Niger Delta

Bayelsa Dep Gov Visits Correctional Centres, Encourages Inmates

Published

5 years ago

January 4, 2021

Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo has urged inmates at correctional centres across the country not to despair over their present situation, but rather have faith in God for their freedom.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo gave the encouragement on New Year Day when he paid an unscheduled visit to the Nigerian Correctional Service, Medium Security Custodial Centre at Okaka, Yenagoa with Christmas and new year gifts.
Addressing the inmates, Senator Ewhrudjakpo said he was with them to celebrate the dawn of another year,encouraging them not to give up on life.
A press release by the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Deputy Governor, Mr Doubara Atasi quoted the Deputy Governor as urging the inmates to use their current situation as a launch pad to greatness.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo advised them to pray regularly, have faith in God and turn a new leaf so as to impact their environment positively when they are eventually released.
Describing his visit as that of a forerunner, he charged the inmates to be hopeful as it would pave the way for the state governor, Senator Douye Diri, who is being expected at the centre to perform a jail delivery exercise.
“I have come here to felicitate with you. I felt the best way to appreciate God for what He has done is to come and be with you people. As you are here today, you are not here by mistake. God allowed you to come here to learn a lesson.
“Some of you are here innocently, while some are genuinely here. Whatever the case, where you are now, is to enable you vomit the unwanted food some of you ate. But it is not yet over. So keep hope alive.
“I want to encourage you to take the good things you are being taught here seriously. A lot of people have come out from prisons and become great men and women. This visit is like that of John the Baptist, the forerunner. Some of you may be released when the Governor visits you. But you must try as much as you can to turn a new leaf because if a dog goes back to eat his vomit, then that dog is not fit to be a dog”, the Deputy Governor noted.
In their separate remarks, the State Comptroller of Nigeria Correctional Service, Bayelsa State Command, Mr Seth Edoghotu and his deputy, Mr Emeka Ogbuji, thanked Senator Ewhrudjakpo for the visit, which they described as encouraging.
According to them, the set of inmates the Deputy Governor addressed were repentant and could contribute meaningfully to the growth and development of the state if released.
Items donated by the state Deputy Governor include bags of rice, beans, cartons of indomie, groundnut oil, toiletries and cash.
The Deputy Governor was accompanied on the visit by the member representing Yenagoa Constituency One in the state House of Assembly, Hon. Oforji Oboku and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Religious Matters, Rev. Godspower Asingba.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa

Niger Delta

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

Published

14 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

14 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

14 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.