Niger Delta
Bayelsa Lauds WHO, Others Over Support For Healthcare … Flags-Off Statewide Immunization
Bayelsa State Government has commended the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Rotary International and other partners for their supportive role in promoting improved healthcare services in the state.
The State Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, gave the commendation while flagging-off the State Immunization Plus Days (SIPDs) and Routine Immunization Intensification Campaign at Otuokpoti Community in Ogbia Local Government Area of the state.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo, in a statement issued at the weekend by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Doubara Atasi, attributed Bayelsa’s success story in the health sector in recent years to the effective collaboration between the state and its development partners.
The Deputy Governor, who called on religious bodies and people of the state to make their children available for immunization, said the Governor Douye Diri-led Administration would continue to invest in the health and general well-being of Bayelsans.
He particularly urged parents to ensure that their young girls take the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) to prevent them from being victims of cancer disease, which prevalence rate, he noted, is on the increase in the country.
Addressing some of the issues raised at the ceremony, Senator Ewhrudjakpo assured that the state government would sustain its war against fake drugs and expired consumable goods in the state to safeguard the health of the people.
The Deputy Governor, who also appreciated chairmen of local government areas, particularly that of Ogbia, for supporting immunization campaigns, announced that the flag-off ceremonies of such programmes would henceforth be carried out in the various LGAs.
“I want to encourage our people across the state to come out en masse and take part in this immunization exercise. Apart from the polio vaccine, we also have the malaria and HPV vaccines.
“Our mothers should know that it is always cheaper for you to have your child immunized for malaria and protect the child from malaria disease for about five years than for you not to immunize the child”, he said.
For our young girls, I want you know that cancer is rampaging and destroying our women at an alarming rate due to a lot of factors. So, we also want to encourage our young girls to come out for the HPV vaccine.
“But let me also, once again, thank our development partners in the health sector such as WHO, UNICEF, Rotary International and others, including our own local government chairmen, for their effective collaboration and support that had enabled us to record appreciable achievements”, he added.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Seiyefa Brisibe, explained that the decision to move the venue of the flag-off ceremony from LGA to LGA was to help educate rural dwellers on the importance of immunization and to achieve their buy-in.
Prof. Brisibe thanked Governor Diri and his Deputy, Senator Ewhrudjakpo, for giving leadership to ensure the actualization of the present administration’s vision of providing a robust healthcare system to increase the life expectancy of the people.
Also speaking, the Obanobhan of Ogbia Kingdom, His Eminence, King Charles Dumaro Owaba, represented by the Paramount Ruler of Anyama-Ogbia, Chief Sopana Amakiri-Agala, acknowledged the state government’s development efforts, but urged it to frontally tackle the issue of fake drugs and expired goods in the state.
In their separate goodwill messages, the State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Very Rev. Father Joseph Opelema, a representative of the Muslim Community, Rasheeda Abdulkareem, and the Woman Leader of Ogbia Brotherhood, Lady Love Amaseimogha, pledged support for the immunization campaigns on behalf of their various groups.
Others who delivered goodwill messages at the event included, the state Coordinator of WHO, Dr. Ntiense Omoette, a representative of Rotary International, Dr. Ebitimitula Ogola, her UNICEF counterpart, Mr. Godswill Anthony, and Dr. Nzideka Anene of the state chapter of Paediatric Association of Nigeria.
Highpoint of the event was the administration of oral polio vaccine to some children by the Deputy Governor, Commissioner for Health, and the Chairman of Ogbia Local Government Area, Mr. Golden Jeremiah.
By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
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Nigeria has recorded its strongest-ever outing in global university rankings, with 24 institutions earning places in the 2026 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings and Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings.
However, only four universities from the South-South geopolitical zone made the prestigious list.
The South-South institutions that secured places in the rankings are Delta State University, Abraka (12th), University of Benin (22nd), University of Calabar (23rd), and University of Port Harcourt (24th).
The rankings, which represent Nigeria’s highest-ever participation, reinforces the country’s growing influence in higher education across Sub-Saharan Africa, with 24 universities listed, up from 21 in both the 2024 and 2025 editions.
The University of Ibadan retained its position as Nigeria’s highest-ranked institution, followed by the University of Lagos, while Bayero University, Kano, emerged as the third-best performing university in the country.
Of the 24 institutions, 17 are federal universities, four are state-owned, and three are private universities, reflecting broad improvements in teaching, research, and institutional performance across the country’s tertiary education sector.
The rankings also underscore the growing global recognition of Nigeria’s specialised universities of technology and agriculture, while state-owned institutions continue to improve their academic profiles through enhanced research output and governance reforms.
The full list of Nigeria’s universities in the 2026 THE rankings are: University of Ibadan; University of Lagos; Bayero University, Kano; Covenant University; Landmark University; Ahmadu Bello University; Federal University of Technology, Minna; University of Ilorin; University of Jos; University of Nigeria; Babcock University; and Delta State University, Abraka.
Others are: Ekiti State University; Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta; Federal University of Technology, Akure; Federal University of Technology, Owerri; Federal University, Oye-Ekiti; Ladoke Akintola University of Technology; Lagos State University; Nnamdi Azikiwe University; Obafemi Awolowo University; University of Benin; University of Calabar; and University of Port Harcourt.
The rankings highlight both Nigeria’s expanding presence on the global academic stage and the need for greater investment in higher education across regions, particularly in the South-South, where only four universities made the country’s top 24 list.
The Ogu Community in Otubo-Atissa, Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, has stated its commitment to preserving its culture, peace and community development through the celebration of the annual “Uge Adiafa” New Yam Festival, tagged “Ogbolo ’26.”
Held at St. John’s Primary School Field, Ogu, the colourful festival served not only as the traditional commencement of the yam harvest season, but also as a tribute to the community’s illustrious son and founder of the Uge Adiafa Festival, His Majesty, Late King Fedrick Aduku Simangi Ogbotom-Edede IV.
The celebration brought together sons and daughters of the community, traditional rulers, academics, youths and other guests in a display of thanksgiving, cultural performances and renewed communal solidarity.
Addressing the gathering, the traditional head of the community, HRH Bishop Akuegbe Paul, expressed delight at the massive turnout, describing the festival as a symbol of thanksgiving to God, cultural identity and unity among the people.
He noted that beyond celebrating a successful farming season, the festival honours the enduring legacy of the late monarch, whose vision established the Uge Adiafa Festival as a platform for preserving the community’s rich cultural heritage and promoting peaceful coexistence.
Guest of Honour, Professor Nedie Patience Akani, of Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, commended the community for embracing reconciliation and unity.
Professor Akani, who is of the Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, of the university and a daughter of the soil, said, “This is my first time attending this New Yam Festival. I came because of the good things happening in this community.
“Before now, there were quarrels in the community, with court cases here and there, brother fighting against brother. But today, God has united us. It is a wonderful thing to be united because where there is no unity, there can be no progress in the home, family or community.
“I thank the head of Ogu Community, HRH, Bishop Akuege Paul, for making today’s celebration a reality”, she stated.
The event also featured inter-compound cultural competitions, with Yenikabu II Compound emerging overall winner, while Bongata Compound and Abrima Compound finished first d second runners-up respectively.
Also, eleven Compound Chiefs alongside their respective Head Compound Women Chiefs were coronated. The Woman Chief of Ogu Community, HH, Dare Tiebiri and her Deputy, Chief Stella Jordan Mark, were also coronated.
Dignitaries that graced the occasion included the Ebenanawei of Akamabubu Kingdom, Southern Ijaw LGA, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, HRM, King J. Olotu Erepamo; the Paramount Ruler, Ikibiri Community, Yenagoa LGA, Bayelsa State, HRH, Barrister Morris Lagos; and the Ebeni-Isisibo of Atissa Kingdom, HRH, God’swill Arab Simeon.
Other are: the Ebeni-Otubo, Atissa Kingdom, HRH, Sir Anderson J. Olumo, and his wife, Mrs. Tarila Anderson Olumo; the Deputy Head of Ogu Community, HH, Mission Obugu, and wife of the Ebeni-Ibe of Atissa Kingdom, Mrs. Diemeze Victor Awala.
For the people of Ogu, the festival was more than a celebration of the first harvest, it underscored the importance of preserving cultural traditions, strengthening communal bonds, promoting reconciliation and passing cherished values from one generation to another, while also ensuring that the legacy of their forebears continue to inspire future generations.
Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company Limited (SEEPCO) has partnered the Delta State Government, Vcare for Development Foundation (VCDF) and the Nigerian Red Cross Society to promote voluntary blood donation as part of efforts to strengthen the state’s blood supply and save lives.
The initiative, which forms part of SEEPCO’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme for its host communities, aligns with activities marking the 2026 World Blood Donor Day with the theme, “One Drop of Humanity: Give Blood, Save Lives.”
The campaign was conducted across Delta State’s three senatorial districts — Asaba, Ughelli and Warri — where stakeholders sensitised residents on the importance of voluntary, regular and unpaid blood donation as the most sustainable means of ensuring adequate blood supply for healthcare facilities.
The exercise followed a similar campaign in Lagos State, where SEEPCO, in partnership with the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service (LSBTS) and the Nigerian Red Cross Society, mobilised about 550 pints of blood within two days.
VCDF also highlighted the steady growth of its annual blood donation drive, with the number of donors increasing from 98 in 2022 to 147 in 2023, 268 in 2024 and 341 in 2025.
Before the Delta campaign, the foundation had recorded a cumulative total of 1,404 voluntary donors, a feat that earned it the Blood Donation Champion Award from the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service.
At the Central Hospital, Ughelli, the hospital’s management and Blood Transfusion Committee commended SEEPCO, VCDF, the Delta State Ministry of Health and other partners for supporting initiatives aimed at improving access to safe blood for patients.
Speaking during the campaign, Delta State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joseph Onojaeme, described voluntary blood donation as critical to responding to public health emergencies and saving lives during accidents, childbirth and other medical emergencies.
He said: “Voluntary blood donation is important for public health emergencies and to save lives during accidents and childbirth. We are deeply grateful to VCDF and its partners for their commitment to promoting voluntary blood donation and supporting life-saving healthcare initiatives.”
Participants said the awareness campaign had increased public understanding of the importance of blood donation, with many first-time donors expressing willingness to become regular donors after learning about the safety, benefits and life-saving impact of donating blood.
Stakeholders also stressed the need for sustained public enlightenment, noting that a single blood donation could save multiple lives, as the campaign recorded impressive community participation across the three senatorial districts.