Rivers
TUC Demands Seamless Health Insurance Plan For Rivers Workers
The Trade Union Congress (TUC), Rivers State Council, has called on the Rivers State Government to introduce a seamless health insurance arrangement that will ensure all civil servants and their dependants are enrolled in the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP).
The TUC made the demand when its leadership visited the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of RIVCHPP, Dr. Vetty Agala, in Port Harcourt, amid renewed calls for wider coverage of residents under the state’s social health insurance scheme.
Speaking during the visit, TUC Chairman, Comrade Samuel Ogan, commended the management of RIVCHPP for its efforts to expand access to healthcare, stressing that health insurance remained the most sustainable way of protecting workers and their families from the financial burden of illness.
Ogan, however, said workers would be more willing to embrace the scheme if government could develop a system that eliminates visible deductions from their salaries.
He urged the state government to work out a seamless arrangement through which all workers and their dependants could be automatically captured in RIVCHPP’s plans.
According to him, enrolling the entire civil service in the programme would not only protect workers, but also encourage other organisations and individuals to embrace health insurance.
The TUC Chairman pledged that the union would engage relevant stakeholders to facilitate the enrolment of workers into RIVCHPP’s health insurance packages.
Earlier, Agala described RIVCHPP as a strategic initiative of the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, aimed at ensuring financial risk e living and working in Rivers State protection for everyone living and working in Rivers State.
She said the programme was designed to make universal health coverage a reality by enabling residents to access quality healthcare without suffering financial hardship or relying on out-of-pocket payments at the point of care.
Agala, who commended the state government for investing in healthcare infrastructure and manpower, lamented the low patronage of health facilities, noting that the challenge was not necessarily a lack of illness but, in many cases, the inability of residents to afford medical care.
She said RIVCHPP was established to bridge that gap and ensure that people, regardless of their social or economic status, could obtain medical attention whenever they needed it.
The RIVCHPP boss disclosed that the agency had c illnesses. developed packages for residents in the formal and informal sectors, vulnerable groups and people living with chronic illnesses.
She also highlighted the agency’s educational sector plans, under which pupils in primary and secondary schools would pay N9,000 annually, while tertiary institution students would pay N12,000 per academic year. She explained that registered students would remain covered during their holidays.
Agala called on labour unions, international oil companies, religious organisations, community and political leaders, as well as well-meaning individuals, to partner RIVCHPP by sponsoring health insurance for members of their communities.
She stressed that government funding alone could not sustain a viable health insurance system, adding that the number of vulnerable residents currently benefiting from the programme remained only a fraction of the population in need.
In a related development, Agala assured the University of Port Harcourt Medical Students Association (PUMSA) of the agency’s readiness to collaborate with the university’s entire student community to expand access to healthcare.
She gave the assurance when the PUMSA leadership, led by its President, Nelson Fadeh Leteh, visited the agency.
Agala said students constituted a critical segment of the population that RIVCHPP was seeking to bring under its health insurance coverage, stressing that the agency’s objective was to ensure that no resident of Rivers State was excluded from access to quality healthcare.
She said RIVCHPP had begun engagements with relevant authorities to address existing institutional dynamics that could facilitate the enrolment of students, while advising the association to e process in presenting its demands follow due process in presenting its demands.
Earlier, Leteh outlined some of the challenges and hazards confronting medical students, particularly during clinical training, and expressed the association’s desire to enrol its members in RIVCHPP’s programmes.
He said the welfare of medical students remained a priority for the association, noting that the existing health insurance arrangement available to the students was characterised by protocols and bottlenecks that often hindered seamless access to healthcare.
The visit ended with the presentation of RIVCHPP’s promotional materials to the visiting delegations.
By; Wokoma Emmanuel & Theresa Frederick
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has destroyed expired and substandard products worth N2.6 million in Rivers State to protect public health.
Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, NAFDAC’s Director-General, disclosed this during the exercise held at Iriebe, Rivers State last Friday.
Adeyeye, represented by Dr Martins Iluyomade, an investigative and destruction officer, said the products included expired tomato paste, medicines, chemicals and other regulated items.
She said the products were either seized by the agency or voluntarily surrendered by their owners for destruction.
Adeyeye commended the Nigeria Customs Service for facilitating the handover of the seized products, describing inter-agency collaboration as crucial to preventing harmful goods from reaching consumers.
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She said the partnership was strengthened by an existing Memorandum of Understanding between both agencies.
Iluyomade, who is also Chairman of the Federal Taskforce on Fake and Unwholesome Regulated Products, said the displayed items represented only part of the consignment.
He said other containers were still being processed for release from the port, urging the Customs Service to expedite the process.
According to him, the process leading to the destruction exercise took almost two weeks and increased operational costs.
Iluyomade called for stronger cooperation among security agencies, stressing that intelligence sharing and public support were essential to combating counterfeit medicines and unsafe food products.
He urged Nigerians to report suspected fake products through NAFDAC’s established channels rather than publicising them prematurely, which could alert suspects and frustrate investigations. prematurely, which could alert suspects and frustrate investigations.
He said the agency had offices in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), adding that it was intensifying nationwide operations against illegal factories and counterfeit products.
Mr Chukwuma Oligbu, NAFDAC Zonal Director, South-South said the exercise was part of the agency’s responsibility to ensure that food, drugs, cosmetics, water and other regulated products met safety standards.
Oligbu, represented by Mrs Rita Chukwuma, Deputy Director in the zone, said destroying the products would prevent expired and substandard goods from entering markets.
He commended security agencies for supporting efforts to remove unsafe products from circulation.
Also, Comptroller Aliyu Alkali, the Customs Area Controller, Port Harcourt Area II Command, Onne, reaffirmed the service’s support for NAFDAC’s campaign.NAFDAC’s campaign.
Alkali, represented by Mrs Abosede Elizabeth, Superintendent of Customs in the command’s enforcement unit, said harmful products exposed Nigerians to serious health risks.
He urged relevant agencies to sustain collaboration to prevent dangerous goods from reaching communities.
Similarly, Mr Ahmed Zaccah, representing the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), also commended NAFDAC for destroying counterfeit and substandard products seized at the ports.
Zaccah said the exercise would help prevent Nigerian ports from becoming dumping grounds for harmful goods while restoring confidence in legitimate businesses.
He pledged the association’s continued collaboration with NAFDAC and urged importers and clearing agents to comply with regulations and uphold professional standards.
The King of Eleme Kingdom in Rivers State, His Royal Highness Emere Dr. Philip Osaro Obele, has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC) to address the catastrophe caused by a major gas pipeline explosion in the area.
The incident, which occurred around 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 15, destroyed several residential buildings and vehicles while leaving multiple residents with varying degrees of injuries.
Expressing deep frustration over the ordeal, the traditional ruler lamented that despite host communities in Eleme serving as home to critical national economic assets, such as oil refineries, petrochemical plants, and fertilizer factories, the people continue to bear the brunt of severe environmental degradation and neglect..
King Obele noted that prior warnings were repeatedly raised regarding unusual sounds emanating from the aging pipeline infrastructure before the eventual explosion occurred.
The royal father strongly urged the energy company and relevant authorities to immediately initiate cleanup efforts, assist affected families, and replace deteriorating pipelines to avert recurring disasters.
He warned that if NGC fails to take concrete action within the 24-hour window, community members will embark on massive peaceful protests to register their grievances before the Federal Government and the global community.
While an official technical investigation is yet to determine the exact cause and financial value of the destruction, the monarch emphasized that the safety and welfare of his people must no longer be compromised for economic exploitation.
By: Enoch Epelle
Rivers State University (RSU), Port Harcourt, has appointed a new professor of Strategic and Corporate Communication, with Dike Harcourt Whyte attaining the professorial rank in recognition of his contributions to teaching, research, postgraduate supervision, academic administration and professional communication practice.
The Dean, Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, Rivers State University, Prof. Barigbon G. Nsereka, disclosed this recently in a statement to the Press in Port Harcourt.
He described Whyte as a scholar, administrator and communication practitioner whose career has combined academic scholarship with practical experience in strategic communication and institutional public relations.
According to the statement, Professor Whyte teaches in the Department of Public Relations and Advertising, Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, where he has taught and supervised students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
The statement said Whyte obtained his first degree in Communication Arts from the University of Uyo and later earned his master’s degree and doctorate in Business and Organisational Communication from the same university.
It further stated that he had served as Head of the Department of Cinematography and Broadcast Studies and Head of the Department of Public Relations and Advertising at Rivers State University.
According to the statement, Whyte also served as the university’s Public Relations Officer from 2019 to 2022, during which he managed the institution’s communication and relations with the media and other stakeholders.
It added that he had served as President of the university’s Senior Staff Club and in several other capacities within the institution.
The statement said Professor Whyte, who publishes as H. W. Dike, has more than 70 scholarly publications to his credit, including Strategic Communication in a Developing Economy, Communication in Africa: Theories, Systems, and Practices, Strategic Silence and Foundations of Film and Broadcast Studies.
According to the statement, his scholarly interests centre on strategic and virtual communication, with emphasis on communication practices and challenges within Nigerian and African environments.
The statement further disclosed that Whyte chaired the Local Organising Committee of the 13th All Nigeria Universities Debate Championship hosted by Rivers State University from September 6 to 13, 2026.
It said the championship brought together student debaters from universities across the country for intellectual engagement, public speaking, critical reasoning and effective communication.
Beyond the university, the statement said Professor Whyte is the Chief Consultant of McLuhan Consulting Limited, a communication consultancy where he applies his academic expertise to practical communication challenges.
The statement quoted Professor Whyte as saying that a professorship was “not a destination” but “a larger classroom”, adding that his task was to raise communicators capable of telling Africa’s story with skill, evidence and integrity.
By: King Onunwor