Environment
The Challenge Of Flooding In Ubie Kingdom
The season of rain is here, so also is the threat of flood. For some years now, especially since 2012, some communities in Rivers State especially those in flood-prone areas have been having sleepless nights over perennial floodings in their areas for this year as signs of flooding are very ominous especially going by the heavy down pour these days.
It would be recalled that the Nigerian Metrological Agency (NIMET) had early this year, predicted serious flooding in some states in the country including Rivers State. For Rivers State, the agency had said eight local government areas will be heavily impacted while the rest will be mild as far as flood was concerned.
The eight local government areas are Ahoada West, Ahoada East, Ogba/ Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas as well as Abua/ Odual.
The rest are Andoni, Opobo/Nkoro, Gokana and Port Harcourt City Local Government Areas.
For the people of Ubie Kingdom in Ahoada West Local Government Area, it is no longer news that another devastating flooding is on the way.
Ubie Kingdom with over 23 communities is located along the Orashi River.
Sources within the Kingdom told The Tide that since 2012, Ubie Kngdom and other Kingdoms in the Orashi region of Rivers State have experienced series of devastating flooding.
The Kingdom has lost lives, property of inestimable value, as well as its economic value in the scheme of things.
According to the source, farmlands have been washed off by flood, buildings destroyed while hunger and starvation have become the lot of the people.
The Tide also learnt that since help is not coming from anywhere, the people have decided to take their destinies in their hands.
Meanwhile, a cross section of residents of communities in the area who spoke in an interview with The Tide on the issue said several people have been displaced by flood in the area since 2012. They said none of them had received any support from any quarters as far as flood incidence was concerned in the area.
They, however, blamed the Federal Government for abandoning the communities to their fate.
According to the Eze Igbu Ubie of Ubie Kingdom, Okpokiri, no Eze Augustine Maxwell Okpokiri no support in form of relief materials has been given to the people by the Federal Government.
Eze Okpokiri said his people have lost their farmlands and buildings to the flooding, adding that even last year, one life was lost.
He said even economic activities have been stalled, adding that farmers have started harvesting their crops and selling them at give away prices for fear of them being destroyed by the flood.
The Ubie monarch said hunger is staring his people in the face, stressing that the people need the support of the government.
Okpokiri also advised the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to ensure that relief materials get to the right people.
Also speaking, Eze Nelson .B. Okwa, the traditional ruler of Ekamini Ubie Kingdom, said his people are experiencing hardship as a result of perennial flooding in the area.
“The suffering is very much. We don’t know whether we belong to this country, whether the Federal Government is to take care of us or whether we belong to our own. “For now, there is no way out”, he said.
Eze Okwa said thousands of his people are struggling to survive after the devastation caused by last year’s flooding.
“As I,m telling you now, go to my house, go to my village, you will see the communities’ farmlands are in problem”.
He also said people are deserting the communities because of the disaster.
The community leader however absolved the Rivers State Government of blame, adding that the Federal Government should be solely held responsible as far as rehabilitation of flood victims is concerned.
Also speaking, Chief Jonah Odoyi from Ombo Community said his people are not happy, adding that since 2012, the area has experienced severe flooding on annual basis.
By: John Bibor
The Federal Government has signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to remove tariffs on selected products.
Rep. Sam Onuigbo a member of the Governing Board of the North-East Development Commission, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday.
Onuigbo said that the agreement signed in Abu Dhabi from Jan. 11 to 15, marked a major breakthrough for Nigeria-UAE economic relations.
NAN reports that Onuigbo, a member of the House of Representatives of Nigeria who represented Ikwuano/Umuahia North and South Federal Constituency, served as Chairman, Committee of Climate Change during the 8th Assembly.
“Under the CEPA signed in January 2026, UAE will eliminate tariffs on 7,315 Nigerian products. This includes immediate duty-free access for 2,805 products (38.3 per cent).
” The rest will phase out over three to five years, covering agricultural and industrial goods.
“Similarly, under the Nigeria/UAE CEPA also signed in January 2026, Nigeria has eliminated tariffs on 6,243 products imported from UAE. That agreement creates these wonderful opportunities between Nigerians and the Emirates,” he said.
Onuigbo said that the agreement was massive as it would facilitate an environment for business owners in Nigeria.
He said the pact would enable verified Nigerian business owners to establish offices in UAE, operate for up to three months and return home with expanded commercial networks.
He commended President Bola Tinubu for the agreement, saying it aimed at repositioning the country while also creating an enabling environment for employment opportunities.
He reaffirmed Nigeria’s readiness for business, noting that the country also unveiled its carbon market framework policy to attract climate-focused investments
”Nigeria is a nation of nearly 250 million people and has had, over the years, the challenge of enough energy or power to be able to attain its economic and industrialisation targets.
“And because of that, Nigeria has been engaging in different activities, for instance, the Energy Transition Plan, enactment of the Climate Change Act, and the Electricity Act which the President signed barely eight days after he assumed office in 2023.
“This shows the importance of addressing the energy gap having enough energy. Electricity is a fundamental point to developing industrially which Nigeria deems necessary,” he said.
Onuigbo lauded Nigeria’s participation at the Abu Dhabi summit saying that the summit would strengthen global economic opportunity for people.
He added that the President’s collaboration would address the challenges and devastating effects of climate change as well as boost economic growth in 2026
Environment
HYPREP Completes Phase One Mangrove Restoration In Ogoniland, Warns Against Re-Pollution
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, HYPREP, says it has achieved a major environmental milestone in Ogoniland with the full completion of Phase One of its mangrove restoration programme, even as it warned that renewed pollution could erase years of painstaking cleanup.
“We have completed Phase One planting and restoration at 100 per cent. We are now in the monitoring stage, with some sites already observed for up to nine months,” he said.
Beyond mangroves, Aguiyi reported significant progress in soil and groundwater remediation, describing the last quarter as one of HYPREP’s most productive periods since the Ogoni cleanup commenced.
He disclosed that shoreline cleanup has reached about 77 per cent completion, while access to safe drinking water has expanded across Ogoni communities.
“We have restored 100 per cent potable water supply to Ebubu, and reconstruction work has commenced at the Gwara Waterfall,” Aguiyi stated.
On infrastructure, he said key equipment for the long-awaited Ogoni Power Project has been procured and secured at the Wiyaakara substation, signalling movement toward energy support for the restoration effort.
Despite the progress, Aguiyi warned that re-pollution remains the single greatest threat to the success of the Ogoni cleanup.
“Our major concern is waking up one day to find areas cleaned with Ogoni people’s resources re-polluted by activities beyond our control,” he said, stressing that environmental recovery must be protected as much as it is delivered.
He attributed the sharp decline in illegal artisanal refining in Ogoniland over the past two to three years to sustained community engagement and alternative livelihood programmes, which he said have reduced economic dependence on destructive practices.
“We have not recorded incidents of artisanal refining in Ogoniland in the last two to three years, and that is the result of consistent sensitisation and viable livelihood options,” he added.
Aguiyi reaffirmed HYPREP’s willingness to collaborate with companies and partners operating in Ogoniland, noting that initiatives aligned with the project’s environmental and social objectives would be reviewed and adopted where appropriate.
He also said recommendations from recent independent and internal reports are already being implemented, underscoring HYPREP’s commitment to transparency, accountability, environmental recovery, and improved livelihoods for Ogoni communities.
Environment
Over Six Million Benue Residents Exposed To Neglected Tropical Diseases – State Government
The Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Paul Ogwuche, disclosed this during a press conference to mark the 2026 World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day, organised in collaboration with Sightsavers and themed “Unite, Act, Eliminate Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).”
Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr. Beatrice Tsavmbu, the commissioner announced the successful elimination of blinding trachoma in Gwer East, Gwer West and Ukum Local Government Areas, attributing the feat to years of targeted interventions, strong community participation and sustained implementation of the state’s NTDs Control and Elimination Programme.
“I am proud to announce the elimination of blinding trachoma in three of our most affected areas—Gwer East, Gwer West and Ukum. No longer will these communities face the blindness that trachoma has long inflicted,” she said.
However, Dr. Tsavmbu noted that Benue State remains highly endemic for several NTDs, with all 23 local government areas experiencing overlapping disease burdens. She listed the diseases to include onchocerciasis (river blindness), lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis), schistosomiasis (bilharziasis), soil-transmitted helminth infections (intestinal worms), leprosy, buruli ulcer and snakebite envenoming.
“These conditions collectively put over six million people in Benue State at risk,” she stated.
She revealed that the state had treated an average of more than five million people over the past five years through preventive chemotherapy, morbidity management and disability prevention, supported by Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) initiatives and integrated vector control.
Dr. Tsavmbu also announced a major breakthrough in the fight against river blindness, noting that onchocerciasis endemicity in the state had been reclassified from ongoing transmission to suspected interruption of transmission.
On lymphatic filariasis, she disclosed that 1,064 hydrocele cases had been successfully managed through free surgeries, while 442 lymphoedema patients received free management kits to prevent disease progression. She added that 44 trachoma trichiasis cases were also treated through free surgical interventions.
According to her, Ukum, Logo and Konshisha LGAs have passed Transmission Assessment Survey 1 for lymphatic filariasis, allowing for the cessation of mass drug administration in those areas. In addition, seven other LGAs—Ado, Apa, Kwande, Obi, Ohimini, Oju and Tarka—successfully passed epidemiological monitoring surveys in 2025.
She attributed the progress recorded to strong inter-sectoral collaboration involving agencies such as the Benue Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (BERWASSA), the State Universal Basic Education Board, the Ministry of Education, civil society organisations and security agencies. She also cited the inauguration of the State NTDs Advisory Committee and improvements in supply chain and logistics management systems.
In a related remark, Prof. Edward Omudu of the Department of Biological Sciences, Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi, revealed that the National Universities Commission had recently approved Nigerian universities to offer degree programmes in Water, Sanitation and Health, describing the move as a critical step toward strengthening disease prevention and public health capacity in the country.
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