By David Torough, Abuja

Jubilations and heartfelt tributes marked a historic celebration in Eleme as the Aleto Clan Council of Chiefs and Elders conferred a prestigious chieftaincy title on Professor Sebastine Hon.

The colourful ceremony, held at Eleraoba Place in Aleto, Nchia Eleme, Rivers State, was presided over by His Royal Majesty, Emere (Dr.

The revered monarch, alongside the full council of chiefs, installed Prof. Hon as Emere Nsan Nsin Ebo I of Aleto — a title symbolising a leading light and beacon of progress. Notably, Prof. Hon becomes the first individual to receive the honour.

The event drew dignitaries and supporters from Rivers and Benue States, with a stirring rendition of the Nigerian, Eleme and Tiv anthems setting a dignified tone for the occasion.

In his opening remarks, the chairman of the occasion, HRM Amb. Dr. Apollos Chu Onfa, Eh Nchia Emere Okori Eleme, described Benue as his home and urged stronger bonds between the people of Rivers and Benue States.

“We should know ourselves and accommodate one another. You don’t need to call the Tor Tiv when you have a problem here,” he stated, emphasising unity and shared heritage.

He described the honour as a reward for Prof. Hon’s enduring contributions to justice and peace, noting that such recognition followed years of careful observation.

“Aleto people have recognised the justice and peace you have helped to sustain. You are an icon of peace, not only in Aleto but across Eleme Kingdom,” he declared, offering prayers for continued success.

In his tribute, King Obele described Prof. Hon as a star whose relationship with Eleme dates back to 2008, when he began serving as counsel to the land. According to the monarch, the legal luminary has remained steadfast in his support for the Aleto Clan, offering guidance and encouragement whenever called upon.

Recalling the visit of former Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, to Rivers State, the king noted that Prof. Hon had invited the Aleto Council of Chiefs and Elders to participate in the reception — a gesture he described as proof of the professor’s loyalty and solidarity.

“Indeed, the Prof. is a jewel of inestimable value to the people of Aleto Clan,” the monarch affirmed, adding that he had built enduring bridges of love across communities.

Responding, Prof. Hon, accompanied by his wife, Chief Mrs. Felicia Hon, expressed profound gratitude to the Eleme traditional institution, stating that his respect for the kingdom had been deeply etched in his heart for 18 years.

Visibly moved, he recounted how two Rivers indigenes recognised his potential early in his legal career and persuaded him to relocate from Gembu in Taraba State to Port Harcourt, where his career flourished.

“Today, I am honoured with about the highest title in this land. What honour could be more than this? To travel hundreds of miles to be honoured, I cannot forget this,” he said. “God bless Rivers State a million times. God bless Aleto Kingdom. I am going home greatly honoured. The heavens have recorded this.”

In a symbolic gesture, he donated five of his authored books to the monarch, noting that they were written on Eleme soil and contributed to his elevation to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

A Call for Competent Leadership
Among the dignitaries present was the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mkar, Prof. Zacharys Gundu, who described Prof. Hon as a leader defined by competence, clarity, capacity and focus.

He expressed confidence in the professor’s suitability for higher leadership responsibilities in Benue State.

The highpoint of the ceremony was the formal presentation of the insignia by the king, assisted by chiefs and elders. The conferment included traditional regalia, notably a chieftaincy wrapper symbolising the responsibilities and dignity of the new title.

Prayers were offered for his success, and he was formally briefed on the customs and expectations attached to his new status.

In a citation read at the event, Prof. Hon was celebrated as a distinguished constitutional lawyer, scholar and philanthropist. He is widely known for offering pro bono legal services to the underprivileged in Taraba, Nasarawa and Benue States, as well as for establishing schools and providing free medical outreach programmes.

Described as an indispensable asset to the legal profession, his scholarly works have earned commendations from past Nigerian leaders, reinforcing his reputation as a defender of the oppressed.

The ceremony was attended by prominent legal practitioners, political figures, community leaders and traditional rulers, underscoring the broad esteem in which the honouree is held across regions.

The conferment of Emere Nsan Nsin Ebo I of Aleto stands as both a celebration of Prof. Hon’s contributions and a reaffirmation of the enduring bonds between Eleme and Benue, a moment of pride etched in the annals of the kingdom.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Monday presented the certificate of registration to the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, one of the two political parties the Commission recently registered.

Protem National National Legal Adviser of NDC, Barrister Reuben Egwuaba, who received the certificate on behalf of the party, said with the presentation, NDC joins the registered political parties “in the contention for provision of democratic leadership and contest for power in ways that would make Nigerians at home and the diaspora proud”.

Said Mr. Egwuaba, “Today’s event marks the culmination of NDC’s long and tortuous fight for registration, a journey which started as far back as 2017, when the association first applied to INEC to be registered as a political party,” moments after he received the certificate from INEC’s Director Elections and Party Monitoring, Barrister Joan Arabs.

“NDC was among the original 171 political organisations that applied for registration as political parties. After meeting all the requirements requested by INEC, NDC was denied registration by INEC at the last minute.
“The reason the then INEC leadership gave for refusing to register NDC was that its logo and insignia bore a close semblance to those of the All Progressives Congress, APC, a claim that was clearly untrue.

But the Commission stuck to this position, so much so that when the list of the last 14 associations that were to be considered for the final stage of the screening process was published by INEC, NDC was conspicuously excluded.
“NDC subsequently went to court to challenge the grounds for INEC’s decision, which NDC said was not only based on wrong assumptions, but also amounted to an improper use of executive discretion on the part of INEC”.

According to Barrister Egwuaba, “The court not only upheld that the NDC logo was not only distinct from that of the APC, but that the second association which INEC had initially cited as also having a similar logo as the NDC’s was not even a registered entity, let alone a political party.

“Following these conclusions, and in the absence of any other tenable grounds for its stance, the court subsequently directed INEC to register NDC, and proclaimed NDC registered”.
Barrister Egwuaba who was also the lead lawyer that appeared for NDC in the suit, thanked the court and the entire judiciary for standing by truth, justice and fairness on the matter.
“We are, once again, reassured that the judiciary remains the last hope of the common man”, he said. “The judiciary did its job as it should, in a democracy.

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He also thanked INEC, “particularly its Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, who as a Professor of law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, did the right thing by complying with the court order to register NDC.

“The dispatch with which the Commission treated the NDC court ruling confirms the disposition of the current leadership in INEC to transparency and fairness. This is a further reassurance that we can look forward to freer, fairer and more transparent general elections,” Egwuaba said, adding: “This is a victory for not only NDC, it is a victory for democracy, and for all Nigerians. We invite Nigerians to join the NDC.

“It is a new dawn. NDC is here, and we offer ourselves as an alternative platform for all Nigerians who are currently at the point of asphyxiation from the excesses of the ruling APC and bungling crowd of opposition parties. NDC is a party for the people, with a philosophy of service to the people of Nigeria and all that are within Nigeria.

“NDC is officially expected to be listed for the next round of elections in the country, especially the 2027 general elections. The formal unveiling of NDC will follow soon,” Barrister Egwuaba said.

Uganda plans to link a new railway line to neighbouring Tanzania, potentially opening up a new export route for minerals like gold, copper and iron ore.

Uganda currently sends the bulk of its commodities exports via the Kenyan port of Mombasa and has already announced plans to link its Standard Gauge Railway project to the one being built in Kenya, an initiative that remains in progress.

Uganda had not previously said it would seek to also connect the railway to Tanzania’s network and its port of Dar es Salaam.

In an official document, the Ugandan Ministry of Works and Transport said the railway would run from the border with Tanzania through the south and southwest of Uganda, ending at the town of Mpondwe on the border with Democratic Republic of Congo.

“The main objective of the project is to connect the vast and mineral-rich regions of both countries (Uganda and Tanzania) to the port of Dar es Salaam whilst saving time and transportation costs,” the document said.

The document also said that the African Development Bank (AfDB) could fund the project and that Democratic Republic of Congo could seek to link to it later.

A spokesman for the Ugandan ministry could not immediately be reached for comment.

The AfDB said it was considering a request to fund “preparation activities” for the rail project.

“The bank may consider financing the project, depending on the outcomes of the studies, if the project is found to be bankable,’’ bank official Epifanio Carvalho de Melo said.