News
Fire Guts RSUST Female Hostel
One of the female hostels (hostel A) in the main campus of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt was yesterday razed by fire, with about 100 students displaced.
An eye witness, who happened to be a resident of the affected hostel, told The Tide that the fire originated from Room 28 at about 6.30am when students were preparing for their morning lectures. Over 100 students according to her were accommodated in the hostel.
Our source, who pleaded anonymity alleged that the fire started from Room 28 of the block when one Miss Kelechi Abraham, a level 100 student of the Medical Laboratories Department was cooking with her gas cooker when suddenly, the gas cooker exploded and the fire started spreading to other rooms.
Though no life was lost, The Tide gathered that property worth millions of naira were destroyed by the fire.
Most affected were laptops, fridges, cell phones, books, clothes, footwears, cash and other personal effects.
While affected students and their sympathisers were wailing and running helter skelter in attempt to rescue their property, hoodlums were having a field day, stealing some of the personal effects which students were able to deposit outside the burning hostel.
Public Relations Officer of the institution, Mr Desmond Wosu, who confirmed the incident, expressed gratitude to God that no casualty was recorded. He equally commended Rivers State Fire Service, Total and Agip Oil Company fire services for their swift response to the emergency situation.
The image maker while addressing newsmen, later in the day, denied that there were no fire extinguishers in each of the hostels as being alleged, adding that RSUST authorities had outlawed use of gas cookers in the hostels.
He said the university authorities had started investigations to unravel cause, as according to him, the actual cause was yet not known.
Mr Wosu, however, said that the authorities of the institution were making alternative accommodation arrangement for students displaced by the incident.
Vice President of the Student Union Government (SUG), Esther Agbagba said all she knew was that smoke was coming out from the said student hostel while students were running for safety.
She expressed sadness that the affected students would be looking for where to live and appealed to authorities to make alternative arrangement for their accommodation.
But Miss Chioma, one of the victims, who spoke to The Tide in tears said, “ I was bathing when I heard about the fire and attendant commotion, I was confused and did not know what direction to run to even with soap foam all over my body.”
She said as she managed to run out, she could not bring out any of her belongings.
Chris Oluoh & Eunice Choko-Kayode
Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.