Niger Delta

Group Tasks RSG On Opobo Communities

Published

8 years ago

August 25, 2017

Worried by the damage done to some parts of Queenstown and Kalaibiama communities in Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area of Rivers State, recently ravaged by erosion, President of a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), the United Brothers of Opobo Kingdom (UBOK), Mr. Mike Fubara has passionately appealed to the State Govrnor, Chief Nyesom Wike to come to the aid of the communities.
Fubara who made the appeal in Opobo Town while exchanging views with The Tide last Tuesday, lamented that various parts of the towns are currently under threat by erosion.
While noting that some self-help efforts embarked upon by indigenes of the erosion-prone areas had not yielded the required results, he stressed that unless the state government takes steps to rescue the affected towns, most habitable structures and fishing settlements as well as farmlands were at the risk of being washed away by erosion especially now that the rainy season is severe.
“If you visit places such as Queenstown, Kalasunju, Kalama which comprises Aya-Minimah, Okpukpo, Iloma, Oloma, Epellema and Ekereborokiri, Opobo Town, Kalaibiama and Nkoro communities this time, you will discover the enormity of the damage the erosion has done to these places”, he said. According to him “most, houses in these communities are under severe threat and unless someting serious is done about it, anything can happen. It is true that sometimes ago, government did its best to create drainages to check the menance at the satellite towns of Opobo and Nkoro, but it appears it is not enough as the scourge persisted.”
As he puts it, “If you are opportuned to visit these areas in questions, you will certainly weep for the inhabitants due to the menace of erosion in the places which had subjected the people to untold hardship”.
He expressed the belief that with the support of the state Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, the problems bedeviling these communities will be a thing of the past because there is no amount of self-help project that can check the erosion problem facing the populace of these towns.
Meanwhile, Fubara has commended the State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike for his accelerated development of Rivers State in the past two years, especially on road construction, rehabilitation and the face-lifting of other sectors for blissful future, adding that with this lofty strides, the governor has been able to prove the opposition parties and book-makers wrong.
He used the opportunity to appreciate the governor in his office to renovate the abandoned and dilapidated hospitals, schools and other moribund infrastructure across the 23 local Government Areas of the state, including the Opobo General Hospital.
He also appealed to Governor Wike ensure the early completion of the Opobo Unity road under construction by prevailing on the constructors handling it to keep to specification.
The group leader also used the opportunity to enjoin Rivers people no matter their political inclinations to rally round the governor and his team to be able to deliver the dividends of democracy to them.

Bethel Sam Toby

Niger Delta

Navy Pledges Improved Patrols, Welfare Boost For Personnel

Published

9 hours ago

January 9, 2026

The Tide

The Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, has pledged to ensure improved welfare for personnel and more patrols on the maritime corridors of the nation.

He disclosed this during an on the spot assessment of things at the Eastern Naval Command (ENC), Calabar, on Wednesday.

According to him, there is the need for officers to always be ready, by improving on their welfare, in a bid to keep the country secured.

“I am here for an on the spot assessment of our operations and like you have seen, I have also gone round to check the ongoing buildings.

”These are welfare issues and for us to be able to have our men ready and keep us secured, their welfare needs to be catered for.

“So, we are here to kill two birds with one stone, which are basically operations and welfare issues.

”I am happy with what the command is doing; it is doing well in terms of keeping the maritime environment safe.

“We will continue doing what we are doing and improve on that, which is patrol of the waters and increase in the area of surveillance”, he stated.

As part of his visit, Abbas commissioned the 12×1 Junior Rates Accommodation Block A and B, at the Navy Barracks at Atimbo in Calabar.

The naval chief also inspected other ongoing projects in the Akim Barracks, 1006 flats and the Navy hotel, all within Calabar.

Niger Delta

Delta Begins Uromi Junction Flyover Construction

Published

12 hours ago

January 9, 2026

The Tide

The Delta State Government says it has began construction work on the long-awaited Uromi Junction Flyover Bridge in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of the state.

Director-General (DG) of the Delta State Bureau for Orientation and Communications, Dr. Fred Oghenesivbe, confirmed the development to newsme in Asaba.

According to him, heavy-duty construction equipment have arrived the site, a project which is being handled by Julius Berger Nigeria PLC, one of the country’s leading construction firms.

Oghenesivbe, described the flyover as a massive infrastructure project with far-reaching socio-economic benefits for the area.

He said the project would significantly transform the Agbor metropolis by easing traffic congestion, improving the city’s aesthetics, and boosting commercial activities within the local government area.

He described the State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, as a promise-keeper and pragmatic leader whose administration remains committed to infrastructure development and economic growth across the state.

The DG expressed confidence in Julius Berger’s capacity to deliver the project within record time and according to the highest construction standards.

“The Uromi Junction serves as a major link between different parts of the country but has recently been plagued by severe traffic congestion, making vehicular movement increasingly difficult”, he noted.

He urged residents to cooperate with the contractor and safeguard construction materials and equipment to ensure the timely completion of the project.

Niger Delta

A’Ibom Rejects Ekid Ownership Claim Of Stubbs Creek

Published

12 hours ago

January 9, 2026

The Tide

The Akwa Ibom State Government has rejected claims by the Ekid People’s Union that it owns land within the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve, describing such assertions as “false, misleading and a distortion of the judicial record.”

In a recent statement, signed by the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Uko Udom, the state government said it was compelled to respond in the “overriding public interest,” despite a pending court case instituted by the same group.

The government stated that contrary to claims circulating in the media, the historic case of Ntiaro and Ikpak vs. Ibok Etok Akpan and Edoho Ekid, decided by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in 1918, did not vest ownership of Stubbs Creek land in any ethnic group or community.

“The final judgement merely dismissed the claims before the court and granted title to no party whatsoever”, the government stated, adding that “any assertion to the contrary is false, misleading and a distortion of the judicial record.”

According to the statement, the land was lawfully reserved by the colonial government under Forest Reserve Order No. 45 of 1930, later amended in 1941, 1955 and 1962, with “the principal rights of the land forfeited to the Government upon the change of status.”

It said the area has since been administered under applicable laws by the Akwa Ibom State Government, which “has at all times acted within its lawful authority in the management and allocation of land in the area for legitimate public and economic purposes.”

Citing the 1999 Constitution and the Land Use Act, the government stated that all land in the state is vested in the governor to be held in trust for the common benefit of Nigerians, noting that claims of absolute ancestral ownership are subject to existing laws.

The government “categorically denies allegations of fraud or misrepresentation” regarding Stubbs Creek or investments there and warned it would take “appropriate legal steps” against any individual or group publishing false or defamatory material capable of undermining public confidence or discouraging investment

The statement also assured the federal government of “full access and Right of Way” for the proposed Coastal Highway through any part of the state.

The government statement followed an earlier report in which the Ekid People’s Union accused Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State of making comments that allegedly linked the community to terrorism, while he was defending the Coastal Highway project passing through the Stubbs Creek.

Ekid People’s Union maintained that the people of Ekid are the original owners of the land known as Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve, arguing that their ancestral ownership predates colonial rule.

The group cited historical occupation, customary ownership and a 1918 Privy Council case, which it claimed affirmed Ekid rights over the territory.

The union also accused the Akwa Ibom State Government of misrepresenting history to justify taking over the land for commercial interests and the proposed Coastal Highway, an allegation the state government has denied.

The group rejected any suggestion linking the Ekid people to criminality or terrorism, insisting they were peaceful citizens defending their ancestral land through lawful and civic means.