Niger Delta

Ijaws In Diaspora Seek Enhanced Living Condition In N’Delta

Published

4 years ago

July 15, 2022

The Ijaw Diaspora Council (IDC) says it is committed to surmounting the developmental and environmental challenges confronting the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.
President of the group, Prof. Monday Gold, made the disclosure in a statement issued in Yenagoa and made available to The Tide’s source.
Gold stated that the group had resolved to join forces with like-minded interest groups, state and federal governments to enhance the living condition in the region.
He explained that the resolution was reached at the just-concluded 2022 IDC Convention in the U.S.
He further stated that the council, which draws its membership from different continents, is bound by the peoples shared culture and values.
According to Gold, the council undertakes teaching and enabling millions of Ijaw people to speak and act as one “in the face of environmental and economic injustice”.
He said: “Oil spills in Ijawland, shootings, terrorist attacks and massive public protests have all jolted the Ijaw Diaspora in unprecedented ways.
“Oil prospecting has wrecked the limited agricultural land surface, sea, rivers, streams and lakes in the region.
“In disasters, like the Nembe spill, oil has moved thousands of kilometres across the sea surface, killing millions of seabirds, marine mammals and sea turtles”.
He stated that people, who lived near oil and gas facilities, were more likely to be exposed to contaminated groundwater and polluted air.
Other health challenges, he added, included cancer, birth abnormalities, liver damage, respiratory, cardiovascular and other disorders.
“In the Ijaw territory, these diseases are directly linked to a significant percentage of mortality.
“Things would go extremely wrong, if we in the diaspora refuse to act or chose to run away from our responsibility, not just for us but also for you and the next generation.
“We must resolve to overcome all obstacles in order to defend Ijaw territory and contribute to Nigeria’s peace, stability and progress,” Gold stated.
He mainained that “In spite of the challenges, IDC not only endured but also grew stronger than before.”
He noted that the challenges of the region had made many Ijaw to lose the sense of belonging and connection they once enjoyed.
He, however, noted that “there is hope with vision, convictions, devotion and courage”.
He explained that there was need to build a sense of genuine closeness and acceptance and for all to speak with one voice for a better Ijaw ethnic nationality.
He stated that the group was committed to working with all Nigerian neighbours and worldwide partners on an equal and mutually beneficial basis for the future generations.
He listed the immediate priority of IDC to include pulling Ijaw people out of poverty and providing them with a life of peace, prosperity, decency and dignity.
He further stated that the construction of the Oloibiri Museum and Research Center was also in the council’s priority list.
Other priorities included the construction of the Ijaw Diaspora Village, in collaboration with the Federal Government and other partners, to develop the Ijaw nation.

Niger Delta

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

Published

3 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

C’River Suspends Taskforce Activities Over Drivers’ Protest

Published

3 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.

Niger Delta

A’Ibom Assembly Urges More Private Investments In Agriculture

Published

3 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.