ELVIRA’S PEN

Environmental advocates and stakeholders have called on the federal government and oil extracting companies to extend the ongoing environmental cleanup efforts in Ogoniland to all oil-producing communities in the region, citing persistent oil spills, pollution and environmental degradation. This was established at the Regional Dialogue on the Niger Delta Environmental Cleanup: Issues and Ways Forward, organised by the MIIDEEKOR Environmental Development Initiative (MEDI) in Port Harcourt on August 13, 2026. Renowned environmental activist and Team Lead of MEDI Comrade Celestine Akpobari while presenting his opening remarks at the meeting said the cleanup being undertaken in Ogoni by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) should not be regarded as the end of efforts to restore the wider Niger Delta environment. According to him, decades of oil exploration and exploitation have left communities across the region heavily polluted, while the divestment of internatio...

PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria —  Nigerian broadcaster, storyteller and author Stephanie BlackPearl has launched her debut book,  SURRENDER , a deeply personal reflection on faith, waiting, disappointment and the courage to God when life does not go according to plan. Launching the book on Wednesday, August 12, holds a special meaning for the author as it coincides with her birthday, making the release not only the beginning of her journey as an author but also a personal milestone as she enters a new chapter of her life. Written from personal experiences, SURRENDER examines the often quiet and difficult process of letting go of the desire to control outcomes and learning to trust God, even when the path ahead remains unclear. At the centre of the book is a question that speaks to anyone who has experienced prolonged waiting or unanswered prayers: What if the breakthrough you have been praying for begins with letting go? For BlackPearl, the book was born out of seasons marked by wait...

Health stakeholders in Rivers State have called for stronger community-based sensitization and collaboration to sustain access to HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria services amid declining donor funding and limited resources for community interventions. The call was made during an advocacy visit by the State Advocacy Team (SAT) to the Programme Manager of the Rivers State Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS (RIVSACA) on July 30, 2026, at the agency’s state office in Port Harcourt. The meeting focused on identifying practical, cost-effective and sustainable approaches to increasing community uptake of HIV, TB and malaria prevention, testing and treatment services, particularly as donor-supported interventions face increasing funding constraints. Stakeholders acknowledged that community-based testing, outreach programmes and integrated health campaigns had contributed significantly to improving access to essential health services. However, they noted that the changing funding env...

NAVIGATING THROUGH THE STORM - Elvira Jordan Good Morning Beloved 😘 If you’re a regular reader, you will understand that most of my write ups are either advice, encouragement or instructions to myself which I choose to share. 🪧 I had a hard time coming up with something today so I decided I examine my life at this very moment and give myself a little boost. 💡 For me, it has been a very chaotic season… I can’t begin to explain.  Every part of my life has been touched by this chaos… My finances My business My health  Everything has been shaken up one way or the other, so much that I may be using the rest of the year to pick up the pieces. In all of this, I am happy for the grace of God because I have not experienced one minute of sadness, anger, frustration or ingratitude. I always say to myself “someone somewhere is getting it worse than I am” and somehow, the universe looks for a way to prove it to me. The good part of everything is that I can’t even find a way to blame mys...

The funny thing is…we’ve been walking past priceless arts our entire lives… Imagine someone paying millions of dollars... for a chair your grandmother could weave before breakfast.   Sounds ridiculous... until you  realise  that's not too far from reality. Nigeria is home to some of the most beautiful handmade art and crafts in the world. Yet many of us walk past them every day without a second glance.   Think about it. We proudly buy imported home décor... while that  handwoven  basket in your village is quietly being admired in galleries overseas. Let's start with the famous  Akwete  cloth from  Abia  State. Every piece is woven by hand, sometimes taking days or even weeks to complete. The patterns aren't random. Many carry cultural meanings that have been passed down through generations. Then there's the incredible bronze casting from Benin City. Long before modern machines existed, Benin craftsmen were producing detailed bronze sculp...

 to Port Harcourt, Rivers State –  The state advocacy team for the ATM networks in Rivers State has reaffirmed their commitment to expanding access to the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP) for vulnerable and underserved populations through stronger collaboration, integrated service delivery, and sustainable community engagement. The state advocacy team comprised the state coordinators, Mr. Messiah Fyneface Muzan, who led the delegation for the TB network, Pastor John Ihua-Maduenyi, standing in for ACOMIN, and Mrs. Chigozim Blessing representing NEPWHAN; media personnel and the state program officer shared the identified challenges across the 3 LGAs' implementations with the Executive Secretary of RIVCHPP. The commitment was made during an ATM State Advocacy Team visit and engagement meeting with the Executive Secretary of RIVCHPP, Dr. Vetty Agala, to review strategies for improving enrolment in the state health insurance scheme, particularly in ru...