By David Owei

As Nigeria’s Niger Delta hits the highways of economic drive and evolvement, President Bola Tinubu will be in the region to flag off an investment and economic summit.

On September 15, the president is expected to declare open the Niger Delta Economic & Investment Summit 2026 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The region is naturally the oil and gas bay of Nigeria and made of nine states that cut across the three geopolitical zones of southern Nigeria.
But the focus of the event is to look at the holistic economy of the region beyond just oil and gas to the development and growth of other potentials.

The event sets its attention on: Driving Investment, Innovation & Industrial Growth in the Niger Delta

The Niger Delta Economic and Investment Summit (NDEIS), aims to be a high-impact investment platform and will seek to address development challenges and unlock scalable, bankable, and sustainable opportunities in the Niger Delta Region.

Ambassador Ideare Ogan, Chairman of the Niger Delta Chambers of Commerce,Industry, Trade, Mines and Agriculture, (NDCCITMA), the host agency said the body is out to recreate the economic fortunes of the region beyond just oil and gas, and will use the event to make a statement about the economic robustness of the Niger Delta.

The Summit will position Nigeria’s most endowed region with mineral resources as an emerging multi-sector growth corridor with strong returns for forward-looking investors.

It will reposition the Niger Delta as a competitive hub for innovation, enterprise, and inclusive development

The Summit will convene government leaders, development partners, investors, industry experts, community leaders, and youth innovators to engage in focused dialogue on priority sectors such as energy transition, oil and gas value chain optimization, agriculture, blue economy, infrastructure, manufacturing, technology, environmental sustainability, and human capital development.

The Managing Director of Red Sapphire Consulting, Mr. Onoriode Akpe told Africa China Economy Magazine that the summit that has long been in the offing will reposition the region as the economic centrepiece of the country as it has been with oil and gas, but this time in a multi dimensional way.

Akpe said that the emphasis will be placed on inclusive growth, peacebuilding, climate resilience, and economic diversification, education industry development, manufacturing, service sector and ICT industry enhancement.

The Summit program will present keynote speakers, goodwill messages, technical session and structured plenary sessions, sector-specific investment forums, policy roundtables, and deal-making platforms that will address key issues on the economy of the region.

The Summit is expected to attract key development partners led by our benefactors, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

The summit planned to be a world-class event, will align regional development priorities with national economic objectives and global investment trends.

The Steering Committee will provide strategic oversight, stakeholder coordination, and operational guidance to ensure the Summit achieves measurable outcomes, including policy commitments, investment deals, and actionable partnerships.

NDCCITMA sees the Summit beyond dialogue into deal execution. Investment-ready projects, public– private partnership (PPP) frameworks, The Summit will target B2G and B2B engagements that will enable investors and our members to structure partnerships that align profitability with long-term regional stability and impact.

By David Owei,Bayelsa

A civil society organisation in Rivers State on the aegis of LightHope Succor Worldwide Initiative has challenged reports alleging that 37 persons died after inhaling suspected toxic fumes at Okari Jetty in Okrika Mainland, Rivers State, describing the claim as unverified and urging media organisations to disregard it until credible evidence emerged.

The organisation, in a statement issued on Friday, said its preliminary enquiries failed to establish the occurrence of the alleged mass-casualty incident, which reportedly happened at the jetty on September 3, 2026.

According to LightHope, it sought clarification from senior authorities of the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Army responsible for the area, and was informed that no such incident was recorded at Okari Jetty on the date in question.

The statement was apparently in response to a report making the rounds in some print and electronic media, claiming that not fewer than 37 suspected oil thieves had died after inhaling toxic substance in the course of stealing petroleum products from a pipeline taping point at the jetty.

One of the reports had alleged that the incident occurred at about midnight on Thursday, September 3, during an illegal operation to load petroleum products from a pipeline tapping point into waiting boats.

The organisation claimed that the youths inhaled the product while it was being pumped at high pressure, resulting in the deaths of at least 37 persons, while several others were allegedly still missing.

It also claimed that some corpses had been seen floating on the river but had yet to be recovered and called on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to conduct a Joint Investigation Visit to the alleged site.

It urged companies whose facilities were allegedly vandalised to strengthen security around their pipelines.
But LightHope said its preliminary investigation had been unable to independently establish the veracity of the reported fatalities.

It therefore called on the originators of the report to produce verifiable evidence capable of substantiating the claim, while urging media organisations to apply appropriate editorial checks before reproducing allegations involving the loss of human lives.

The group, however, cautioned that its position should not be interpreted as a denial of the serious environmental and security challenges associated with oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta.

Rather, it said, the issue was about accuracy, responsible advocacy and evidence-based reporting.

LightHope maintained that unverified reports of mass deaths could create unnecessary public anxiety and undermine credible efforts to address the region’s longstanding environmental and security challenges.

“The conflicting accounts have raised questions that could only be conclusively resolved through an independent investigation by relevant authorities”, it stated, insisting that the reported 37 deaths should not be presented as established fact without credible evidence.

The organisation reaffirmed its commitment to community welfare, environmental responsibility, public safety and credible advocacy in the Niger Delta.

However, security agencies in the state including the Nigeria Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC have in separate reactions confirmed that some oil thieves actually lost their lives at a pipeline taping point at the Okrika Jetty where they had gone to “steal crude oil”.

According to Agabe Blessing, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Rivers Police command, though the command was yet to receive any official complaint on the incident as at Friday afternoon, investigation was on to ascertain the number of suspects who died in the incident.

By David Owei

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) on Tuesday participated actively in the Africa Local Content Programme, a key event at the ongoing Africa Oil Week held in Accra, Ghana.

Africa Oil Week (AOW 2026) is a leading international conference, networking, and exhibition programme focused on Africa’s oil, gas, and upstream energy sector. The event brings together industry leaders, governments, regulators, investors, and service providers to develop policy, share discoveries, secure investment, and shape the continent’s energy future

The Africa Local Content Programme themed “Building African Capacity, Competitiveness and Collaboration Across the Upstream Value Chain,” was organised in partnership with the NCDMB, the African Union (AU) and the Petroleum Commission Ghana. The programme featured high-level discussions aimed at advancing African capacity, competitiveness and collaboration across the upstream value chain.

The Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe delivered the opening remarks at the event, speaking on the theme, “From Resource Ownership to Industrial Power.”

He was represented by the Director, Corporate Services, NCDMB, Dr. Abdulmalik Halilu, who highlighted the need for African countries to move beyond resource ownership and focus on building sustainable industrial capacity, creating greater value from their natural resources and positioning African businesses to compete globally.

He stressed that “local content frameworks must promote the development and utilization of African cross border capacities for the industrialization of Africa.”

He further identified local content value proposition to includeresearch and technology development, local employment, strategic partnerships, ownership and control of assets, supply chain optimization, sustainable operations, increase production and utilization of locally made good and contributions to gross domestic product (GDP).

The Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, NCDMB, Mr. Ajimijaye Omomehin, participated in discussions on “Harmonising and Standardising Technology and Policy: Driving Change through the Brazzaville Accord,” which focused on the importance of policy and technology alignment in driving regional energy development.

Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, General Manager, Corporate Communications Division, moderated the session on “Market Entry Insights: Unlocking Africa’s Most Compelling Upstream Opportunities,” while Dr. Hailu joined other industry stakeholders as a panelist to discuss the strategies and enablers that will accelerate investment in Africa’s upstream oil and gas sector. The discussants agreed that local content can be used to attract investments and lower the cost of operations, while Africa oil producers must ensure stability of regulations in their jurisdictions, while taking other steps will attract investment capital.

NCDMB officials also featured in several strategic sessions, contributing the Board’s experience and perspectives on critical issues shaping the future of Africa’s energy industry.

Mr. Erefagha Turner, Assistant Manager Planning, Research and Statistics contributed to discussions on “Unlocking Capital for African Content Growth,” with emphasis on creating financing pathways to support the growth of indigenous businesses across the continent. He described the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund (NCI Fund) as a successful financing model that has helped service companies to grow capacities.

Engr. Dokubo Obongo, Manager Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building contributed to the session on “Investing in Talent: Building Africa’s Energy Workforce,” highlighting the importance of skills development and investment in human capital as essential

requirements for building a globally competitive African energy workforce.