Rivers
N’Delta Stakeholders Task Incoming Administrations On Energy Transition
Stakeholders in the Niger Delta region have urged incoming governments to include energy transition plan with the view to ensuring ownership and control of clean energy system.
It also called on the government to recognise oil and gas pollution as a crime against the environment, and ensure the prosecution of offenders, in order to serve as deterrence.
They stated this at the second Niger Delta convergence in port Harcourt, weekend.
The Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, said those destroying the Niger Delta Environment are common criminals.
Describing destruction of the environment as “ecocide”, Bassey said ecocide is destruction of the natural environment of the earth, adding that it beholves in-coming governments to include a comprehensive energy transition plan that will ensure ownership and control of clean energy systems.
He lamented that 90 percent of pollution in the Gulf of Guinea region were from oil and gas activities in the Niger Delta, and called for urgent responses to climate change impacts, including by setting up mechanisms for emergency response to floods, shoreline protection, restoration of mangrove forests, halting of deforestation, and proper urban and rural planning.
“Permit me to recommend that the Nigerian government should take steps to recognize ecocide as a crime and ensure the prosecution of offenders going forward. Ecocide in simple terms is the destruction of one’s home, the Earth.
“Any person or entity engaged in activities that lead to large scale and long terms or irreversible destruction of our home, the Earth, should be held to account as an incentive for others to be of good environmental behaviour.We must regain our dignity as a people. We must rebuild our devastated region. We can do it. And the time to do this is now”, he said.
On his part, Executive Director of “We The People”, Comrade Ken Henshaw, called for a clear policy for divestment of international oil companies from the oil fields and communities they have exploited for over six decades.
He stressed the need for comprehensive audit of the entire region of Niger Delta covering health, livelihoods, social and economic impacts of crude oil and gas extraction as well as remediation and restoration impacted territories and reparations for the damage suffered.
Other demands, according to him, include: “to comprehensively address the issues related to artesanal refining of crude oil, stop all forms of oil theft, and hold accomplices to account.
“Legislators to ensure the review of the Petroleum Industry Act, to eliminate the criminalisation of communities and removing vestiges of colonial authorities given to oil companies to determine who the host communities are and to rig the arrangement for developmental supports of the communities.
“The earmarking of 30 per cent of profit of the NNPC for exploration of oil in so-called frontier fields should be deleted from the Act and a definite deadline to end routine gas flaring should be set.
“Immediate review of the NDDC Act and the release of the forensic audit ordered by the outgoing government. The administration of the 13 percent derivation fund should also be designed to be transparent, inclusive, and fair to impacted communities”.
Also speaking the Guest Speaker, Professor Sofiri Peterside, stressed the need for measures to protect communities in the face of the current divestment program by multinational companies.
Peterside also called for comprehensive cleanuup of the Niger Delta region.
On his part, a Niger Delta Activist, Alabo Nengi James, said some communities in the region will soon be washed off as the water in the ocean increase s in volume.
A representative of oil communities in Ondo State, Mr Kayode Israel, used the opportunity to raise the alarm that ocean surge was about erasing Ayetoro communities from the earth and called for immediate commencement of shoreline protection in the area.
By: John bibor
The Chairman of Emohua Local Government Council, Dr. Chidi Lloyd, has congratulated the Paramount Ruler of Emohua Kingdom in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, HRM Ohna Sergeant Awuse, on his recent appointment by Rivers State Government as the new Chairman of the State Council of Traditional Rulers.
The immediate past Governor, Nyesom Wike, made the announcement during the last State Honours and Awards held in Government House, recently.
Lloyd on behalf of the government and the people of the local government expressed appreciation to Wike for what he called “a well deserved appointment”.
The council chairman, in a statement through his Chief Press Secretary, Bright Elendu, expressed optimism that the State Traditional Rulers Council under the leadership of Ohna Sergeant Awuse will consolidate on the achievements of the administration of King Dandeson Jaja (Amanyanabo of Opobo Kingdom) to further strengthen the traditional institution in the State.
He assured Awuse of the support of the government and people of the area, while wishing him a successful tenure.
The statement also appreciated the government of Rivers State for the recognition of four traditional rulers in the local government.
The newly recognised traditional rulers who are all in the Second Class category are Eze (Dr) Wobodo Sunday Jonah, Nye Nwe-Ali Ibaa/Obelle; Ohna Christian Okachineke Elechi, Nye Nwe-Eli Odegu; Eze Damian Azike Ejiohuo, Nye Nwe-Ali Rundele XII, Nogbo II, Eze Christian Amadi Evekwuru, Eze Chigu Rumuekpe.
Lloyd said his administration looks forward to partnering with the traditional institution to foster peace and improve security across the communities in the local government.
By: Theresa Fredrick & Charity Amiso
In response to the need to enhance the professionalism of women journalists in Nigeria through the improvement of skills, the Institute for Media and Society, IMS, has trained another group of broadcast women journalists in digital multimedia storytelling with the funding support of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria Project II.
Welcoming the participants to Port Harcourt Rivers State, the Institute for Media and Society, IMS, Programme Manager, Mr Timothy Bamidele, submitted that so far 78 women broadcast journalists have been trained in digital storytelling, since the beginning of the second phase of European Union Support to Democratic Governance.
The Programme Manager highlighted that the training activity is under Component four in the EU-SDGN Project II and aimed at providing support to media in Nigeria.
Mr Bamidele stressed that the action is intended to contribute to strengthening democratic governance in Nigeria through increased engagements and improved capacity of a wide range of media stakeholders in Nigeria, including media professionals, and targeting the following results areas: Professionalism of media practitioners, especially women Enhanced; Strengthened media professional capacity to deal with electoral misinformation/disinformti-on; enhanced media platforms’ ability to diversify, deepen the coverage of the electoral process and delivery of civic and voter education.
The activity will further help to meet the demand for more capacity building and production of professionally, digitally, and inclusively developed content for the electoral process by female broadcast journalists, focusing on post-election issues, Bamidele, submitted.
Two digital trainers, Mr Usifo Omozokpea and Mrs Ehi Ohiani took participants through areas such as reporting the electoral cycle, digital tools for content creation and the digital storytelling process among others.
They urged the participants to take advantage of the new media space to crowdsource, connect, create and distribute content relevant to social discourse for national development.
Broadcast women journalists from nine states including Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Delta, Edo, Bayelsa, Oyo, Ondo, and Ekiti attended the two-day digital capacity training.
The participants thanked IMS and the European Union Support to Democratic Governance for providing the platform, which they described as having a high impact.
The Zonal Director, Christ Embassy, Port Harcourt Zone III, Linder Okocha, has said the aim of the Church’s Royal Banquet Outreach is to bring peace to people of Woji and its environs.
Okocha disclosed this at the Royal Banquet Outreach it organised at the palace of King Leslie Nyebuchi Eke, Eze Gbakagbaka, at Woji in Obio/ Akpor Local Government Area recently.
She said the church was out to preach peace among the people, irrespective of their background.
“I am happy that the event is taking place today. I have looked forth for it. It is not an ordinary gathering or meeting, but a spiritual one”, she said.
Suggesting that everyone is a Minister of God, she urged them to use the opportunity and speak blessing to all.
Making allusion to ‘Romans 10 v 9-10, she called on all to always confess the supremacy of God in order to overcome evil.
On plans to sustain the programme, she said it will be given an accelerated attention to enable the church meet its target in the area.
Meanwhile, Eze Leslie Eke has proclaimed Woji and the entire Kingdom as a Christian entity.
He also appreciated the church for their choice of the palace for their programme and assured them of any assistance at the Kingdom’s reach.
Free customised decoders of the church were donated to each community head in Evo Kingdom.
By: King Onunwor