Rivers
‘Use Egwu Ogba For Unity’
The head chief of Umu Akoku family of Erema Town in Ogba/ Egbem/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, Chief lkenna Obulor, has called on the people of Egi Kingdom to use this year’s Egwu Ogba to resolve all lingering chieftaincy issues in the Kingdom.
Obulor said this in an interview with The Tide shortly after the Umu Akoku family fixed the Egwu Ogba festival for the August 12 and 13, 2022 a ceremony at Erema town.
The announcement was made at the ancient Anamaoji play ground by Elder Felix Obulor on behalf of the oldest member of the Royal Family, Sir Andrew Nwaoma.
The Egi nation has been locked in a chieftaincy squabble following the death of Eze Egi, Prof Uzondu Wokoma.
Ikenna said it was in view of this that the family decided to invite all the factions to the declaration ceremony and noted that the festival promotes unity and brotherliness in the Kingdom.
“We thank God the way the entire thing was conducted.
“The chiefs, no matter the death of the late Eze Egi , were able to bring them together”.
Obulor stressed the need for the chiefs to use the declaration to settle their differences and bring Egi to the path of development.
Also speaking, the eldest member of the family, Sir Andrew Nwaoma said Egwu Ogba is a source of unity for the Egi nation.
He said the festival was handed down from their forebears, stressing that there is nothing fetish about it.
Also, Regent of Egi Kingdom, Eze London Nwaobiyebe praised the Akoku Family for keeping the festival alive.
He said the festival is not only important to Egi but the entire Ogba Kingdom
Also speaking, High Chief Nnamdi Michael Ahiamadu said Egwu Ogba will not die as it brings peace and harmony to the area.
He used the occasion to call on the youths of Egi Kingdom to toe the path of peace.
By: John Bibor
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Concerned with the absence of proper development in oil producing communities, Host Communities Development Trustees (HCDTs) have been urged to, as a matter of priority, be deliberate in embarking on projects that would impact and uplift the face of communities in their trusts.
The development of the host communities would further create a win-win situation for the tripartite concerned parties of the government, oil companies and the host communities.
The National President, Host Communities Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas, Dr. Benjamin Style Tamaranebi, gave the urge at the Town Hall Engagement with HCDTs and settlors In Rivers State, organized by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) in conjunction with HostCom Project Management and Adversary Consult, held at Golden Tulip Hotel, Port Harcourt, Weekend.
Delivering his address, Tamaranebi stated that every trust in the oil producing areas have been funded with the aim of translating the funds to sustainable development projects in the communities by the board of trustees.
According to him, each of the trusts has funds running to billions in their coffers insisting that should these funds be properly utilized, the Niger Delta and its communities would have been developed to the standard of oil producing areas.
In his words, “money has been paid to these trusts and each of these trusts have billions in their coffers. No trust in the Niger Delta cannot boost of a billion naira and these funds are meant for development”.
He noted with dismay the act of engaging in frivolous projects, duplication of projects, and siting of projects outside the communities saying, “there should be proper utilization of funds for projects.
“Look for and embark on projects that would impact on the people and site it in the community and not outside. Build and train human beings through scholarships to students and the likes”.
He noted that some of the host communities are richer than even the local government, charging the HCDTs “to utilize the 3% allocation as enshrined in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) so there’ll be change, development and progress in our communities”.
Tamaranebi further explained that the Town Hall Engagement was targeted at interacting with chairmen, secretaries and traditional rulers of HCDTs to become conversant with their challenges, assuring that their issues would be escalated to the NUPRC for proper tackling.
On his part, the Chief Executive, NUPRC, Gbenga Komolafe, noted that the gathering underscored the collective commitment of all stakeholders, including government, traditional rulers, oil companies and the communities themselves, to fostering sustainable community development, inclusiveness and accountability in the Niger Delta.
Represented by the Deputy Manager, NUPRC, Rivers State Chapter, Jerry Mbonu, Komolafe said, “The NUPRC remains dedicated to regulatory oversight, policy support and technical assistance to ensure host communities thrive alongside the petroleum industry.
“Let us seize this opportunity to turn challenges into opportunities and drive sustainable inclusive development in the Niger Delta”, Mbonu said.
In his Goodwill Message, Eld. Iduonibin Obaghama, stated that the fruition of the PIA was the effort of resilient men and women of the region who fought for their rights.
He enjoined stakeholders at the meeting to partner for the development of the host communities saying, “we are all from communities. It’s up to us to develop our communities. That’s all we’ve been saying here”.
Lady Godknows Ogbulu
Following the age long environmental degradation, pollution and increased poverty rate in oil-producing communities, host communities have been urged to take ownership of the Host Community Development Trust.
This call was made during a CSO/Media Town Hall Meeting organized by BudgIT Foundation with support from Oxfam, in which members of the community were sensitized on the importance of the trust fund and how to access it.
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Rivers State Officer, BudgIT Foundation, Eze Eberechi, emphasized the need for every community in Rivers to access the fund for development.
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According to her, most communities in Rivers State are still ignorant or lack the knowledge on how to access the 3% percent host community development trust fund, stressing that there is need for more sensitization.
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“I am happy I go to communities to sensitize them, they now know better, they are no more helpless, their voices are being heard through writing community letter, Freedom of Information (FOI) and the media.
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“We encouraged them to be able to integrate this host community development trust, those people that do not know the benefit incurred from Petroleum industrial act. We enlighten them on what they need to know by empowering them with information and show them how they can use it.
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“Those communities that have issues with funding, leadership problems, we channel them the write way to go about the dispute.
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“We also sensitized the people on how to access projects in Rivers State and how to track projects, so they can go back to their various communities to step down the training.
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“Some host communities share their experiences: a community member whose community has been accessing the trust fund said his community has close to one hundred and fifty million in their account and so many other people that shared their experience”, she said.
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She also called for partnership and collaboration from other CSO’s and the media.
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“To achieve this, collaboration is very important, the media, CSO’s, organisations, community leaders, so at the end we can have a societal behavioural change”, she added.
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A representative from a host community and Secretary, Advisory Committee, Odagwa Etche, Ejiogu Augustine, confirmed that his community has started receiving the 3% HCDT fund, noting that they are in the projects budgeting stage.
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“Communities should be able to utilize the fund very well. The 3% if the production is high, it amount to substantial amount of money which the community should use for the development of the community such as the health care system, agriculture, sponsoring community people overseas and every other needs of the community.
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“My community has received. We are in the process of budgeting, to know how much will be appropriated to each of the projects we want to do. I’m calling for the community to take ownership and do what they are supposed to do”, Augustine stated.
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He, however, called for an increase in the fund from 3% to 10% or more, stressing that oil-producing communities bear the brunt of environmental degradation and deserve greater support.
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“The government and the IOCs should do more, 3% is not enough. We are asking for an increments to 10% or more. It will help the community because they are the ones bearing the brunt of oil spill, and environmental degradation”, he urged.
Iragunima Benice
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says the newly launched GreenBook App technologies would curb fake drugs and substandard products in the country
The Agency said they are fighting substandard and fake medicines in the country, also known as counterfeit products, “produced by our own people, described as evil men”.
Director General, NAFDAC, Prof. Mojishola Adayeye, stated this in Port Harcourt during a two-day NAFDAC workshop/training on Traceability, Greenbook and Paediatric Policy held in the state.
She noted that the Agency over the years had fought the menace of fake and substandard products in the country through the National Newspapers, Radio and Television.
Represented by the Director, Post Marketing Surveillance (PMS), Fraden Bitrus, the DG noted that the men and women who perpetrate the act have improved in their evil act in Nigerian Market.
The “Two-Day Workshop and Training”, Adayeye said, was to showcase the Agency’s new Green book App technology and improve its fighting mechanism on fake drugs and counterfeits products.
“The GreenBook serves as a tool to check fake and substandard drugs in Nigeria market space”, she said.
She noted that Nigeria is the first country in Africa to use the Green book App technologies and second on the world to use the App.
“With this Green book App technologies, stakeholders, medical practitioners and others can check fake drugs and substandard products”, she said.
The Director called on stakeholder’s and the public to encourage and support the new NAFDAC Green book App technologies to eradicate the use of substandard drugs in the country.
The Green book App, Adeyeye continued, shall also be used by the Agency to detect other fake and substandard products in Nigeria’s Market space.
Also speaking, Commissioner for Health, Rivers State, Dr. Adaeze Oreh, thanked the Director General of NAFDAC and her team for their unrelentless efforts at fighting the menace of counterfeits and fake drugs in the country.
Represented by Quanata Dappa, Oreh said the State Government is proud at NAFDAC’s efforts aimed at curbing fake and substandard products in the country.
Rivers State Government, the Commissioner said, “is supportive of the fight against this unpatriotic citizens of Nigeria aimed at selling fake drugs to consumers”.
According to Oreh, “the well being of our patients is very paramount as the new Green book App technologies will go a long way to curb fake drugs , especially in the life of pediatrics (Children)”, she said.
Chinedu Wosu