The Nation Newspaper

Category: Niger Delta

  • IYC henchmen plan to take agitation to hallowed chambers

    They protested on the streets. They caused disturbances in the creeks. Some of them took up arms, which later earned them recognition and monthly stipends. But all of them claim they are fighting for the liberation of the Niger Delta. They want self determinism and resource control.

    The struggle for a better deal for the Niger Delta has evolved over time taking various shapes. But some past and present leaders at the forefront of the struggle believe it is time to take the agitation to the hallowed chambers of the state and the National Assemblies.

    A former President of the Ijaw Youths Council ( IYC) Worldwide, Udengs Eradiri, shares the same belief. Eradiri led the most vibrant, most vocal and most enterprising IYC in the history of the organisation. His achievements remain indelible.

    In fact, shortly after he left office, the Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo described Eradiri as a resourceful and articulate Niger Delta youth when the number two man in the country visited Bayelsa State as part of his Niger Delta tour for peace and development.

    Eradiri, therefore, believed that it was time for him and other leaders in the region to become part and parcel of lawmaking. He is of the opinion that being a lawmaker will enable him continue with the agitation for a better Niger Delta. He picked his nomination form for ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to contest the Kolokuma/Opokuma-Yenagoa Federal Constituency seat in the National Assembly.

    As expected, his ambition has gained traction. Prior to picking his forms, Eradiri consulted all the stakeholders in the constituency. He made out time to visit traditional rulers, elders, youth groups, women and various organisations in the constituency. He is believed to be the favorite to clinch the ticket.

    In fact, there is a general impression that Eradiri has a popular appeal across party lines. The youth leader came in style recently to submit his form at the PDP Secretariat, Yenagoa. He was accompanied by crowd of youths in solidarity.

    Eradiri said the only solution to Niger Delta problem is to move street agitations the corridors of power and hallowed chambers of house of assemblies.

    Eradiri said: “So far so good, I have just started the process of taking  leadership. As a young man, I wouldn’t have been participating in the struggles for justice in the Niger Delta and then when it is time for leadership, I will be sitting by the corner.

    “No, we must do everything possible to be part of those who will make laws. Let me inform you that the only solution to Niger Delta problem is when we begin to migrate from street agitation to taking political power; that is the only way we can begin to resolve our problems.

    “The laws in Nigeria are not favoring the Niger Delta and until we begin to change the laws and rules, we cannot make progress. And I think that having participated as a young person in school as well as the IYC for the agitation for a better Niger Delta, the only way we can make a better society is when we find ourselves in politics and do what is necessary to change the situation.”

    He advised the party against imposition of candidate during the party’s primaries and called on the party leadership to ensure level-playing field for all the aspirants.

    Eradiri said: “I think that nobody needs to tell the PDP what it has gone through in the past. As a result of not doing the right thing internally as a party, led us to losing an election which has kept a lot of us in the cold.

    “Today, we are going in for a new process and we expect that the party will democratize its process because that is the only way a man who loses the election at the primaries will embrace the winner and work with the person.

    “But When we start to do all these ‘oga’s anointed candidate’, I begin to ask my people, who is the candidate? Even if I will be anointed by the leaders, it is not the leaders that  I want to represent; it is the people that we will represent, and that is why we are going to seek the mandate of the people for us to do well.

    “Even when we get to the National Assembly it is because we have genuinely got the support of the people.

    “For me, the PDP is facing a very serious challenge in Nigeria today. People like us will add value to the PDP. We are going into a very tought battle in Bayelsa and in order for us to win, we must ensure that popular candidates win party primaries because once we impose a candidate it is very clear that we will lose an election.

    “This is because this is not like Bayelsa of before where everybody was PDP, we were at the centre, so people can do what they like, right now there is an opposition and the opposition is coming financially, the opposition is coming with power, they are using impunity.

    “The only way we can win an election in Bayelsa is that our people stand firm the way they stood when the governorship election was done. We must note that today we don’t enjoy that solidarity we used to enjoy as a party. We need to do a lot of work to build our party as a very strong and veritable force.

    “And in order for us to make progress, we must ensure that popular candidates, candidates who carry the mandate of the people win the party primaries so we can ultimately win elections for the PDP.”

    Another IYC leader seeking a slot to be involved in state legislation is the incumbent Central Zone Chairman of the youth body, Tare Porri. Made of the same stoic with Eradiri, Porri has made himself more vocal than the two incumbent factional presidents of IYC put together.

    Hate or like him,  he is forward-looking and pursues issues with uncommon tenacity. He understands the language of the youths. Even when he was the Legal Adviser of IYC under Eradiri, the central zone chairman used his position to confront perceived forces of oppression. He intervened in granting freedom to many Ijaw youths, who were allegedly arrested and detained illegally by security agencies.

    Indeed, Porri has redefined the leadership of zonal IYC. He is loved by his community, Aleibiri in Ekeremor Local Government Area, Bayelsa State. Stakeholders from the community procured his PDP form for Ekeremor Constituency 1 in the state House of Assembly. His reception in Aleibiri following submission  of his form was intimidating.

    Porri said that his burning desire for effective and efficient representation has prompted his ambition to contest for the state legislative house to take Ekeremor Constituency 1 to an enviable level. The four traditional rulers in Aleibiri Federated Communities (AFC) gave him traditional decorations signifying their endorsements for his ambition.

    Porri in the carnival reception appreciated Governor Seriake Dickson for creating enabling environment and opportunity for young people of Ijaw nation to participate in elective positions.

    He said: “It is a very simple arithmetic, it is not a rocket science. What the people need is a proper representation nothing more. So what am going to bring to the table first and foremost, am going to bring quality and effective, efficient representation.

    “Governor Seriake Dickson has declared free education in Bayelsa State from primary to tertiary education. What am going to do is to replicate same at the constituency level by creating scholarship for young people in all the wards.

    “I will also put in place machineries to engage women and I have also resolved to breach the gap between the elders and the young people. This is about the future of the young people and the governor who has given us this opportunity will not be disappointed.

    “Am going to come up with a capacity building programmes that will empower young and vibrant people of this constituency. I am going to creat soft loan policy working with world bank and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the women in order to encourage them in their farming and other activities.

    “I am going to establish the first ever constituency building at the Aleibiri headquarters. Two years to my tenure, I will establish a constituency building where all our communities, all our wards will be proud of and will be reporting. I will be coming home to take direct information, hear from them and take their problems and concerns to the state assembly”

    Also, the Direct General of the Tare Porri Campaign Organization, Mr. Dimaro Ebikons Kelvin expressed confidence that Porri will defeat any other contestant in Ekeremor Constituency 1 because of his leadership qualities.

  • NDDC condoles with Rivers over Aguma

    The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has condoled with Rivers government over the death of its Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Emmanuel Aguma.

    Aguma died in a London hospital on Aug. 10 after battling undisclosed illness for weeks.

    Its chairman, Victor Ndoma-Egba, led NDDC’s Board and Management on a condolence visit to Governor Nyesom Wike, a statement by the commission’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Ibitoye Abosede, said in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.

    The NDDC chairman described the late attorney-general as a true professional who contributed immensely to the development of the Niger Delta.

    “The late attorney-general was not just a friend but he was a brother and a professional to the core who had very deep insight.

    “The passing on of Aguma is not just a loss to Rivers state; it is a loss to the Niger Delta region because, he (Aguma), was an outstanding legal professional from the region.

    Ndoma-Egba told Wike that NDDC management and staff are citizens of the state due to the fact that commission’s is headquarters is in Port Harcourt.

    “As a commission, we have come to formally register our condolences to you (Wike), the immediate family of Aguma and to the people of Rivers State.

    “We pray that having done his (Aguma) bit on this side of existence, he will find eternal rest in the bosom of his maker.”

    Ndoma-Egba said the absence of the late commissioner for justice did not go unnoticed during a meeting of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) that held in Port Harcourt a few weeks ago.

    He said the absence of the deceased legal luminary was uncharacteristic of his person being a passionate and very active member of the association.

    Responding, Wike noted that Aguma’s death was a big loss to the people of the region, describing him as a committed, loyal and intelligent lawyer.

    “We thank God for the quality of life that Aguma lived while on earth. We thank NDDC for the condolence visit and urge the commission to participate in his funeral.

    “The government and people of Rivers State will honour the late attorney-general by giving him a State Burial as his contributions were greater than his age,” wike said.

    The statement said that other board members at the meeting included the NDDC Managing Director, Mr Nsima Nsima Ekere and the Executive Director Projects, Dr Samuel Adjobe, among others.

  • Constituency pact keeps Bayelsa lawmaker’s dreams alive

    The Epie-Atissa Constituency in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, has a political pact. The agreement, which was sealed in 2011 was brought to the front burner recently by stakeholders. The second term ambition of a member representing them in the state House of Assembly, Dr. Parkinson Markmanuel, renewed the understanding.

    Most of the stakeholders in the Yenagoa Constituency 1 gave credence to the agreement recently. Though nobody has been able to produce the signed, sealed and delivered copy of the pact, the stakeholders said it was a gentleman’s agreement and has been binding on them.

    The Deputy Paramount Ruler, Opolo-Epie, Chief Etime Laguo, was among leaders in the constituency, who confirmed the agreement when the lawmaker made public his intentions to return to his job. He said it was agreed that any performing lawmaker is entitled to two terms.

    He said leaders from the two clans that made up the constituency met and reviewed the performance of Markmanuel. He said the lawmaker was given a clean bill of health to return to the hallowed chamber. According to him all the persons that matter are on the same page.

    He said: “The Patriotic Citizens of Epie-Atissa comprising about 5000 members has appreciated the leaders for their wise decisions by their quick intervention.

    “The decision of 2011 is subsisting. Epie-Atissa has spoken and if Epie-Atissa has spoken, no other contrary view will be entertained. We call on all those who are nursing ambition to please shield their intention for another term and not now”.

    Also, the Acting Director-General, Markmanuel Campaign Organization (MCO), Mr. Patterson Barugu, said the conformation of the pact by the elders has boosted the ambition of the lawmaker.

    He said: “In 2011, the Epie-Atissa people came together and agreed that any member sent to the assembly should come for two terms for the benefit of having a ranking member in the House.

    “In line with what we discussed then, we heard people are runing helter skelter saying that other people are coming in the same party. We of the Markmanuel support group have come together because of what our chiefs, traditional rulers, opinion leaders in Epie-Atissa did in confirming the agreement.

    “They came together and checked performance for the three years and they all have endorsed him to come back for a second term. We have endorsed him and so anybody if you come from any other party, we know u are wasting ur time but to come under PDP is null and void.

    “You are doing so at your own detriment and Epie-Atissa will never support you. We are in support of Markmanuel second term. That is our decision”.

    Even the Chairman of the Bayelsa State Christian Association of Nigerian (CAN), Arch Bishop Jacob Akpiri is aware of the pact. He, however, said beyond the agreement, the lawmaker is the choice of the church in the constituency. He said the church would not longer remain neutral in any election adding that they had resolved to support the lawmaker financially.

    “We as the church have looked at those coming out in Constituency 1 in Yenagoa and that Parkenson Markmaunel is the candidate of the church. We will pray for him and not only pray for him, we will give our own financial support for his campaign”, he said.

    Also speaking, the Secretary of Epie-Atissa Joint Council of Traditional Rulers, Chief Natus Zebakame, insisted that the traditional stool had decided the case of the lawmaker based on the subsiding agreement.

    Zebakeme, who is a Special Adviser to Governor Seriake Dickson and also known as Ovoli-Ibe Epie said only a member of the house assembly, who is not performing well that is subject to change.

    “The big question is, is Parkinson Markmanuel performing well? I was surprised when I was called to call a meeting for the Epie-Atissa Joint Council of Traditional Rulers. So when the meeting was called, I was confronted urging me to produce documents to the effect of the resolutions.

    “It is the decision of the Epie-Atissa traditional rulers council that in any case a member of the assembly is not performing well, he or she is subject to change. The big question is, is Parkinson Markmanuel performing well?”

    Commending his constituents, Markmanuel said that it was the unanimous decision of the elders, traditional rulers and opinion leaders of Epie-Atissa kingdom for him to go back for his second term.

    He said: “My people have asked me to go back to the assembly to complete the second term because they have the understanding that every performing member must do a second term so that they can get a ranking member in the House considering the fact that these two kingdom have only one seat.

    “So anybody sitting there must be a very strong voice. So while we alternate Epie and Atissa, once it comes to one of the kingdoms, it is two terms except the person is not doing well. But they have accessed me and they have said I have done well to their satisfaction and as such I should go back and complete the second term”.

    The President of the Supreme Council of Non indigenes, Alhaji Alhassan Mauzu represented by Eze Orduve Joel said that in terms of performance, the lawmaker deserved a reelection.

    Even the women Leader of Epie-Atissa United Forum, Mrs. Favour Fabiri said the pact was still subsisting. She said they came en masse to support Markmanuel because of his achievements in the last three years especially on education.

    She said, “He brought out our youths from various communities and empowered these youths. Even in infrastructure, he has touched many communities. We believe in him and we know that if he goes back second tenure, he is going to do more”.

  • How Cross River hopes to fight poverty with hybrid rice factory

    When Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State came on board in 2015, he came in with a businesslike style, which seemed strange, especially against the background that the state has always been tagged a civil service state. According to the governor, his aim was to free the state from reliance on the Federation Account, instead of waiting every month to go to Abuja for an ever-dwindling allocation, which barely takes care of the state’s wage bill.

    In this regard the governor had pursued an aggressive industrialisation agenda by putting up structures across the state to enable him actualise this. One of such structures set up by the by the present administration is the hybrid rice seed and seedling factory located at the Ayade Industrial Estate in Calabar, the state capital.

    Set up by the state government to the tune of about N3 billion the project also aims to drive the agricultural agenda of the Federal Government of supporting local production of rice to also boost economy.

    Speaking recently during a test run of the project, Governor Ben Ayade said the project is expected to generate at least N70 billion annually with full federal government patronage, when fully operational.

    “When I told Cross Riverians that my ambition was to restructure the state from over dependence on federal allocation, I truly meant it because with projects like this; we are going to generate more revenue for the state. We are partnering with the CBN through the Rice Anchor Borrowers Programme in ensuring that most of the seedlings are acquired from here. I am happy that Cross River is on the path of independence even after we lost our oil wells unjustifiably. We now have an investment that needs federal government patronage. If we are to have the federal government patronage in full, we are looking at a yearly turnover of 70 to 100 billion naira. The federal government should focus on the procurement of rice seedlings from Cross River. We should do between 40-60 per cent of the market sale because we will have no competitor,” Ayade had said.

    Briefing newsmen in Calabar during a facility tour of the factory, Commissioner for Agriculture, Prof Anthony Eneji, said the factory would employ over 10, 000 persons directly and is expected to meet the hybrid seed demands of the entire South-South and South-East regions of the country.

    Throwing light on how the factory would operate, Eneji said, “This was set up to improve the art and science of rice production from the mundane approach to some sort of technology driven production and so here is the facility for the seedling production, which was commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari. There are many components here right from the seedling operation, which happens within the complex and then the nursery side for displaying the ceded trays where nursery seedlings are produced in a matter of two to three weeks for transplanting. There are also facilities for a level of automation of the seedling production. It is actually planned that from our own fields, where we produce the hybrid rice, they come into the complex here, the seed is dried to the required moisture contents and then housed in cooling room at 4 degree centigrade, so that when we need the seed, we take it out from and begin the seedling operation to raise then nursery. So in summary that is how it is

    “We have transplanters that can handle three hectares in one hour. We have machines like normal tractors, rotovators, and standard laboratory to help us with analysis of soil, water and plant samples. We are attaching the molecular laboratory part to it to enable us actually screen our rice the way we want and enable select the best type for our ecology. This is a state owned project to which contract was given to the tune of about N3 billion to execute in terms of planning, design, constitutional and equipping it, the machines, the access and the outdoor situation, all the facilities together. It is a self-sustaining complex. For now it is solely government sponsored project. Going forward for sustainability, it would not harm to find a reliable private player to join with government.

    “This facility is one meant to support of hybrid seeds that we would have in the three hybrid seed centres in the three senatorial zones of the state. Our main target is to be able to compete with seed producing companies in Nigeria. We spend a lot of money buying seeds from Kebbi State. We now put pen to paper to calculate how much we spent and how much we can gain if get a facility like this to produce our own hybrid seeds. Even if we are supplying to south-south states alone, you can imagine how much we can gain from that. And from the hybrid seeds, we should be able to compete as suppliers of improved rice seeds under the anchor borrowers programme.

    “Hybrid seeds here mean that it is a seed gotten from two pairs. One could be high yielding and the other disease resistant. Here in our laboratories, it is our place to plan the crossing and the crossing would happen in the field from where hybrid seeds are supposed to be produced and processed and then brought here for storage. Right now, the seedlings are raised on demand basis. You know they have to be taken off within three weeks

    “We would conservatively put the number of direct employment at 10, 000. But the indirect and other multiplier effects like those who would be farming rice at the various local government and the labour they are going to hire and everything, and then the processors and so on. It is quite enormous.

    “For us to be able to meet the hybrid seed demands of the entire south-south zone, we are estimating to start with 1000 hectares of land and if we get 8 tonnes per hectare from each of this hectare, you multiply that by 1000 so you can know the yield from there. If you are selling one tonne of hybrid rice at N150, 000, then you can use your calculator and do the arithmetic. You will know we are talking in billions of naira. This is a totally self-sustaining project if we manage it the way we are going. It can pay back whatever we are putting into this investment in three to four years.

    “For management reasons the state has created a special SUV called Cross River Rice Company and charged it with management responsibility. It is under the Ministry of Agriculture. Technically the state is prepared for the project.”

  • Equipment at new central hospital may rot away unless…

    By next month, the new five stars Bénin Central Hospital will be two years old. It was built by the administration of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and commissioned by President Mohammadu Buhari. The building of the new hospital was conceptualized in 2010 after the death of Oshiomhole’s wife, Clara.

    Oshiomhole promised to build a well-equipped hospital to end medical tourism in Nigeria and also a place where diseases like cancer could be screened and diagnosed early in memory of his late wife who died of cancer. Today, the 200-bed space hospital is fitted with the latest technology in health care delivery. There are fears that the equipment installed in the hospital may rot away if the hospital is not put into use within one year.

    The hospital has two ambulance bases in the acute and urgent wards. Each of the wards at the emergency space has ten bed space. There are two mini-surgical theatre and a major surgical theatre in the hospital. The beds in the burnt section are fitted with massage relief to prevent patients from having bed sores.

    In line with his promise, former Governor Oshiomhole ensured that a mammography, equipment used for diagnosing and locating tumors of the breast otherwise known as breast cancer, is installed in the hospital. One important feature about the mammography is that it could remove a lump from inside the breast thus preventing cancer at an early stage. There are also wards for VIP patients for those that could pay for its services.

    However, residents in the state are not happy that the hospital has not opened its doors for business.  Last Monday, some civil rights groups under the auspices of Talakawa Parliament launched ‘Operation Open the New hospital’ by staging a protest in front of the complex

    Leader of the prótesters, Comrade Anthony Omoregie, said they were demanding opening of the new hospital. He said it was a slap on Edo people for an hospital to be commissioned and put under lock and key

    “It seems we are playing politics with our lives. This hospital is now a place where girls take selfie and upload to social media. We want this hospital to be open.”

    The firm, Vamed Engineering, that was responsible for supplying and installing equipment at the new five star Bénin Central hospital said the equipment have two years life span it they were not put into use. It absolved itself as being responsible for the delay in the opening of the hospital to the general public.

    Site Engineer of the Vamed, Anthony Azodo, told newsmen that contrary to people’s opinion that there are no equipment inside the hospital, all equipment and office furniture have been supplied and installed to full capacity.

    Anthony explained that the hospital was not fully equipped as at the time it was commissioned because of the sudden rise in the price of dollar and debunked allegation by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party that equipment in the new hospital were brought in from the Stella Obasanjo Children and Women Hospital built by Chief Lucky Igbinedion.

    He said all is set for the hospital to open for business but the firm is waiting for Governor Godwin Obaseki to send in personnel for training on how to handle the equipment.

    Warning that the equipment have a duration of two years to wear out if not put into use, Anthony said he performed functional check on the equipment to ensure the machines are still in good state.

    According to him, “You can see for yourself, the whole place have been equipped. They are waiting for personnel that will use them. We have written several memos to the Edo State Government to get personnel to handle various machines.

    “We are still waiting for them to be trained. You have seen the equipment in their numbers. Most of you checked your blood pressure with them. People are saying things for their selfish interest.

    “The equipment came in batches. Majority of them were installed last year and early this year we installed the rest. 100 percent of the equipment have been installed as we have in the bill of quantity.”

    “Once the users are ready, we do the training and start maintenance because we have maintenance agreement with the State Government. Once the government respond, we start. We have submitted letters to them. We just received state auditors to take inventory.

    “Each of the machines have schedule for them. It will take a maximum of one week to train personnel that will handle them. The expatriates were on ground. They waited but their visas expired so they returned to their country. Some of the equipment that are not hear will be supplied in the third phase subject to additional fund.”

    Governor Obaseki had last year said the state government lacked the capacity to run the new hospital as his focus is to retool all primary health care centers across the state manned by qualified personnel.

    On the new five star hospital, Obaseki said, “My concern is that given what we have design, the equipment we have purchased, we do not have the capacity to run the new Five Star hospital. If we run it the way we run our other hospitals, that thing will not be there in the next two years.  “Our plan is to look for private partner who understands how to run hospital, who has done it in other parts of the world to come and run that hospital. They will ensure they maintain it and provide the kind of care we want.

    “When we conceived the hospital after the death of Clara Oshiomhole, it was supposed to take care of some diseases like cancers, renal failure, cardiac failure and all the kind of challenges people go to India for. It does make sense that in order to make people who go abroad get cured here with same quality. Key to that is nursing care. We don’t have a nursing school. We are working with our partners to re-establish our Nursing and Midwifery school not on local standard but on international standards. By the time you finish there, you can work in any hospital in the world.”

  • Bayelsa gets first trained trado-medicine practitioners

    First set of traditional and natural medicine practitioners have graduated in Bayelsa State. They were inducted into the world of certified and qualified traditional medical practitioners recently in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. About 80 of them got certificates.

    It was a happy occasion. The ceremony had all the trappings of convocation of a typical higher institution. They were adorned in graduation gowns and head gears. They received convocation lectures and the best graduates among them got the privilege of addressing the assembly.

    The graduates, who wore smiling faces throughout the occasion, were trained by the Nigerian Council of Physicians of Natural Medicine in collaboration (NCPNM) with the Green Centre for Alternative Medicine Practitioners (Green Centre Academy).

    In fact, they exuded uncommon confidence in issues of herbs. Already, they made presentations showing their capacity to fight illnesses and other medical conditions using alternative medicine. For them, nature not chemicals heals perfectly.

    Presentations made by the various groups of graduates gave credence to their professionalism. The group one anchored by Ebi Oladeji, showed that a substance in corn, which was converted into liquid, can cure kidney-related diseases, blood sugar and birth difficulty. Samuel Okuku in group two produced a mixture using bitter cola to fight bacteria and bladder stone.

    What about Lockion Bidila of group three, who brought a liquid made of hair cream plant, which could grow the hair, fight skin diseases and hypertension? Abiodun Davies group produced a mixture made from zobo leaves so were groups five and six, which thrilled the audience with various demonstrations.

    Speaking at the occasion, the Bayelsa State Coordinator, NCPNM, Dr. Ruth Okeima, said she was elated at the feat. “Producing the first graduates of natural medicine in Bayelsa State is a dream come true”.

    She said the NCPMN and the National Association of Physicians of Natural Medicine (NAPNM) are recognized by the Ministry of Health and the Dental Council of Nigeria. “This recognition was given at the council meeting on 16th June 2005 in Akure and it has been noted as the umbrella body of practitioners of alternative medicine in Nigeria”, she said.

    She said the objectives of the organisation are to promote alternative medicine, traine and retrain alternative medicine practitioners and regulate and standardize alternative medicine in Nigeria among others. She, however, lamented that absence of traditional medicine board in Bayelsa.

    She said: “There is no traditional medicine board in Bayelsa State. That is another hurdle we have to face”, adding that most of the graduates came from far-flung creeks of Southern Ijaw and Ekeremor. She said the graduates would go down to the grassroots to help the government actualise its vision in the health sector.

    Also speaking, the Director, Green Centre Academy, Darlington Okafor, told the graduates to observe the limits of their practice. He appealed to them to examine all cases and refer the ones they could not handle to hospitals.

    He urged them to avail themselves of more training and to keep updating themselves for better performance. He said practitioners should eschew pride and adopt humility adding that God takes the glory of healing powers in natural medicine. He expressed confidence that in the nearest future Bayelsa will be exporting natural medicine.

    In his induction lecture, the Deputy Director of Studies, Green Centre, Prof. Gilbert Ezengige, exposed the graduates to the history of natural medicine, efficacy, its practices  and limitations.

    Also, the Representative of the state government and Special Adviser to the Governor on Maternal and Neonatal Health, Prof. Rose Ezeonbodor-Akwagbe, said the initiative was a welcome development. She said the training would help correct the anomalies associated with traditional medical practice.

    He said the graduates have areas of specialization adding that among them were the masseurs, traditional birth attendants and bone setters. She added that the specialization would give them focus to become professionals in their chosen areas.

    She said: “These people have been exposed to comprehensive trainings. It means that there will be prevention of infection and other complications will be taken care of. It will decrease our maternal mortality and infant mortality.

    “Traditional birth attendants coming from Ekeremor and Southern Ijaw creeks for this training are a good sign that death rates for pregnant women and infants will be reduced.”

    She advised the graduates to keep seeking more knowledge. “They should not stop at this level. It is a continuous process. Life is changing. Technology is changing and even their traditional practices are also changing.

    “They should continue availing themselves of updates. They should also go back and refine their practices not relying on the old practices of their forefathers. They should adopt the present skills”.

    The special adviser also commended the organisers of the programme. She said: “I also appreciate the organisers of the programme. They have done well. It is like breaking of the iceberg.

    “It is not easy to gather people from everywhere in Bayelsa because of the geographical terrain. They put on a lot of efforts to be able to get this number. They should not rest of their oars. They should continue with their good work”.

  • Bayelsa inaugurates primary healthcare board

    The Bayelsa State Government recently inaugurated a Primary Health Care Board (PHCB) for the state. The board was birthed as part of measures and strategies to fight maternal and infant mortality in Bayelsa.

    In a brief ceremony, the Deputy Governor of the state, Rear Admiral John Jonah (retd.), led other government officials including the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Daniel Iworiso-Markson to open the official complex of the board.

    The complex is located opposite the Ministry of Works and Infrastructures in Yenagoa, the state capital. Jonah said the board would coordinate the activities of issues at the grassroots would be tacked by the board.

    He lamented that Nigeria as a country has not done well in primary healthcare delivery. He said:  “When we get peer group review of contemporary countries, even in the West African subregion, some other countries fare better than us.

    “In the case of Bayelsa, I think the performance has been abysmal, that is why the Governor, Seriake Dickson, came very strongly, on how we can redress it at the shortest possible time.

    “We have started; a board has been inaugurated, which is the requirement. Of course, there must be a central area for the management of the activities.

    “We have always been complaining that the health care workers at the local government areas have not been performing very well.

    “We know that they were not going to work regularly  but if you see the salary bill of the LGAs, the health care workers take  a large chunk and we are happy that now, they will be supervised by line officers, people who have practised the trade before their coming, we expect that output will be far better than what it had been before.

    “So, it is a requirement at the national level, I think we have conformed with the national requirement. By conforming, it is expected that we will be attracting some assistance as well to make sure that the effort is worthwhile.”

    In her remarks, the Chairperson of the board, Dr. Victoria Denenu, said the board even before inauguration of the office complex has been working to address the problems in primary healthcare delivery. For instance, she said the board in conjunction with the state government, the Ministry of Health, organised the first state infant/maternal mortality and safe motherhood summit in July.

    She said the board set up modalities for the registration of all pregnant women in all the eight local government areas of the state and to carry out advocacy visits, sensitisation and payment of allowances to all pregnant women in the state to ensure safe delivery and zero level infant and maternal death rate in the state.

    Denenu added that the board had two visits from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHDA). She said the state’s score went up from five per cent to 45 per cent.

    She said: “The board has held 11 board meetings to ensure the successful take off of the state PHCB. As per the law establishing the BYUPHCB 2018 Section 58 page 30, we are working with the Ministry of the Local Government Administration and the state Local Government Service Commission to ensure the transfer or secondment of all critical healthcare staff of the Ministry of Health, MLG and LGC, including their emoluments to the board.

    “Bayelsa State being one of the last states in the nation to inaugurate the state Primary Health Care Board is working in collaboration with key stakeholders to ensure the full implementation of the ‘Primary Health Care Under One Roof’, a policy by the Federal Government to bring all PHC services under one authority for both management, one plan, one monitoring and evaluation system to reduce fragmentation of PHC management and service delivery, backed by the National Health Act of 2014.”

    Denenu, while thanking the state government for providing the office complex, also appealed to the government that the board required a bigger office accommodation to accommodate all their departments and donor agencies such as WHO, UNICEF, among others.

  • My pact with Afenmai people

    The time has come for the Afenmai people to chart a new beginning in remoulding their lives after several years of suffering and deprivation of the essential things of life by those who mismanaged the trust reposed in them.

    I seek to lead this new dawn for the Afenmai people through the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and I seek your mandate to make this a reality under Action Democratic Party (ADP). There can be no better time than now. It’s time to arouse the sleeping giant called Nigeria and unleash its potentials for the good of all and acquit my generation of the charge of a wasted one. Indeed, it is time to put a smile in the face of Afenmai people. If we are united and conscious of this auspicious moment, victory will be ours and the goal of restoring our people and country will begin in earnest.

    To be sure, the moment of truth is February 2019, a few months away when you are all expected to troop out in your numbers to vote. This civic responsibility of yours will either make or mar your future. The decision you make as a people may either aggravate our pathetic existence as a people or guarantee a bright future for us all.

    Afenmai people have a history, that history is one of a heroic people resisting oppression and domination.

    Historically, the Afenmai spirit resonated in the defence of our father land. Our forebears warded off external aggressors that sought to dominate and subjugate us. First, in 1504 AD during the reign of Oba Esigie, the Edo-Idah War was fought to retain our sovereignty as a people.

    Similarly, in 1850, the contestation with the Nupe forces was also about our sovereignty and self-determination as a people. That can-do spirit of the Edo people and Afenmai is required at this historical moment of our lives. As Molekete Asante reminds us “there are no people without traditions and traditions are the lifeblood of a people. A people who refuse to express its love and appreciation for its ancestors will die because in traditions, if you are not expressing your own, you are participating in and expressing faith in someone else’s ancestors.”

    We have a history of resistance to oppressive manipulation of conscience. Afenmai people must not forget! The Somers of the ancient Nubian kingdom were a people who died. The reason why they died was because they forgot their history. The fate of this ancient people in Africa serves to underscore the importance of tradition/history of a people. Next year’s election is about the activation of the Afenmai spirit.

    Since the beginning of the fourth republic, the hope that democracy represents has been dashed by those who turned our freely given mandate to serve their personal interest. Today, there is palpable gloom in the country. Truly, wanton killings, disobedience of court order, human rights violation and economic hardship, mass unemployment have become the order of the day. My latest book entitled “Shattered Hope” mirrors the gory human carnage all over the country and the collapse of government under the present All Progressives Congress (APC) national government and its ancillary organs. And the questions keep coming as to the response of the human right activists, prodemocracy activists, media concerns, labour unions, student unions, civil society groups, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and Afenmai voice.

    It is time to take the country back to the path of sanity and justice. We must begin to demand accountability from the campaign offices of our docile representatives in the national assembly for wasting our collective patrimony on frivolities. Our people must speak in one voice against all forms of immunity, nonaccountability, especially the land grabbing and murderous herdsmen. There is no gainsaying that those we voted to represent us in the two houses of the federal parliament, namely, House of Representatives and the Senate have lost their voices to pecuniary interest instead of true representation, thereby consigning the Afenmai people to oblivion and neglect.

    I have come to the rescue. My Senate engagement is a moment of truth for us and a moment to step forward to try new narratives and perspectives with direct involvement of the mass of Afenmai people who have been subjected to poverty and hopelessness.

    Dear Afenmai people, the road may be rough but we shall overcome, clean up the Augean stable burdened with stolen money, falsehood, godfathers, talisman, wizardry, death wishes, cultists and assassins. I come with love, I come with hope and a clear road map as to where we are going. I am convinced that with our collective resolve, our destiny in our hands, Afenmai people will reach the promise land where life will once again be meaningful.

    Beware, my people, of the spent ruling class in Afenmai land or elsewhere in Nigeria and embrace the new arrivals for the goal of transformation. I hope to lead this transformation process of our people. It’s not by silver and gold, because I have none but by your support. History can be altered permanently in the interests of the downtrodden and humanity.

    But we must collectively make this statement: never again shall Afenmai land be governed or represented by a clique of narrow-minded folks who gloried in the poverty of our people. Never again shall Afenmai land be luckless to fold our hands and allow visionless con men and women to decide our fate. Never again!

    The time has come for us to assert our attribute as a free people under God’s protection in a sovereign nation and send a message to those who think power is acquired by primitive conquest, not through intellectual development or “content of character” that their time is up.

    Irvine Stone, a great biographer who authored the book titled, The Passions of The Mind, a work on the life of Sigmund Freud – said that “the greatest wars take place in the territory of human mind”. We have been manipulated over time and it is time to throw off the false consciousness and elect Uzoyas (problem solvers) to represent us.

    I represent that generation of problem solvers and nation-builders. Give me the opportunity to serve you.

    Our mission is clear, and our mandate is straightforward: we shall henceforth never again submit ourselves to these old politicians who have ravaged our collective destiny through their systematic erosion of institutions and with a consequence of widespread poverty, relegation of the education of the people and massive unemployment. However, our salvation maybe found in our resolve to do things anew, rethink our country afresh, establish a new pact and path in the struggle for a new nation and economic freedom of Afenmai land. Afenmai people have this moment, this chance to reimagine ourselves, to have our voices heard vigorously through our vote to liberty in next year’s election. Erasmus Ikhide is poised for this mission to salvage our land and people through effective representation. There is the hope for a better Nigeria and a better Afenmai country. There is certitude of better governance structures when the right choices are made at electioneering.

    Vote buying, ballot box stuffing and sundry vices have come to plague the country’s electoral process. Those who buy votes must recoup their investment and should not be expected to make laws in the interests of the people. Despite instances of electoral perfidy such as we have seen in Edo and Ekiti States governorship elections, do bear in mind that a people united can never be defeated. We should never become like those who mortgage their future for a mess of porridge.

    As we match together as a people conscious of our history in the present fourth general election in the Fourth Republic, the battle cries need to be revived in the manner of our ancestors who heaped rocks and boulders on their tormentors and repelled them forever.

     

  • Day Bayelsa pupils toured Dickson’s airport project

    Dressed in their school uniform, the students were driven to the site of the Bayelsa State International Airport project. Over 10 long buses brought them to Amassoma, the community of the late former Governor of the state, Chief Diepreye Alamieseigha, where the airport is located.

    The students were on an excursion. They were about 1,200 in number and they came from the model schools built across the state by the state Governor, Seriake Dickson. The excursion was part of the activities in their summer school curriculum.

    So, they chose the airport. They heard so much about the airport and expressed interests in visiting the project. They never knew that their Ijaw land could ever boast of such a massive and cash-sapping project. They saw how a mangrove, an area hitherto uninhabitable, was transformed by their governor. In fact, they were amazed to see that the Tarmac was ready. They were happy with the aesthetic beauty of the terminal building.

    For the first time, most of them saw what a control tower in an airport looks like. They were told by their guide that the tower was almost ready. The students also walked on the fire bay. They commended the Ministry of Works headed by Mr. Lawrence Ewruhjakpor for its supervisory roles. But they were also full of praises for the Commissioner for Education, Mr. Jonathan Obuebite, who exposed them to the project.

    In batches the students were driven through the 3.5km runway. They saw that the runway had been completed and experts were marking the flight points. In their estimation, Bayelsa would soon begin to experience the landing and taking off of aeroplanes.

    Obuebite, who initiated the idea, said the students came from 10 different model schools in the state. He said the initiative was integrated in activities designed for their holiday camping at the Ijaw National Academy (INA).

    He said: “We are here with these students on excursions to come and see what the Bayelsa State government is doing here in Bayelsa State. As children they are the future leaders.

    “It is good for them to know what is happening in the state so that as they are growing they would appreciate how their state was built and where they met it and where they would start from and that is why today, we decided to bring 1200 students, who are all our students in the camp, because in the state we have a policy of having holiday camp for all our model students and they are here and they are paying nothing to be part of the camp.

    In Bayelsa State, we do free camping for all our model schools. They will be there for six weeks. And that is why in the programme of their camping, we have tour and other things that we have set out for them. This is our first tour that we are doing, in the weeks ahead we are going to have maybe two or three tours again before they would round off.

    “So they are here to come and see the Bayelsa State international Airport. They have gone round the runway, they have seen the 3.5kilometer runway, they have seen the apron, they have seen the control tower, they have seen the fire bay, they have seen the terminal building”.

    Obuebite said before the tour, some of the students dismissed the airport project as a fairy tale. He said after the tour, the students expressed appreciation to the work done so far at the project.

    “We are building this for them and right in the terminal building some of them were praying for the governor. They were so touched, so we are happy that we are here. This is the single largest project that the Bayelsa State government is having in terms of resources and in terms of importance because with this airport Bayelsans and the Ijaw nations is connected to the world and they also the children are also connected to the world.

    “I had an interaction with one of the drivers, he said that when they told them that they were going to INA to carry students he said to where? And they said airport, he thought it was to Port Harcourt. But they came, he has seen it. Now, you know the number of persons that that driver will interact with every day doing his own job.

    “He would also be one of our advocates telling our story, telling the Bayelsa story and that is the beauty of what we are doing, so we are happy we are here for this tour and for this excursion”, he said.

    Obuebite appealed to the students to be advocates of Dickson’s efforts to develop the state. He said the excursion was also to enable the students to relay their findings to their colleagues who were not privileged to partake in the court.

    “One student will tell the other person and this will spread round Bayelsa State and beyond the shores of Bayelsa State. And for them, the teachers also said part of their examination will be based on the tour.

    “They are going to ask them questions about the discussions that they had here because somebody took them round, somebody did the talking, telling them about the different things that they have seen here.

    “Education is all embracing. You have to look at other ways of testing students, not just reading and writing what is in the books. Some of them I am happy, I saw a lot of them taking notes and that is the beauty of it”, he said.

    Also speaking, an aviation expert, Elizabeth Agama, who took the students round the facility hailed Obuebite for the excursion and commended the boldness of Dickson to complete the project without assistance from the Federal Government.

    She said: “Because I am an insider, I know that this project has swallowed money but it’s still growing forward. You can all see the project, when we started, it seemed very difficult. We had some difficult times, some challenges along the line. But then, the governor never relented.

    “You can see that we are almost through, all the places we have gone, the apron, you see the size of the apron, the runway, they are almost through you can see it. You see the terminal building, the police post, the car park, the fire bay and others. People are still working.

    “They have been working to meet the time that the governor has set for them. Everyone is working because they have a drive, which is the governor. He is driving them and they are looking towards finishing by August, we are already in August, but the end of this month, we expect to finish and we expect to commission it.”

    One of the excited students, Miss Preye Justin, said their future would be brighter with an airport in Bayelsa. He described the governor as a man of great vision saying an airport deserved to be in an Ijaw land.

    “I hope to use this airport one day. For me it is a great privilege to be here and to behold this great project”, she said.

  • Ex-IPAC chairman calls for unity in Cross River APC

    Following the inauguration of a new state executive committee to pilot the affairs of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River State, a former chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) in the state, Mr. Goddie Akpama, has urged all members of the party to close ranks and work together for the party’s interest.

    Akpama, who is a chieftain of the APC, said with the successful conduct of the state congress which produced Dr. Mathew Achigbe as the chairman, it was important that members of the party, no matter their affiliations and sentiments, to embrace the new exco and work towards the bigger goal which is winning the next elections.

    Speaking with reporters in Calabar, Akpama appealed to those with grievances to embrace the new leadership of the APC and bring their issues to the table to be addressed.

    Akpama, also a former governorship candidate of the Progressives Peoples Party (PPA), said beyond the positions in the state executive council, there was so much members of the APC in the state would benefit from, if they work as a united front to take over power in 2019 from the PDP.

    “The state congress has taken place and a new set of leadership for the state chapter of our party, the APC, have emerged, and I think instead of wasting energy and resources on those things that will not help the party, we should drop respiration in the pursuit of our personal ambitions, and put the interest of the APC first, and view the interest of the party as the best interest for all members and Crossriverians in general.

    “The bigger picture for all members should be winning power for the APC in the state, and that would be the best opportunity to reward a vast number of members for their support and hard work,” Akpama said.

    Akpama also advised the new executive council of the APC in the state led by Achigbe to be magnanimous in victory by inviting their former opponents to join hands so they can work as a team for success of the party at the polls in 2019.

    “I expect the party chairman to be magnanimous in victory, and declare a “no victor no vanquished” policy as a necessary step towards bringing everybody on board ahead of 2019,” Akpama said.