Niger Delta

Mrs Sylva Wants Pneumonia Immunisation Programmes

Published

15 years ago

November 19, 2010

The first lady of Bayelsa State and Wife of Governor Timpre Sylva, Mrs. Alanyingi Sylva, has stressed the need for inclusion of vaccination against pneumonia in the National Immunisation Programme (NPI).

Mrs. Sylva said this has become necessary as a way to achieve a reduction in the number of child deaths resulting from pneumonia.

She contended that in order to save venerable children to diseases, the vaccines had to be administered to those under the age of two to five.

Speaking during a round table discussion with doctors and community health workers on child survival in her office as part of activities to mark the World Pneumonia Day in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State, the governor’s wife disclosed that she had discussed with the wife of the President, Dame Patience Jonathan on the need to make the vaccines available for the benefit of children in the country.

According to her, chairmen of local government councils and community health workers should also be actively involved in the fight against pneumonia and other preventable diseases.

In their separate submissions, a consultant paediatrician and Chief Medical Director of the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, Dr Onyaye Kunle-Olowu and Provost, College of Health Sciences, Niger Delta University, Prof. Raphael Oruamabo, emphasized the need for children to be protected against pneumonia.

Kunle-Olowu and Oruamabo listed illiteracy, poverty and lack of access to treatment as some of the factors aiding the prevalence of the disease which, they noted, was the number one preventable child killer-disease.

The state Commissioner for Health, Azibapu Eruani, commended Mrs. Sylva for creating awareness about the danger of pneumonia and other child killer- diseases.

Eruani advised all stakeholders to ensure child survival by avoiding the causes of diseases especially pneumonia.

The Account Manager of Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Mrs. Cassandra Anagboso, explained that the Pneumococcal Conjugal Vaccine (PCV) developed for the vaccination of children below the age of five against pneumonia had been found to be very effective.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Sylva has embarked on a walk against pneumonia with doctors, mothers, school children, market women and women from all walks of life to create awareness about the disease.

Addressing the participants at the end of the walk at the Peace Park, Yenagoa, Mrs. Sylva said she believed every child should live a healthy life, noting that the World Pneumonia Day was set aside to create awareness about pneumonia and the danger it posed to the lives and health of children.

Niger Delta

Stakeholders In Delta Seek Stronger GBV Action, Women’s Leadership

Published

10 hours ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

Stakeholders in Delta State convened in Asaba for a leadership workshop organised by Otdel Health Heritage and Environmental Initiative (OHHEI), focusing on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and women’s participation in decision-making processes.

OHHEI Project Director, Mr. Peter Olayinka, represented by a consultant, Juliet Obiajulu, urged participants to contribute meaningfully toward advancing women’s leadership and combating GBV across communities in the state.

He said the workshop aimed to strengthen participants’ capacity to influence policies, challenge harmful cultural norms, and reinforce initiatives designed to prevent and respond to GBV.

Olayinka said women often faced bias even when they occupied leadership positions, and stressed that gender diversity improved the quality of decision-making and promoted innovation and accountability in governance structures.

Speaking, the Chairperson of the Association Against Child Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, Mr Eris Jewo-Ibi, identified cultural norms, domestic responsibilities, political resistance, and grassroots barriers as constraints to women’s participation.

Delta State GBV Desk Officer, Mrs. Rosemary Okpuno, emphasised that effective decision-making required women’s perspectives, adding that inclusion remained critical to addressing persistent gender-based challenges.

Voke Angbagh of the Delta State Ministry of Justice outlined penalties for rape and called for the establishment of special courts to handle sexual offences cases.

Angbagh said frequent adjournments delayed justice for survivors, stressing that dedicated sexual offences courts would ensure timely trials and stronger protection for victims in Delta State.

The Tide’s source reports that facilitators identified cultural acceptance of violence, unequal power relations, discrimination, poverty, limited education, and low self-esteem as major drivers of GBV.

They emphasised that violence and exclusion resulted in social, physical and emotional harm, imposed economic costs, reinforced harmful stereotypes, and widened existing gender inequalities.

The source also reports that OHHEI, a local non-profit organisation, focuses on education, health, environment, and social justice, promoting sustainable development initiatives with gender equality at the centre of its interventions.

Niger Delta

C’River Suspends Taskforce Activities Over Drivers’ Protest

Published

10 hours ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

The Cross River State Government has suspended all taskforce activities connected to commercial transportation and ticketing across the state.

The State Governor, Bassey Otu, announced the suspension at an emergency stakeholders meeting on Friday in Calabar.

It would be recalled that commercial drivers in Calabar metropolis took to streets on Thursday to protest alleged multiple taxation and extortion by government agencies.

During the protest, the drivers alleged that taskforce groups claiming to represent the state government openly harassed and extorted them.

Represented at the meeting by Ekpenyong Akiba, his Special Adviser on General Duties, Otu said the suspension would subsist pending further review of the situation.

The Governor stated that the state government did not commission anyone to extort drivers in the name of task force.

He urged commercial drivers and other road users to remain law-abiding while government worked out a lasting solution.

On his part, the Chairman, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Calabar Metropolis, Mr. Sunday Dennis, expressed optimism that the dialogue would yield positive results.

He said the meeting had provided an opportunity for the aggrieved commercial drivers to present their concerns directly to the state government.

Also speaking, the Chairman, Unified Drivers Association, Mr. Nta Henshaw, described the harassment on drivers as worrisome, and urged the state government to be decisive in resolving the matter.

Niger Delta

A’Ibom Assembly Urges More Private Investments In Agriculture

Published

10 hours ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly Committee on Nutrition and Food Security has called for more private sector investments in agriculture.

The Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Moses Essien, made the call when the committee visited Aviclaire Farms, a private establishment in Usung Idem, Uruk Usoh in Abak Local Government Area.

Essien, who represents Ibiono Ibom in the Assembly, commended the Management of the farm for partnering an NGO, ECEWS, to promote private investment in agriculture.

He commended the partners for adopting climate-smart agriculture initiatives in their operations, adding that such move would promote food security.

“Your interest in using transformative intervention to promote food security is a veritable way of complementing the efforts of the state government,” he said.

The lawmaker continued that adopting practical climate-smart agriculture model would help to generate employment, improve nutrition outcomes, and strengthen food sufficiency.

He further said he was impressed with the strides recorded by the partners, saying, “your investment has created jobs for no fewer than 2,000 youths.

”You are an example of an environment-friendly investor. I urge Akwa Ibom residents to embrace environment-friendly and technology-driven agriculture models,” he said.

Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer, ECEWS, Dr. Andy Eyo, who conducted the committee round the farm, said the collaboration was conceived to demonstrate the viability of climate-smart farming in ensuring food sufficiency.

Eyo said the farm, which commenced operations with four greenhouses, had expanded to 14 within two years, and currently supplying high-quality produce to major markets in Uyo and neighbouring communities.

He said ECEWS was exploring cooperative frameworks to enable rural farmers and women’s groups to adopt greenhouse technology for sustainable livelihoods.

In her remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of Aviclaire Farms, Mrs. Victoria Eyo, said the controlled-environment ensured precision cultivation and consistent yields.

She further said the farm served as a capacity-building centre for students, interns, and agri-business trainees.