Photo caption: Vice President Kashim Shettima, Governor Fubara and other Nigerian delegates arriving in New York for UNGA

Governor Siminalayi has said that Rivers State will take centre stage at the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81) in New York, as his administration moves to showcase the State’s huge investment potentials to the world.

Sir Fubara said the UNGA platform provides a unique opportunity to market Rivers State as Nigeria’s number one investment destination in oil and gas as well as other critical sectors.

Speaking with journalists on the sidelines of the conference in New York, the Governor said the essence of his participation at the global meeting is to give visibility to Rivers State and showcase its economic endowments and woo investors to the state.

“The issue is very simple. We’re trying to give visibility to the state and also showcase the areas where God has really endowed us in the oil and gas sector and other aspects of the state.

“I strongly believe that at the end of this conference and other side meetings, business opportunities will be made open and presented to interested investors who might have very serious and immediate needs to come to our dear state, knowing full well the position of Rivers State in the oil and gas industry.

“I also strongly believe that we are also going to make some inroad into financing and investors opportunities for our dear state,” he stated.

According to Onwuka Nzechi, Chief Press Secretary to the River State Governor,  Fubara explained that the investment drive at UNGA 81 is in sync with the deliberate economic reforms of his administration, particularly the establishment of the Rivers State Investment Promotion Agency (RSIPA) as a one-stop shop to facilitate and protect investments.

“This is not different from what we have already done before in establishing what we call the Rivers State Investment Promotion Agency. What we are doing here will also aid the programme of that agency.

“Overall, I will say that Rivers State will be visible and prominent in this conference and we will come home with some good investments for our dear state,” he stated.

Onwuka in a statement quoted Governor to have  assured investors that Rivers State remains peaceful, stable, and open for business, with vast opportunities in oil and gas, agriculture, blue economy, manufacturing, and renewable energy.

Rivers State is among the few Nigerian sub-nationals participating actively at UNGA 81, with engagements lined up with development finance institutions, multinational corporations, and diaspora investors.

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) is advancing a national digital platform intended to give farmers, livestock keepers and agricultural advisers more reliable access to location-specific weather and climate information. The NiMet Data Hub, developed with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and Crea2Solutions, has moved from design and mock-up review to an advanced Minimum Viable Product, with NiMet weather and climate services now under testing.

Work on the hub began in February 2026 under the Climate Services for Youth (CS4Y) and AGRA programmes. By July 2026 the project had progressed from early design to a testable product. The initiative is intended to improve access to historical, monitored and forecast climate information and to support risk analysis, seasonal planning and climate-informed decision-making.

Officials and partners have described the hub as a response to persistent weaknesses in agricultural climate services, including fragmented data, limited coordination among information providers, and the difficulty of turning technical forecasts into timely, practical advice. Stakeholder engagement co-hosted by NiMet and ILRI has focused on mapping Nigeria’s agro-meteorological data and advisory landscape, identifying information and delivery gaps, strengthening institutional linkages, improving last-mile communication, and supporting gender and social inclusion.

The platform is expected to serve farmers, pastoralists, extension professionals, researchers, government institutions and private advisory providers. NiMet resources such as online map rooms and agricultural climate products are expected to feed the system, enabling the development of context-specific agro-weather advisories. ILRI’s contribution is aligned with its wider work of organising research data, developing digital tools and making information more usable for partners and decision-makers.

The project is consistent with the food security, climate-smart agriculture and digital service priorities of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. By seeking to place usable climate information in the hands of producers and advisers, the hub is intended to support preparedness, reduce climate-related losses and strengthen agri-food livelihoods.

The internal dispute between the Obi/ Kwakwanso support group also known as OK Movement and the leadership of National Democratic Congress, NDC has escalated over the presidential campaign council set up by the movement ahead of the 2027 general election.

Recall that the Movement recently unveiled a 57 member presidential campaign council to work for the Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwakwanso ticket but the NDC issued a statement weekend and disowned the council.

Reacting to the development, the, OK Movement said tt does not require the personal validation or approval of any individual within the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) before exercising its legitimate organisational functions in accordance with established processes.

The ‌‍‍‍‍‌OK Movement National Secretary Saadatu Sani said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

Sani rejected a statement credited to the party’s National Chairman, Sen. Moses Cleopas, urging him to familiarise himself with NDC’s constitution before making assertions.

Sani, in her statement, said the movement recognised the supremacy of political parties within constitutional and statutory spheres, but maintained that it remained an independent organisation with its leadership and internal processes.

She insisted that the movement would campaign for the NDC presidential and vice-presidential candidates as well as other party candidates where it had resolved to support them.

“The OK Movement does not require the personal validation or approval of any individual before exercising its legitimate organisational functions in accordance with established processes,” she said.

Sani said the movement was established from the grassroots and did not depend on sponsorship from any individual or political office holder for its activities.

She added that the movement was not seeking political appointments or positions within the NDC as a condition for its support, saying its principles remained its guiding values.

She said the movement had developed a nationwide grassroots structure, with internal membership records indicating approximately 2.5 million registered members and coordinators, supported by relevant data.