Niger Delta

Lack Of Funds Hinders Take-Off Of 3 Polytechnics

Published

11 years ago

February 27, 2015

The Delta Commis
sioner for Higher Education, Mr Charles Emetulu, says three polytechnics planned for the state are unable to take off due to lack of infrastructure.
Emetulu stated this during budget defence before the State House of Assembly Committee on Finance and Appropriation in Asaba on Wednesday.
The commissioner listed other challenges delaying the take-off to include non recruitment of staff and inadequate funding.
The proposed polytechnics are to be located in Aboh, Bomadi and Sapele in Ndokwa East, Bomadi and Sapele Local Government Areas of the state respectively.
Emetulu told the committee that despite the challenges, plans were on ground for their take off next academic session.
He said the establishment of the polytechnics was another bold step by Gov. Emmanuel Uduaghan in addressing the ever-increasing need of the people for tertiary education.
He added that government was committed to ensuring quality education at all levels in the state.
Emetulu noted that funding, inadequate infrastructure and poor staffing were the major challenges faced by all the tertiary institutions in the state.
He also told the committee that N500 million was required for accreditation of courses alone in the three campuses of the State University, Abraka.
Also, the Vice Chancellor of the State University, Abraka, Prof Victor Peretomode, said accreditation of courses was a major challenge to the institution.
He said that the Faculty of Engineering at Oleh campus was affected as it lacked the requisite staffing standard set by the Nigeria Universities Commission (NUC) for accreditation.
Peretomode said the institution was looking at the possibility of getting lecturers from India and Pakistan, among others.
“This is to enable the faculty to get accreditation and in turn train their staff as Nigeria lacked engineering personnel in some fields.’’
He said the Faculty of Environmental Sciences at Anwai campus had not been able to take off due to lack of structures and that admission for part time studies was dwindling due to NUC’s guidelines.
Peretomode also said that the Consultancy Unit of the school was not being utilised properly and solicited more funding and private sector participation for the development of education.
Chairman of the committee, Mr Daniel Mayuku, said the committee would look into the issue of accreditation and poor internal road network among others in the various institutions, noting that all of them had similar challenges.
Mayuku called on the commissioner to replace staff members who resigned or retired but warned against abuse of such arrangement.
The lawmaker promised that the committee would appropriate needed funds to enhance the growth of education in the state.

Comptroller, Nigeria Immigration Service, Rivers Command, Mr Mike Longe (right), parading suspected illegal immigrants in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.

Niger Delta

Stakeholders In Delta Seek Stronger GBV Action, Women’s Leadership

Published

13 hours ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

Stakeholders in Delta State convened in Asaba for a leadership workshop organised by Otdel Health Heritage and Environmental Initiative (OHHEI), focusing on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and women’s participation in decision-making processes.

OHHEI Project Director, Mr. Peter Olayinka, represented by a consultant, Juliet Obiajulu, urged participants to contribute meaningfully toward advancing women’s leadership and combating GBV across communities in the state.

He said the workshop aimed to strengthen participants’ capacity to influence policies, challenge harmful cultural norms, and reinforce initiatives designed to prevent and respond to GBV.

Olayinka said women often faced bias even when they occupied leadership positions, and stressed that gender diversity improved the quality of decision-making and promoted innovation and accountability in governance structures.

Speaking, the Chairperson of the Association Against Child Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, Mr Eris Jewo-Ibi, identified cultural norms, domestic responsibilities, political resistance, and grassroots barriers as constraints to women’s participation.

Delta State GBV Desk Officer, Mrs. Rosemary Okpuno, emphasised that effective decision-making required women’s perspectives, adding that inclusion remained critical to addressing persistent gender-based challenges.

Voke Angbagh of the Delta State Ministry of Justice outlined penalties for rape and called for the establishment of special courts to handle sexual offences cases.

Angbagh said frequent adjournments delayed justice for survivors, stressing that dedicated sexual offences courts would ensure timely trials and stronger protection for victims in Delta State.

The Tide’s source reports that facilitators identified cultural acceptance of violence, unequal power relations, discrimination, poverty, limited education, and low self-esteem as major drivers of GBV.

They emphasised that violence and exclusion resulted in social, physical and emotional harm, imposed economic costs, reinforced harmful stereotypes, and widened existing gender inequalities.

The source also reports that OHHEI, a local non-profit organisation, focuses on education, health, environment, and social justice, promoting sustainable development initiatives with gender equality at the centre of its interventions.

Niger Delta

C’River Suspends Taskforce Activities Over Drivers’ Protest

Published

13 hours ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

The Cross River State Government has suspended all taskforce activities connected to commercial transportation and ticketing across the state.

The State Governor, Bassey Otu, announced the suspension at an emergency stakeholders meeting on Friday in Calabar.

It would be recalled that commercial drivers in Calabar metropolis took to streets on Thursday to protest alleged multiple taxation and extortion by government agencies.

During the protest, the drivers alleged that taskforce groups claiming to represent the state government openly harassed and extorted them.

Represented at the meeting by Ekpenyong Akiba, his Special Adviser on General Duties, Otu said the suspension would subsist pending further review of the situation.

The Governor stated that the state government did not commission anyone to extort drivers in the name of task force.

He urged commercial drivers and other road users to remain law-abiding while government worked out a lasting solution.

On his part, the Chairman, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Calabar Metropolis, Mr. Sunday Dennis, expressed optimism that the dialogue would yield positive results.

He said the meeting had provided an opportunity for the aggrieved commercial drivers to present their concerns directly to the state government.

Also speaking, the Chairman, Unified Drivers Association, Mr. Nta Henshaw, described the harassment on drivers as worrisome, and urged the state government to be decisive in resolving the matter.

Niger Delta

A’Ibom Assembly Urges More Private Investments In Agriculture

Published

13 hours ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly Committee on Nutrition and Food Security has called for more private sector investments in agriculture.

The Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Moses Essien, made the call when the committee visited Aviclaire Farms, a private establishment in Usung Idem, Uruk Usoh in Abak Local Government Area.

Essien, who represents Ibiono Ibom in the Assembly, commended the Management of the farm for partnering an NGO, ECEWS, to promote private investment in agriculture.

He commended the partners for adopting climate-smart agriculture initiatives in their operations, adding that such move would promote food security.

“Your interest in using transformative intervention to promote food security is a veritable way of complementing the efforts of the state government,” he said.

The lawmaker continued that adopting practical climate-smart agriculture model would help to generate employment, improve nutrition outcomes, and strengthen food sufficiency.

He further said he was impressed with the strides recorded by the partners, saying, “your investment has created jobs for no fewer than 2,000 youths.

”You are an example of an environment-friendly investor. I urge Akwa Ibom residents to embrace environment-friendly and technology-driven agriculture models,” he said.

Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer, ECEWS, Dr. Andy Eyo, who conducted the committee round the farm, said the collaboration was conceived to demonstrate the viability of climate-smart farming in ensuring food sufficiency.

Eyo said the farm, which commenced operations with four greenhouses, had expanded to 14 within two years, and currently supplying high-quality produce to major markets in Uyo and neighbouring communities.

He said ECEWS was exploring cooperative frameworks to enable rural farmers and women’s groups to adopt greenhouse technology for sustainable livelihoods.

In her remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of Aviclaire Farms, Mrs. Victoria Eyo, said the controlled-environment ensured precision cultivation and consistent yields.

She further said the farm served as a capacity-building centre for students, interns, and agri-business trainees.