Niger Delta

Oshiomhole Bows Out, ’Morrow, Renders Accounts

Published

9 years ago

November 11, 2016

The Edo State Governor,
Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, says the achievements recorded by his administration in the last eight years have placed the state on a good pedestal that every successive government of the state would continue to build on.
Oshiomhole stated this while fielding questions from newsmen at Benin Airport after seeing off President Muhammadu Buhari, who was in the state for a two-day official visit.
Oshiomhole, who will bow out as the governor tomorrw after his two terms of four years each, said “Edo can never be the same again” with the developmental strides recorded by his government.
The former labour leader noted that before his assumption of office on November 12, 2008, the “Godfathers” had held the state hostage, and described it as not viable.
The governor said that he was able to succeed because he came in with a clear vision to work and also free the state from those who had held the state as their private properties.
He said that the achievement of his government had not only put the “Godfathers” out of business, but also consolidated the position of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the number one party in the state.
According to him, “I came in with a clear vision to work. Like I discussed with Chief John Odigie-Oyegun then, there were two forces in the state.
“We had the forces that were responsible for the status quo and who are benefiting from it and the majority of the people who are victims of that order.
“And that if all those who are dissatisfied in the way in which our state had been compromised, it’s resources privatized, we all need to work together to overthrow that order.
“Today, we have overthrown that order, whether the Godfathers agreed or not, they are not only down, they are out as well.
“In Edo, we have two traditions of burial,the first and the final burial. I think in this case, we have done three burials. The first in 2008 through the court to reclaim our mandate that was stolen.
“The general burial in 2012, and because of their age, we gave them additional ceremony which is the final funeral and that was celebrated on September 28, 2016.
“As I keep saying, that is the only election in South South where ballots and not human blood, the ink and not blood, with PVC, people voted to affirm their rejection of the PDP and their confidence in our party by the victory of Godwin Obaseki.
“The people have spoken of course. Who else is standing other than the APC. I believed God has done that, not by our might, because, he sees our heart.
“All the roads the President drove through in his first day of visit were done by the APC government, none was done by the PDP.
“I am happy that we have supervised the burial of the Godfathers, they are out and there is nothing they can do about it.
“God has used us as instrument of change in the state. No part of the country ought to have been held hostage the way our state (Edo) was criminally held hostage by these Godfathers.
“This is not about me (Oshiomhole) or Oyegun, but our people, it is about our state. Edo can never be the same again.
“I am glad that God has used us to re-order the political environment and if a factory worker like me can be a governor, then you can be as well.”
Oshiomhole said he and the people of Edo remained eternally grateful to President Buhari for not only visiting the state, but spending two consecutive days in the state.
The President during the visit, inaugurated a number of projects across the three senatorial districts of the state.
Among the projects inaugurated were the new 200-bed space central hospital in Benin, the new Edo University in Iyamoh, erosion control project as well as road projects.

Niger Delta

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

Published

13 hours 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

13 hours 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

13 hours 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.