Rivers

2023: Bala Urges Female Journalists To Rise Above Gender Limitations

Published

3 years ago

November 8, 2022

President, National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Comrade Ladi Bala, has urged female journalists to rise above gender limitations in the discharge of their professional duties.
Bala gave this charge in Port Harcourt on Monday, at a two-day skill enhancing and capacity building/mentoring session for female journalists, ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The workshop was part of the European Union (EU) support to democratic governance in Nigeria (EU-Support) activities under component 4 (Support the media) of the EU-SDGN 11 project. It has the International Press Center (IPC) as its lead partner in collaboration with NAWOJ.
The NAWOJ president urged female journalists to uniquely distinguish themselves from the crowd by being factual, accurate, and objective in their reportage of the 2023 elections.
She said that the media, being an integral part of the society, has unique and sensitive roles to play in the development of the country, adding that the training and retraining of journalists will enable them to positively contribute towards shaping and achieving a better society.
“It should be noted that with globalisation of the media space through information technology, enhancing the capacity of practitioners, particularly journalists to be in tune with global best practices has become germain if the media is to get it right.
“This training, therefore, is aimed at exposing female journalists to the rudiments of effective reportage and mentorship preparatory to reporting the electoral process. As we move closer to 2023, the critical role of the journalists in the conduct and promotion of peaceful electoral processes in Nigeria is key and must not be handled carelessly.
“It is on this note that I appeal to participants drawn from the South-East, South-South and the South-West of the country to utilize the opportunity and learn new skills that will improve their capacities and enhance the quality of news reports”, Bala said.
The NAWOJ boss urged female journalists to focus more on professionalism that would propel them to the top than going after brown envelopes which prevent them from objectively do their reportage and also endanger their lives.
She said one of the ways to peacefully discharge their responsibilities to the society without threats to life is for journalists to play by the rules.
“Journalists must rise to the occasion of protecting and strengthening Nigeria’s democracy in the build up to 2023 general elections. You must avoid brown envelopes so as to discharge your work optimally free from biases without fear of threat to life.
Commending the EU for funding the workshop, the NAWOJ boss said, “This workshop funded through component 4b: Support to the media of the EU support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria 11 project, was the response to NAWOJ’s several engagements with the EU development partners that eventually approved its Media partners to work with us.
“This feat is, indeed, a milestone achievement. This is so because it is the first time NAWOJ is being officially recognised and engaged on an EU funded project through its media partners in Nigeria. This laudable effort of EU is commendable and a clear testament of its commitment in building a strong and virile media space that will go a long way to strengthen democracy and promote good governance”.
She also commended the Executive Director IPC, Mr Lanre Arogundade, for his encouragement and support, saying that IPC, being one of the leading capacity building organisations for journalists in the country, has proven to be gender sensitive and always supporting NAWOJ.
In his own remarks, Arogundade stated that the overall objective of the workshop is “to strengthen the media for fair, accurate, ethical and inclusive reporting of the electoral processes and elections, as well as seek to position female journalists in particular to be in the frontline of professional inclusive, conflict sensitive, fact-checking and data driven coverage and reportage”.
He urged the participants to make good use of the mentorship guides and editorial assistance provided by resource persons.

By: Susan Serekara-Nwikhana

Niger Delta

CSOs, Bille Community Urge Solution To Persistent Underwater Gas Eruption

Published

18 hours ago

April 10, 2026

The Tide

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and the people of Bille Kingdom in Degema Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State have called for government’s urgent intervention to end the suspected underwater gas eruption in the community.

The groups, under the aegis of the Environmental Rights Action and Social Action, made the call during their advocacy visit to the Port Harcourt Zonal Head of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), in Port Harcourt.

The Programme Manager of Environmental Rights Action, Mr. Kentebe Ebiaridor, said the visit was to seek clarity on the response efforts of the regulators to the development in the community.

Ebiaridor expressed concern over what he described as “inadequate response from regulatory agencies and the government concerning the incident”.

He said discussions with some officials revealed that there was still no clear timeline for action to address the situation.

According to him, in the absence of clear ownership of the facility linked to the incident, companies operating within Oil Mining Lease (OML) 18 should be held accountable.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) had in a statement issued on March 20 by its Chief Executive, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, said the commission had commenced an investigation into a gas bubbling incident in Bille Community.

Eyesan said the commission expressed concern over the development and assured residents of its ongoing efforts to address the situation.

Also, the Resource Justice Manager of Social Action, Dr. Prince Edegbuo, warned that the situation could escalate into a public health emergency, if urgent steps were not taken.

Edegbuo called on relevant authorities to release the results of the tests reportedly conducted in the area, stressing that residents had the right to know the condition of their environment.

He also said CSOs were prepared to intensify advocacy on the matter, urging the development of emergency response measures, including possible evacuation plans.

A legal practitioner and community stakeholder, Mr. Commission Deinbo, had, on March 20, said residents had continued to witness unusual signs on the waterways in the area.

Deinbo said the signs included boiling and bubbling from the ground and river, sometimes within residential areas, as well as fire outbreaks, which the residents had always managed to contain.

He appealed to relevant authorities to come to their aid and find a lasting solution to the problem.

In a response, the Port Harcourt Zonal Head of NOSDRA, Mr. Bello Augustin, assured the community that he would relate its concerns to the appropriate quarters.

Augustin also commended the CSOs for their advocacy and concerns to community development in the state.

By: Wokoma Emmanuel & Theresa Frederick

Rivers

Dep Gov Seeks Collaboration, Transparency Between RIVCHPP, PHCMB

Published

21 hours ago

April 10, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State Deputy Governor, Prof. Ngozi Nma Odu, has called for renewed commitment, transparency, and stronger collaboration among stakeholders in the health sector, particularly between the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP) and the Primary Health Care Management Board.

She made the call today, during the First Quarter Review Meeting of the Task Force on Primary Health Care, held at Government House, Port Harcourt.

She emphasized the importance of honesty in addressing challenges within the healthcare system, urging all parties to remain open and truthful in their engagements.

According to her, transparency is critical to identifying and resolving underlying issues affecting service delivery.

“If we are not truthful, we will not cure the disease, but merely cover it up,” she stated.

The Deputy Governor recounted a personal experience at a primary health centre, where a patient, despite being duly registered under the RIVCHPP scheme with completed biometric capture, was still asked to pay for services.

She explained that intervention by relevant authorities later confirmed the patient’s eligibility, thereby exposing a communication gap between the scheme and healthcare providers.

Prof. Odu warned that such incidents could discourage community members from enrolling in the scheme and ultimately undermine its objectives.

“When this happens, we are disenfranchising our people. The message that goes back to the community is that even when you register, you are still made to pay,” she stated.

While commending the leadership and staff of the Primary Health Care Management Board, the Ministry of Health, development partners, and other supporting units for their efforts, Prof. Odu cautioned against complacency.

She urged stakeholders to continuously strive for improvement, raise standards, and ensure lasting positive impact within the healthcare system.

Rivers

Experts Converge To Tackle N’Delta Business Challenges

Published

21 hours ago

April 10, 2026

The Tide

As part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s economy, about 600 experts are billed to converge in Port Harcourt in a business conference to uplift middle-class businesses in the Niger Delta region.

The convener of the convergence, Lanre Oluseye, who disclosed this during a press briefing in Port Harcourt, said the conference, scheduled to hold in Port Harcourt for the first time, would equip middle-class businesses with the knowledge required to overcome challenges and scale up their businesses.

He explained that the convergence was conceived in response to challenges stalling business growth, particularly at the mid-level.

Oluseye noted that while Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) benefited from various interventions, middle-class businesses were often neglected despite facing significant constraints.

He added that the conference would bring together accomplished professionals and business leaders to mentor mid-level entrepreneurs on how to overcome barriers and attain greater heights.

“Convergence is a conference where thoughts, ideas and strategies come together to create a catalyst that enables business people to move to the next level.

“It is a platform that accelerates growth by bringing great minds together to chart a course for others to follow.

“Our objective is to move the Port Harcourt-based middle-class businesses to cross the barriers that are holding them down”, he said.

Oluseye continued that the conference, slated for April 18, would attract about 600 Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and middle-level managers to address business challenges in the Niger Delta through innovative ideas and strategies.

He emphasised that the event would not be a mere social gathering, but a knowledge-driven platform designed to transform participants and provide networking opportunities to enhance their businesses.

He assured that participants would gain new insights, build valuable networks and engage with like-minded professionals.

Oluseye further said that top industry leaders expected at the conference included the Managing Director/CEO of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), Leye Falade; former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun; and the MD/CEO of Aradel Holdings Plc., Gbite Falade.

Others are Tope Aladenusi of Deloitte Africa; the Partner, Chief Economist and Lead, Strategy and West Africa, Segun Zaccheaus; and a global thinker and futurist, Olakunle Soriyan.

Theresa Frederick & Charity Amiso