Niger Delta

Bakassi Returnees Seek Permanent Resettlement

Published

11 years ago

July 15, 2015

Former Deputy Governor Rivers State, PDG G.T.G Toby (right) with PDG. Charles .F. Lawani, during the installation of DG. Ijeoma Pearl Okoro as Governor, Rotary District 9140 and Aztech Arcum, Stadium Road Port Harcourt 11, July 2015 Photo: Egberi .A. Sampson

Bakassi returnees in Cross
River have called for permanent resettlement and intervention to improve their welfare.
The leaders of the returnees expressed their wishes in interviews with newsmen in Akpabuyo, Cross River.
The leaders are Mr Etim Ene, Mr Okon Etim Effiom and Mrs Immaculata Effiom.
The returnees are currently in two camps in Efut Obot Ikot and Akwa Ikot Eyo Edem in Akpabuyo Local Government Area of Cross River.
They asked for agricultural inputs to enable them to cultivate land recently acquired for them by UN Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
The returnees also asked for permanent possession of the 200 acres of UNHCR farmland at Ikpa Nkanya, Akwa Ikot Eyo Edem in Akpabuyo Local Government Area.
Ene said the host community had agreed to give the land permanently to them if UNHCR could pay N600 million and offer specific assistance to them.
He said that no fewer than 439 widows were currently living in the refugee camps at St. Mark’s Primary/Secondary school at Akwa Ikot Eyo Edem.
He said that they were grateful for efforts by relevant agencies, the host community, Cross River Government and the Federal Government to remedy their plight.
Ene further asked for engine boats and fish processing facilities for the returnees to resettle at Dayspring Island.
They also expressed appreciation to those God had used to “cushion the effect of our difficulties and suffering for the sake of peace between our fatherland, Nigeria, and Cameroon’’.
The refugees said the Cross River Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) had helped “in ensuring that our children are back to school as well as providing basic health care for us in camp’’.
They commended UNHCR for sponsoring the farm project at Ikpa Nkanya and training the youth in different vocations through Rhema Care, a Non-Governmental Organisation.
They said that the Department of International Development and Cooperation assisted in facilitating safe delivery of relief items and training programmes for them.
They also commended the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for its efforts.
In an interview with our correspondent in Calabar, Mr Vincent Aquah, Director-General, SEMA, said the returnees were camped in Akpabuyo on March 7, 2013.
Aquah said there were 2,940 refugees, comprising 870 men, 780 women and 1,290 children in the two camps at Akwa Ikot Eyo Edem.
He said conditions in the camps at the time they were established were conducive to community life.
Aquah said there were currently 47,180 Internally Displaced Persons in different locations in Cross River with 9,960 men,14,028 women and 23, 245 children.
He appealed to relevant agencies and the Federal Government to approve a special grant for states with displacement crises.
Aquah also appealed to state governments to set up structures for effective management of displacement in strict adherence to UN rules.
Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River during the campaign for his election promised to build a housing estate for the returnees at Akpabuyo.
Ayade said his administration would build a fabrication academy to train the youth and transform the community.

Niger Delta

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

Published

1 day 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

1 day 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

1 day 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.