Niger Delta

RSG, FG, SPDC To Battle Crude Oil

Published

11 years ago

July 22, 2015

Participants at a training on cassava processing by West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP) in Uyo yesterday.

The Rivers State Government
has said that it was partnering with all stakeholders, including the Federal Government and Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) to educate the people at the grassroots on the need to stay away from crude oil theft and illegal refining of hydrocarbon resources because of the dangers such act pose to their lives and the environment.
The Director, Pollution Control, Rivers State Ministry of Environment, Charles George, who disclosed this at Kpite, Tai Local Government Area of the state, last Wednesday, as part of a series of SPDC-sponsored grassroots campaign against crude oil theft and artisanal refining in the Niger Delta, in compliance with the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme report on Ogoniland, said that such acts had resulted in the death of many young Nigerians and rendered large part of the precious Niger Delta environment desolate and unproductive.
George, while addressing the more than 1,000 community youth, men and women, at Kpite Community Primary School, said that the Rivers State Government was working assiduously with the Federal Government to revive the Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Programme (HYPREP) with the appointment of a new purpose-driven leadership team to fast-track the clean-up of Ogoniland in line with the recommendations of the UNEP report.
He disclosed that once HYPREP management team is reconstituted in a few weeks’ time, physical clean-up of polluted sites in Ogoniland would begin, assuring that the moment the process commences, many jobless Ogonis would be engaged in meaningful and viable employment to enable them support their families and communities.
The director of pollution control warned against continued attempts to undermine the environment through crude oil theft, illegal refining of hydrocarbon resources, pipeline vandalism and destruction of related oil facilities, adding that apart from the criminal nature of the act and its negative impact on the economy, government cannot fold its arm and watch helplessly as the huge death toll and environmental destruction continue to decimate the region, and indeed, the nation.
Senior Environmental Officer, National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Augustine Bello, warned that crude oil theft and artisanal refining as well as pipeline vandalism are all criminal offences, which attract prison terms, on arrest and prosecution, and appealed to youth involved in the act to desist forthwith in their own interest.
Bello appealed to “the people to allow the crude oil to remain in the pipeline”, because according to him, “if the crude oil is allowed to remain in the pipeline, your farm and fish harvests would be bountiful, and your revenue generation capacity would increase by the day, and you would be able to feed your families, send your children to school, and meet your other needs.”
He noted that the people of the region may not be satisfied with the way oil and gas revenue is distributed amongst the component units of the federation, but stressed that stealing the crude from the pipeline is not an acceptable way of addressing the injustice.
Bello advised the people to work more closely with their political leaders to ensure a new era of legislation that heralds generally-accepted revenue-sharing formula that would provide sufficient funds to address the colossal development challenges facing the region.
In their separate speeches, Gbenemene Twa-Twa Tai, and Paramount Ruler of Kpite, HRH Samuel Nnee and Spokesperson for Twa-Twa Tai Communities, Chief Mission Piwa, restated the dangers associated with crude oil theft and illegal bunkering on the people and the environment, and said that the council of chiefs has been working round the clock to educated the people of Kpite on the need to avoid oil facilities and installations in their farming activities.
They expressed the hope that oil exploration would soon resume in Ogoniland to create avenues for employment of thousands of jobless youth in the communities, emphasizing that most of the youth involved in crude oil theft, illegal bunkering, and pipeline vandaslism were doing so out of the lack of any sustainable source of livelihood to feed their families and make ends meet.

Nelson Chukwudi

Niger Delta

850-bed UCTH overstretched, services 5m patients – CMD

Published

17 hours ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

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.

Niger Delta

Police Burst Child Trafficking Syndicate In A’Ibom … Nab 3 Suspects

Published

17 hours ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

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.

Niger Delta

A’Ibom Launches Operation Crack Down Scrap Dealers

Published

17 hours ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

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.