Niger Delta
Navy Arrests Suspected C’River Rice Smugglers
Personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship, Victory, while patrolling the waterways in Cross River State on Saturday arrested three suspects with 1,209 bags of smuggled rice.
The suspects were identified as Humble Edet, Christian Adebayo and Balle Philip.
The NNS Victory Commander, Commodore Chiedozie Okehie, while speaking with journalists at the NNS Victory jetty on Monday in Calabar, said the suspects were arrested for conveying smuggled items into the country.
Okehie, who was represented by the Base Operations Officer, Lt Commander Clement Ayogu, said, “These suspects were arrested with a wooden boat laden with 1,209 bags of foreign parboiled rice at two nautical miles, South-East of the Calabar fairway buoy.
“The suspects were arrested on Saturday, September 11, 2021. We are handing over the suspects and the rice to officials of the Nigeria Customs Service.
“From our interrogation, the suspects were smuggling the items from Cameroon to Nigeria.”
Receiving the items, the Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Cross River/Akwa Ibom Area Command, Mr Mustapha Kaliel, commended the Navy for doing a thorough job along the waterways and promised to prosecute the suspects.
In a related development, the Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘C’ of the Nigeria Customs Service, says it intercepted fake and contraband goods worth over N120.4million in July and August 2021.
The NCS Zonal Public Relations Officer, Mr Jerry Attah, in a statement on Monday, said the FOU Comptroller, Yusuf Lawal, listed the contraband goods to include 130 bags of 50 kilograms of foreign parboiled rice valued at N5,460,000, and 161 jumbo bales of used clothing valued at N22.5 million.
The fake goods were said to be 2,181 cartons of foreign cosmetic products worth N76,335,000; 440 cartons of Artesunate Zensunate injection, worth N8,580,000 and foreign sweets worth N7,485,000.
Lawal said the cosmetic products, Artesunate injection and sweets did not have registration numbers from the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control.
He added that the cosmetic products included 457 cartons of Simple Sensitive Skin Expert; 790 cartons of Facial Wash; 232 cartons of Carotone Cream; 574 cartons of various brands of cosmetics; and 128 cartons of Revlon Almay Godess gloss.
“The cosmetic products, sweets and injection were intercepted along the Okada -Benin Expressway, while the bales of used clothing were intercepted along the Enugu-Aba-Port-Harcourt Expressway,” he said.
The Customs boss advised Nigerians to be wary of fake and smuggled products, adding that they were not only hazardous to health, but also to the economy of the country.
He said, “Our men and officers are fully prepared to face smugglers head-on especially during the ember months in line with our mandate; we will leave no stone unturned.”
Inaugurating the sub-committees in Government House, the Deputy Governor, Dr. Peter Akpe, explained that Bayelsa has countless reasons to appreciate God for what He has done for its land and people in the 30 years of its existence, especially in development.
He charged the sub-committees to come up with proposals for the various activities and events for the celebration within the next two weeks in line with their respective terms of reference, stressing that strategic things had to be done to make the anniversary significant and historic.
According to him, the three-day programme of activities for the anniversary celebration, which will commence on the 29th of September, will be preceded by two weeks of commissioning of public infrastructural projects completed by the Prosperity Administration.
The Bayelsa Number Two Man further clarified that events penciled down for the celebration include a cultural carnival, boat regatta, anniversary lecture, sporting events, state banquet and awards night.
The sub-committees are: the Awards Sub-Committee, chaired by His Majesty, King Bubaraye Dakolo; the Sports Sub-Committee, headed by Hon. Daniel Igali; and the Lecture Sub-Committee, with Prof. Stephen Olali as its Chairman.
Others are: the Mega Praise Sub-Committee, jointly chaired by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Peter Akpe, and the Managing Director of Premium Trust Bank, Dr. Emmanuel Emiefenim; the Cultural Sub-Committee, headed by Rt. Hon. Monday Bubou-Obolo; and the Publicity Sub-Committee, with the Commissioner for Information, Mrs. Ebiuwou Koku-Obiyai, as Chairman.
by: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
Niger Delta
NDDC Backs Federal Drive To Cut Maternal, Newborn Deaths … Trains Traditional Birth Attendants
The Commission made the pledge during workshops for traditional birth attendants held in Delta and Bayelsa states, where it stressed the need for stronger collaboration between traditional birth attendants and the orthodox healthcare system to improve maternal and child health outcomes.
Speaking at the training, the Managing Director of the NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, urged women to embrace modern medical care while leveraging the trusted role of traditional birth attendants in their communities.
Represented by the Principal Manager, Education, Health and Social Services (EHSS), Mrs. Dare-Oloko Kuami, Ogbuku described maternal and child mortality as an alarming public health challenge that requires urgent and collective action.
“The rate of death among women and children is alarming and must be eradicated. This training is designed to enlighten our women and should not be taken for granted”, he said.
According to him, the workshop was organised to strengthen the knowledge and capacity of traditional birth attendants in providing safe maternal and newborn care, identifying pregnancy-related complications early, and referring high-risk cases promptly to hospitals and health centres.
Also speaking, the Director of Education, Health and Social Services, Dr. Patience Ezugu, called on women to take issues relating to childbirth seriously, stressing that improved knowledge and adherence to safe delivery practices would help save lives.
Represented by the Principal Manager, EHSS, Dr. Otokolo Fidelis, Ezugu disclosed that more than 300 women from Delta and Bayelsa states participated in the training and were provided with medical equipment and cash support to enhance their services.
One of the resource persons, Mrs. Gift Akitiri, underscored the vital role traditional birth attendants continue to play in many rural communities, noting that regular capacity building would improve the quality of maternal healthcare delivery.
“Traditional birth attendants are trusted members of many communities. By equipping them with updated knowledge, we are helping to ensure that mothers and newborns receive timely and appropriate care, thereby improving health outcomes”, she said.
A participant, Mrs. Franscica Odiakosa, commended the NDDC for organising the workshop, describing it as timely and impactful.
“I have gained valuable knowledge that will improve the quality of healthcare I provide in my community. I have also learnt the importance of referring expectant mothers to health centres and hospitals whenever a case is beyond my capacity”, she said, while urging the Commission to sustain the initiative.
Speaking during the inauguration ceremony at the club’s headquarters on Wellington Bassey Way, Uyo, the President of the club, Prof. Sahm Etuk, urged the newly elected executive members to bring their wealth of experience and professionalism to bear in the discharge of their responsibilities.
He said members of the club expected the new leadership not only to strengthen the institution, but to also extend its impact beyond the clubhouse through service to the wider community.
“You have voluntarily presented yourselves for service, and we expect that you will make yourselves available at all times to offer the service required of you”, Etuk said.
The inauguration followed the April 2026 bye-election conducted to fill vacant positions in the Executive Council.
Among those inaugurated was renowned broadcast administrator and Executive Managing Consultant of Comfort 95.1 FM, Uyo, Samuel Enoh Akpan, who was elected Public Relations Officer. Akpan is also a member of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE).
Other members of the Executive Council are Barrister Eno Inyang (Treasurer), Anthony Etim (Social Secretary), Christian Daniel (Welfare Secretary), Friday Ekpa (Legal Adviser), Christian Chukwu (Provost), Mmenye Udofa (Assistant Secretary), Otu Otu (Maintenance Secretary) and Macaulay Udom (Ex-Officio).
Prof. Etuk, a Professor of Strategic Marketing, Director of the School of Continuing Education at the University of Uyo, and Chairman of the institution’s Sports Committee, had earlier been inaugurated as President on January 10, 2026, alongside the Vice President, Dr. Nestor Udoh, a retired Permanent Secretary.
Other officials inaugurated at the time include Ndi Aquaisua (General Secretary), TPL Dr. Emmanuel Etuk (Financial Secretary), Dr. Imbur Terfa (Auditor), and Dr. Anietie Ekong (General Games Captain).
The President also inaugurated the Board of Past Presidents, made up of all living former presidents of the club, urging them to continue providing guidance and institutional support to the Executive Council in line with the club’s constitution.
Former presidents present at the event included Dr. Emem Umoh, Dr. Bassey Etuknwa, Engr. Mbosowo Orok, Prof. Ini Jonah, and Akparawa Ikpong Essien-Udom, a member of the Standing Committee of the Nigerian Guild of Editors.
Etuk called on members to unite in pursuit of the club’s founding ideals of recreation, service and development, expressing confidence that the newly constituted organs of the club would strengthen its operations and reposition it for greater relevance.
Founded in 1935, Uyo Club remains one of Nigeria’s foremost recreational associations, with a membership that cuts across diverse professions and sectors of society.