Niger Delta

Retiring Edo CP Tasks Officers On Service

Published

4 years ago

March 7, 2022

Retiring Edo State Commissioner of Police, Phillip Ogbadu, has tasked officers to continue to be dedicated in their service to the state and country at large.
Ogbadu stated this yesterday at a Special thanksgiving service to prelude his retirement, at the Mountain of Fire and Miracle Church, Benin.
The Tide source reports that Ogbadu will retire from the Nigerian Police Force, on Monday after 33 years of service.
He noted that on assumption of office as the CP Edo command, in January 2021, the crime rates, especially kidnapping and cultism were very high.
“But through God, we were able to manage the situation and great improvement was recorded.
“There are no bad police men, those police we see as bad will do even much more better than those we see as good when a situation calls for drastic action.
“Police men need to be assigned to duties according to their specialty.
“Success is not achieved by the person at the top alone. Without able lieutenants, the person at the top cannot achieve any success.
“So I plead with you, do not relapse after now”, he said.
The CP decried manpower shortage in the force due to risks of various kinds in the course of service.
“When I joined the force in 1989, we were more than 200 in my set, but during passing out, only 180 of us passed out.
“Within one year of service, some of them lost their lives to armed robbers, assassins and others, and as at today, we are less than 55 remaining.
“That I joined the force, went for various assignments most of which were very risky, and by the grace of God, I’m alive to retire after 33 years of service is more than enough reason for me to come and give God thanks.”
He advised those still in service to seek God early, according to him “if you know God early, it’s very good”.
Ogbadu also encouraged them to continuously do good and what is right, without hiding where they stand on any issue.
“Let people know your stand, and let us live rightly”, he added.
In his message, the resident pastor of the church, Sam Iragbese, said that living is not by right, but by the mercy of God.
Taking his scripture reading from Luke chapter 17 verse 17 where only one leper out of the 10 cleansed came back to thank God.
He noted that irrespective of who man is, God is responsible for his breath.
“God will not complete your blessings until you return to thank him.
“It is a good thing to give thanks to God. Thanksgiving is a way of asking God for more.
“Thanksgiving is also a way to seek your blessings and preserve it”, he said.

Niger Delta

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

Published

17 hours 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

17 hours 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

17 hours 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.