Niger Delta

Bayelsa To Partner Dangote Foundation On Health, Other Sectors …As Diri Flags-off State-wide Palliative Rice Distribution

Published

2 years ago

July 5, 2024

The Bayelsa State Government has expressed its readiness to partner the Aliko Dangote Foundation on quality healthcare delivery services and other critical sectors to improve the overall wellbeing of the people of the state.
The State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, made this known on Wednesday while flagging off the National Food Intervention Programme being organised by the Aliko Dangote Foundation in Yenagoa, the state capital.
Represented by his Deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, the Governor commended the Foundation for donating 10,000 bags of 10kg rice for distribution in the state to alleviate the economic hardship among Bayelsans, especially the less privileged.
While acknowledging the group’s effort in funding critical healthcare projects in the country, he said his administration was desirous of establishing and sustaining effective partnership with the Dangote Foundation.
The Bayelsa Chief Executive disclosed that the State Government had already secured about 21 thousand bags of rice and other grains which would soon be distributed to Bayelsans as food palliatives to cushion the impact of the current harsh economic realities.
According to him, his administration had been supporting 420 persons with N200,000 each every month to enable them create sustainable livelihoods and promote self reliance through business activities across the eight Local Government Areas of the state.
“On behalf of a grateful state, I want to welcome you and thank the Aliko Dangote Foundation for this very noble humanitarian initiative.
“It is quite encouraging that someone had to do this on his own volition, not being nudged or compelled. It is the milk of human kindness in Alhaji Aliko Dangote that is actually manifesting.
“We convey the appreciation of the people of Bayelsa to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation and the Dangote Group for this gesture.
“We also believe that this gesture should not end in food alone. The Bayelsa State Government is open and ready to embrace the Aliko Dangote Foundation in the area of healthcare delivery.
“I say so because I am aware that you also have something in the area of healthcare delivery. We are looking forward to having an effective partnership with your Foundation in health and other sectors because you have been supporting the national health scheme”, the Governor said.
In his welcome remarks, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Prof. Beke Toboukiye Sese, said the State Government was delighted at the philanthropic gesture from the Aliko Dangote Foundation.
Prof. Sese assured the Foundation that the 7,000 bags of rice received so far would be judiciously distributed to the beneficiaries, especially the needy in the state.
Speaking on behalf of the Foundation, the Head of Operations, Mr. Ejiro Victor Edero, said the purpose of the gesture from the Chairman of the Foundation, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, was to alleviate hardship being faced by families across the state.
Ejiro said the Foundation’s food intervention programme was a nationwide project, with over one million bags of rice being distributed across the 36 states in the country.
He expressed confidence in the integrity of the distribution team to diligently distribute the 7,000 bags of rice already supplied, assuring that the balance of 3,000 bags, making a total of 10,000 would be delivered to the state by the weekend.
Also, speaking on behalf of the focal persons in charge of the distribution team, Mr. Newton Toitoi, described the intervention by the Aliko Dangote Foundation as timely and promised that the team would ensure a fair and effective distribution of the food to the most vulnerable in the state.

Ariwera Ibibo-Howells,
Yenagoa

Niger Delta

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

Published

3 days 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

3 days 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

3 days 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.