hours after the Rivers State House of Assembly approved the it.

Fubara assented to the bill on Thursday at the State Executive Council Chambers, Government House, Port Harcourt, describing the appropriation as a “breath of fresh air”.

The budget, titled “Budget of Resilience for Growth and Development,” was passed by the Martin Amaewhule-led House earlier on Thursday after lawmakers reviewed some of the provisions in the governor’s original proposal.

Fubara had presented a N1.854tn budget proposal to the Assembly on July 10, representing a 24.5 per cent increase over the revised 2025 budget.

Speaking after signing the bill, the governor expressed optimism that the appropriation would usher in a new phase of development and cooperation between the executive and legislative arms of government.

According to Daily Post, he also assured the Assembly of his administration’s willingness to maintain a cordial relationship with the lawmakers.

Source: punchng.com

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The Director-General of the Department of State Services, Oluwatosin Ajayi, has directed operatives of the agency not to arrest anyone over civil matters.

According to The Sun, Ajayi stated this in a media interview on Thursday, explaining that the directive was part of measures to strengthen adherence to the rule of law and improve the agency’s human rights record.

The DSS boss said that since assuming office, he had introduced reforms across five broad areas: law enforcement, inter-agency synergy, accountability, respect for human rights and infrastructural and administrative reforms aimed at improving operational efficiency.

According to him, the reforms had also brought about a clearer distinction between civil and criminal matters within the agency.

Ajayi said his career experience had shown that the DSS previously conflated the two areas, stressing that the use of force was inappropriate in civil disputes.

“You cannot apply the use of force in civil matters. Even some criminal matters don’t require force,” he said.

He cited the case involving political economist, Prof Pat Utomi, over allegations relating to an attempt to establish a “shadow government”, saying the DSS opted to seek judicial interpretation rather than arrest him.

“Rather than arrest him, we sought judicial interpretation. And the Court ruled that his adventure was unconstitutional, illegal, and a threat to national security,” he added.

He also referred to a case involving the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, saying the organisation approached the court over allegations that two DSS operatives invaded its premises.

Ajayi said the matter was pursued in court without any arrest, adding that the court eventually awarded more than N100m in favour of SERAP.

Asked whether the DSS now resorts to the courts in civil matters, Ajayi replied, “Yes. I have told my people that there should be no arrest in any civil case. And I’m sure you have found out that, even in cases involving journalists, we would rather approach the court because we do the same job.

“I call you guys our professional colleagues. The only difference is that, while you inform the public, we inform the Government. And because we inform the Government, our information is classified until we declassify it.”

Source: punchng.com

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US President Donald Trump on Wednesday suggested renaming the Strait of Hormuz as “Trump Strait” despite ongoing clashes with Iran — then hours later implied he wasn’t serious.

Trump has made a series of geographical name changes to international bodies of water in his second term, at least partly with the aim of trolling other countries.

The latest suggestion came as Trump insisted the US had full control of the crucial waterway, even as fresh clashes raged there with Iran.

“Now that we have it under USA control, should we change the name Hormuz Strait to Trump Strait??? Like America itself, it would be ‘hotter’ than ever before!” Trump said on his Truth Social network.

The White House later posted a map of the Gulf on social media with his suggested name, adding: “It’s got a nice ring to it.”

Trump has in recent weeks repeatedly threatened to claim sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, even posting a map showing the waterway as a “new US territory.”

Trump, however, later played down the idea of rebranding the Strait of Hormuz.

“It was just thrown out there,” Trump said with a chuckle after an AFP reporter asked him in the Oval Office if he was serious about renaming it.

But a number of the 80-year-old Republican’s previous suggestions have been dismissed as being humorous before they ended up happening for real.

Last week Trump signed an order renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America” amid a trade war with neighboring Canada, just days after apparently raising the idea in jest.

– Iran war grinds on –

Trump also renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” on his first day back in the White House in January 2025. Neither Mexico nor Canada have accepted the changes.

He has also gone on a spree of renaming things after himself, including the Kennedy arts center in Washington, while the US Treasury meanwhile on Wednesday issued $1 coins featuring Trump’s face to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence.

The Iran war remains a deadly serious issue, with no sign of ending more than six months after the initial US-Israeli assault.

Fighting has flared again after weeks of calm, with US forces launching fresh strikes near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday in response to what Trump said were new minelaying efforts by Iran.

Iran said one of the US strikes killed four people at a wedding, branding it a “war crime”, and launched a wave of retaliatory strikes at US bases in Jordan, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Iraq.

At home, Trump has presided over a steep rise in US fuel costs as a result of the war and his Republican Party looks likely to lose at least partial control of Congress in the November midterm elections.

Iran has effectively shut down the choke point, through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes, in retaliation for the war Trump started along with Israel in late February.

Trump said on Wednesday that the United States was ready to attack Iran again — while adding that the renewed campaign would not last “too long.”

“It was a very heavy attack last night, and we’re prepared to do another one any time we want,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

AFP

Source: punchng.com

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