The Nation Newspaper

Category: Niger Delta

  • Community seeks more for Belemaoil

    The people of oil-rich Kula Kingdom in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State have urged the Federal Government to approve operatorship licence of more Oil Mining Leases (OMLs) to indigenous oil company, Belemaoil Producing Ltd.

    The Paramount Ruler of Kula Kingdom,  King Kroma Amabibi Eleki (JP) (Sara XIV), made the call at a one-day  Special Prayer and Thanksgiving event in the community organised by Kula Council of Chiefs in honour of their illustrious son, Jack-Rich Tein Jr, an engineer, who is the founder and president of Belemaoil Producing Limited.

    Kula Kingdom is one of the core island communities of Rivers State, located right behind the sea, sharing boarders with their neighbouring Bayelsa State.

    Kula, like other riverine communities, has no access road, hence their only means of transportation remains boat ride but the area is rich in oil and gas, and plays host to Anglo-Dutch multinational company, SHELL, for over 50 years.

    However, the area is grossly neglected, with the land and people highly impoverished.This was evident in the absence of government presence in any part of the communities.

    The young and old, chiefs, men, women, youths and children came out in their numbers to give thanks to God for the gift of  a son like Tein Jr. and to also pray to God to  continue to bless and protect him, his family and business from all evil and enlarge his business coast.

    Speaking at the event, King Eleki said the special prayer was a way to express profound thanks and appreciation to God for the unprecedented developmental projects Belemaoil has carried out in the area within a short period of operation in the area.

    The monarch said of Tein Jr: “I am filled with joy and laughter because God has answered our prayers of many years as our illustrious son, Engr Jack-Rich Tein Jr. has wiped off tears from our eyes. For that we thank him and we thank the Almighty Father who has blessed him to bless us.

    “Even in the bible the parable of the talents, those who were given five, they turned it to ten, those who were unable to do something to what they had, even what was given to them was taken away from them.and added to the other person that prove resourcesfulness, going by this bible principle, I think since he (Tein Jr) has been able to double what was given to him, the government should give him more OMLs to operate in the Niger Delta so that he will do more for oil bearing communities in the region.”

    He approved the requests by the company to renovate and upgrade some of the existing health facilities in the area as he declared, “I grant you permission to renovate people’s dispensary hospital where you can develop and it will serve you people and they were negotiating for land for this project, we have all agreed to provide land for Belema oil to execute this project and for that we have signed papers for them for this project.

    “In addition he will provide two giant generators for the community and also wire the whole community that  should have been done by Jan 31st both because the equipment are not available they have to be ordered from abroad… I thank you very much may God continue to bless and protect your founder.” he informed the crowd.

    He further called for unity and cohesion among the people and appealed for more support and the cooperation of the Host Community for Belemaoil for better improved lives in the communities.

    Corroborating the monarch, another Paramount Ruler, in the area, His Highness, King Boudillon Ekine Oko, (OKO XXVIII), equally admitted that the Tein Jr. has greatly improved the wellbeing of the people of Kula with meaningful projects that have direct bearing on the lives of the people.

    King Oko added that host communities of other oil blocks in Kula Kingdom should be given the right of first refusal by the federal government in the divestment or approval of operatorship licence of oil assets in the area.

    “Every kingdom that has the privilege and the honour to enjoy such opportunities as have given us by Belemaoil will want that the presence of such company to remain in the area, and we are not exception, hence if there are other presence of such opportunity that need to come to the territory we will still want Belem oil to inherit that opportunity,” he said.

    King Oko went on: “Belemoil is not just a son but a  Messiah sent to us by God to make the men happy, make the kings happy,  make the chiefs happy, make the women happy, even the politicians are happy, everybody in the communities are happy.”

    He agreed with the otjer speakers that Tein Jr.  is a gift to the body of the kula people and prayed against anything, person or group that would want to bring to a halt the good things that has begun to come to the community through Belemaoil, and those that are yet to come, “we will all in a perfect match rise up to say no,” he assured.

    The Manager, External Affairs of the company, Samuel Abel Jumbo, called on the Kingdom to eschew bitterness and rancor among themselves for the prosperity of the community.

    He said the company has provided over 1,000 jobs to youths across the host communities. He outlined some projects which Belemaoil is currently carrying out and those it intends to carry out in the near future to include; the 85KM Kula Road to Port-Harcourt, the Belema Atlantic Island, Belema Industrial Base, Belema Atlantic Office, Billionaire Atlantic Island, Belema Trading Island, amongst others.

    “We cannot imagine the thousands of employments which these projects will generate for our people in Kula. We also cannot imagine the jobs and contracts that will be available for our business men and women who will be huge beneficiaries of this projects.All these shall happen in our life time.

    “And so, our dear fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters, at this time in our history, I will implore you all on behalf of Belemaoil Producing Ltd., to eschew bitterness and rancor, and embrace peaceful coexistence and togetherness which has kept us together and made us the envy of our neighbours,”he said.

    He hinted the community about the passion of their son to open up the Island area for investment and tourism,

    ”As a very young company with a little over two years in operations, and, with a very strong filial bond with our host communities- Kula being one of them, our determination to radically develop our host communities is of very paramount interest to us given the fact that these communities are the basis upon which our operations are successfully carried out.

    “Indeed, our relationship with our communities can only be compared to that of a Siamese twin. And this reinforces the reason  in our very short history, we are grateful to God Almighty for using us as a vessel to impact very positively in the lives of our communities in such a way that has led to this Farthering.

    “In collaboration with the Federal Government, we have commenced preliminary work and approvals for the commencement of the construction of the 85Km Kula-Port Harcourt Road, which will link up all our satellite communities and settlements of Belema, Robertkiri, Luckyland, Boro, through Idama Kingdom and Degema. This multi-billion-naira project shall, when completed, not only guarantee the security of our lives and properties as we will no longer be preys to marauding pirates on our seas and water ways.

    “Through our investment and development affiliates: J+G Global Gas and Oilfield Ltd and Jack-Rich Tein Aid Foundation the Belema Industrial zone has already taken off the drawing board with the on-going reclamation work at Roberkiri for the citing of a world class Airport which will stimulate the attendant developments and additional projects and business opportunities that will be attracted to the Community, which shall include amongst others.” among other projects mapped out by the firm.

    In his sermon, the pastor of one of the Pentecostal churches in the community, Revd. Victor Iyaye, lauded Tein Jr. for being kind to the poor and the people of under developed oil bearing communities, and assured him that he will be rewarded by God, he appealed to him not to relent in the good job.

    He prayed for rapid growth and expansion of investment for Belemaoil in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

    The President Kula Youth Organisation, Christian Eleki, assured of the support of the youths for the success of the firm’s presence in the area, noting that youths of Kula have benefited immensely from the company, especially in the area of employment and empowerment.

  • Tackling Niger Delta challenges from the root

    The Partners for Peace (P4P) was created in 2013 by the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND Foundation) to work with communities’ stakeholders to identify issues that can escalate into full-blown intra and inter-communal clashes and nip them in the bud. Ssouthsouth Regional Editor Shola O’Neil and Deborah Sunday report on how the ordinary Niger Deltans are making the region safer

    The Partners for Peace (P4P) is a community of from different background in the Niger delta, which came together to address the root causes of conflict in the region. They build peace and engender understanding in communities. With thousands of members from all parts of the region, P4P is everywhere. In the creeks, they meet with militants, and talk them off violence, preach on need for peaceful environment, non-violent elections where people are allowed to freely choose their leaders, live in peace and resolve conflicts peacefully.

    Since its foundation nearly six years ago in 2013, as an arm of the PIND Foundation, the initiative has become a household name in the region. P4P is making impact from Apoi, Ese-Odo local government of Ondo state, through Edo to Opuama, Gbokoda in riverside and upland Ekpan in Delta. From Bayelsa to Rumuelumeni, Asari Toru in Rivers and other parts, the P4P is creating landmarks of peace and convivial relationships among people.

    Recently, amidst reports that some ex-militants in Arogbo and Ese-Edo LGAs of Ondo state were preparing to return to the creeks, ostensibly as a result of unfulfilled promises made to them by governments, P4P Network Coordinator, High Chief Lawal Africas and other members of the initiative made timely mediation and ensured that the agitators including Gen Kosoko and others not only stayed the course of peace.

    In Arogbo, one of the aggrieved ex-agitators (militants) told our reporter that more organs as P4P are needed to drive peace and address grievances because the people no longer trust the government.

    “We are tired of failed promises, the only language that governments understand is violence. When we strike they will hurry and arrange people to come and preach; they make lots of promises but once the issue dies down so also their promises. But with P4P, we know what we are getting, no plenty promises, but genuine re-orientation of our members. Some politicians wanted to recruit our members for this election to cause trouble, but those who have been reoriented by P$P said no,” our source who asked not to be named said.

    In Imo state, P4P helped restore peace to Awarra Court in Ohaji/Egbema LGA, where armed gangs held sway for many years, forcing inhabitants to flee in search of safe havens elsewhere. Residents of the area told our reporter that normalcy only returned after the P4P members gained access to the enclaves of the armed cultists, who styled themselves militants.

    “The P4P was able to penetrate and created an avenue for peace. They reached out to the state governor, brought the two sides together and worked towards granting amnesty to the gangs. This brought about the peace that we now enjoyed,” an indigene that spoke on condition of anonymity because of his relationship with some government officials told our reporter.

    Comrade Sheriff Mulade, Coordinator of the Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ), is a partner for peace in Delta state. The indigene of Kokodiagbene, Warri Southwest LGA of Delta state, told NDR, “You may not see the impact as a visible object, but they are there. In Gbokoda (Warri North) for instance, we were able to nip a brewing crisis between the people involved in a leadership tussle.”

    Mulade revealed that P4P members in the area taught the people to respect their leaders, and also admonished leaders to treat their people fairly.

    In the volatile Ekpan, an Urhobo community where youths often settle the minutest of disputes with shootouts, Mulade said P4P brought the two contending sides to a roundtable, leading to considerable peace in the community.

    Explaining what sets P4P apart from other peace initiatives, Africas explained: “P4P is grassroots-oriented and founded for communities. Partners for Peace in the Niger Delta is a network of peace actors: individuals, organizations, diverse groups of people, ranging from young people to women, old people, academicians, civil servants and everyone who are interested in peace building activities.

    “Our mission is for sustainable peace and we do a lot of capacity building to organizations and individuals who can actually go back to their communities where they can use these skills in peace building interventions.”

    He disclosed that with just about 130 members in 2013, the group now has over 7,000 members in different communities in the region. With this number in the grassroots, P4P gets firsthand information on issues that could lead to crisis and they take step to defuse them.

    Sobebe Princewill, Chairman, Conflict Prevention Committee, told us how his team averted what could have led to destruction of lives and property in Rumuelumeni Community of Obio/Akpor LGA of the state, by using local contacts to identify issues that could lead to crisis.

    “The community (Rumuelumeni) could be called peaceful to an average individual, but there are accumulated issues that have not been settled over time. It’s something that was going on. (One day) I saw a group of people in a meeting and when I got close and asked questions, I realized that they are an NGO trying to mobilize youths against the traditional institution and some other structures that controls the community resources.”

    Rumuelumeni community was the scene of a bloody crisis in 2007; several persons lost their lives, houses were burnt down and many families were forced to relocate in search of peace that eluded the community.

    Princewill noted that this time, an NGO (names withheld) “wanted to turn the youths against the community because the youths believed that they have been deserted and that their opinions no longer holds water in the society. The crisis that goes with this kind of gathering that involves the youths does not die down until everyone involved is down.”

    “I called them and talked to them about what I heard and how to organize and settle their issues without resulting to violence,” he said, adding that the issues was peacefully resolved without recourse to violence or confrontation.

    The intervention of this organ can best be appreciated against the backdrop of similar incidents in the region, when youths accuse traditional leaders of their communities of sidelining them in the administration and sharing of the largess accruing to their communities, especially from oil companies in their areas.

    In late 1999, a seeming harmless face-off between youths and traditional leaders of Evwreni Kingdom in Ughelli, Delta state, escalated quickly, leading to the deaths of scores of youths and ultimately the beheading of the traditional ruler, His Royal Highness Ovie Owin Kumani in January 2000. Several reports would later indicate that all the warning signs of seething anger were visible before the crisis escalated into that disaster.

    Stakeholders told our reporter that various studies have shown that government efforts to restore peace in the wake of the various crises in the region, from the Ijaw/Itsekiri war and the Niger Delta uprising, focused on the key players and armed gangs who went on destruction of oil facilities.

    “While some of the big names have benefited from all forms of intervention, such as the amnesty programme of the federal and state governments and other patronages from oil firm those who have silently worked for peace and justice remained on the sideline.”

    Africas explained that P4P has “identified those voices that are not popular”, noting, “for example, if you look at the case of Niger Delta today, you will see that there are people that are popular, people like Ateke Tom (now a traditional ruler) and Asari Dokubo, because they are people known to be ex-militants – the voices of war in the Niger Delta.

    “The partners for peace have been able to bring in the silent voices, the voices of people that are doing the work of peace building, peace advocates and ambassadors, where we can now bring them together and everybody can now tell their stories and build their capacity on how to continue to work for peace in the Niger Delta.”

    In Rivers state, these peace advocates have be carried out a lot of activities, from preaching the gospel of peace in the Ogoni axis to intervention in court related issues; they have reached Kalabari and other parts of the state.

    Livingstone Membere, the Rivers State Coordinator P4P, explained that the team work through an early warning and early response system. He said the forum provide safe channels for local peace advocates and those with vital information that help nip crisis in the bud and also identify masterminds of violence.

    “We have trained volunteers in all the 23 local government areas in Rivers state to pick up early warning signs because we know that reporting to the security (agencies) has its own implications, and citizens are now afraid that when they see signs of impending dangers they would prefer to keep it to themselves instead of reporting to the security agencies, they feel threatened and most times, their identities will not be concealed.”

    “(But P4P) platform is SMS-based where volunteers can share their experiences and we take it down to necessary stakeholders that will swing into action to either prevent or mitigate it if it had already happened,” Membere stated.

    “We have also done a lot of capacity building on different topics and different parts of the state. We recently did a training on community-based peacebuilding, we taught them what to do when the professionals are not there, how to identify conflicts, how to intervene so as not to get involved in the crossfire.”

    Beyond the communities, P4P is also setting up chapters in tertiary institutions and secondary schools in Rivers state, to inculcate the mentality of peace on students to make it easy for them to balance themselves when they come out in the wider society.

    “We have done a lot and enough and people have decided also not to get involved in electoral violence. So P4P permit me to say, has done good to Rivers State.”

  • Groups, Delta govt deepen campaign against TB

    As part of efforts to combat the spread of tuberculosis (TB), in society, a group, Agbami Co-Ventures, in partnership with Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA) and the Delta state government, has intensified its sensitisation programme across three council areas in the state.

    The campaign, which aims to educate as well as care for persons suffering from the ailment, started in October last year and was scheduled in Warri South, Warri North and Ethiope East local government areas of Delta State.

    Speaking during the exercise in Warri, Thursday, the WRAPA coordinator, Mrs. Edna Ohunayo, explained that “the project which started in October 2018 is to educate and sensitise the general public on prevention, care and control of Tuberculosis”.

    She stated that the campaign also included training of care providers, peer educators community vanguards and advocacy visits to major stakeholders and also, community outreach programmes and rallies in the selected council areas.

    The state Tuberculosis and Leprosy Coordinator, Dr. Alex Akpodiete had in December 2018, raised an alarm that about 12,000 cases of the disease are likely to occur yearly in Delta state alone.

    Akpodiete stated this during a Tuberculosis Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilisation Flag-Off Programme, adding that there is a possibility that two out of every family of six in Nigeria, would have the infection.

     

  • Confusion in Bayelsa as INEC retrieves 23 card readers

    There was confusion in Bayelsa State ahead of the forthcoming election on Saturday following the inability of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to retrieve all the 69 missing card readers.

    The commission declared 69 card readers missing shortly after conducting the Presidential and National Assembly elections and begged persons in their possession to return them.

    But it was gathered that out of the missing number 23 were returned by unknown persons while 46 were still with unknown politicians.

    Some politicians were unhappy at the development raising fears that without retrieving all the stolen card readers, the electoral process would be compromised.

    They were also unhappy at the inability of the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Monday Udoh to give full disclosures of the circumstances that led to disappearance of the card readers and the identities of persons who returned the first 23.

    But Udoh said yesterday in Yenagoa that he had declared a two-day amnesty to persons withholding the readers.

    He confirmed that 22 smart card readers saying management would take strict measure on areas where card readers were yet to be recovered.

    Speaking during the stakeholders’ meeting with leaders of political parties, the REC explained that out of the 24 missing in Nembe Local Government area, only 14 were recovered.

    He said in Sagbama out of eight, three had been recovered, Southern Ijaw out of 24 only two were returned while in Yenagoa out of six, only three had been retrieved.

    Udoh commended the Civil Liberty Organisation (CLO), religious leaders, community chiefs, youths, women groups and other stakeholders for persuading the card reader thieves to return them.

    He said that INEC would continue to perform its roles as an unbiased umpire in elections conducted in the state.

    The REC also urged the people in the state to forego incidents of the past elections and eschew violence for a better election in the state.

    He said that election was not a war but a process for leaders to emerge and queried: “If those you are to lead are all dead what is the gain?’

    ”Election is not war. Where there is peace you find progress and development. So by the time you kill those you are to lead what is the gain and who will you lead?

    “Let us all allow peace to reign in the state, before, during and after the elections. 85 per cent of the sensitive materials are already in the Central Bank and we cross-checked them with all party agents to show we are transparent”, he said.

    Also speaking, the Administrative Secretary of the commission, Mr. Nduh Sampson, said it was time to allow the people own the electioneering process, adding that the process required a collective and collaborative work.

    He also said that everyone must come together to be part of the history to change the narrative of violence to a peaceful and transparent election in the state.

     

  • As Udom Emmanuel launches Ibom Airline

    The birth of Ibom Airline couldn’t have come at a better time. The launch of the airline on Wednesday   is truly the ice on the cake for the good people of Akwa Ibom.  If anyone was in doubt of the managerial acumen of the state governor, Udom Emmanuel, that launch was enough to shut the mouths of pundits.  Truth be told, how many state governors still have the time to concentrate on governance now, not to talk of embarking on monumental projects.

    What we usually witness in Nigeria is that governance temporarily goes on recess during elections. Intrigues, backstabbing and all sorts of evils take the centre stage at the expense of quality leadership. Sadly, the country has been on this rigmarole for so long that people have accepted this unwholesome trend as a norm.

    For people like me, news of a governor still actively involved in the business of governance in spite of stories here and there about plans to turn Akwa Ibom State to another Warsaw, is quite heartwarming.  It is truly a case of everybody giving what they have. While some politicians can only spew up the dregs in their hearts, some bring out the gems in their systems, hence the relevance of a scriptural verse that says out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

    Not only that, Ibom airline is born at a time when the only achievement some state governors could lay claim to is their ability to pay workers’ salaries.    Never mind such payments are often staggered and most irregular. The other time one of the governors in the North came out publicly to announce that workers should stop expecting to be paid regularly because states were not created to pay salaries only.  Such is the kind of shamelessness in some of our leaders.

    Having said this, it is important to acknowledge the foresightedness of Emmanuel and also congratulate the people of Akwa Ibom for having such an astute administrator for a governor-a governor that does not see payment of workers’ salaries as an achievement, but a necessary obligation.

    It will be recalled that salaries and gratuities of workers in the state were paid in arrears by the present administration in the state despite the fact that these salaries were owed by previous administrations. No wonder, typical Akwa Ibom indigenes won’t hesitate to tell anyone that cares to listen where their hearts are, and who gets their votes in the oncoming governorship election in the state, where Udom is seeking a reelection.  To them, they couldn’t have had it better than what have been experiencing in the last three and half years. The lines have indeed been falling on them in pleasant places.

    The industrial revolution going on in the state is unparalleled. Even Vice President Yemi Osinbajo attested to this.  He once described the syringe factory in the state as a flagship project and one that would be of benefit   to the entire country.  That testimonial coming from the opposition in Nigeria is a big deal especially when viewed from the background that all that the ruling APC could dish out to the  opposition Peoples Democratic Party since it came to power has been bashing upon bashing.

    Ibom Air is expected to employ 300 people directly while 3,000 people will be involved in its daily operations. At the launching of the aircraft at the Victor Attah International Airport  in Uyo,  Emmanuel said the airline is a monumental achievement in the state. He said the aircraft, C-FWNK, is only six years old with a sitting capacity of about 90 persons and constitutes the newest and modern fleet of the Canadian airbus. Imagine the ease that the airline will bring to doing business in Akwa Ibom. This is an oil-rich state with many attendant businesses. But sometimes, getting flight for important meetings are hindered due to hiccups often experienced in existing airlines’ operations.

    In the words of Udom, “The launching of Ibom Air is a monumental achievement in Akwa Ibom state and indeed Africa. The journey to achieve Ibom airline started in 2016 and today, it is a reality.

    “This is the only state across the country that runs and operates an international airport. We are the only state that runs a Category Two run way.

    “I want to reassure the former governor, Obong Victor Attah that very soon, the MRO will be a place that will maintain fleets of aircraft across the country.’’

    Today, Akwa Ibom is not only running a state-owned airport, it is also running an airline. So far, it is the first and only state currently doing that in Nigeria. Besides, there are assurances that the state government will also run the Ibom Air, as a profitable business. It is important to stretch the angle of profitability because that is the bane of government business in Nigeria. Many of them are run at a loss and become moribund overnight. But, it is expected that the governor based on his pedigree of managing successful business in the past will manage this well too.  The governor has said the airline will operate routes that would give preference to Akwa Ibom people, and that the government would soon launch one of the best terminal buildings in Nigeria. We can’t wait to have these promises fulfilled.

    For the past three and half years, the state government has focused on developing the state’s economy on land, air and water. So far, the state government has constructed over 160 kilometres of roads and built 12 bridges across the state among other infrastructures.

    The roads include the 19.7km Uyo-Etinan Road, 39.4km Etinan-Ndon Eyo Road, 7.3km Ebekpo-Ikot Ebidang Road, 3.5km Ikot Udom Road with 15m Span Bridge in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area, 5km Ikot Usop-Ikot Edeghe-Ikot Ekpuk Road with 30m Span Bridge in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area and 5km Mkpok-Okat Road in ONNA Local  Government Area among others.

    The state government has also made significant progress at the Ibom deep seaport. According to the governor, the Ibom deep seaport will soon commence operations before the expiration of his second term in 2023.

    The establishment of the seaport will no doubt provide job opportunities for the people of the state, because anywhere you have a seaport in the world, it is capable of changing the narrative of the society because of the employment opportunity it creates. It is one of the secrets to the wealth of Dubai, contrary to the belief of many that the country is making its money from oil and tourism. The business around the seaport was used to develop the city.

    In three and half years, the  Emmanuel’s administration has developed 11,000 hectares of coconut plantation; 2,100 hectares of cassava plantation in 15 LGAs; registered 48,000 rice farmers for the CBN anchor borrowers’ scheme and trained 450 youths on cocoa maintenance. The state has gone further to establish Special Cocoa Maintenance Scheme (SCMS) to train farmers and youths on pruning/shade management, under brushing, and tree care by fumigation, in order to ensure the improved yields from 300 kg/hectare to 2, 000kg/hectare.

    In addition, the state has distributed 500,000 improved cocoa seedlings to farmers at a highly subsidised rate across the 28 cocoa producing local government areas in the state. Right  now, the state hatchery known as the Akwa Prime Hatchery hatches 10,000 day old cheeks per week. This is aside the free distribution of improved corn seedlings to farmers.

    All these are just a few of the achievements of the Udom’s administration that has continued to endear him to the heart of the Akwa Ibom people.

     

  • Rivers governoship candidate embarks on street sanitation

    The governorship candidate of “Action  Democratic Party (ADP), in Rivers State, Chief Victor Fingesi, has described Port Harcourt, the state capital, as too dirty for habitation.

    Fingesi spoke when he embarked on street and market sanitation in old township area of Port Harcourt as part of his campaign.

    The governorship hopeful during a sanitation exercise at Creek road market said, “We think that as we are campaigning, we are seeing dirt along where we are campaigning we think that it is not just good, so we decided to assist in getting rid of the dirt to allow for easy movement of vehicles and human.

    “There are so many dirts on the road middy, even surging into the roads and making movement of persons and vehicles difficult.”

    Asked what he was actually implying on the sanitation state of Port Harcourt. What I mean to say is that Port Harcourt is extremely dirty which is not good for the health of residents.”

    He called for volunteers, who could assist in cleaning up the city, suggesting thereafter for good and effective meaures to be put in place to ensure the sustenance of the healthy sanitation of the state.

    The Okrika-born politician expressed the need to professionalise sanitation and means of refuse collection for adequate result, promising to return Port Harcourt back to its garden city status after he was sworn in.

    “The way we collect our refuse must be done professionally, it cannot be done by friends of government, it cannot be done by people you want to reward, it must be done by professionals.

    ”This is important because sanitatiin is one of the key things for any country and state; it is responsible for our health, the cleaner the environment, the healthier everybody in it will liveand this is what the poiple of the state deserves,” he said.

    Traders and resudents of Port Harcourt township, where the exercise took place, lauded the giveenship hopeful, urged him to continue with the good work.

  • Dickson visits family of PDP leader killed in electoral violence

    The Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, yesterday visited the family of the late Seidougha Taridi, the Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who was killed by gunmen in army uniform during the last elections to condole with the family.

    Dickson’s Special Adviser on Media Relations, Fidelis Soriwei, in a statement said that the governor was accompanied in the visit by top officials of the Bayelsa State Government and the leaders of the Bayelsa State Council in the visit.

    In the entourage of the Governor were the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Kombowei Benson, PDP State Chairman, Moses Cleopas, winner of Yenagoa/Kolokuma/Opokuma Federal Constituency, Prof Steve Azaiki, and winner of Bayelsa Central Senatorial District, Douye Diri, Commissioner for Agriculture, Doodei Week, Special Adviser on Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Douye Douglas-Naingba, among others.

    Dickson said that the state government, the PDP and the state were saddened by the gruesome murder of the PDP Ward Leader in the community by men in Army uniform feared to be soldiers.

    He described Taridi’s death as shocking and painful saying it was a needless case of cold-blooded murder of an innocent man, who was not involved in any incident near a polling unit but was killed in his own house in his toilet by soldiers.

    He said that Taridi’s killing was not just cold-blooded but also a collective assault on the Bayelsa and her people.

    He stressed that the late Taridi was in his house when soldiers were invited to gun him down, and a Government House Photographer, Reginald Dei, who survived the attack.

    He assured the grieving family of the determination of the government to ensure that those, who perpetrated the heinous acts were brought to justice.

    The governor said that his administration inaugurated a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to formally investigate and document the violence that rocked the elections in parts of Bayelsa for posterity.

    He said: “We grieve with all of you and the entire Oweikorogha community, the party and the entire state grieves with you because this gruesome cold blooded murder shouldn’t have happened.

    “There was no need for it. He was not fighting with anybody, he was not armed in any way, was never near even a polling station, he was not by way near electoral materials. He was in his own house, in his parlour and people came, they were invited, soldiers were invited to gun him down in the privacy of his own home.

    “This is not just a gruesome act of terminating the live of a promising young man, it is a collective assault on our state and that is why I have led this delegation to personally come to condole with you, his father, wife, children, brother and sisters and all other members of the Taribi family.

    “And we again state our resolve to bring the perpetrators of this gruesome murder, cold blooded murder to book in any way we can. I want to thank you all for your courage.”

    Read also: How INEC ‘rebuffed’ PDP’s attempt to stop Buhari’s victory

    Also speaking, family Spokesman, Mr, Temple Igunikeke, gave a detailed account of how the Taridi and the Government House Photographer were shot inside the house.

    According to him, two men whose identities he gave as Ogili and Thankgod, led the men in army uniform to the Taridi’s residence where the deceased was resting to carry out the cold-blooded murder.

    Igunikeke who spoke in the presence of the father and widow of the deceased, said that Taridi and Dei were resting in the house after voting to await the outcome of the election when the two men led the assailants to the residence to shoot them.

    He called on the government and the relevant agencies to investigate the gruesome killing of Taridi and the shooting of Dei, to ensure that those involved in the murder are brought to justice.

    He said: “I wish to inform you that in which ever form they try to style the way they killed my nephew only one thing counts, the truth. We had finished elections and we were counting and there was no single event anywhere and as the leader that led us, he needed to rest a little and take back the votes to Oporoma and he was in his home with our dear brother, the photographer of government house .

    “No single Oweikorogha man will attest to the fact that there was anything near what they have done, that was expected. Nobody was there, and, of course, he had the right to remain in his house and they came, Ogili and ThankGod manifested in the toga of the salient saying in the bible that the enemy came to kill,steal, and destroy.

    “In your presence as the amiable Governor of this state that has taken us this far, I want to pledge before you that blood that cries for vengeance. Let the blood of Seidougha  also cry for vengeance. I want to thank and bless you and the government for the second time that you have come here.”

     

  • Concerns over safety in Calabar industrial estate

    The Iron and Steel Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ISSSAN) has raised concerns over the safety of workers in companies operating in the Esuk Utan Industrial Estate located in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

    The Chairman of the state branch of the union, Comrade Cosmos Agbiji, told The Nation in Calabar that that the safety measures adopted by the oil and gas companies, especially in fabrication and construction, was below standard and was dangerous to the workers.

    Agbiji, who said they were an affiliate of the United Labour Congress (ULC), said various efforts to address the matter through interfacing with the companies had proved futile.

    He accused companies of refusing to work with the union, thereby compromising safety standards as well as poor welfare for the workers.

    “That is against our constitution as a union. So on that note, we deem it fit to meet our senior affiliates, have a meeting with them, discuss our challenges as a union under them,and point out that these are the processes we have gone with these companies. We have sent series of letters to come so we sit and negotiate on this issues, but they refuse to attend to us.

    “We want the public to understand that we are not happy with the condition of things. The safety aspect of workers at the sites is very poor. For instance, you see people using shirts to do iron work and working under dangerous conditions without adequate safety measures. If they engage us a union that is legally registered in this field, we know the rules and regulations that follow, what and what they need to do. Right now what they are doing is cutting procedures, which is not to the benefit of the people.

    “In these companies they mandate the workers after not paying them enough to buy safety equipment for themselves. It is not the duty of an employee to buy those things and work. Safety aspects of the site are not ideal and the conditions of service are too poor. They should allow us to go inside and negotiate as the right union that is supposed to handle all these matters. They should sit down on a round table with the union and negotiate what is obtainable for the workers,” he said.

    State Secretary, United Labour Congress (ULC),  Kalu Imong, said ISSAN, one of their affiliates, have been raising the issue with companies at the Industrial Layout for some time.

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    He said if nothing is done about the situation, they were going to picket the estate and stop all activities.

    “Everywhere in this world companies must have safety standards. A worker is not expected to buy hand gloves, safety boots and other equipment. A worker would work for over eight hours and no over time. He does not even know how much he earns.

    “The idea of union is that we are all partners in progress. We have written series of letters through themselves and their representatives and they still don’t listen. We would not hesitate to picket that place when the time comes as a labour union. We are citizens of this country and we have our rights. We know where our rights start and where they stop. By extant labour laws, we know what we are to do. We call on all relevant authorities to call the companies to order, otherwise the day we strike, they would lose so much that they would never believe,” he warned.

     

  • Oyigbo traders want Port Harcourt-Aba Road fixed

    A cross section of traders in Oyigbo, headquarters of Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers have commended the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari and urged him to come to their aid.

    They want the President to use the opportunity of his victory at the Saturday presidential poll to fix the dilapidated Eleme – Oyigbo axis of Port Harcourt – Aba Road.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the portion of the road had been in bad shape since 2009.

    Residents said some of the road users had died and goods worth millions of naira destroyed in the last 10 years.

    Mrs Comfort Chike, a trader in fabrics in Mile 1 market, said the dilapidated road often waste a lot of useful time, energy and money, which could have been expended on more productive ventures.

    According to her, the Federal Government cannot be talking about growing the economy either through manufacturing, agriculture or industry, without first fixing bad roads.

    Chike also stressed the urgent need to fix the roads in a bid to enhancing transportation of goods and services in the area.

    Mr Paul Nwachukwu, a vehicles tyres dealer, said the implications of the bad road is that commercial vehicles plying it are now reduced as some take Oyigbo-Igbo-etche road to oil mill, a kind of “Israelite journey.”

    He noted that the journey from Oyigbo to Oil mill bus-stop that would have taken less than 15 minutes, now take some hours, especially on Wednesdays due to the Oil Mill market day.

    “In short, some commuters, who are not lucky enough on Wednesdays, sleep on that portion of the road due to the gridlock that characterise the day,” Nwachukwu said.

    He added that the road is only better during the dry seasons.

    “That’s why many described the flooded portion of the dilapidated road as lake Tangayika in Tanzania,” he said.

    NAN reports that the transport fare from Oyigbo – Oil Mill has consequently, increased from N100.00-N150.00.

  • Voters have shown resolve for corrupt-free country, says APC chief 

    A founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State, Prince Preye Aganaba, has said the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari was a testimony that Nigerians preferred a corruption-free country.

    Aganaba described the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections as the fairest in the history of the country.

    Speaking in Yenagoa, Aganaba said President Muhammadu Buhari deserved his victory insisting that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had shown its commitment to the rule of law by ensuring a transparent electoral process.

    He said: “The Febuary 23 presidential election is the fairest in the history of the country, no wonder it is adjuged by well-respected international election observers, to be free, fair and a vast improvement from the 2015 presidential elections.

    “The victory is for every patriotic Nigerian who have upheld the sacred code of honour by putting Nigeria first, above all ethnic, religious, selfish and political sentiments.

    “Nigerians have demonstrated their faith and preference for a corrupt-free and a stable democratic country by speaking resoundingly through the ballot box and I thank every single man,woman and youth out there for their sacrifices and commitment to democracy.

    “My sincere appreciation also goes to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for living up to the expectations of Nigerians and conducting a hitch -free Presidential and National Assembly polls.”

    Aganaba said he was confident of the President’s zeal and patriotism to continue to protect citizens, improve the economy through business and entrepreneurship development, create more jobs, renew and sustain onslaught against corruption.