Niger Delta
Edo, Delta, Bayelsa Govts Outline Palliative Distribution Strategies
Edo, Delta, and Bayelsa State Governments have expressed their different palliative distribution strategies to lessen the impacts of the current harsh economy on their citizens.
The state governments disclosed their plans while responding to the citizens’ call for intervention in a survey across the three states by The Tide’s source on Wednesday.
The source reports that the distribution of palliatives had recently become the focus of state governments and organisations, following the hard times occasioned by the removal of petrol subsidy and the unification of exchange rates.
It recalls that on March 22, the Federal Medical Centre, Keffi, had confirmed the death of two students while rushing to get bags of rice distributed by the Nasarawa State Government.
Besides the death of the two students of Nasarawa State University, Keffi, the hospital also confirmed it received 14 others with different degrees of injuries from the incident.
The Vice-Chancellor, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Prof. Suleiman Bala-Mohammed, while attributing the stampede to impatience on the part of the students, promised further investigation into the matter.
In a similar incident on March 24, the police in Bauchi State confirmed the death of four persons in a stampede during the distribution of alms by a philanthropist in Bauchi metropolis.
Spokesperson of the police command, SP Ahmed Wakil, said the incident occurred when hundreds of people gathered to collect alms from the said philanthropist.
The police, thereafter, said the death toll from the stampede had risen to seven as at March 25.
Against this backdrop, the Edo State Government says it is doing things differently to ensure lives meant to benefit from the palliatives do not end up dead during the process of distribution.
The State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Mr Chris Nehikhare, told the source that the state operates its “Operation Feed the Hungry Initiative” via places of worship.
Nehikhare said the distribution of palliatives to the people through places of worship was to avoid stampedes as recorded in Nasarawa and Bauchi states.
“This method of palliative distribution, using churches and mosques, is the best.
“It’s just like the Edobest Education System that so many states have come to understudy and adopt”, he said.
According to him, the model does not encourage stampedes because it takes into consideration the closeness between the poor and the vulnerable and their various churches and mosques.
“When people are poor and hungry, they feel more comfortable to go to their places of worship, either the church or the mosque.
“You will also agree that these places of worship do not discriminate. It does not matter the political party one belongs to; everyone is treated equally.
“So, this is what this model is based on”, he said.
The Commissioner disclosed that the model supported the buying of the food within the locality where it would be distributed without involving contractors.
He said: “The only role the government plays in the model is to provide funds and monitor the process”.
According to him, some Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) usually donate food to widows, the poor, and the vulnerable, going through churches and mosques.
“It is a model where, even though government is funding it, it (government) has removed its hands completely from the distribution process.
“Government will only carry out a routine monitoring to access the outcome and its impact.
“So, I recommend this model to other states. I’m sure that with time, when people begin to see the effectiveness and the impact of this model, other states will adopt it”, he added.
Meanwhile in Delta State, as residents lament not receiving palliatives from the government, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr Dennis Guwor, said the legislators were not mandated to give such to their constituents.
The Speaker made the disclosure when members of the Western Chapter of the Ijaw National Congress visited him in his office.
Though Guwor noted he was not against giving palliatives, he explained that members of the Assembly had, in their different ways, empowered their constituents.
According to him, members of the assembly can reach out to their constituents during Easter and Christmas celebrations as well as any other time as the need arises.
Corroborating the people’s cry in Delta, Director of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Mr Karo Ovemeso, confirmed that the State Government had yet to embark on any distribution of palliatives to residents.
He, however, said: “That we are not giving palliatives for now does not mean we have not been giving relief materials to victims and communities that are challenged”.
The residents of Bayelsa State have a similar story to share, as they said they too had yet to receive any form of palliatives from their State Government.
A resident, Mr Moses Edefe, lamenting how he and his family could barely feed, alleged that the State Government had not shown concern for the people’s sufferings.
According to him, the State Government has never been proactive in terms of the welfare of the people.
“They shared rice during the 2023 November governorship election but only to their party members, a Federal Government palliative for that matter.
“It was a very wrong thing to do, not considering the poor people in the society.
“I don’t know why the Bayelsa Government keeps neglecting the people.
“Even the N35,000 wage palliative has not been paid, not even for a month, to any Bayelsa worker, it’s very bad.
“I call on the Bayelsa Government to do the needful, as the people are suffering. Let them have a rethink”, he said.
Another resident, Mr Solomon Edums, who recalled the loss of lives in the past few days while struggling to secure palliatives, called for caution.
However, in a subtle reaction to the people’s allegations, Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa, at Easter, said the provision of palliatives was not a lasting solution to the economic hardship in the country.
He said his administration was initiating policies and programmes that would bring about long-term empowerment to people of the state rather than short-term palliatives.
The Governor, who explained that the government could not alone provide for everyone, called on the people to get involved.
Continue Reading
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.
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.
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.
-
Politics3 days agoSenate Urges Tinubu To Sack CAC Boss
-
News3 days agoAmend Constitution To Accommodate State Police, Tinubu Tells Senators
-
News3 days agoDisu Takes Over As New IGP …Declares Total War On Corruption, Impunity
-
Business3 days ago
President Tinubu Extends Raw Shea Nuts Export Ban To 2027
-
Business3 days ago
Crisis Response: EU-project Delivers New Vet. Clinic To Katsina Govt.
-
Business3 days ago
President Tinubu Approves Extension Ban On Raw Shea Nut Export
-
Sports3 days ago
NDG: Rivers Coach Appeal To NDDC In Talent Discovery
-
Business3 days ago
Fidelity Bank To Empower Women With Sustainable Entrepreneurship Skills, HAP2.0