Niger Delta

Mrs Emmanuel Builds 24 Houses For Widows

Published

8 years ago

April 9, 2018

The wife of the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mrs Martha Emmanuel, has built and furnished 24 bungalow houses for widows and widowers in the state since 2015.
Mrs Emmanuel disclosed this during the maiden edition of Eket Women’s Day Celebration in Eket Local Government Area of the state on Saturday.
She said that the houses were built and furnished through the Family Empowerment and Youth Re-Orientation Initiative (FEYReP), her pet project.
The Tide reports that Mrs Emmanuel commissioned a fully furnished two-bedroom bungalow for a widow, Mrs Adiaha Udo, in Ede Obok in Eket during the occasion. Mrs Udo was living in a shack for over 10 years.
She said that FEYReP was providing shelter to the hopeless, succour to widows, restoring hopes and touching the lives of most vulnerable people across the three senatorial districts of the state.
“The aim is to create a robust economic empowerment for families and re-orientate the youths to eschew all forms of moral decadence,” she said.
Mrs Emmanuel advised Eket women to form cooperative groups so as to benefit from the State Government empowerment programme.
She also inaugurated a staff canteen, office block and 10 mini buses to convey staff to work.
According to her, the gesture is to complement the developmental strides of her husband and donated N3 million to support the project for Eket women, saying that women are worth celebrating because they are pace setters.
The Chairman of Eket Local Government Council, Mr Frank Archibong, said that Eket women were celebrated because of the critical role they played in the development of the area.
He said the pet project of the governor’s wife was focused on providing economic alternatives to people and families who hitherto had been injured by poverty.
“Through FEYReP, you have built and furnished 24 houses for widows and widowers in order to alleviate their poverty and suffering,” he said.
While thanking Mrs Emmanuel for extending the building of houses to Eket , Archibong described Mrs Emmanuel as a “life changer”.
“We, as Eket people, are very happy for the house you have built and furnished, through FEYReP, for one of our widows, popularly known as `Adiaha Ntiin.”
He said that Emmanuel’s commitment to the economic empowerment of Eket people had continued to manifest in the various life-touching policies and programmes of his administration.
The wife of the council chairman, Mrs Bright Archibong said that Eket Women’s Day Celebration was important not only for Eket women but for all women who seek to establish the fact that women are pacesetters for sustainable progress and stated that women were home makers and nation builders.
Rep. Ekpoatai Uwoidighe said that she had also attracted development projects worth over N400 million to Eket.
Uwoidighe donated kitchen utensils to the widow and promised to give her N10,000 every month for her upkeep.
Responding, the beneficiary expressed appreciation to God for making the governor’s wife to remember her in time of need.
Mrs Udo thanked the wife of the governor for her kind gesture, saying that Mrs Emmanuel had put roof over her head and smile on her face.

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

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.

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.