Niger Delta

Bayelsa Govt To Sack 500 Civil Servants

Published

10 years ago

January 27, 2016

Bayelsa State Government
under Governor Seriake Dickson has penciled down over 500 civil servants in the state’s civil service for sanctioning following their alleged support for the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the just-concluded governorship election in the state.
The Tide gathered this has created tension and anxiety among the civil servants as those to be affected by the proposed sanctions are yet to made known.
Competent source who leaked the plan on Monday said. The affected civil servants may not receive their salaries for the months of December and January as part of their punishment for being pro-APC during the poll.
Dickson was re-elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), defeating former Governor Timipre Sylva of the APC and Moses Siasia of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM).
The Independent National Electoral Commission conducted the violence-riddled governorship election on 5 and 6 December 2015, and January 9, 2016.
The government was said to have deployed ‘a special committee’ in each of the eight local government areas of the state to ‘take note of civil servants who are pro-APC’ before and during the election.
It was learnt that the directive to punish the erred servants was based on the report submitted by the ‘special committee’ shortly after the INEC declared Dickson winner of the election on 10 January 10, 2016.
Their names were forwarded to the Due Process Bureau which operates the automated payroll system of the state government for ‘necessary action’.
The directive was said to have emanated from the office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and routed through the office of the Head of Service (HoS) to the Due Process Bureau headed by Dickson’s Special Adviser on Treasury Matters, Mr. Timi Seipulo, for implementation.
It was learnt that staffers of the state Broadcasting Corporation and the Sport Council were the worst-hit in the action of the government.
One of the affected workers said it was the accountant in their establishment that hinted them about their names missing in the payroll for December and January.
The civil servant, who pleaded anonymity because of “fear of further victimisation”, explained that when they took their complaint to the Due Process last week, they were told to seek clarification at the office of the HoS, Mr.Peter Singabele.
He said the HoS confirmed to them it was “the truth of the matter”.
“After the accountant told us that our names have been removed from the payroll because we had sympathy for the APC, we went to the Due Process and there they told us to go to the HoS.
“On his part, the HoS told us that it is the truth of the matter and that the instruction was from the Secretary to the State Government office”, he said.
When contacted, the HoS declined to comment on the matter over the phone, asking our correspondent, “how do you think I will speak on that kind of matter over the phone”?
But attempts to get his reaction in his office at press time proved abortive as he was repeatedly said to be busy.

Niger Delta

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

Published

2 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

2 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

2 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.