Niger Delta

2023: Don Canvasses Zoning Assembly Seats Among Wards, Communities

Published

4 years ago

March 25, 2022

A lecturer at the Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa State, Dr Coronation Tokpo Edward, has said zoning of House of Assembly seats amongst wards and communities in the various Constituencies of the state would foster unity and ameliorate the spate of marginalisation in parts of the state.
The lecturer, a one-time councillor in the Southern Ijaw council area of Bayelsa State expressed this view while speaking with The Tide in Yenagoa on the sidelines of the calls by a group, ‘Ogboin-Ibe forum,’ that the Assembly seat for Southern Ijaw Constituency One be rotated amongst the three communities of Amassoma, Otuan and Amatolo, which make up the Constituency, respectively.
Tokpo, who said the Amassoma Communitiy has systematically denied the two other sister Communities of Otuan and Amatolo the privilege of occupying the Assembly seat, revealed that from the beginning of the present democratic dispensation in 1999 till date, all the elected Assembly members from the constituency have been indigenes of Amassoma Communitiy.
He called on stakeholders to prevail on Amassoma and all political parties in the state to ensure that there was a level playing ground in the forthcoming election and consider to cede the position to aspirants from Otuan and Amatolo as candidates for the seat and not contrary.
He noted that though performance rating records at his disposal show that some erstwhile Assembly members of the constituency of Amassoma origin initiated and carried out impactful projects in the constituency, no meaningful impact has been made by the current representative of the Constituency since assumption of office in 2019.
“Southern Ijaw Constituency One comprises Amassoma, Otuan and Amatolo Communities. But as we speak,from 1999-till date, all the House of Assembly members that the constituency has had were from one Communitiy, Amassoma.
“Infact, these three Communities and their two sister communities that are now in Delta State were of the same ancestral origin of Ogboin Kingdom. Very recently, following the growing concern for zoning of the Assembly seat of the Constituency among the three sister communities of the Kingdom that are in Bayelsa state, a group, the ‘Ogboin-Ibe forum, has added its voice calling on rotation of the seat to give all the three Communities and each ward a sense of belonging.
“The calls are getting stronger each day and I hope that political parties and stakeholders in the name of Justice, equality and fair play would listen to these voices calling for a common understanding for the avoidance of political marginalization.
“ The issue of zoning has been a thorny one over the years. That Otuan in the Second Republic produced the Assembly member in the old Rivers State House of Assembly and that because Otuan had also had one or two members of the National Assembly in the distant past is not a yardstick that Amatolo and Otuan can not or should not produce a member of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly in the current democratic era”, he said.
“In 1999, the late Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha was elected Governor of Bayelsa State and the Otuan and Amatolo people massively supported him like many other parts of the state. Someone from Otuan, the late Hon. Foster Otoko was also elected to the House of Representatives and the brothers worked together. Why can we not now have an understanding on the issue of zoning so that the three communities can have a sense of belonging?”, he asked..

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa

Niger Delta

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

Published

4 days 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

A’Ibom Assembly Urges More Private Investments In Agriculture

Published

4 days 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.

Niger Delta

C’River Suspends Taskforce Activities Over Drivers’ Protest

Published

4 days 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.