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Governor of Bayelsa State, Douye Diri, has described his administration’s urban renewal policy as an intentional measure taken to transform the landscape of Yenagoa and change its narrative as a one-road state capital.

Diri stated this while speaking as special guest of honour at the 34th Edition of the popular Obunem Epie Festival at Opolo Community on Wednesday in the Yenagoa Local Government Area.

The Bayelsa Chief Executive, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Dr Peter Akpe, commended the Epie-Atissa people for supporting the urban renewal policy to ensure unhindered infrastructural development within the Yenagoa metropolis.

Diri highlighted some of the completed and ongoing landmark projects to include the New Yenagoa City Road, the Igbogene-AIT Ring Road, the Glory Drive, Two and Three roads, as well as several internal roads, which he noted, had enhanced the aesthetics of Yenagoa and mobility within the capital city.

He called on the people to sustain their cooperation and support for his administration, and assured them of more development in the area.

He acknowledged the unifying role of the Obunem Epie Festival, noting that the annual gathering always brings together sons and daughters of the kingdom irrespective of their political and religious differences.

“For the people of Epie and Atissa Kingdoms, the rest of Bayelsa is indebted to you in terms of gratitude. The governor and indeed the government of Bayelsa State are using this forum to once again appreciate you for supporting peace, progress and development.

“Yenagoa has been experiencing development right from the inception of Bayelsa. And as you can see, the Senator Douye Diri-led Administration has been very intentional about developing and changing the landscape and narrative of Yenagoa.

“The administration is committed to its urban renewal and development programme. Several strategic access roads to the Yenagoa City have been constructed by this administration,” he added.

The Chairman on the occasion, Chief Blankson Somkime, stressed that the Obunem Festival is celebrated yearly to remind the Epie people of their history, identity, values and traditions as bequeathed by their ancestors.

Somkime saluted the Ebenibe, King Malla Sasime, and other traditional rulers in Epie Kingdom for ensuring that the festival continues to stand as a beacon of unity and continuity across generations.

He added, “As we celebrate today, we must also confront an important truth that the future of Epie Kingdom rest heavily on the shoulders of its youths. Our young people are not just participants in culture; they are its custodians.

“They are also the drivers of economic growth, innovation and social transformation. Therefore, we must intentionally move from mere celebration to empowerment. If we fail to empower the youths, we risk celebrating culture without continuity.”

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday arraigned the former Managing Director of the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC), Mr Ahmed Dikko, before the Abuja division of the Federal High Court.

Dikko was arraigned alongside a company, Masterpiece Projects & Investment Ltd, on a 12-count criminal charge bordering on money-laundering.

According to the charge, Dikko was alleged to have used about N218.4 million to acquire a property in Katampe extension in Abuja, without passing the funds through a financial institution, contrary to the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

He however, pleaded not guilty to the entire counts read against him.

Following his not guilty plea, prosecution counsel, Mr Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, asked the court to fix a date for the commencement of trial.

However, Ikechukwu Ajunwa, SAN, who represented the defendants, informed the court of the bail application for the former MD, adding that Dikko had complied with the conditions of the administrative bail earlier granted by the anti-graft agency and would not interfere with the trial or jump bail.

Responding, the prosecution urged the court decline the bail application on grounds contained in his counter-affidavit and written address filed before the court.

In a short ruling, the trial judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, admitted the defendant to bail, stating that bail is a constitutional right, adding that sufficient grounds must be established before it can be denied an applicant.

Justice Ekwo held that bail is granted in the sum of N150 million with one surety in like sum.

Part of the conditions are that the surety must own landed property within the jurisdiction of the court, submit the title documents for verification by the court registrar, and be a responsible citizen.

The court in addition ordered Dikko to deposit his international passport with the court and the defendant must not travel outside the country without the court’s permission.

Meanwhile, the matter has been adjourned till October 12, October 13 and October 14 for the commencement of trial.

The arraignment comes about two weeks after the EFCC filed separate charges against Dikko and a former MD of the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC), Mr Jimoh Yisawu, for allegedly diverting funds released for the rehabilitation of the country’s state-owned refineries.

Dikko is further alleged to have received and retained funds from contractors engaged by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, concealing the source of some of the money through third parties and carrying out transactions that allegedly breached the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, among others.

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The Senate on Wednesday approved the 2026 budget proposal of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), endorsing a revenue target of N11.074 trillion alongside a proposed expenditure of N1.295 trillion for the 2026 fiscal year.

The approval followed the adoption of the report of the Senate Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariffs presented during plenary.

Presenting the report, Isah Jibrin, Chairman of the Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariffs, said the panel scrutinised the Service’s 2025 budget implementation before considering its 2026 estimates.

He disclosed that the NCS exceeded its 2025 revenue target of N6.5 trillion, generating about N7.2 trillion, representing a performance rate of 110.53 per cent.

Jibrin, however, noted that revenue could have been higher but for several factors, including the suspension of excise duty on telecommunications services, government policies promoting local production of healthcare products, and disruptions to global trade arising from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which affected imports, especially wheat.

On budget implementation, he said that although the Service had an approved 2025 budget of about N1.132 trillion, actual expenditure stood at N591 billion.

He attributed the low capital budget utilisation to delays in approvals by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and the Federal Executive Council (FEC), resulting in the rollover of several projects into the 2026 fiscal year.

According to Jibrin, the Service plans to realise its 2026 revenue target through wider deployment of technology, stronger revenue recovery measures, real-time audit systems, improved trade facilitation and more aggressive anti-smuggling operations.

He further explained that the proposed N1.295 trillion expenditure comprises N421 billion for personnel costs, N307 billion for overheads and N565 billion for capital projects, with the bulk of the funding expected from the statutory four per cent Free on Board (FOB) levy provided under the Nigerian Customs Service Act, 2023.

The committee consequently recommended Senate approval of both the proposed revenue target and expenditure estimates for the 2026 fiscal year.

Contributing to the debate, Senator Barau Jibrin, Deputy Senate President, described the committee’s report as comprehensive and applauded the Comptroller-General of Customs and the entire workforce for their performance.

He said the agency’s impressive revenue generation vindicated President Bola Tinubu’s decision to extend the tenure of the Comptroller-General.

“You have an entity that budgeted to generate about N6.5 trillion but ended up generating N7.2 trillion. That is a wonderful performance and we cannot commend the Comptroller-General and his team enough.”

Barau also observed that despite the increase in revenue generation, the agency spent only N591 billion in 2025, with a significant proportion directed to capital projects rather than recurrent expenses.

He added that the Service’s projection of generating more than N11 trillion in 2026 reflected confidence in the reforms and innovations introduced by its leadership.

“For an agency to propose generating N11 trillion and spending only N1.2 trillion to run its operations shows remarkable fiscal discipline. This is an institution Nigerians should be proud of.”

According to him, the budget structure, which allocates more resources to capital projects than overhead costs, demonstrates prudent financial management that is uncommon in many public institutions.

Following the committee’s recommendations, Godswill Akpabio, Senate President, put the proposals to a voice vote, with lawmakers unanimously approving both the revenue target and expenditure estimates.

Akpabio commended the Senate Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariffs for its detailed examination of the budget proposal and congratulated the leadership of the Nigerian Customs Service on its performance.

He also appreciated senators for their contributions, expressing optimism that the approved budget would strengthen the operations of the Service and boost revenue generation for the Federal Government.