The Publisher and Editor-In-Chief of a Yenagoa-based tabloid, Niger Delta Herald, Mr. Francis Dufugha, has commended the Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, for the relative peace in the State.
Dufugha, however, expressed resentment over what he described as stringent measures against assessing the State’s Students Loan Scheme, especially for the common citizens.
He made the observations while briefing journalists at the Earliest Ikoli Press Centre, Ekeki, in Yenagoa, the State capital.
“I commend the Governor for the relative peace in the state owing to his approach to the security of lives and properties in the State.
“For now, the police in Bayelsa State is using drones to monitor red flag areas that can cause security breaches and that has really encouraged the peace in the State.
“The security situation has improved and we commend the government for that. We cannot deny the fact that there is relative peace in the State”, he said.
On the State’s students loan, the publisher accused the scheme of having elitist posture due to its accessibility process.
He argued that it would be difficult for the ordinary Bayelsan to provide a Level-17 civil servant as guarantor to be able to benefit from the scheme, describing it as a systemic denial of the less privileged.
He noted that the loan was supposed to be a succour to indigent Bayelsa parents and students who could not assess education easily, noting that such persons should not be made to face cumbersome situations before assessing the financial instrument.
On road infrastructure, the Niger Delta Herald Publisher and Editor-in-chief praised the Diri’s administration on the work done on the three senatorial district roads and tasked the government to do more.
Dufugha, who described Bayelsa State as a wealthy State, asserted that the oil rich state needed to see more developmental strides comparative to its current financial status.
“Bayelsa is not a poor state in terms of public revenue. We’re an oil producing state. We receive federal allocations. We receive derivation revenue. We have access to enormous public resources.
“We receive interventions. Yet, after all these years, the ordinary citizen is still asking, what exactly are we getting for our money? Where are the industries? Where are the jobs? Where are the functional health institutions? Where is the agricultural transformation? Where is the human capital development? Where is the economic diversification?,” he argued.
He enjoined the government to redouble effort in the education and health subsectors, adding that it would pay the state a lot if there were centres for the treatment of critical health cases such as cancer and others in order to save lives and avoid capital flight.
The Publisher urged the Senator Diri-led government and the public not to misunderstand his message as hatred or personal issues with the Governor, but see it as a constitutional and professional duty to hold government accountable.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa

The Bayelsa State Government has stated its stance on zero tolerance for corruption in governance and cautioned residents against writing frivolous petitions to anti-graft agencies.
Deputy Governor of the State, Dr. Peter Akpe, stated this rexently when he received the Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in ernment House, Yenagoa.

charge of Bayelsa and Rivers States, during a courtesy visit to Government House, Yenagoa.
Akpe said the general perception of those in politics has always been that of corruption, but noted that the position of the Douye Diri-led Prosperity Administration is non-tolerance for corruption.
Akpe, who frowned at the habit of writing unfounded petitions against individuals and groups, said the heap of petition files from Bayelsa State at the ICPC was several times higher than that from any other state in the country.
He reminded residents that writing unjustifiable petitions to anti-graft agencies is not only a bad culture, but also attracts jail penalty, and assured the ICPC of the state government’s support to improve public enlightenment.
“Our government is a government that believes in zero tolerance for corruption; that is why we are always open to interact with you and other anti-graft agencies.
“Usually, there is this issue of negative perception of politics and politicians. But it is not true that every politician is corrupt. We have a good number of people in politics that are not corrupt, and we believe that a good percentage of them are in this government.
“The issue of petitions at the ICPC: What we observed was that the heap of files from Bayelsa were 10 times higher than the ones from even Lagos, and 15 more times than the ones from Sokoto and other states.
“That is quite disturbing. More so, most of those petitions were ion, our people should also know that such frivolous petitions can land them in jail”, he saidfrivolous.

From a personal experience, I can tell you that most of the petitions are extremely frivolous. While we will never tolerate corruption, our people should also know that such frivolous petitions can land them in jail”, he said.
Earlier in her remarks, the ICPC Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner in charge of Rivers and Bayelsa States, Dr. Ekere Usiere, highlighted the statutory mandate of the ICPC, stressing that its mission was to carry out sensitisation on the ills of corruption in the Nigerian society.

Usiere, who expressed concern at the volume of petitions currently before the ICPC emanating from communities in Bayelsa over the management of the PIA funds, expressed the commission’s desire to partner the Bayelsa State Ministry of Information to carry out sensitisation programmes.
The ICPC Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner was accompanied on the visit by Assistant Chief Superintendent, Mr. Evans Peters; Principal Superintendent, Mr. Emmanuel Akpor; Assistant Superintendent, Mrs. Tamaraudoubra Ebebi; and the Administrative Officer, Mr. Frank Yileaziba.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa

Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company Limited (SEEPCO) has empowered 110 wives of Nigerian Army personnel in Delta State with vocational and entrepreneurship skills to strengthen household incomes and improve the economic resilience of military families.
The initiative, undertaken in partnership with the Vcare for Development Foundation (VCDF) and the Nigerian Army Officers’ Wives Association (NAOWA), 63 Brigade, Delta State, was designed to support the families of soldiers who continue to serve in the protection of the nation’s territorial integrity.
The beneficiaries underwent a six-day intensive vocational and entrepreneurship enhancement programme in Warri, with training focused on bread making, makeup and gele, leatherwork, and adire (tie and dye).
According to SEEPCO’s Corporate Communications Department, the initiative was conceived as part of the company’s commitment to women’s economic empowerment, household resilience and the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The programme also included practical business sessions aimed at equipping the participants with the knowledge required to turn their newly acquired skills into sustainable sources of income.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Aisha Mustapha, expressed appreciation to SEEPCO for the opportunity, saying the leatherwork training had provided her with valuable knowledge to improve her business.
“I am grateful for the leatherwork training. I have valuable insights to make my business better. I and many of my fellow army wives now have confidence to earn better with the skills we have learnt”, she said.
The Public Relations Officer of NAOWA, Delta State Chapter, Mrs. Essor, described the programme as timely and practical, noting that it would help strengthen household income among military families.
“The programme is timely and practical. It strengthens household income and supports families within the military environment through skills and starter kits”, she said.
Similarly, the Deputy National Programmes Manager of VCDF, Mr. Philip Ukemezia, said the organisation’s approach combines structured skills acquisition with practical support to promote sustainable economic independence.
“VCDF combines structured skills training with practical support to build sustainable household economic resilience. In 2026, VCDF has trained over 200 army wives across supported communities in Akwa Ibom and Delta States”, he said.
SEEPCO said the empowerment programme was aimed not only at equipping the women with vocational skills, but also at enabling them to contribute meaningfully to the economic stability of their families while their husbands remain engaged in national security duties.
The company stressed that supporting the home front remains an important component of strengthening the morale and welfare of military personnel serving the country.