Niger Delta

Navy Warns Vessels Without Valid Papers

Published

12 years ago

August 19, 2013

Any vessel caught without valid papers or laden with stolen oil will be siezed, the Flag Officer, in charge of Naval Central Command, Yenagoa, Rear Admiral Sidi-Ali Usman has warned.

Admiral Usman gave the warning while clearing circumstances surrounding the controversial Vessel grounded at Odioma Water way in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

According to the Flag Officer the grounded vessel, MV LILA and tug ,MV? St. VICTORIA have been impounded? by a Naval gun boat ,NNS BOMADI? at Odioama along St. Nicholas river in Brass local government of the state saying that six persons who tried to remove its contents were arrested.

Speaking to journalists last Wednesday, Usman affirmed that? operatives of the Forward Operation Base FORMOSO were? making relentless efforts to ensure the barge was salvaged from its present position.

“On August 10, at about 18.25,a Naval team on routine patrol was attracted to a suspected barge movement from Odioama to St.St. Nicholas river. On approaching the self-propelled barge ,it was discovered to have gone aground.The barge was identified as MV LILA.”It would recalled that the Chief of Naval Staff ,Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba has repeatedly affirmed his zero tolerance for oil theft and related criminalities in the maritime domain,”he said.

Usman revealed that five vessels linked with illegal oil bunkering in the state have been impounded in the past two months ,stressing that more arrests would be effected by the Navy.

He said:”This would prevent the likelihood of oil spill and consequential damage to the environment .Similarly ,investigations into the source of the suspected stolen product in the barge has since commenced.

“That barge must gone aground when they were making efforts to get it,but they were not aware that part of our strategy is also to contain this illicit activities from the seaward end.So when we noticed this ,we tasked the unit over there to contain the activity and on the process we found this barge abandoned.As I speak some of our men are mounting surveillance there.It is in the course of the surveillance that we arrested this tug.The tug actually came to retrieve the grounded barge over there,”Usman explained.

Continuing:”Somebody must have contracted the tug ,the owner who uses his tug to come and retrieve his property.It would have been a different game if we were not able to lay hand on anybody.We were not deceived even with the abandonment we quickly instructed that they should be within the area ,that it was not a ghost that brought the barge there .”

Usman warned that illegal oil vessels without valid documents plying the waterways of the state would be Impounded? when they are sighted by Naval operatives patrolling the area.

His words:”We are using this opportunity to sound as a note of warning to illegal oil bunkerers ,they are not supposed to be there.The required papers for them to be there,we will arrest any of those vessels so sighted .Even as I speak now we have arrested? some vessels 5 while investigations continue.More arrests is still coming ,we are unrelenting .

“Our strategy is of three fold ,we will go after them in the creeks,also the areas where they carry out illegal refineries.If they are sighted we will destroy them,we patrol at the seaward end of the creeks.Any vessel of opportunities? that is sighted there would be impounded.Any vessel without clearance papers will be seized.I hope vessels coming this way will comply.There is no room for illegalities in the sea ,we can’t tolerate it any further ,”he noted.

Niger Delta

Eno Recommits To Private Sector Investments

Published

2 days ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, says his administration will continue to promote private sector investments in order to enhance economic prosperity.

Eno, who stated this recently at the inauguration of a new Zenith Bank branch in Uyo, said private sector growth was critical to employment generation and the overall development of the State.

He said his long-standing business relationship with Zenith Bank exposed him to the critical roles that banks could play in supporting private sector growth.

“The bank played a laudable role in the growth of Royalty Hotels, a brand I pioneered and led until I joined public service.

“It is my hope that the bank will accord the same support to other private sector investments in the state, be it micro, small or medium-scale enterprise”, he said.

Earlier, the Group Managing Director, Zenith Bank PLC, Dr. Adaora Umeoji, described the new business office as a significant milestone in the life of the bank.

She thanked successful administrations in the state for their support to the bank over the years, saying, ”We thank the Governor for creating a conducive environment for business to thrive.

“We opened our first branch in Akwa Ibom about 25 years ago, we have enjoyed a very good relationship with the government and people of the state.

“Akwa Ibom stands out as a major business friendly state. The state is clean, accommodating, and fast developing, we commend the government for this”, she said.

The Zenith Bank chief reiterated the bank’s commitment to sustain its partnership with the government and people of Akwa Ibom in order to make mutually impactful and meaningful progress.

She urged business owners in the state, especially women, to leverage the initiatives being offered by the bank to grow their businesses.

Niger Delta

Delta Prioritises Primary Healthcare Over Flyover Projects

Published

2 days ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

The Delta Government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening primary healthcare services across the state, dismissing claims that it was focusing more on visible infrastructure projects than grassroots healthcare delivery.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Joseph Onojaeme, made the clarification while reacting to comments by health influencer, Aproko Doctor.

Aproko Doctor recently suggested on social media that political leaders often prioritised flyovers and modern hospitals while neglecting primary healthcare centres.

Onojaeme said the claim did not reflect the situation in Delta, noting that healthcare remained a central pillar of the Gov. Sheriff Oborevwori administration’s development agenda.

According to him, although road projects and flyovers are visible across the state, deliberate investments have also been made in healthcare infrastructure and services.

He said that within two years, the state government had renovated 150 primary healthcare centres across the three senatorial districts out of the 441 public health facilities in the state.

According to him, another 150 centres are already undergoing planning and preparation for renovation.

“The effort will bring the number of upgraded primary healthcare centres to 300, thereby improving access to quality healthcare at the community level and reducing pressure on secondary and tertiary hospitals,” he said.

The commissioner said that the state’s free maternal and under-five healthcare programme continued to yield positive results, including reductions in maternal and infant mortality, while easing financial burdens on families.

“Gov. Oborevwori recently approved the release of N2 billion to sustain the programme, alongside regular funding to strengthen Universal Health Coverage in the state,” he said.

Onojaeme also said that state-owned hospitals were granted autonomy to retain and utilise their internally generated revenue, enabling them to procure drugs, maintain equipment and respond more efficiently to patient needs.

“In specialised healthcare delivery, dialysis machines have been installed in state hospitals, helping to reduce waiting time for treatment while lowering dialysis costs from about N70,000 to N45,000 per session,” he said.

He said that CT scan machines installed at Warri Central Hospital and Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH), Oghara, were already improving diagnosis of conditions such as stroke and internal injuries.

“While newly procured echocardiography machines are strengthening early detection of heart-related conditions.”

The commissioner said the government had ordered three Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines for installation at Asaba Specialist Hospital, Central Hospital Warri and DELSUTH, Oghara, ensuring coverage across the three senatorial districts.

“While some states do not have a single MRI machine, Delta State is procuring three at once, with delivery expected by April as site preparations are ongoing,” he said.

Onojaeme said the government was establishing a new College of Health Sciences in Ovrode, Isoko North Local Government Area, to complement the existing institution in Ofuoma and boost the training of middle-level health manpower.

“The long-abandoned Mother and Child Hospital in Ekpan was nearing completion, while another Specialist Hospital was being developed in Osubi, Okpe Local Government Area, modelled after the Asaba Specialist Hospital.

According to him, Delta remains the only state in the country with more than 60 functional government-owned hospitals, adding that the current administration is determined to further expand healthcare access.

On health insurance, Onojaeme said enrollment under the Delta State Contributory Health Scheme had surpassed 2.78 million residents as of January 2026, making it one of the leading state-supported health insurance programmes in the country.

He explained that the scheme covered both formal and informal sector workers, while prioritising vulnerable groups, including pregnant women, children under five and the elderly, through the Equity Health Plan.

The commissioner added that the scheme recently enrolled 10,000 widows and continues to register indigent residents across the state.

He also disclosed that the Delta State Contributory Health Commission had introduced facial recognition technology at accredited facilities to improve efficiency and transparency in service delivery.

Onojaeme reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to achieving Universal Health Coverage and delivering affordable and accessible healthcare services to residents across the state.

Niger Delta

C’River Assembly Seeks Crackdown On Drug Abuse

Published

2 days ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

The Cross River State House of Assembly has urged the State Government to urgently enforce drug laws to curb the rising menace of substance abuse.

The resolution followed a matter of urgent public importance raised by Yakurr I lawmaker, Mr. Cyril Omini, during plenary in Calabar.

Omini cited a tragic incident in Ugep, Yakurr Local Government Area, involving a 23-year-old man allegedly under the influence of drugs.

He said the suspect, Ubi Bassey, allegedly beheaded his father, Bassey Okoi, on February 2.

“Drug abuse has become widespread among youths, with alcohol, cannabis, cocaine and tramadol commonly abused.

“In spite of warnings by health and government agencies, illicit drug trading and consumption persist across many communities”, Omini said.

According to him, the trend has led to early deaths and, in extreme cases, violent crimes against innocent persons.

Omini warned the incident had caused fear in Ugep, cautioning that failure to act decisively could worsen social decay.

He, however, commended the State Security Adviser, Maj.-Gen. Okoi Obono (rtd), for efforts to restore peace in the area.

Lawmakers called for sustained drug sensitisation, youth-focused campaigns, stronger partnerships with non-governmental organisations, and stricter enforcement against drug peddlers and users.

The Speaker, Elvert Ayambem, expressed sadness over the incident and urged prompt prosecution of the suspect to deter other youths.