Niger Delta
Navy Woos Youths With Career Talks In Delta
The Forward Operating Base (FOB) Escravos of the Nigerian Navy on Wednesday wooed youths with career talks to curtail crime in its host communities in Delta State.
The Commanding Officer of the FOB Escravos, Navy Capt. Ikenna Okoloagu, said in Warri that the aim was to disabused the minds of the youths from illegalities and build meaningful ventures in the youth.
The Tide’s source reports that the programme was organised alongside Medical and Educational Rhapsodies at Madangho Community in Warri South-west Local Government.
Youths from Arunton, Ajudaigbo and Ogidigben communities also participated in the programme.
Addressing newsmen at the venue of the exercise, Okoloagu said the Base decided to embark on the programme as a way of showing appreciation to the host communities.
He said the initiative was also in furtherance of the strategic directives of the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Adm. Emmanuel Ogalla and the Base operational mandate under the Operation DELTA SANITY II.
According to Okoloagu, the FOB Escravos has enjoyed robust relationship with the host communities over the years and wished to sustain the cooperation.
“The career talk being conducted in collaboration with the Kedahan Services Limited Training School focus on various career and business opportunities as well as paths.
“The initiative will help to broaden the horizon of the youth toward a productive future, disabused their minds from criminalities and contribute to nation building,” he said.
He added that the gesture would enhance the realisation of the dictates of the strategic directives of the CNS to root out all forms of illegalities within the maritime environment.
“It is equally expected that this will support efforts geared towards increasing crude oil production thereby enhancing Nigeria’s economic prosperity,” Okoloagu said.
The source reports that the medical rhapsody featured the provision of treated mosquitoes net, eye glasses, health education, consultation, medications, school bags, mathematical sets and other writing materials to students.
Also speaking, Mrs. Rosemary Imhnanwa, Project Manager, Kedahan Services Limited Training School, thanked the Nigerian Navy for the initiative.
Imhnanwa said the initiative would change the perception of the locals who, according to her, believed that government should do everything for them.
“From the interaction we have with the community people, we have been able to change the narratives that government should provide all their needs.
“There are solutions to every problem, so they should be focusing on the opportunities in any problem to better their lives,” she said.
Imhnanwa, who described the gesture as a fantastic initiative by the Nigerian Navy, appealed to them to keep it up.
She noted that with the gradual changes in the narratives, the youth would be better informed and be successful in life.
On his part, Mr Solomon Uwawa, Madangho Community leader thanked the Navy for the gesture and expressed hope that the career talk would help to change the perception of the youth for better.
Continue Reading
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.
-
Editorial4 days agoEnough Of Xenophobic Attacks On Nigerians
-
Education4 days agoUNIPort Senate Grants Two-Year Amnesty to U2010–U2018 Students
-
Sports4 days agoOparaodu Urges Rivers United To Win Katsina United
-
Nation4 days agoRSU, Otonti Nduka Foundation Holds Centenary Conference, Unveil Book on Values in Nigeria
-
Oil & Energy4 days agoRivers PETROAN Elects 12-Member Executive
-
Politics4 days ago
APC Group Protests Ex–Presidential Aspirant’s Disqualification From Rivers Senatorial Race
-
Sports4 days ago” Nigeria’s best domestic players are not in NPFL”
-
Politics4 days ago
Reps Speaker Secures APC Return Ticket For Fifth Term