The Federal High Court of Nigeria has announced the commencement of its 2025/2026 Legal Year and Annual Judges’ Conference.

According to a circular signed by the Honourable Chief Judge, Hon. Justice John T. Tsoho, KSS, OFR, FCIArb (UK), the event is scheduled to hold at the Court’s Headquarters in Abuja from Monday, December 15 to Thursday, December 18, 2025.

The announcement was signed by Dr Catherine Oby Christopher, Director of Information, Federal High Court of Nigeria, on Monday, 27 October 2025.

The annual conference offers a vital platform for reflection, evaluation, and strategic planning, aimed at enhancing the administration of justice and enhancing judicial efficiency. It will also feature the ceremonial opening of the new Legal Year.

The Chief Judge noted that further details regarding the court’s vacation period will be communicated in due course. He also extended his warm regards to all Judges, wishing them a successful conference and a productive new Legal Year.

The leadership of the PBAT Door To Door Movement has strongly condemned what it described as false and malicious claims in some publications that the Grand Patron of the group, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to release Nnamdi Kanu.

“This claim is entirely baseless and the handiwork of desperate propagandists, fake news merchants, fifth columnists, and agents of disunity,” the National Coordinator of the group, Sunday Asuku, said in a statement on Sunday.

Asuku said that the fake news merchants’ plot to create tensions and instigate the Federal Government against Tompolo had fallen like a pack of cards in the face of his exemplary commitment to national peace and development.

He pointed out that it had become clear to discerning people that those behind the 21-day ultimatum claim had been greatly unsettled by Tompolo’s unalloyed support to President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The PBAT Door To Door Movement urged security agencies to investigate and bring to book those behind the fake news.

Asuku said, “These elements are bent on creating tension and undermining the patriotic efforts of a man who has remained an icon of peace, unity, national development, socio-economic and political diversity, regardless of tribal, religious, zonal or political affiliation.

“It is evident that Chief Tompolo’s unwavering support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda has unsettled certain groups uncomfortable with his growing influence in advancing national stability and economic progress. However, their attempt to malign his image through fabricated narratives will fail.

“For the avoidance of doubt, at no time did Chief Tompolo issue any statement or directive regarding the legal proceedings involving Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. The matter is before a competent court of law, and any attempt to interfere with due process would be both unpatriotic and unlawful.

“The PBAT Door To Door Movement wishes to emphasise that issues bordering on national unity and security must be treated with utmost responsibility and sensitivity.

“The reckless use of social media to circulate divisive propaganda not only undermines the integrity of public discourse but also poses a serious threat to Nigeria’s collective peace and development.

“We therefore call on opinion leaders, influencers, and citizens alike to exercise restraint, promote factual reporting, and support the government’s ongoing efforts to build a stable and inclusive nation.

“Chief Tompolo has consistently demonstrated commitment to the peace and stability of Nigeria, particularly in the Niger Delta region, where his efforts have helped sustain the nation’s economic lifeline. As a patriot and peace advocate, his focus remains on consolidating the gains of the Renewed Hope Agenda and strengthening the bond of unity among Nigerians irrespective of ethnic or religious differences, which is obviously not going down well with the rebels.

“Chief Tompolo’s promotion of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and his recent trend have made the enemies of Nigeria uncomfortable; hence, the propaganda and malicious publications aimed at denting his harmonious relationship with the government.

“We therefore call on the Department of State Services (DSS) and other relevant security agencies to thoroughly investigate and bring to book those behind this reckless act. The deliberate spread of misinformation poses a grave threat to Nigeria’s unity and security, and such actions must not be allowed to go unpunished.

“The PBAT Door To Door Movement remains steadfast in its commitment to promoting peace, good governance, and national cohesion through truthful communication and civic engagement. We urge Nigerians to disregard the false report and always verify information before sharing it online.”

The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dr Dennis Otuaro, has expressed his unwavering commitment to ensuring that more indigent students and communities of the Niger Delta benefit from the PAP scholarship scheme.

He stated this while explaining what informed his decision to expand the scheme and increase formal education opportunities for poor students, and to build a huge manpower base in the region.

Otuaro spoke during an interactive session in London on Saturday with the beneficiaries of the scholarship initiative deployed for undergraduate and post-graduate programmes in universities across the United Kingdom.

The engagement, which was at the instance of the PAP boss, provided an opportunity for the Office and the scholarship students to discuss issues pertaining to their welfare and challenges with a view to addressing them.

Otuaro said that while in-country scholarship deployment was 3800 in the 2024/2025 academic year, the figure increased to 3900 in the 2025/2026 and foreign scholarships were about 200.

He attributed the increase in deployment to the massive support of President Bola Tinubu and the Office of the National Security Adviser.

Otuaro stressed that he was greatly encouraged by the President and the NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and that he knows how impressed both of them are concerning the PAP initiatives, which align with the Renewed Hope Agenda.

He reiterated his call on the students to justify the huge investment in their education by the Federal Government by studying hard to make good grades.

He also urged them to conduct themselves and be responsible ambassadors of Nigeria while in the U.K, stressing that “you will be adding value to your families and communities when you complete your programmes successfully.”

The PAP helmsman said, “We want the scholarship programme to impact more students and communities in the Niger Delta. That’s why we have expanded it and increased formal education opportunities.

“We want you to take this opportunity very seriously so that the government, too, will be encouraged. I know how much support His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu GCFR, gives to the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

“Mr President and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, are very impressed with what we are doing. On your behalf, I would like to, once again, thank His Excellency and the NSA for giving you this life-changing opportunity. We are confident that Mr President and the NSA will continue to support us.

“The knowledge you are receiving in your institutions today is to enable you to plan for yourself and prepare for the future. Whatever knowledge you gain cannot be taken from you.

“So as PAP scholarship students, we expect responsible and good behaviour from you. The government is investing heavily in you, and you have the obligation to justify the investment. Be agents of change and avoid acts of mischief while in the U.K.”

Bayelsa State’s drive to grow its economy through foreign investment got another boost at the weekend with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with construction giant, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), at the firm’s headquarters in Beijing.

According to a press release from Beijing, China signed by the Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, the MoU covers infrastructure, agricultural and aquaculture projects as well as mass housing for civil servants and low-income earners in the state.

Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, signed on behalf of the government while President of the CCECC, Mr. Chen Sichang, signed for the firm.

A statement by the governor’s spokesman, Mr Daniel Alabrah, said this new deal comes on the heels of a similar agreement signed on October 14, 2025, in Abuja with Dubai-based Jampur Group for the construction of solar panels and smart electricity meters in the state.

Mr Sichang, who described it as a landmark agreement, said at the ceremony: “CCECC started its first project in Bayelsa in 2012. We have completed numerous projects over the past 13 years, including the Tombia Road, Niger Delta University Road, airport access road, Glory Drive Phase 2, and the Yenagoa-Angiama section of the Yenagoa-Oporoma Road.

“Notably, the ongoing construction of the 630-meter bridge (between Angiama and Oporoma) is the longest stand-alone bridge ever constructed by CCECC in Nigeria. The fact that such a significant project was awarded to our company is a clear reflection of Your Excellency’s strong confidence in our capabilities. For this, I again express our sincere gratitude and assure that we are fully committed to delivering the project on schedule and to the highest standards.”

He said Bayelsa was one of its most important strategic partners and proposed collaboration on projects that include more community access roads, power, water supply, mechanised agriculture and aquaculture, as well as the production of fertilisers to boost agriculture.

“Regarding financing of some of the projects, we will invest in them, while for others we will seek government or credit support. We sincerely look forward to signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the state government to explore cooperation in these areas, and we hope to engage in concrete project partnerships in the near future. We are dedicated to delivering more exemplary China-Africa cooperation projects that support the state’s long-term growth.”

Governor Douye Diri, in his remarks, described CCECC as a development partners.

He recalled that there were issues bordering on indebtedness to CCECC and some other companies when he assumed office in 2020, but that his administration had cleared the backlog.

He said, “When I assumed office and saw the quality of work done by your company from the time of my predecessor, I decided to continue with you. For us, we see you not only as a construction company but more as a development partner. Today, you have confirmed this.

“Since we overcame the initial challenges, your company has been doing wonderfully well in our state. In fact, it is one of the first top companies that partnered with us on the infrastructure development of the state.

“I’m impressed that you already mentioned some of the areas I wanted to talk about, like roads, agriculture, aquaculture and housing development. I believe we are all thinking positively together.”

The Bayelsa governor stated that the President of Nigeria would be invited to inaugurate the Angiama-Oporoma bridge in February next year, during the sixth anniversary of his administration.

He also expressed the determination to provide mass housing within the remaining two years of his tenure.

“This is one area of cooperation we seriously desire. We want to see private sector-driven housing projects in Bayelsa, particularly in a place we call the New Yenagoa City. Same for power and water supply.

“From the day I came into office, two things I told myself we must do were the provision of electricity and pipe-borne water for our people. These are basic necessities.”

Diri accepted the proposal for a fertiliser production plant and that the government was interested in mechanised agriculture and aquaculture.

“As you stated, you are ready to go into the financing of these projects. When you become a development partners, it means the government alone is not the party bringing all the money. So we will agree on the financing model and the investment model. That way, you are seen more as financiers and investors and no longer as contractors.”