Category: Niger Delta

The wife of the Rivers State Governor, Justice Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom-Wike, has called for increased investment in charity by members of the society.

She stated that everyone must find opportunities to touch lives, no matter how little.

She spoke on Tuesday when she led Rivers women to visit four  less privileged persons homes as part of the events to mark this year’s International Women’s Day.

The Rivers governor’s wife urged women to practice charity, saying all responsible women have innate traits of charity.

She said: “Women are natural care-givers.  Women are very great part of our lives and they cannot be dispensed with.

“The more opportunities women have, they more opportunities they have to prove their mettle. Women work hard to promote the growth of the society “.

She added: “Charity is part of womanhood. We are naturally kind and we dont want any child to suffer.

“Kindness never goes out of fashion.  It knows no dialect or language and it is always fine”

She noted that aside the official visits to the homes, she reaches out to them on a monthly basis.

Rivers State Women Affairs Commissioner Mrs Ukel Oyaghiri stated that the Rivers State government would continue to execute programmes that will support the less privileged persons.

Matron of Special Child School, Sister Silvia Anyanwu said the donation of gifts and food items will help the school cater for her students.

Reverend Sister Maryjane Raphael, Matron of the Home for the Elderly said that inmates look forward  to the visits of Justice Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom-Wike because of her kindness.

The Matron of Port Harcourt Children’s Home, Grace Eke assured the wife of the Rivers State Governor that the home will continue to live up her expectations by taking care of the children.

As Niger Delta calls today and I answer like Gabriel Okara answered the call of River Nun, the urge to bear tales from the creeks seizes my being.

And in bearing these tales, you are going to do me a major favour. Forget Port Harcourt, Yenagoa, Asaba, Benin and Uyo. The tales I bear are not from these cities, where signs of oil wealth are seen in high-rise building, fast-moving cars, state-of-the-art schools, amusement parks and what have you.

The Niger Delta on my mind is the creeks. Yes, the creeks where houses are made of wood and covered with palm front, leaving the owners with no choice but to change from time to time as they wither away. Here imageries of luxury are in short supply. It is something many hear about and see when the rich choose to throw their weight about. So many children could not go to school.

In many creeks, the people never see night. The multinationals operating in these areas have their flow stations so close to homes and send out gas flares throughout the day. So, the only way to differentiate between night and day is to check their wrist watches.

In many places, oil pipelines are not underground. They are in the open. And often they burst or are burst and soils and existence are damaged in the process.

The people have shouted, protested and threatened violence over their fate, yet change has refused to come. It is as if the multinational also has another licence: to send them all to their early graves so that their leaders can have all the wealth for themselves, including the little they manage to spend on basic amenities. This environmental genocide, as some have called it, is having serious effects on the people. Strange diseases are killing the people. Pregnant women are developing strange allergies. Yet, health centres are ill-equipped to take care of their health needs. They have several people with aggravated asthma; there are increases in respiratory symptoms, such as coughing and difficult or painful breathing, chronic bronchitis and decreased lung function. Premature death is not uncommon.

The truth is, the oil majors are more interested in the oil than in the people’s well-being. They can die for all they care. Oil is more important than man; that seems to be their mantra.

Agriculture, which has the potential to help our country, has no breathing space in the Niger Delta. The soils are polluted and where they are not, the people are not properly motivated. Everybody is just waiting for handout.

Significantly, Brass, Forcados, Ogulagha and Bonny are a few of the Niger Delta settlements where Nigeria draws financial strength, yet they are only accessible by road. It took an offer by the Nigeria LNG Limited for the Bonny-Bodo road to be on the front-burner. But even that is endangered. Some weeks back, Minister of Works, Housing and Power Babatunde Fashola had to summon stakeholders to a meeting in Abuja.

At the meeting, Fashola threatened to withdraw the N120 billion Bonny-Bodo road projects over lack of cooperation from host communities. It is equally funded by NLNG and the Federal Government.

Prominent traditional rulers, Julius Berger (the contractor), the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) and Council of Elders from Ataba and Gokana were at this parley, which was necessitated by the complaint of the communities that they were not being ‘carried along’ and that an additional route be constructed in Ataba.

Some of the leaders are HRM Festus Bagia, represented by the Chairman of Gokana Council Chief, Mene Michael Tekure; Chairman, Jumbo Group of Houses, Prof. Jasper Jumbo; Clan Head of Ataba, Sir Benson Egwemre and others.

Fashola said: “We might tell NLNG to take its money back. You must work this peace. Today is Thursday, since you said you know the permanent secretary, I will leave you with him. All I want is a peace accord and an invitation to Julius Berger, not later than Wednesday, February 28, otherwise I will write a report to Mr. President that it doesn’t seem that this project is ready to go but we can move the money to another project.

“Whether it is Ataba, Ogoni or Gokana, own this project. The people you call militants are not spirit. They take their cue from how you react. You are leaders there. If you go back home today and say it is over, the militants too will calm down. They don’t do anything without alerting the leaders.

“For us, we can’t keep the money down. The contractor has received his money but now he can’t work. There are projects where contractors are waiting from money, they don’t have it. That is a contradiction that will not last long.

“So, I will leave you. You know where we stand. We have an idea of where you stand. For me, it is a compromise that owes the project. NLNG will not be there forever. It took time to even beg them to release this money. So, if you don’t take ownership of the project and put it to use, we might as well tell them, take your money back the project is not ready.

”When there is peace, we will come back but we need to have a position before the end of this week. There must be an MoU of compromise, assuring us that there will be peace in that place, agreed to by you, give it to us and invite the contractor to come back.

“Suggest to the contractor anything you want him to do. You can’t take-over how they organise their business. They are not bringing imported labour into your land. If your people want to supply diesel, sand, make the case for them; let them choose but don’t impose on them. They must be able to screen those they will admit to work with them and those who don’t meet that standard must sit.”

March 7 was fixed as the day a deal must be brokered. Disagreements like this hold back the Niger Delta.   They should be resolved.

Julius Berger has assured speedy completion of the project as long as the corridor is secured. The aggrieved elders must the realisation of the project, which will boost social-economic wellbeing of the people.

It is not all gloom from this great region. There are many things to be proud of. But one development, which gladdens my heart, is the Ijaw National Academy, Kaiama, which is situated on a massive, beautiful landscape with twenty six modern buildings. The bungalows are staff quarters. The one and two storey buildings are for hostels, classrooms, ICT laboratory and health centre. It is reputed to be the largest model boarding secondary school in the country. Here students, who are carefully selected, pay no fees. Bayelsa State government takes care of them. It is a great investment in human mind, which should be allowed to grow and grow.

My final take: Oil spill is a great enemy of the Niger Delta. Gas flare is another enemy that must be defeated. Poverty is another foe that a winning strategy must be worked out against. And infrastructural battle must be won. Once all these are achieved, peace will reign supreme and the journey to the Promised Land completed.

The Pan Niger Delta Youth Leadership (PANDLEAF) believes that leadership failure is the nucleus of the problems confronting the Niger Delta region. The region is blessed with abundant natural resources. It is a feeder of sort to other parts of the country.

Niger Delta should have no problem with poverty. It should have no issues with lack of basic infrastructures such as potable water, roads, electricity and other capital projects. The youths ought to have been empowered to realise their potential. In fact, the region is supposed to be the most industrialised part of Nigeria.

But, no way. Leaders have failed their region. In fact, PANDLEAF, a group of youth leaders with the vision to restore the glory of the region and promote opportunities for youths, is unhappy with various roles leaders have played with the destiny of the Niger Delta. It has formed part of the group’s message to other ethnic youth leaders across the region in its ongoing interactions.

The social interactions were conceived by the President of PANDLEAF, Mr. Richard Akinaka to galvanise all stakeholders for ethnic harmony, peace and unity with a view to advancing common economic and political agenda through youth’s participation in politics.

Akinaka recently led a delegation on a tour to Cross River and Akwa Ibom states to brainstorm with youth leaders. He told them that though there were clear issues of marginalisation of the region by the Federal Government, the main problem with the Niger Delta is leadership failure.

He said: “The problem of our region is not that of lack of resources but lack of leadership. Failed leadership in the region is evident in the ethnic disunity and unnecessary political rivalry of our political leaders to the detriment of the collective economic, socio political growth of the Niger Delta

“We have found ourselves in a situation where we are so polarized along ethnic and unworthy political divides. As youths of this region, we must put aside our ethnic difference and unite as a people with common destiny and get involved in the politics of this region to objectively purge out leaders that have failed us.

“This is because if leadership is not right everything goes wrong. We must deliberately seek to correct the problems of leadership failure and disunity that have denied us of the synergy to advance a common regional developmental and economic agenda. This we can’t do by following political leaders that are undeserving of our followership. “

Akinaka told his listeners that leadership must be seen from the prisms of taking responsibilities. He said the youths could not afford to stay at akimbo and expect things to change.

“Today, we have governors who are seeking re-election with not even a kilometer of road in three years. We have a minister from our region under whose watch the Onne port which was the only surviving port in the Southsouth is short down and shipments redirected to Lagos. We are a people who had the opportunity of six years presidency with nothing to show,” he said.

He implored the youths to stop following failed leaders in the region blindly. Instead of declaring and bowing to maintain misplaced loyalty to such leaders, he said, youths should strive to seek political opportunity to elect leaders with the character and capacity to develop the region.

Alluding to the campaign of Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, Akinaka appealed to the Federal Government to give the Niger Delta region and its qualified business enterprises a special consideration in the allocation of oil licenses. He charged youths to stop sitting on the fence while things go wrong in the Niger Delta.

He said: “We can’t fold hands as youth and expect change. The time for us to take action is now and that is the intent of PANDLEAF to awaken the youths of the Niger Delta for common good where leaders have failed.

“One of the objectives we seek is to correct the attitudes of our elders. How can we still have same persons still ruling us. When are the youths going to take the centre stage? Some of these men are in their departure lounge and we keep following them

“Four years is enough to know the performance of a quality leader and to determine if he can be given another term. A leader, who can’t be boasting of completing a kilometre of road should not be elected even on ethnic leaning. Your help may not come from your brothers. Let’s think beyond ethnic sentiments to move the region forward.

“The greatest problem in the Niger Delta is not with other ethnic groups in the country. It is within us. And until we sort out things within us there won’t be a way forward”.

Akinaka further explained that the ongoing PANDLEAF’s tour was to create political, economic and social awareness on rights and privileges for the youths of the region. He said the tour would educate people on the essence of being a youth.

He said being a youth should not be viewed as an opportunity to be used by politicians as a tool to advance their selfish political interests. He insisted that youths have the responsibility to provide leadership and groom others to take over from them.

He said: “Leadership is not given, you have to take it. Nobody gives power. It is a responsibility you have to take. While you are following the governor for a second term campaign, what do you have on the table to give as a leader?

“What is your position? Are you just carrying flags and wearing campaign t-shirt going about risking your life? That has to stop. We should stop this division among ourselves in the region. No one is more Niger Deltan than the other.

“You know what someone is capable of doing. Let your conscience be alive politically to who can provide leadership. Everybody must not be part of PANDLEAF but the group is open to everybody”.

He urged the youths to register and collect their voter cards to enable them completely support candidates they believe could rescue the region from underdevelopment. He asked the youths not to risk their lives supporting candidates. He further argued that support should not be given based on religious or ethnic considerations.

“The message is a call to action to take stock and some of us may not have voter cards which is basic responsibility as a citizen. For instance you are supporting someone but you don’t support him with your votes then your support is useless”, he said.

He added: “For us as young people, we are very worried about how things are running in this country. We seem not to see anything to emulate. For us to move on, we have to effect change in this country”, he said.

He also said the recent corruption rating of the country by the Transparency International, was a call for President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to do more in its anti-graft war.

He said: “We know the effort the government is making in fighting corruption but they need to do more. We are aware of MTN case that involved the former Chief Staff to the President, the  Rasheed Maina and the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

“These are things that are really indicting and compromising the stand of the government on fighting corruption but it doesn’t mean the government is not making progress. They have made progress to a large extent because we have seen some kind of mind-boggling revelations of loots recovered”, he said.

One of the medical centres that provided succor to victims of the Uyo Church tragedy is the Ibom Specialist Hospital.

The hospital was the dream of Godswill Akpabio, ex-Akwa Ibom State governor and now a senator. It became a reality.

With about 380 suites, so many operating wards, one of a kind MRI system, fantastic CT scanner  and 150 expatriates on hand, it was like Nigeria was about to start taking its share of medical tourism.

But less than two years after it was inaugurated, the hospital, Uyo was closed.  Its foreign managers, Cardiocare Medical Services Ltd, quit.

This was a facility that held a lot of promise.  Minister of Health Prof. Isaac Adewole, after a visit to the hospital, said: “With facilities at Ibom Specialist Hospital, medical tourism abroad can be reversed”.

I understand that in its short lifespan, it did brain surgery for a six-day-old child. It removed tumour from a young child skull   and treated successfully patients who broke their spine or neck, hip and back in an accident. It also removed tumour in the brain of a patient referred from the National Hospital Abuja.

It carried out operation without opening patients up. This is called laparoscopy surgery.  It carried out no less than six of such surgeries. Its gynaecology unit also carried out several surgeries through endoscopic procedures, such as laparascopic myomectomy and hysteroscopic.

From its confines, fibroids were removed without patients being opened up. The doctors simply made a hole and through that, they got out the tumour.

I also gathered that no less than 30 plastic surgeries were carried out  every month before the deal with the Akwa Ibom State government broke down.

The N30 billion Ibom Specialist Hospital, according to Adewole, is second to none and has all it takes to stop the shameful practice of Very Important Persons (VIPs) running abroad for ailments that could be managed in Uyo.

If what the VIPs are looking for is class, this hospital has it. The wards, the private rooms, operating theatres and so on, I am told, are irresistible. Whatever remains unfinished there can be done to meet their standard. And if what they want is experienced doctors, the ones who left as a result of the termination of the management deal can be brought back.

I believe part of the challenges the hospital faced was the cost of powering it.  A report said   N10 million was expended monthly on generator maintenance and diesel. The Federal Government can help with this. It unfortunately had to run its expensive equipment, such as the 640- slice CT scan, Magnetic  Resonance Imaging, (MRI), x-ray with digital radiology, mammogram machine  and BC5380 Mindray machine, on generator because it was not connected to national grid. A small power plant may not be a bad idea for it.

The dialysis section, the three modular theatres and other things the state government said are missing can also be added so that it can meet its expectation.