Niger Delta
We’ve Repositioned LG System For Efficienc – Bayelsa D’Gov
The Bayelsa State Government says its reforms in local government administration has repositioned the system for efficient and effective service delivery to the people.
Deputy Governor of the State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, stated this last Thursday, while declaring open a two-day entrepreneurship workshop for retiring local government staff drawn from the eight councils and 32 Rural Development Authorities (RDAs) in the state.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo, in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Doubara Atasi, noted that all the local government councils are now solvent and embarking on meaningful people-oriented projects due to the bold initiatives of the present administration.
According to him, before the advent of the Governor Douye Diri-led government, working in the local government service was like inviting a curse, stressing that the prospects of getting retirement benefits as and when due were dim.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo, however, emphasized that all that had now changed for the better following the reforms, and promised to do more to ensure that people at the grassroots feel real impact of governance.
While appreciating the State Governor for creating the enabling environment for him to drive the reforms as the supervising officer of the councils and RDAs, he urged the participants to take the training seriously to safeguard their post-retirement life from unnecessary hardship and frustration.
“I wish to first of all thank the Governor of our state, Senator Douye Diri, for the opportunity he has given to us in the local government system. Before now, people think working in the local government was a curse.
“But today, I can assure you that many people are now considering transferring their services to the local government because of the reforms we have introduced.
“The reforms are not meant to idolize or venerate the present administration. But they were deliberate, conscious efforts based on our experiences and what people had passed through over the years.
“We felt we cannot leave the stage and leave people the way we met them. And that is why we came up with the reforms. And with your collaboration and cooperation, the reforms are now manifesting in what you are seeing today. So I thank every single stakeholder”, he said.
In a welcome address, the Chairman of the State Local Government Service Commission, Chief Lambert Ototo, noted that the training, with the theme, “Retirement to Relevance: Building Sustainable Livelihood Through Entrepreneurship”, was part of the ongoing reforms in the local government system to adequately prepare retirees for life after active service.
Chief Ototo, who described the participants as fortunate to undergo the pre-retirement workshop, expressed gratitude to Governor Diri and his deputy for turning the pitiable situation of the local government system in the state around for good.
Delivering a lecture titled “Understanding Entrepreneurship and Life After Service, Dr. Zuobomudo Agbana, enjoined the participants and retirees to cheerfully embrace retirement as it only marks the beginning of a new journey in life and not the end of work.
Dr. Agbana also charged them to apply entrepreneurship in their retirement phase of life as a tool to enable them achieve financial independence and make impact in their various communities.
By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
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The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), Prof. Ikpeme Ikpeme, has said the 850-bed hospital is overstretched, as it currently serves over five million patients.
He disclosed this on Friday during a media tour of the facility to showcase ongoing renovations and facelift in the hospital.
The CMD noted that, aside being the only tertiary healthcare facility servicing the state, UCTH also serviced neighbouring states of Akwa Ibom and Ebonyi.
He said the hospital also received referrals from neighbouring countries, including Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Central African Republic.
According to him, the 850-bed hospital faced persistent space constraints because of increasing patients inflow and expanding healthcare demands.
“This hospital currently operates 62 clinical and non-clinical departments as well as between 30 and 38 wards covering medical, surgical, paediatric, orthopaedic and specialised services.
“Most wards have undergone facelift, remodelling, or complete renovation to improve patient care and working conditions for healthcare professionals”, he said.
He disclosed that the hospital was constructing a new 106-bed emergency medicine facility to address the rising demand for healthcare services.
According to him, the facility will include trauma bays, intensive care units, neonatal wards, and three fully equipped trauma theatres.
Speaking on the remodeled wards, Ikpeme explained that they followed modern nursing principles, allowing one nurse to attend to a maximum of 10 patients.
He said relatives would be restricted to designated waiting areas to reduce interference with medical procedures and improve emergency response efficiency.
The CMD noted that the hospital had strengthened specialist services in orthopaedics, neurosurgery, obstetrics, radiology, and minimally invasive surgery.
“UCTH now performs hip and knee replacements, arthroscopy, sports medicine, and complex brain tumour surgeries.
“Our surgeons also conduct keyhole procedures for appendectomy, hysterectomy and other conditions with faster patient recovery periods,” he said
In power, the CMD said the hospital relied on solar power from a seven-megawatt plant, constructed by the Federal Government at the University of Calabar, as well as public power supply, and generators to sustain its operations.
He appealed to governments, organisations, and philanthropists to support infrastructure expansion, equipment procurement, and specialised healthcare projects.
The CMD said the hospital required additional incubators, ward expansions, and a stand-alone amenity facility for private healthcare services.
He used the opportunity to dismiss allegations of ethnic discrimination, insisting that the hospital does not reject workers or patients based on tribe or origin.
According to him, the institution recently honoured an Igbo pioneer physician by naming a ward after him in recognition of decades of service.
The CMD said the hospital maintained strict disciplinary procedures to address negligence, poor attitude, and unethical conduct among staff.
The Tide’s source reports that some of the units visited include, intensive care unit, Department of Radiology, Urology Clinic, and Opthalmology Clinic.
The Police Command in Akwa Ibom State says it has busted a child trafficking syndicate and arrested three suspects for conspiracy and unlawful sale of a newborn baby in the State.
The State’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Timfom John, who disclosed this in a statement in Uyo on Friday, said the three female suspects were arrested on Wednesday at about 1900hrs.
She said a complainant reported that his wife gave birth to a baby boy on May 7 and shockingly, shortly after delivery sold the newborn child to one of the suspects for N145, 000.
“Upon receipt of the report, operatives immediately swung into action, leading to the arrest of the suspects and the successful recovery of the baby boy.
“The suspects reportedly confessed to the crime during interrogation, while investigation has been expanded to identify and apprehend all individuals connected to the trafficking syndicate”, John said.
She said the State’s Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare, reiterated the Command’s commitment to sustaining aggressive intelligence-led policing in the state.
The Akwa-Ibom State Government has launched a statewide crackdown on unregistered scrap dealers and scavengers, shutting down illegal operations and arresting operators accused of violating environmental and public safety regulations.
The enforcement operation, led by the Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency (AKSEPWMA), followed the implementation of the state’s Waste Metal Scrap Law 2026, officials said.
AKSEPWMA Chairman, Obong Prince Ikim, said the exercise was aimed at regulating the scrap sector, protect the environment, and prevent criminal groups from operating under the guise of waste collection and metal trading.
“If you want to do scrap business, you must register,” Mr. Ikim said during the operation in Uyo, the state capital.
“Many people now hide under scrap trading to perpetrate nefarious activities”, he said.
According to him, dump site operators and scrap dealers who failed to register with the government risked closure and prosecution.
Authorities accused some operators of involvement in vandalism of public infrastructure and indiscriminate waste disposal, adding that investigations had uncovered criminal activities linked to several dump sites across the state.
“Some people vandalise government facilities in the name of scrap business and encourage indiscriminate dumping of refuse,” Mr. Ikim said.
He added that the state government and security agencies would continue efforts to enforce compliance and maintain public order.
“The Commissioner of Police has zero tolerance for criminality, and the Governor wants Akwa Ibom people to sleep with their eyes closed. We will fish out every defaulter”, he said.
Police officials involved in the operation said investigations showed that some criminal suspects used scrap yards and refuse dump sites as cover for illegal activities.
CSP Okwuzulike Vincent of the Itam Police Station said some suspects pretended to be mentally unstable while hiding ammunition and other suspicious items in makeshift shelters around dump locations.
The police officer praised the environmental agency for what he described as proactive efforts to sanitise the sector and pledged continued cooperation between law enforcement and the agency.
Officials said some first-time offenders arrested during the operation were released after profiling and signing undertakings, while repeat offenders would face prosecution.
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