Niger Delta

Niger Delta Women Condemn Award On Akpabio

Published

4 years ago

March 9, 2022

The Wailing Women of the Niger Delta (WWND) have opposed the conferment of an award on Sen. Godswill Akpabio as the Minister of the Year by the Daily Independent Newspaper.
It described the award as alarming, undeserving and called for its immediate withdrawal, citing alleged mismanagement of the affairs of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) under the minister.
WWND Coordinator Odighonin Nwadighi, in a statement in Port Harcourt yesterday, said the award was a joke taken too far and a show of shame.
The statement said: “The WWND condemns in totality the said award and describes it as a joke taken too far and a show of shame.
“This award is a slap on the face of not only Niger Delta women and children, but also the region itself, which Sen. Akpabio has unfortunately derided and traded with through the alleged impropriety and mindless malfeasance in the NDDC both under his watch and traceable to him.
“It is common knowledge that Sen. Akpabio has failed to answer fundamental questions on his handling of billions of Naira allocated to NDDC under his watch and supervision yet unaccounted for.
“It is also known that to date he has continued to questionably pocket and monopolise the NDDC with impunity in what is a clear infraction and defiance to the NDDC Act in his refusal to comply with the law in inaugurating the board of the commission despite public outcry and condemnation of his impunity.”
Nwadighi said: “What probity are they talking about that Sen. Akpabio ensured in NDDC? Has the so-called forensic audit report which Akpabio brandished been published? Who and who have been prosecuted on account of the secret report? How much and when was any recovery made? Has Sen. Akpabio inaugurated the NDDC board and when?”
She asked the newspaper management to apologise to the women and children of the Niger Delta and terminate the award.
Said she: “It is our final charge to the Daily Independent to publish the parameters upon which they arrived at that infamous award to Sen. Akpabio with such humongous accolade.
“It is our view that the fourth estate of the realm should be manifestly seen to be promoting public good and not to allow themselves to be procured and lie to the public.
“We, therefore, demand that the Daily Independent Newspaper should withdraw that purported award from Sen. Akpabio and join to demand for the publication of the NDDC forensic audit report, which has been kept a secret from the public.
“The Daily Independent Newspaper should demand the immediate inauguration of the substantive board of the NDDC; account for all the monies accrued and awarded to the NDDC under his watch, within the next seven days, failing which the Daily Independent Newspaper should regard itself as an available propaganda machine and an enemy of the Niger Delta.”

Niger Delta

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

Published

3 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

3 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

3 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.