Niger Delta
Ijaw Communities Worst Hit By Fuel Price Hike, IYC Laments
The Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide has decried the shocking increase in prices of petroleum products, especially Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS) by the Federal Government, describing it as insensitive to the plight of Ijaw communities living in different parts of the country especially the Niger Delta region.
The President of IYC, Peter Igbifa, in a statement he personally signed, yesterday, said Ijaw communities were the worst hit by the sudden jack up of prices in the petroleum sector because of their peculiar geographical locations.
Igbifa argued that the decision of the Federal Government to remove all subsidies on fuel was done without putting in place prerequisite facilities to ameliorate negative consequences of such action on vulnerable communities in Ijaw land.
He said the government should have waited till the completion of some of the modular refinery projects, rehabilitation of moribund Federal Government-owned refineries and reviving of floating petrol stations in some waterways in the Niger Delta region before implementing such decision.
Igbifa regretted that some floating petrol stations built by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to facilitate access to fuel in coastal Ijaw communities had been abandoned by the NNPC.
He said prior to the recent increase in fuel, residents in Ijaw communities were buying the product very costly outside the regulated prices because of unavailability of authorised fuel stations in their areas.
He said the price of petroleum products in such areas had become outrageous with the latest move by the Federal Government.
Igbifa lamented that the hitherto costly marine transport had quadrupled following the increase in fuel, adding that most resident in Ijaw communities could no longer visit their capital cities to transact their businesses.
Besides, the IYC President said the development would seriously affect the government’s war against illegal refineries and their implications on the eco-system.
He argued that with the increase, many people were likely to go into the business of crude refining of crude oil to make petroleum products available to persons in the coastal communities.
Igbifa called on the federal government to allow the completion and operations of ongoing modular refinery projects before totally removing subsidy on fuel.
He also urged the Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, to revive the existing NNPC floating fuel stations and set more of such stations on the waterways of Ijaw communities to give Ijaw people access to fuel.
He said: “The umbrella body of all Ijaw youths, the IYC, totally rejects this increase of petroleum products. It is ill-timed. Our coastal communities are indeed the worst hit by this increase and we are asking the Federal Government to reconsider its position on this matter.
“We believe that before full deregulation is implemented in the petroleum sector, the Federal Government must put some prerequisite facilities in place. Such facilities must include reviving all floating petrol stations, which have been abandoned along some waterways in the Niger Delta.
“The Federal Government must also ensure the full rehabilitation and optimum operations of the moribund Warri and Port Harcourt refineries as well as the completion of other modular refineries in the Niger Delta. Anything outside ensuring that we have self-sufficiency in refining crude oil produced in this country amounts to putting the cart before the horse and we totally reject it.
“We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to withdraw this decision because of the hardship it has already inflicted on our people. We also call on our own brother and Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, to prevail on Mr. President to meet the prerequisite conditions before total deregulation.
“We want to state that the current development if allowed to persist will hamper the war against oil theft and illegal refining of petroleum products affecting our ecosystem. This is because the unavailability of petroleum products because of its cost will compel more people to go into the business of illegal refining of the products, which is seen as cheaper than the regulated product.”
Niger Delta
Onuchuku Urges More Funding For Vocational, Technical Education …Calls For Collective Responsibility Among Stakeholders
He also called on educational institutions to maintain high academic and professional standards, while industries should contribute skills development.
Onuchuku, who stated this last Thursday at the 10th Annual Conference of the Faculty of Vocational and Technical Education, IAUE, also called for collective responsibility among stakeholders.
The Acting VC, who was represented by the Dean of Vocational and Technical Education, Ndele Campus of the university, Prof. Isaac Ogundu, called for collective responsibility among key stakeholders in the industry. Expatiating on the call by the Acting VC in his presentation, Prof. Ogundu identified quality human resources and necessary opportunities for developing their productive capacities as factors that would determine a better future for Nigeria.
He said to attain quality assurance in programmes offered by tertiary institutions, the phenomenon need to be viewed as a strategic investment in human capital and national development.
Making reference to the theme of the conference, “Quality Assurance in Vocational and Technical Education: A Foundation for Sustainable Workforce in Nigeria”, Ogundu, who is the Dean, Faculty of Vocational and Technical Education, IAUE, said to attain quality assurance, there has to be collective commitment of all stakeholders.
He said: “building a sustainable workforce is a collective responsibility that requires the commitment of government, educational institutions, employers, professional bodies, teachers, students, and other wider society.
“Government must provide an enabling policy environment and adequate funding for vocational and technical education. Educational institutions must maintain high academic and professional standards. Industry must contribute to skills development and provide opportunities for practical workplace learning. “Teachers and instructors must demonstrate professional competence and commitment to continuous improvement. Students must take responsibility for their learning and embrace discipline, creativity, amd lifelong learning.”
He explained that quality assurance has become “an indispensable component of contemporary education” that provides the framework through which educational institutions establish standards.
According to him, the 10th edition of he conference “is particularly remarkable because it provides an opportunity to reflect on our achievements, assess the challenges confronting Vocational and technical education in Nigeria, and propose practical strategies for improving the quality, relevance, amd effectiveness of skills development.
“It also demonstrates the faculty’s determination to sustain a tradition of intellectual engagement that connects educational research with the practical needs of society, industry, and national development.”
Presenting the Lead Paper, Prof. Hilary Wordu of the Faculty of Education, Rivers State University, said Nigeria’s future will be determined more by what Nigerian do ith the knowledge they have.
“The future of Nigeria’s workforce will not be determined simply by how many people and do with what they have learned.”receive education, but increasingly by the quality of what they are able to know, understand, create and do with what they have learned.”
Sogbeba Dokubo
The Commission said an incident occurred at the construction site of the 600-metre Otuogori-Otuegwe Bridge, but insisted that the bridge itself had not been constructed and therefore could not have collapsed.
Addressing journalists during an inspection of the project, the NDDC Director, Bayelsa State Office, Engr. Godknows Alamieyeseigha, described the reports as misleading.
“We don’t have a bridge yet because we are still at the stage of crossing the beams. So, no bridge has collapsed.
“However, there was an incident at the construction site, and we are assessing the circumstances surrounding what happened”, he said.
Alamieyeseigha dismissed suggestions that the incident resulted from structural failure, describing it as an accident during construction.
He expressed confidence that the construction company would address issues identified during the assessment and complete the project.
He also said no bridge had collapsed in Bayelsa State or any of the nine Niger Delta states.
The NDDC Director said the Commission’s current board and management, led by Chairman Chiedu Ebie, and Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, had prioritised quality assurance in project execution.
He added that NDDC engineers and independent consultants regularly inspected project sites across the region to ensure compliance with approved engineering designs and standards.
Also speaking, the Managing Director of the construction firm, Mr. Christian Emiezor, assured that the Otuogori-Otuegwe Bridge was being executed in line with high construction standards.
He explained that the project was still at the preparatory stage, with work focused on positioning the beams before the construction of the main bridge structure.
According to him, the incident occurred during the launching of the beams, which were being positioned on their bearings.
“We are constructing a 600-metre bridge, but as you can see, we have not constructed a bridge yet. What you are seeing is just preparations for the bridge”, Emiezor said.
He described the incident as a minor accident, explaining that a beam resting on a bearing but not yet secured could slide during the positioning process.
“What was going on was the launching of the beams, and in the process, there was a slight accident. Because the beam was resting on a bearing and had not been secured, it could slide. That was what happened”, he said.
Emiezor added that safety measures at the site prevented casualties. “The good thing is that, with the safety measures put in place, no life was lost”, he said.
Enoch Epelle
The three-day summit, scheduled for March 18 to 20, 2027, will be held at Movela Hotels, Warri, Delta State.
Co-convener of the summit, Dr. Uche Igwe, disclosed in an interview with journalists, saying the annual event would bring together key decision-makers and operators to transform the Niger Delta’s blue economy potential into viable investment opportunities.
He said participants would be drawn from the government, the organised private sector, academia, civil society, traditional institutions and community groups across the Niger Delta and beyond.
Igwe said the maiden edition, held in February 2026, had recorded progress through partnerships and the identification of feasible projects requiring funding and further development.
“Since our maiden edition last February, a lot has been achieved. We now have partners who understand our region and who have identified several feasible projects.
“It is now time to go to the next level of ensuring that such projects are made bankable and the necessary funds required are mobilised to ensure that projects leave the drawing board and hit the ground running”, he said.
He commended the Delta State Government led by the State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, for providing what he described as an enabling environment for investment in the sector.
According to him, the second summit will focus on developing investment pipelines and exploring innovative financing mechanisms, including blue bonds, to attract capital into the sector.
“With the feedback we have got so far, more than $600 million of investment capital will enter the blue economy sector through our modest efforts”, Igwe added.
Also speaking, Senior Consultant at Gadfly Consulting Limited, Mr. Philemon Oghenedoro Adjekuko, called for stronger collaboration among relevant government agencies and private sector operators to support Nigeria’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
He said the blue economy could contribute significantly to the country’s economic expansion if stakeholders moved beyond discussions to coordinate action and investment.
Adjekuko, who said he had spent the past three months engaging stakeholders as part of a study on blue finance, expressed optimism about the sector’s capacity to drive economic diversification and strengthen the non-oil economy.
“As someone who has been speaking to stakeholders in the last three months conducting a study ” he said.
Enoch Epelle
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