Niger Delta
COVID-19: Foundation Distributes Palliatives In Rivers
The O.B. Lulu Briggs Foundation has begun the distribution of 5,000 bags of rice and 5,000 bottles of 500ml hand sanitizers to communities in Rivers State.
This is the first phase of its intervention to help mitigate the challenges being experienced by vulnerable families as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A statement signed by the Press Officer, O. B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation, Mr. David Amachree, and made available to The Tide, indicated that the chiefs and elders of Abonnema, Obonoma and Buguma, last Monday, received the food and personal hygiene items for their communities.
The statement quoted the Foundation’s Programme Coordinator, Mrs Ineba Tongkam, as explaining that the items are to be distributed to the elderly and vulnerable in the communities, adding, “On behalf of Dr Mrs Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs, the chairman and the board of the O. B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation, I want to express our gratitude to the leadership shown by the Governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, in leading our state in the global fight against Coronavirus and ensuring that the health and well-being of our people are protected.
According to her, the benefitting communities in this first phase are: Abonnema, Buguma, Obonoma, Krakrama, Okpo, Ilelema, Bakana, Harry’s Town and Degema, stressing that later in the week, the next phase in partnership with UNICEF which will touch five communities in each of the state’s 23 local government areas would be announced.
Also speaking, UNICEF’s Chief of Field Office, Rivers State, Dr. Guy Marie Yogo, said that UNICEF was aware that many people were going through a lot of pain on account of COVID-19 due to pervading poverty and that it was the reason UNICEF was partnering the O. B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation.
While receiving the items, in Buguma, Chief C.P.D Amachree, flanked by other chiefs and elders, thanked the Foundation for the love and care it has always demonstrated towards the Kalabari people and the entire people of Rivers State.
In Abonnema, Most Senior Apostle General Iwowari Black Duke, said, “We are very glad that our mother Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs has made the community to rejoice. We are very happy.”
Established 18 years ago to honor and institutionalize the prolific giving of the late revered statesman and philanthropist, High Chief O.B. Lulu-Briggs, the foundation carries out interventions that have an immediate positive impact in the quality of lives and livelihoods of those in absolute need through five programmes, care for life; free medical missions; access to clean water and sanitation; education and scholarships, and microcredit and entrepreneurship.
The foundation’s Chairman, Dr. Mrs. Seinye Lulu-Briggs, assured that as a responsible corporate citizen, the foundation would continue to promote public good, and thanked UNICEF for its partnership at this time of extreme global adversity while hailing health workers and caregivers at the frontlines of the pandemic for their sacrifices and dedication.
She also called for greater understanding from the general public in upholding health and safety advisories that are in place to promote their wellbeing.
Niger Delta
Bayelsa Communities To SPDC: Halt Dealings With Mein Cluster Board Chairman …Alleges Misappropriation Against Him.
The leadership of Bilabiri 1 and 2 communities in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa state have called on the Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, to withhold its dealings with chairman of the Mein Cluster Development Board over alleged misappropriation of funds by his leadership.
The communities leaders in a petition to SPDC and the Bayelsa State governmment, regretted that the autocratic leadership style of the chairman of the cluster board, Mr David Otiti was becoming unbearable, adding that the chairman has abused his office by suspending the rules and terms of the General Memorandum of Understanding, GMoU, agreements and protocols.
The petition which was signed by the Community Trust Secretary of Bilabiri 2, Mr. Ogbare Fun, Community Trust Secretary of Bilabiri 1 Community, Mr Akemey Benson, and the Community Trust Chairman of Bilabiri 2 Community, Mr. Endurance Deboh, stated that if the policy objective of the GMoU is to be achieved, the chairman of the Mein Cluster board has to be called to order.
Other allegations against the cluster board leadership made available to The Tide include, unilateral awards of contract to himself and his
cronies without due consultation with CDB since his assumption of office.
Others are, failure to constitute committees and sub-committees of the CDB, failure to call for board meeting since assuming office, lack of respect for traditional rulers, CDC Chairman, and other stakeholders, and keeping the communities in the dark with regards to the implementation of the GMoU.
“We hereby use this medium on behalf of our humble selves and the good people of Bilabiri 1 and 2 Communities that we represent in the cluster development board to intimate the management of SPDC of our grievances occasioned by the activities of the Mein Cluster Board Chairman, Mr. David Otiti”, they said.
“There have been a myraid of issues since the current CDB was inaugurated on the 9th,October, 2018, owing to the leadership style of the chairman”, the communities added.
“We can no longer tolerate his dictatorial leadership, this protest is coming to you by the reason that the SPDC management appreciate the core value of the GMoU system, thereby adopting same in your operational areas for maximum enhancement of community/company relations.” They noted
According to the FRSC boss, “the first thing we will do is to check how we will stem the rising tide of road traffic crashes, known fully well that people have been hungry, people have been indoors, people have not been travelling and now the roads have been opened, we will experience a whole lot of travels,” he stressed.
Niger Delta
COVID-19: No Resumption Date Yet For Schools, Says Bayelsa Ministry Of Education …Warns Private Schools Proprietors, Commences e-Learning
Permanent Secretary Bayelsa state Ministry of Education,comrade Walton Liverpool says no date has been slated for the resumption of schools in the state.
Liverpool hinted The Tide this during an interview held with him in Yenagoa.
According to him,that the Federal Government has slated part reopening of schools for 3rd August is not a yardstick that the state must do so.
He noted that due to the peculiar nature of the state in terms of having more far-flung communities in all the Local Government Areas,the Government is being meticulous in resuming schools without adequate preparations, saying that before doing so the state Government through the Ministry of Education would work out appropriate and sustainable modalities to ensuring that Covid-19 is contained in the Education sector within the requisite National centre for disease control,NCDC stipulated guidelines.
Liverpool restated his commitment towards ensuring an unimpeded school curricular,emphasizing that the Ministry has since introduced various e-learning platforms comprising the social and electronic media to
cushion the learning deficit occasioned by the pandemic.
While reacting to the recent feud between the State wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers,NUT and the Academic staff union of secondary schools,ASUSS the Education Permanent Secretary who served as the pioneer state chairman of the NUT berated ASUSS,saying they took the laws in their hands.
He described ASUSS as an association and not a registered trade union,advising that they desist from further parading themselves as such,just as he restated that under his leadership in NUT years ago a similar splinter group sprung up, reassuring however,that there was a solution to the problem which can still be applied today to amicably resolve the lingering issues rather than parade as a splinter group.
“We’ve not taken a date to resume schools in the state.Even though the Federal Government has taken and again reordered,due to our peculiar problems we’ve not slated any date”, he said.
“Before we reopen we would have to provide measures to containing the spread in and amongst our schools”, he added.
“But to bridge the learning vacuum created by
Covid-19 the Education Ministry has commenced e-learning programmes on different social media platforms and on Radio too for schools and students in both primary and secondary schools in the state”, he stated.
“For ASSUS, my advise for them is that they stop parading themselves as a trade union henceforth.They’re an Association under the NUT and not a trade union as they claim. I’ve been the NUT state chairman and I know this very well” he concluded.
Meanwhile in a press statement made available to The Tide by the Ministry,the permanent secretary has warned owners and the management of private schools in the state to desist from resuming schools.
The pioneer State NUT chairman restated that even though the West African Examinations council has fixed 3rd August and 5th September as the date for the commencement and rounding up of the 2020 WASSCE the schools in the state may not resume until the state is certified fit by the NCDC to reopen schools.
In another development it seems not yet Uhuru with the proposed schools reopening date in Nigeria as the Federal Government has again reordered its earlier decision on the resumption
date.
In the same vein there are indications that in consonance with dissenting opinions on a possible resumption date as earlier expressed by some state Governments and stakeholders in the Education sector, the Federal Government may no longer be willing to permit Nigeria’s participation in the regional examinations this year following the resurgence of more cases of the novel Covid-19 pandemic.
The Tide learnt that the Federal Ministry of Education has expressed concerns on the safety of Nigerian students when schools are resumed amidst rising number of the Coronavirus infections in the country.
You would be recalled that penultimate week the Federal Government announced August 3rd as the resumption date of schools in Nigeria, while the West African Examinations council,WAEC also followed suit by giving 3rd August through 5th September as dates for kick-starting and ending up of this year’s WASSCE.
Inset:comrade Walton Liverpool, PS Bayelsa state Ministry of Education.
By Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa.
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