Niger Delta

Bayelsa 2023: SA Hails Diri’s 2nd Term Bid

Published

3 years ago

February 13, 2023

Special Adviser to the Bayelsa State Governor on Inter-party Relations, Dr Jackson Ebi Suokiri, has said the state Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has shown greater capacity and competence in the leadership of the state.
He made the assertions in his office in Yenagoa recently while speaking with The Tide on the sidelines of the third anniversary celebrations of the Governor Diri-led “Prosperity Government”.
It would be recalled that Diri took oath of office as Governor on 14th February, 2020, and on 14th of February, 2023 would have served three out of his first four year tenure as Governor of the state.
The Governor’s aide, who bared his mind on the programmes and projects of the Diri’s administration, reaffirmed the Governor’s Commitment towards human capacity and infrastructural development.
The Special Adviser noted also that upon assumption of office as Governor of the state, Senator Diri made the state entirely safe for investments to thrive by ensuring the enabling peace and tranquility and provision of adequate security architecture.
He said there was no Local Government Area of the state without executed or ongoing infrastructural projects by the Diri’s administration.
While calling on Bayelsans to continually keep faith in the government, the Kaiama-born legal practitioner lampooned those from the opposition divide whom he alleged were making “unfounded and unnecessary allegations against the government on its policies and programmes”.
Suokiri who also spoke on the Governor’s recent picking up of the governorship intent form of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the November, 2023 governorship polls in the state, noted that Governor Diri’s achievements were visible in all spheres of the state, saying he deserves re-election for consolidation and even greater achievements for the state.
“This government has touched lives of Bayelsans in all spheres. It’s been paying salaries promptly to civil servants in the state Civil Service, it’s been conducting regular promotion exercises for Civil Servants in the state and implementing their promotion incremental benefits.
“This government, from inception into office has been releasing N200,000,000 monthly for the payment of gratuity owed retirees.
“On infrastructure and urban renewal, this government has redesigned and reconstructed the Edepie/Etegwe roundabout in the Yenagoa LGA.
“This government completed and commissioned the Imiringi bridge, awarded contract and completed the construction of the collapsed Elebele bridge, both in the Ogbia LGA of the state.
“This government also initiated, constructed and inaugurated the 4.5km Igbedi road in the Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA of the state; completed construction and inaugurated the Nembe unity bridge in the Nembe LGA of the state; completed the Onopa bridge and constructed the access road to the New Yenagoa city; constructed and inaugurated the Igbogene-Okarki section of the phase one of the Igbogene-AIT/Elebele outer ring road; and don’t forget that the construction of the three Senatorial roads projects with multiples of bridges is on course under this administration.
“Diri has shown capacity and competence, he truly deserves a befitting second tenure and I want to urge all Bayelsans to queue behind the Governor on his second tenure when finally the time comes”, Suokiri added.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa

Niger Delta

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

Published

1 day 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

1 day 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

1 day 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.