Niger Delta

Counterpart Fund: C’River Farmers Lose N600m Facility Over State’s Default

Published

4 years ago

November 1, 2022

Farmers in Cross River State have lost access to draw from N600 million Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises (LIFE) project.
This is because the State Government has failed to pay its counterpart fund of about N147 million to the project.
LIFE is a project of the Federal Government designed in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development and Niger Delta Development Commission.
The Project Coordinator in the State, Mr Innocent Ogbims, told The Tide source in Calabar yesterday that the failure by the State Government was affecting the execution of the project which began in September 2020.
He said while the project targeted 4,250 benefitting farmers in its six-year cycle, only 1,160 farmers have so far benefitted in the third year of execution of the project.
Ogbims noted that though the State Governor, Ben Ayade, approved the first counterpart fund payment in 2022, no money had been released to the project.
“Non-payment of the yearly contribution of about N49 million by the State has impacted negatively on the implementation of the project that have impacted positively on a total of 1,160 beneficiaries since inception.
“It has affected the morale and motivation of those who are implementing the project. It has affected the procurement of some of the things the state would have provided for and even the hiring of support staff.
“In terms of logistics, we are lacking a lot. We have only two vehicles to cover the state and we have 13 staff members”, he stated.
Ogbims explained that 100 rural communities in 10 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the State were earmarked to benefit from the project.
He listed the LGAs to include: Ogoja, Obudu, Obanliku and Yala in the Northern Senatorial district, Ikom, Obrubra and Yakurr in the Central district and Biase, Akamkpa and Akpabuyo in the Southern senatorial district.
He noted that the 10 rural communities were selected from each of the council areas to make up for the 100 communities that would benefit from the project.
He added that about N300 million had been spent on the project in in 2022.
“We have operated only in 52 communities with 120 incubators and 1,160 trainees trained and supported to start their businesses in production, processing and service provision,’’ he said.
Ogbims said a lot of successes had been recorded by the state since the start of implementation in 2020.
“Youths and women engaged are already running their businesses. There is also a lot of enthusiasm from the youths that are clamouring to benefit.
“Some of these youths have gone ahead to register their businesses with the Corporate Affairs Commission to enhance their participation.
“The project has also exposed rural youths who had taken agriculture as business. It has taken them far from what they used to know earlier,’’ he said.
He said the project had also impacted positively on food security in the state.
“Before our intervention, rice farmers were producing 1.3kg per hectare here; but we have moved to between 3.5kg and 4kg per hectare,’’ he said.
In his remarks, the supervising commissioner in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Mfom Bassey, said he was not in position to speak about the project since he started supervising the ministry only one month ago.
He added that the permanent secretary who would have responded was indisposed.
LIFE-ND promotes community-based on-farm and off-farm business activities along key agricultural value chains as a mechanism for job and wealth creation.
The project is being implemented in nine states in the Niger Delta.

Niger Delta

850-bed UCTH overstretched, services 5m patients – CMD

Published

2 days ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), Prof. Ikpeme Ikpeme, has said the 850-bed hospital is overstretched, as it currently serves over five million patients.

He disclosed this on Friday during a media tour of the facility to showcase ongoing renovations and facelift in the hospital.

The CMD noted that, aside being the only tertiary healthcare facility servicing the state, UCTH also serviced neighbouring states of Akwa Ibom and Ebonyi.

He said the hospital also received referrals from neighbouring countries, including Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Central African Republic.

According to him, the 850-bed hospital faced persistent space constraints because of increasing patients inflow and expanding healthcare demands.

“This hospital currently operates 62 clinical and non-clinical departments as well as between 30 and 38 wards covering medical, surgical, paediatric, orthopaedic and specialised services.

“Most wards have undergone facelift, remodelling, or complete renovation to improve patient care and working conditions for healthcare professionals”, he said.

He disclosed that the hospital was constructing a new 106-bed emergency medicine facility to address the rising demand for healthcare services.

According to him, the facility will include trauma bays, intensive care units, neonatal wards, and three fully equipped trauma theatres.

Speaking on the remodeled wards, Ikpeme explained that they followed modern nursing principles, allowing one nurse to attend to a maximum of 10 patients.

He said relatives would be restricted to designated waiting areas to reduce interference with medical procedures and improve emergency response efficiency.

The CMD noted that the hospital had strengthened specialist services in orthopaedics, neurosurgery, obstetrics, radiology, and minimally invasive surgery.

“UCTH now performs hip and knee replacements, arthroscopy, sports medicine, and complex brain tumour surgeries.

“Our surgeons also conduct keyhole procedures for appendectomy, hysterectomy and other conditions with faster patient recovery periods,” he said

In power, the CMD said the hospital relied on solar power from a seven-megawatt plant, constructed by the Federal Government at the University of Calabar, as well as public power supply, and generators to sustain its operations.

He appealed to governments, organisations, and philanthropists to support infrastructure expansion, equipment procurement, and specialised healthcare projects.

The CMD said the hospital required additional incubators, ward expansions, and a stand-alone amenity facility for private healthcare services.

He used the opportunity to dismiss allegations of ethnic discrimination, insisting that the hospital does not reject workers or patients based on tribe or origin.

According to him, the institution recently honoured an Igbo pioneer physician by naming a ward after him in recognition of decades of service.

The CMD said the hospital maintained strict disciplinary procedures to address negligence, poor attitude, and unethical conduct among staff.

The Tide’s source reports that some of the units visited include, intensive care unit, Department of Radiology, Urology Clinic, and Opthalmology Clinic.

Niger Delta

Police Burst Child Trafficking Syndicate In A’Ibom … Nab 3 Suspects

Published

2 days ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Police Command in Akwa Ibom State says it has busted a child trafficking syndicate and arrested three suspects for conspiracy and unlawful sale of a newborn baby in the State.

The State’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Timfom John, who disclosed this in a statement in Uyo on Friday, said the three female suspects were arrested on Wednesday at about 1900hrs.

She said a complainant reported that his wife gave birth to a baby boy on May 7 and shockingly, shortly after delivery sold the newborn child to one of the suspects for N145, 000.

“Upon receipt of the report, operatives immediately swung into action, leading to the arrest of the suspects and the successful recovery of the baby boy.

“The suspects reportedly confessed to the crime during interrogation, while investigation has been expanded to identify and apprehend all individuals connected to the trafficking syndicate”, John said.

She said the State’s Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare, reiterated the Command’s commitment to sustaining aggressive intelligence-led policing in the state.

Niger Delta

A’Ibom Launches Operation Crack Down Scrap Dealers

Published

2 days ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Akwa-Ibom State Government has launched a statewide crackdown on unregistered scrap dealers and scavengers, shutting down illegal operations and arresting operators accused of violating environmental and public safety regulations.

The enforcement operation, led by the Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency (AKSEPWMA), followed the implementation of the state’s Waste Metal Scrap Law 2026, officials said.

AKSEPWMA Chairman, Obong Prince Ikim, said the exercise was aimed at regulating the scrap sector, protect the environment, and prevent criminal groups from operating under the guise of waste collection and metal trading.

“If you want to do scrap business, you must register,” Mr. Ikim said during the operation in Uyo, the state capital.

“Many people now hide under scrap trading to perpetrate nefarious activities”, he said.

According to him, dump site operators and scrap dealers who failed to register with the government risked closure and prosecution.

Authorities accused some operators of involvement in vandalism of public infrastructure and indiscriminate waste disposal, adding that investigations had uncovered criminal activities linked to several dump sites across the state.

“Some people vandalise government facilities in the name of scrap business and encourage indiscriminate dumping of refuse,” Mr. Ikim said.

He added that the state government and security agencies would continue efforts to enforce compliance and maintain public order.

“The Commissioner of Police has zero tolerance for criminality, and the Governor wants Akwa Ibom people to sleep with their eyes closed. We will fish out every defaulter”, he said.

Police officials involved in the operation said investigations showed that some criminal suspects used scrap yards and refuse dump sites as cover for illegal activities.

CSP Okwuzulike Vincent of the Itam Police Station said some suspects pretended to be mentally unstable while hiding ammunition and other suspicious items in makeshift shelters around dump locations.

The police officer praised the environmental agency for what he described as proactive efforts to sanitise the sector and pledged continued cooperation between law enforcement and the agency.

Officials said some first-time offenders arrested during the operation were released after profiling and signing undertakings, while repeat offenders would face prosecution.