Niger Delta
ThisDay award, Affirmation Of Oborevwori’s Performance — Commissioner
Delta State Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, has said the sterling performance of the State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, stood him out for the ThisDay and Arise Television award.
Aniagwu stated this on Monday in Asaba at a press conference while reacting to a statement credited to former Deputy Senate President, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege, demanding to know what the state government has done with its finances.
The Commissioner, in company of the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sir Festus Ahon, and the Executive Assistant to Governor on New Media, Mr. Felix Ofou, said government would reply critics with more projects.
He said the Governor Oborevwori-led administration had defrayed over N235 billion debts from inherited projects and had initiated new ones.
According to him, the Governor is a bridge builder who does not discriminate against anyone on account of political affiliations.
He said the Governor had impacted all sectors of the state’s economy and had initiated new projects and in 2024 budgeted N1 billion for road projects across the 25 Local Government Areas in the state.
Aniagwu said given the impact of the LGA road projects, the State Government has also in 2025 increased the budget to N2.1 billion for road projects across the LGAs.
The Commissioner said the State Government has awarded over 15 kilometers of road projects in the Ndokwa Nation in addition to the many ongoing bridge constructions in the area.
According to Aniagwu, the sterling performance of Governor Oborevwori in the past 19 and half months has become the undoing of critics.
He said on account of the N1 billion budgeted for road projects across LGAs, the State Government has been able to take road projects to the community and to ward levels in the 25 LGAs.
He also said the State Government’s contributions to the education and judiciary sectors were unprecedented.
The Commissioner said the Oborevwori government has acquired and donated over 60 brand new vehicles among other gadgets to security agencies to combat crimes in the state.
He also said the government has initiated and commenced the construction of 50 units of pilot housing scheme in three locations across the three senatorial districts of the state, adding that the state capital, Asaba, would soon wear a brand new look.
Aniagwu continued that the Governor pays salaries and allowances of civil servants as and when due and was prompt in payment of the new minimum wage to the workers.
“In health sector alone, the government has renovated and equipped no fewer than 150 health care facilities across the state.
”The Governor believes in value for money, hence he engages in physical project monitoring. He has also charged the commissioners to monitor and avoid shoddy jobs if they want to remain or be shown the way out.
“We give as much as 40 per cent mobilisation and pay certificates to contractors to ensure timely completion of projects and to avoid contract reviews and in spite of all this, we remain solvent and solid financially, we have not borrowed a dime from anyone.
”So, our brother, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege need to be educated on what we are doing with our monies”, Aniagwu said.
Aniagwu warned individuals who engage in grabbing government lands to desist forth with, adding that government would not only demolish such buildings, but would subject the culprits to pay the bills for the demolitions.
He said the Governor was concentrating on good governance and would not be distracted by those whose trade in stock was to defect from one political party to another.
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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.
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.
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.
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