Niger Delta

…Pays Medical Bills For Victims Of Boat Mishap …Warns Against Violence During Rerun Polls In Bayelsa

Published

3 years ago

April 12, 2023

Bayelsa State Government has taken over the medical bills of the victims of last Thursday’s boat mishap at Okoroma Community in Nembe Local Government Area of the state.
The Tide learnt that Governor Douye Diri last Sunday directed the Commissioner for Health to ensure that the sttate Government picks the bill of hospitalised victims.
Speaking during the Easter Sunday service at the King of Glory Chapel in Government House, Yenagoa, Governor Diri, who sympathized with families that lost individuals in the boat accident, also directed the Health Commissioner to refund survivors whatever they had spent on treatment.
His Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah, quoted the Governor as directing all relevant authorities in the transport sector, especially those in charge of the waterways, to ensure that all safety measures were duly complied with henceforth to avert a reoccurrence.
He said his administration will not hesitate to sanction anyone found wanting in the discharge of their duties as government will no longer allow such avoidable accidents.
Speaking on the rerun House of Reps and House of Assembly polls for the Southern Ijaw Federal Constituency and Ogbia Constituency 2 respectively, the Bayelsa helmsman called for peaceful conduct of the elections, saying the events that led to the rerun must be avoided.
He stated that in the spirit of Easter, politicians should see politics as a means to serve the people and not engage in actions that negate value for the lives of people they intend to serve.
He also urged politicians and their followers in the state to close ranks after the general election, stressing that Bayelsa can only move forward when there is unity and love towards one another.
”No power could prevent Jesus from resurrecting and no power will hold anyone or Bayelsa State down.
“As you already know, for us as a government, it is about how we can live in peace and harmony. We have rejected cultism and it can never be part of us again. If we believe in the resurrection power, we must show love and sacrifice like Jesus and God did.
“My message is very clear. We have seen the resurrection and its power. Whatever that was dead in our lives, the power of resurrection will affect it.
“As Ijaw people, we live by the truth and we will indeed be set free. Elections have come and gone. Whatever our differences were, let us put them aside. It is time for reconciliation.
“The power of government is to do good, to be compassionate, to bring development and ensure peace.
“On April 15, we have rerun elections. Let me use this opportunity to again make this call. Our purpose is to serve the people. So, in this rerun poll, what led to it should not repeat itself. That was a bad publicity for Bayelsa State.
“I also call on INEC and the security agencies to do their job. Democracy is about the people and not politicians. Let us go as brothers and sisters to the rerun election. All I ask for as governor of this state is peace and for us to be civil”, he said.
Delivering a sermon, Chaplain of the King of Glory Chapel, Pastor David Yalah, said the resurrection of Jesus is real and it gave hope to Christians that death will not always have power over them.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells,
Yenagoa

Niger Delta

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

Published

4 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

4 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

4 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.