Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of a Bayelsa-based tabloid, “Niger Delta Herald Newspaper”, Dr. Francis Dufugha, has continued to relive moments fire gutted his resident in Yenagoa, the State capital on Wednesday.
The Tide gathered that the Publisher of one of Niger Delta’s foremost tabloids lost properties worth millions of naira to a fire outbreak which gutted parts of his residence in the Okaka area of Yenagoa.
An eyewitness, Mr. Nimi Mienye, said the incident occurred at night.
Mieye told The Tide that smoke was first noticed coming from the kitchen area of the apartment and that the smoke emanating from the house prompted neighbours to raise the alarm.
According to him, no casualty was recorded in the incident as no occupant was in the house as at the time of the outbreak.
Dufugha was in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital for an academic assignment when the incident reportedly occured.
“I was contacted and informed of the sad incident by my neighbours. My neighbours called to inform me of the sad news.
“They said on seeing the heavy smoke coming out from my apartment, they forced their way into the house and mobilised to put out the fire before it could spread to other parts of the building and adjoining properties.
“I want to thank God that no life was lost. It’s quite an unfortunate and distressing development”, the Publisher said.
“But for the quick intervention of neighbours, which helped to prevent the spread of the fire, what could have happened would have been more devastating.
“Property can be replaced, but human life cannot. I am deeply saddened by the incident, but I am also grateful to the neighbours who responded quickly and helped to put out the fire”, Dufugha added.
The Publisher said the exact cause of the fire would need to be properly established, noting that the possibility of an electrical fault following the restoration of public power could not be ruled out.
Meanwhile residents of the area bout electrical safety, particularly the need to take precautions whenever public power supply is restored after an outage. and environs have renewed concerns about electrical safety, particularly the need to take precautions whenever public power supply is restored after an outage.
They called on authorities concerned and relevant emergency agencies to unravel the actual cause of the fire incident and assess the extent of damage to the property.

Ariwera Ibibo-Howells,
Yenagoa

Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Dr. Peter Akpe, has described Engineers as master planners critical to the development of the New Yenagoa City project.
He stated this on Friday when members of the Yenagoa branch of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) paid him a courtesy visit at Government House, Yenagoa.
He said engineers occupy a strategic position in the development of any city, stressing that Bayelsa, as a fast developing state needs their professional expertise. Akpe said building collapse and failed projects were mostly due to failure to engage qualified engineers or compromise of standards by professionals.
“By training, Engineers are the master planners. If we want to get the best of a city, engineers are the professionals in the plan.
“Everybody and anybody can just do anything, but if we want to get the best, we need the engineers. Most of these failed buildings are because professionals were not engaged or standards compromised.
“As Engineers, you have a very big role to play, especially in a state like Bayelsa, which is a rapidly developing state. So, no one should undermine you as a profession”, he said.
He recalled the role played by local engineers, including Engr. Moses Dika and Engr Olice Kemenanabo, in the state’s gas turbine project, saying government holds the profession in high esteem.
The State’s number Two Man assured the NSE of government’s support for its programmes, but said funding requests for training should be made collectively through the association and not by individual members.
Earlier, Chairman of the Yenagoa Branch of the NSE, Engr. Eluanatein Mac-Jokori, said the visit was aimed at strengthening strategic partnership with the State Government.
Mac-Jokori, who congratulated Dr. Akpe on his appointment as Deputy Governor, appealed for government sponsorship of members to attend NSE and COREN training programmes and other conferences.
He also solicited support for the promotion of engineering education and the construction of a 500-metre access road to the NSE Yenagoa flagship Engineering Resource Centre.

Ariwera Ibibo-Howells,
Yenagoa

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has charged contractors and consultants handling its projects across the Niger Delta to embrace Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms to ensure faster and sustainable project delivery.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, gave the charge while declaring open a three-day sensitisation programme recently in Port Harcourt, with the theme: “Enhancing Capacity for Alternative Dispute Resolution”, for NDDC contractors and consultants.
Ogbuku, who was represented by the Executive Director, Corporate Services, Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde, said the programme was informed by the recognition that while conflicts are inevitable in project implementation, their escalation can be prevented through early identification and professional management.
He noted that disagreements in the course of execution could arise from issues such as payments, variations, designs, project timelines, quality of work, measurements, access to sites, contractual obligations and relationships with host communities.
According to him, the ability to address such issues promptly could determine whether a problem is resolved within days or allowed to degenerate into a dispute lasting months or years.
The NDDC Chief Executive said the consequences of delayed projects go beyond the  Commission and its contractors, stressing that communities waiting for roads, bridges, schools, healthcare facilities and other interventions bear the ultimate burden.
He listed delayed completion, increased project costs, strained relationships, litigation, claims and loss of valuable time among the consequences of unresolved conflicts.
Ogbuku described contractors and consultants as critical first responders in conflict management because of their proximity to project sites, host communities and emerging challenges, and urged them to develop capacity to identify early warning signs and negotiate effectively.
He identified negotiation, zes early dispute avoidance as key to successful delivery.

Mediation, conciliation, adjudication and arbitration as practical ADR mechanisms that could be deployed depending on the nature of disputes, adding that the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) emphasizes early dispute avoidance as key to successful delivery.
He stressed that ADR should not be seen as a means of avoiding accountability or compromising legitimate contractual rights, but as a mechanism for addressing problems intelligently, proportionately and early enough.
Also speaking, the Director of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Department, Mr. Godwin Ayewumi Ogedegbe, said the complex social, economic and environmental realities of the Niger Delta often generate tensions which, if poorly managed, could undermine development projects.
He said contractors must understand host community dynamics to ensure their interventions promote inclusion, trust and cooperation, rather than deepening divisions.
Presenting the lead paper, Prof. Isaac Olawale Albert called on the NDDC and its contractors to integrate conflict sensitivity and ADR into everyday project hnically sound projects could still fail when community expectations and grievances are poorly managed. execution, warning that technically sound projects could still fail when community expectations and grievances are poorly managed.
He identified elite capture, exclusion, local-content disputes, land and compensation issues, employment grievances and environmental concerns as major risks, and advocated stakeholder mapping, transparent communication, early-warning mechanisms and accessible grievance channels, declaring that “peace is not an accessory to project delivery; it is part of the infrastructure we are building.”

Akujobi Amadi