Niger Delta

Group Urges Buhari To Inaugurate NDDC Board

Published

4 years ago

October 1, 2021

A civil defence movement, Niger Delta Progressive Network (NDPN), has joined numerous stakeholders to appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari to honour his words and inaugurate the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) board which was examined and confirmed by the Senate of the Federal Republic. Nigeria on November 5, 2019.
Disclosing this in a statement signed by the National President, Kaniye Amakiri and National Secretary, Asuquo Inyang, on behalf of the group, they reminded Mr. President that on June 24, 2021, while receiving the leadership of the Ijaw National Congress ( INC), promised in very clear terms that it would inaugurate the already revised and confirmed NDDC board upon completion and receipt of the Forensic Auditors report.
Recall that the general body of the Ijaw nation, worldwide, the Ijaw National Congress (INC) also recently warned that “any further delay in the inauguration of the NDDC board is a clear betrayal of trust and callousness of the State in the Ijaw nation and the Niger Delta region. “
The INC’s call followed President Buhari’s promise on June 24, 2021, while he was hosting the Ijaw National Congress at the State House in Abuja, in which President Buhari said that the NDDC Board would be inaugurated as soon as the forensic audit report was submitted. and accepted.
The president said: “ Based on the mismanagement that had previously affected the NDDC, a forensic audit was established and the result is expected by the end of July 2021. I want to assure you that as soon as the report of the forensic audit is submitted and accepted, the NDDC Board will be inaugurated. “
The group reminded President Buhari that the Federal Government also reiterated its position to inaugurate the Board confirmed by the Senate immediately after the conclusion of the forensic audit during the inaugural ceremony of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the NDDC in 2019.
Therefore, Niger Delta Progressive Network urged Chairman Buhari to fulfil this promise and inaugurate the board without further delay, now that the Forensic Audit has concluded and thereby to shame those who doubt his sincerity and commitment to keep his words. .
Said the group: “Finally, we wish to remind the President that with the receipt of the forensic audit report, the inauguration of the board will mark a new beginning not only for the commission but also for the people of the Niger Delta.”
The NDPN also stated that it aligned its members with the calls, demands and peaceful agitations of youth, men and women, political and traditional leaders and civil society organisations in the Niger Delta that the inauguration of the NDDC Board will promote and will maintain peace, fairness and justice, transparency and accountability, good governance and rapid development and transformation of the Niger Delta region, and defuse the tension of militancy and reduce the threat of insecurity in the region.
The NDPN noted that while the Northeast Development Commission (NEDC) had been allowed to function with its duly constituted Board in place in accordance with its NEDC Act, thus ensuring adequate corporate governance, accountability, checks and balances, and representation fair of its constituent states, the NDDC, on the other hand, has been arbitrarily administered in the last 2 years by interim committees / sole administrator in violation of the NDDC Act even after President Buhari had appointed a Board for the NDDC that was duly confirmed by the Nigerian Senate on November 5, 2019, but was asked to stand by for inauguration after forensic audit.
Therefore, the group urged the president to now comply with the NDDC Act and fulfil his promise by inaugurating the Commission’s Governing Board to ensure accountability, checks and balances, probity, and equitable representation of the nine constituent states. from the Niger Delta region.

Niger Delta

Stakeholders In Delta Seek Stronger GBV Action, Women’s Leadership

Published

20 minutes 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

20 minutes 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

20 minutes 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.