Niger Delta

My Passion Is To Lift Young People From Poverty -Banigo

Published

5 years ago

October 26, 2020

Rivers State Deputy Governor, Dr Mrs Ipalibo Harry Banigo, says her passion is to lift young people from poverty.
Dr Banigo disclosed this during a courtesy visit by the Acting Regional Manager, South-South of the Bank of Industry (BoI), Mr Pacqueens Irabor, at the Government House in Port Harcourt, at the weekend.
The Deputy Governor said, “we must lift up our young people and young adults out of poverty, financial, physical, spiritual and mental poverty. We want to give them the mind-set that they can do it”.
According to Dr Banigo, with the support of the State Chief Executive, Nyesom Wike her office held a Six week, skills acquisition training in collaboration with Redemption Ministries, where over 3,677 trainees were empowered with 12 different entrepreneurial skills across three local government areas, using 44 facilitators as well as people from the Central Bank and Micro Finance Agency at the end of which starter packs were given to some of them.
“We cannot let them go, we cannot let them fall off the cliff, we have to empower them in a sustainable way that is why we tried to reach out to the Bank of Industry and the Bank of Agriculture as well. For farmers our focus is to give them something that will keep them progressing, we are happy that quite a few of them are doing very well with the skills they acquired. These are the kind of people we really want to encourage. We are happy that you can assist us to develop common manufacturing pools, for instance these beneficiaries have been registered in 57 co-operatives in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry,” she further stressed.
The Deputy Governor who encouraged youths to be creative with what the Almighty God has deposited in them said: “Let them know it is not all about Government work and politics, they have so much that God has put in them that they can use for themselves and others, to be a blessing to their community and to be a blessing to others.”
She said Governor Wike had provided an enabling environment for businesses to flourish in the state. “As the Chairman of the Ease of Doing Business Council, I know how much he has improved the business climate in areas of tax reforms, where people can pay their taxes without going through middlemen and also the general infrastructural development in the State that has enabled businesses to thrive it is a great positive”, she quipped.
Dr Banigo who expressed delight with the role the bank of industry is playing in the development of the economy, noted that the mandate of the Bank which is to increase the Industrial landscape across the nation and expand the business climate, opined that a country that is not able to manufacture what they are using can never really develop.
“This has been the bane of our nation, that we have put aside manufacturing and industry we have preferred to be middlemen instead of using what God has given us to be creative, God has given us the brain to be creative that is what the youths are now showing us”, she stressed.
Earlier, the Acting Regional Manager, South-South, Bank of Industry, Mr Pacqueens Irabor, had informed the Deputy Governor that they were at the Government House to fashion out ways on how to collaborate with the State Government in the quest to develop Rivers State, noting that the Bank of Industry is all about promoting productivity.

Niger Delta

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

Published

2 days 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

2 days 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

2 days 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.