Niger Delta

2023: Obi Faults FG’s Floods Mitigation In Bayelsa

Published

3 years ago

October 23, 2022

Erstwhile Governor of Anambra State and presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has expressed surprise that the Federal Government had yet to respond three weeks after a massive flooding hit Bayelsa State.
He said flying into the state in a chopper gave him a better aerial view of the situation and that the state needs urgent help.
Obi spoke at the weekend in Yenagoa, the state capital, when he paid a courtesy visit to the State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, at the Government House before they visited Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at the Oxbow Lake Pavilion camp in Yenagoa.
The Labour Party’s Presidential hopeful lamented the hardship experienced by people of the state as a result of the floods and expressed wonder why the Federal Government had not sent a high-powered delegation to the state with a view to providing assistance for the people.
While calling on the Federal Government to declare an emergency over the flooding in parts of Nigeria with Bayelsa as a case in point, he said as a state that is strategic to the economy of Nigeria, it deserved more from the centre.
He also called on the international community, donor agencies and public-spirited individuals and organisations to assist the government navigate through what he called “this difficult moment”.
Obi lauded Governor Diri’s handling of the situation so far, urging him not to give up, promising to stand with the people in their trying moments.
He noted that he decided to suspend his campaign to sympathize with the people of Bayelsa and other states affected and promised not to resume campaigns until this phase of flooding was over.
Obi further noted that though while in office he experienced the 2012 floods, the current one was more devastating.
”There is no way anyone will be happy with the situation in Bayelsa. My appeal is for the Federal Government to send a strong team to come see what is happening here.
“I was a Governor in 2012, but I did not see what I have seen today. The Federal Government needs to declare an emergency in Bayelsa considering the strategic importance of the State to Nigeria.
“I appeal also to the international community and donor agencies too to help. Bayelsa needs urgent support. What I have seen here is unimaginable. The Federal Government needs to intervene immediately”, he said.
Responding, Governor Douye Diri expressed appreciation to Obi for his show of love to the people of the state, saying he feels comforted by his visit, which was the first by any high profile individual.
Diri lamented the impact of the flood, which he said has claimed lives, property and destroying the economy of the state.
The Bayelsa Governor acknowledged the concern showed by President Muhammadu Buhari by directing federal rescue and disaster management agencies to assist the state, noting however that the directive was yet to be adhered to.
The state’s helmsman assured people of the state that his administration will continue to stand with them and spare no effort in providing relief to victims of the flood, saying that his government was already thinking about the post-flood challenges, especially with the destruction to critical infrastructure in the state.
“I feel comforted this morning, like one who has a friend and brother. At your level, you are the first to visit Bayelsa State.This flood has been with us for three weeks and we are losing lives and property on daily basis.
“Our economy is as good as gone. We have been trapped with the East-West road broken into two on both sides.
“Yes, we have received some hope from Mr. President but we are yet to see one senior government official like you that came to empathize with us. We still call on the Federal Government to do the needful. I have also written to all relevant bodies to come to our aid.
“As you rightly observed, this is beyond what a state can handle. On behalf of a grateful state, we thank you for coming. If half of the resources taken away from Bayelsa are put in this state we will not be crying for help”, he said.
At the Oxbow Lake IDP camp, Obi pledged an undisclosed amount, while Governor Diri led other top government officials to other camps at the Universal Primary Education (UPE) School, Ovom, and the Saint Peters Church, Yenagoa, where he assured of government’s continuous support and donated the sum of one million naira each to the victims.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa

Niger Delta

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

Published

20 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

20 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

20 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.