Environment
Tackling Flooding In PH
As the rainy season sets in, anxiety is mounting among residents of Port Harcourt city and its environs over the possible increase in flooding in the city, this year.
The Tide observed that during last week Wednesday’s heavy down pour, many parts of the city were flooded.
Among the heavily flooded areas were the MTN junction along the PH Aba Express road, Artillery Junction also along Port Harcourt Aba Express road and Elekahia, and Rumukalagbor.
Also affected by the flood during the rainfall were the popular Mile I Market to Emenike and Elechi Road junctions by the Mile Three market all along the Ikwerre Road.
At the Elekahia, Rumukalagbor villages, The Tide observed that many residents were displaced.
Residential buildings and shops were flooded and for shop owners, it was a sad day as most of their wares were destroyed by the flood waters The Tide also observed that a private school located along the Hill Top Drive Elekahia was shut down and pupils evacuated that morning as a result of the incidents.
A cross section of residents who spoke to The Tide on the situation blamed the flooding on the over flow of the two major adjoining streams which cut across the two communities.
They said that the streams known in the local language as Mini Jiriji and Mini Okoro had been sources of concern to the communities as they normally overflow their banks during heavy rainfall.
They said that until the streams were dredged to ensure the free flow of waters, the situation will get worst.
A shop owner, Mr Innocent Uwuma told The Tide that his shop was flooded early that morning and most of his wares had been destroyed.
Mr Uwuama said that the government must find solution to the problem of flooding in Elekahia and Rumukalagbor stressing that the only way to do this is to dredge the two streams.
“Let the government clean the streams, so that the water can flow into the bigger Rivers”.
Another trader, Kingsley Anosike who also claimed to have lost all his wares, further opined that the solution to the flooding in the areas lies in the dredging of the streams.
Mr Anosike recalled that last year, many traders in the area also lost their wares to the flood waters.
“Last year, we experienced the same thing we are appealing to the government to dredge the streams and make them deeper.
He said that if noting was done about the situation, that axis of Port Harcourt will be cut off from the rest of the city by flood.
Last year, we managed to survive the situation but this year I don’t know what is going to happen as subsequent rains seems to get heavier. Another resident, Mrs Ogechi Clement said that she had already removed all her belonging from her house.
She said that she suffered similar thing last year and called for assistance from the public.
The Tide observed that the situation caused gridlock along the Elekahia Rumukalagbor road as vehicles found it difficult to pass through the area.
Similar situation was also observed at the MTN junction, Aba road and the Mile I Market along Ikwerre Road.
At the market, traders were seen transferring food items to the median.
An environmentalist, Mr Steve Obodoekwe, said the situation was a sign that residents of Port Harcourt city and environs will experience more flooding as this year’s rains will be very heavy.
Mr Obodoekwe told The Tide that, the solution lies on regular desilting of the drains.
He called on the Ministry of Environment and the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA) to come up with modalities of ensuring that streams and rivers such as: the Interwoba creek, Mini Jiriji and Mini Okoro are regularly desilted to ensure their free flow.
He also suggested that residents who are in the habit of dumping refuse into these channels should desist from such act or face the full wrath of the law.
Also speaking on the issue, a Public Affairs analyst, Rev (Dr) Sokari Soberekon said that government must look for ways of channeling waters from the Mile I axis of Port Harcourt through Abonnema Wharf to the rivers there.
He said that the situation at Mile 1 Market portended great danger to the health of the society as most people buy most of their food stuff from Mile 1 market. All in all, it is flood everywhere and the government must find solution to it.
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.
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