Niger Delta

Unpaid Salaries: Bayelsa NMA Plans Strike

Published

10 years ago

June 10, 2016

The Nigeria Medical As
sociation (NMA) in Bayelsa has threatened to withdraw health services in public hospitals over five months salary arrears owed its members.
The state Chairman of NMA, Dr Israel Jeremiah who said this at a news conference in Yenagoa, gave the mandatory 21 days notice to Bayelsa Government.
The strike notice, dated June 6, was for the three affiliates of NMA in the state.
The NMA noted that the non-payment of salary in Bayelsa since January 2016 had taken a negative toll on the health sector as residents could no longer afford to seek medical attention and care compelled to either patronise quacks or resort to self medication.
He listed the affiliates as the Association of Resident Doctors in Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria.
Others are the National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners.
He noted that the House Officers who were the most vulnerable in the medical profession could no longer meet their obligations as a result of untold hardship.
“In spite of the untold hardship occasioned by this non-payment of salaries for five months now, our members have kept faith with our Hippocratic Oath and continued to render services and ensured that Bayelsa people get the needed healthcare.
“The continued non-payment of salary has adversely affected healthcare delivery in the state.
“Hospital attendance has markedly reduced, patients can no longer procure drugs, pay for tests, settle bills on discharge and in the worst case scenario, opt to die at home,” Jeremiah said.
The NMA noted that the association was not part of the agreement that Bayelsa government reached with organised labour to pay workers in the state 50 per cent salary pending the improvement of the state’s revenue.
The association maintained that it would insist on full payment of their members’ salaries as it was excluded from the meetings where the agreement to accept 50 per cent salary was reached.
“We dissociate ourselves completely from the purported agreement between NLC/TUC and Bayelsa government where a payment of 50 per cent monthly salaries among other agreements were said to have been reached.
“We insist on full payment of our salaries 100 per cent in full,” NMA insisted.
The association noted that if the outstanding salaries were not paid before the expiration of the strike notice on June 27, 2016, all affiliates of NMA will be compelled to go on indefinite strike and full withdrawal of medical services.
They urged well-meaning people of Bayelsa, Speaker of Bayelsa House of Assembly, royal fathers, opinion leaders and statesmen to intervene to avert the looming strike and its disastrous consequences.

Niger Delta

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

Published

3 days 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

3 days 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

3 days 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.