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ASUU Strike: Be Calm, Bayelsa Dep Gov Urges Students

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4 years ago

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Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, has urged students to maintain good character and not allow the ongoing industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to lead them into anti-social activities.
Ewhrudjakpo gave the charge on Wednesday in Yenagoa, while granting audience separately to the National Union of Bayelsa State Students (NUBSS) and Sagbama Local Government students from the Federal University, Otuoke.
He urged the students to pursue worthwhile goals capable of enhancing their learning and sound character in and out of school for a better future.
The Deputy Governor described studentship as a veritable foundation for the sustainable development of people and their society, adding that bad tendencies could destroy their bright destinies..
Reminding the students that the greatest social assets of an individual are good character and integrity, he said, “a bad character is like a flat tyre which cannot take anyone far in life”.
He, therefore, charged the students to take their academics seriously and strive to become better than their parents and guardians, saying that they would be doing themselves and society “a whole lot of good if they shun social vices, such as cultism, rape and drug abuse”.
Ewhrudjakpo also urged the students to tackle the menace from its roots by preaching the message of repentance to their undergraduate colleagues who are into cult activities.
“Your goal or proposal to go to secondary schools to campaign against cultism is quite laudable and noble. But I disagree with you on your target.
“You must first of all remove the log in your eyes before you take away the spec in another person’s eye.
“Who are the people who go to initiate our children and your younger ones in secondary schools? Are they not from tertiary institutions?
“It is those of you who are cultists in the tertiary institutions that go about initiating the secondary school students into cultism.
“So, I want you to first of all talk to and convert the undergraduates before coming down to students at the lower levels”, he said.
He reminded the students that government wants them to become better citizens, urging them to build themselves academically.
Noting that the two main goals of a university education are to certify one worthy in learning and character, he said, “we are all affected by the ongoing ASUU strike. But don’t allow it to derail you into criminal or antisocial activities.
“Remain focused on the right things. Your hands must be on things that would add value to your lives,” he said.
In his remarks, NUBSS President, Comrade Yenne Ebobra-Dennis, said their visit was to formally introduce their new executive members to the Deputy Governor.
He also solicited government’s support for their proposed behaviour change communication campaigns to primary and secondary schools across the eight Local Government Areas of the State.
Also speaking, Comrade Sylvester Agbalaje, the President of Sagbama Local Government Students, Federal University, Otuoke, appealed to the State Government to support their Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) skills acquisition project.

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Niger Delta

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

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6 days ago

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March 2, 2026

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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.
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Niger Delta

C’River Suspends Taskforce Activities Over Drivers’ Protest

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6 days ago

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March 2, 2026

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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.
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Niger Delta

A’Ibom Assembly Urges More Private Investments In Agriculture

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6 days ago

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March 2, 2026

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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.
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