Niger Delta
FG Inaugurates 7.85km Isoko Ring Road
Federal Government on Tuesday, inaugurated the N2.1 billion, 7.85 km single carriageway Isoko Ring Road (Aviara-Uzere) in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta.
President Muhammadu Buhari, who unveiled the project, said with the harvests of completed roads, bridges and other infrastructural projects being witnessed across the country, government investments have started yielding results.
The Tide’s source reports that the project was awarded to Messrs Levant Constriction Limited on Dec. 6, 2013 at a total contract sum of N2.1 billion.
Represented by the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, the President said the Federal Government was committed to completing various road projects across the country.
This, he said, was to link communities and create easy flow of transportation for human and material movement.
“It is our commitment to improve road transport infrastructure and our determination to improve and ease doing business, create jobs and lift people out of poverty.
“These are the things that brought us here today because the results of our investment are manifesting.
“I can confidently say that as we enter the final lap of the tenure of our administration, we are also entering a season of completion and delivery of projects.
“As you can all see, we are handing over today the 7.85 Km Road, which links Aviara-Uzere in Delta.
“A very important road that connects agrarian and fishing communities to ease the movement of their farm products. Linking these communities together, this road becomes a critical component of our national road network,” he said.
Buhari noted that the road had been built to the highest quality of design and workmanship, adding that if well used and not abused, it would last for the designed service life.
He warned against road abuse such as overloading of vehicles and trucks that accelerated pavement damage and spilling of petroleum products among other practices that could damage the roads.
“We must all do our best to avoid these practices, report them when they occur and act in a lawful manner to stop them.
“The road is also a story of the capacity of our people and how patriotic Nigerians who were employed directly to build the road.
“The scores of suppliers employed indirectly who are responsible for providing the machines utilised in the construction,” he said.
He, however, urged the people to always maintain the speed limits of 100 km per hour on the highways.
Speaking, the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, represented by Mr Peter Umoren, Deputy Director Highways in the ministry, said the inauguration was the beginning of the second phase of projects completion across Nigeria.
According to Fashola, more completed roads projects will be handed over to communities and governments of Yobe, Nassarawa, Gombe among others states which flagged-off in Ekiti and Jigawa States.
“These projects represent major investment in road transport infrastructure, which is a commitment of Buhari administration as a driver for economic growth and prosperity.
“They are visible and incontrovertible assets in proof of what Nigeria’s resources are invested in from a combination of our earned resources and borrowings,’’ he said.
Thanking all stakeholders in the projects including the communities, Fashola lauded the presidency for their leadership, adding that his leadership was bearing fruits and the evidence of change manifesting.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, represented by Commissioner for Works (Urban and Highways), Mr Noel Omodon, lauded the Federal Government for the project and called for more partnership to ensure rehabilitation of roads and bridges completion.
According to Okowa, the State Government is currently saddled with the construction of the Ughelli-Asaba Federal Highway and the Koka flyover bridge along Asaba-Onitsha Expressway among others.
He appealed to the Federal Government to consider rehabilitating and reconstruction of the Benin-Warri Expressway, the Sapele-Agbor Expressway and others which currently deplorable.
In his address of welcome, the Permanent Secretary in the Minister of Works and Housing,Mr Bashir Alkali, said Buhari’s agenda of developing roads infrastructure was a policy direction focusing on jobs creation and economic development.
Alkali, represented by the Federal Controller of Works in Delta, Mr Olawale Jimoh, said the construction of the Isoko Ring Road was aimed at promoting local content.
“The focus is to link the major arterial roads to refineries, ports, tertiary institutions and high volume commercial centres with a view to reducing travelling times vehicle maintenance costs, safety and security of computers,” he said.
On his part, the Area Manager, Levant Construction Limited, Mr Ghassan Fadel, lauded the community, Federal Government and all stakeholders for the completion of the project.
According to him, the community before the completion of the 7.85 km ring road had difficulty moving their wares in and out of the community.
The President-General, Uzere Community, Mr Brooklyn Essi, represented by Sir Edjoor Uyeh, thanked the Federal Government for the projects.
Essi, however, urged government to construct link bridges for the communities and drainage channels to arrest the annual flooding witnessed in the community which he said could damage the roads.
The Rivers State Primary Healthcare Management Board (RSPHCMB) says it will commence Supplemental Immunization activities on Saturday, May 3, 2025, to vaccinate children from 0-5 years across the State.
The State Health Educator, Dr. Diana Babbo, who stated this during a sensitisation meeting with Media Advocate for Health, Rivers State, on the update of immunization exercise in Rivers State, said the National Immunization Plus Days (NIPDs) is a re-enforcement of the routine immunization at the health facilities.
According to her, it is aimed at boosting polio immunisation against the circulating variance of polio virus currently threatening the total eradication of polio in the country.
She further stated that there are four pillars of polio eradication, namely routine immunization (administered on babies in the health centre), supplemental immunization activity (supplements to boost the babies), surveillance (searching for children that have weakness in their legs or some oart of their bodies), and outbreak response.
The Health Educator noted that the Novel Oral Polio Vaccination Type 2 (NOPV 2) will be administered to children under the age of 0-5 years, which targets a specific polio still in existence in communities and capable of causing paralysis among the stated categories of children, despite the country being certified a polio-free nation.
Dr. Babbo further stated that this year’s NIPDs will address the high number of unresolved non-compliance cases in the State.
She debunked what she tagged a false rumour by mischief makers which claimed that the vaccines are responsible for the development of autism in children.
She said, “vaccines are not known to be responsible for the development of autism. We’re just hearing that. The truth is that one cannot know everything.
“That aspect that has been found, have we looked into other aspects, such as genetically modified foods, drinks, and milks that our children are taking?
“Have we also looked at genetic compatibility between couples before we now say vaccines are causing x, y, z things?
“Are we looking at the environment where these things are happening, what they are peculiar to?
“It must not be peculiar to all the families, there could be something also that’s happening around that we have not known. Research is evolving, let us not accuse our precious vaccines that have succeeded so far in my knowledge, to keep as many sicknesses at bay.
“The reason we do not have small pox in our world today, apart from the lab (a bio-lab) is because we vaccinated to the point where we were able to move small pox totally out of existence from human beings. We can succeed with that same pattern with all kinds of viruses”.
She stated that the connection between autism and vaccination could merely be coincidence.
Babbo, therefore, urged all parents, churches, and school owners to avail their children/wards the opportunity to be vaccinated against polio the stated exercise.
Sogbeba Dokubo
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has restated his administration’s commitment to providing more support to security agencies operating in the state.
He stated this on Tuesday when he received heads of security agencies, including Commander of the Joint Task Force, Operation Delta Safe (OPDS), Rear Admiral N.M. Madugu, Flag Officer Commanding Central Naval Command, Rear Admiral Ahmed Gaya, and the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 16, Yenagoa, Tolani Alausa, in Government House, Yenagoa.
The Governor assured security agencies across board that his administration would collaborate with them to protect lives and property as well as critical national assets on land and the waterways by providing patrol vehicles, boats and other necessary logistics.
He informed the new OPDS Commander that the task force had a responsibility to protect critical national, state and community assets contributing not only to the daily oil production output for the federal government but also to development and growth of the state.
The Governor stressed that the partnership between the state government and the task force had ensured that crime rate in the state was reduced.
“As a government, we are working round the clock with the security agencies so that our people can sleep with their two eyes closed and also ensure that national assets are safe for the benefit of the people and the government.
“Often, it is misconstrued as though these assets are only for the federal government. Rather, they are for the state, communities and the federal government. So we must work hand-in-gloves to ensure they are safe.
“Therefore, it is our responsibility to always ensure that these critical national, state and community assets are kept safe”, he said.
Responding to the request of the Flag Officer Commanding Central Naval Command, Rear Admiral Ahmed Gaya, the Governor stated that he had signed the Certificate of Occupancy of the land allocated to the Nigerian Navy at the New Yenagoa and approved a secondary school at Toru-Ebeni in Sagbama Local Government Area of the state.
He said the State Government was waiting for the naval authorities to commence development of the land.
The new JTF Commander, Rear Admiral Madugu, stated that the visit was to formally introduce himself and to solicit the government’s support to achieve his aim of protecting the critical oil and gas facilities in his area of operation and fulfil the presidential mandate of increasing oil production to 2.5mbpd.
While promising to work with the Nigerian Police to maintain peace in the state, Diri admonished AIG Tolani to be repentant and be more professional in his duties having attained a top position in the force.
The Governor, who recalled the role Tolani played when he was Commissioner of Police in the state during the 2023 governorship election, said: “Let bygone be bygone and work according to your conscience. Ensure that you are repentant and do what is right. Your zone covers Bayelsa and Rivers states and let the interest of both states be uppermost on your mind.”
On disputes among community youth associations, the state’s helmsman wielded the big stick and announced the dissolution of such body in Famgbe Community in Yenagoa Local Government Area.
He directed the Commissioner for Youth Development, working with the Commissioner of Police, to ensure a proper election is held in the community.
Diri also warned that traditional rulers whose communities were embroiled in conflicts would be sanctioned.
“Every other feuding community, including Ogboinbiri, we are still watching you. I have told all traditional rulers, if you cannot ensure peace in your domain but waiting for my wrath to dangle on you, then both traditional rulers and youth bodies will be sacrificed”, Diri said.
Ariwera Ibibo-Howells,
Yenagoa
The Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, has said no profession in the health sector was superior to others, saying there was need for cooperation among workers in every health facility to achieve optimal results.
He stated this during a courtesy visit by the Bayelsa branch of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) to his office in Government House, Yenagoa, on Tuesday.
He assured that a good number of certified and competent medical laboratory scientists, as well as other medical and health practitioners would be employed based on the needs assessment indices at government’s disposal in the ongoing civil service recruitment exercise.
While appreciating their contributions to quality healthcare service delivery, he said government was ready to collaborate with the Association and other critical stakeholders in the sector to make health services more affordable and accessible to people of the state.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Doubara Atasi, said the current recruitment drive was aimed at addressing manpower needs in some critical sectors, including health, to improve service delivery in the state.
“We’re making progress in the health sector in Bayelsa. But we also admit that there is still much room for improvement.
“As you’re aware, applicants are applying to the state civil service, and some employment slots have been approved for Medical Doctors and Laboratory Scientists to be employed.
“We need competent and highly qualified personnel to be employed into the service to provide quality services.
“Every health worker has a role in health promotion. No profession in the health sector is superior to another. We are ready to collaborate with you to make health services more affordable and accessible to all Bayelsans”, he said.
Earlier in her presentation, the State Chairman of the AMLSN, Eunice Ayamaere Lelei, said there was need for government to employ more qualified laboratory scientists, and provide modern laboratory equipment in all its medical facilities across the state.
Lelei, who emphasized that laboratory scientists play a critical role in healthcare services in Nigeria, called for the implementation of the approved call duty allowance for members of the Association, and funding support for their Mandatory Professional Continuing Development programmes.
Ariwera Ibibo-Howells,
Yenagoa