Rivers
PIND, Partners Hold Data-Driven Resilience Planning For N’Delta
The Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND), in collaboration with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience (OSPRE), and The Fund for Peace (FFP), has concluded a three-day Niger Delta Scenario Planning Workshop on Resilience in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The programme is Supported by the ECOWAS Peace, Security and Governance (EPSG) Project, co-financed by the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The workshop brought together over 100 participants from government, civil society, the private sector, academia, traditional authorities, and the media to co-create data-driven strategies for crisis preparedness and regional resilience.
The theme of the three days event “From Risk to Resilience: Building a Future-Ready Niger Delta,” marked a major step in shifting regional approaches from reactive crisis response to proactive resilience planning.
Participants explored how the region can anticipate, adapt to, and recover from climate shocks, insecurity, and governance challenges through collaborative and foresight-based approaches, using advanced analytical tools.
Such tools include the Fragile States Index (FSI), State Resilience Index (SRI), and Crisis Sensitivity Simulator (CSS), enhanced by AI-powered risk modeling developed by the Fund for Peace and SAS.
Participants at the workshop analyzed systemic risks, developed plausible crisis scenarios, and designed practical response strategies tailored to the Niger Delta’s realities.
Speaking at the occasion, the Executive Director of PIND Foundation. Mr. Sam Ogbemi Daibo, represented by Mr. David Udofia, said the workshop demonstrates how data, foresight, and partnerships can transform uncertainty into opportunity, and ensure that resilience becomes a shared responsibility across communities, institutions, and sectors.
He added that the Niger Delta’s future depends on ability to anticipate challenges rather than merely react to the opportunity.
The initiative convened representatives from NEMA, SEMA, NiMet, HYPREP, the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), ministries of environment and agriculture, and civil society networks such as the Partners for Peace (P4P).
Delegates from the Regional Peace Council of Ghana’s Northern and Oti regions also participated, fostering cross-border exchange and strengthening regional crisis preparedness across West Africa.
Also speaking, Senior Advisor for Research & Innovation at FFP, Nate Haken, stressed that this initiative exemplifies how collaboration across government, civil society, and academia can strengthen peace and security.
“By linking data to decision-making, we are laying the foundation for a resilient Niger Delta and a safer West Africa.
“Over three days, participants engaged in contextual analysis, scenario building, and AI-assisted ‘red teaming’ to test response assumptions and develop integrated resilience plans.
“Key outputs include a Niger Delta Resilience Strategy outlining coordinated crisis preparedness actions, a comprehensive scenario planning report documenting lessons learned, and a replicable methodology adaptable for other regions in Nigeria and across West Africa”, Haken said.
According to him, these outcomes will be embedded within existing coordination structures, including the Partners for Peace (P4P) network and state-level emergency management systems, ensuring that insights translate into practical action.
According to a representative of OSPRE, Mr. Edkobi Anthony Chukwuemeka, “This process strengthens our capacity to connect early warning with early action, ensuring that preparedness becomes part of how we govern and grow.”
The scenario planning workshop stands as a regional model for anticipatory governance, integrating foresight, technology, and cross-sector collaboration into Nigeria’s broader resilience and peacebuilding framework.
As Nigeria and West Africa confront rising climate and security risks, the Niger Delta Scenario Planning Workshop sets a new benchmark for how data-driven foresight, innovation, and inclusive collaboration can transform risk into resilience.
By: Akujobi Amadi
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As part of activities marking 16 Days of Activism, A Non-Governmental Organizatio (NGO), OLEGH, has organised a one-day awareness creation workshop on digital violence against women and girls, for civil society and media groups in Rivers State.
OLEGH’s Executive Director, Henry Eferebo, said the programme was intended to draw attention to the theme for the 2025 16 Days of Activism tagged, “Unite To End Digital Violence against all Women and Girls.”
Eferebo said the event is an annual global campaign that focuses on violence against women, affords persons and groups all over the world the opportunity to embark on activities aimed at eliminating all forms of women and gender abuse.
“As individuals, we don’t pay attention to the things we see on the social media. We pay less attention to the abuse on the internet. Today, you can abuse a woman or a man physically, emotionally and otherwise, and go scot-free”, he noted.
According to him, women and girls have suffered the most from online violence and cyber-bullying, particularly on platforms such as TikTok, making them ready victims online and offline.
“So, in line with the United Nations principle on 16 Days of Activism and this year’s theme, there is a need for OLEGH Center to create awareness on issues resulting from the online abuse of women and girls.
“We decided to bring in a resource person who will tell us how to avoid being abused online”, he said.
He urged participants at the event to put hands together, rise up and speak against digital violence online.
The NGO’s arrow head, also explained that OLEGH was working towards creating an online help-desk for victims of online abuse and digital violence.
He urged participants to improve their security awareness while online, and adopt security protocols that would protect them in the digital space.
The Resource Person, Jacob Iniodu, in a paper titled, “Understanding Digital Abuse within the 16 Days of Activism”, listed forms of online violence to include, cyber-bullying, dozing, cyber-stalking, and invasion of privacy.
By: King Onunwor
Armslent Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO), in Rivers State, has distributed Christmas gifts worth over N5million to aged mothers, orphans and less privileged persons in Belema, Bundu Ama (Community) in Port Harcourt Local Government Area (PHALGA).
The Foundation also gave cash gifts of N150,000 to the Community.
Presenting the gift items, comprising 5 bags of rice,10 Cartons of indomie noodles,10 Gallons of groundnut oil, 3 bags of salt and cartons of maggie cubes, to Chairman of the Community, David Oba, and the community leaders, the founder of Armslent Foundation, Comrade Richard Boma Briggs, said the foundation decided to show love and togetherness to the community by providing the gifts.
He noted that the provision was part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to the community aimed at alleviating poverty and create a sense of belonging as Christian faithfuls celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
Briggs described Bundu Ama as one of its pillars in partnership, stressing that the foundation was inspired by the spirit of love to impact and rejoice with the residents of the community.
“The foundation was moved by the spirit of Christmas to give these gifts and rejoice with the people of community”, Briggs said.
Accompanied by the Managing Director of the Foundation, Richard Osigbo, and other top Executive Members, Briggs called on the leaders of the community to always pray for the foundation, promising that in 2026, it would embark on a tangible project at UPE Modern Primary School Waterfront, Bundu Ama.
Receiving the items, Chairman of Bundu Ama, David Oba, thanked the foundation for empowering the less privileged persons, assisting physically challenged persons, and aged mothers in the past.
“The foundation had done a lot for this community and today we are witnessing these gift items for the Christmas celebration”,he emphasised.
He called on the leaders of the community, women group, youths and residents to emulate the humanitarian gestures of the foundation and pleaded that they also borrow a leaf from the gesture,in order to also give to society whenever they can.
Earlier the leaders of Belema Bundu Ama, led by Oba, former Chairman, Benneth Kalio, and Secretary, Promise Mangibo, presented an Award of Excellence to the Founder of the Foundation for his Humanitarian and selfless service to the community.
Highlight of the event was the offering of a special prayer to the management of the foundation by aged mothers, youths and leadership of the community.
By: Chinedu Wosu
The Obolo Youth Coalition, Rivers State Chapter, has condemned the recent spate of killings in Andoni Local Government Area, describing the renewed insecurity as alarming and constituting a threat to peace and stability in the area.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Comr. Jonathan J. Eyina, the group expressed deep concern over what it described as brutal and senseless acts of violence, while extending condolences to the families of the victims.
The coalition said the resurgence of insecurity in Andoni has continued to undermine communal harmony and called for urgent steps to halt the trend before it escalates further.
It appealed to youths in the area to shun violence and embrace peace, stressing the need for tolerance, mutual respect and collective responsibility in safeguarding the community.
According to the group, restoring peace in Andoni requires a coordinated approach involving government, security agencies, community leaders and residents to identify and address the root causes of insecurity.
It noted that increased security presence, improved intelligence gathering, and sustained community engagement are critical to preventing further violence, adding that underlying social and economic challenges must also be addressed.
The coalition called on the Andoni Local Government Chairman, Hon. Lucky Promise-Otua, the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Joseph Fubara, and the Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju Adewole, to take decisive actions to restore security.
It further demanded that those responsible for the killings be apprehended and prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others.
By: King Onunwor