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

CSOs, Bille Community Urge Solution To Persistent Underwater Gas Eruption

Published

2 days ago

April 10, 2026

The Tide

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and the people of Bille Kingdom in Degema Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State have called for government’s urgent intervention to end the suspected underwater gas eruption in the community.

The groups, under the aegis of the Environmental Rights Action and Social Action, made the call during their advocacy visit to the Port Harcourt Zonal Head of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), in Port Harcourt.

The Programme Manager of Environmental Rights Action, Mr. Kentebe Ebiaridor, said the visit was to seek clarity on the response efforts of the regulators to the development in the community.

Ebiaridor expressed concern over what he described as “inadequate response from regulatory agencies and the government concerning the incident”.

He said discussions with some officials revealed that there was still no clear timeline for action to address the situation.

According to him, in the absence of clear ownership of the facility linked to the incident, companies operating within Oil Mining Lease (OML) 18 should be held accountable.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) had in a statement issued on March 20 by its Chief Executive, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, said the commission had commenced an investigation into a gas bubbling incident in Bille Community.

Eyesan said the commission expressed concern over the development and assured residents of its ongoing efforts to address the situation.

Also, the Resource Justice Manager of Social Action, Dr. Prince Edegbuo, warned that the situation could escalate into a public health emergency, if urgent steps were not taken.

Edegbuo called on relevant authorities to release the results of the tests reportedly conducted in the area, stressing that residents had the right to know the condition of their environment.

He also said CSOs were prepared to intensify advocacy on the matter, urging the development of emergency response measures, including possible evacuation plans.

A legal practitioner and community stakeholder, Mr. Commission Deinbo, had, on March 20, said residents had continued to witness unusual signs on the waterways in the area.

Deinbo said the signs included boiling and bubbling from the ground and river, sometimes within residential areas, as well as fire outbreaks, which the residents had always managed to contain.

He appealed to relevant authorities to come to their aid and find a lasting solution to the problem.

In a response, the Port Harcourt Zonal Head of NOSDRA, Mr. Bello Augustin, assured the community that he would relate its concerns to the appropriate quarters.

Augustin also commended the CSOs for their advocacy and concerns to community development in the state.

By: Wokoma Emmanuel & Theresa Frederick

Niger Delta

Police Detain 7, Recover Arms In A’Ibom

Published

3 days ago

April 10, 2026

The Tide

The Police Command in Akwa Ibom State has detained seven suspects and recovered firearms after raiding a criminal hideout in Ndiya Mfia, Ikono Local Government Area.of the State.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Timfon John, made the disclosure in a statement in Uyo on Wednesday.

John said that the breakthrough which occurred at about 6.00a.m on Wednesday, followed credible intelligence from members of the public.

“We reliably gathered that criminal suspects were hibernating in a compound disguised as worshippers.

“In a decisive operation, our personnel conducted a thorough search of the premises which led to the detention and recovery of arms,” she said.

According to her, the operation was in line with the directive of the Inspector-General of Police to decisively combat crime in the country.

The police spokesman further said that two locally made double-barrel guns, five expended cartridges, four motorcycles and three generators were recovered during the operation.

She also listed 10 mobile phones, one police crest, four jungle boots, one peak cap, saw blade, spanner, number plates, machetes, a special force vest as other items recovered.

“We also found bottles of suspected spiritual oil and one enlarged photograph linked to an ongoing investigation,” she said.

John said that preliminary investigation suggested that the location was being used as cover for criminal operations.

She said the State’s Commissioner of Police, CP Baba Azare, has directed a comprehensive investigation on the matter in order to apprehend the principal suspect.

John expressed the commitment of the Command to rid the state of crime, and urged members of the public to always support the police with timely and credible information.

Niger Delta

Otu Launches Grassroot Security Network In C’River

Published

3 days ago

April 10, 2026

The Tide

Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, has launched a grassroots security intelligence network, named, ”Homeland Safety and Security Agency,” to strengthen community-based surveillance and enhance safety across the state.

Otu, who inaugurated the agency’s office in the Southern Senatorial District of the state on Monday, in Calabar, said similar offices were being inaugurated in the Central and Northern Senatorial Districts.

The Governor, represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr. Emmanuel Ironbar, said the officials of the agency would serve as first point of call before matters would be escalated to main security architecture in the state.

He described Homeland Security as an intelligence-driven structure focused on neighbourhood monitoring and early threat detection through coordinated local efforts.

He said the initiative constituted the directors and field operatives, tasked with gathering and forwarding intelligence to relevant security agencies for prompt action.

Otu noted that the network would serve as a first point of contact before intervention by conventional security agencies.

“It is important that we enhance monitoring of movements across our communities, border areas, and riverine zones to identify suspicious activities and enhance security response.

“The state government will provide necessary gadgets and communication tools to improve efficiency and real-time intelligence sharing,” he said.

Otu called for public cooperation, stressing that ‘’security is a collective responsibility requiring timely information from residents.’’

He said, ‘’to ensure that the security outfit works like a model unit, proper screening would be conducted on the volunteers to weed out undesirable elements from the system.’’

The Tide’s source reports that the Governor handed over 14 motor bikes to the agency’s southern Senatorial district office to enhance their efficiency.

On his part, the Director-General, South of the agency, Mr. Michael Nsan, said the volunteers had played key roles in reducing crime through coordinated patrols and intelligence sharing.

Nsan said over 1,300 volunteers currently supported the operations with additional informants providing critical information across communities.

“Crime rates dropped significantly during the last festive period due to our collaboration with law enforcement agencies in the state,” he said.

The Director-General said volunteers would undergo training and screening, with plans underway for formal recruitment through a government employment portal.

According to him, communication tools, including walkie-talkies, and patrol motorcycles had improved rapid response to security incidents.

He commended the governor’s commitment, noting that the initiative would further strengthen security architecture and community safety across the state.

The source reports that some of the dignitaries who graced the occasion were traditional rulers and government officials.