Niger Delta
2025 STEP Initiative: NEPL/Seplat JV Trains 650 Teachers, Inspectors In Edo, Delta
The NEPL/Seplat Energy Joint Venture has trained 650 teachers and Chief Inspectors of Education (CIEs) from Edo and Delta States under its 2025 Teachers Empowerment Programme (STEP).
The two-day workshop, held on Tuesday in Benin, Edo, focused on transformative upskilling and professional development, equipping educators for greater classroom impact and the adoption of digital teaching methods.
A total of 325 participants were selected from each state, reflecting the Joint Venture’s commitment to equitable regional development.
According to Seplat, the 650 beneficiaries emerged from a competitive pool of 4,666 applicants following a rigorous online selection process.
Welcoming the new cohort, Chioma Afe, Seplat Energy’s Director of External Affairs & Social Performance, urged participants to take the training seriously, underscoring its strategic relevance to national development.
According to Afe, the onboarding phase introduces collaboration, orientation, and the distribution of Android tablets, ahead of a four-month virtual mentorship programme that culminates in Microsoft certification.
She noted that participants also received data support from the Seplat JV to ensure uninterrupted access to training resources and platforms throughout the course.
Afe presented a paper titled “Communication for Change: Teachers as Agents of Change.”
In her presentation, she Introduced her communication framework she referred to as the 7 Cs: Clarity, Conciseness, Consideration, Completeness, Courtesy, Concreteness, and Correctness.
“A teacher is a professional guiding students to gain knowledge, build competence, and grow emotionally, intellectually, and socially through quality instruction”, she said.
She encouraged teachers to see themselves as change agents, seizing the opportunity to better themselves for both personal development and the betterment of students and society.
Afe disclosed that since its launch in 2020, STEP had empowered 1,334 teachers and CIEs through STEAM training, capacity-building workshops, and a mentorship model.
“The programme includes intensive onboarding, a four-month virtual component, and support via mobile and web platforms.
“Blending classroom leadership, digital skills, and innovative project-based teaching strategies”, Afe said.
Representing Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, the Commissioner for Education, Dr. Paddy Iyamu, commended Seplat JV’s initiative and urged teachers to fully utilise the premium training opportunity.
Okpebholo told participants that such high-quality educational packages were often accessed abroad for large sums and urged them to stay committed through to completion.
He added that the Edo State Government would track participation, working with Seplat JV to ensure full course completion, adding that teachers’ roles affected the nation’s future.
According to him, teachers should do more than teach, but be role models who break moral decay and the poverty cycle by positively shaping students’ lives and communities.
Seplat Energy’s Director of Corporate Services, Dr. Steve Ojeh, encouraged participants to fuel their personal and professional growth with curiosity, ambition, and a willingness to embrace impactful learning experiences.
During his session on “Leadership and Self-Development,” Ojeh urged educators to be passionate, intentional, and visionary in their career journeys, highlighting the far-reaching influence they can have in shaping society.
Delta State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mrs. Rose Ezewu, represented by a Director in the ministry, Ighavbota Winifred, commended the NEPL/Seplat JV for its sustained support of teacher development in the region.
She reaffirmed Delta State’s commitment to the initiative and encouraged participants to fully maximise the opportunity.
She noted that it not only enhanced academic outcomes but “also contributes to broader social progress across communities.”
Ezewu stressed that many societal challenges could be traced back to weak educational foundations and praised the STEP programme’s vision.
She urged participants to approach the training with seriousness and dedication for lasting impact in the state.
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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.