Niger Delta

NGO, Firm Partner On Environmental Safety In N’Delta

Published

4 years ago

May 30, 2022

A non-governmental organisation, Stakeholders Alliance for Corporate Accountability (SACA), the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) and governmental institutions have re-emphasized the need for safe and healthy environment in the oil-rich Niger Delta region.
The Tide gathered this at the inauguration ceremony of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and hiuman Rights (UNGP-P2R) programme, which was held by the SACA in conjunction with NAOC, in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa state capital.
In his keynote address, the Executive Director of SACA, Mr Kingsley Ozegbe, decried the spate of oil spills in the Niger Delta region, emphasizing that the danger it portends on the environment and human life is worrisome.
He noted that following SACA’s quest in curbing the hazards related to oil spills, it had gone into partnership with the oil firm(NAOC), towards finding lasting solutions through campaigns against oil spillages in the Niger Delta region.
Ozegbe said as a result of the NGO’s willingness to take the campaign against oil spills and the resultant hazards on the Environment and human life to the nooks and crannies of the Niger Delta region, SACA and NAOC intend to carry on the project for a three year period, saying the first phase of the partnership was to refocus the attention of the Niger Delta Communities on Agricutural businesses, especially on cash crops production.
The SACA boss hinted that about 70 Communities would be engaged in the first phase of the programme, noting that it promises to be beneficial to all, including the unborn generations.
“Today’s gathering marks another great effort towards addressing a common problem that is facing humanity in this region.
“This project was jointly conceived in April, 2020 by our organization (SACA), and the NAOC, to contribute to the implemention of Ruggie Principles under the leadership of the United Nations Business and Human rights Working Group (UNGP).
“We’ve structured the project on the tripod of the UNGP framework that seek to protect, respect and remedy human rights breaches. The project is published in the website of the office of United nations High Commissioner for human rights.
“It is framed to be implemented through multi-stakeholders and non-violent approaches. Partnering organizations include agencies, commissions, security architecture of the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Bayelsa State Government, international research institutes, financial institutions, civil society organizations and the media”, he said.
The Executive Director who decried the heightening risk associated with oil and gas activities in the Niger Delta region, also restated that over 40 organizations would be working with SACA at different times towsrds bringing the needed outcomes that would ultimately change the narratives of oil spills across the Niger Delta region.
He stressed that due to the environmental hazards of spills and other problems linked to oil and gas in the region, investments were diminishing in the Niger Delta yearly.
“Currently, the risk associated with oil and gas activities in the Niger Delta region are heightening and investment climate is dimming.
“The oil spillages into the environment is becoming very alarming, thus, it calls for stronger teamwork to safeguard humanity and improve the environment so as to attract investors in order to create opportunities to absorb the working population that is surging on daily basis”, the SACA boss added.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after the programme, the Bayelsa State Commissioners of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Chief David Alagoa, and his Environment counterpart, Iselema Gbaranbiri, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Mr Martin Waripamo and Director, Agricutural Services, Dr. Okoya Ebasi, respectively, commended SACA and the oil firm for the programme, promising that the State Government was ready to continue partnering the NGO in their awareness and enlightenment projects across the State.
Giving an overview of the expected benefits of the three UNGP-P2R Committees inaugurated, the SACA Executive Director stated that the Agricutural Management committee (AMC), would function to increase cash crop production, increase food production,increase aquaculture production, and also Increase value-addition.
The EMC, on its part, is to increase awareness to the hazards associated with human exposure to crude oil pollution and its impact on human rights, improve understanding of gatekeepers to sustain advocacy against oil pollution in Communities, sustain access to better health, clean water and sanitation by right holders, etc.
The NGO also noted that the expected benefits of the HRD would include improved awareness of laws and human rights instruments that binds state, organized arm groups, individuals, security personel and actors on armed conflict in 24 Communities, reduce restiveness and willful damage of oil facilities in Communities and to sustain access of entitlement through right-handed approach, as well as to strengthen knowledge of the human rights due diligence/alternative dispute resolution syst, SACA peace building process, and the NAOC grievance mechanisms, in Communities, amongst others.
High points of the programme were the inaugurations of the Environmental Management Committee (EMC), the Agricutural Management Committee (AMC), as well as the Human rigthts due deligence Committee (HRD), respectively, while participants were drawn from both the public and private sectors.
The Tide reports that the NGO and SACA are funded by Misean Cara of the Republic of Ireland.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa

Niger Delta

MNCH Week Begins Today … As Consultant Urges Parents To Vaccinate Children, Others

Published

2 days ago

June 8, 2026

The Tide

The second phase of the Optimised Maternal Newborn Child Health Week (oMNCHW) is billed to hold from today to Thursday, July 12, 2026.

In an interview with the Behavioural Change Consultant for the Rivers State Primary Healthcare Management Board, Sandra James, she disclosed that although the programme is tagged Maternal Newborn Child Health (MNCH) Week, it is not for only children.

“We are looking at everybody. That we tagged it MNCH does not make it strictly for mother and child. It’s a one-stop-shop, as we usually call it, for mother, children, adolescents, and fathers.

“Everybody can work into a Primary Healthcare facility, because it’s going to be a major facility-based activities: you just work in for your deworming exercise for your children under five; for your sexual gender-based violence services for girls and boys that are sexually assaulted; for Family Planning (FP) for both adolescent and everybody of reproductive age; for free delivery during the week; and for nutrition in which you check the children who are malnourished and you ensure that their nutritional status are improved through counselling, through dispensing of nutritional therapeutic ready-to-eat meal”, she said.

She continued that it also include malaria treatment, and HIV treatment counselling to prevent maternal child transmission. All of these will be available during the one week period of he programme.

She said, “any person that works into our health centres within the period in the 23 local government areas will access the services.

“The Executive Secretary, Dr. Chituru Adiele, has ensured that all the 23 LGAs have their health facilities up and running to ensure that there is, and will be, a successful maternal health week.”

She adviced parents to access the facilities within the period, saying the services “are not mainly there for mother’s to go and deliver their babies, they are not mainly for immunisation services, they’re not there for antinatal care, they’re not for post-natal services. It’s for everybody.

“That’s your first place of call to ensure that you’re healthy. Per adventure, you go to these health facilities, and anything is beyond them, they have been trained to know when to refer.

“So, please, minimise self-medication, herbal medication, and ensure that you utilise the services of these primary healthcare centres in our communities.”

Speaking on areas currently experiencing diphtheria in Rivers State, the State Immunization Officer, Dr. Joseph Urang, said the focus is on Oyigbo and Agbandele, both in Oyigbo and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas, respectively.

According him, so far, one case in Oyigbo, and two cases (twins) in Agbandele of clinically diagnosed diphtheria have been identified, with one of them already dead, due to the fact that the twins, who are four years old, are both zero dose, while the single case in Oyigbo (15 years) has however been vaccinated in childhood.

Dr. Urang explained that when the team of health officers moved into both areas, the parents resisted their children being immunised, and only succumbed after much persistence and persuasion by the health team.

Explaining the diphtheria vaccine, he said it is part of he pental vaccines: “what happens is that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that at between 3 and 5, the effect actually weans out. That’s why they recommend that when you give your child the vaccine, you have a booster dose at 5, 10, and 15 years.

He said after the booster dose at 15 years, the person will have protection for life.

Diphtheria, he explained, “is a bacteria, and it has strong affinity to the respiratory system. It’s an infection in the respiratory system. It’s all around us, in the air we breadth.

“That’s why it requires continuous vaccination, because once you stop vaccination, it comes back to infect our system. The way we, as humans, are struggling to survive, that’s how these organisms are struggling to survive.”

He urged everybody to avail themselves the opportunity of accessing the available services in health centres close to them.

By: Sogbeba Dokubo

Niger Delta

Eno Promises To Actualise Ibom Deep Seaport Project

Published

2 days ago

June 8, 2026

The Tide

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, has reiterated his administration’s commitment towards actualising the Ibom Deep Seaport project

This is contained in a statement by the Information Commissioner, Dr. Aniekan Umanah, in Uyo on Saturday.

The statement disclosed that Eno made the expression at a high-level technical engagement and working session with Africa Global Logistics Group in Paris, France.

According to the statement, the session reviewed the recently submitted technical feasibility report prepared by Worley Parsons.

It also examined the critical pathways for investment, project implementation, and long-term sustainability.

During the engagement, Eno emphasised the need to accelerate project delivery, and called for clear timelines, milestones, and actionable steps for project implementation.

He said the state government was committed to working effectively with other partners to achieve the deep seaport initiative.

He described the project as a landmark blue economy initiative with the potential to position Akwa Ibom as a leading maritime, trade, and logistics hub in the Gulf of Guinea.

Niger Delta

Group Bothers Over Oil Pollution-Related Health Hazards In Bayelsa

Published

2 days ago

June 8, 2026

The Tide

The International Working Group (IWG), a non-governmental organisation on Petroleum Pollution and Just Transition in the Niger Delta, has described as highly traumatizing the impact of oil pollution on the environment and health of the people of Bayelsa State.

The NGO, which is currently carrying out a sensitisation campaign on health hazards associated with oil pollution in the state, disclosed this during a courtesy visit to the State Governor, Douye Diri, in Government House, Yenagoa.

Speaking through its team lead, Professor Engobo Emeseh, the group expressed concern that average life expectancy in the state has reduced significantly, saying that the citizens and others living in the State are forced to live on contaminated land, air and water.

Professor Engobo, who is of the Law Faculty of Aberyswhyth University, UK, clarified that the IWG was focusing advocacy on the health of the people in line with the recommendations of the Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission Report, which was submitted in 2023.

She disclosed that laboratory analysis of blood samples taken from indigenes from across the eight LGAs in the State indicated very high levels of hydrocarbon pollution and carcinogenic metals, causing a sharp increase in mortality and morbid rates in the state.

The academics, who commended the State Government for being the first subnational government in Nigeria to set up a high-powered Commission on oil and environment, said the Group would continue to partner the state and other relevant organizations to mitigate the negative impact of oil pollution on the health of the people.

“Most of us here were constituted as members of the Bayelsa State Oil and Environment Commission. We gave our report in 2023; first presented at the House of Lords, and also presented to the Bayelsa State Government here in Creek Haven in October 2024, and then presented to the wider public in Abuja.

“In all of this, the Bayelsa State Government had given us the space and the support to provide our expertise and advice on how to deal with the challenge of the scourge of oil pollution in our state.

“My colleagues and I, who were members of the expert working group, were quite traumatized at what we found in Bayelsa State, and we called our report an environmental genocide.

“Based on that, we committed that even though our commission was de-commissioned in November 2024, we were going to carry on with this work”, she added.

In his response, Diri, represented by his Deputy, Dr. Peter Akpe, described the report of the Bayelsa State Oil and Environment Commission as one of the most important documents to guide concerted actions in the mitigation of environmental hazards from oil pollution in the state.

He thanked members of the International Working Group for partnering the State Government by making their expertise available to ongoing efforts towards mitigating the impact of oil pollution on the health of Bayelsans.

While calling on the Federal Government and international organizations to treat the issue of oil pollution in Bayelsa as a special case, he assured the IWG of his administration’s support towards environmental remediation and improved healthcare delivery in the state.

“Your visit is very significant. It is to buttress and consolidate the partnership that began with the Bayelsa Oil and Environment Commission. We are happy that the relationship is matured to this kind of sustained international platform of advocacy.

“We recall the presentation His Excellency, the Governor made, in New York. We travelled from Bayelsa to New York because of the importance we attached to the Commission and all your activities.

“The Commission’s report remains one of our important documents, especially concerning environmental condition of our state and the wider Niger Delta. For us, it is not a closed chapter, it is a living document whose recommendations must continue to guide concrete actions.

“We can’t thank you enough for what you are doing already. We welcome your planned health research, interactions and engagements in the state. And we assure you that we are totally in support and we equally expect to see positive results from your work”, the Governor said.

Members of the six-man IWG delegation include Dr. Kathryn Nwajiaku-Dahou, representing ODI Global UK; Prof. Michael Watts of University of California; and Dr. Isaac Osuoka of York University, Canada.

Others are Prof. Anna Zalik, also from the York University, Canada, and Dr. Cautlin Strong of the ODI Global, United Kingdom.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa