Niger Delta

Diri Advises Technical Colleges’ Graduates On Starter Packs

Published

4 years ago

December 24, 2021

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has advised graduates of technical colleges in the state not to sell starter packs provided by the state government in order for them to become s sale elf-reliant entrepreneurs.
He gave the advice in Yenagoa during the presentation of business start-up items to 400 graduates of the state-owned technical colleges.
The governor also directed the Commissioner for Education, Dr Gentle Emelah, to monitor the beneficiaries in order to achieve the goals for which the science and technical colleges were set up for.
Governor Diri described the graduates as torch bearers of his Prosperity Administration, who would form the critical mass of skilled manpower in the state and take charge of the local economy.
”As we are giving out these starter packs, please do not go and sell them. If you sell them, you will be selling the seed that has been planted in your life. You are expected to nurture that seed and watch it grow up and bear fruits. It is the fruits you will harvest”,he said.
The governor expressed concern that indigenes of the state do not control the local economy, saying his administration was poised to change that narrative by equipping young Bayelsans with the necessary skills in various fields.
“There is a general shift from certification education across the world towards science and technical education. Such persons in the latter category are the ones that are becoming millionaires and billionaires.
“You are the torch bearers of enterpreneurship in Bayelsa State. With the skills you have acquired, you are no longer going to seek for jobs. Rather than become employees, you are now going to be employers of labour”, he added.
The state’s helmsman also urged the graduates to be the mouthpiece of the administration and defend its policies and programmes, just as he restated that the government would complete and equip all the technical colleges in the state.
“We want to change that mindset of people depending on handouts from politicians. In the world today, most of those doing well are the young people. We want to see the young people of Bayelsa change our state for us. So make a positive and good use of the starter packs”, Governor Diri noted.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Education, Gentle Emelah, said the starter packs consist of a complete set of tools to start out a business for each beneficiary in eleven different trade areas.
Emelah mentioned the various trades as catering, plumbing, dress making, marine diesel and petrol mechanics, building technology and draughtsmanship as well as electrical installations.
Others he said were computer and book keeping, welding and fabrication, hairdressing, motor vehicle mechanics and mechanical engineering.
The Commissioner said by meeting the objectives of the government’s position statement on the science and technology education policy, the government would have a continuously refreshed pool of skilled workforce ready to address challenges.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa

Niger Delta

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

Published

19 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

19 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

19 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.