Niger Delta

SACA Begins Post-Flood Response Farm-Inputs Distribution In Bayelsa

Published

3 years ago

February 15, 2023

A Non-governmental organisation, Stakeholders Alliance for Corporate Accountability (SACA), yesterday commenced the distribution of Farm-inputs to farmers in Bayelsa State to cushion the impacts of the 2022 floods that ravaged farmlands across the state.
The programme, tagged “Commissioning and Flag-off of farm-inputs disbursement”, held at Bayelsa State School-To-Land Authority in Yenagoa, the state capital.
The Tide reports that following the 2022 floods that wrecked havoc in the state and triggered medical challenges and shortage of food supplies, SACA conducted Flood Disaster Risks Assessment that led to the rejigging of its existing project tagged: ‘Protect, Respect and Remedy- UNGP-P2R-Implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in Conflict and Post-conflict Contexts in the Niger Delta’ to meet community needs.
In his opening remarks, the Executive Director of SACA, Mr. Kingsley Ozegbe, noted that the flag-off of the disbursement of the farm inputs that consisted of hybrid plantain suckers and cassava stems aligned with an objective of the project that seeks to support citizens to uphold their rights to sustainable livelihood.
He described the programme as paramount, saying 1,023 farmers in 24 pilot communities across the state would benefit from the distribution.
“This programme is part of our existing project. The decision to support farmers with these food crops was taken by the Agriculture Management Committee (AMC) after reviewing the Flood Disaster Risks Assessment report that SACA produced”, he said.
Ozegbe commended partners of the NGO, Misean Cara of the Republic of Ireland, the St. Patrick Missionary Society, and the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) for funding this component of the project to assuage the plights of the impacted people of the State.
Performing the flag-off, the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Chief David Alagoa, represented by the Project Manager of the Bayelsa State School-To-Land Authority, Mr Godwin Adeh, restated the State’s preparedness to continue to partner with SACA in its programmes.
Ade, who lauded the NGO for the initiative, describing it as timely, said the ministry, in its quest to ensure food security in the state, recently distributed over 7,000 cassava stems and other improved seedlings, and crops to farmers in the State.
In separate goodwill messages from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mrs Augustina Osuya, the state’s Branch Manager of the Bank of Agriculture (BOA), Mr Ikegwu Kenneth, and Mr Suowari Tonbara of the Nigeria Agriculture Insurance Corporation (NAIC), the trio commended the NGO for the initiative and encouraged beneficiaries to use the support to boost their production and enhance their potentials to access credit facilities from their banks.
Mr Tonbara specifically encouraged farmers to take up insurance schemes for their farms to minimise risks of loosing all their investment to unforeseen disaster like the recent flooding that occurred in the State.
He said the premium is usually very small because both the Federal and State Government pay substantial part of the premium.
Highpoints of the event were the field demonstration of planting techniques by a staff of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Onne, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
He presented and taught participants modern ways of planting cassava stems and plantain suckers to achieve very good yield.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells,
Yenagoa

Niger Delta

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

Published

2 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

2 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

2 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.