Rivers
Don Urges Govt To Be Impartial In Tackling Crisis
Alecturer at the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE), Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt, Prof Chibuzor Chile Nwobueze, has called on government to be impartial and objective in tackling issues that precipitate crisis in the region.
Nwobueze, a Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies, made the call recently while delivering the 64th inaugural lecture of the university titled, “Live and Let Live: A Framework for Sustainable Peace and Development in the Niger Delta, Nigeria” at the university auditorium.
The Associate Dean, Postgraduate School, said government should ensure that developmental agencies are well supervised, monitored and funded to pursue their objectives to reality.
He also called for an upward review of the fines paid for oil spillages and gas flaring in Nigeria, saying that it would go a long way in discouraging these activities.
Government, Professor Nwobueze added, “should embrace collaboration and joint problem-solving frameworks in the area of artisanal refining and ensure that the venture provides employment to the locals”.
According to him, “the fact that they can design those makeshift refineries means that with the right training and support, people involved in the illegal venture can do it professionally and at a larger and regulated scale.
“The entrepreneurial prowess demonstrated in artisanal refining by the Niger Delta youths can be transformed for huge economic gains, not only for the youth of the region, but also for the Nigerian economy”.
Nwobueze noted that discouraging and putting an end to artisanal refining in the Niger Delta requires a comprehensive approach that will consider the root causes of the tradition, promote alternative livelihood options, strengthen law enforcement and regulations, promote community engagement and participation, and also address the negative impacts of artisanal refining on the environment, public Health and socio-economic development.
For the country to succeed in protecting the society from crime, the 64th inaugural Lecturer stressed that much creative efforts and programmes have to be put in place.
“By implementing these strategies, the Nigerian Government and other stakeholders can contribute to sustainable development and peace in the Niger Delta”, he said further.
The peace expert noted that “the Niger Delta region has high population of uneducated, unemployed and idle youths who are highly prone to violence.
“The frustration resulting from that weak political, structural and social peace building frameworks forced many members of the community into revolutionary violence”.
He continued that “violence will change nothing. Only a joint problem-solving strategy characterised by collaboration and consensus building will do.
“This approach leads to different forms of fence mending, acknowledgement of wrong doing, forgiveness, expression of mercy, reconciliation, trust, confidence building and peace.”
Professor Nwobueze remarked that there can be no development in a place where there is no peace.
He defined peace as “non-violence and constructive management of disputes, good governance, respecting the rights and dignity of others, sound business environment, high level of human capital, low level of corruption, efficient and effective communication system, freedom from want and fear, sustainable human security and good neighbourliness”.
According to the peace expert, the environmental problems currently being faced by Nigerians can no longer be solved by individual nations or by using military, bureaucratic or autocratic methods as these only increases opposition and delays remedial efforts.
“What is demanded”, he opined, “is the collective actions of everyone. To implement sustainable solutions to global environmental problems, all stakeholders need to learn to work together.”
Prof Nwobueze, therefore, advocated for “greater prioritisation of youth needs in all situations since they are the main actors in security and development issues”, hinting that neglecting their basic needs has knock-on effects on society.
He emphasised that an approach which prioritises youth welfare requirements would have positive knock-on effects on society in times of peace building.
Nwobueze encouraged Nigerians to remain selfless in service, patriotic in action and focused on nation building, no matter the challenges faced today.
He also advised that no matter the grievance against, or expectations from the Government and Oil Companies, Niger Deltans must understand the peace building value of being good to one another.
For the Peace Expert, there is no justification whatsoever for criminality, and lawlessness should also not be tolerated.
In his remarks, the Acting Vice Chancellor of IAUE, Prof Okechuku Onuchuku, charged all to maintain peace, stressing that one who invokes the storm on his people cannot prevent his house from destruction.
He advised agitators against inventing crisis, emphasising that they may not have control over the outcomes.
Professor Onuchuku appealed to the Federal Government to provide modern and adequate infrastructures to the people of the region, especially since that is where the resources sustaining the country is coming from.
While calling for alternative dispute resolution, he stressed the need for peaceful coexistence for growth, progress and sustainable development, “the kind that will not jeopardise the future of unborn generations”.
He also called for peace building to be included in the school curriculum.
In a vote of thanks, Professor Anthony Adele Orlu expressed gratitude to all who graced the event and urged them to sustain the peace for the country to move forward.
By: Sogbeba Dokubo
A professor of Parasitology and Public Health in the Department of Medical Microbiology/Parasitology and Entomology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science at the Rivers State University (RSU), Port Harcourt, Prof. Gloria Ngozika Wokem, has advocated for the abolition of open water body latrine systems in rural riverine areas and open forest latrines in upland communities to eradicate water and food-borne diseases, popularly known as Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), prevalent in Nigeria.
Prof. Wokem made this call while delivering her inaugural lecture at the 122nd inaugural lecture series of the university on the topic “Neglected Tropical Diseases and WASH Nexus: Breaking the Cycle for Human Sustainability” held in Port Harcourt, wednesday.
She described NTDs as a group of diseases prevalent among impoverished remote populations, particularly in tropical and subtropical areas of the world, with limited access to safe water, sanitation, hygiene, and other healthcare essentials.
According to her, there are about 20 known disease groups shortlisted by the World Health Organisation (WHO), such as Guinea worm disease, Endemic Treponema pallidum infection (Yaws), Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) (sleeping sickness), leprosy (Hansen’s Disease), and onchocerciasis (River blindness), among others, adding that they are listed by WHO as control targets for the 2030 NTDs goals.
Prof. Wokem stated that for over thirty years, she has been working in the field of Neglected Tropical Diseases, or in other words, water and food-borne diseases. “These diseases come to humans through what we eat, what we do, and are so prevalent around us that not much information is known about them, which is why they are called neglected.”
She noted that NTDs affect not only Nigeria but 57.3% of the world’s population, including Africa, Asia, South and Central America, adding that wherever sanitation, hygiene, and safe drinking water are in limited supply, these neglected tropical diseases will flourish.
The professor called for all stakeholders to join hands to fight against the eradication of the dreaded tropical diseases ravaging the society, saying, “There is a role government will play and there are parts individuals will do.”
She however recommended among other things the employment of graduate parasitology and public Health Scientists groomed by the university for the continuity of the medical laboratory science profession which is in high demand
Earlier in his remarks,the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Isaac Zeb-Obi, lauded the lecturer and described the lecture as a testament to her professional prowess and a justification of her professorial appointment by the university.
The vice chancellor who was represented by the provost of the post graduate school of the university,prof T S K.Abam ,the VC aligned with the position of the lecturer that living a clean environment and washing our hands regularly will help to eradicate the NTDs in the society.
The University of Port Harcourt, has taken a significant step towards addressing the issue of insecurity in Nigeria by producing security experts through its Institute of Niger Delta Studies (INDS), with the institute inducting its first graduating students into the Nigerian Institute For Industrial Security (NIIS), with the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General E E Emekah, delivering a quality lecture on the topic, “Promoting Blue Economy In The Niger Delta: The Place Of Security”.
In his lecture, Major General Emekah emphasised the importance of security in promoting the blue economy in the Niger Delta region.
He noted that the activities of the Joint Tasks Force (JTF) are geared towards maintaining peace on Nigerian waterways and promoting productivity, and also stressed the need for a non-kinetic approach to security operations, winning the hearts and minds of the communities, and collaborating with security personnel to fight insecurity.
The GOC charged the inductees to ensure that their study/training provides practical solutions to the pressing security challenges facing the Niger Delta and Nigeria as a whole.
He emphasised the significance of their studies in UNIPORT, given the prevailing security threat to lives and property, especially on Nigerian waterways.
The Acting Director of INDS, Dr. Chukwu-Okeah, expressed satisfaction that the occasion marks a new milestone in the history of the institute, noting that the Niger Delta has been besieged with environmental and security challenges, and it is time to rise up and build the region through the blue economy ideology.
The blue economy, he explained, emphasises the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and job creation while preserving the health of the ocean ecosystem.
He described the blue economy as the new oil well, with the potential to drive economic diversification, job creation, food security, and climate resilience in the region.
One of the inductees, Ayuba Tanimu noted that security is dynamic, and continuous learning and research have equipped them to serve their communities and Nigeria well.
He described the Nigerian Institute For Industrial Security (NIIS) as a body of security professionals that meets annually to craft security policies for the country.
The programme, which attracted prominent individuals from the academia, security, and other sectors had the 7th Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Prof Joseph Ajienka, as its chairman.
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