Niger Delta

RSG, FG, SPDC To Battle Crude Oil

Published

11 years ago

July 22, 2015

Participants at a training on cassava processing by West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP) in Uyo yesterday.

The Rivers State Government
has said that it was partnering with all stakeholders, including the Federal Government and Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) to educate the people at the grassroots on the need to stay away from crude oil theft and illegal refining of hydrocarbon resources because of the dangers such act pose to their lives and the environment.
The Director, Pollution Control, Rivers State Ministry of Environment, Charles George, who disclosed this at Kpite, Tai Local Government Area of the state, last Wednesday, as part of a series of SPDC-sponsored grassroots campaign against crude oil theft and artisanal refining in the Niger Delta, in compliance with the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme report on Ogoniland, said that such acts had resulted in the death of many young Nigerians and rendered large part of the precious Niger Delta environment desolate and unproductive.
George, while addressing the more than 1,000 community youth, men and women, at Kpite Community Primary School, said that the Rivers State Government was working assiduously with the Federal Government to revive the Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Programme (HYPREP) with the appointment of a new purpose-driven leadership team to fast-track the clean-up of Ogoniland in line with the recommendations of the UNEP report.
He disclosed that once HYPREP management team is reconstituted in a few weeks’ time, physical clean-up of polluted sites in Ogoniland would begin, assuring that the moment the process commences, many jobless Ogonis would be engaged in meaningful and viable employment to enable them support their families and communities.
The director of pollution control warned against continued attempts to undermine the environment through crude oil theft, illegal refining of hydrocarbon resources, pipeline vandalism and destruction of related oil facilities, adding that apart from the criminal nature of the act and its negative impact on the economy, government cannot fold its arm and watch helplessly as the huge death toll and environmental destruction continue to decimate the region, and indeed, the nation.
Senior Environmental Officer, National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Augustine Bello, warned that crude oil theft and artisanal refining as well as pipeline vandalism are all criminal offences, which attract prison terms, on arrest and prosecution, and appealed to youth involved in the act to desist forthwith in their own interest.
Bello appealed to “the people to allow the crude oil to remain in the pipeline”, because according to him, “if the crude oil is allowed to remain in the pipeline, your farm and fish harvests would be bountiful, and your revenue generation capacity would increase by the day, and you would be able to feed your families, send your children to school, and meet your other needs.”
He noted that the people of the region may not be satisfied with the way oil and gas revenue is distributed amongst the component units of the federation, but stressed that stealing the crude from the pipeline is not an acceptable way of addressing the injustice.
Bello advised the people to work more closely with their political leaders to ensure a new era of legislation that heralds generally-accepted revenue-sharing formula that would provide sufficient funds to address the colossal development challenges facing the region.
In their separate speeches, Gbenemene Twa-Twa Tai, and Paramount Ruler of Kpite, HRH Samuel Nnee and Spokesperson for Twa-Twa Tai Communities, Chief Mission Piwa, restated the dangers associated with crude oil theft and illegal bunkering on the people and the environment, and said that the council of chiefs has been working round the clock to educated the people of Kpite on the need to avoid oil facilities and installations in their farming activities.
They expressed the hope that oil exploration would soon resume in Ogoniland to create avenues for employment of thousands of jobless youth in the communities, emphasizing that most of the youth involved in crude oil theft, illegal bunkering, and pipeline vandaslism were doing so out of the lack of any sustainable source of livelihood to feed their families and make ends meet.

Nelson Chukwudi

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.