Niger Delta
Diri To Deliver UNIPORT’s 35th Convocation Lecture July 25th … As UNIPORT’s Mgt Visits Bayelsa
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, will deliver the 35th convocation lecture of the University of Port Harcourt in Rivers State on July 25, 2025.
The State’s Chief Executive gave his consent during the courtesy visit of the institution’s management led by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Owunari Georgewill, to Government House, Yenagoa, last Friday.
Prof. Georgewill said the institution was proud to have the Governor as an alumnus, stating that the State under Governor Diri was experiencing rapid transformation as virtually all sectors of its economy had been positively affected by his administration.
The VC also said the institution was pleased to be associated with the Governor and that it was a huge privilege having him as a product of the school.
He appealed to the Governor to consider a legacy project as a way of giving back to the institution, which he noted will also help it cope with the rising number of students and staff.
While accepting the offer, Governor Douye Diri said as an alumnus, he was bound to be part of the institution’s activities.
He commended the UNIPORT management for maintaining excellence in the institution, stressing that education was crucial to development of society.
The Bayelsa number one citizen noted that leaders who fail to invest in education would have to deal with the consequences of crime and criminality, restating his administration’s commitment to developing the sector, noting that society would not progress without education.
The State’s helmsman explained that Bayelsa had shifted focus from paper qualification to science, technical and vocational education, and that the government had already completed tuition-free technical colleges in six out of the eight Local Government Areas, with the contract for the other two awarded.
“If you ignore education, then you have to build more prisons because crime will soar. For us as a government, education is a priority.
“Those of us that had the opportunity must provide space for others. In Bayelsa, we are moving from paper qualification to science and technical education so our people can have skills to be employers of labour rather than being thrown into the labour market.
“We are building science and vocational colleges in every local government area as a policy of this government. School fees, feeding and accommodation are all free. Our educational curriculum needs to meet the needs of our society.
“Coming to your requests, I will be happy to deliver the convocation lecture. If I did it in other institutions, UNIPORT’s should not be different. I also approve your request for a legacy infrastructure in our institution”, he said.
Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
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The Etara and Ekuri Eyeyeng Communities of Etung Local Government Area of Cross River State have called on the State Governor, Bassey Otu, to intervene in their humanitarian crisis caused by clash with neighbouring communities.
Spokesman of the Etara clan, Mr. Clement Omina, and their leader, Richard Oku, made the remark in a statement to Rhe Tide’s source in Calabar on Thursday.
The source further reports that the Etara and Ekuri Eyeyng communities are in one clan with one leadership.
Omina said their clan was severely affected by the ongoing communal crisis over land between Alesi/Ekukunela Communities in Ikom and their neighbours, Ochon/Isabang/Odonget communities in Obubra Local Government.
He explained that the blockade of the only access road to their clan had led to unprecedented suffering as armed men parade their homes and farms, preventing their people from accessing food and medical care.
“This has resulted in a dire humanitarian crisis, with prices of essential commodities skyrocketing: seasoning cubes, for instance, now costs N250 per cube from N20.
“We are on the brink of starvation because we cannot access our farms or venture out to procure food and medical supplies.
“In light of this, we respectfully appeal for prompt intervention to rescue our people who are on the brink of starvation and restore peace to our communities”, he said.
He appealed for security presence to ensure safety of his people and humanitarian assistance in food, medicare and other essential supplies to their communities which had been severely impacted by the blockade.
The Etara and Ekuri communities also requested that the mandate of the eight-man peace committee, set-up by the State Government to look into the crisis be expanded to address the plight of Etara Clan and other affected communities in Etung council area.
The source recalled that the government of Cross River had set up an eight-man committee, headed by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Anthony Owan-Enoh.
The committee, whose mandate is to look into the matter, has ordered all parties involved in the crisis to stop all activities on the lands in contention.
The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly has urged the State Government to direct the state-owned water company to carry out the rehabilitation of public water facilities and pipeline reticulation across the state.
The house made the call in its resolution during Friday’s plenary session, following a motion of Urgent Public Importance moved by Dr. Itorobong Etim, representing Uruan State Constituency.
Etim’s motion was titled, “A Call for Complete Pipeline Reticulation and Rehabilitation of Water Works in Major Cities of Akwa Ibom State”.
She said it was high time the government and relevant agencies rose to the responsibility of providing reliable, hygienic and safe water for residents and communities in the state.
She said Akwa Ibom State is blessed with enormous water quantity based on its geographical location.
The lawmaker decried the sufferings that residents had to pass through to get water for their daily needs.
“Many of our citizens, residents and small-scale business owners, who cannot afford to sink boreholes or rent houses with boreholes, wander about in search of water.
“This is as a result of the unavailability of pipe borne water, occasioned by rusty or blocked pipes laid more than 20 years ago”, she said.
She, therefore, prayed the house to draw Governor Umo Eno’s attention to the need to upgrade public water facilities in the state.
The lawmaker representing Ibiono Ibom State Constituency, Mr. Moses Essien, seconded the motion.
Essien said in spite of the State Government’s efforts to establish agencies to ensure the availability of clean water, most of the agencies were not funded.
He appealed to members to rally support towards bringing succour to water agencies in the state and charged them to live up to their responsibilities.
He emphasised the need for Akwa Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency to up its game, especially in maintaining water infrastructure.
Essien blamed the ugly water situation on pipeline vandalism during road construction.
He pleaded with the State Government to work towards the rehabilitation of water supply facilities in the state.
The Speaker, Mr. Udeme Otong, directed the Clerk, Nsikakabasi Orok, to communicate the resolution to the Governor to direct the relevant agencies and ministry to action.
Otong also mandated the House Committee on Rural Development and Public Utilities to oversee the implementation of the motion, as it sought to provide reliable, hygienic and safe water supply to residents.
Delta State Government has tasked nursing mothers and caregivers to shun myths about breast-milk, particularly the first “Yellow-milk– Colostrum”, by supporting its intake and exclusive breastfeeding for six months to protect their babies.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joseph Onojame, gave the charge at the ground finale of the 2025 World Breastfeeding Week (WBW), organised in partnership with other stakeholders to sensitise mothers on the importance of breastfeeding their babies in Asaba on Friday.
The Tide’s source reports that the year’s WBW has as its theme, “Prioritise Breastfeeding: Create Support System”.
At the Grand Finale, held at Umuaji Primary Health Centre, Oshimili South Local Government Area, Asaba, Delta, Onojame said the theme’s focus was to promote the enabling environment that helps women to breast feed, including support in the community, workplace, with adequate protection in government policies and laws, including sharing information on benefits of breastfeeding.
The Commissioner, represented by the Executive Director, Delta State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Paul Yinkori, said the call has become necessary to improve the breastfeeding status in the state.
According to Onojame, Delta State exclusive breastfeeding status rate is 27 per cent as at the 2023/2024 rating, adding that this is below the national status of 28.8 per cent which is lesser than the World Health Organisation target of 50 per cent.
“This implies that in Delta State, 27 infants out of every 100 infants aged 0 to 6 months only, are exclusively breastfed in the state. So, a lot more need to be done”, he said.
The Commissioner noted that the State Government was fully in support of the global policies on breastfeeding and urged for collective effort of all to attain the WHO target of 50 per cent exclusive breastfeeding by mothers and caregivers in the state.
He said for the state to attain the global target, “the approach is to demystify myths about breast milk, improve awareness on the importance of breastfeeding, implement enabling policies such as early initiation of breastfeeding within one hour of birth.
“Also important is exclusive breastfeeding for six months and continuing complementary breastfeeding up to two years of age. Implemention of six months maternity leave for working mothers and encourage breastfeeding support groups.
“I urge you all to continue to support and to encourage appropriate and adequate breastfeeding for our young. Together we shall raise healthier more intelligent and better leaders of tomorrow.”
On her part, the State Desk Nutrition Officer, Ms. Ejovi Ebikaboene, said the gathering was to mark the WBW and to sensitise the women and general public on the need to nurture the young babies exclusively on breast milk at the early hours of birth to six months of age, no water, other foods.
She said, “Breastfeeding is an age long feeding practise that exhibits how God love and care nurtures us into good health and longevity.”
She noted that when the child leaves the comfort of the womb, the bond between mother and child begins with the food-breast milk from the mother’s breast.
“This treasures the baby that he or she is in a safe hands. From this act of love, a bond of trust and love is established between the mother and child”, she said.
According to Ebikaboene, breast milk provides the child with the protection needed to live in the new environment and harmful, toxic disease causing organisms.
“Breast milk”, she said, “contains up to 98 per cent of water, antibodies, antibiotics to immunize the baby against infection, probiotics to build immunity, anti-inflammatory compounds, enzymes to digest all the nutrients to the baby.
“So, let us not only strive to support one another in our Christian journey, we should also prioritize the well-being of our youngest members, our babies by creating a supportive environment where mother feel encouraged to breastfeed their babies exclusively for six months.”
The Coordinator, Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), Delta Chapter, Mr. John Ogbeode, who lamented the state statistics, stressed the need for more effort to sensitise the mothers on the importance of breastfeeding their babies.
According to him, available statistics has revealed that malnutrition is on the increase in Nigeria.
He said children between 0 and 5 years of age were victims of malnutrition due to lack of adequate feeding, adding that adequate.
“In Delta, exclusive breastfeeding is rate at 27 per cent; also, available statistics has shown that 20 per cent of our children under five years are stunted; 15.1 per cent are wasted and 19.6 per cent are under weight.
“This shows that the way we feed our children has a great role to play in the health of the children. Every nutrition starts from breastfeeding, once it is wrong from the beginning, then there will be problems.
“This is why we must all support exclusive breastfeeding for six months for our babies to become healthy”, he said.
The source reports that the highpoint of the occasion was the quiz for the mothers on their knowledge about breastfeeding and award to winners.
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