Niger Delta

Diri Unveils Projects To Mark Anniversary

Published

5 years ago

February 17, 2021

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has commissioned three projects as part of activities commemorating his first year in office.
It would be recalled that Governor Douye Diri was sworn in on February 14, 2020.
The projects included a state-of-the-art automated incinerator at the Bayelsa Medical University (BMU) complex, a 50-bed referral hospital at Kaiama in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area and a bridge at Imiringi community in Ogbia Local Government Area. The bridge was destroyed by flood in 2012.
A statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, quoted him as saying while commissioning the incinerator that the waste management facility would be a public, private partnership to drive revenue for the state.
He said the project would complete the circle of waste management and transform them into a money-making venture and manpower development for youths in the state.
Governor Diri also hinted that an executive bill to regulate waste management would be sent to the state House of Assembly as a prelude to the Bayelsa State Healthcare Waste Law.
He charged Bayelsans to turn a new leaf in waste disposal and join hands with government in the new initiative to transform wastes into revenue.
He commended the BMU Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ebitimitula Etebu, for the bright idea geared towards diversification of the state economy.
Speaking earlier, Prof. Etebu said the need to address major challenges associated with waste disposal like environmental degradation and public health concerns gave birth to the incinerator.
He expressed the hope that a special waste legislation for regulatory framework would make Bayelsa blaze the trail in curtailing the menace of hazardous waste disposal.
At the referral hospital in Kaiama, Governor Diri assured that his government would work assiduously to bring healthcare services closer to the people.
He described the facility, which was started by the administration of late Melford Okilo in the old Rivers State and revived by his predecessor, Senator Seriake Dickson, as massive.
Diri noted that the immediate past governor executed 60 per cent of the project while his administration completed and equipped it.
He directed the Ministry of Health to ensure completion of all referral hospitals across the state and put them to use this fiscal year.
“The referral hospital was started by the Melford Okilo administration and the previous government continued with the project. That is why I was more determined to complete and commission it. The Commissioner for Health practically relocated to Kaiama for one month to ensure its completion.
“I also thank Hon Tonye Isenah for being part of the history of the access road to the hospital. The previous administration replicated this referral hospital in all the local government areas. I hereby direct the Commissioner for Health to ensure that all of them are completed and put to use not later than this fiscal year,” he added.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells,Yenagoa

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.