A Nigerian developer has released a free WordPress plugin that blocks malicious bot traffic on news websites. BotFend Anti-Bot Firewall is now available on the official WordPress.org plugin repository. The plugin helps publishers reduce invalid traffic that can trigger AdSense ad serving limits and increase server costs. BotFend includes a Web Application Firewall (WAF) that filters traffic at the server level before WordPress fully loads, and syncs bad actors to Cloudflare. It also provides bot detection, behavioral analysis, brute-force protection, XML-RPC blocking, and geo-location filtering. BotFend also includes File Guard, which monitors WordPress upload directories, detects unauthorized file permission changes,…
Author: SouthernVoiceNews
SouthernVoiceNews
Godwin-Maria Utuedoye is a trained professional journalist. A graduate of Mass Communication from the Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria. He is a registered practising Journalist with the Nigeria Union of Journalists with over 20 years experience in news reporting. He is interested in Investigative and development Journalism. He lives in Nigeria and focuses more in the Niger-Delta region where oil and gas exploration by government and multinational iol companies has plunged into poverty and environmental degradation for years. He is also a PR Consultant, content creator, broadcast, print Journalist and Publisher. His vast experiences in journalism span over decades of reporting the activities of the untouched areas. He is married with children.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has approved 150 as the minimum cut-off mark for admission into Nigerian universities for the 2026/2027 academic session, offering hope to thousands of UTME candidates. The decision was revealed on Monday during JAMB’s annual policy meeting in Abuja, where education stakeholders, including vice-chancellors from across the country, voted to adopt the benchmark. Candidates scoring 150 or above in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) can now apply to universities, though individual institutions may set higher requirements based on their specific guidelines. This year’s cut-off maintains consistency with recent trends, balancing accessibility with institutional…
Chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) under the aegis of the Ughelli South United Forum and Ughievwen Leaders have endorsed Chief Emuobo Gbagi as their preferred aspirant for the Delta State House of Assembly, Ughelli South Constituency, ahead of the 2027 general elections. The endorsement was made on Sunday during a stakeholders’ meeting held at Otu-Jeremi, where leaders, youths and women from the locality unanimously adopted Gbagi as the sole aspirant to challenge the incumbent lawmaker in the forthcoming election. Moving the motion for the endorsement, Olorogun Matthew Ofioguma said the decision followed extensive consultations among stakeholders in the…
By Emmanuel Arodovwe The dictionary defines an inordinate ambition as an “excessive, immoderate or uncontrolled desire for power, wealth or recognition that ignores ethical limits, fairness, or the rights of others. It is characterised by self-promotion, selfishness, and a willingness to use unethical means to achieve goals, often resulting in personal, social, or national crises. ” Senator Ovie Omo-Agege’s insistence to return to the Nigerian Senate, barely three years after he left, is not short of an “Inordinate Ambition”, and unless he is quickly called to order, and the ambition itself nipped in the bud, it may portend crises for…
By Olorogun Adelabu Ejiroghene Bodjor (Esq) The growing attempt by some loyalists of former Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, to rewrite the history of the All Progressives Congress in Delta State has once again exposed the dangerous culture of political revisionism in Nigeria. No amount of propaganda, insults, or emotional outbursts can erase the historical reality that the APC in Delta was not built by one man. As the Pioneer State Vice Chairman (Central), I am duty-bound to educate the public on the actual chronological milestones of the “Aboriginal APC” to put an end to this distorted narrative. It…
The Founder of the Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ) and newly elected National Treasurer of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), High Chief Sheriff Mulade, has earned a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in International Relations from the Delta State University, Abraka. In a remarkable family milestone, his son David Sheriff Mulade, (24) also bagged a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Mass Communication from the same institution. Both father and son were honoured for the feat at the 18th Convocation Ceremony of the Delta State University for the 2024/2025 academic session, held recently. Speaking after the ceremony, David Sheriff…
…Laments Deplorable State Of Roads By Patrick Ochei The traditional ruler of Ebu Kingdom in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State, His Royal Majesty, Onu Odilile Paul Opili, has raised concerns over the worsening erosion menace and the deplorable state of the access road leading to his palace, describing the situation as both distressing and dangerous. The monarch lamented that the road project, which was reportedly awarded during the administration of former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, has been abandoned for over three years, leaving the palace and surrounding areas largely inaccessible. Speaking on the development, the royal father expressed…
The Delta Online Publishers Forum (DOPF) has called on journalists to wield their pens as tools for conflict prevention and peace-building, marking World Press Freedom Day 2026 with a poignant event in Asaba. Speaking at the forum’s gathering themed “Journalism as a Tool for Conflict Prevention and Peace Building” at the DOPF Secretariat, guest lecturer Dr. Gideon Isikah challenged members to rise above political pressures and ethical lapses. “Journalists must uphold truth and foster national cohesion.” He noted that the theme was timely especially now that Nigeria is suffering from insecurity, conflicts, and bad governance. Dr. Isikah, stressed that conflict,…
The Federal Government has barred recipients of honorary degrees from using the prefix “Dr” or title, warning that any misuse will now be treated as academic fraud. The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced the directive on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja following the approval of the Federal Executive Council. According to him, the decision was taken to address the growing abuse and politicisation of honorary degrees in Nigeria, which he said had increasingly undermined the credibility of academic titles. “The recent trend we’ve seen with the award of honorary degrees has revealed a growing abuse and…
With just about two weeks to the APC congress to produce the party flag bearers, a grassroot mobilizer, APC stalwart and philanthropist, Hon. Innocent Oghenevwairhe Umukoro, has obtained the party’s nomination form to contest for Ughelli North Constituency 11 seat in the Delta State House of Assembly. Umukoro, a well-known grassroots politician, said he is determined to change the narrative in the constituency if given the opportunity to serve while addressing journalists. The philanthropist maintained that it was time for politicians to allow the people’s choice to prevail, stressing that imposing candidates on constituents amounts to suppressive governance. “It is…