Niger Delta
Delta Scale Up SEEFOR Projects
The Delta State Coordina
tor of State Employment and Expenditure for Results (SEEFOR), Mr Benson Ojoko, said the state government had given approval to scale up the project in all the 25 councils.
Ojoko told newsmen in Abuja that the projects were pilot projects in six local government areas and that the projects had been a huge success.
He listed the beneficiary councils as Oshimili South, Warri South, Uvwie, Ughelli North, Sapele and Udu.
Our correspondent reports that the SEEFOR project, which is being funded by the European Union (EU) and the World Bank, is aimed at employing youths in the informal sector.
The project is being implemented in four Niger Delta states of Bayelsa, Delta, Edo and Rivers through the Ministry of Budget and National Planning.
The official said the objective of SEEFOR was to enhance youth employment opportunities and access to socio-economic services, while improving the public financial management systems of participating states.
“It will interest you to know that out of 7,750 beneficiaries of SEEFOR project in the implementing states, 4,431 of the youths have been employed in the implementation of the project in Delta.
“One thousand, three hundred and eighty six (1,386) of the jobs were created for males, while 3,045 jobs were created for females”.
He said that apart from the number of youths that had benefited, the state had adopted the project to ensure its sustainability.
“For instance, the Private Sector Participation (PSP) model in refuse disposal and collection, even when the contract elapsed since Oct. 2015, the government has continued implementing it.
“The government of Delta is running the project with the vision and they are not stopping it at the six pilot local government areas.
“The governor has seen the benefits accruable in the number of people employed in revenue generation and cleanliness of the environment.
“He has approved the scale up from the six local government areas to all the 25 local government areas of the state, “ the official said.
Ojoko said that the project showed a credible alternative to business in an unusual way, which the state had been benefiting beyond the immediate cash.
He said the state had also recorded success under the Technical Vocation Training Institution, and on the Commodity Intervention that the project had impacted at the grassroots level.
“But much more importantly is on the Medium-Term Support for Public Financial Management Reforms- with this intervention we have leverage on the support of the World Bank.
“We have leveraged on the support to have a draft Public Financial Management Law for Delta, a draft Audit and Economic Law and updated Fiscal Policy Paper and Budget Policy Statement.
“These are elements of Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) which were not there before the intervention.
“For the first time in the history of Delta State, the state government has been able to pass the MTEF document to the Executive Council and the State House of Assembly.
“This became the working document for budget preparation for 2016, “ the official said.
In addition, Ojoko said that the state had been paying its counterpart funding of N150 million annually, saying that the act demonstrated government‘s commitment to the project.
“I have seen the wisdom in this partnership with the World Bank and EU. For us in Delta, it is truly a demonstration of partnership for result. “
Our correspondent reports that the five-year project which started in 2012 would end in 2017.
The Bayelsa State Government has inaugurated six sub-committees, as it begins preparations for the 30th Anniversary celebration of the creation of the state on 1st October.
Inaugurating the sub-committees in Government House, the Deputy Governor, Dr. Peter Akpe, explained that Bayelsa has countless reasons to appreciate God for what He has done for its land and people in the 30 years of its existence, especially in development.
He charged the sub-committees to come up with proposals for the various activities and events for the celebration within the next two weeks in line with their respective terms of reference, stressing that strategic things had to be done to make the anniversary significant and historic.
According to him, the three-day programme of activities for the anniversary celebration, which will commence on the 29th of September, will be preceded by two weeks of commissioning of public infrastructural projects completed by the Prosperity Administration.
The Bayelsa Number Two Man further clarified that events penciled down for the celebration include a cultural carnival, boat regatta, anniversary lecture, sporting events, state banquet and awards night.
The sub-committees are: the Awards Sub-Committee, chaired by His Majesty, King Bubaraye Dakolo; the Sports Sub-Committee, headed by Hon. Daniel Igali; and the Lecture Sub-Committee, with Prof. Stephen Olali as its Chairman.
Others are: the Mega Praise Sub-Committee, jointly chaired by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Peter Akpe, and the Managing Director of Premium Trust Bank, Dr. Emmanuel Emiefenim; the Cultural Sub-Committee, headed by Rt. Hon. Monday Bubou-Obolo; and the Publicity Sub-Committee, with the Commissioner for Information, Mrs. Ebiuwou Koku-Obiyai, as Chairman.
by: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
Niger Delta
NDDC Backs Federal Drive To Cut Maternal, Newborn Deaths … Trains Traditional Birth Attendants
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has stated its commitment to supporting the Federal Government’s Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII), with a renewed push to tackle the persistently high rate of preventable maternal and newborn deaths across the Niger Delta.
The Commission made the pledge during workshops for traditional birth attendants held in Delta and Bayelsa states, where it stressed the need for stronger collaboration between traditional birth attendants and the orthodox healthcare system to improve maternal and child health outcomes.
Speaking at the training, the Managing Director of the NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, urged women to embrace modern medical care while leveraging the trusted role of traditional birth attendants in their communities.
Represented by the Principal Manager, Education, Health and Social Services (EHSS), Mrs. Dare-Oloko Kuami, Ogbuku described maternal and child mortality as an alarming public health challenge that requires urgent and collective action.
“The rate of death among women and children is alarming and must be eradicated. This training is designed to enlighten our women and should not be taken for granted”, he said.
According to him, the workshop was organised to strengthen the knowledge and capacity of traditional birth attendants in providing safe maternal and newborn care, identifying pregnancy-related complications early, and referring high-risk cases promptly to hospitals and health centres.
Also speaking, the Director of Education, Health and Social Services, Dr. Patience Ezugu, called on women to take issues relating to childbirth seriously, stressing that improved knowledge and adherence to safe delivery practices would help save lives.
Represented by the Principal Manager, EHSS, Dr. Otokolo Fidelis, Ezugu disclosed that more than 300 women from Delta and Bayelsa states participated in the training and were provided with medical equipment and cash support to enhance their services.
One of the resource persons, Mrs. Gift Akitiri, underscored the vital role traditional birth attendants continue to play in many rural communities, noting that regular capacity building would improve the quality of maternal healthcare delivery.
“Traditional birth attendants are trusted members of many communities. By equipping them with updated knowledge, we are helping to ensure that mothers and newborns receive timely and appropriate care, thereby improving health outcomes”, she said.
A participant, Mrs. Franscica Odiakosa, commended the NDDC for organising the workshop, describing it as timely and impactful.
“I have gained valuable knowledge that will improve the quality of healthcare I provide in my community. I have also learnt the importance of referring expectant mothers to health centres and hospitals whenever a case is beyond my capacity”, she said, while urging the Commission to sustain the initiative.
One of Nigeria’s oldest and most prestigious social clubs, Uyo Club, has inaugurated its full Executive Council to oversee the affairs of the association for the next two years, with a charge to provide purposeful leadership and make meaningful contributions to society.
Speaking during the inauguration ceremony at the club’s headquarters on Wellington Bassey Way, Uyo, the President of the club, Prof. Sahm Etuk, urged the newly elected executive members to bring their wealth of experience and professionalism to bear in the discharge of their responsibilities.
He said members of the club expected the new leadership not only to strengthen the institution, but to also extend its impact beyond the clubhouse through service to the wider community.
“You have voluntarily presented yourselves for service, and we expect that you will make yourselves available at all times to offer the service required of you”, Etuk said.
The inauguration followed the April 2026 bye-election conducted to fill vacant positions in the Executive Council.
Among those inaugurated was renowned broadcast administrator and Executive Managing Consultant of Comfort 95.1 FM, Uyo, Samuel Enoh Akpan, who was elected Public Relations Officer. Akpan is also a member of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE).
Other members of the Executive Council are Barrister Eno Inyang (Treasurer), Anthony Etim (Social Secretary), Christian Daniel (Welfare Secretary), Friday Ekpa (Legal Adviser), Christian Chukwu (Provost), Mmenye Udofa (Assistant Secretary), Otu Otu (Maintenance Secretary) and Macaulay Udom (Ex-Officio).
Prof. Etuk, a Professor of Strategic Marketing, Director of the School of Continuing Education at the University of Uyo, and Chairman of the institution’s Sports Committee, had earlier been inaugurated as President on January 10, 2026, alongside the Vice President, Dr. Nestor Udoh, a retired Permanent Secretary.
Other officials inaugurated at the time include Ndi Aquaisua (General Secretary), TPL Dr. Emmanuel Etuk (Financial Secretary), Dr. Imbur Terfa (Auditor), and Dr. Anietie Ekong (General Games Captain).
The President also inaugurated the Board of Past Presidents, made up of all living former presidents of the club, urging them to continue providing guidance and institutional support to the Executive Council in line with the club’s constitution.
Former presidents present at the event included Dr. Emem Umoh, Dr. Bassey Etuknwa, Engr. Mbosowo Orok, Prof. Ini Jonah, and Akparawa Ikpong Essien-Udom, a member of the Standing Committee of the Nigerian Guild of Editors.
Etuk called on members to unite in pursuit of the club’s founding ideals of recreation, service and development, expressing confidence that the newly constituted organs of the club would strengthen its operations and reposition it for greater relevance.
Founded in 1935, Uyo Club remains one of Nigeria’s foremost recreational associations, with a membership that cuts across diverse professions and sectors of society.