Bayelsa State Government has commended the Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN) for propagating the teachings of Jesus Christ and its intervention programmes towards providing succour to people affected by natural disasters.

Deputy Governor of the State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, gave the commendation recently when the South-South zone of the CCN paid him a courtesy visit in Government House, Yenagoa.

He expressed delight that the body had offered to support the state’s development initiatives which he described as laudable and also congratulated the new South-South Zone executive members of the foremost Christian organisation in the country on their election.

Senator Ewhrudjakpo implored the current executives to make a difference by consolidating on the gains of their predecessors and demonstrate exemplary leadership, stressing that true leaders respond to the yearnings and aspirations of the people.

Commenting on the interaction between  the church and society, the deputy Governor expressed displeasure over the church’s inability to adequately play the role of catering to the welfare of the less privileged.

According to him, the churches should not place unnecessary burden on their adherents but allow them to make freewill donations to support their  programmes and projects.

He also frowned at the practice whereby the church now place more emphasis on materialism to the detriment of spiritual wellbeing as exemplified in the scriptures which enjoin humanity “to seek first the kingdom of God and all other things shall be added unto them.”

Senator Ewhrudjakpo further noted that one of the major concerns of the church should be about attracting people to the word of God for redemption and salvation as well as take care of the needy.

On the CCN’s request for land in the State, he expressed Government’s willingness to provide land for the purpose of establishing the National Research lnstitute for the South-South zone.

“First, I want to thank the CCN for what you have done that is quite remarkable and remains as an indelible achievement. That the church in Nigeria was able to teach the church elsewhere what we call morality by breaking out of the West.

“The Church in Nigeria stood its ground by saying we need to have our own Nigerian Communion because of the nonsense they were doing in the West where Bishops were going into gay marriages.

“I am happy that the Anglican Communion stood their ground and were able to resist that. And we commend them for that. You know that when civilization has gone so high, some people tend to forget that there is God.

“You said the church is for development of society and that formed the basis for the setting up of missionary schools, hospitals and so on. I agree with you.

“But I’m a little bit worried that the Church has degenerated from that role. The church today, including the Catholic and Anglican Church, seem to have decided to join the mix instead of standing out.

“The Church no longer cater for the needy as it used to be. Even when the needy don’t have, we try to impose on them that they must have and give”, he said.

In their presentations, the National General Secretary of CCN , Rt. Rev. Evans Onyemara, and the South-South Zonal Chairman, Rev. Dr. Jonathan Ihwighwu, said they were in the state to hold a zonal meeting as well as inaugurate the new executive of the CCN, South-South zone.

Rt. Rev. Onyemara explained that aside its evangelical mission, the CCN also provides humanitarian services and assist in developmental issues.

He added that in 2022, the General Assembly of the CCN resolved that the South-South zone should establish what it called, the Institute of Church and Society and appealed to the state government to provide land for the building of a national research institute in Bayelsa for the South-South zone.

The Bayelsa State Chairman of CCN, who is also the Bishop of the Northern Izon Diocese, Anglican Communion, Rt. Rev. Funkuro Amgbari, that of Rivers State, Rev. Dr. Innocent Ordu, and their Akwa Ibom, Delta, Cross River and Edo States counterparts accompanied the Zonal Chairman on the visit.

Highpoint of the visit was the offering of prayers for Governor Douye Diri, Senator Ewhrudjakpo, and the entire government and people of Bayelsa.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, has commended the Executive Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, for hosting a high-level state banquet in honour of Superintendent of Police (SP) Sentome Obi, recipient of the Police Officer of the Year 2024 and IGP Integrity Award.

The event, which took place on Tuesday, 23rd July 2025 in Yenagoa, symbolises a significant recognition of honour, courage, and ethical excellence in law enforcement.

The Tide gathered that SP Sentome Obi, a  native of the state and Head of the Financial and Cybercrime Unit at Zone 16 Command, Yenagoa, earned national acclaim following his refusal of a $17,000 bribe aimed at derailing a sensitive investigation.

A statement from the Force Public Relations Officer, Force headquarters, Abuja, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, quoted the IGP describing SP Obi’s principled stance which he said was executed under operational pressure as exemplifying the highest standards of ethical policing.

The Statement added that in acknowledgment of this uncommon integrity, the Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri presented SP Obi with a brand-new Toyota Corolla and a fully furnished three-bedroom bungalow, an unprecedented reward for ethical conduct in public service.

The IGP lauded the gesture as a watershed moment in the effort to institutionalize integrity within Nigeria’s security architecture, noting that public recognition of exemplary officers is a powerful tool not only for reinforcing professional values within the Force, but also for restoring public confidence in policing as a noble and honourable profession.

“This is more than a commendation, it is a cultural statement. It tells every officer that integrity is not just expected but rewarded”, the IGP said.

In line with this philosophy, the Force Management Team, under the leadership of the IGP, had earlier on, at its meeting held on Monday, 23rd June 2025, resolved to recommend SP Obi, Police Officer of the year, 2024 and CSP Aliyu Shaba, the recipient of the Police Officer of the Year award 2023 for accelerated promotion by the Police Service Commission.

The Team also approved that SP Obi’s portrait and that of CSP Aliyu Shaba be displayed prominently at the entrances of all State and Zonal Command Headquarters, the main entrance of Louis Edet House (Force Headquarters, Abuja), and the Nigeria Police Hall of Fame on the 7th Floor of the Force Headquarters.

Further decisions reached include the adoption of a merit-driven framework for promotion, under which any officer who has won the police award or received the IGP Recognition Award or other national commendation at least twice in the last two consecutive award cycles will be considered for accelerated promotion. This policy direction is intended to embed reward-for-performance as a sustainable feature of the Force’s personnel development strategy.

These initiatives are part of a broader leadership commitment by the IGP to reposition the Nigeria Police Force as a modern, accountable, and ethically grounded institution.

By celebrating integrity, rewarding professionalism, and elevating officers who embody the core values of the Force – discipline, transparency, service, and excellence, the IGP continues to lay the foundation for a new culture of policing in Nigeria.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa

Cross River State Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development,  Mr. Johnson Ebokpo, has urged agriculture experts to explore new technologies, share data, co-design interventions to transform agriculture in the South-South region.

He made the remark at the 14th Steering Committee meeting of the South-South Agro-Ecological Zone of the Research Extension, Farmer Input Linkage System (REFILS) in Calabar.

The summit, themed: “Strengthening stakeholder linkages for improved food security”, brought together researchers, extension officers, farmer organisations, input suppliers, development partners, and government officials across the zone.

The Tide’s source reports that the agriculture experts converged to brainstorm on ways to address Nigeria’s growing food insecurity.

Declaring the meeting open, Ebokpo underscored the importance of the REFILS platform in bridging the gap between innovation and implementation in the agricultural sector.

According to Ebokpo, it was the first time in over a decade that Cross River was hosting the all important agricultural meeting.

While stressing the need for a coordinated approach, he noted that even the best interventions would fail if stakeholder linkages were weak or fragmented.

“I urge all participants to explore new technologies, share data, co-design interventions, and forge partnerships that will drive agricultural transformation across the zone”, he said.

The Commissioner, however, enumerated some of the agricultural interventions in Cross River which included the distribution of 77 motorbikes to strengthen extension services across the state.

Others were the procurement and distribution of 3.5 million sprouted oil palm nuts from Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR), cocoa rehabilitation efforts, Project Grow among other initiatives.

Similarly, the Programme Manager, Cross River Agricultural Development Programme (CRADP),  Mr. Bassey Emogor, commended stakeholders for their dedication to agricultural progress in the South-South and Nigeria at large.

He added that the forum served as a platform for them to deliberate on critical issues facing Nigeria’s agricultural landscape and to collectively explore innovative solutions for sustainable development.

On his part, the Zonal Coordinator for the South-South Zone of NIFOR, Dr. Olusegun Solomon,  decried the poor participation of states in the zone due to lack of funding.

“For this very important meeting, only three of six South-South states are represented, Akwa Ibom and Delta are conspicuously absent.

“There is no way you can have food security without bringing together research institutions, farmers, and input agencies; the linkage we are talking about is critical”,  he said.

He called on South-South governors to prioritise funding for agricultural development programmes, especially the  ADPs which, he described, as vital vehicles for delivering innovations to farmers.

###