Niger Delta

COVID-19: NDDC Shops For Ventilators For N’Delta States

Published

6 years ago

March 27, 2020

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is ready to help in the case of COVID-19 but the acting Managing Director, Prof Kemebradikumo Pondei, says the nation has only 500 ventilators.
He also said in Port Harcourt that Nigeria of about 200 million people has only 500 ventilators; worse, most of the few oxygen plants in the country have broken down.
These are the findings of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) which has pledged to intervene in the Niger Delta on COVID-19.
Pondei told newsmen in Port Harcourt that the commission just carried out a study to determine how to intervene.
He said; “This morning we found that there are about 500 ventilators in the entire country. We are exploring avenues to see if we could intervene in providing ventilators. Similarly, oxygen is difficult to procure in the country.
“The Federal Government through the ministry of health has a policy on oxygen which has not been disseminated very well. There are very few oxygen production plants in the country and some of the existing ones have actually broken down. But the provision of oxygen is key to the treatment.”
The NDDC boss said the commission was looking at contributing in the area of treatment because most of the activities so far had been on prevention; social distancing and hand washing as well as using sanitizers.
He remarked: “We are also looking at the drugs that have been used so far in other climes for treatment; there are some anti-viral drugs that we are trying to make available in a proactive manner. The NDDC is going a step above what others are doing.
He assured that the commission would intervene to protect the people of the Niger Delta region from the dreaded Coronavirus disease, COVID-19.
Pondei said as an intervention agency, the commission would collaborate with other stakeholders in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said: “We have started looking at different isolation points in the nine states of the Niger Delta region. We are interacting with the states to find out what is on ground and we are taking stock of the ventilators and oxygen in health facilities across the region.”
The NDDC CEO observed that the treatment of the disease was not limited to drugs but included the ability to make sure that the patients were able to breathe properly and this should be done using ventilators.
“As for testing, we are leaving that with Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) which is coordinating the testing, but we will also like to let people know that most of the kits that are being used are not efficient and cannot detect COVID-19. This is because everybody has one way or another been exposed to Coronavirus and those kits just test for antibodies that already exist in most of us.”
Pondei affirmed that the NDDC would identify the isolation centres in the Niger Delta states so as to assist in strengthening them and building their capacity for service delivery.
He added: “It is not enough to build a place and say it is an isolation centre. It has to be properly equipped and properly stocked. They should have personal protective gears for health workers and must have dedicated conveniences for each of the patients. Anything you use for one patient cannot be used for another patient.”
Pondei stressed the need for people to imbibe simple health tips like social distancing, not smoking in a crowd, good coughing etiquette and regular hand washing with soap and water.
He advised that hand washing techniques be taught on radio and television.
Speaking on the free medical programme of the NDDC, the acting MD said that the commission’s 2019 budget made provisions for its resuscitation, stating: “Right now, the directorate of Health, Education and Social Services (EHSS) is already working on a template for it.
“We are also looking at people that will partner with us. What we are planning is to roll out a monthly programme that will run across the nine states of the region. Our plan is to have three in every state under the NDDC mandate in a month at the same time. We believe that it will reduce the disease burden, especially in the hard to reach areas of the region.”
Pondei said that his inaugural lecture last year at the Niger Delta University was prophetic because it was entitled: “Viruses: Ignored, Neglected, Poorly Understood with Resulting Devastating Consequences.”
He decried a situation where people fail to learn from experience, noting: “When Ebola Virus was our problem in 2014, we did exactly what we are doing now. Hand washing became serious with sanitizers and temperature testing but after Ebola, everything went back to normal.
“Few isolation wards were allowed to be used for other things. In developed nations, you build more isolation centres and equip them properly but in Nigeria here when this Coronavirus disappears, we will then forget all we have learnt and we will not plan for something subsequently.”

Niger Delta

Pro-Chancellor Hands Over Okey Onuchuku Peace, Conflict Institute Building

Published

4 days ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

History was made on Wednesday 17th June, 2026 when the Okey Onuchuku Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies building was handed over to Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE).

Speaking during the hand over ceremony, which attracted an array of personalities from various works of life, the 13th Pro-Chancellor and Governing Council Chairman of IAUE, Chief Chinyere Igwe, commended the Vice Chancellor of IAUE, Professor Okechuku Onuchuku, for giving back to the University with the institute’s building project.

While affirming that Government cannot do it all, he encouraged individuals, corporate organizations, institutional partners to ensure the growth of University education in Nigeria.

He praised Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) for sustaining University Education in Nigeria, and called for good initiatives and support “that will not only benefit the University, but put IAUE on the map of academic excellence in Nigeria and beyond.”

Earlier, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Onuchuku, expressed gratitude to his wife, Mrs. Chika Onuchuku, and family for all the support given for the vision achieved.

He also thanked his close associates, political friends, well-wishers, and others who donated generously towards the building project.

“The growth of Universities all over the world”, Professor Onuchuku said, “comes from personal efforts of individuals, alumni associations and others.”

He noted that donations as being witnessed is the best way to go and called on all to invest in the Nigerian education system and immortalize their names with worthwhile donations and contributions..

The Okey Onuchuku Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies building, he further stated, “is donated as a Professorial Chair with the Dean of Postgraduate School, Professor Chibuzor Chile Nwobueze, also a Professor of Peace Studies, as the occupant of the Professorial Chair.

Giving his address, the Director, Okey Onuchuku Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, Professor Kingdom Elendu Ohia Nwaenyi, lauded Professor Okechuku Onuchuku for sacrificing his hard earned salaries, allowances and funds raised from two volumes of textbooks in his honour and titled “Perspectives on Nigeria’s Development”, launched on his 60th birthday.

He noted that the project is the first legacy to be accomplished by any serving Vice Chancellor in the institution.

Professor Nwaenyi stated that the Institute mounted five programmes: Peace and Conflict Studies; Peace Building and Development; Peace Building and Security Studies; Peace Building and Conflict Management; and Peace Education.

The institute, he explained, has birthed over fifty students running programmes in Postgraduate Diploma, M.A, M.Sc, M. Phil, and PhD.

Thirty students are in the PhD programme, fifteen are admitted into the Masters and M.Phil, and eight in Postgraduate Diploma Programme.

He expressed hoped that the Institute would check litigation and provide alternative dispute resolution.

In a vote of thanks, the Chairman, Okey Onuchuku Peace and Conflict Studies and Dean of Postgraduate School, Professor Chibuzor Chile Nwobueze, thanked God for His grace and enablement.

He prayed for the donor and Vice Chancellor of IAUE, Professor Okechuku Onuchuku, and further expressed his gratitude to Professor Isaac Olawale Albert, the third most cited Peace Scholar in the world, for his collaboration in developing a world class curriculum.

While thanking all who supported and celebrated with the University in this regard, Professor Nwobueze assured the public that the Okey Onuchuku institute of Peace and Conflict Studies will emerge as a centre of excellence, contributing meaningfully to scholarship, policy formulation, community engagement and the promotion of peaceful coexistence within Nigeria, Africa and the global Community.

The Institute, he stated, is willing to partner with the Society for Peace Studies and Practice (SPSP) in line with its mandate to promote peace studies, Peace building, Conflict Management and sustainable development.

The institute has over four lecture halls with sixty to one hundred and twenty capacity, a befitting conference hall, offices for staff and a library.

A donation of one million naira was made during the event for the best two graduating students of the institute by Barrister Nyema Wagbara, the Leader of Dynamic Development Club of Port Harcourt based in Rumuolumeni.

Each of the two best graduating students will get the sum of five hundred thousand naira.

The event featured goodwill messages from Professor Isaac Albert, Professor Alwell Nteegah, the Chairman of Society for Peace Studies and Practice, Rivers State Chapter, Dr. Benjamin Ibietonye.

Dr. Emem Nyewene presented the goodwill message of the Society for Peace Studies and Practice National.

Others who gave goodwill messages are Ambassador Green Isaac, the Country Director, Relief International Africa, and Comrade Levi Zachariah George, Chairman Postgraduate Students Association.

The event also featured rendition for Professor Okechuku Onuchuku by Dr Maria Abidiak.

Niger Delta

Oborevwori Commends Police Over Arrest Of Electric Cable Vandals

Published

4 days ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, on Saturday commended the State Police Command for the arrest of two suspected electric cable vandals and the recovery of vandalised cables, describing the operation as a major step in protecting critical public infrastructure across the state.

In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sir Festus Ahon, Oborevwori praised the Commissioner of Police, CP Yemi Oyeniyi, officers and men of the Command for their prompt response and sustained commitment to combating criminal activities, particularly the vandalism of government-owned facilities.

He also commended the local vigilante group for their support and corporation with security agencies in the state, adding that the arrest demonstrated the government’s resolve to safeguard public assets and ensure that investments in infrastructure continue to serve the people without disruption.

The Police in a statement by its Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, said operatives of the Kwale Police Station, working in collaboration with members of a local vigilante group, acted on credible intelligence on June 25, 2026, and stormed the Ibabu–Ugiliamai Road where suspected vandals were allegedly dismantling and stealing electric cables.

The suspects reportedly attempted to flee on sighting the security team, but were apprehended during the operation.

One of the suspects sustained injuries and is currently receiving treatment at a hospital, while the other remains in police custody.

The suspects were identified as Osakwe Sunday, 28, and Ekene Obocha, 34. The vandalised electric cables were recovered as exhibits.

Commending the operation, the Governor urged residents to continue supporting security agencies by providing timely and credible information that would aid in the fight against crime.

He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to protecting public infrastructure and maintaining a safe and secure environment for all Deltans.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Yemi Oyeniyi, warned criminal elements to desist from vandalising government critical infrastructure and other public assets, stressing that the Command would continue to identify, arrest and prosecute offenders.

He also appealed to members of the public to sustain their cooperation with the police by volunteering useful information capable of preventing crime and bringing offenders to justice.

Niger Delta

We’ll Study INC’s Reconciliation Committee Report – Diri

Published

4 days ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has said his administration would study the recommendations of the Reconciliation Committee of the Ijaw National Congress (INC) and consult widely before implementation.

He expressed optimism that the recommendations of the committee would foster peace, progress, stability and reposition the Ijaw nation for greater relevance in Nigeria.

He stated this at the weekend while receiving the report from the eight-man committee in Government House, Yenagoa.

The Tide gathered that the report followed its inauguration by the Governor on May 26, 2026 with the mandate of reconciling aggrieved interests in the INC after a disputed presidential election.

Diri lauded members of the committee for painstakingly putting the report together within the stipulated timeframe of one month, saying nothing less than excellence was expected.

He added that the committee delivered a report that speaks to the divisions and future possibilities of the Ijaw people, describing the INC as the highest institutional expression of the identity and historic aspirations of the people.

“We cannot stand aloof while such a vital institution drifts without direction. The Congress and the people rise or fall together.

“You were given a sacred mandate: to find reasons to stay together. You have discharged it with diligence and courage. You have given us not just a report, but a pathway back to trust and collective purpose.

“When I inaugurated this committee, I said the destiny of the Ijaw Nation was too precious to be left unattended. You heard that urgency. You responded to it.

“Given the high calibre, sterling pedigree and unimpeachable integrity of this committee, nothing less than excellence was expected. You have delivered a report that speaks to our divisions and to our future possibilities”, he said.

Presenting the report, the Chairman of the reconciliation committee, Dr. Mathew Seiyefa, said they interacted with all contestants in the INC elections, including members of the electoral committee, the INC executive and also received memoranda from various zones of the INC and other critical stakeholders of the Ijaw nation.

Dr. Seiyefa, a former Director-General of the Department of State Services, noted that the expectation of the committee was that the INC would speak for the Ijaw nation, its people and their causes.

According to him, the resurgent INC will be more consultative and inclusive, giving primacy to its role as a platform for advocacy, which will enable the body gain greater traction and resonance in the lives of the people.

“A common trend, which permeated this interaction, was the overwhelming passion for not just the survival of the INC, but its renewal and reinvigoration.

“There was a yearning for an INC that would rise to the challenges of the moment with respect to the cause of the Ijaw nation and its people. This sentiment was a key driver in the deliberations of the committee and has informed the recommendations that we have made”, Dr. Seiyefa said.

Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa