Rivers

Fear Grips Council Workers Over Zero Allocation

Published

11 years ago

November 7, 2014

Palpable fear now hangs in
the air at the 23 Local Government Councils in Rivers State over a possible return of the councils to the zero allocation” era when workers were owed up to 24 months salary arrears.
The workers are wallowing in fear due to the fact that the Rivers State government is yet to rescind its recent decision that councils’ allocation should be deducted at source in spite of the 3-day warning strike embarked upon by the workers to protest the decision.
The workers feared that a return to the ‘zero allocation’ era would spell doom for them, as they lost some of their colleagues during the period, occasioned by hardship, with some of them who are alive withdrawing their children from school due to their inability to pay school fees.
Making their feelings known, amidst heightened fear, during an interactive session with Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees’ State Officers led by the President, Barr. Franklin Ajinwo who were on a tour of the Councils’ branches of the Union, the workers said they would resist the move if implemented and expressed the hope that the government would see reasons why it should rescind its decision.
The workers include those of ONELGA, Ahoada East, Ahoada West, Akuku Toru, Abua/Odual, Degema, Asari-Toru, Emohua, Oyigbo, Omuma, Etche, Ikwerre, Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt City Local Government Councils who were visited and interacted with, between Monday and yesterday by the Barr. Ajinwo led NULGE state officials.
The “zero allocation’ period was the period that witnessed the establishment of the Schools Management Board, which was mandated to pay teachers salaries after deduction of Local government allocation at source for the purpose, but it turned out that figures were alleged to be inflated by the Board so much that council Chairmen returned from the monthly JAAC meetings with N0,00 allocation and could not pay workers’ salaries.
They said, the decried what they considered a ploy to systematically return them to the ugly past.

Secretary General, Nigeria Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS) Mr. Femi Balogun (standing), with Rivers State Chairman of the institute, Mr. Aniforwose Abayomi (left) and the Vice Chairman, Mr. Edighoman Isaac Ewa, duirng a workshop in Port Harcourt recently. Photo: Eberi A. Sampson

Schools Management Board which stifle us of our funds with the Board members building estates around Port Harcourt and growing fat”.
The Council workers that attended the meeting were led by their Branch Chairmen; Mrs Priscilia Okere (Omuma), Comrade Egbe Roman (ONELGA), Comrade Okorite Bob-manuel (Akuku-Toru), Comrade June Bell-Fiddo (DELGA), Comrade (Ogbeti) Florence Nwala (Etche), Comrade Kubi Enyim (Abua/Odual), Comrade James Lugard (Ahoada West), Comrade Ibali Ferdin and (Ahoada East) and Comrade Onuegbu (Emohua) as well as Asari-Toru branch Chairperson and Comrade Friday Kpulor (Oyigbo).
Responding to the fears expressed by the workers, Ajinwo recalled how the state governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi took over the payment of teachers’ salaries and stopped the deduction of Local Government salaries at source for the purpose, which is why Councils no longer owe salaries till date and commended the governor for the kind gesture, while expressing the hope that the governor would have re-think on the current issue to allay the workers’ fears assuring the workers however that if the decision is implemented NULGE will resist it as demanded by the workers.

Justus Unye-Awaji

Niger Delta

CSOs, Bille Community Urge Solution To Persistent Underwater Gas Eruption

Published

20 hours ago

April 10, 2026

The Tide

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and the people of Bille Kingdom in Degema Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State have called for government’s urgent intervention to end the suspected underwater gas eruption in the community.

The groups, under the aegis of the Environmental Rights Action and Social Action, made the call during their advocacy visit to the Port Harcourt Zonal Head of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), in Port Harcourt.

The Programme Manager of Environmental Rights Action, Mr. Kentebe Ebiaridor, said the visit was to seek clarity on the response efforts of the regulators to the development in the community.

Ebiaridor expressed concern over what he described as “inadequate response from regulatory agencies and the government concerning the incident”.

He said discussions with some officials revealed that there was still no clear timeline for action to address the situation.

According to him, in the absence of clear ownership of the facility linked to the incident, companies operating within Oil Mining Lease (OML) 18 should be held accountable.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) had in a statement issued on March 20 by its Chief Executive, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, said the commission had commenced an investigation into a gas bubbling incident in Bille Community.

Eyesan said the commission expressed concern over the development and assured residents of its ongoing efforts to address the situation.

Also, the Resource Justice Manager of Social Action, Dr. Prince Edegbuo, warned that the situation could escalate into a public health emergency, if urgent steps were not taken.

Edegbuo called on relevant authorities to release the results of the tests reportedly conducted in the area, stressing that residents had the right to know the condition of their environment.

He also said CSOs were prepared to intensify advocacy on the matter, urging the development of emergency response measures, including possible evacuation plans.

A legal practitioner and community stakeholder, Mr. Commission Deinbo, had, on March 20, said residents had continued to witness unusual signs on the waterways in the area.

Deinbo said the signs included boiling and bubbling from the ground and river, sometimes within residential areas, as well as fire outbreaks, which the residents had always managed to contain.

He appealed to relevant authorities to come to their aid and find a lasting solution to the problem.

In a response, the Port Harcourt Zonal Head of NOSDRA, Mr. Bello Augustin, assured the community that he would relate its concerns to the appropriate quarters.

Augustin also commended the CSOs for their advocacy and concerns to community development in the state.

By: Wokoma Emmanuel & Theresa Frederick

Rivers

Dep Gov Seeks Collaboration, Transparency Between RIVCHPP, PHCMB

Published

23 hours ago

April 10, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State Deputy Governor, Prof. Ngozi Nma Odu, has called for renewed commitment, transparency, and stronger collaboration among stakeholders in the health sector, particularly between the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP) and the Primary Health Care Management Board.

She made the call today, during the First Quarter Review Meeting of the Task Force on Primary Health Care, held at Government House, Port Harcourt.

She emphasized the importance of honesty in addressing challenges within the healthcare system, urging all parties to remain open and truthful in their engagements.

According to her, transparency is critical to identifying and resolving underlying issues affecting service delivery.

“If we are not truthful, we will not cure the disease, but merely cover it up,” she stated.

The Deputy Governor recounted a personal experience at a primary health centre, where a patient, despite being duly registered under the RIVCHPP scheme with completed biometric capture, was still asked to pay for services.

She explained that intervention by relevant authorities later confirmed the patient’s eligibility, thereby exposing a communication gap between the scheme and healthcare providers.

Prof. Odu warned that such incidents could discourage community members from enrolling in the scheme and ultimately undermine its objectives.

“When this happens, we are disenfranchising our people. The message that goes back to the community is that even when you register, you are still made to pay,” she stated.

While commending the leadership and staff of the Primary Health Care Management Board, the Ministry of Health, development partners, and other supporting units for their efforts, Prof. Odu cautioned against complacency.

She urged stakeholders to continuously strive for improvement, raise standards, and ensure lasting positive impact within the healthcare system.

Rivers

Experts Converge To Tackle N’Delta Business Challenges

Published

23 hours ago

April 10, 2026

The Tide

As part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s economy, about 600 experts are billed to converge in Port Harcourt in a business conference to uplift middle-class businesses in the Niger Delta region.

The convener of the convergence, Lanre Oluseye, who disclosed this during a press briefing in Port Harcourt, said the conference, scheduled to hold in Port Harcourt for the first time, would equip middle-class businesses with the knowledge required to overcome challenges and scale up their businesses.

He explained that the convergence was conceived in response to challenges stalling business growth, particularly at the mid-level.

Oluseye noted that while Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) benefited from various interventions, middle-class businesses were often neglected despite facing significant constraints.

He added that the conference would bring together accomplished professionals and business leaders to mentor mid-level entrepreneurs on how to overcome barriers and attain greater heights.

“Convergence is a conference where thoughts, ideas and strategies come together to create a catalyst that enables business people to move to the next level.

“It is a platform that accelerates growth by bringing great minds together to chart a course for others to follow.

“Our objective is to move the Port Harcourt-based middle-class businesses to cross the barriers that are holding them down”, he said.

Oluseye continued that the conference, slated for April 18, would attract about 600 Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and middle-level managers to address business challenges in the Niger Delta through innovative ideas and strategies.

He emphasised that the event would not be a mere social gathering, but a knowledge-driven platform designed to transform participants and provide networking opportunities to enhance their businesses.

He assured that participants would gain new insights, build valuable networks and engage with like-minded professionals.

Oluseye further said that top industry leaders expected at the conference included the Managing Director/CEO of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), Leye Falade; former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun; and the MD/CEO of Aradel Holdings Plc., Gbite Falade.

Others are Tope Aladenusi of Deloitte Africa; the Partner, Chief Economist and Lead, Strategy and West Africa, Segun Zaccheaus; and a global thinker and futurist, Olakunle Soriyan.

Theresa Frederick & Charity Amiso