Niger Delta

Environmentalist Makes Case For Oceans Preservation

Published

1 year ago

February 5, 2025

A renowned Environmentalist, Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, on Monday called for concerted efforts by stakeholders to save the oceans from indiscriminate pollutions.

Bassey made the call in a statement by Miss Kome Odhomor, Media/Communication Lead, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF).

The environmentalist was speaking at a workshop at Nigeria Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR) in Victoria Island, Lagos.

The Tide’s source reports that the workshop was jointly organised by HOMEF, NIOMR, and International Ocean Institute, Nigeria.

Bassey noted with concern that the Ocean had suffered indiscriminate pollution by uncontrolled human and industrial and extractive activities.

“We gather today to consider the state of our ocean, not as a commodity to be exploited, but as a common good that sustains life, livelihoods, our culture and spirituality.

“Our oceans are under siege, and the communities that depend on them bear the brunt of pollution, displacement, and human rights abuses.

“Across the coastline of Nigeria, community folks are being forced from their territories, deprived of their resources and left to grapple with the consequences of laxly regulated natural resource exploitation.

“The economic forces driving this destruction prioritize profit over people, extracting resources beyond the ocean’s capacity, and leave behind a trail of ecological devastation”, Bassey said.

According to him, the infrastructure of Nigeria’s economy begins at the shorelines and extends to the deep waters, where resources are extracted.

“The coastal communities who bear the pressures from the land and the sea remain trapped in poverty”, he said.

He explained that environment focused stakeholders cannot ignore the countless oil well blowouts that have polluted the waters.

“Akaso Well 4, Atanba, Bonny Terminal, Buguma Wellhead 008, Santa Barbara, and the ongoing inferno at Ororo Oil Well 1 at Awoye, Ondo State, which has been raging for close to five years now, among others.

“These disasters are ecological crimes that contribute to climate instability, and a worsening scarcity of land and water, placing entire communities and livelihoods at risk.

“We live with the struggles of fishermen and women who set out each day with their nets and baskets, only to find empty waters, enclosed and sacrificed for industrial dredging, multinational oil companies and corporate fishing.

“A Community like Aiyetoro with its history of well-organised governance and industrial strides is now a ghost of its former self.

“It is bashed and washed by unrelenting waves and left to grapple with unrelenting impacts of global warming and possibly heading for complete displacement unless we act”, Bassey noted.

The environmental rights crusader expressed concern over the plight of Makoko’s communities.

He noted that their rights to housing, food, and health had been trampled by forces that would be happy to have the people displaced so the waterfront can be grabbed by speculators.

He explained that the destruction of marine biodiversity disproportionately affects fishing communities, making them the most vulnerable to environmental degradation.

“Our fight to defend the ocean is inseparable from the fight for human rights and justice. We must resist the unchecked advances of transnational polluters in our ocean and demand accountability.

“We must protect our biodiversity, our land, and our water from the destructive forces of exploitative capitalism seeking to privatize the commons.

“It is time to rethink our relationship with nature, to take only what can be replenished and respect the delicate balance that sustains us all”, Bassey said.

He advocated that governments must act, not as enablers of destruction, but as stewards of the environment, ensuring that decisions about natural resources are made with the full participation of the communities who rely on them.

He said that Nigeria had signed so many conventions and treaties regarding the wellbeing of marine ecosystems.

He observed that the country even had designated Marine Protected Areas whose protection is disputable.

“Our constitution may be said to have a tilt towards ensuring the right to life, but there can be no right to life without the right to a safe environment.

“This workshop is more than a gathering, it is a platform for us all as oceanographers, marine scientists, government agencies, civil society organizations, and community leaders to reflect, strategize, and commit to the urgent task of defending our ocean.

“Coming on the heels of the International Wetlands Day, we use this opportunity to take a stand against so-called land reclamation which should rightly be named aquatic ecosystems conversion and grabbing.

“We have seen wetlands and dependent economies destroyed by urbanization and diverse speculators. We are also seeing swaths of the ocean and public beaches being converted into fenced housing estates or so-called superhighways.

“These disregard the fact that the state of the ocean directly affects the climate, reflects on the quality of our lives and the capacity of the Earth to maintain her cycles and support all beings”, Bassey stated.

He urged the participants at the workshop to seize the moment to build a future, where the ocean is protected, human rights are upheld, and coastline communities thrive.

Niger Delta

Pro-Chancellor Hands Over Okey Onuchuku Peace, Conflict Institute Building

Published

21 hours ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

History was made on Wednesday 17th June, 2026 when the Okey Onuchuku Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies building was handed over to Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE).

Speaking during the hand over ceremony, which attracted an array of personalities from various works of life, the 13th Pro-Chancellor and Governing Council Chairman of IAUE, Chief Chinyere Igwe, commended the Vice Chancellor of IAUE, Professor Okechuku Onuchuku, for giving back to the University with the institute’s building project.

While affirming that Government cannot do it all, he encouraged individuals, corporate organizations, institutional partners to ensure the growth of University education in Nigeria.

He praised Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) for sustaining University Education in Nigeria, and called for good initiatives and support “that will not only benefit the University, but put IAUE on the map of academic excellence in Nigeria and beyond.”

Earlier, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Onuchuku, expressed gratitude to his wife, Mrs. Chika Onuchuku, and family for all the support given for the vision achieved.

He also thanked his close associates, political friends, well-wishers, and others who donated generously towards the building project.

“The growth of Universities all over the world”, Professor Onuchuku said, “comes from personal efforts of individuals, alumni associations and others.”

He noted that donations as being witnessed is the best way to go and called on all to invest in the Nigerian education system and immortalize their names with worthwhile donations and contributions..

The Okey Onuchuku Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies building, he further stated, “is donated as a Professorial Chair with the Dean of Postgraduate School, Professor Chibuzor Chile Nwobueze, also a Professor of Peace Studies, as the occupant of the Professorial Chair.

Giving his address, the Director, Okey Onuchuku Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, Professor Kingdom Elendu Ohia Nwaenyi, lauded Professor Okechuku Onuchuku for sacrificing his hard earned salaries, allowances and funds raised from two volumes of textbooks in his honour and titled “Perspectives on Nigeria’s Development”, launched on his 60th birthday.

He noted that the project is the first legacy to be accomplished by any serving Vice Chancellor in the institution.

Professor Nwaenyi stated that the Institute mounted five programmes: Peace and Conflict Studies; Peace Building and Development; Peace Building and Security Studies; Peace Building and Conflict Management; and Peace Education.

The institute, he explained, has birthed over fifty students running programmes in Postgraduate Diploma, M.A, M.Sc, M. Phil, and PhD.

Thirty students are in the PhD programme, fifteen are admitted into the Masters and M.Phil, and eight in Postgraduate Diploma Programme.

He expressed hoped that the Institute would check litigation and provide alternative dispute resolution.

In a vote of thanks, the Chairman, Okey Onuchuku Peace and Conflict Studies and Dean of Postgraduate School, Professor Chibuzor Chile Nwobueze, thanked God for His grace and enablement.

He prayed for the donor and Vice Chancellor of IAUE, Professor Okechuku Onuchuku, and further expressed his gratitude to Professor Isaac Olawale Albert, the third most cited Peace Scholar in the world, for his collaboration in developing a world class curriculum.

While thanking all who supported and celebrated with the University in this regard, Professor Nwobueze assured the public that the Okey Onuchuku institute of Peace and Conflict Studies will emerge as a centre of excellence, contributing meaningfully to scholarship, policy formulation, community engagement and the promotion of peaceful coexistence within Nigeria, Africa and the global Community.

The Institute, he stated, is willing to partner with the Society for Peace Studies and Practice (SPSP) in line with its mandate to promote peace studies, Peace building, Conflict Management and sustainable development.

The institute has over four lecture halls with sixty to one hundred and twenty capacity, a befitting conference hall, offices for staff and a library.

A donation of one million naira was made during the event for the best two graduating students of the institute by Barrister Nyema Wagbara, the Leader of Dynamic Development Club of Port Harcourt based in Rumuolumeni.

Each of the two best graduating students will get the sum of five hundred thousand naira.

The event featured goodwill messages from Professor Isaac Albert, Professor Alwell Nteegah, the Chairman of Society for Peace Studies and Practice, Rivers State Chapter, Dr. Benjamin Ibietonye.

Dr. Emem Nyewene presented the goodwill message of the Society for Peace Studies and Practice National.

Others who gave goodwill messages are Ambassador Green Isaac, the Country Director, Relief International Africa, and Comrade Levi Zachariah George, Chairman Postgraduate Students Association.

The event also featured rendition for Professor Okechuku Onuchuku by Dr Maria Abidiak.

Niger Delta

Oborevwori Commends Police Over Arrest Of Electric Cable Vandals

Published

21 hours ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, on Saturday commended the State Police Command for the arrest of two suspected electric cable vandals and the recovery of vandalised cables, describing the operation as a major step in protecting critical public infrastructure across the state.

In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sir Festus Ahon, Oborevwori praised the Commissioner of Police, CP Yemi Oyeniyi, officers and men of the Command for their prompt response and sustained commitment to combating criminal activities, particularly the vandalism of government-owned facilities.

He also commended the local vigilante group for their support and corporation with security agencies in the state, adding that the arrest demonstrated the government’s resolve to safeguard public assets and ensure that investments in infrastructure continue to serve the people without disruption.

The Police in a statement by its Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, said operatives of the Kwale Police Station, working in collaboration with members of a local vigilante group, acted on credible intelligence on June 25, 2026, and stormed the Ibabu–Ugiliamai Road where suspected vandals were allegedly dismantling and stealing electric cables.

The suspects reportedly attempted to flee on sighting the security team, but were apprehended during the operation.

One of the suspects sustained injuries and is currently receiving treatment at a hospital, while the other remains in police custody.

The suspects were identified as Osakwe Sunday, 28, and Ekene Obocha, 34. The vandalised electric cables were recovered as exhibits.

Commending the operation, the Governor urged residents to continue supporting security agencies by providing timely and credible information that would aid in the fight against crime.

He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to protecting public infrastructure and maintaining a safe and secure environment for all Deltans.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Yemi Oyeniyi, warned criminal elements to desist from vandalising government critical infrastructure and other public assets, stressing that the Command would continue to identify, arrest and prosecute offenders.

He also appealed to members of the public to sustain their cooperation with the police by volunteering useful information capable of preventing crime and bringing offenders to justice.

Niger Delta

We’ll Study INC’s Reconciliation Committee Report – Diri

Published

1 day ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has said his administration would study the recommendations of the Reconciliation Committee of the Ijaw National Congress (INC) and consult widely before implementation.

He expressed optimism that the recommendations of the committee would foster peace, progress, stability and reposition the Ijaw nation for greater relevance in Nigeria.

He stated this at the weekend while receiving the report from the eight-man committee in Government House, Yenagoa.

The Tide gathered that the report followed its inauguration by the Governor on May 26, 2026 with the mandate of reconciling aggrieved interests in the INC after a disputed presidential election.

Diri lauded members of the committee for painstakingly putting the report together within the stipulated timeframe of one month, saying nothing less than excellence was expected.

He added that the committee delivered a report that speaks to the divisions and future possibilities of the Ijaw people, describing the INC as the highest institutional expression of the identity and historic aspirations of the people.

“We cannot stand aloof while such a vital institution drifts without direction. The Congress and the people rise or fall together.

“You were given a sacred mandate: to find reasons to stay together. You have discharged it with diligence and courage. You have given us not just a report, but a pathway back to trust and collective purpose.

“When I inaugurated this committee, I said the destiny of the Ijaw Nation was too precious to be left unattended. You heard that urgency. You responded to it.

“Given the high calibre, sterling pedigree and unimpeachable integrity of this committee, nothing less than excellence was expected. You have delivered a report that speaks to our divisions and to our future possibilities”, he said.

Presenting the report, the Chairman of the reconciliation committee, Dr. Mathew Seiyefa, said they interacted with all contestants in the INC elections, including members of the electoral committee, the INC executive and also received memoranda from various zones of the INC and other critical stakeholders of the Ijaw nation.

Dr. Seiyefa, a former Director-General of the Department of State Services, noted that the expectation of the committee was that the INC would speak for the Ijaw nation, its people and their causes.

According to him, the resurgent INC will be more consultative and inclusive, giving primacy to its role as a platform for advocacy, which will enable the body gain greater traction and resonance in the lives of the people.

“A common trend, which permeated this interaction, was the overwhelming passion for not just the survival of the INC, but its renewal and reinvigoration.

“There was a yearning for an INC that would rise to the challenges of the moment with respect to the cause of the Ijaw nation and its people. This sentiment was a key driver in the deliberations of the committee and has informed the recommendations that we have made”, Dr. Seiyefa said.

Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa