Niger Delta

Oshiomhole Alleges Plot To Destabilise Edo

Published

12 years ago

July 11, 2014

The Edo State Governor,
Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has alleged that the current political crisis in his state was part of the plan by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), to destabilise the state ahead of the 2015 general election.
Oshiomhole stated this, last Tuesday, while fielding questions from State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, after attending the National Council of State meeting.
The governor, who boasted that he had defeated the PDP in all the elections conducted in the state and all the 18 local government areas including the local government of a PDP leader, Tony Anenih, since 2009, vowed that he would not be intimidated or made to succumb to the destabilising antics of the party.
Governor Oshiomhole, while tracing the history of the crisis, blamed it on the four members of the state’s House of Assembly who defected to PDP.
“The issue in Edo is straightforward; four members of the PDP on their own went to court asking the Federal High Court to ask the Speaker not to declare their seats vacant. Number two, asking the Court to restrain the Speaker and the House of Assembly from carrying out any disciplinary action against them. The court granted these two reliefs. Now the issue is, I can understand why they were asking that their seats should not be declared vacant because they had changed camp, the penalty as provided by Section 109 of the Constitution. But they also went on to ask the court to restrain the Speaker from suspending them based on internal disciplinary issues,” Oshiomhole disclosed.
He explained that the court granted both prayers.
“When the motion was argued by both sides, the court ordered that the Speaker should still not declare their seats vacant pending the determination of the substantive suit.
However, the court vacated the order restraining the House and the speaker from suspending them for any alleged misconduct on the ground that the court cannot prevent an arm of government from carrying out internal disciplinary measures. Now having vacated one leg of the other, the House met subsequently based on their rules and suspended these four members,” he explained.
Oshiomhole pointed out that in a democracy, there was only one civilised to contest an unfair action – by going to court – and lambasted the lawmakers for refusing to abide by the suspension order in clear violation of the rules of the House of Assembly.
He explained that the House, determined to be on the right side of the law, decided that rather than physically resolve the matter decided to approach the High Court to ask it to grant interim injunction restraining the four suspended members from coming into the House of Assembly.
He noted that “because the police was aiding and abetting these suspended members, the House also asked the court to restrain the police from aiding and abetting these people from violating the suspension order.”

Niger Delta

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

Published

10 hours 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

10 hours 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

10 hours 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.