Niger Delta

Diri Faults NDDC On Abandoned Projects

Published

4 years ago

August 22, 2022

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has said more than 1,700 abandoned projects of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) litter different parts of the state.
This was just as the Bayelsa State Governor has also described the number of such abandoned projects of by the commission in the state as unacceptable.
The Tide reports that some of the projects abandoned the commission in the state include the Angalabiri-Ebedebiri-Toru-Orua shore protection project which was captured in the commission’s 2020 budget, the Sabagreia-Polaku bridge as well as the Akenfa-Epie bridge amongst others.
Diri, who spoke when the NDDC Interim Administrator, Dr Akwa Effiong, visited him in Government House, Yenagoa, berated the commission on the spate of abandoned projects in the state, noting that the non-collaboration of the commission with catchment states that would advise, on priority projects has led to duplication and abandonment of projects.
The Bayelsa’s number one citizen also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to constitute without further delay a substantive board for the commission in accordance with its enabling Act, saying its absence was hindering the commission’s operations.
Diri, who stressed that the interim administrator’s arrangement was alien to the Act and unacceptable to governors of the Niger Delta, noted that the commission had not been able to meet its mandate because of the absence of a substantive board.
Describing the NDDC as an interventionist body created to fill the developmental gap in the Niger Delta, the governor said the governors of the Niger Delta region have also been robbed of their advisory role, which would have enabled the board embark on people-oriented projects in the region, this was even as he expressed his administration’s preparedness to work with the commission to foster development in the state.
“The NDDC has a lot of abandoned projects in Bayelsa State. From reports, we have over 1,700 projects that are dotted all over Bayelsa State. I know that is not healthy.
“I like to at this juncture, again, appeal to President Buhari to constitute a substantive board for the NDDC according to the Act setting it up.The NDDC was conceived and established as an interventionist body to fill developmental gap. We cannot accept these policy summersaults that make our development to suffer.
“The interim arrangement has become the norm rather than the exception. That is totally unacceptable to us as governors of the Niger Delta states.
We have a very huge stake according to the Act establishing the NDDC and that role is not being played. With the interim administration, there is no board for us to advise.
“There must exist a synergy that will profile these projects before they are conceived. NDDC was not to go into every nook and cranny of states in the region. It should be looking at very large projects, sometimes inter-state projects with mutual agreement and cooperation of the state governments”, he said.
“It is my belief that collaborating with the NDDC will create a more robust impression and leave a lasting legacy for our people and generations yet unborn. The NDDC must continue to work closely with governors in the nine states to ensure synergy and avoid duplication of projects and activate the powers of the governors in the board in line with section 2 of the Act establishing it”, Diri added.
The state’s Chief executive emphasised that he was against the scrapping of the NDDC but that rather it should be rejigged to enable it meet its functions, just as he also appreciated the interim administrator for the donation of a 1000KVA generator and a coaster bus to the state-owned Niger Delta University as well as four waste disposal trucks to the state government.
Earlier, Dr. Akwa Effiong appreciated the governor for his developmental strides, saying he had done well within the short period in office, expressing the preparedness of the NDDC to collaborate with the government on construction of the age-long Nembe-Brass road project that the state had undertaken.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa

Niger Delta

Otu Orders Sanitation Operations Review In Calabar

Published

3 days ago

March 16, 2026

The Tide

Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, has ordered an immediate review of environmental sanitation operations in Calabar metropolis.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Linus Obogo, on Friday, the Governor said the sanitary situation of the city had become a cause for concern.

He said the review became necessary because Calabar should continue to maintain its status as the cleanest city in the country.

“The city is now littered with wastes, the cleanliness status of Calabar is almost gone, we cannot just fold our arms and watch,” he said.

The Governor continued that every resident of the city had roles to play towards restoring the sanitary status of the city.

“Every resident should live up to their responsibilities. Our reputation in sanitation was not earned overnight, we worked for it.

“It is the product of discipline, policy consistency, and civic responsibility. We cannot allow negligence to take away this reputation,” he said.

He further directed that henceforth, sanitation exercise should be supervised by the office of his Special Adviser on General Duties.

“This intervention is intended to ensure stricter coordination among contractors and government agencies that are responsible for waste management,

“Environmental sanitation is not a peripheral concern of government. It is central to public health, urban dignity, and the overall quality of life of the citizens”, he said.

Otu expressed displeasure at lapses arising from the attitude of some refuse contractors in the state.

He said breakdown of mechanical tools could not be a reasonable excuse for non-evacuation of refuse.

“Operational setbacks should never translate into visible environmental neglect. Preparedness, contingency planning and prompt response are the hallmarks of responsible service providers.” he said.

Niger Delta

Lawyer X-rays Consequences Of Court Injuction Suspending INC Polls … As Diri Intervenes

Published

3 days ago

March 16, 2026

The Tide

A Bayelsa-based lawyer, and candidate for the position of National Assistant Secretary in the suspended National Executive Council (NEC) elections of the apex Ijaw socio-cultural organization, the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Barr. Abraham Marshall, has said the court order, which restrained the conduct of the March 7th, 2026 polls, was a setback to stakeholders of the INC.

He expressed his worries about the plights of delegates who travelled from various parts of Ijaw land to come for the elections in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, only to be disappointed by the court order.

While thanking other candidates for maintaining orderliness and brotherliness all through the campaign processes, Marshall said the court injunction has devasted candidates vying for various positions.

He described the cost of what has already been spent on campaigns and sundry arrangements for the elections as huge.

Marshall noted that already he was a leading candidate for the position of National Assistant Secretary as he was optimistic of victory.

“First of all I’ve great confidence in the ability of the Electoral Committee headed by a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, HRM, Justice F.F Tabai, which was eager to conduct a seamless election.

“Some of us have campaigned through the three zones and clans of the INC. Some of us went to the Western Zone, Eastern and Central Zones to meet delegates.

“That is how it happenes atimes when there are contest, some persons who are aggrieved, rather than take laws into their hands, go to court to seek judicial redress. So, I want to commend all candidates for maintaining decorum throughout the entire process.

“I like to also call on stakeholders to quickly seek for ways through internal mechanisms of the INC to end this problem so that the elections can be conducted because as candidates we’ve incured lots of expenses leading to the process”, he stated.

Meanwhile, in a bid to proffer solutions to the issues bedeviling the smooth conduct of polls, Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, on Friday met with stakeholders of the INC and its six Presidential candidates, as well as other major stakeholders of the Niger Delta region in Government House, Yenagoa.

In his remarks, the Governor commended individuals and institutions, including the presidential candidates and the Conference of Ijaw Traditional Rulers and Elders (CITRE), for their efforts towards actualising a peaceful and seamless transition of leadership in the Ijaw National Congress (INC).

The Tide gathered that at the meeting, the presidential candidates agreed to withdraw all subsisting litigations concerning the election.

Represented by his Deputy, Dr. Peter Akpe, Diri also expressed gratitude to the Chairman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Ambassador Godknows Bolade Igali, the Chairman and members of the INC National Electoral Committee, and other stakeholders who contributed to the resolution reached at the meeting.

Drawing an analogy from the scriptures, particularly 1 Kings Chapter 3, he likened the unanimous agreement of the candidates to withdraw all pending court cases to the decision of the true mother of the disputed baby who pleaded with King Solomon not to cut the child into two.

According to the Bayelsa helmsman, the resolution reflects the enthusiasm, love and patriotic fervour in all the presidential candidates to move Ijaw nation forward.

Speaking to newsmen shortly after the meeting, the candidates, including High Chief MacDonald Igbadiwe, who secured the injunction from a Port Harcourt High Court stopping the INC Elections billed for last weekend, confirmed the agreement and pledged commitment towards the peaceful emergence of the next President of the apex Ijaw socio-cultural organization.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa

Niger Delta

Police Rescue 7 Trafficked Victims In A’Ibom

Published

3 days ago

March 16, 2026

The Tide

The Police Command in Akwa Ibom State has rescued seven victims and detained four suspects linked to human trafficking along Ikot Ekpene–Aba Road.

The state’s Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Timfon John, disclosed this in a statement issued to journalists in Uyo on Saturday.

John said police operatives dismantled a human trafficking syndicate operating within the state, rescuing seven victims and arresting four suspects involved in the network.

She said acting on credible intelligence, operatives swiftly mobilised a patrol team for a coordinated stop-and-search operation along Ikot Ekpene–Aba Road on Friday.

The operation, conducted at about 8 a.m. on Friday, targeted vehicles suspected of transporting victims of human trafficking.

“During the operation, the suspected vehicle was intercepted and four victims were immediately rescued, while the suspect conveying them was arrested and taken into custody.

“Following reports that a vehicle was conveying young persons suspected to be victims of human trafficking, our operatives quickly moved to intercept it,” John said.

She said interrogation of the suspect led to the expansion of the operation to Itam and Ibaka in Oron Local Government Area.

John said three additional victims were rescued and three more suspects apprehended during the follow-up operation.

This brought the total number of rescued victims to seven and suspects arrested to four.

According to her, preliminary investigations revealed that the trafficking syndicate specialised in recruiting and transporting young persons across borders for exploitation.

“Intelligence gathered further disclosed that one of the ringleaders earlier escaped through waterways from Ibaka in Oron to Cameroon and Gabon with some victims”, she said.

John said investigations were ongoing and the suspects would be charged in court upon completion of the probe.

The police spokesperson reiterated the Command’s commitment to combating human trafficking and other organised crimes in the state.

She assured the public that efforts were ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate.

John urged residents to remain vigilant and provide timely information to the police to help protect vulnerable persons and strengthen community safety.