Opinion
Mrs Amaechi And Women Empowerment
Women have a major role to play in the promotion of national development especially in the rural communities. As the focus of the family and as homemakers and cultivators, their contributions to the survival and progress of our society are tremendous.
It is in the light of this that many people have viewed the initiative of the wife of the Rivers State governor, Mrs. Dame Judith Amaechi to empower the women and youths of the state by equipping them for modern farming with interest.
As stated by the First lady and founder of Empowerment Support Initiative (ESD): “we have acquired about 60 plots of land to enable us begin training of our women and youths in modern farming skills and technology and these lands will have a demonstration farm and modern farm facility including green houses to enable us have higher yields”. By the initiative, plans have already been made for over 2,500 women to benefit from the first phase of the project.
If this initiative is well planned, co-ordinated, and executed, it will achieve several developmental objectives for the state. As indicated by the governor’s wife, the programme will provide gainful empowerment and employment for women and youths. But significantly, the scheme will educe modernisation in our agricultural practice which will bring about an increase in productive power and changes in the attitudes of our women and youths, replacing a sense of dependence on the natural envrioment. It will thus establish an economic base for the women and youths and generate progressively higher levels of output and living for the state.
Besides, the programme will narrow the gap between the opportunities of rural women and youths on one hand, and those of the employed and well-to-do urban population on the other hand.
So before the training programme for the scheme kicks off in the next few weeks, the scope of the entire project should be expanded to include some other vital areas of agricultural activities in the state. Such areas include cassava processing, grass cutter farming, snail farming, fish farming, processing, and preservation, periwenkle farming, and new methods of growing maize and other crops. Others are goat milking, rabbit rearing, turkey farming, chicks hatching, and production of table birds (broilers).
Though the state is very well endowed with several streams, creeks, ponds, wildlife, arable land and friendly climate for agricultural production, adequate attention has not been directed, especially in recent times, to food production and processing. Even with cassava that is in reasonable supply in the state, no concerted effort has been made to process it industrially. Over the years, the production of garri from cassava has been done traditionally by women and their children or youths in their homes.
The traditional method of garri production is time consuming, unhygienic, and on a small scale. Therefore, it can not produce enough garri to feed the teeming population of those who eat it as their staple food.
The scheme should therefore include in its programme, training of women on industrial garri production to upgrade the village method to a modern one which covers peeling and grating of cassava tubers, de-watering, toasting, sieving and packaging. In the industrial garri production, the whole process is automated.
Fish farming is another agricultural activity that can easily empower the women and youths. It is a lucrative business which can be practised in marine, brackish or fresh water, and apart from ponds, tanks and reservoirs can be used for the venture. Since it can be practised on a small, medium or large-scale level, women can quite easily fit the business into their financial capacity and managerial ability.
Certainly, if many women and youths are trained in fish farming, more employment opportunities will be created for the rural and even urban dwellers, their incomes will increase and diet will improve.
For the women and youths in the riverine areas, training them on periwinkle farming will also be a welcome development. Though periwinkles are abundant in the brackish water mangrove belt of the Niger Delta, women and youths harvest them by hand-picking during low water.
Periwinkle farming is another lucrative venture that will empower our women and children. Considering that it is nutritionally richer than fish or meat, its demand and consumption are increasing steadily and rapidly.
But for Mrs. Amaechi to succeed in this laudable programme, she must take certain critical factors about the state’s rural communities and people into consideration. The foremost one is that the illiteracy rate among the women is very high. The type of training to be given to them should therefore be well thought out.
It should also be noted that the very nature of the process of women and youth empowerment require that action be taken on several fronts simultaneously and not independently of each other.
This implies that the programmes of agriculture, education, and training, health and nutrition, rural electrification, co-operatives, water supply and road construction should be integrated and delivered as a package and not planned and implemented each in isolation.
Worse still, it is difficult to assess the desire or willingness of the women and youths to grow with the programme in the long run. Why? Because, in the past, beneficiaries of similar programmes have perceived them as other ways of taking their own share of the national cake. And the initiators of such programmes had, often, created them to fulfill dramatic short term needs, expectations, and promises.
Mrs. Amaechi’s efforts of empowering the women and youths of the state should therefore not be seem by the beneficiaries as an action to simply support them or make them dependent on the generosity of government; it should be seen as an action to give them a chance of developing the skills and talents that will help them become self-reliant and serve as dependable force for the modernisation of the agricultural sector in the state.
The political atmosphere in Rivers State has been anything but calm in 2025. Yet, a rare moment of unity was witnessed on Saturday, June 28, when Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, appeared side by side at the funeral of Elder Temple Omezurike Onuoha, Wike’s late uncle. What could have passed for a routine condolence visit evolved into a significant political statement—a symbolic show of reconciliation in a state bruised by deep political strife.
The funeral, attended by dignitaries from across the nation, was more than a moment of shared grief. It became the public reflection of a private peace accord reached earlier at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. There, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu brought together Governor Fubara, Minister Wike, the suspended Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and other lawmakers to chart a new path forward.
For Rivers people, that truce is a beacon of hope. But they are not content with photo opportunities and promises. What they demand now is the immediate lifting of the state of emergency declared in March 2025, and the unconditional reinstatement of Governor Fubara, Deputy Governor Dr. Ngozi Odu, and all suspended lawmakers. They insist on the restoration of their democratic mandate.
President Tinubu’s decision to suspend the entire structure of Rivers State’s elected leadership and appoint a sole administrator was a drastic response to a deepening political crisis. While it may have prevented a complete breakdown in governance, it also robbed the people of their voice. That silence must now end.
The administrator, retired naval chief Ibok-Ette Ibas, has managed a caretaker role. But Rivers State cannot thrive under unelected stewardship. Democracy must return—not partially, not symbolically, but fully. President Tinubu has to ensure that the people’s will, expressed through the ballot, is restored in word and deed.
Governor Fubara, who will complete his six-month suspension by September, was elected to serve the people of Rivers, not to be sidelined by political intrigues. His return should not be ceremonial. It should come with the full powers and authority vested in him by the constitution and the mandate of Rivers citizens.
The people’s frustration is understandable. At the heart of the political crisis was a power tussle between loyalists of Fubara and those of Wike. Institutions, particularly the State House of Assembly, became battlegrounds. Attempts were made to impeach Fubara. The situation deteriorated into a full-blown crisis, and governance was nearly brought to its knees.
But the tide must now turn. With the Senate’s approval of a record ?1.485 trillion budget for Rivers State for 2025, a new opportunity has emerged. This budget is not just a fiscal document—it is a blueprint for transformation, allocating ?1.077 trillion for capital projects alone. Yet, without the governor’s reinstatement, its execution remains in doubt.
It is Governor Fubara, and only him, who possesses the people’s mandate to execute this ambitious budget. It is time for him to return to duty with vigor, responsibility, and a renewed sense of urgency. The people expect delivery—on roads, hospitals, schools, and job creation.
Rivers civil servants, recovering from neglect and under appreciation, should also continue to be a top priority. Fubara should continue to ensure timely payment of salaries, address pension issues, and create a more effective, motivated public workforce. This is how governance becomes real in people’s lives.
The “Rivers First” mantra with which Fubara campaigned is now being tested. That slogan should become policy. It must inform every appointment, every contract, every budget decision, and every reform. It must reflect the needs and aspirations of the ordinary Rivers person—not political patrons or vested interests.
Beyond infrastructure and administration, political healing is essential. Governor Fubara and Minister Wike must go beyond temporary peace. They should actively unite their camps and followers to form one strong political family. The future of Rivers cannot be built on division.
Political appointments, both at the Federal and State levels, must reflect a spirit of fairness, tolerance, and inclusivity. The days of political vendettas and exclusive lists must end. Every ethnic group, every gender, and every generation must feel included in the new Rivers project.
Rivers is too diverse to be governed by one faction. Lasting peace can only be built on concessions, maturity, and equity. The people are watching to see if the peace deal will lead to deeper understanding or simply paper over cracks in an already fragile political arrangement.
Wike, now a national figure as Minister of the FCT, has a responsibility to rise above the local fray and support the development of Rivers State. His influence should bring federal attention and investment to the state, not political interference or division.
Likewise, Fubara should lead with restraint, humility, and a focus on service delivery. His return should not be marked by revenge or political purges but by inclusive leadership that welcomes even former adversaries into the process of rebuilding the state.
“The people are no longer interested in power struggles. They want light in their streets, drugs in their hospitals, teachers in their classrooms, and jobs for their children. The politics of ego and entitlement have to give way to governance with purpose.
The appearance of both leaders at the funeral was a glimpse of what unity could look like. That moment should now evolve into a movement-one that prioritizes Rivers State over every personal ambition. Let it be the beginning of true reconciliation and progress.
As September draws near, the Federal government should act decisively to end the state of emergency and reinstate all suspended officials. Rivers State must return to constitutional order and normal democratic processes. This is the minimum requirement of good governance.
The crisis in Rivers has dragged on for too long. The truce is a step forward, but much more is needed. Reinstating Governor Fubara, implementing the ?1.485 trillion budget, and uniting political factions are now the urgent tasks ahead. Rivers people have suffered enough. It is time to restore leadership, rebuild trust, and finally put Rivers first.
By: Amieyeofori Ibim
Amieyeofori Ibim is former Editor of The Tide Newspapers, political analyst and public affairs commentator
Do the Fulani herdsmen have an expansionists agenda, like their progenitor, Uthman Dan Fodio? Why are they everywhere even the remotest part of other areas in Nigeria harassing, maiming, raping and killing the owners of the land?”
In a swift reaction, The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) decried and strongly condemned the invasion by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
In his denunciation, MOSOP President Fegalo Nsuke described the incident as very unfortunate and deeply troubling, warning against a recurrence of the violence experienced in Benue State. “The killing of yesterday is bad and very unfortunate. We are getting preliminary information about how the herders gained access to the farmland, and it appears some hoodlums may be collecting money and granting access illegally.”
He called on the Hausa community in Rivers State to intervene swiftly to prevent further attacks.
“We want the Hausa community in Rivers State to take urgent action to ensure these issues are resolved”.
But will such appeal and requests end the violent disposition of the Fulani herdsmen? It is not saying something new that the escalating threat and breach of peace across the country by the Fulani herdsmen or those suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, leaves much to be desired in a country that is bedevilled by multi-dimensional challenges and hydra-headed problems.
Some upland Local Government Areas of Rivers State, such as Etche, Omuma, Emohua, Ikwerre, Oyigbo, Abua, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, have severally recounted their ordeals, as herdsmen invaded farmlands, destroyed crops, raped female farmers and killed protestant residents.
Again the wanton destruction of lives and properties which no doubt has overwhelmed the Nigerian Police, makes the clamour for State Police, indispensable. The National Assembly should consider the amendment of the Constitution to allow States to have their Statutory policing agencies.
As insurgency has risen to an all time high in the country were killings has now grown to be a normal daily activity in some part of the nation it may not be safe to say that Nigeria still practices democracy.
Several massacres coming from the Boko Haram and the herdsmen amongst all other insurgencies which have led to the destruction of homes and killing, burning of communities especially in the northern part of the country. All these put together are result of the ethnic battles that are fought between the tribes of Nigeria and this can be witnessed in Benue State where herders and farmers have been in constant clashes for ages. They have experienced nothing but casualties and unrest.
In the month of June 13-14, the Yelwata attack at the Guma Local Government Area by suspected gunmen or herdsmen who stormed the houses of innocent IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) claiming the lives of families, both adults and children estimated to be 200 victims. They were all burnt alive by these unknown gunmen.
This has been recorded as one of the deadliest insurgencies that had happened in recent years. Some security personnel that were trying to fight the unknown gunmen also lost their lives.
Prior to the Yelewata attack, two days before the happening, similar conflict took place in Makurdi on June 11, 2025. 25 people were killed in the State. Even in Plateau State and the Southern Kaduna an attack also took place in the month of June.
All other states that make up the Middle Belt have been experiencing the farmers/herders clash for years now and it has persisted up till recent times, claiming lives of families and children, homes and lands, escalating in 2025 with coordinated assaults.
Various authorities and other villagers who fled for safety also blamed the herdsmen in the State for the attack that happened in Yelwata community.
Ehebha God’stime is an Intern with The Tide.