Niger Delta

Bayelsa Wants NDDC To Prioritise Completing Abandoned Bridge Project

Published

4 years ago

May 2, 2022

The Bayelsa State Government has renewed its call on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to prioritise the completion of its long-abandoned bridge project at Akenfa, a suburb of Yenagoa metropolis.
The state Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo made the call at the weekend during a meeting with the leadership of Akenfa Community and representatives of NDDC in Government House, Yenagoa.
In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mr Doubara Atasi, the Deputy Governor was quoted pointing out that the bridge project was strategic to the socio-economic development of Akenfa community in particular and the state capital in general.
Ewhrudjakpo urged the State Office of NDDC to effectively engage its headquarters with a view to ensuring the resumption and completion of the project.
Responding to a demand on government to terminate the contract and have it re-awarded to another contractor, Senator Ewhrudjakpo clarified that it was not in the power of the Bayelsa State Government to revoke the contracts awarded by the interventionist agency, pointing out that although only the NDDC reserves the prerogative to terminate the contract and re-award it to a competent contractor, the state government was ready to collaborate with the NDDC to resume and complete the project.
“We are coterminous in terms of the value the project will add; social security and other benefits, when it is completed. But as we speak, we are quite divergent as to how we get to that coterminous point.
“Your office should raise the memo spelling out the social, economic and security impact the project will have on our people to your headquarters and what role they want us to play.
“If they (NDDC) agree to liaise with the state government, then we must have that communication (document) because we cannot just agree verbally. Once we have that communication and agree on the necessary terms, we move on.
“I’m saying this because we really have to know where we are before we take the next step, which must be in the right direction. But on the demand made by the community, I want to make it clear that the state government has no power to revoke NDDC’s contracts,” he said.
To this end, the Deputy Governor has set up an eight-man committee headed by the Honourable Commissioner for Works and infrastructure, Mr. Moses Teibowei, to liaise with the NDDC on the Akenfa bridge project across the Epie Creek and the access road to link the second phase of the New Yenagoa Gateway Road.
Other members of the committee include the Honourable Commissioner for Local Government, Mr. Thompson Amule; the Technical Adviser to the Governor on NDDC Matters, Mr. Nyenye Mathias, and the Technical Adviser on Special Duties, Deputy Governors’ Office, Mr. Richard Perekeme.
The Committee also has the Vice Chairman of Yenagoa City Council, Mr. Mandy Sylvanus as member, as well as three representatives from Akenfa Community, one of whom should be a woman.
In their separate remarks, the Paramount Ruler of Akenfa, His Royal Highness Obadiah John Osomu, and the Member representing Yenagoa Constituency 1 in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Oforji Oboku, lamented the plight of the indigenes and residents of Akenfa over the non-completion of the bridge project, which had led to the loss of lives in the area.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa

Niger Delta

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

Published

4 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

4 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

4 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.