Chairperson of the Mini-Ikensi Rural Development Authority (RDA) of Bayelsa State, Hon. Mildred Kilete, has said the State’s new 60mw gas fired turbines procured and installed by the State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has started turning around the economic fortunes of citizens of the State.
She also lauded the Governor for giving her the opportunity to serve her Development Authority and the State.

The Chairlady noted that other infrastructure projects such as the rural and urban roads criss-crossing different parts of the State were a testament to the Governor’s political will to transforming Bayelsa state.
Kilete spoke with newsmen shortly after participating in a programme tagged, “Roundtable Series” with the theme, ‘’Bayelsa Power Infrastructure and its value chain objectives’’.
The Tide’s reports that the event, held in Yenagoa, the State capital, on Tuesday, was an economic and investment drive for the State’s Power Sector, and was part of activities put together to commemorate the 30th creation anniversary of the State.
According to her, in consonance with the Governor’s infrastructural drive, she has also executed a number of projects in her RDA which have since been put to use in the area, while others were awaiting inauguration soon.
The Mini-Ikensi boss emphasized that the projects executed by the Governor in various parts of the State have direct bearing on the lives of the citizens, and praised the urban renewal strides of the Diri-led administration.
Describing Diri as the best thing to have happened to the state, she stressed that she was replicating the achievements of the Governor in her RDA through the execution of meaningful and impactful projects, including rural water supply, concrete roads, and public conveniences.
‘’Douye Diri has done very well for Bayelsa State. Already, citizens of this State have started reaping the benefits of the constant power supply from the new gas turbines procured and installed by the Diri-led Prosperity Assured administration.
“The Governor has done very well in all facets of the State’s life; be it in roads, healthcare, empowerment initiatives and others.
“So, I want to again thank him for giving me the opportunity to serve my state and RDA. I’ve executed projects such as concrete roads, solar powered boreholes, public conveniences and others in my RDA, courtesy of the Governor having given me the privilege of serving my people as Chairperson.
“I’ll continue to work to deliver more dividends of democracy for my RDA and will continue to work for the victory of the APC in all the forthcoming polls”, She said.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa

The Chairman of the Cross River State Chapter of the National Association of Retirees of State Government of Nigeria (NARSGON), Daniel Effiom, has raised an alarm over the worsening condition of pensioners, saying hunger, illness and delayed payment of retirement benefits are pushing many to untimely deaths in the state.
Effiom, in a message to the Cross River State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), Christopher Etta, appealed for urgent intervention by the State Governor, Bassey Otu, over unpaid gratuities and the wide disparity in pension payments among retirees in the state.
“Our members are really suffering in Cross River State. Some are earning N4,000, N5,000, N6,000, and so on, as monthly pensions.
“What can such monies do for a living human being? There’s so much hunger and sickness. And many are dying undeserved deaths every day”, he lamented.
According to Effiom, a number of retirees have died because they could not afford drugs, hospital bills and other basic necessities, while others continue to wait for gratuities and other entitlements accumulated after decades of  public service.
“We need our entitlements urgently, please”, he appealed.
He also rejected the perception that retired workers had become “spent forces”, arguing that their experience and contributions remain valuable to the development of Cross River State.
Beyond the immediate humanitarian concerns, Effiom reminded the APC Chairman of the political significance of pensioners, noting that retirees constitute a sizable voting population, with dependants who could influence electoral outcomes.
“The pension crisis predates the present administration. Governor Otu’s administration inherited a substantial backlog of gratuities owed to retired state workers.
“At the 2026 Workers’ Day celebration in Calabar, the Governor put the outstanding liabilities at about 14 years, covering the period from 2009 to 2023.
“To address the backlog, the administration set aside N10 billion as a first tranche for the payment of outstanding gratuities.
“Payments commenced around August 2024 after a verification and authentication exercise was conducted to identify genuine pensioners.
“The exercise was overseen by a committee headed by the Secretary to the State Government.
“However, by the time of the 2026 Workers’ Day address, delivered on the governor’s behalf by his Deputy, Peter Odey, the administration said the N10 billion tranche had only cleared outstanding gratuities up to 2015.
“That left almost a decade of unpaid entitlements still outstanding, underscoring the continuing financial hardship faced by retirees”, he said.
For pensioners represented by NARSGON, the unpaid gratuities have compounded the difficulties created by extremely low monthly pensions.
Amid the mounting concerns, Otu has offered fresh assurances that his administration will continue its efforts to clear the backlog.
The Governor made the commitment when he received a delegation of the Cross River State Elders’ Forum, led by retired at the State Executive Council Chamber in Calabar.

Colonel Pam Ogar, a former Military Administrator of Kwara State, at the State Executive Council Chamber in Calabar.
Otu disclosed that arrangements had commenced for the release of another tranche of gratuities before December 2026.
The Governor appeared visibly moved by the presence of the elders, acknowledging the role they played in building the state and the experience they still possess.
“When I look at the faces here, I see people who have reached the peak in their different professions and who have had experiences which we still need in terms of nation-building and state-building”, he said.
Otu said his administration remained sensitive to the plight of retirees and was committed to progressively settling their outstanding benefits.
He also described the wisdom and experience of the state’s elders as invaluable to Cross River’s continued development.
For pensioners struggling to survive on monthly payments of N4,000, N5,000 and N6,000, however, the latest promise of another gratuity tranche represents more than an administrative commitment.
The delay in receiving benefits accumulated over years of service, for many, means continued difficulty in paying for food, medication and other basic needs.
As Effiom’s appeal illustrates, the cost of the delay is not measured only in unpaid naira.
It is also being measured in the lives of retirees who, after spending decades building the state, now face hunger, sickness and an uncertain wait for the benefits they earned.
The promised December 2026 tranche could therefore prove significant, particularly if it begins to close the gap between gratuities paid up to 2015 and those still owed to retirees for subsequent years.

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has intensified its campaign for youth participation in Nigeria’s democratic process, urging university students and other eligible young Nigerians to register, collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and play a more active role in shaping the country’s future.
The Managing Director of NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, gave the charge at a voter education and civic sensitisation programme, tagged “Project New Nigeria and Voter Education”, held at the Abia State University, Uturu.
Ogbuku, represented by the Director, Social Services, Engr. Jeremiah Oritsejolomi, said the initiative was designed to deepen civic awareness and encourage responsible participation in the democratic process, particularly among young people in the Niger Delta.
He said the campaign had already been taken to several universities in the region, including Rivers State University, stressing that university communities remained strategic to the initiative because of their large population of young Nigerians.
According to him, despite their numerical strength, many young people remain disengaged from elections and other aspects of civic participation, a situation he said informed the decision by the Commission to take voter education directly to campuses.
Ogbuku urged eligible students to register to vote, obtain their PVCs and make informed choices at elections, while assuring that deserving students would also receive educational support materials under the programme.
The initiative’s convener, Foundation for Citizens Empowerment and Sensitisation on Civic Responsibility, Mr. Samuel Nzidee, said Project New Nigeria was conceived by young Nigerians to engage students and amplify their voices on issues affecting university communities.
Nzidee argued that students possessed significant civic influence through their participation in elections, and urged them to deploy their collective voice to demand greater attention to challenges such as accommodation, quality of education, respectful student-lecturer relations and affordability of education.
He said young Nigerians should move beyond being passive observers of governance and become more actively involved in decision-making, adding that their participation was necessary to ensure that issues affecting them received adequate attention.
As part of the intervention, Nzidee disclosed that tuition fees would be provided for 200 returning students, while other beneficiaries would receive laptops, tablets and other educational support materials.
He urged the students to remain informed, register to vote, collect their PVCs and participate responsibly in the forthcoming elections.
The Vice-Chancellor of Abia State University, Prof. Ndukwe Okeudo, represented by the Dean of Students’ Affairs, Prof. Dick Uduma, commended the NDDC for bringing the sensitisation programme to the university.
Okeudo said voter education was essential to helping Nigerians understand their civic responsibilities and participate meaningfully in the democratic process.
He also urged the beneficiaries of the educational support programme to conduct themselves responsibly and uphold the reputation of the institution.