Niger Delta
Bayelsa To Partner Media On Tourism Promotion
The Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Bayelsa State, Mr Iti Orugbani, has pledged to partner with the media in the promotion of tourism.
The Commissioner stated this last Thursday when members of the Bayelsa Independent Publishers Association (BIPA) paid him a courtesy call in his office at the state Secretariat in Yenagoa, the state capital.
According to Orugbani, the media, especially the local publishers, have been at the vanguard of promoting culture and tourism in the state, using their different newspaper outfits.
He pledged the ministry’s continuous partnership with the newspaper publishers in the state, adding that he would support members of BIPA in any way possible to ensure they meet up modern day publishing technology.
The Commissioner, who was flanked by the Permanent Secretary, Directors and other management staff of the ministry expressed gladness for having members of a highly reputable profession in his office.
Earlier in his address, the chairman of the Bayelsa Independent Publishers Association, Mr Francis Dufugha, thanked the commissioner and his management team for giving the group a warm reception.
Mr Dufugha, who is the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of the Niger Delta Herald Newspaper, recalled that BIPA was formed in the year 2000 to create an enabling ground for members to ply their trade.
He noted that BIPA had been in developmental partnership with the Bayelsa state government with members using their various newspapers to propagate government’s policies and programmes.
Noting the importance of the tourism subsector, the BIPA chairman said if properly harnessed, it would boost the revenue profile of the state, promising that the publishers would use their different outfits to highlight the tourism potential and cultural heritage of the state to the rest of the world.
The chairman also used the medium to inform the Commissioner of BIPA’s 20th anniversary celebration which will come up later in the year.
Also speaking, Publisher of the Environment Watch Newspaper, Mr. Braeyi Ekiye averred that there were many untapped tourism development potentials in the state such as the proposed Age Deep Seaport, the Okpoama Beach, Oloibiri Museum among others, noting that if harnessed, Bayelsa would become Nigeria’s foremost international tourists destination and home of hospitality.
By: Kevin Nengia
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Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has charged graduands of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE), Port Harcourt, to be disciplined and professional wherever they find themselves in the society, as ambassadors of the university and Nigeria.
The Governor, who gave the charge, weekend, during the 44th Convocation ceremony of the university, urged the graduands to use whatever they have studied in the university as a tool for societal advancement.
Fubara, who was represented at the occasion by his Deputy, Prof. Ngozi Mma Odu, said, “success is not measured only by words or status, but by the positive impact you make in the lives of others.
“Wherever you find yourselves, uphold the values of honesty, humility, professionalism, and service. Let the education you have received here become a tool for peace building, national unity, and societal advancement.”
The Governor further charged the graduands to be good ambassadors as alumni of the IAUE.
“Great universities all over the world get bigger and mightier by the imputes from their graduands. Today, you are great alumni of this university.
“Don’t forget the university, come back. As you increase the quality of the university, your certificates and degrees will also have higher values wherever you present them”, the Governor urged.
He also used the fora to commend staff of the university, both academic and non-academic, for their sacrifices and contributions towards the attainment of the current status of the university.
“Your labours have not been in vain, and they have been well noted. The task of building a world class institution requires commitment, discipline, team work, and visionary leadership.
“I, therefore, urge all of you to continue to work harder with a new dedication to ensure that the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education becomes one of the best universities, not only in Nigeria, but across Africa”, he said.
The state’s Chief Executive, who is the Visitor to the university, continued that as educators and administrators, the staff occupy a strategic position in moulding future generations.
He said their “commitment to quality teaching, impactful research, mentorship, innovation, and character formation remains essential to the success of this great institution.”
He, therefore, encouraged them to “continue to uphold professionalism, promote academic integrity, and foster an environment that supports excellence and creativity”, while assuring the state government’s partnership with the institution.
“The Government of Rivers State remains willing to partner with institutions that are committed to progress, innovation, and human development.
“Together, we will build an educational system that will equip our young people with the skills and knowledge needed to compete globally and contribute meaningfully to national development”, the Governor concluded.
In his address, the Acting Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Okechuku Onuchuku, highlighted developments the institution has achieved in about five years of his leadership.
Such developments, which cuts across virtually all facets of the university, include: increase in academic programmes, accreditation and resource verification; increased infrastructural development; human capital development; better staff/students’ welfare; and information and communication technology upgrades.
All of these, he said, were achieved with the support of such interventionist agencies as the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
He used the opportunity to urge the State Government to address what he described as the “urgent needs of the university.”
These needs, he said, are: a befitting Senate building; Vice Chancellor’s lodge; a multi-purpose convocation arena; more classrooms and staff offices; accommodation for staff and students; road network at the new development area; power infrastructure, especially at the Ndele Campus of the university; and recruitment of more staff, particularly the non-teaching.
Also speaking, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the 13th Governing Council of the university, Dr. Chinyere Igwe, noted the Council’s achievements since its inauguration.
They include: introduction of stakeholder engagement and holding the first ever meeting of Governing Council with host communities; conduction of facility visits to all three campuses to get first hand information on challenges in order to profer solutions; holding of first ever meetings with Senate, committees of Deans and Directors, all categories of staff and students; strategisation on ways to debunk the negative narratives on the institution’s academic quality in order to correct same; and making deliberate efforts to activate resource mobilisation to safeguard the institution’s autonomy and standards.
Others are: setting up a committee to tackle malfeasance; adoption of measures to enhance the right image for the university; and intensification of efforts to gain international collaboration.
The 44th Convocation, themed, “The Story of Academic and Administrative Progress: The Case of IAUE”, produced a total of 5,325 graduands.
A breakdown of this number shows that the undergraduate level produced 3,510 graduands comprising 13 First Class, 532 Second Class Upper, 2,639 Seconds Class Lower, and 326 Third Class graduates.
The graduate level, which produced 1,815 graduands, comprised 423 Post Graduate Diplomas (PGDs), 774 Masters, and 618 PhDs.
Residents of Benin City, Edo State, have decried rising pharmaceutical costs in Nigeria, saying the situation now forces many people to abandon prescribed medications, patronise native remedies, or purchase incomplete drug dosages regularly.
The residents expressed frustration during interviews with The Tide’s source, lamenting that worsening economic conditions had negatively affected access to proper healthcare and medical treatment across communities nationwide.
The source reports that increasing drug prices, consultation charges, and laboratory fees have made healthcare services largely unaffordable for many low-income earners struggling to survive the economic hardship.
At Best Care Pharmacy in the New Lagos Road area, Mrs. Rose Imadiyi became emotional while explaining how financial difficulties prevented her from purchasing prescribed medications after recently falling ill in Benin City.
Imadiyi said the prescribed drugs cost about N7,000, while she had only N4,000 available for feeding and healthcare expenses.
“I chose my children over drugs because they still need to eat. I could not spend all the money on medication and leave nothing for food”, Imadiyi stated, emphasising that rising healthcare costs had forced many struggling families to make painful decisions between treatment and feeding needs.
A pharmacist, Dr. Nkem Daniella Ogbidi-Emmanuel, attributed the growing trend to worsening economic conditions, saying many patients now prioritised feeding above healthcare because they lacked resources required to meet rising medical expenses nationwide.
“A lot of people do not have the wherewithal to cater for their health needs because of the economic situation of the country today”, Ogbidi-Emmanuel said, while speaking on challenges facing patients recently.
“Many of them believe that if they can eat well, they can manage their illnesses”, she said, adding that some people now regarded proper medical care as a luxury because of rising healthcare expenses.
“Some even see proper medical care as a luxury because apart from drugs, they have to pay consultation fees and for laboratory investigations”, the healthcare provider said.
Ogbidi-Emmanuel continued that some patients now requested medications without undergoing proper medical tests in efforts to reduce treatment costs, warning that such practices remained dangerous and could worsen underlying health conditions significantly nationwide.
“Some patients will say, ‘Doctor, just give me medicine’, because they cannot afford tests for malaria, typhoid or other infections”, she said, while describing the growing desperation among struggling patients across the country.
“Even when medications are prescribed, many cannot afford to buy the complete dosage because drugs are not subsidised in Nigeria”,Ogbidi-Emmanuel said, and called for improved healthcare support systems and government intervention nationwide.
She added that nearly 80 per cent of patients currently struggled to balance healthcare expenses with basic survival needs, urging authorities to introduce subsidies on essential medicines and strengthen public healthcare support programmes nationwide.
A midwife, Mrs. Juliet Egbede, corroborated the development, saying many Nigerians now preferred to “eat to live before treating illness” because increasing financial hardship had made healthcare inaccessible for struggling households nationwide.
Egbede explained that some patients resorted to incomplete dosages or relied heavily on painkillers to manage symptoms temporarily because financial difficulties prevented them from accessing proper medical treatment and prescribed medications regularly nationwide.
She warned that such unhealthy practices could worsen medical conditions, especially among vulnerable persons, emphsising the importance of adhering strictly to prescribed treatments in spite of prevailing economic hardship and rising healthcare costs across Nigeria.
Another resident, Mr. Ola Rasheed, said he had stopped visiting hospitals and pharmacies regularly because rising drug prices and medical expenses had made healthcare services increasingly difficult for ordinary Nigerians to afford recently nationwide.
“I bought agbo (local herbal concoction) because it is cheaper. I hardly go to pharmacies or hospitals again because the drugs are too expensive”, Rasheed said, while describing his healthcare challenges in Benin City.
Similarly, Mrs. Messy Omokhua said whenever she could not afford prescribed medications, she opted for cheaper brands or reduced quantities, hoping to recover quickly in spite of not completing the recommended treatment dosage for illnesses.
“Sometimes I buy cheaper alternatives or reduce the quantity and hope to get better quickly”, Omokhua said, lamenting that economic hardship had made it increasingly difficult for residents to access complete healthcare treatments nationwide.
Paramount ruler of Onopa Community in the Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, HRH Tamama Morris (Ogbo IX), has praised the newly coronated King of the Atissa Kingdom of the State, HRM King Victor Diemeze Awala (Ebeni-ebe VIII) on his successful ascension to the throne.
Onopa is one of the communities of the Atissa Kingdom, landlords of the Bayelsa State Government House.
The Tide gathered that the new Monarch was coronated and presented staff of office by the State Government on the 2nd of May, 2026 amidst celebrations.
The royal father, who described the monarch as an accomplished traditional ruler, business tycoon, and administrator, said with his indepth experience in the traditional affairs of the kingdom prior to his ascension to the throne, he believes he will discharge the onerous duties of his throne creditably with dignity and purpose.
He noted that King Awala was working closely with the late King of the Kingdom, HRM Godwin Gurosi Igodo, who past on in 2025, and therefore understood what it takes to be the number one royal father of the ancient kingdom, including peace building and disputes resolution, amongst others.
“The newly coronated Ebeni-Ebe, VIII, the monarch of our Kingdom, Atissa, HRM King Victor Diemeze Awala, has the requisite experience to lead the kingdom.
“Before he was made king, he has already been working closely with the late king of the Kingdom, HRM King Godwin Gurosi Igodo, who at a time due to his deteriorating health challenges had to direct him, Awala, to act on his behalf.
“Truth be told, within those acting period, King Awala did very well and achieved so much for the kingdom. He was always working in tandem with the traditions and customs of the kingdom, especially in peace building and development.
“I would describe King Awala as a round peg in a round hole. He’s the best man from the Atissa Kingdom to ascend the throne after the death of the former King, and I’ve no fears that he will do very well as king”, the Onopa royal father said.
Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
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