Rivers
Rotary Club Donates Desks, Others To Schools In PH
The Rotary Club of Port Harcourt, District 9141, has donated 25 sets of reading desk, 10 sets of tables and chairs to Immaculate Heart Secondary School, Borokiri.
The club also donated another set of 25 reading desks, 3 sets of industrial waste bins, and planted different economic trees at State Primary School, Rumuomasi Port Harcourt.
Commissioning the projects, the District Governor, Rotary International, District 9141, Rotarian Mightyman Aye Dikuro, said they want to see the students being comfortable while having their studies
He also urged both the officials and students of the schools to put these items to the best use, saying it will encourage the club to do more.
According to him, “Rotary is an organisation that is focused on doing good to touch the lives of the people”.
Rotarian Dikiro invited the public to join and identify with Rotary, so they can continue to partner with government, non- governmental organisations and high network of individuals who want to give back to the society.
“Rotary is an organisation that comes together above all personal, family, and professional considerations just to put smiles on other people’s faces.
“This is an organisation that has been existing for 117 years with an unbroken lineage of leadership, integrity and accountability to the world.
“In the four states of the federation that I’m leading, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers States, we need more members, so that we can harvest from the enormous funding that the people, especially from the developed nations, are putting into the Rotary foundation”, he said.
According to him, the Rotary International has a huge funding scheme that is available to pass through the Rotary Club to effect community development, while stressing the need for more hands.
He finally encouraged the students to learn and work hard so that they can become better citizens of the country and also to human race.
Also speaking the President of Rotary Club of Port Harcourt under District 9141, Rotarian Obiageli Ejezie, urged both schools to sustain the projects that have been effected in their schools.
According to her, “if these projects are not maintained, it will discourage the club from going further with any other projects in such school”, noting that “these projects are carried out with people’s money”.
She commended Immaculate Heart Secondary School, Borokiri, for maintaining past projects done by Rotary in the school, adding that their discovery has helped to boost their zeal to do more for the school.
Rotarian Ejeszie further reiterated the stand of the organisation to do more humanitarian services before the end of this rotary year.
On her part, the Head Teacher of State Primary School, Rumuomasi, Port Harcourt, expressed joy over the kind gestures of Rotary club of Port Harcourt towards the school, while thanking them for the love they have shown to the school.
She also urged the pupils to respect and ensure that “these items donated to the school are used to its maximum, and is equally kept safe and secured”.
The Senior Prefect of Immaculate Heart Secondary School, Borokiri, Cyril Kelly Treasure, commended the club for the good things they have done for the school.
By: Iragunima Benice
The Rivers State Primary Healthcare Management Board (RSPHCMB) says it will commence Supplemental Immunization activities on Saturday, May 3, 2025, to vaccinate children from 0-5 years across the State.
The State Health Educator, Dr. Diana Babbo, who stated this during a sensitisation meeting with Media Advocate for Health, Rivers State, on the update of immunization exercise in Rivers State, said the National Immunization Plus Days (NIPDs) is a re-enforcement of the routine immunization at the health facilities.
According to her, it is aimed at boosting polio immunisation against the circulating variance of polio virus currently threatening the total eradication of polio in the country.
She further stated that there are four pillars of polio eradication, namely routine immunization (administered on babies in the health centre), supplemental immunization activity (supplements to boost the babies), surveillance (searching for children that have weakness in their legs or some oart of their bodies), and outbreak response.
The Health Educator noted that the Novel Oral Polio Vaccination Type 2 (NOPV 2) will be administered to children under the age of 0-5 years, which targets a specific polio still in existence in communities and capable of causing paralysis among the stated categories of children, despite the country being certified a polio-free nation.
Dr. Babbo further stated that this year’s NIPDs will address the high number of unresolved non-compliance cases in the State.
She debunked what she tagged a false rumour by mischief makers which claimed that the vaccines are responsible for the development of autism in children.
She said, “vaccines are not known to be responsible for the development of autism. We’re just hearing that. The truth is that one cannot know everything.
“That aspect that has been found, have we looked into other aspects, such as genetically modified foods, drinks, and milks that our children are taking?
“Have we also looked at genetic compatibility between couples before we now say vaccines are causing x, y, z things?
“Are we looking at the environment where these things are happening, what they are peculiar to?
“It must not be peculiar to all the families, there could be something also that’s happening around that we have not known. Research is evolving, let us not accuse our precious vaccines that have succeeded so far in my knowledge, to keep as many sicknesses at bay.
“The reason we do not have small pox in our world today, apart from the lab (a bio-lab) is because we vaccinated to the point where we were able to move small pox totally out of existence from human beings. We can succeed with that same pattern with all kinds of viruses”.
She stated that the connection between autism and vaccination could merely be coincidence.
Babbo, therefore, urged all parents, churches, and school owners to avail their children/wards the opportunity to be vaccinated against polio the stated exercise.
Sogbeba Dokubo
Engr Obi Fortune, a renowned philanthropist, has donated 80 desks to four secondary schools in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State. The donation is part of his commitment to advancing education in the area.
The schools that benefited from the gesture includes- Community Secondary School Umuoye.
Community Secondary School Akwa- Government Secondary School Ozuzu and Community Primary School Okehi 2 and all the schools got 20 units each of the desks.
Speaking during the brief handing-over ceremony held recently in okehi recently, Engr Obi stated that the donation fulfills his promise to use proceeds from his book sales to procure desks for schools in the LGA.
He disclosed that more desks will arrive soon and expressed his continued commitment to supporting education in the area.
Obi urged the schools to make good use of the desks and called on other individuals to contribute to the educational needs in the area.
This gesture demonstrates Engr Obi’s dedication to improving education in Etche LGA.
A professor of social and political philosophy at Rivers State University (RSU ) Nkpolu Oroworukwu port Harcourt, Prof Agha Eresia _Eke has emphasized that citizenship participation is crucial for achieving true democratic government. He stressed that citizens’ involvement in exercising their basic rights, such as freedom of speech, assembly, and religion, is essential for a democratic institution to thrive.
Eresia _Eke stated this while presenting his inaugural lecture at the 111 university’s inaugural lecture series with the topic “Nigeria Democratic practices:a contextual paradox”held at the university senate auditorium in Port Harcourt, last Wednesday.
According to him, core democratic values which include:,- Respect for individual rights and freedoms, Protection of human rights and fundamental freedom, Equality before the law, Freedom of speech, assembly, and association, Protection of privacy and personal autonomy.
“Through out history, the problem that has agitated social and political philosophers has been to work _out a model for the realization of the common good of man.
Man has always sought and developed methods and systems of organising himself according to his true nature as a rational being.”he stated.
Eresia-Eke notes that Nigeria is not practicing a true federalism and highlights the importance of a pragmatic approach to democracy, where ideas and solutions are tested and refined in real-world environments.
He emphasized that citizens must hold their leaders accountable and demand respect for human rights, stressing that by doing so, citizens can undertake their civic obligations and responsibilities, strengthening society as a whole.
Earlier in his address, the Vice chancellor of the university, Prof Zeb _Obipi commended the lecturer for his brilliant performance, adding that he has justified and proven that he is a professor in his area of specialization.
The VC averred that the university has been consistent in the inaugural lecture monthly and assured that his administration will continue to continue to keep the trend.