Niger Delta

ASUU Demands NDU Workers’ Salary Arrears

Published

10 years ago

April 27, 2016

L-R: Newly appointed Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Eastern Naval Command, Rear Adm. James Oluwole, Commandant, Nigerian Navy Secondary School, Port Harcourt, Commander Feyisara Solebo and Command Operations Officer, Eastern Naval Command, Commodore Razaq Babalola, during the FOC’s familiarisation tour of Navy formations and units in Port Harcourt yesterday.

The Academic Staff
Union of Universities (ASUU), has called on the Bayelsa State Government to immediately commence the payment of four months salary arrears owed workers of the state-owned Niger Delta University (NDU), Wilberforce Island.
This is even as the union called for the declaration of a state of emergency in the education sector of the state.
ASUU, which stated this at a press conference in Yenagoa, decried a situation where workers of the institution had not been paid their monthly salaries since January, describing the trend as a grave problem threatening the academia in the Port Harcourt Zone, comprising Rivers and Bayelsa States.
The Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Port Harcourt Zone, Prof. Beke Sese, while fielding questions from newsmen said no responsible government should treat the issue of prompt payment of salaries with such levity and nonchalance.
According to Sese, “It is unreasonable to expect high standards of academic activities in a university where lecturers are unable to meet their basic needs of feeding, housing, medical and transportation due to non-payment of salaries for several months.”
To this end, the ASUU Zonal Coordinator urged the Bayelsa State Government to take its contractual obligation to pay salaries much more seriously.
And we demand that all arrears of salaries owed all staff of NDU be paid immediately. Staff of NDU have endured untold hardship and deprivation and we shall not allow this dangerous trend to continue. Enough is enough”, he said.
ASUU also identified poor funding of state-owned universities in the Port Harcourt Zone as another problem which has given the union grave concern.
According to Prof. Sese, the present level of funding of NDU by the Bayelsa State Government was nothing to write home about and insisted that the university was beyond doubt among the least funded in the world.
He buttressed his point by citing poor and dilapidated infrastructure dotting the university landscape, and called on Beyelsa State Government to declare a state of emergency in the education sector.
He also castigated Governor Seriake Dickson for failure to release the N6.2 billion he promised NDU for the upgrade of infrastructure.
Conversely, the Chairman of ASUU at the Rivers State University of Science and technology (RSUST), Dr. Puyate Sobere, while also answering a question said the case of Rivers State was different, as the Governor of the State, Chief Nyesom Wike was regularly paying the salaries and allowances of workers and equally funding the university as exemplified by the recent release of N1 billion to the university for development of infrastructure.
While commending the governor for this gesture, Dr Sobere called on his Bayelsa State counterpart, Hon. Seriake Dickson to emulate Wike’s good example. The ASUU chairman also disclosed that the university authorities were deliberating with Governor Wike on the plan by the Rivers State Government to withdraw financial responsibility for university staff schools, assuring that the deliberations would produce a positive outcome at the end of the day.

Donatus Ebi

Niger Delta

NPC Unveils Digital Registration System In Delta

Published

16 hours ago

February 23, 2026

The Tide

The National Population Commission (NPC), on Friday, launched the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics System (eCRVS) in Delta State, designed to strengthen data generation and vital statistics management.

The Tide’s source reports that the system was launched by the Delta Federal Commissioner, Mrs. Blessyn Brume-Ataguba, at a news briefing in Asaba.

Brume-Ataguba recalled that President Bola Tinubu formally launched the eCRVS in November 2023 as part of the efforts to modernise Nigeria’s civil registration process.

She said the initiative followed resolutions reached at the Sixth Session of the Conference of African Ministers Responsible for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Addis Ababa in 2022.

According to her, African ministers urged member states to automate civil registration processes and implement the UN Legal Identity Agenda.

“Nigeria responded by developing an electronic, technology-driven system to enhance data generation and improve civil statistics nationwide,” Brume-Ataguba said.

She said NPC, in collaboration with UNICEF, produced an eCRVS Operational Readiness Assessment Report to guide implementation.

She explained that the partnership aims to establish a fully digital civil registration system that converts records of vital events into reliable statistics for effective planning and decision-making.

Brume-Ataguba described the initiative as a complete shift from paper-based documentation to a modern digital platform aligned with international best practices.

She said the system would transform the way births and deaths were recorded, tracked and analysed across the country.

“This process marks a complete departure from the traditional paper-based recording of vital events to a state-of-the-art digital solution that conforms to international best practices.

“This eCRVS promises to revolutionise how vital events are recorded, tracked and analysed in the country.

“This will ensure commitments, and a sustained national, international financial and political investment for birth registration within the CVRS in Nigeria, ” Brume-Ataguba said.

She also said the launch demonstrated the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening civil registration data capture and processing.

She further said improved vital statistics would support national development planning and help Nigeria achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Brume-Ataguba continued that the state-level launch was necessary to sensitise the media and the public on the significance of the digital registration system.

She described the media as a vital partner in informing and educating citizens about the importance of registering vital events electronically.

She further assured residents that competent ICT personnel were available at the state level to address technical challenges and provide support.

The NPC commissioner emphasised that the eCRVS would overhaul the registration of births and deaths in the country and lay a solid foundation for efficient civil statistics management.

She urged stakeholders to collaborate with the commission to realise its goal of providing accurate and timely vital registration data.

She announced that the current phase of the e-CRVS programme would be concluded in March.

In her remark, the NPC State Director, Mrs. Jane Odigwe, appealed to the Delta Government to support the implementation of the system in the state.

“Your partnership is vital in helping us to reach this goal,” Odigwe said.

She also urged parents to register their children, saying that a birth certificate is essential for access to education, healthcare and other opportunities.

She said that registering children today would secure their identity and future participation in Nigeria’s development.

“To every parent in Delta, I urge you to bring your children forward for birth registration.

“A birth certificate is not just a document but your child’s key to education, healthcare and global opportunities.

“By registering your child today, you are giving them a voice in Nigeria of tomorrow,” Odigwe said.

Niger Delta

Police Uncover Suspects’ Armoury … Recover Weapons In Delta

Published

16 hours ago

February 23, 2026

The Tide

The Police Command in Delta State has recovered assorted weapons from a criminal hideout in the state.

Spokesman for the Command, SP Bright Edafe, disclosed this to newsmen, who on Friday in Warri, said the weapons were recovered on Thursday by the operatives of the Command’s Special Assignment Team (CP-SAT), led by ASP Julius Robinson.

He said the feat was achieved following a confession by a suspect handed over to the police team by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Orerokpe Division, for further interrogation.

Edafe said the suspect was alleged to be a member of a criminal syndicate terrorising commuters and residents on the Warri/Sapele Road.

“On February 19, acting on information obtained during interrogation, the suspect led the operatives to a concealed armoury located on the Sapele/Warri Road by the Adheje Community axis.

“A thorough search of the hideout resulted in the recovery of a locally made long gun, a locally made cut-to-size gun.

“Also recovered were a fabricated Beretta pistol loaded with five rounds of live ammunition, 10 live cartridges and a dagger,” he said.

Edafe stated that the investigation into the matter was ongoing.

He, however, quoted the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Command, Mr. Aina Adesola, to have reiterated the command’s resolve in dismantling criminal networks, and mopping up illegal firearms, among others, in the state.

Niger Delta

Police Caution On Lawless Protests On Court Matters In A’Ibom

Published

16 hours ago

February 23, 2026

The Tide

The Police Command in Akwa Ibom State has cautioned on threats of lawless protests by some members of the public over matters that are already before the courts.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Baba Azare, told newsmen in Uyo on Friday that illegal protests could undermine public peace and order.

“When matters are already in court, let’s follow legal and civil means to seek redress. That is how a civilised society works.

“Although we recognise the constitutional rights of citizens to lawful expression and peaceful assembly, illegal protests are not allowed,” he said.

Azare said the Command would not tolerate threats or acts of nude protests, unlawful occupation of public or private facilities, and disruption of government, economic or social activities.

He said anyone found culpable of engaging in acts or threats of illegal protests would be prosecuted in line with the law.

“As a Command, we are committed to the maintenance of law and order, we are also committed to protecting lives and property”, he stated.