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Niger Delta

Monarch Tasks Community On PVC Collection

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Even as the permanent
voters cards registration exercise commences today in Rivers State, the Paramount Ruler of Oginigba Community in Obio/Akpar Local Government Area of the State, Eze G. B. Odum (JP), has called on the people of the community to come out enmasse and participate in the exercise, as that would guarantee them the inalienable right to choose among the candidates gunning for various political offices in the state come 2015.
The monarch who gave the charge in an interview with newsmen at his palace yesterday said the registration exercise was a good thing and a welcome development, saying, by the time the Oginigba people came out enmase and identify with the registration exercise, their political  future would be guaranteed, as they would be at liberty to vote for candidates of their choice at the polls.
Eze Odum, however, expressed concern over the discrepancy between the announcements made by the Obio/Akpor Caretaker Committee Chairman, Chief (Dr) Lawrence Chuku and the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega on the registration exercise, and regretted that OBALGA was not among the first seven local government areas in the state to take their turns on the day of commencement.
He, however, charged INEC and other agencies entrusted with the responsibility of making the exercise a huge success to rise up to the occasion and make the exercise hitch-free.
The Ogingba monarch also stressed the need for the people to conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner throughout the period of the exercise, saying, securing the permanent voters cards was their legitimate right to enable them exercise their franchise at the polls come 2015.
The Second Class Paramount Ruler equally urged politicians eyeing various positions in the state come 2015, particularly governorship aspirants to consider the interest and wellbeing of the State,  stressing that the state today needed somebody as Governor who would be able to unite the people when the incumbent Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi bows out after serving his tenure in 2015.
He also remarked that criticising the present administration was not what the state needed now but that the people needed somebody with the vision to take the state to another level at the end of the tenure of the present administration.
Eze Odum particularly called on the Hausa community at the Slaughter Market in Oginigba community to abandon their legitimate businesses and come out enmasse to register during the exercise, saying, they should not see their business as a barrier, as the voters registration exercise was for the good of all indigenes and non-indigenes resident in the state.
In a related development, the Chairman of Butchers Union of Nigeria, Rivers State chapter, Oginigba Trans Amadi Slaughter, Alhaji Musa Baba Ahmed described the permanent voters cards registration exercise as a good thing to happen to the area, and called on traders at the market to embrace the opportunity and register for their permanent voters cards.
The chairman who made the call in an interview said the permeanent voters cards would enable them cast their votes at the polls come 2015, stressing that the executive committee of the union had adequately sensitised and mobilised the members for the exercise.
He also stressed the need for traders at the market to embrace peace at all times, as his administration was prepared to carry all along.

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Niger Delta

850-bed UCTH overstretched, services 5m patients – CMD

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The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), Prof. Ikpeme Ikpeme, has said the 850-bed hospital is overstretched, as it currently serves over five million patients.
He disclosed this on Friday during a media tour of the facility to showcase ongoing renovations and facelift in the hospital.
The CMD noted that, aside being the only tertiary healthcare facility servicing the state, UCTH also serviced neighbouring states of Akwa Ibom and Ebonyi.
He said the hospital also received referrals from neighbouring countries, including Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Central African Republic.
According to him, the 850-bed hospital faced persistent space constraints because of increasing patients inflow and expanding healthcare demands.
“This hospital currently operates 62 clinical and non-clinical departments as well as  between 30 and 38 wards covering medical, surgical, paediatric, orthopaedic and specialised services.
“Most wards have undergone facelift, remodelling, or complete renovation to improve patient care and working conditions for healthcare professionals”, he said.
He disclosed that the hospital was constructing a new 106-bed emergency medicine facility to address the rising demand for healthcare services.
According to him, the facility will include trauma bays, intensive care units, neonatal wards, and three fully equipped trauma theatres.
Speaking on the remodeled wards, Ikpeme explained that they followed modern nursing principles, allowing one nurse to attend to a maximum of 10 patients.
He said relatives would be restricted to designated waiting areas to reduce interference with medical procedures and improve emergency response efficiency.
The CMD noted that the hospital had strengthened specialist services in orthopaedics, neurosurgery, obstetrics, radiology, and minimally invasive surgery.
“UCTH now performs hip and knee replacements, arthroscopy, sports medicine, and complex brain tumour surgeries.
“Our surgeons also conduct keyhole procedures for appendectomy, hysterectomy and other conditions with faster patient recovery periods,” he said
In power, the CMD said the hospital relied on solar power from a seven-megawatt plant, constructed by the Federal Government at the University of Calabar, as well as public power supply, and generators to sustain its operations.
He appealed to governments, organisations, and philanthropists to support infrastructure expansion, equipment procurement, and specialised healthcare projects.
The CMD said the hospital required additional incubators, ward expansions, and a stand-alone amenity facility for private healthcare services.
He used the opportunity to dismiss allegations of ethnic discrimination, insisting that the hospital does not reject workers or patients based on tribe or origin.
According to him, the institution recently honoured an Igbo pioneer physician by naming a ward after him in recognition of decades of service.
The CMD said the hospital maintained strict disciplinary procedures to address negligence, poor attitude, and unethical conduct among staff.
The Tide’s source reports that some of the units visited include, intensive care unit, Department of Radiology, Urology Clinic, and Opthalmology Clinic.
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Niger Delta

Police Burst Child Trafficking Syndicate In A’Ibom … Nab 3 Suspects

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The Police Command in Akwa Ibom State says it has busted a child trafficking syndicate and arrested three suspects for conspiracy and unlawful sale of a newborn baby in the State.
The State’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Timfom John, who disclosed this in a statement in Uyo on Friday, said the three female suspects were arrested on Wednesday at about 1900hrs.
She said a complainant reported that his wife gave birth to a baby boy on May 7 and shockingly, shortly after delivery sold the newborn child to one of the suspects for N145, 000.
“Upon receipt of the report, operatives immediately swung into action, leading to the arrest of the suspects and the successful recovery of the baby boy.
“The suspects reportedly confessed to the crime during interrogation, while investigation has been expanded to identify and apprehend all individuals connected to the trafficking syndicate”, John said.
She said the State’s Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare, reiterated the Command’s commitment to sustaining aggressive intelligence-led policing in the state.
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Niger Delta

A’Ibom Launches Operation Crack Down Scrap Dealers 

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The Akwa-Ibom State Government has launched a statewide crackdown on unregistered scrap dealers and scavengers, shutting down illegal operations and arresting operators accused of violating environmental and public safety regulations.
The enforcement operation, led by the Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency (AKSEPWMA), followed the implementation of the state’s Waste Metal Scrap Law 2026, officials said.
AKSEPWMA Chairman, Obong Prince Ikim, said the exercise was aimed at regulating the scrap sector, protect the environment, and prevent criminal groups from operating under the guise of waste collection and metal trading.
“If you want to do scrap business, you must register,” Mr. Ikim said during the operation in Uyo, the state capital.
“Many people now hide under scrap trading to perpetrate nefarious activities”, he said.
According to him, dump site operators and scrap dealers who failed to register with the government risked closure and prosecution.
Authorities accused some operators of involvement in vandalism of public infrastructure and indiscriminate waste disposal, adding that investigations had uncovered criminal activities linked to several dump sites across the state.
“Some people vandalise government facilities in the name of scrap business and encourage indiscriminate dumping of refuse,” Mr. Ikim said.
He added that the state government and security agencies would continue efforts to enforce compliance and maintain public order.
“The Commissioner of Police has zero tolerance for criminality, and the Governor wants Akwa Ibom people to sleep with their eyes closed. We will fish out every defaulter”, he said.
Police officials involved in the operation said investigations showed that some criminal suspects used scrap yards and refuse dump sites as cover for illegal activities.
CSP Okwuzulike Vincent of the Itam Police Station said some suspects pretended to be mentally unstable while hiding ammunition and other suspicious items in makeshift shelters around dump locations.
The police officer praised the environmental agency for what he described as proactive efforts to sanitise the sector and pledged continued cooperation between law enforcement and the agency.
Officials said some first-time offenders arrested during the operation were released after profiling and signing undertakings, while repeat offenders would face prosecution.
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