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Protesters Storm NDDC Head Office
Members of Niger Delta Great Minds Foundation of People with Deformities (NDGMFPD), yesterday disrupted vehicular traffic on Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway when they besieged the entrance of the NDDC headquarters, protesting neglect and abandonment by the commission.
The protest did not only paralyse business activities at the commission as workers and visitors were prevented from accessing the entrance into the agency’s premises, but also saw the disruption of human and vehicular traffic on both sides of the critical federal highway, for over four hours.
This resulted in serious inconveniences for Port Harcourt residents and those living and doing business in the capital of the Niger Delta as many vehicles had to divert their journeys through other routes while some passengers, who could not waste the whole day in the traffic gridlock had to walk on through the distance from Presidential Hotel Bus Stop to Waterlines Junction before boarding another commercial vehicle to Garrison-Isaac Boro Park.
Officials of NDDC claimed that the President of the group, Mr. Emotonye Azikiwe, had said they were at the commission’s head office to demand the sum of N3million promised them during a courtesy visit of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities to the NDDC Managing Director, Mr. Nsima Ekere.
The interventionist agency said Azikiwe complained that some of them came from different states in the Niger Delta, and therefore, needed to be assisted with some money for transport to return to their various destinations.
But in an interview with The Tide at the NDDC gate, yesterday, NDGMFPD Chairman in Bayelsa State, Duoduo Binaebi said that they were not part of the three groups, which the commission agreed to give N3million, during a joint visit.
Binaebi demanded that NDDC pay the group N7million to enable them celebrate December 3, set aside by the United Nations to find ways of providing support to people living with disabilities in the region, adding that apart from the N7million, they also needed wheelchairs and others to enable them fend for themselves.
Also speaking, Napoleon Omoya said that apart from the provision of wheelchairs, clutches and others, the commission was expected to give 10 per cent employment to the disabled persons, but regretted that the agency has failed to do so since its inception, insisting that they would barricade the NDDC gates until the management implements the needful.
Addressing the protesters, the Director of Corporate Affairs of NDDC, Mr Ibitoye Abosede reaffirmed the commissions commitment to providing necessary support for members of the group to earn sustainable livelihood.
It would be recalled that during the visit of the umbrella group, Ekere had formally recognized JONAPWD as the clearing platform for people living with disabilities in the region.
The Tide learnt that four groups, including the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), Niger Delta Great Minds Foundation of People with Deformities (NDGMFPD), Niger Delta Coalition of Persons with Disabilities (NDCPD), and Non-Achievers Disabled Association (NADA), had recently formed an eight-man committee, which visited the NDDC management, recently.
By: Susan Serekara-Nwikhana & Edwin Agbadam.
News
I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
News
RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
News
Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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