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Niger Delta

Church Opens Evangelical School, Soon

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In response to series of demands for the training of true evangelists across the country, the Diocese of Calabar Anglican Communion has concluded arrangements to establish an evangelical school next year in the ancient city of Cross River State.
Briefing newsmen on the 1st session of 9th Synod with the theme: ‘He Has Made Everything Beautiful,’ at Ogoja, His Lordship, Rt. Rev. Tunde Adeleye, bishop of the diocese explained that the purpose arose from the dearth of ministers of God with the jurisdiction while “we shall be willing to open the school to other denominations after.”
According to him, “we have planted a few additional churches during the year under review. We are particularly excited because of the success we have experienced in our continued penetration into the interior parts of the diocese, which is the entire Cross River State. Evangelism is our main focus. We have not relented from this at any moment.”
On the state of the nation, the Bishop commended former President Gooduck Jonathan for conceding defeat even before the final result was announced  in a general election in the county.
“The take-off tempo, after the election, has been rather slow, so far. The government seems to be majoring on plans to ‘eradicate’ corruption in the system. This is good and expected. But in the process, every other thing has almost come to a standstill. No attention seems to be paid to economic progress; and socio governmental programmes are at a standstill. This is why we think that the take-off of the government has been rather slow,” he lamented.
Bishop Adeleye was of the view that the appointments made so far by the present administration were rather very lopsided, stating that, out of 31 major appointments that had so far been made 24 is from the North while only 7 goes to the South.
“To further support the argument of the Southern neglect, it is said that even the work on the Lagos\Ibadan expressway has since been stopped,” he noted.
While commending the turnaround maintenance of the NNPC, he lamented that to get electricity for domestic use in the country now has become even more difficult, even after the so called sell of NEPA, stressing that the Church spends about N.6 million monthly on diesel alone.
The Bishop also praised the efforts of our security operatives on their pragmatic effort to stem Boko Haram and other criminal activities in the country.
“On the whole, we still strongly believe that the true federalism is the major way of solving the myriads of challenges in Nigeria. The centre is too attractive and too powerful. The states and regions are impoverished. Until and unless we decentralized into true federalism, we will continue to run around making movements but not advancing,” the man of God enthused.

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Niger Delta

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

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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.
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Niger Delta

C’River Suspends Taskforce Activities Over Drivers’ Protest

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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.
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A’Ibom Assembly Urges More Private Investments In Agriculture

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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.
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