Environment
That Refuse Heap In Bori-Kono Road
Bori is the headquarters of Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State and traditional headquarters of the Ogoni ethnic nationality Rivers State.
The community is presently the capital of the Rivers South East Senatorial zone comprising Khana, Gokana, Tai, Eleme, Andoni, Opobo/Nkoro and Oyigbo local government area.
The presence of the Kenule Beeson Saro Wiwa polytechnic and other commercial ventures have led to an upsurge in the population of Bori.
The consequence of this is that, the problem of refuse disposal is becoming a source of concern to residents of the city and the adjoining communities. Investigation by The Tide revealed that, the local authorities are yet to come to terms with the problem of refuse disposal in Bori main town and the surrounding communities.
The investigation also reveal that, the Bori axis of the Bori, Wiyakara Kono express road is being cut off by heap of refuse.
The Tide also observed that, one of the refuse dumpsites at the back of the Divisional Headquarters of the Nigerian Police Force is fast becoming an eyesore to visitors coming into the city from Kono and Wiyakara axis.
The problem is being compounded by the activities of scavengers who throng the site daily in search of junk, thereby making the dirt to spill on the road.
Some passersby who spoke to The Tide at the site described it as an eyesore, and stressed the need for the authority to rise up to the challenge of checking indiscriminate dumping of refuse in the area.
An indigene of Ogoni, Mr Mene Gbarabe who reacted on the situation in an interview with The Tide in Bori said that, it poses a serious challenge to the people.
Mr Gbarabe who is a Port Harcourt based media practitioner also regretted that, inspite of the effort by the present administration in the state to ensure a clean environment across the state, some persons have formed the habit of dumping refuse at unauthorized places and stressed the need for the Khana Local Government Council to check the indiscrimate dumping of refuse along the Bori Wiyakara Kono road.
The also urged local councils across the state to replicate the clean environment programme of the Administration at the state level in their localities.
Also speaking, Mr Ezekiel Koba, a Bori resident agreed that the situation portends great danger to the health of the people.
Mr Koba also said that, most of those residing in and around the dumpsite seem to be ignorant of its health implication and stressed the need for the police authorities to mount survellance against those indiscriminately dumping refuse in the area.
He also called on the Khana local government area to set up a taskforce to check indiscrimate dumping of refuse not only in Bori urban but other communities across the area.
A student of the Kenule Beeson Saro Wiwa polytechnic Bori who spoke under condition of anonymity said that the problem is not only peculiar to Bori but across the entire region.
According to him, outside Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor other councils do not give much attention to sanitation in their vicinities, stressing that most council chairmen have not heeded the recent calls by the Rivers State Governor Chief Ezenwo Nyesom Wike to ensure regular sanitation in their local government areas.
He claimed that, apart from the institution’s campus where students, regularly organize cleanup, no major cleanup exercise has been organised in Bori and its environs.
According to him, the ministry of environment must step up its sensitization campaigns in the rural areas, while the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWNMA) needs to establish its presence in major cities across the state.
Another respondent, Miss Lera Isaac, also called for the establishment of a committee to check the indiscriminate disposal of refuse in Bori. Miss Isaac also called on the Khana Local Government Council to as a matter of urgency designate a dumpsite in the area, stressing that the current practice of dumping of defuse along the Bori-Wiyakara-Kono road should be discouraged as the situation is not giving the city a good image.
“Let them stop dumping refuse here, it is not good.
“Government should look into this matter and stop people from coming to dump refuse here”, she said.
Other respondents also stressed the need for the authority of Khana local government to close down the dumpsite to avoid the spread of epidemic in the area.
It must be noted that as on emerging city, it is important for the Authorities to note that the attendance consequences of any growing city or Town is increased generation of refuse or wastes that is why the Authorities in Khana must ensure that refuse dumpsites in Bori are properly designated to ensure that they did not become health risk to the inhabitants.
The Federal Government has signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to remove tariffs on selected products.
Rep. Sam Onuigbo a member of the Governing Board of the North-East Development Commission, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday.
Onuigbo said that the agreement signed in Abu Dhabi from Jan. 11 to 15, marked a major breakthrough for Nigeria-UAE economic relations.
NAN reports that Onuigbo, a member of the House of Representatives of Nigeria who represented Ikwuano/Umuahia North and South Federal Constituency, served as Chairman, Committee of Climate Change during the 8th Assembly.
“Under the CEPA signed in January 2026, UAE will eliminate tariffs on 7,315 Nigerian products. This includes immediate duty-free access for 2,805 products (38.3 per cent).
” The rest will phase out over three to five years, covering agricultural and industrial goods.
“Similarly, under the Nigeria/UAE CEPA also signed in January 2026, Nigeria has eliminated tariffs on 6,243 products imported from UAE. That agreement creates these wonderful opportunities between Nigerians and the Emirates,” he said.
Onuigbo said that the agreement was massive as it would facilitate an environment for business owners in Nigeria.
He said the pact would enable verified Nigerian business owners to establish offices in UAE, operate for up to three months and return home with expanded commercial networks.
He commended President Bola Tinubu for the agreement, saying it aimed at repositioning the country while also creating an enabling environment for employment opportunities.
He reaffirmed Nigeria’s readiness for business, noting that the country also unveiled its carbon market framework policy to attract climate-focused investments
”Nigeria is a nation of nearly 250 million people and has had, over the years, the challenge of enough energy or power to be able to attain its economic and industrialisation targets.
“And because of that, Nigeria has been engaging in different activities, for instance, the Energy Transition Plan, enactment of the Climate Change Act, and the Electricity Act which the President signed barely eight days after he assumed office in 2023.
“This shows the importance of addressing the energy gap having enough energy. Electricity is a fundamental point to developing industrially which Nigeria deems necessary,” he said.
Onuigbo lauded Nigeria’s participation at the Abu Dhabi summit saying that the summit would strengthen global economic opportunity for people.
He added that the President’s collaboration would address the challenges and devastating effects of climate change as well as boost economic growth in 2026
Environment
HYPREP Completes Phase One Mangrove Restoration In Ogoniland, Warns Against Re-Pollution
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, HYPREP, says it has achieved a major environmental milestone in Ogoniland with the full completion of Phase One of its mangrove restoration programme, even as it warned that renewed pollution could erase years of painstaking cleanup.
“We have completed Phase One planting and restoration at 100 per cent. We are now in the monitoring stage, with some sites already observed for up to nine months,” he said.
Beyond mangroves, Aguiyi reported significant progress in soil and groundwater remediation, describing the last quarter as one of HYPREP’s most productive periods since the Ogoni cleanup commenced.
He disclosed that shoreline cleanup has reached about 77 per cent completion, while access to safe drinking water has expanded across Ogoni communities.
“We have restored 100 per cent potable water supply to Ebubu, and reconstruction work has commenced at the Gwara Waterfall,” Aguiyi stated.
On infrastructure, he said key equipment for the long-awaited Ogoni Power Project has been procured and secured at the Wiyaakara substation, signalling movement toward energy support for the restoration effort.
Despite the progress, Aguiyi warned that re-pollution remains the single greatest threat to the success of the Ogoni cleanup.
“Our major concern is waking up one day to find areas cleaned with Ogoni people’s resources re-polluted by activities beyond our control,” he said, stressing that environmental recovery must be protected as much as it is delivered.
He attributed the sharp decline in illegal artisanal refining in Ogoniland over the past two to three years to sustained community engagement and alternative livelihood programmes, which he said have reduced economic dependence on destructive practices.
“We have not recorded incidents of artisanal refining in Ogoniland in the last two to three years, and that is the result of consistent sensitisation and viable livelihood options,” he added.
Aguiyi reaffirmed HYPREP’s willingness to collaborate with companies and partners operating in Ogoniland, noting that initiatives aligned with the project’s environmental and social objectives would be reviewed and adopted where appropriate.
He also said recommendations from recent independent and internal reports are already being implemented, underscoring HYPREP’s commitment to transparency, accountability, environmental recovery, and improved livelihoods for Ogoni communities.
Environment
Over Six Million Benue Residents Exposed To Neglected Tropical Diseases – State Government
The Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Paul Ogwuche, disclosed this during a press conference to mark the 2026 World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day, organised in collaboration with Sightsavers and themed “Unite, Act, Eliminate Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).”
Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr. Beatrice Tsavmbu, the commissioner announced the successful elimination of blinding trachoma in Gwer East, Gwer West and Ukum Local Government Areas, attributing the feat to years of targeted interventions, strong community participation and sustained implementation of the state’s NTDs Control and Elimination Programme.
“I am proud to announce the elimination of blinding trachoma in three of our most affected areas—Gwer East, Gwer West and Ukum. No longer will these communities face the blindness that trachoma has long inflicted,” she said.
However, Dr. Tsavmbu noted that Benue State remains highly endemic for several NTDs, with all 23 local government areas experiencing overlapping disease burdens. She listed the diseases to include onchocerciasis (river blindness), lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis), schistosomiasis (bilharziasis), soil-transmitted helminth infections (intestinal worms), leprosy, buruli ulcer and snakebite envenoming.
“These conditions collectively put over six million people in Benue State at risk,” she stated.
She revealed that the state had treated an average of more than five million people over the past five years through preventive chemotherapy, morbidity management and disability prevention, supported by Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) initiatives and integrated vector control.
Dr. Tsavmbu also announced a major breakthrough in the fight against river blindness, noting that onchocerciasis endemicity in the state had been reclassified from ongoing transmission to suspected interruption of transmission.
On lymphatic filariasis, she disclosed that 1,064 hydrocele cases had been successfully managed through free surgeries, while 442 lymphoedema patients received free management kits to prevent disease progression. She added that 44 trachoma trichiasis cases were also treated through free surgical interventions.
According to her, Ukum, Logo and Konshisha LGAs have passed Transmission Assessment Survey 1 for lymphatic filariasis, allowing for the cessation of mass drug administration in those areas. In addition, seven other LGAs—Ado, Apa, Kwande, Obi, Ohimini, Oju and Tarka—successfully passed epidemiological monitoring surveys in 2025.
She attributed the progress recorded to strong inter-sectoral collaboration involving agencies such as the Benue Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (BERWASSA), the State Universal Basic Education Board, the Ministry of Education, civil society organisations and security agencies. She also cited the inauguration of the State NTDs Advisory Committee and improvements in supply chain and logistics management systems.
In a related remark, Prof. Edward Omudu of the Department of Biological Sciences, Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi, revealed that the National Universities Commission had recently approved Nigerian universities to offer degree programmes in Water, Sanitation and Health, describing the move as a critical step toward strengthening disease prevention and public health capacity in the country.
-
Politics2 days agoPFN Rejects Call For INEC Chairman’s Removal Over Genocide Comments
-
Rivers2 days agoFasthire, PHCCIMA, CIPM Host CareerFest 2026 In PH
-
Sports2 days agoEnekwechi wins Orlen Cup in season opener
-
Sports2 days agoFalconets, Senegalese Lionesses arrive Ibadan for qualifier
-
Politics2 days agoHoodlums Disrupt LP-ADC Defection Event In Lagos
-
Sports2 days agoSimba open Nwabali talks
-
Niger Delta2 days agoTinubu, Jonathan, Diri Pay Last Respect To Ewhrudjakpo
-
Niger Delta2 days agoStakeholders Task INC Aspirants On Dev … As ELECO Promises Transparent, Credible Polls