Niger Delta

Tompolo Foundation Donates Palliatives To Flood Victims

Published

3 years ago

November 23, 2022

The President and Chairman of Tompolo Foundation, Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as “Tompolo”, has donated food items worth N150 million to the victims of recent flood that ravaged Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers.
The items were officially handed over to representatives of the victims across the three states on Monday in Warri, Delta State.
Presenting the items, on behalf of the foundation, its Executive Secretary, Dr Paul Bebenimibo, said the items included: 2400 bags of rice;100 bags of beans and 200 bags of gari.
Others were: 5000 tubers of yam; 200 kegs of palm oil; 600 cartons of groundnut oil and 2000 cartons of Indomie noodles.
Bebenimibo said the donation would cushion effect of the disaster on the victims and also help them to settle down faster in their respective homes, while awaiting donations from other bodies.
“It is no longer news that our country was greeted with massive flood disaster sometimes ago, the impact was overwhelming, especially on the people of Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers.
“The Tompolo Foundation was established to care for the less privileged in the society and we have been on the mission in the last 10 years.
.”Specifically, in 2012 when similar flood came up, we were on hand to provide palliatives for the people. This year, we have come to do same thing.
“The President and Chairman of Tompolo Foundation has approved palliatives worth N150 million to be distributed to the people of Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers.
“We are here to hand them over to the representatives of the beneficiaries so that they can move them to their destinations and distribute to the people,” he said.
Bebenimibo said that Bayelsa being the worst hit with the disaster, would received 600 bags of rice and others items.
He added that Ahoda East and West Local Government areas of Rivers, where the impact was great, would benefit from the palliatives.
“Bayelsa with seven impacted local government areas will receive 600 bags of rice and other items.
“While in Delta, we are distributing to Bomadi, Patani and Burutu Local Government Areas.
“We will also extend our hands of fellowship to Isoko, Urhobos and Ndokwa nations in the state,” he said.
Responding on behalf of Government of Bayelsa State, Mr McDonald Igbadiwe, a member representing Constituency IV, Southern Ijaw, thanked the foundation for the generosity.
Igbadiwe said Bayelsa was the most impacted state with the flood, adding that it was cut off from other parts of the country.
The lawmaker said that the state government had spent over one billion naira to ameliorate the impact of the disaster on people, urging other people to emulate the generosity of Tompolo.
“The flood impact in Bayelsa can only be compared with that of Pakistan. We are riverine people, but we have not experienced such flood before.
“On behalf of the Government of Bayelsa, we appreciate what Tompolo has done by coming to the aid of people of Bayelsa.
“The Bayelsa Government and the people are happy, praying for him to live longer. We are grateful and praying God to give him sound health,” he said.
Also, Mr Vincent Oyibode, the Commissioner, representing the Urhobo Nation at the Delta Oil Producing Area and Development Commission (DESOPADEC), thanked Tompolo for the good gesture.
Oyibode, while receiving the palliatives on behalf of the Urhobo nation, described Tompolo as a generous leader and prayed God to continue to strengthen him.

Niger Delta

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

Published

2 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

2 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

2 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.