Niger Delta

Bayelsa Unveils Committee On New Gateway Road

Published

3 years ago

January 6, 2023

The Bayelsa State Government has earmarked the stretch of land running from Igbogene to Onopa along the Phase Two of the New Yenagoa Gateway Road as a planning area within the state capital.
The State’s Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, disclosed this at an enlarged stakeholders’ meeting involving the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, the office of the Surveyor General, and the Bayelsa Physical Planning and Development Board, as well as traditional rulers drawn from Igbogene to Onopa.
A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the Deputy Governor on Media, Mr Doubara Atasi, stated that the Lawmaker representing Yenagoa Constituency One in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Oforji Oboku, and the Obenibe of Epie, King Malla Sasime, also attended the meeting.
Addressing the meeting, Senator Ewhrudjakpo explained that government’s intention to designate both sides of the Gateway Road as a planning area was aimed at preventing the disorderly development of structures in the area.
He noted that Yenagoa, the state capital, is supposed to be a cynosure of Bayelsa, but due to uncoordinated and haphazard construction of buildings everywhere, it is yet to achieve the aesthetic beauty of a capital city.
According to the Deputy Governor, both government and the various communities, including land developers, are to blame for not implementing the original Yenagoa City Master plan over the years, which he noted, had resulted in the present chaotic structural status of the state capital.
Shedding more light on the proposed plan, Senator Ewhrudjakpo said government’s intention was not to acquire all the land in the designated area, but to map out roads and allocate areas for specific public utilities to ensure orderly and planned development.
To achieve this, he announced the setting up of an 11-man Technical Committee chaired by the Executive Secretary of the State Physical Planning and Development Board, Alabo Gideon Ekeuwei
The Committee comprises five representatives from the communities, and six officials from the ministry, the Physical Planning and Development Board, the Surveyor General’s office, and the office of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mr. Andrew Esau, allayed the fears of the communities, assuring that they have right and access to their lands, but that government’s interest is to regulate development in the area.
In his contribution, the Executive Chairman of the Physical Planning and Development Board, Alabo Gideon Ekeuwei, said government needed the cooperation of the various communities to successfully carry out its urban development plan in the area.
On their part, the Member representing Yenagoa Constituency 1 in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Oforji Oboku, the Obenibe of Epie Kingdom, King Malla Sasime, and all the traditional rulers present at the meeting endorsed the decision of government.
While commending the present administration’s development strides, they, however, called for adequate sensitization campaigns in all the affected communities to enable the people understand the good plan of government for the area.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa

Niger Delta

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

Published

2 days 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

2 days 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

2 days 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.