Niger Delta

Ayade Wants Contractual Fees Paid In Local Currency

Published

10 years ago

April 27, 2016

As part of measures to
stenghten the naira and grow the local economy, the Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade, has advocated for payment of conractual fees and charges to multi-national companies in local currency/
Ayade, who stated this when he received the chairman and other members of Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources Upstream on a 3-day workshop in Calabar, said that it is by so doing that the emphasis on dollars will be less and the value for naira better appreciated.
“The dollarisation of contracts in the oil and gas sector is another crippling issue in this country. It is only in Nigeria that contracts are awarded in dollars and denominated in dollar.”
The international exchange rate is fast changing, a lot of people prefer to do business in their local currency, and we have countries that have made laws that stipulate a minimum irreversible exchange rate between their currency and the dollar; We should not be an exception.
He further argued that the activities in the oil and gas sector in the country which allowed for the sale of crude oil in dollars, with the dollar not returning to Central Bank of Nigeria was another issue which should be tackled under the local content law.
“With our main exports, we should not have this kind of exchange rate that we are having in naira today. It may be synthetic, it may be a little artificial, it could be black market induced but we have failed to establish a framework that can give the naira its value,” he said.
“Must we always put the naira against the dollar?” Ayade asked rhetorically, noting that, “in most countries like UK, some of their foreign reserves come in form of gold. Why must our foreign reserves be in our dollar, why can’t we commoditise our foreign reserves?”
The governor who reasoned that the country was blessed with abundant mineral deposits like bitumen, gold, iron, among others, stressed the need to convert these into foreign reserves in material terms and bring the naira to shore up its value.
Ayade urged the Federal Government to take a deliberate policy as well as ensure full implementation of local content act to strengthen the naira while advising that all LNG shipments sales out of Nigeria be paid to CBN directly.
Earlier, Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources Upstream, Senator Tayo Alasoadura, said the choice of Calabar for the workshop was not misplaced because Cross River had over the years distinguished itself as the preferred destination in the country because of its ambiance and serenity.
He thanked the state government for partnering with the committee to actualise the workshop, saying that the essence was to meet minds with relevant stakeholders in the oil and gas sector in tackling some of the issues raised in the sector in a manner that would impact positively on the citizenry.

Friday Nwagbara, Calabar

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

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.

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.