Niger Delta

Minister Commissions Skills Acquisition Centre In A’ Ibom

Published

14 years ago

April 25, 2012

The Federal Government has renewed its commitment to create jobs for the teeming youths in the country.

The Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, said this on Friday in Essien Udim, Akwa Ibom, where he commissioned the NDE/MDGs Skills Acquisition Training Centre.

Wogu said that the government would use job creation to confront the challenge of insecurity in the country.

“The commissioning of this skills acquisition centre is another giant stride of President Goodluck Jonathan aggressively fight against unemployment, insecurity and poverty across the federation”.

“The social cost of youth unemployment to any economy is extremely high and largely unbearable. “Government response to this high social cost, obvious skills gaps and emergence of various regional militia groups is through the establishment of skills training centres across the nation,”Wogu said.

The minister added that government was making policies to reduce and eliminate poverty, particularly the target of reducing extreme poverty by 2015.

He further stated that the Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Scheme Programme (SURE-P) was targeted at creating jobs for 370,000 youths, as part of the administration’s effort at reducing poverty.

Wogu added that government was also planning to review the school curricula with a view to restructure and keep pace with the emerging employment opportunities.

He said: “Today’s job openings are more fluid, demanding and challenging the adaptive capacity of both our `school leavers’ and graduates.

“Training centres like this should bridge the gap and produce the middle level manpower required for our economy. “

In his remarks, Gov. Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom, represented by Mr Nsima Ekere, said that the problem of developing countries was how to create jobs for the teeming population.

Akpabio added that government could not create the needed jobs alone, except in collaboration with the private sector, and called on the private sector to be involved in helping young people to acquire skills.

He expressed appreciation to the National Directorate of Employment, for the establishment of the skills centre.

Earlier in his welcome address, the NDE Director-General, Malam Abubakar Mohammed, said that government had established 39 functional skills acquisition training centres in the country.

Mohammed said that plans were under way to establish one skills acquisition centre in all the 774 local government areas, to train the youth on skills techniques.

He added that so far, the NDE had trained 16,475 artisans/technicians and that most of them had been gainfully employed, and were contributing to national growth.

The high point of the event was the official commissioning of the skills acquisition training centre, which marked the commissioning of other two centres at Nsit Ubium and Udung Uko in Oron.

The centre is expected to train 450 youths across the three senatorial districts of the state.

Niger Delta

850-bed UCTH overstretched, services 5m patients – CMD

Published

13 hours ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), Prof. Ikpeme Ikpeme, has said the 850-bed hospital is overstretched, as it currently serves over five million patients.

He disclosed this on Friday during a media tour of the facility to showcase ongoing renovations and facelift in the hospital.

The CMD noted that, aside being the only tertiary healthcare facility servicing the state, UCTH also serviced neighbouring states of Akwa Ibom and Ebonyi.

He said the hospital also received referrals from neighbouring countries, including Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Central African Republic.

According to him, the 850-bed hospital faced persistent space constraints because of increasing patients inflow and expanding healthcare demands.

“This hospital currently operates 62 clinical and non-clinical departments as well as between 30 and 38 wards covering medical, surgical, paediatric, orthopaedic and specialised services.

“Most wards have undergone facelift, remodelling, or complete renovation to improve patient care and working conditions for healthcare professionals”, he said.

He disclosed that the hospital was constructing a new 106-bed emergency medicine facility to address the rising demand for healthcare services.

According to him, the facility will include trauma bays, intensive care units, neonatal wards, and three fully equipped trauma theatres.

Speaking on the remodeled wards, Ikpeme explained that they followed modern nursing principles, allowing one nurse to attend to a maximum of 10 patients.

He said relatives would be restricted to designated waiting areas to reduce interference with medical procedures and improve emergency response efficiency.

The CMD noted that the hospital had strengthened specialist services in orthopaedics, neurosurgery, obstetrics, radiology, and minimally invasive surgery.

“UCTH now performs hip and knee replacements, arthroscopy, sports medicine, and complex brain tumour surgeries.

“Our surgeons also conduct keyhole procedures for appendectomy, hysterectomy and other conditions with faster patient recovery periods,” he said

In power, the CMD said the hospital relied on solar power from a seven-megawatt plant, constructed by the Federal Government at the University of Calabar, as well as public power supply, and generators to sustain its operations.

He appealed to governments, organisations, and philanthropists to support infrastructure expansion, equipment procurement, and specialised healthcare projects.

The CMD said the hospital required additional incubators, ward expansions, and a stand-alone amenity facility for private healthcare services.

He used the opportunity to dismiss allegations of ethnic discrimination, insisting that the hospital does not reject workers or patients based on tribe or origin.

According to him, the institution recently honoured an Igbo pioneer physician by naming a ward after him in recognition of decades of service.

The CMD said the hospital maintained strict disciplinary procedures to address negligence, poor attitude, and unethical conduct among staff.

The Tide’s source reports that some of the units visited include, intensive care unit, Department of Radiology, Urology Clinic, and Opthalmology Clinic.

Niger Delta

Police Burst Child Trafficking Syndicate In A’Ibom … Nab 3 Suspects

Published

13 hours ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Police Command in Akwa Ibom State says it has busted a child trafficking syndicate and arrested three suspects for conspiracy and unlawful sale of a newborn baby in the State.

The State’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Timfom John, who disclosed this in a statement in Uyo on Friday, said the three female suspects were arrested on Wednesday at about 1900hrs.

She said a complainant reported that his wife gave birth to a baby boy on May 7 and shockingly, shortly after delivery sold the newborn child to one of the suspects for N145, 000.

“Upon receipt of the report, operatives immediately swung into action, leading to the arrest of the suspects and the successful recovery of the baby boy.

“The suspects reportedly confessed to the crime during interrogation, while investigation has been expanded to identify and apprehend all individuals connected to the trafficking syndicate”, John said.

She said the State’s Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare, reiterated the Command’s commitment to sustaining aggressive intelligence-led policing in the state.

Niger Delta

A’Ibom Launches Operation Crack Down Scrap Dealers

Published

13 hours ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Akwa-Ibom State Government has launched a statewide crackdown on unregistered scrap dealers and scavengers, shutting down illegal operations and arresting operators accused of violating environmental and public safety regulations.

The enforcement operation, led by the Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency (AKSEPWMA), followed the implementation of the state’s Waste Metal Scrap Law 2026, officials said.

AKSEPWMA Chairman, Obong Prince Ikim, said the exercise was aimed at regulating the scrap sector, protect the environment, and prevent criminal groups from operating under the guise of waste collection and metal trading.

“If you want to do scrap business, you must register,” Mr. Ikim said during the operation in Uyo, the state capital.

“Many people now hide under scrap trading to perpetrate nefarious activities”, he said.

According to him, dump site operators and scrap dealers who failed to register with the government risked closure and prosecution.

Authorities accused some operators of involvement in vandalism of public infrastructure and indiscriminate waste disposal, adding that investigations had uncovered criminal activities linked to several dump sites across the state.

“Some people vandalise government facilities in the name of scrap business and encourage indiscriminate dumping of refuse,” Mr. Ikim said.

He added that the state government and security agencies would continue efforts to enforce compliance and maintain public order.

“The Commissioner of Police has zero tolerance for criminality, and the Governor wants Akwa Ibom people to sleep with their eyes closed. We will fish out every defaulter”, he said.

Police officials involved in the operation said investigations showed that some criminal suspects used scrap yards and refuse dump sites as cover for illegal activities.

CSP Okwuzulike Vincent of the Itam Police Station said some suspects pretended to be mentally unstable while hiding ammunition and other suspicious items in makeshift shelters around dump locations.

The police officer praised the environmental agency for what he described as proactive efforts to sanitise the sector and pledged continued cooperation between law enforcement and the agency.

Officials said some first-time offenders arrested during the operation were released after profiling and signing undertakings, while repeat offenders would face prosecution.