General

Uduaghan Says Downgrade of Asaba Airport Political, Blasts Critics

Published

7 years ago

24/12/2018

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

Immediate-past governor of Delta State and All Progressives Congress 2019 Delta South senatorial candidate, Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, has opened up on the downgrade of the Asaba International Airport by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), few days to his exit as the governor of the oil-rich state in 2015.

The Nigerian government through the NCAA had downgraded the Asaba airport over the failure of Delta State government to put in place safety and security measures at the airport. The development temporarily shut down the operation of the airport as only Dash 8-Q 400 aircraft or its equivalent were allowed in.

But speaking recently in an interview with TELL Magazine, the Itsekiri-born medical doctor revealed that the poor remarks of the airport by the NCAA were politically motivated stressing that it was a regional power-play and blackmail by some aggrieved persons in the state.

In his words: “What they are celebrating as first international flight, what plane was used? A Boeing – 737 – which had been coming in. By the time I was leaving, we had had over 130,000 passengers pass through that airport; some coming with Boeing 737, and smaller planes. There is no president, past president, current president alive today, and very prominent Nigerians that has not passed through that airport and did not have good testimonies about that airport. The airport ran smoothly for three years; there was no issue.

“Then we started having challenges with the run-way, which we started to look at. And it’s not new. Enugu airport was resurfaced last year; they are already having challenges with the runway. Go and check Enugu records; the last visit of governors of the Southeast to Mr President was to complain about the runway in Enugu airport. And this was a runway that was rehabilitated, first before we left, then done again when I had left office. The same company which they recommended to us that should do the Asaba airport, rehabilitated Enugu airport in the last six years twice and still has problems. Abuja airport has problems – runway. Runway problem is not something new, just that they turned this one into politics.

“First, it was announced by the ministry; the ministry had no business announcing it. It’s the business of the FCAA. Some people lobbied the ministry to down-grade it so that I can panic and pump in money and finish it quickly. The same people at that time just felt upset that I had started the Osubi airport runway construction; I had paid some deposit to the company, and their own was that the deposit I had paid for the Osubi airport runway, why would I not use it to complete the Asaba Airport.

“So, there was a regional power-play and blackmail. I am going to mention names in the future, especially for the Osubi airport. We were given a temporary approval by the ministry to commence construction while lobbying for the permanent approval by the FCAA; so, we did not just go there anyhow. The minister came; he went to the place. They gave us temporary go-ahead to do it.

“Of course, ministers were changed. A new minister came in – Osita Chidoka – he was supposed to be my friend; he’s still my friend till today. But when he became minister, he was a little bit hostile. So, I was looking for him; I couldn’t locate him until we were having one rally. I said look, honourable minister, I have been trying to reach you. Can we meet over the airports in Delta? He said fine.

“I went to his office; I was in his office for over four hours discussing the two airports and he said Osubi must stop work. I said why? That we can’t have two airports together like that. For two years, I tried to take over the Osubi airport so that I could increase the length of the runway. You know it was built by Shell, and it was being run by Shell. Shell dribbled us for two years; it was eventually they opened-up to me that they would never give it out because it would affect their operations. I said all these two years, why not say it? So, when they eventually agreed to give it to us that we could do what we had in mind to do, but that we should not touch the short runway, I said okay, available land space, give it to us so that we would do a longer runway; airports don’t have only one runway. Some have three, four. Shell said no. So, that meant we cannot even have land.

“It got to a point when I said okay, I was going to revoke the land; carry your airport away; I will revoke the land. It was then they agreed to cede part of that available land space to us. Then, we acquired more from the communities to get enough land to be able to construct the second runway. So, we started the second one.”

The former governor further revealed that they had cleared, excavated, sand-filled and “work was going on when Chidoka said no, we cannot continue; that there are two airports. I told him no; I appealed to him, but we continued with our construction. He now sent people to come and stop the contractors. Of course, because they were contractors also doing federal jobs, they were afraid to continue in order not to be black-listed. So, that is what happened to Osubi airport hoping that they would force me to go to Asaba airport. But I told them that Asaba airport wasn’t abandoned; we were just having challenges with who the consultant would be.

“FCAA succeeded in forcing a consultant on us. The consultant that eventually did the job was not our consultant; it was nominated by the FCAA officials and they also wanted to force a contractor on us and we said no, that we had our own contractor, let him continue. Fortunately, the contractor that they wanted to force on us was the same contractor that handled the Enugu airport which again failed, so you can’t say he was so good a contractor. So, we had all those challenges. That is part story of the Asaba airport; the full story will come out.”

Responding to the issues raised by the NCAA in the downgrade report, Uduaghan said: “Most of the issues raised were handled. First, they started with fire-fighters; that the fire-fighters we put there were not for airports. We had to order for other ones to specification.

“Then they raised the issue of the hill; of course, the hill is well-known. That because of the hills, they would not allow big planes to come in. So, we had to give the contract concerning the hills to three different companies so that they can bring the hills down as quickly as possible. Of course, because of the cost, that started another controversy.

“They raised the issue of perimeter-fencing, about 70 per cent of which we had done; but before you wake up, Onitsha people had come to cut them, and they took them to go and sell. So, we had to increase security around the place.

“Then the issue of FA lighting so that planes can land at night; we installed FA lighting twice and they would come from across the Niger to steal them away. At the time they closed the airport, the memo had gone through exco, the contract had been awarded for the resurfacing of the runway. They were just waiting for mobilization. So, that statement wasn’t correct.

“The issues they raised, we tackled. And that airport is the most comprehensive airport in Nigeria. I challenge anybody; let us go and debate it. It was just purely regional and ethnic politics that they were doing with the airport. And for me, I am so happy because the point is, I have more people commending me for the airport from that Delta North, prominent sons, than the few persons that were playing politics. I have letters from the Asagba commending me for the airport and some of the things I did in Asaba. So, I am very happy and proud that I made it possible for Asaba to have an airport.”

General

Navy Intensifies Crackdown on Oil Theft in Rivers, Calabar

Published

46 minutes ago

16/03/2026

Adedapo Adesanya

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigerian Navy has intensified its crackdown on crude oil theft and illegal bunkering, destroying a reactivated illegal refinery site in Rivers State and intercepting suspected stolen petroleum products in Calabar.

The Director of Naval Information, Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, revealing that personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship SOROH, operating under Operation Delta Sentinel, destroyed a reactivated illegal refinery site at Okolomade Community in Abua-Odual Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State.

He said the action followed credible intelligence that a previously dismantled illegal refining site had resumed operations.

According to him, an Anti–Crude Oil Theft (Anti-COT) team deployed to the location discovered that the dismantled refining oven had been reconstructed.

“Further exploitation of the area led to the discovery of additional refining equipment and storage facilities containing about 3,000 litres of product suspected to be illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO),” he said.

Mr Folorunsho added that the illegal refining infrastructure—including ovens, storage tanks, hoses, connected pipes and newly acquired metal components used for illegal refining—was destroyed in line with operational procedures.

He said personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship Victory, in another operation, intercepted about 3,950 litres of suspected stolen petroleum products at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) area in Calabar, Cross River.

He said the interception was based on credible intelligence on suspected siphoning of petroleum products from vessels berthed at the port.

The naval patrol team, according to him, swiftly deployed to the area and traced the illegally siphoned products to a trailer park within the port facility.

“On sighting the naval patrol team, the suspected perpetrators fled the scene, after which the area was cordoned off and the illegally siphoned products secured,” he said.

The official said further inspection led to the recovery of about 3,950 litres of Automotive Gas Oil stored in drums and jerrycans, which had been evacuated to the naval base for further necessary action in line with extant regulations.

He noted that the successes aligned with the directive of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Idi Abbas, to intensify operations against crude oil theft and other maritime crimes across Nigeria’s maritime domain.

The captain reiterated the Navy’s commitment to sustaining the operational tempo of Operation Delta Sentinel through intensified surveillance, patrols and intelligence-driven operations aimed at combating crude oil theft, illegal bunkering and other forms of economic sabotage.

General

Mastering SEO: Proven Methods to Grow Your Online Presence

Published

3 days ago

12/03/2026

Dipo Olowookere

Search Engine Optimization isn’t what it used to be.

Gone are the days of stuffing keywords, buying random backlinks, and expecting overnight rankings. Today, SEO is a sophisticated blend of technical precision, content authority, brand positioning, and strategic digital PR.

At RiseGrower.com, we’re launching with one mission:

To help brands grow through ethical, scalable, authority-driven SEO.

This isn’t just another SEO agency. This is the next evolution of ranking strategy.

🌍 SEO in 2026: What Has Changed?

Search engines—especially Google—have become dramatically smarter.

Modern ranking systems analyze:

Topical authority
Content depth and expertise
User engagement signals
Link quality (not quantity)
Brand credibility
Search intent satisfaction

SEO today is no longer about “gaming the algorithm.” It’s about becoming the most trusted answer in your industry.

That’s where RiseGrower comes in.

🚀 What RiseGrower.com Is Built For

We specialize in performance-focused SEO strategies designed to:

Increase organic traffic
Improve high-intent keyword rankings
Strengthen domain authority
Build sustainable backlink profiles
Turn search visibility into revenue

Our approach combines:

Advanced technical SEO audits
Strategic content architecture
Authority guest posting campaigns
White-hat link acquisition
On-page optimization
Data-driven reporting

We don’t chase vanity metrics. We build growth systems.

🧠 Our Philosophy: Authority Wins

Search engines reward expertise and trust.

That’s why our strategy centers around three pillars:

1️⃣ Topical Authority

We help brands dominate entire keyword clusters—not just single keywords.

2️⃣ Editorial Authority

Through high-quality guest posting on real industry publications, we build contextual backlinks that move rankings safely and effectively.

3️⃣ Technical Excellence

From crawl optimization to structured data, we ensure search engines fully understand and prioritize your content.

🔥 Why Most SEO Strategies Fail

Many businesses struggle with SEO because:

They focus only on backlinks without strategy
They publish content without search intent research
They ignore technical site health
They chase short-term wins instead of long-term growth

SEO is not a trick.

It’s a system.

RiseGrower builds systems.

📊 Our Approach Is Data-Driven

Every campaign starts with:

Competitive analysis
Keyword gap research
Link profile audit
SERP intent mapping

We analyze what’s ranking—and why.

Then we engineer a strategy that outperforms it.

🏢 Who We Work With

RiseGrower is built for ambitious brands:

SaaS companies
eCommerce brands
Agencies
Startups
Enterprise businesses
Niche industry leaders

If your goal is sustainable organic growth, you’re in the right place.

⚖️ White-Hat SEO Only

We believe in:

Real editorial placements
Ethical outreach
Genuine authority building
Search engine compliance

We do not use:

Private Blog Networks (PBNs)
Spammy link schemes
Automated backlink tools
Manipulative ranking shortcuts

Long-term growth requires integrity.

📈 The Rise of Performance-Based SEO

The future of SEO isn’t “deliverables.”

It’s measurable outcomes.

At RiseGrower, we align our strategy with:

Ranking milestones
Traffic growth targets
Lead generation goals
Revenue impact

Because rankings are only valuable if they drive business growth.

🌟 What Makes RiseGrower Different?

We blend:

SEO strategy
Digital PR
Authority guest posting
Content intelligence
Conversion-focused thinking

We don’t just improve rankings.

We build market leaders.

🔮 The Future of Search

AI-generated content is flooding the internet. Competition is rising daily.

Search engines will increasingly reward:

Authentic expertise
Brand mentions
Trusted backlinks
Valuable long-form content
Real-world credibility

The brands that invest in authority now will dominate tomorrow.

RiseGrower was created for that future.

🚀 Launching Soon

RiseGrower.com is preparing to launch with a clear promise:

Growth through strategic SEO authority.

If you’re ready to:

Outrank competitors
Scale organic traffic
Build long-term visibility
Turn search into revenue

We’re ready to grow with you.

General

Globy Platform: B2B Marketplace and Its Logistics Calculator

Published

3 days ago

12/03/2026

Dipo Olowookere

Wholesale marketplaces were created so that business owners could find profitable offers and make deals on B2B platforms worldwide. In addition to buyers and sellers, there are traders, distributors, logisticians, and other professionals on such platforms. Let’s take a closer look at these professions. Traders purchase goods in order to resell them at a higher price; speculation is allowed on B2B marketplaces and is a legal instrument. Distributors are the official representatives of the manufacturer, meaning you can purchase original products at the lowest price. Most often, goods are purchased in China and then transported by sea to European countries or North America. We suggest you try the Globy Platform, where the most reputable Asian distributors are registered. Logisticians can also register on Globy. They provide services for the transportation of goods by sea. The following are the advantages of Globy, which are mentioned most often:

quick registration on the portal;
website with simple navigation and management;
excellent choice of reliable suppliers;
most relevant products in the catalog;
free registration;
no commission.

Some B2B platforms process payments, but Globy allows participants to make money payments outside the platform using one of the secure methods. In addition, Globy does not charge a commission when concluding a purchase deal. To start working on the platform, you need to register in accelerated mode or fill out a form with your company’s details. You can be sure that your banking details, personal, and contact information are protected. Third parties can only see the information that you leave open. When registering, do not forget to enter your company’s contact information (messenger, phone, email) so that new partners can contact you. You can pay attention to the fact that the Globy catalog contains items without specifying a price, but the product profile contains the vendor’s contacts. You can contact the seller to discuss the deal details, determining the price of the product.

Logistics Tool on Globy

There is often a situation when the supplier does not provide transportation services and the buyer has to search for a carrier on their own. In fact, this problem is solved simply. Globy has a special tool that helps you quickly find a charterer. You would open the freight calculator and fill in all the fields in the suggested form. You would specify the sending and destination port, and don’t forget to specify the dates and choose the container size. If you want to place containers in an optimal way, then use the load calculator, which is also available for free on the official website. You can use these tools only after registration. You can log in quickly if you have a Google account or a LinkedIn profile. After entering the data, the freight calculator will process your request and provide a list of prices. You can select a suitable line and contact the charterer to discuss the details of the contract. It is recommended to choose a sea delivery with a minimum number of intermediate stops, in which case the cargo will arrive at the destination port faster.

Receiving Cargo at the Destination Port

Buyers should remember that you can check the cargo when it arrives at the port. If the rules of transportation were violated, there was a long delay, or the goods were damaged, you can refuse the cargo, explaining the reason. You can discuss a price reduction with the supplier if the product has lost its proper appearance or the packaging is damaged. You can evaluate the cargo yourself or with the help of third-party experts. It is best to carefully check the documentation when receiving the goods at the port. All documents must be executed in accordance with international law. You can register on Globy today, find the goods you need, and use the logistics tools for free. More than fifty-five thousand users have already been registered on the platform, which indicates the high authority of Globy. If you have any questions, you can ask them in the Help Center on Globy website.