Niger Delta

Obaseki Rewards N-Power Teacher With N100,000

Published

9 years ago

June 21, 2017

A volunteer in the N-Power programme in Edo State, Mrs Angelina Asein, last Friday, was rewarded with N100,000 by Governor Godwin Obaseki for acknowledging that the programme has brought out her hidden teaching skills.
Asein equally said that she was now resolved to be a professional teacher.
The reward was announced at Urhokpota Hall in Benin City, during an interactive session between representatives of the 4,702 volunteers in the state and the scheme’s monitoring and evaluation team.
Obaseki, represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr Taiwo Akerele, also announced that the government would employ volunteers who performed very well within the two-year programme.
Asein, a 2012 graduate of International Studies of the University of Benin, had appeared alongside Mr Clement Ojuomajie, a computer scientist, to testify that the scheme had transformed their lives in just six months.
The governor noted that the scheme was not about the stipend attached to it but the ability of the volunteers to make maximum use of the opportunity to develop new skills and improve their livelihood and their communities.
“”We are going to determine those who have gone the extra mile to bring them into the civil service to fill vacancies created by retirees,’’ Obaseki said.
The governor said that the reason for his participation in the interactive session was to encourage participants to be focused and ensure that they applied themselves well into the scheme.
According to him, the success of the first batch of Edo volunteers will determine the consideration for the placement of their colleagues in the next batch.
He asked them to be true ambassadors of the state and assured that the administration would offer every investment to ensure the success of the scheme in the state.
The Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on Job Creation, Mr Afolabi Imoukhuede, said that the N-Power programme was a fulfillment of the campaign promises made by President Muhammadu Buhari and Acting President Yemi Osinbajo.
“”This is a lifeline extended to you by the President,’’ he said, adding that 200,000 beneficiaries were already in the graduate scheme while non-graduates would be deployed nationwide in July and August.
Imoukhuede expressed gratitude that many volunteers in Edo had fully keyed into the scheme and were receiving their N30,000 monthly stipends but expressed surprise that 257 volunteers did not have account records.
“”The records you have given us up to end of May are invalid,’’ he told them adding that such persons might be delisted from the scheme if they failed to fill their data correctly and start receiving stipends.
The SSA observed that many of the volunteers in the state were deployed to urban centres depriving the rural areas of the benefits and requested the state partners to repost many to the rural areas to add value to the grassroots.
Imoukhuede later held a fact finding meeting with the state partners at the Banquet Hall of the Government House where he told them to be firm with strict supervision of the volunteers.

Niger Delta

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

Published

3 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

3 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

3 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.