Niger Delta
IFAD, LIFE-ND Inaugurate Multi-million Naira Agric Projects In Delta
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) assisted Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises in the Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) has continued with inauguration of agricultural enhancement projects in communities in Delta State.
The initiative, which is a tripartite programme of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), is aimed at ensuring food security through empowerment of women and youths in the rural communities in the Niger Delta region.
The Tide’s source reports that LIFE-ND on Wednesday inaugurated multi-million naira State-of-the-art poultry facility consisting five compartments of 250 birds capacity each, an office, store, toilet and an eight cubic meter solar powered borehole at Ekuma- Abavo, Ika South LGA of Delta state.
Also inaugurated was a cassava processing facility with machinery such as fryer, grater, sieving machine, manual and hydraulic press and washing machine with two office and store rooms, 25KVA generator, borehole and toilet at Ndemili, Ndokwa West LGA of the state.
While inaugurating the facilities on Wednesday, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, represented by the State Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. John Onovroke, charged the communities to take ownership of the projects.
He urged the benefiting communities not to allow the initiative and the projects to die but explore the opportunities they provided to ensure results and grow the economy of their communities in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
He said the projects would enable the rural communities engage in meaningful development through agriculture which would ensure food security, jobs and wealth creation for the people.
According to Kyari, cassava value chain provides veritable opportunity for women and youths to earn foreign exchange through dedicated and committed efforts.
“Also, as an agrarian community, Ekuma and Ndemili owe it a duty to maintain, sustain and multiple this facilities, train and empower the entire people of the community”, he said.
On his part, the National Project Coordinator, LIFE-ND, Dr. Abiodun Sanni, represented by Mr. Anthony Moluno, Rural Infrastructure Coordinator, charged the communities to put the facilities into effective use and not abandon the infrastructure.
He thanked the community for their peaceful disposition and for donating the land that enable the projects to succeed, adding that sustained peace would attract more projects to the communities.
He also thanked the State Government for its support and the partners for sustaining the programmes and making funds available for the projects execution in the various communities.
Also, in her remarks, the representative of the NDDC, Mrs. Stella Manure, assured that the commission would sustain its support to the project in its bid to develop and eradicate poverty and ensure food security in the region.
Earlier in his address the State Project Coordinator, LIFE-ND, Mr. Collins Ashoro, said the benefiting communities were fortunate to be among the 10 selected communities in the project implementing 10 LGAs in the state.
According to Ashoro, 4,373 individuals have benefited from the LIFE-ND project with over 40 infrastructural projects executed across Delta State.
“This initiative aligns with Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s M.O.R.E. Agenda and President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, both committed to improving the quality of life for families through agriculture and economic empowerment.
“The project objective is to enhance income, food security, and job creation for rural youth and women through enterprise development on sustainable basis using the incubation model.”
He said the projects “Cassava and poultry facilities” provided platform to reduce post harvest loses, enhance quality of products, improve livelihoods of farmers and increase access to better techniques which would give rise to higher yield and improved marketability of their products.
“The facilities will serve as a training hub for incubates and by equipping them with the necessary skills and knowledge, we are nurturing a new generations of agripreneurs who will drive innovation and growth in agricultural sector.
”These facilities are not just infrastructure projects but a symbol of hope, resilience, and progress. They represent our shared vision for a brighter future, where sustainable development and economic empowerment are within reach for all,” Ashoro said.
Responding on behalf of the communities, Ika South Council Chairman, Mr. Jerry Ehiwarior, represented by the LGA Secretary, Mr. Kainji Aluge-Obia, and the President General of Ndemili, Chief Austine Okonye, represented by Mr. Austine Ndego, lauded the projects.
They assured that the projects would be utilized, sustained and maintained for the benefits of the communities.
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Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, has ordered an immediate review of environmental sanitation operations in Calabar metropolis.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Linus Obogo, on Friday, the Governor said the sanitary situation of the city had become a cause for concern.
He said the review became necessary because Calabar should continue to maintain its status as the cleanest city in the country.
“The city is now littered with wastes, the cleanliness status of Calabar is almost gone, we cannot just fold our arms and watch,” he said.
The Governor continued that every resident of the city had roles to play towards restoring the sanitary status of the city.
“Every resident should live up to their responsibilities. Our reputation in sanitation was not earned overnight, we worked for it.
“It is the product of discipline, policy consistency, and civic responsibility. We cannot allow negligence to take away this reputation,” he said.
He further directed that henceforth, sanitation exercise should be supervised by the office of his Special Adviser on General Duties.
“This intervention is intended to ensure stricter coordination among contractors and government agencies that are responsible for waste management,
“Environmental sanitation is not a peripheral concern of government. It is central to public health, urban dignity, and the overall quality of life of the citizens”, he said.
Otu expressed displeasure at lapses arising from the attitude of some refuse contractors in the state.
He said breakdown of mechanical tools could not be a reasonable excuse for non-evacuation of refuse.
“Operational setbacks should never translate into visible environmental neglect. Preparedness, contingency planning and prompt response are the hallmarks of responsible service providers.” he said.
A Bayelsa-based lawyer, and candidate for the position of National Assistant Secretary in the suspended National Executive Council (NEC) elections of the apex Ijaw socio-cultural organization, the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Barr. Abraham Marshall, has said the court order, which restrained the conduct of the March 7th, 2026 polls, was a setback to stakeholders of the INC.
He expressed his worries about the plights of delegates who travelled from various parts of Ijaw land to come for the elections in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, only to be disappointed by the court order.
While thanking other candidates for maintaining orderliness and brotherliness all through the campaign processes, Marshall said the court injunction has devasted candidates vying for various positions.
He described the cost of what has already been spent on campaigns and sundry arrangements for the elections as huge.
Marshall noted that already he was a leading candidate for the position of National Assistant Secretary as he was optimistic of victory.
“First of all I’ve great confidence in the ability of the Electoral Committee headed by a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, HRM, Justice F.F Tabai, which was eager to conduct a seamless election.
“Some of us have campaigned through the three zones and clans of the INC. Some of us went to the Western Zone, Eastern and Central Zones to meet delegates.
“That is how it happenes atimes when there are contest, some persons who are aggrieved, rather than take laws into their hands, go to court to seek judicial redress. So, I want to commend all candidates for maintaining decorum throughout the entire process.
“I like to also call on stakeholders to quickly seek for ways through internal mechanisms of the INC to end this problem so that the elections can be conducted because as candidates we’ve incured lots of expenses leading to the process”, he stated.
Meanwhile, in a bid to proffer solutions to the issues bedeviling the smooth conduct of polls, Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, on Friday met with stakeholders of the INC and its six Presidential candidates, as well as other major stakeholders of the Niger Delta region in Government House, Yenagoa.
In his remarks, the Governor commended individuals and institutions, including the presidential candidates and the Conference of Ijaw Traditional Rulers and Elders (CITRE), for their efforts towards actualising a peaceful and seamless transition of leadership in the Ijaw National Congress (INC).
The Tide gathered that at the meeting, the presidential candidates agreed to withdraw all subsisting litigations concerning the election.
Represented by his Deputy, Dr. Peter Akpe, Diri also expressed gratitude to the Chairman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Ambassador Godknows Bolade Igali, the Chairman and members of the INC National Electoral Committee, and other stakeholders who contributed to the resolution reached at the meeting.
Drawing an analogy from the scriptures, particularly 1 Kings Chapter 3, he likened the unanimous agreement of the candidates to withdraw all pending court cases to the decision of the true mother of the disputed baby who pleaded with King Solomon not to cut the child into two.
According to the Bayelsa helmsman, the resolution reflects the enthusiasm, love and patriotic fervour in all the presidential candidates to move Ijaw nation forward.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after the meeting, the candidates, including High Chief MacDonald Igbadiwe, who secured the injunction from a Port Harcourt High Court stopping the INC Elections billed for last weekend, confirmed the agreement and pledged commitment towards the peaceful emergence of the next President of the apex Ijaw socio-cultural organization.
By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
The Police Command in Akwa Ibom State has rescued seven victims and detained four suspects linked to human trafficking along Ikot Ekpene–Aba Road.
The state’s Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Timfon John, disclosed this in a statement issued to journalists in Uyo on Saturday.
John said police operatives dismantled a human trafficking syndicate operating within the state, rescuing seven victims and arresting four suspects involved in the network.
She said acting on credible intelligence, operatives swiftly mobilised a patrol team for a coordinated stop-and-search operation along Ikot Ekpene–Aba Road on Friday.
The operation, conducted at about 8 a.m. on Friday, targeted vehicles suspected of transporting victims of human trafficking.
“During the operation, the suspected vehicle was intercepted and four victims were immediately rescued, while the suspect conveying them was arrested and taken into custody.
“Following reports that a vehicle was conveying young persons suspected to be victims of human trafficking, our operatives quickly moved to intercept it,” John said.
She said interrogation of the suspect led to the expansion of the operation to Itam and Ibaka in Oron Local Government Area.
John said three additional victims were rescued and three more suspects apprehended during the follow-up operation.
This brought the total number of rescued victims to seven and suspects arrested to four.
According to her, preliminary investigations revealed that the trafficking syndicate specialised in recruiting and transporting young persons across borders for exploitation.
“Intelligence gathered further disclosed that one of the ringleaders earlier escaped through waterways from Ibaka in Oron to Cameroon and Gabon with some victims”, she said.
John said investigations were ongoing and the suspects would be charged in court upon completion of the probe.
The police spokesperson reiterated the Command’s commitment to combating human trafficking and other organised crimes in the state.
She assured the public that efforts were ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate.
John urged residents to remain vigilant and provide timely information to the police to help protect vulnerable persons and strengthen community safety.
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