Niger Delta

Only Mainstream Civil Servants Will Be Perm Secs In Bayelsa – Dep Gov

Published

3 years ago

April 3, 2023

Bayelsa State Government has clarified that henceforth only qualified Directors in the mainstream of its Civil Service will be appointed as Permanent Secretaries.
The government also restated its commitment to prioritizing education, saying the sector remains instrumental to human capacity development in the state.
The State’s Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, stated this, Thursday, during a courtesy visit by the Amananaowei, Chief Ojo Magbisa and the National Executive Council of Sagbama Federated Community in Government House, Yenagoa.
In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, the Deputy Governor stressed that government would not appoint civil servants working in parastatals, agencies and extra-ministerial departments.
The new policy, according to Senator Ewhrudjakpo, is to promote professionalism, efficiency and productivity in the state civil service.
The Deputy Governor, who appreciated the people of Sagbama Local Government Area for their continued support to the Senator Douye Diri government, noted that the present administration was poised to building infrastructure in the education sector to improve teaching and learning.
Reacting to the issue raised by the people of Sagbama on the low population of students at the Jasper Isaac Adaka Boro College of Education (COE), Sagbama, the Deputy Governor attributed the problem to its earlier status of non-accreditation.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo said now that the school has secured accreditation, management of the College should come up with what he called, market penetration strategy to increase student enrollment.
On the dilapidated and inadequate infrastructure in the College, he explained that as a matter of policy, theTertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) supports two state-owned tertiary institutions on infrastructure development annually.
According to Senator Ewhrudjakpo, the Niger Delta University and Bayelsa Medical University were the two institutions that benefited from TETFUND last year.
He promised that government would do its best to support the COE within limits of available resources.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo also spoke on the need for communiy leaders to assist in steming criminal activities in their domains, particularly cultism in the communities.
He used the occasion to urge incommunity development committee chairmen and other key stakeholders of communities to set up vigilantes, noting that government would support them with the Bayelsa Volunteers and community safety corps to enhance security.
In his remarks, President of the National Executive Council, Sagbama Federated Community, Mr Ebi Evinson, lauded the present administration for its support, particularly in the appointment of Sagbama sons and daughters in various capacities, and distribution of relief materials during the flood.
Mr Evinson, who made a number of requests from the State Government, urged the Government to consider Sagbama civil servants on directorate level for appointment as Permanent Secretaries.
The Caucus Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Sagbama Local Government Area, Hon Fyneman Wilson, Senator Foster Ogola, the Director General, Centre for Youth Development, Chief Ombu Okobokakpo, a former Commissioner for Finance, Dr Stephen Ogola, and the Community Development Committee Chairman of Sagbama, Mr Dwinson Ezuwe, were part of the delegation on the courtesy visit.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells,
Yenagoa

Niger Delta

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

Published

1 day 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

1 day 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

1 day 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.