Niger Delta

Bayelsa Decries Insecurity, Expropriation, Blames Oil Firms

Published

5 years ago

March 17, 2021

The Bayelsa State Government has accused multinational oil companies, especially of initiating deliberate policies and programmes to short change oil bearing communities.
This is just as the government condemned in strong terms the recent criminal attack on Amabulou Community over community leadership elections that led to the death of one Mr Omolojo Etolor.
The state Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, handed down the condemnation at a meeting with some concerned members of the Amabulou Community of Ekeremor Local Government Area in Government House, Yenagoa.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mr Doubara Atasi, noted that the cluster board programme being run by Shell was causing more harm than good to the people and state governments in the Niger Delta.
He pointed out that the primary duty of every government was to protect lives and property, and therefore, the present administration would not hesitate to address any issue or situation threatening peace and security in the state.
The Deputy Governor said SPDC and other oil companies had never shown genuine interest in the development of the Niger Delta, rather they design policies and programmes that cause disaffection amongst the people.
According to him, the state government is worried by the insecurity problem associated with SPDC’s cluster boards in most communities and will soon take measures to address it in a comprehensive manner.
“Shell has not been fair in their dealings with the people of the Niger Delta. Whether you look at it from the economic, social and development points of view, you will find out that they (oil companies) have failed in their responsibility”.
“It has always been a tale of woes with Shell. Look at what they are doing to our people with their cluster board programme, causing problems in our communities. So the State Executive Council is worried.
“If Shell was responsible and responsive enough in discharging their duties, we will not have some of the military men permanently in our creeks. They always design programmes that will serve their ends to our own detriment”, he added.
“As a government, we are seriously looking at this issue at the State Executive Council meetings. But I won’t be able to tell you today, the prescription the state government has up its sleeves for this reckless show of irresponsibility”, the deputy governor reiterated.
Commenting on the Amabulou incident, the Deputy Governor assured that government would leave no stone unturned in its determination to bring to justice all those who played a role in the killing of Mr Etolor.
While consoling the Etolor family, Senator Ewhrudjakpo restated the present administration’s zero tolerance stance on criminality and warned youths not to allow anybody deceive them with any assurance of invincibility to commit crimes.
In their contributions, the lawmaker representing Ekeremor Constituency Two, Mr Wilson Ayaokpo and the Chairman of Ekeremor Local Government Area, Hon. Perekeme Bertola, attributed the threat to peace in Amabulou and other communities in the area to tussle for membership of the SPDC cluster boards.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa

Niger Delta

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

Published

4 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

4 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

4 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.