Niger Delta
No More Business As Usual In UNICAL -VC
Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. Florence Obi, says the institution is now a more serious academic environment and will no longer condone business as usual.
Obi made the disclosure on Friday in Calabar in an interview with The Tide’s source, while commemorating her third year in office as a VC.
The source recalls that the Vice Chancellor, who became the first female to man that position in UniCal since its inception in 1975, was installed on Decwmber 1, 2020.
Speaking about some of her challenges and achievements as the school’s administrative head in the last three years, she said she had to work extra hard as a woman to prove to the world that women could also lead such prestigious institution.
According to her, although some people are still finding it difficult to accept the fact that a woman is the Vice Chancellor of the institution, it has not stopped her from moving forward with innovations that has created a better learning environment.
She said when she came on board as the Vice Chancellor, she noticed that some lecturers taught and organised examinations but took up to two years to mark their scripts and produce results.
She said today, the lecturers sent their results to the portal in one month, because she had to enforce it despite the initial resistance.
She noted that in the past, many students believed paying lecturers to rewrite their examination, “sorting” was the way to go.
“In fact, the school was nicknamed ‘unisort’, but we have gone past that today. You now have to work for your grades.
“I noticed that our past answer booklets were in the hands of so many people who were doing business with them, setting up examinations after normal examinations and we swung into action.
“We customised the answer booklets every semester and none has been repeated in the last six examinations in my administration, we also digitised the result system, making it easy for all students to access their results from anywhere in real time.
“We improved the quality of our facilities by reviving the Equipment Maintenance Centre that had been dormant for years and made it a directorate to move from department to department and ensure that our facilities are properly maintained”, she said.
Speaking further, Obi said the institution now have more classrooms with the construction of new buildings like the pavilion one, two and three; that had made teaching easier and organising examinations faster.
She asserted that she ensured that all the roads within the institution were worked on, streetlights installed to illuminate the school at night and decentralisation of the central library to faculties with the introduction of a state of the art e-library.
On student development, she said they beefed up the Entrepreneurial Centre to ensure that students acquired skills before leaving school while they bided and won the right to host the Nigeria Universities Games Association (NUGA) 2026.
She commended the Federal Government through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) for its support in upgrading many of the facilities in the institution.
Niger Delta
RSNC Head Charges NAOMEW On Professionalism, Effective Service Delivery

The Head of Rivers State Newspaper Corporation, Mrs Stella Dornubari Gbaraba, has charged the National Association of Ogoni Media House Workers (NAOMEW) World Wide, to be committed to professionalism, patriotism and effective service delivery in the discharge of their duties and rendering of patriotic gestures.
Mrs Gbaraba gave the charge yesterday when the NAOMEW, The Tide Chapter paid her a courtesy call in her office in Port Harcourt.
She expressed deep appreciation for the visit, and assured the Association of her commitment to being a worthy Ogoni Ambassador like late Mr Augustine Nwikinaka, former General Manager of the corporation, to promote the fortunes of the corporation, while counting on their unflinching encouragement, prayers and support to succeed.
“ I am very happy to receive the National Association of Ogoni Media House Workers (The Tide Chapter) today in my office. I am glad you people came to my office, for those that know me in a short while in the corporation, I am a serious-minded person. I heard that the time the corporation was functioning well was under the leadership of late Austin Nwikinaka. Any where I go to, I will rather come down and show working example and that is what the Ogoni person is known for. So I am always proud to associate myself with an Ogoni man, so your support means so much to me,” Mrs Gbaraba said.
She assured them of running an open-door policy in the management of the corporation, and urged stronger partnership between NAOMEW, other unions, interest groups, corporate organisations, institutions and the Rivers State Newspaper Corporation in professional service delivery.
Speaking on behalf of the NAOMEW, The Tide Chapter, the National Secretary of the association, Comrade Taneh Beemene welcomed her into The Tide family and also congratulated her on her very important appointment.
Taneh, who expressed confidence in her experience and abilities to deliver on her assignments, thanked her for the uncommon feats recorded in the corporation within her brief leadership. He said the corporation has been revived from its comatose status that predated her appointment.
“ Within your short time, you have given the corporation a remarkable facelift. We pray that God should give you the enablement to restore the dignity of the corporation. We have come to inform you that we are solidly behind you and will make our untiring contributions to make you succeed, “ he stated.
In his vote of thanks and closing remarks, the Chairman, National Union of Printing, Publishing and Paper Production Workers (NUPPPPROW), Comrade Keyirale Donatus Nwiueh thanked the Head of the Rivers State Newspaper Corporation, Mrs Stella Dornubari Gbaraba for receiving the association in a warm manner, adding that she should count on the support of the association to succeed.
Kiadum Edookor
Niger Delta
OBALGA Sole Administrator Presents Brand New Fire Extinguishers To Council …Commiserates With Traders Over Rumuomasi Market Fire Incident …Commences Desilting Of Drainages

The Sole Administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Council, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter has presented 150 brand new fire extinguishers to the council.
Dr Walter who spoke to newsmen at the council premises at Rumuodumanya said the gesture was part of measures by his administration to ensure safety of lives and council property from unforeseen fire incidents.
He urged the staff of the council to ensure the safety of the extinguishers, while promising to engage experts to teach them how to handle and operate the extinguishers.
Meanwhile, Sole Administrator of Obio Akpor Local Government Council, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter has commiserated with traders at the Rumuomasi Market over the unfortunate fire incident that gutted parts of the market.
Dr Walter who visited the market to assess the level of damage caused by the fire, described it as unfortunate
Addressing the crowd of distressed traders and community members, Dr. Walter acknowledged the historical significance of the market, which was originally built under the administration of the former Obio/Akpor Chairman and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief (Barr.) Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, CON.
He noted that preliminary findings suggest the fire may have been caused by an electrical fault, though a full investigation is still underway.
“As a local government, we will constitute a thorough investigation team to determine the root cause of the fire,
“Most importantly, we thank God that no lives were lost. I want to assure our traders that the Local Government will not abandon you.
“We will also work with security operatives to safeguard salvaged goods and prevent further losses,” he said.
He encouraged traders to adopt stricter safety measures, especially concerning electrical appliances in markets prone to fire hazards.
“There are many ways fires can ignite, even without an open flame. Let us all be vigilant and prioritise safety,” he cautioned.
Dr. Walter also commended those who stepped in to assist during the emergency.
“We are grateful to all who helped salvage goods and support affected persons during the crisis. Your kindness embodies the spirit of Obio/Akpor. The forthcoming investigation will help us put preventive structures in place,” he said.
The Chairman of the market, Mr. Prince Adele, who accompanied Dr. Walter, during the inspection, identified K-Lane as the most severely affected area.
A statement by the information officer to the council, Ominini Leslie Wokoma said no incident of death was reported by the traders during the visit.
In another development, the Sole Administrator of Obio/Akpor local government council, Sir Clifford Ndu Walter, has commenced a comprehensive canal clearance campaign with a view to identifying and removal of all blockages including illegal structures hindering the free flow of waters in the area.
A statement from the council Press Secretary, Ominini Leslie Wokoma said during the inspection of key canals in the area, several unauthorised barricades and blockages were discovered and removed.
According to the statement, Dr Walter emphasised that illegal dumping, unapproved structures and poor drainage habits endanger communities and undermine government efforts, adding that his administration is committed to protecting lives and property of the citizens.
It said the Sole Administrator also declared his readiness to ensure that all canals and drainages are cleaned, maintained and functioning effectively.
He also warned against further dumping of waste in waterways, citing impending flooding.
Niger Delta
EFCC Praises NDDC’S Performance … Unveils Projects In Bayelsa
-
Opinion5 days ago
Benue Conflicts, Hope At Last?
-
Business5 days ago
NCDMB Charges Host Community Youths On Relevant Skills Development … As Promoters Handover Oloibiri Oil Museum
-
Sports5 days ago
Ronaldo Renews Stay With Saudi Pro League
-
Business5 days ago
ANLCA Chieftain Emerges FELCBA’s VP
-
Niger Delta5 days ago
EFCC Praises NDDC’S Performance … Unveils Projects In Bayelsa
-
News4 days ago
RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
-
Opinion5 days ago
Nigerian English As Nation-Building Tool
-
Nation5 days ago
TETFunds’ South Rep Visits CEAPOLY …Unveils Mass Communication Dept Building