Niger Delta
Rivers NUJ Condemns SARS Brutality …Commends Boss Over Award
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Rivers State Council, has described the torture of a broadcaster with a Port Harcourt based radio station, the Nigerian Info, Mr. Koffi Bartels, by the Police as barbaric and an act of cowardice.
The NUJ, in a statement signed by its Secretary, Ike Wigodo, yesterday condemned in strong term the inhuman treatment meted out to Mr Bartels, while trying to save the life of a boy in his area on Tuesday.
According to the statement, Mr Bartels was held and beaten to stupor by the security agents while trying to capture a brutal scene in which a poor boy in his area was being beaten by men of the FSARS.
Narrating his ordeal in the hands of FSARS officials, Mr. Bartels said, “ I was given the beating of my life right on the road. They started by smashing my knees repeatedly with wooden bars. As I type this (complaint), my left knee is swollen and my right knee seriously bruised. I have pains on my head, neck and back”.
The radio broadcaster, in his official complaint to the Union, also said he was handcuffed like a common criminal and taken to the FSARS headquarters where he was given more torture and was even threatened to be wasted if he and his radio station did not desist from criticising the activities of FSARS in Rivers State.
The NUJ regretted that a security agency paid to protect lives and property could turn itself into a monster terrorising innocent citizens in the country.
The NUJ, therefore demanded an unreserved apology from the Rivers State Police Command within 14 days for the assault against Mr. Bartels or risk its activities boycotted by journalists in the state.
The council also demanded that all the FSARS officials involved in the brutal act be brought to book, while the agency be made to foot the hospital bill of Mr Bartels who is currently receiving treatment in an hospital due to injuries he sustained during the attack.
The statement further warned that any further assault on journalists in the state would be vehemently resisted by the NUJ.
“NUJ as a watchdog of the society will not fold its arms and watch any arm of security agencies in the state descend to barbarism and brutalisation of innocent citizens, let alone media practitioners. Enough is enough”, the statement warned.
Meanwhile, the Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists ( NUJ) Rivers State Council, Stanley Job Stanley was last Sunday given an award of Pioneer Excellence by St. Paul Anglican Church, Ihuaba Parish in Ahoada East Local Government Area, Rivers State.
Delivering the sermon at the Church service, Mrs Unoma C. Jerome advised christians all over the world to live a life that pleases God to enable them possess their possession.
Mrs Jerome, who took the sermon from the book of Joshua 1:3 said God had already prepared good things for all Christians to possess.
According to her, before any Christian enjoys the good things of God, “you must live the life that pleases Him.
mandments.
“God has prepared good things for us. We are bonafide owners of all good things of life, i.e good health, security, success, peace, good job, financial breakthroughs etc.
“But we have to take practical steps to claim them and not on a platter of gold. So we have to be steadfast , live life that pleases God” Mrs Jerome said.
Responding, Stanley Job Stanley, said he feel honoured and elated to receive an award of excellence outside his professional colleagues.
According to him, the award will spur him to do more good things, because to whom much is given, much is expected from the person.
“ First I dedicate this award to God that had made it possible. I see this award as a challenge, I will contribute the little I can to the development of my community, Ihuaba.
I am happy because I did not know that today I will receive an award that will come from observers or watchers, I feel very honoured “ Job said.
Niger Delta
LG Service Commission Chairman Calls For Recognition Of RDAs, Creation Of More LGAs For Bayelsa State
Acting Chairman, Bayelsa state Local Government service commission, Barr Uroh Omiekumo Kiani says the 8 local government status of the state remains a ploy by the Nigerian Government to continue marginalising the people of the state in Governance.
Kiani stated this on Tuesday while fielding questions on prospects and challenges of the state local Government service commission with The Tide in Yenagoa.
The legal practitioner and administrator stressed the need for the recognition of the existing 32 rural development authorities,RDAs in the state and creation of more Local governments, saying that when this is done the state would also be receiving more funding from the Federal Government, as according to him outside the usual 13% derivation formular that is employed by the Federal Government in sharing revenue between the states,Federal and Local governments in the nation, the number of Local Governments in a state is also used as a parameter to make allocations.
He added that over the years efforts by the state’s national Assembly caucus and other sympathisers to effect changes in the number of Local governments in the state has proved
abortive due to parochialism in the nation’s politics.
“Given the opportunity I’ll move for the recognition of the existing 32 RDAs in the state as local governments and ask for the creation of more”, he said.
“But the Nigeria system,our constitution has made it very difficult,because all the existing 774 LGAs in the country are listed in the constitution. So to create more you’ll have to amend that provision of the constitution”,he added.
“Our National Assembly members over the years have been helpless,that is because in Nigeria given the chance every state would want to ask for more just because Bayelsa is asking to be treated well in the number if recognised LGAs”, he restated.
The Local government service commission boss who also spoke on the welfare of staff in the various RDAs and councils ares of the state noted that the last time recruitment exercise was done in the Local Government system in the state was in 2012,emphasizing that the recruitment of staff for the LGAs by the commission is restricted to grade levels 7 and above,just as he pointed out that the junior staff recruitment committee of the unified Local
governments.
Inset: Barr.Uroh Omiekumo Kiani,Ag.Chairman Bayelsa state LG service commission.
By Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa.
Bayelsa State government has begun another round of distribution of food items as part of the palliatives to cushion the effects of the coronavirus pandemic in the state.
The items being distributed, which is the third round of palliatives by the state government, include rice, garri, beans, sugar, salt, spaghetti and noodles.
In press statement made available to The Tide Wednesday by the Governor’s Acting Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, disclosed that upon the directive of Governor the items are being distributed to the eight local government areas across the state.
The items were received from the Niger Delta Development Commission,NDDC, the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, Dangote Group and Multi-Pro Limited among other corporate organisations and individuals.
Giving a breakdown of the donations and the distribution during an enlarged meeting of the state’s COVID-19 Task Force at Government House, Yenagoa, the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Konbowei Benson, said the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation donated 1,000 bags of 5kg rice and beans each, NDDC 870 bags of 50kg rice, 2,112 bags of beans, 2,934
COVID-19: Bayelsa distributes another round of palliatives
By Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa.
Bayelsa State government has begun another round of distribution of food items as part of the palliatives to cushion the effects of the coronavirus pandemic in the state.
The items being distributed, which is the third round of palliatives by the state government, include rice, garri, beans, sugar, salt, spaghetti and noodles.
In press statement made available to The Tide Wednesday by the Governor’s Acting Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, disclosed that upon the directive of Governor the items are being distributed to the eight local government areas across the state.
The items were received from the Niger Delta Development Commission,NDDC, the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, Dangote Group and Multi-Pro Limited among other corporate organisations and individuals.
Giving a breakdown of the donations and the distribution during an enlarged meeting of the state’s COVID-19 Task Force at Government House, Yenagoa, the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Konbowei Benson, said the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation donated 1,000 bags of 5kg rice and beans each, NDDC 870 bags of 50kg rice, 2,112 bags of beans, 2,934 cartons of noodles and 60 bags of garri.
Dangote Group donated 3,000 10kg bags of rice, 1,920 packs of sugar, 976 bags of salt and 6,008 cartons of noodles while Multi-Pro presented 24,709 cartons of noodles.
Dr. Benson said the Brass Local Government Area was allotted 2,400 cartons of noodles, 1,600 bags of 10kg rice, 1,600 bags each of sugar and garri, 1,600 cartons of spaghetti and 90 bags of salt.
Ekeremor LGA got 2,880 cartons of noodles, 1,920 bags of rice, sugar and garri as well as 1,920 cartons of spaghetti and 108 bags of salt.
According to the SSG, Kolokuma/Opokuma got 2,640 cartons of noodles, 1,760 bags of rice, sugar and garri as well as 1,760 cartons of spaghetti and 99 bags of salt.
Nembe council received 3,120 cartons of noodles, 2,080 bags of rice, sugar and beans as well as 2,080 cartons of spaghetti and 117 bags of salt.
Others are Ogbia with 3,120 cartons of noodles, 2,080 bags of rice, sugar and garri as well as 2,080 cartons of spaghetti and 117 bags of salt.
Sagbama received 3,360 cartons of noodles, 2,240 bags of rice, sugar and garri, 2,240 cartons of spaghetti and 126 bags of salt.
Yenagoa council received 3,600 cartons of noodles, 2,400 bags of rice, sugar and garri as well as 2,400 cartons of spaghetti and 135 bags of salt.
By Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa.
Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT,Bayelsa state wing has advised the Bayelsa state Government not to undermine the role of their union in ensuring better and qualitative Education in the state.
The Union through its Secretary, Comrade Johnson Hector made their position known to The Tide at the weekend in Yenagoa, the state capital.
He mentioned that upon the shot down of the Educational system in the state following the novel corona virus pandemic,save for rumours the Union has heard from some undisclosed sources on a possible resumption date,the Government has not consulted the NUT on a suitable school reopening date.
The Teachers’ union scribe urged the Government to as a matter of utmost interest for the Education of the Children and wards of Bayelsans show proof of their preparedness to resume schools amidst increasing cases of Covid-19 in the state as it has been making the rounds.
According to him the state primary and post primary Educational sub sectors have deficit of Teachers,noting that more worrisome is that the largest number of schools and students are in
the rural areas where they lack sufficient awareness on Covid-19, just as he stated that there is also the menace of inadequate health facilities to contain the spread of the disease in the event of infection amongst students and Teachers respectively.
“We’ve made our position on resumption date known to the Government through our national body”, he said.
“So if the state Government wouldn’t heed to our advise and resume schools in the state amidst worsening cases of Covid-19 then maybe we’ll ask our Teachers to sit at home”, he added.
“Can the Government provide PPEs such as sanitizers,face marks,running water and soaps for all the Government owned schools in the state?” The NUT scribe asserted.
“They must not forget that our schools are predominantly in the hinterlands where there’s still little or no awareness on the containment of Covid-19”, he restated.
“In most of these communities there’re no health facilities.So let the Government tell us how they can contain the pandemic in these localities in the event of an outbreak in any school there”, the union added.
You would recall that there have been back and forth resumption dates of schools in Nigeria amidst worsening cases of the novel corona virus disease,with the Federal Government hinting that August,3, 2020 is the new date while the Bayelsa NUT says the state Government has kept the union in the dark on a possible date.
By Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa.
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LG Service Commission Chairman Calls For Recognition Of RDAs, Creation Of More LGAs For Bayelsa State