Niger Delta

2023: Senatorial Aspirant Dispels Disqualification Rumours

Published

4 years ago

May 23, 2022

Lawmaker representing Ekeremor Constituency two in the BayelsaSstate House of Assembly and Senatorial aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Bayelsa West Senatorial District, Hon. Wilson AyakpoDauyegha has called on his supporters and party faithful to discountenance recent rumours making the rounds that he was disqualified from contesting the forthcoming Senatorial primaries of the party.
The Senatorial hopeful who made the call during an interview with newsmen in Yenagoa shortly after addressing his supporters expressed surprise over the rumours, this was just as he stated that it was from the imaginations of some stakeholders of the party from the state’s Western Senatorial zone, who were bent on undoing him, that he is still strongly in the race.
He hinted that the purported rumours of his disqualification were borne out of the phobia for his person and political aspiration, describing those responsible for his concocted screening-out rumours as those ‘wanting to heat the polity’.
“My alleged disqualification was a figment of the negative imagination of some stakeholders who have phobia for my fast rising political profile and trajectory of political victories’, he said.
Wilson who averred that he would win the forthcoming primaries restated his resolve to work assiduously towards the empowerment and betterment of the Senatorial zone, noting that the sister local government areas of Sagbama and Ekeremor have an age-long agreement for rotation of both the Senatorial and House of Representatives positions.
The aspirant who also bared his mind on his chances of clinching victory at the general election supposing he wins the Senatorial primaries, noted that by virtue of the old existing arrangement between the Sagbama and Ekeremor people, it is literally and political right for the Ekeremor council area to produce the next senator from the district, hence his victory is assured.
He said: “Politically speaking, by the rotatory agreement between the Sagbama and Ekeremor people, it’s now the turn of Ekeremor to produce the next Senator from the Bayelsa West Senatorial zone. All those who are calling and supporting Dickson to contest the forthcoming Senatorial polls and Dickson himself are all polical robbers.
Meanwhile, the Ekeremor-born lawmaker and Senatorial hopeful has again vowed to leave a legacy of development in the Bayelsa West Senatorial zone if he wins the primaries and subsequent general elections.
He noted that he was willing to leverage on his youthful advantage and requisite experience he has garnered as a lawmaker to function effectively in the ‘Red Chambers’ if elected in the 2023 general elections.

By: AriweraIbibo-Howells, Yenagoa

Niger Delta

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

Published

14 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

14 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

14 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.