Environment
Andoni Council Chairman Vows To Restore Peace, Dev
The new Chairman of Andoni Local Government Area, Bar Erastus Awortu has reiterated his readiness to run all inclusive government that will restore peace and development in the area.
Awortu made this Known at his swearing in and reception ceremony held in Port harcourt.
According to him,”the government is not for Peoples Democratic Party PDP and politicians alone but for all citizens of Andoni irrespective of the Party one belong to.”
He called on all stakeholders including those in Opposition parties to join hands to give Andoni a new facelift
The Chairman also called on the youths to embrace peace and shun violence, saying that development cannot take place amidst insecurity.
Awortu reassured that education and empowerment of youths would be a priority in the new government of the area.
Mr Awortu also pledged to enroll 20 youths in the Local Government Area for a maritime training programme.
The council chairman said he was determined to have development programmes geared towards preparing the youth for gainful employment in the maritime sector.
“I have started exploring employment opportunities in the various oil companies operating in our areas.
“But, these companies have always complained that our youths lacked requisite skills.
“It is on this note that I have decided to train selected youths and arm them with necessary manpower in the maritime sector.
“I have had a preliminary discussion with a maritime institute where I intend to enroll no fewer than 20 trainees for the 2021/2022 academic session of the institute.
“We look forward to training 20 ship captains in the first two years of our administration,” Awortu said.
On criteria for selection for the training, he assured that it would be based on merit, adding that participants would be exposed to a competitive examination.
As part of efforts to set his agenda for the council rolling, the new council head has announced two key appointments in his cabinet.
Mr Dimiari Franklyn will serve as Secretary to the Council while Mr Talik Dandison will serve as the Council’s Chief of Staff.
Indigenes and political stakeholders in the area who were present at the reception have pledged support for the new administration.
It would be recalled that Governor Wike of Rivers had last Thursday inaugurated newly elected 23 local council chairmen.
Among other demands, the governor had urged the new chairmen to prioritize security and environmental sanitation in their respective areas.
Based on the governor’s charge, Awortu said that he would strengthen an existing committee set up by traditional rulers in pursuance of peace in Andoni.
He said the measure would assist in achieving quick and sustainable peace in the area and urged the various warring factions to support the peace process.
“The current security situation in our area is quite worrisome, some communities have been internally displaced following consistent cult related crises.
“A lot of our people are currently taking refuge in neighboring local government areas.
“We must strive to restore peace and ensure that displaced persons are returned to their homes.
“The people responsible for unrest and bad reputation that a once peaceful area now have are all our children and brothers.
“We cannot continue to pretend as if we don’t know them, we cannot continue to tolerate this unwarranted torture on innocent citizens.
“This is the reason we must form a united front in our commitment to peace,” Awortu said.
By: Enoch Epelle
President, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Mrs Margaret Oguntala, has inaugurated the construction of 18 units residential terrace in highbrow Alausa area of Lagos toward bridging the nation’s shelter gap.
Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation has launched the 1GOV Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) to enhance digital governance and improve service delivery.
The launch, held on Thursday in Abuja, marks the ministry’s transition from paper-based operations to a smart, integrated and technology-driven work environment.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, said the deployment aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
Utsev said the system would improve data management, streamline workflows and strengthen transparency and accountability across the ministry.
According to him, the ECMS will enhance productivity, preserve institutional memory and reduce operational costs in the ministry.
Launching the platform, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, said the initiative is a major step in public sector reform.
She said the ministry’s mandate affects Nigerians through water supply, sanitation, irrigation, river basin development and climate resilience programmes.
Walson-Jack said the 1GOV ECMS enables secure digital records management, automated workflows, electronic approvals and real-time collaboration across MDAs.
She added that the deployment aligns with the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025 and the directive for full digitalisation by December 2025.
“Effective governance cannot afford delays caused by manual bottlenecks or avoidable inefficiencies,” she said.
She directed that all official correspondence in the ministry must henceforth be processed through approved digital registry channels.
In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Dr Emanso Umobong, said the system would eliminate workflow inefficiencies and improve service delivery.
She urged staff to fully adopt the platform and engage in continuous capacity building.
Research shows that local communities and citizens living at the grassroots, particularly women, are directly impacted by the environmental degradation, flooding and others that result from these manifestations.
In the light of this, non-governmental organisation, Ese Usamali Foundation For Rural Development (EUFORDe), has held a forum for women and other members of oil impacted communities, tagged: ‘Voices from the Grassroots,’ and aimed at building their resilience and mitigation efforts against climate change and environmental degradation
The forum, with the theme: ‘Building Resilience for Oil Spill Impacted Ahoada Communities,’ organised with support from Global Green Grants, was held in Ahoada Community, Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State, on December 5, 2025.
Executive Director of Ese Usamali Foundation For Rural Development, Mercy Elemchukwu-James, said women are at the forefront of efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change and environmental degradation.
The event, therefore, was “designed for community women impacted by oil spills, flooding and other environmental degradation,” she said.
Community women were enlightened by resource persons on new opportunities for sustainable agricultural practices and water management techniques that cushion the impact of oil spills.
Lectures were also delivered on Self-care and Trauma-care, with focus on physical and mental health of the population, and increasing access to health-related resources and services; as well as on Food security and women’s critical role in decision making in oil spill and flood situations in communities
Elemchukwu-James pointed out that the event created a forum for stakeholders, civil society actors and others to dialogue on measures at advancing inclusive and sustainable livelihoods of community women.
She stressed the need for collaborative efforts towards achieving mitigation efforts, while underscoring EUFORDe’s commitment to “fostering partnerships as a critical driver for achieving a healthy community and sustainable development.”
Elemchukwu-James described participants’ design of ‘Community Resilience Plan,’ to manage and combat environmental degradation and crises, as part of achievements recorded at the event.
The forum also witnessed the launching of EUFORDs’ Center For Resilience and Rights.
“This center is established to build resilience as Trauma-Care for victims of environmental degradation, support for survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and a platform where victims of environmental injustice and other GBV cases can seek redress,” Elemchukwu-James said.
Participants celebrated the milestones achieved and charted a path toward greater impact in the coming years. They also described the event as “an inspiring and transformative experience.”
Elemchukwu-James said the awareness creation workshop “reaffirms EUFORDe’s mission to create an equitable society in which the rights and capacities of women, youth, children and underprivileged are integrated in the socio-economic planning and development of communities, for the attainment of equity and peace.