Niger Delta

College Gets Accreditation For Six Residency Programmes

Published

13 years ago

June 28, 2013

Six Department of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi, Anambra had been accredited to offer ?the National Post Graduate Medical College residence programme in the country.

The institution’s Chief Medical Director, Prof. Anthony Igwegbe, said this?when executive members of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Anambra chapter, visited him?in Nnewi on Tuesday.

The departments are: Microbiology, Morbid Anatomy, Anesthetic, Trauma and Orthopaedic,?Haematology and Laboratory Science.

Igwegbe noted that with the development, the health institution, was poised to produce more resident doctors and services.

According to him, the departments will help to improve services, training and manpower development for the nation in the health sector.

He said work was in progress at the permanent site of the teaching hospital “though not at the rate expected because of paucity of funds to execute the projects’’.

The director assured?the visitors that his administration would bring many positive changes to the health institution.

“We have reduced the cost of our renal dialysis and record about 40 dialysis every month as against 10 due to the high cost. That has increased the rate of dialysis and patronage. “The costs of ex-rays have also been reduced by 20 per cent to enable more people access our services and share from the wealth of experience and expertise in the hospital,” he said.

The Acting Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee of NAUTH, Dr Afiadigwe Evaristus, appealed to Federal Government to release funds to enable the institution move to its permanent site.

“We want greater funds to enable us complete projects at the permanent site. Money was budgeted but how much was released is the question,” he added.

Earlier, the NMA Chairman, Dr Marcel Nnoba, said the visit was to congratulate Igwegbe on his appointment as well as pledge their support to his administration.

Police Caution Officers ON Misuse Of Firearms

The?police on Tuesday warned officers and men against indiscriminate use of fire arms, saying it would no longer tolerate the abuses.

The Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 9, Mr Tambari Muhammad, said when he visited the Anambra Police Command, Awka, that any policeman, who used arms carelessly, would be arrested and prosecuted.

He decried the high rate of indiscipline among the officers as well as the return of road blocks in the state and stated that his visit to the command was to acquaint himself with formations under his zone, and urged policemen to be dedicated to duty.

Earlier, the Police Commissioner, Ballah Nasarawa, said that the command arrest 97 kidnap suspects and rescued 31 kidnapped victims.

“Within the period under review, the police foiled three kidnapping attempts, killed eight suspected armed robbers, arrested 131 armed robbery suspects and 11 cultists between Jan. 1 and June 24,’’ he said.

He also said that arms recovered include 13 AK47 rifles, 50 other rifles, 4,385 assorted ammunitions, 331 cartridges, 105 magazines and 49 stolen vehicles.

Niger Delta

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

Published

3 days 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

3 days 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

3 days 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.