By Polycarp Orosevwotu, Ughelli

No fewer than three persons were alleged to have been killed over a clash between two communities of Ekiugbo and Otor-vwreko of Ughelli North local government area of Delta state following the alleged imposition of N5, 000 fees on traders.

A source, who pleaded anonymity, named the deceased as John Mark, Odibo and a yet-to-be identified person.

The source said the incident occurred on Thursday afternoon when youths from the Otor-vwreko informed they will henceforth collect fee of N5, 000 from those trading along the walkway.

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The source said the neighbouring Ekiugbo community challenged the announcement, leading to a free-for-all.

The source said: “While the argument between the two communities heightened, from nowhere, we started hearing gunshots ranging in the air and the whole market was in total disarray as many traders left their stores and goods scampering for safety.

“Not quite a few minutes later, information filtered out that about three persons from Otor-vwreko including the son of the oldest man reported to have killed during the clash between the two communities.”

It was learnt that Ekiugbo and Otor-vwreko communities of Ughelli North had witnessed several clashes in the past over alleged imposition of market levies.

By Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt

A former President, Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide, Udengs Eradiri, has urged youths of Ijaw extraction to shelve their ongoing plans to shut down the Niger Delta region in a protest designed to compel President Muhammadu Buhari to inaugurate a substantive board for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

Eradiri, who is the Special Assistant on Youth Matters to the Interim Administrator NDDC, Effiong Akwa, appealed to the youths to reconsider such move in view of the prevailing security situations in the country.

Eradiri, in a statement in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Tuesday insisted the current security challenges do not favour protest by a large crowd because it could be infiltrated by hoodlums to shed innocent blood, advising as a responsible organisation, IYC should not be seen as creating opportunities for hoodlums.

He asked the youths to support the ongoing efforts by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio and Akwa to conclude the ongoing forensic audit designed to clean the rot in NDDC and give the commission a new beginning.

He said Akpabio had explained in many fora that Buhari desired a conclusion of the audit before inaugurating the substantive board for the commission, adding that doing otherwise would jeopardise the ongoing investigations.

Acknowledging delay in the auditing process, Eradiri explained that it was initially caused by budgetary constraints but said Akpabio’s intervention led the Presidency to resolve the financial hiccups by taking over the funding of the audit.

He said: “The audit is recording tremendous progress. The auditors are now on field assignments after which they will write and submit their reports. It is instructive to note that the President desires an end to the audit before inaugurating a new board to give the NDDC a new and responsible beginning. Any attempt to put the board in place without concluding the ongoing investigations will derail the forensic audit.

“As a former IYC President, I also want the board to be inaugurated. But I have since observed that having a board has never been the problems of the NDDC.

‘’The commission has always had a board. But the problems over the years have been institutionalised corruption, failure of an accountable system and misappropriation of our commonwealth.

“I am convinced that the NDDC requires total cleansing and procedural and managerial changes to restore the dignity of the commission and ensure it realises its mandates. If at the end of the audit, we have a responsible and accountable NDDC, then it is worth the wait.

“I can assure you that the audit will soon come to an end. I urge all stakeholders and our Ijaw Youths to exercise more patience and allow the conclusion of this audit.

‘’As Ijaw youths, we don’t want to be at the wrong side of history, counted among those, who tried to thwart a process designed to reposition the NDDC for maximum performance”.

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Eradiri said despite the complaints against the current management structure of the commission, the NDDC under Akpabio and Akwa had recorded more feats, which all the past boards of the commission could not boast of in the region.

He said: “The NDDC as currently managed has achieved some feats, which all the past boards of the commission could not boast of. Under Senator Akpabio and Effiong Akwa, the head office complex of the commission abandoned for about 25 years has been completed.

“The commission is also making efforts to reposition its scholarship scheme to give room for more beneficiaries and develop our tertiary institutions.

‘’Besides, through the efforts of the Minister and the NDDC, massive work is ongoing at the East-West Road especially at the abandoned axis between Bayelsa and Rivers states.

“Among other things, we have concluded the procurement process required for the training of first batch of 1000 youths for the NLNG train 7 project; training for vehicle manufacturing and diagnostics with Innoson Vehicle Company and the talent hunt and sports-related programmes to give youths a sense of belonging.

“I, therefore, call on youths of the region to support these noble efforts to cleanse the NDDC, remove the business-as-usual syndrome in the commission and reposition it to efficiently and effectively deliver its mandates of driving the development of the region”.

By Simon Utebor, Yenagoa

The Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Col. Milland Dixon Dikio (retd), has challenged youths in the Niger Delta to shun violence.

Dikio advised the youths to devote their strength and creative energy to technology and acquisition of digital skills to become dominant forces in the world.

Dikio said violence should not in any way be associated with the region at this point.

He spoke over the weekend at Agadagba Obon, Arogbo, Ondo State during the graduation ceremony of PAP delegates trained by Bradama International Skill Works Ltd in Pipeline Welding/Fabrication, Quality Assurance/Quality Control, Sandblasting, General Safety, Electrical Installation and Maintenance etc.

He said further those in the digital technology industry are occupying a prime place in global economy, because their resourcefulness is in high demand.

While congratulating the delegates on successful completion of their training, Dikio urged them to take maximum advantage of the various skills they have acquired to create wealth for themselves, their families, and the society in general.

“The struggle Niger-Deltans are embarking on is no longer an armed struggle, but dominance in the intellectual space, science and technology driven by skill acquisition,” he said.

He also encouraged the graduands to display the spirit of excellence as demonstrated by the Managing Director of Bradama International Skill Works, High Chief Bibopere Ajube aka Gen. “Shoot – At – Sight.”

Ajube charged the delegates to use the skills obtained from the training institution to work, survive and build their different communities and the Niger Delta region.

He lauded Dikio for his style of leadership and called for more support from all stakeholders to enable the PAP to achieve the purpose for which it was set up.

Agadagba of Arogbo Ijaw Kingdom, His Imperial Majesty Pere (Barr.) Zacchaeus Doubra Egbundu commended Dikio for his achievements so far and enjoined him not to relent until enduring peace in the region is achieved.

A member of the House of Representatives, representing Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency of Ondo State, Hon. Kolade Akinjo, also lauded Dikio for his passion in giving a new direction to the Amnesty Office.

He noted that since his appointment, Dikio has made the PAP to be more alive to its responsibilities because of his leadership style, which he said is centered on the beneficiaries and not strangers.

By Shola O’Neil, Regional Editor, Port Harcourt

An NGO, Foundation for Partnership Initiative in the Niger Delta (PIND), has identified access to arable land for agriculture as a major challenge militating against optimal productivity by rural farmers in Niger from increasing farm productivity in the region.

The Foundation’s Advocacy Manager, Chuks Ofulue, who spoke at a roundtable organized by PIND in Asaba, Delta State, said increased access to farming land will increase food production and improve the quality of lives of vulnerable citizens and the Niger Delta region.

He explained that before the event, the foundation conducted a study on access to agricultural land in Edo, Ondo, and Delta states.

“We know that access to land is the fundamental means whereby the poor can ensure food supplies to meet and generate income through production and processing as a means of livelihood.”

“Yet, access to arable land remains a major constraint to the increased productivity of small farm holders in Nigeria, particularly the Niger Delta,” he said.

Ofulue said the Niger Delta suffers from a shortage of arable land due to its surrounding waters.

He revealed that PIND Foundation also launched a report on the various factors affecting farmer’s productivity in the region.

Presenting the report, Biyi Daramola, a professor at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, represented by Adegboyega Oguntade, a professor with the same institution, said most of the current insecurity issues in the country revolves around land.

“Land is available but cannot be accessed. We need to free up the land. We need to redeem the land use act. It has not helped anybody. I know Delta and Ondo states are talking about land banking but we have not done enough about this idea. It has to have a legal instrument to back it up. When you put your land in a land bank, the enabling law must be there to regulate it,” he said.

“For land banking to work, one thing that the Presidential Technical Committee on Land Reform (PTCLR) has been talking about for years now must be undertaken through titling and registration.”

PIND said three state governments have to make efforts in assisting the vulnerable unemployed youths and women to access agricultural land for productive ventures.

By Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt; Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba and Simon Utebor, Yenagoa

The four-month tenure extension granted to Effiong Akwa as the Sole Administrator of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) may pit Southsout stakeholders against Niger Delta Affairs Godswill Akpabio.

The stakeholders accused the minister of failing to facilitate the inauguration of a substantive board for the commission, following the expiration of the Akwa-led interim managers.

They recalled that when Akwa was appointed in December 2020 as a sole administrator amidst protests, Akpabio promised that his tenure would end in four months, which expired on March 31, 2021.

The stakeholders are: the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF); the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide, Movement for the Survival of Ijaw Ethnic Nationalities (MOSIEND), Niger Delta Youth Movement (NDYM) and the Urhobo Progressive Union (UPU).

According to them, the minister has been using forensic audit to justify the interim management’s continued stay in office beyond April 1, thus ignoring a collective decision on the inauguration of the board to run the affairs of the commission in line with the Act establishing the NDDC.

The Nation learnt yesterday that the various groups plan to occupy major federal roads in the region, including the Eastwest Road in protest against the non-inauguration of the NDDC board.

They also plan to barricade roads and waterways leading to major oil installations in the region during the protest.

MOSIEND’s National President Kennedy Tonjo-West urged President Muhammadu Buhari to take the tension brewing in the region over tenure expiration seriously.

He said: “If the forensic audit was to end by March, how come nobody had heard about a preliminary report at least, how come the Presidency has not gotten the list of board’s nomination from the states.

He alleged of a plan to keep Akwa in office as his appointment letter has no specific tenure.

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Tonjo-West added: “The Minister of Niger Delta had it all figured out from the outset. For Joi Nunieh it was NYSC certificate, for Kemabradikumo Pondei, it was court injunction from a Federal High Court. Even when Effiong Akwa was part of the suit, he was singled out for the plum job.

“Even when the court reversed the judgement that Pondei and his term had no case, the minister turned a blind eye to the judgement.”

PANDEF expressed disappointment at the conduct of the minister. It also accused the President Buhari’s administration of “shifting the goal post” on the issue.

It’s spokesperson Rev. Ken Robinson said the group would seek audience with Akpabio to seek clarification on the issue.

He said the group’s position on the matter would be made public after a meeting with the minister in few weeks.

Robinson, however, lambasted the Federal Government for lacking in political will, pointing out that the forensic audit which was to last six months now has an indefinite life span.

He said: “We will seek audience with the minister, so we will give him till April ending. They have been shifting the post. The forensic audit was to be for six months.”

The NDYM issued a 30-day ultimatum over the continued stay in office of NDDC sole administrator beyond April 1.

Its President Joe Jackson said his members will state a mass protest if the failed to inaugurate a substantive board for the NDDC.

He said: “We will mobilise across the nine Niger-Delta States and hold the entire region to ransom until the substantive board is constituted.

“There will be mass protests to press home our demands, we give the federal government 30 days for them to put their house in order or we will shut down the region.”

Leader of (UPU) Youth Wing Worldwide, Kelly Umukoro, said the protesters in Delta State would block the East- West road and the Benin-Onitsha Expressway.

Umukoro said the decision to block major arteries in the region formed part of the resolutions reached at a meeting of the pan Niger-Delta Youth group which held in Asaba, Delta State.

IYC confirmed at the weekend that it had scheduled meetings with civil society organisations and other stakeholders to resume its suspended protests against NDDC.

IYC National spokesman Ebilade Ekerefe said that the national executive council of the group would resume to deliberate on the issue and pick a date to begin occupation of the region based on the failed promises on the April timeline.

Ekerefe said: “We are already in April and we have not heard anything and our people have started asking questions. But we have assured them that the struggle for a substantive board with equal representations of the nine member states in the region is not negotiable and we are taking the minister by his words”.

It was also learnt that the governors and National Assembly members from the region have indicated readiness to back whatever measure that will bring about the appointment of a substantive board as provided under the NDDC Act.

By Jide Orintunsin – Abuja

Ward executives of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ukana West II, Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State have passed a vote of confidence on President Muhammadu Buhari, Senator Godswill Akpabio and other leaders of the party.

In a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, they said the decision to pass a vote of confidence on the party leaders at different levels, was to spur and encourage them to use their leadership positions to develop, direct and move Nigeria forward.

The statement, which was signed by Hon. Elijah Umoren, the ward chairman, his Secretary, Ekemini Emmanuel Ukpeh, Youth leader, Daniel James, Legal Adviser, Edidiong Udofia and the women leader, Ruth Godwin Udom, maintained their decision was informed by the numerous laudable programs initiated by the administration since 2015.

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“The APC ward executive of Ukana West 2 in Essien Udim Local Government Area is delighted and happy with the appointment of their son and leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio into the Federal Executive Council, as Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, by our amiable President, Muhammadu Buhari, which has enabled him to continue to contribute his quota to the development of the Niger Delta and Nigeria.

“We, therefore, reiterate our unalloyed support for President Buhari, as he strives to deliver dividends of democracy to Nigerians.

“We also charge our son and leader, Senator Akpabio to continue to support the plans of Mr President for the region, because as a former governor of the state he showed the capacity and experience on how to get things done in the region. It was the President’s support and backing for our son that led to the historic commissioning of the abandoned NDDC headquarters in less than 2years in office.”

By Omang C. Omang

It is obvious that from the Judgements of the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court, Stephen Odey is no longer the Senator representing Cross River North.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has obeyed the judgement of court and issued a Certificate of Return to Rt. Hon. Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe (MHR), which automatically invalidates the Certificate of Return earlier issued to Odey after the by-election.

The fact that the apex court has ruled on who was the authentic candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is incontrovertible. The candidate remains Jarigbe, as affirmed by the Supreme Court, which struck out the appeal filed by Stephen Odey, challenging the decision of the Court of Appeal. The appeal was struck out due to a defective Notice of Appeal on the 25th of February, 2021.

Odey sought to be joined as an interested party to the suit and was joined at the Court of Appeal. He went ahead to appeal the judgement at the Supreme Court. He sought some relief, including his affirmation as the authentic candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the December 5th, 2020 by-election for Cross River North. The appeal was struck out, but Odey now claims he was not part of the suit. This is an attempt to approbate and reprobate.

The man who took the appeal to the Supreme Court was Stephen Odey and not John Alaga. Alaga was one of the respondents at the Supreme Court. Alaga lost his case at the trial court and the Court of Appeal. The appellant at the Supreme Court was Odey, he lost the case to the respondents. On that note, the subsisting verdict of the Trial and Appeal Courts are affirmed and yet to be upturned. It cannot because the Judgement of the Supreme Court is final and infallible. This truth is incontrovertible.

It is not the duty of the Senate to explicate court judgements. The Clerk of the National Assembly (CNA) is supposed to verify the Certificate of Return issued by INEC and document the elected Senator, in line with the Certificate of Return (latest in time), for swearing in. Senate President Ahmad Lawan has a duty to act in line with the advice of the CNA, based on the brief and advice of the legal department.

The Senate President is still being expected to obey the court judgements, and recognize INEC’s compliance and issuance of Certificate of Return to Jarigbe, in compliance with the rule of law. The questions: Why is Senator Lawan yet to act on the judgements and INEC’s action? Why is he dwelling on interpretation of court judgements, when there is a valid and authentic Certificate of Return issued? What is going on in the Senate is an illegality taken too far. Lawan should retrace his steps to avoid bringing the legislature to disrepute.

The general public should advise Barrister Daniel Bwala, who has been hallucinating on this issue, to accept defeat, instead of prevaricating and coming up with half-truths. These are issues that should have been canvassed in court. At this point, it is too late to cry wolf. Attempting to condemn the judgement of the Supreme Court is wrong.

The case of Hon. (Mrs) Dorathy Mato V. Hon Iorwase Herman Hembe (2017) is a locus classicus on who the authentic candidate of a party is. Hembe was declared winner by INEC but the Supreme Court gave the victory to Mato, who took over the seat at the House of Representatives in 2015. Both Hembe and Mato were members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the suit was a pre-election matter.

Jarigbe was declared winner of the PDP primary election, monitored by INEC in line with section 85, 86 and 87 of the electoral act. He campaigned and took part in all stages ahead of the election. The judiciary has proven it is the last hope of our democracy. Jarigbe’s victory has been affirmed by the judgment of the Supreme Court. The citations of Bwala are academic and inconsequential at this point. The Supreme Court is final and infallible.

Omang, a legal practitioner, writes via Omangcomang@gmail.com