Niger Delta

NDDC Board: Inaugurate Screened Board, N’Delta Youths Urge Buhari

Published

5 years ago

August 11, 2021

A coalition of Niger Delta youths has charged President Muhammadu Buhari, to urgently inaugurate screened members of the Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), without further delay.
A statement signed by the National President, Niger Delta Youth Coalition, Tamunopriye Alaibo; General Secretary, OkonUdo Archibong; and Publicity Secretary, Uche Onyema, yesterday, warned that if the president fails to do the needful, the youths would have no option than to resort to other means to force the government to act.
The statement reads, “We, the coalition of youth associations in the nine constituent states of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), call on President Muhammadu Buhari, to inaugurate the Senate-confirmed Governing Board of the commission following the completion of the forensic audit as has been confirmed by the Minister of Niger Delta.
“While receiving some members of the forensic audit team in his office on Monday, August 9, 2021, Senator Godswill Akpabio confirmed that the forensic audit of the NDDC, on which account the Board nominated by Mr President and confirmed by the Senate on November 5, 2019, was put on hold, has been concluded, and the report was now ready to be submitted to President Buhari.
“With the completion of the audit, therefore, we urge Mr President to put in place the Governing Board to ensure accountability, equitable representation and rapid development of the NDDC states.
“We recall that on June 24,2021, while receiving the Ijaw National Congress at the State House in Abuja, President Buhari promised that the NDDC Board would be inaugurated as soon as the forensic audit report is submitted and accepted.
“The President said,‘Based on the mismanagement that had previously bedevilled the NDDC, a forensic audit was set up and the result is expected by the end of July 2021. I want to assure you that as soon as the forensic audit report is submitted and accepted, the NDDC Board will be inaugurated’.
“It is against this background that our Coalition of Youth Associations from the nine constituent states of the NDDC align with the demands of Niger Delta governors, ethnic nationalities, statesmen and civil society organisations who have been calling for the inauguration of the Governing Board, since 2019, in compliance with the NDDC Act and to ensure full representation of the constituent states.
“We wish to caution that any further delay in inaugurating the Board of NDDC will unnecessarily aggravate heightened tension in the entire Niger Delta region, which unfortunately is inimical to the peace so far enjoyed in the region which lays the golden eggs that sustain the nation’s economy.
“We call on Mr President to follow through on his promise and inaugurate the board that he appointed for the commission. Since the inauguration of the board was put on hold in November, 2019, the NDDC has been run by Interim Managements and a sole administrator who have been utilising the funds of the commission without any significant development projects commissioned in the constituent states in the last two years. Our people have suffered untold neglect from the absence of representation in management. The NDDC Act provides for a board that has membership from all the nine constituent states, which is what Mr President followed in nominating the Board now awaiting inauguration.
“President MuhammaduBuhari, in a letter personally signed by him, and dated October 18, 2019, sent the names of nominees for the NDDC Board to the Senate. The members were vetted by all relevant agencies of the Federal Government following which they were screened and confirmed by the Nigerian Senate on November 5, 2019.
“Mr President asked that the inauguration of the board should be put on hold pending the completion of the forensic audit, for which an Interim Management Committee was appointed for the NDDC. The Federal Government announced during the inauguration ceremony of the IMC that the Senate-confirmed NDDC Board will be inaugurated after the forensic audit.
“Our people can no longer endure a prolonged wait before the board takes over as our region has been yearning for the impact of the NDDC these past years. We, therefore, urge Mr President to speedily inaugurate the NDDC Board to ensure fair representation of the nine constituent states, accountability in the utilisation of the NDDC funds, checks and balances and due process in the commission in compliance with the NDDC Act.”

Niger Delta

Otu Orders Sanitation Operations Review In Calabar

Published

12 hours ago

March 16, 2026

The Tide

Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, has ordered an immediate review of environmental sanitation operations in Calabar metropolis.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Linus Obogo, on Friday, the Governor said the sanitary situation of the city had become a cause for concern.

He said the review became necessary because Calabar should continue to maintain its status as the cleanest city in the country.

“The city is now littered with wastes, the cleanliness status of Calabar is almost gone, we cannot just fold our arms and watch,” he said.

The Governor continued that every resident of the city had roles to play towards restoring the sanitary status of the city.

“Every resident should live up to their responsibilities. Our reputation in sanitation was not earned overnight, we worked for it.

“It is the product of discipline, policy consistency, and civic responsibility. We cannot allow negligence to take away this reputation,” he said.

He further directed that henceforth, sanitation exercise should be supervised by the office of his Special Adviser on General Duties.

“This intervention is intended to ensure stricter coordination among contractors and government agencies that are responsible for waste management,

“Environmental sanitation is not a peripheral concern of government. It is central to public health, urban dignity, and the overall quality of life of the citizens”, he said.

Otu expressed displeasure at lapses arising from the attitude of some refuse contractors in the state.

He said breakdown of mechanical tools could not be a reasonable excuse for non-evacuation of refuse.

“Operational setbacks should never translate into visible environmental neglect. Preparedness, contingency planning and prompt response are the hallmarks of responsible service providers.” he said.

Niger Delta

Lawyer X-rays Consequences Of Court Injuction Suspending INC Polls … As Diri Intervenes

Published

12 hours ago

March 16, 2026

The Tide

A Bayelsa-based lawyer, and candidate for the position of National Assistant Secretary in the suspended National Executive Council (NEC) elections of the apex Ijaw socio-cultural organization, the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Barr. Abraham Marshall, has said the court order, which restrained the conduct of the March 7th, 2026 polls, was a setback to stakeholders of the INC.

He expressed his worries about the plights of delegates who travelled from various parts of Ijaw land to come for the elections in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, only to be disappointed by the court order.

While thanking other candidates for maintaining orderliness and brotherliness all through the campaign processes, Marshall said the court injunction has devasted candidates vying for various positions.

He described the cost of what has already been spent on campaigns and sundry arrangements for the elections as huge.

Marshall noted that already he was a leading candidate for the position of National Assistant Secretary as he was optimistic of victory.

“First of all I’ve great confidence in the ability of the Electoral Committee headed by a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, HRM, Justice F.F Tabai, which was eager to conduct a seamless election.

“Some of us have campaigned through the three zones and clans of the INC. Some of us went to the Western Zone, Eastern and Central Zones to meet delegates.

“That is how it happenes atimes when there are contest, some persons who are aggrieved, rather than take laws into their hands, go to court to seek judicial redress. So, I want to commend all candidates for maintaining decorum throughout the entire process.

“I like to also call on stakeholders to quickly seek for ways through internal mechanisms of the INC to end this problem so that the elections can be conducted because as candidates we’ve incured lots of expenses leading to the process”, he stated.

Meanwhile, in a bid to proffer solutions to the issues bedeviling the smooth conduct of polls, Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, on Friday met with stakeholders of the INC and its six Presidential candidates, as well as other major stakeholders of the Niger Delta region in Government House, Yenagoa.

In his remarks, the Governor commended individuals and institutions, including the presidential candidates and the Conference of Ijaw Traditional Rulers and Elders (CITRE), for their efforts towards actualising a peaceful and seamless transition of leadership in the Ijaw National Congress (INC).

The Tide gathered that at the meeting, the presidential candidates agreed to withdraw all subsisting litigations concerning the election.

Represented by his Deputy, Dr. Peter Akpe, Diri also expressed gratitude to the Chairman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Ambassador Godknows Bolade Igali, the Chairman and members of the INC National Electoral Committee, and other stakeholders who contributed to the resolution reached at the meeting.

Drawing an analogy from the scriptures, particularly 1 Kings Chapter 3, he likened the unanimous agreement of the candidates to withdraw all pending court cases to the decision of the true mother of the disputed baby who pleaded with King Solomon not to cut the child into two.

According to the Bayelsa helmsman, the resolution reflects the enthusiasm, love and patriotic fervour in all the presidential candidates to move Ijaw nation forward.

Speaking to newsmen shortly after the meeting, the candidates, including High Chief MacDonald Igbadiwe, who secured the injunction from a Port Harcourt High Court stopping the INC Elections billed for last weekend, confirmed the agreement and pledged commitment towards the peaceful emergence of the next President of the apex Ijaw socio-cultural organization.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa

Niger Delta

Police Rescue 7 Trafficked Victims In A’Ibom

Published

12 hours ago

March 16, 2026

The Tide

The Police Command in Akwa Ibom State has rescued seven victims and detained four suspects linked to human trafficking along Ikot Ekpene–Aba Road.

The state’s Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Timfon John, disclosed this in a statement issued to journalists in Uyo on Saturday.

John said police operatives dismantled a human trafficking syndicate operating within the state, rescuing seven victims and arresting four suspects involved in the network.

She said acting on credible intelligence, operatives swiftly mobilised a patrol team for a coordinated stop-and-search operation along Ikot Ekpene–Aba Road on Friday.

The operation, conducted at about 8 a.m. on Friday, targeted vehicles suspected of transporting victims of human trafficking.

“During the operation, the suspected vehicle was intercepted and four victims were immediately rescued, while the suspect conveying them was arrested and taken into custody.

“Following reports that a vehicle was conveying young persons suspected to be victims of human trafficking, our operatives quickly moved to intercept it,” John said.

She said interrogation of the suspect led to the expansion of the operation to Itam and Ibaka in Oron Local Government Area.

John said three additional victims were rescued and three more suspects apprehended during the follow-up operation.

This brought the total number of rescued victims to seven and suspects arrested to four.

According to her, preliminary investigations revealed that the trafficking syndicate specialised in recruiting and transporting young persons across borders for exploitation.

“Intelligence gathered further disclosed that one of the ringleaders earlier escaped through waterways from Ibaka in Oron to Cameroon and Gabon with some victims”, she said.

John said investigations were ongoing and the suspects would be charged in court upon completion of the probe.

The police spokesperson reiterated the Command’s commitment to combating human trafficking and other organised crimes in the state.

She assured the public that efforts were ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate.

John urged residents to remain vigilant and provide timely information to the police to help protect vulnerable persons and strengthen community safety.