Niger Delta

Monarch Wants Teaching Of Moral Instructions In Schools

Published

6 years ago

December 20, 2019

The Paramount Ruler of Oginigba Community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, Eze G. B. Odum, has called for moral instructions to be included in school curriculum in order to help shape the behaviour of students and instill in them disciplinary habits.
Eze Odum, made the call during an exclusive chat with The Tide shortly after the 2019 end of year ceremony of the Old Students Association of Government Technical College (GTC), Port Harcourt recently.
The traditional ruler expressed sadness over the prevalence of decadent behaviour amongst young people, even as he blamed teachers for neglecting moral aspect of education.
According to him, “I have observed that boys and girls these days are not actually showing the way their parents started in life. Those days when we were in school, children are taught how to behave, what to do and what not to do among boys and girls and from there they grew up to become good parents in future.
“But today anyone does what he/she likes. Girls dress in provocative ways and boys also dress with their trousers sagging. I remember when Magistrate Odogu was in Rivers State, if they saw any person dressing that way that person will be apprehended and tried. It served as a check for boys and girls. Today those things are no more there.”
He further said, “I am even thinking that the best thing is to return all the schools to the mission. Let that moral education be part of the school syllabus. I blame teachers for most of these things that are happening in society today.
“They are no longer teaching moral education and that is why students today are cultists. They (students) do things their parents never did because of no moral education. Students, these words are for you, you put knife in your pocket, put axe in your bag.
“Those are not materials required for you to go to school with. By so doing, you are damaging yourself. Only one bullet from the Police will end your life,” the monarch said, just as he urged students and young people in general to see themselves as ambassadors of the State (Rivers).
“Also see yourself as an ambassador of your community. Don’t get yourself in cultism. Please if these are taken seriously, our children will come out to get a job where they will grow in life.
I am appealing, there should be moral education in the syllabus where boys and girls should know their limits in life.
“If you travel outside, Rivers State has no good name. It is not by our government, not by the parents, but our children. The left hand is nearer to the anus than the right hand. So moral education should be better handled by teachers in our various schools. “If that is done I think it will go a long way to checkmate children who are not behaving well,” Odum stated

Niger Delta

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

Published

20 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

20 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

20 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.