Niger Delta

CLO Flays Agip Over N30.5m Judgment Debt

Published

9 years ago

January 23, 2017

The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) has decried the flagrant disobedience of court judgment on spill compensation in a Bayelsa host community by the Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC).
The state Chairman of the CLO, Mr Nengi James, at news conference last Wednesday in Yenagoa, said the refusal by the oil firm to compensate the Azuzuama community in Bayelsa was an invitation to anarchy.
James noted that it was regrettable that the affected communities of four spill incidents were deprived from benefiting from the N30.5 million compensation in 2004.
He said that the affected communities went to court and got judgment in their favour up to the court of appeal, “the communities are yet to get justice’’.
The CLO noted that the even though the community opted to channel its grievances through the law courts, the judgment was yet to be enforced, setting a dangerous precedent that might compel them to seek self-help.
Narrating the plight of Azuzuama community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area at the news conference, Counsel to the community, Mr Kelvin Ejelonu, noted that the people won the legal tussle at Federal High Court and Court of Appeal.
“An action was filed against Agip at the Federal High Court in Yenagoa on May 22, 2010, and on June 30, 2010, the court gave judgment against Agip, and ordered the company to pay the compensation sum with additional N3 million damages.
“Though Agip appealed the judgment, on Agip’s application for stay of execution of the said judgment, the Federal High Court refused the said application and ordered Agip to pay the said sum into the court.
“But Agip refused to comply with the court’s order, and Agip’s appeal was dismissed on April 10, 2014, by the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division, thereafter Garnishee proceedings to enforce the judgment commenced,” Ejelonu said.
He explained that Agip and its bankers resisted the enforcement of the court judgments and approached the same court for a stay of execution which the court declined.
He said that while pressure from the community initially compelled Agip’s bankers to pay the judgment sum into a Federal High Court, Yenagoa, it also quickly reversed the payment under the pretext that it had an Appeal Court’s order.
However, he observed that neither Agip nor its bankers had shown the appeal court order on which it based the decision to revert the judgment debt earlier paid into court’s coffers.
According to him, the Bayelsa Police Command had also commenced prosecution of Agip and its bankers.
Ejelonu noted that the connivance of NAOC and its bankers to evade justice was capable of eroding the confidence of other Niger Delta communities to be law abiding.
He, therefore, urged relevant agencies of government to preserve the rule of law and the sanctity of the judiciary, and avoid setting a negative precedent for other oil communities in the region.
He said that the communities were resolute and prepared to pursue the case up to the apex court.

Niger Delta

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

Published

2 days 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

2 days 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

2 days 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.