Niger Delta
Diri Gets FG’s Commendation On Infrastructure
The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, has commended Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, for his administration’s infrastructure development strides within a short period.
Fashola gave the commendation when he paid a courtesy visit to the governor at the Government House, Yenagoa, after inspecting federal projects in the state.
The minister inspected four projects in Bayelsa, the dualisation of Yenegwe Road Junction, Kolo-Otuoke Bayelsa Palm road.
Others are: National Housing Programme Site at Elebele, in Ogbia Local Government Area, Igbogene AIT Ring road, under the state government, and the Federal Secretariat which is 80 per cent completed.
The minister applauded the Bayelsa governor for his state’s collaborative efforts with the federal government on projects sited in Bayelsa.
His words: “Bayelsa has clearly shown it is an example for other states to emulate in fast-tracking partnership between the federal and state government on issues of development and I commend you.
“We found out that the cost of building foundation in Bayelsa is actually the cost of completing the entire building in some other parts of the country.
Fashola lauded the Bayelsa helmsman on his intervention on the resolution of compensation issues for the Yenagoa-Kolo-Otuoke-Bayelsa Palm federal road.
He noted that it had enabled the contractor to cover 10 kilometres of the 20-kilometre dual carriageway.
“At the federal secretariat, I can observe some noticeable progress and we assure you that help is on the way for the federal workers,” he said.
The minister said that he was in the state on a facility tour of some federal project sites with a view to assessing their level of progress.
While noting that the federal government allowed states to develop at their own pace, Fashola said refunds had been made to states on federal roads between 1999 and 2015.
According to him, the first tranche of N447.783 billion was shared among 24 states between 2018 and 2019 while the second tranche of N148.141 billion was approved for five states between 2019 and 2020 with N38.4 billion allocated to Bayelsa.
In his remarks, Governor Diri thanked the Minister for his prompt response to the Nembe-Brass road project by expressing his willingness to tackle the project through tax relief.
Diri called on one of the major partners of the project, Nigeria Agip Oil Company, to explore ways of collaborating with the Ministry of Works towards executing the project.
He said that although Bayelsa is endowed with the longest coastline in the country, such areas remain inaccessible and this has also made response to security challenges difficult.
According to him, Bayelsa state has the least federal kilometres of roads in Nigeria. However, let me appreciate President Muhammadu Buhari for the infrastructure projects refund to the state.
“Let me, however, clarify that we received about N25 billion instead of the N38.4 billion as the fund passed through the Debt Management Office and had to be discounted,” he said.
Diri noted that the Kolo road was conceived in the 1930s before the federal government awarded the contract in 2009, but that so far only 19.5 kilometres had been done with 33.5 kilometres left.
He therefore, urged the federal government to partner with the state government in constructing critical roads to link the hinterlands as well as consider Bayelsa under a special scheme in view of its challenges of difficult terrain.
“We are the goose that lays the golden egg, but we are ashamed considering the inventory of federal infrastructure in our state.
“We are prepared to put in our meagre resources to create the necessary infrastructure for our state,” he said.
Niger Delta
Onuchuku Urges More Funding For Vocational, Technical Education …Calls For Collective Responsibility Among Stakeholders
He also called on educational institutions to maintain high academic and professional standards, while industries should contribute skills development.
Onuchuku, who stated this last Thursday at the 10th Annual Conference of the Faculty of Vocational and Technical Education, IAUE, also called for collective responsibility among stakeholders.
The Acting VC, who was represented by the Dean of Vocational and Technical Education, Ndele Campus of the university, Prof. Isaac Ogundu, called for collective responsibility among key stakeholders in the industry. Expatiating on the call by the Acting VC in his presentation, Prof. Ogundu identified quality human resources and necessary opportunities for developing their productive capacities as factors that would determine a better future for Nigeria.
He said to attain quality assurance in programmes offered by tertiary institutions, the phenomenon need to be viewed as a strategic investment in human capital and national development.
Making reference to the theme of the conference, “Quality Assurance in Vocational and Technical Education: A Foundation for Sustainable Workforce in Nigeria”, Ogundu, who is the Dean, Faculty of Vocational and Technical Education, IAUE, said to attain quality assurance, there has to be collective commitment of all stakeholders.
He said: “building a sustainable workforce is a collective responsibility that requires the commitment of government, educational institutions, employers, professional bodies, teachers, students, and other wider society.
“Government must provide an enabling policy environment and adequate funding for vocational and technical education. Educational institutions must maintain high academic and professional standards. Industry must contribute to skills development and provide opportunities for practical workplace learning. “Teachers and instructors must demonstrate professional competence and commitment to continuous improvement. Students must take responsibility for their learning and embrace discipline, creativity, amd lifelong learning.”
He explained that quality assurance has become “an indispensable component of contemporary education” that provides the framework through which educational institutions establish standards.
According to him, the 10th edition of he conference “is particularly remarkable because it provides an opportunity to reflect on our achievements, assess the challenges confronting Vocational and technical education in Nigeria, and propose practical strategies for improving the quality, relevance, amd effectiveness of skills development.
“It also demonstrates the faculty’s determination to sustain a tradition of intellectual engagement that connects educational research with the practical needs of society, industry, and national development.”
Presenting the Lead Paper, Prof. Hilary Wordu of the Faculty of Education, Rivers State University, said Nigeria’s future will be determined more by what Nigerian do ith the knowledge they have.
“The future of Nigeria’s workforce will not be determined simply by how many people and do with what they have learned.”receive education, but increasingly by the quality of what they are able to know, understand, create and do with what they have learned.”
Sogbeba Dokubo
The Commission said an incident occurred at the construction site of the 600-metre Otuogori-Otuegwe Bridge, but insisted that the bridge itself had not been constructed and therefore could not have collapsed.
Addressing journalists during an inspection of the project, the NDDC Director, Bayelsa State Office, Engr. Godknows Alamieyeseigha, described the reports as misleading.
“We don’t have a bridge yet because we are still at the stage of crossing the beams. So, no bridge has collapsed.
“However, there was an incident at the construction site, and we are assessing the circumstances surrounding what happened”, he said.
Alamieyeseigha dismissed suggestions that the incident resulted from structural failure, describing it as an accident during construction.
He expressed confidence that the construction company would address issues identified during the assessment and complete the project.
He also said no bridge had collapsed in Bayelsa State or any of the nine Niger Delta states.
The NDDC Director said the Commission’s current board and management, led by Chairman Chiedu Ebie, and Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, had prioritised quality assurance in project execution.
He added that NDDC engineers and independent consultants regularly inspected project sites across the region to ensure compliance with approved engineering designs and standards.
Also speaking, the Managing Director of the construction firm, Mr. Christian Emiezor, assured that the Otuogori-Otuegwe Bridge was being executed in line with high construction standards.
He explained that the project was still at the preparatory stage, with work focused on positioning the beams before the construction of the main bridge structure.
According to him, the incident occurred during the launching of the beams, which were being positioned on their bearings.
“We are constructing a 600-metre bridge, but as you can see, we have not constructed a bridge yet. What you are seeing is just preparations for the bridge”, Emiezor said.
He described the incident as a minor accident, explaining that a beam resting on a bearing but not yet secured could slide during the positioning process.
“What was going on was the launching of the beams, and in the process, there was a slight accident. Because the beam was resting on a bearing and had not been secured, it could slide. That was what happened”, he said.
Emiezor added that safety measures at the site prevented casualties. “The good thing is that, with the safety measures put in place, no life was lost”, he said.
Enoch Epelle
The three-day summit, scheduled for March 18 to 20, 2027, will be held at Movela Hotels, Warri, Delta State.
Co-convener of the summit, Dr. Uche Igwe, disclosed in an interview with journalists, saying the annual event would bring together key decision-makers and operators to transform the Niger Delta’s blue economy potential into viable investment opportunities.
He said participants would be drawn from the government, the organised private sector, academia, civil society, traditional institutions and community groups across the Niger Delta and beyond.
Igwe said the maiden edition, held in February 2026, had recorded progress through partnerships and the identification of feasible projects requiring funding and further development.
“Since our maiden edition last February, a lot has been achieved. We now have partners who understand our region and who have identified several feasible projects.
“It is now time to go to the next level of ensuring that such projects are made bankable and the necessary funds required are mobilised to ensure that projects leave the drawing board and hit the ground running”, he said.
He commended the Delta State Government led by the State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, for providing what he described as an enabling environment for investment in the sector.
According to him, the second summit will focus on developing investment pipelines and exploring innovative financing mechanisms, including blue bonds, to attract capital into the sector.
“With the feedback we have got so far, more than $600 million of investment capital will enter the blue economy sector through our modest efforts”, Igwe added.
Also speaking, Senior Consultant at Gadfly Consulting Limited, Mr. Philemon Oghenedoro Adjekuko, called for stronger collaboration among relevant government agencies and private sector operators to support Nigeria’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
He said the blue economy could contribute significantly to the country’s economic expansion if stakeholders moved beyond discussions to coordinate action and investment.
Adjekuko, who said he had spent the past three months engaging stakeholders as part of a study on blue finance, expressed optimism about the sector’s capacity to drive economic diversification and strengthen the non-oil economy.
“As someone who has been speaking to stakeholders in the last three months conducting a study ” he said.
Enoch Epelle
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