The Nation Newspaper

Category: Niger Delta

  • Matters arising as IYC gets new Central Zone leadership

    Matters arising as IYC gets new Central Zone leadership

    There is no gainsaying that the national leadership of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide is under the throes of leadership crisis. The IYC has two factions at the national level. But the Central Zone of IYC is calm.

    The central zone recently held elections to constitute its new executive committee. The election which held at Ijaw House, Yenagoa was free of rancour. It was adjudged free and fair. At the end of the poll, Mr. Tare Porri, a lawyer, emerged the new Chairman of the zone.

    Others are Amiebi Turner, Vice-chairman; Wariebi Buruboyefe, Secretary; Oki Torutein Isiya, Assistant Secretary; Kockman Kurobo, Information Officer; Beledanyo Barass, Treasurer and Daniel Pre-ebi Eyenghe, Financial Secretary.

    Also elected were Okpu Juliana Alagoa, Woman Leader; Timilaemi Ebifoubo, Mobilisation Officer and Gesikeme Fulutu, Students Representative.

    In fact, most Ijaw leaders believe that the central zone is the nucleus of the IYC operations. The zone, which is mainly Bayelsa State, was the brains behind the Kaiama Declaration that led to the founding of the council.

    It was in Kaiama located in Kolokuma-Opokuma Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, that the youths, in honour of the late Ijaw hero, Maj. Isaac Adaka Boro, who hailed from the town,  gathered to take a decision to commence agitations for self-determination and resource control.

    Therefore, the zone is a rallying point for IYC activities especially as Bayelsa is the only homogeneous Ijaw state. Undoubtedly, the newly elected leadership of IYC in the zone has a big task on its hand.

    But the new chairman of the zone, Porri, is capable and well-prepared to offer the leadership. The votes he garnered showed he was widely accepted to lead the zone. Out of the 100 delegates that voted in the election, 81 voted for him. Porri, in his first public outing also vowed to run an all-inclusive administration.

    He was grateful to the state Governor Seriake Dickson for creating an enabling environment for the elective committee to deliver a peaceful election. Addressing Dickson as the leader of the Ijaw nation, he said the governor’s intervention in the IYC crisis led to the birth of the new zonal leadership.

    “This was one election that was keenly contested and he provided the needed leadership as a father to all. This was one election the governor was unbiased.

    “He never had a candidate and he actually supported the electoral committee, the national IYC and the zonal leadership to ensure that the elections were peaceful and credible. Sincerely, the election that brought us on board is adjudged the freest, fairest and most credible in the history of IYC”, he said.

    Porri also thanked the members of the IYC and its founding fathers that came out to support the electoral process. He said the youths came out without molestation to  cast their votes. He promised not to let down the youths saying he would continue to move the Ijaw nation forward.

    The chairman-elect said on the day of their inauguration he would set up the first Elders’ Advisory Council. “It is one of our focus because we are determined to return the IYC back to the grassroots. We are returning the council back to the clans, the Ogbos, parliament and other stakeholders, who are the original owners”, he said.

    He added: “The Kaiama Declaration is founded on resource control and self-determination by any means necessary. We will hit the ground running by taking necessary steps to address some of these challenges currently affecting the Ijaw nation, part of which is that right now we don’t have the formidable force that will also support the governor of Bayelsa State in presenting the Ijaw position before the Nigerian state.

    Porri also reinstated that Ijaw position on the state of the nation saying only restructuring would guarantee a united Nigeria. He said if the country failed to restructure, the Ijaw would opt for self-determination and total resource control as contained in the Kaiama Declaration.

    He said: “We are not scared of break-up, but what we are saying is that if we must continue to live together as a nation, we must restructure. If they are not ready for restructuring, we are saying that we want to have total control of our resources.

    “By so doing, we are resorting to the spirits behind the Kaiama Declaration which is self-determination by all means possible.

    “While we continue to heed the call that Nigeria must live together, we will not also hesitate to state that any attempt to think that we are a weaker vessel, we will take actions to end this marriage. Everybody should come to the table with their demands so we can resolve to move this country forward”.

    The chairman further described the existing eight local government areas in Bayelsa State as no longer acceptable. He argued that Bayelsa is not the smallest state in the country in terms of landmass and lamented that the condition of the state typified  the lopsidedness of the Nigerian federation.

    He said with the state’s landmass and its contributions to the development of the country, Bayelsa deserved more local government areas.

    Porri said: “I did my Law School in Kano, some of the local government areas are not up to three communities. Kano State should not be up to 20 local government areas by all standard.

    “Look at Southern Ijaw Local Government Area in Bayelsa. If it were to be in Kano, Southern Ijaw would have produced 10 local government areas alone. The same thing with Ekeremor. Most leaders in this country are not sincere in the way they do their things.

    “We are not happy that Bayelsa has only eight local government areas because derivation is on local government basis. That is why even when we are the one bringing the resources on the table, they are the people determining what happens to those resources”.

    He said Ijaw agitation predated that of Biafra and recalled that their hero, late Major Isaac Adaka Boro, once fought the Federal Government to demand resource control. He insisted that Ijaw was never part of Biafra.

    He said: “Don’t forget that our agitation predates that of Biafria. Don’t forget that our hero Major Isaac Adaka Boro started this agitation before Biafra. Our hero was arrested and imprisoned. He was later released to fight the war against Biafra”.

    He also condemned the attack on a military post at Ogbubegbene in Boamdi, Delta State. Porri described the attack on the military that led to the death of a soldier as evil but said the military should adopt another method of fishing out suspects without harassing and intimidating Ijaw communities.

    He said that Ijaw youths were ready to help the military apprehend persons behind the attack at a military checkpoint in Burutu, Delta State. He, however, lamented that about five communities in Ekeremor Local Government Area were the worst hit in the ongoing operations by the military to arrest the fleeing suspects.

    He said: “You are aware again of what happened a few days ago at Ogbubegbene where some group of young men attacked a military post there and killed an army man. They also took away some weapons. We are condemning the act in its entirety.

    “But that does not mean that the military should also take laws into their own hands by invading our communities. About five communities in Ekeremor Local Government have been invaded by the Nigerian military.

    “We are saying that this sort of activities will result in a serious crisis which may get out of control. While we are condemning the action of those hoodlums, we are saying that the action of molesting women and children can damage the relative peace we have in the region”.

  • This Livingstone

    This Livingstone

    Stones do not have blood. So, they cannot have life. But when you come across a stone that is living, you have got to take extra look. There must be something about this Livingstone. I really thought there must be something when in 2015, Livingstone Wechie, the executive director of a hitherto unknown group, Integrity Group, stole into our consciousness. I assumed he was rich or his organisation had heavy grant from overseas to battle graft.

    Don’t blame me; when you open pages upon pages of newspapers and you see adverts on one single matter, the assumption is that the individual behind it must be rich. That was my thinking when Wechie’s adverts against Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi took several pages. I believed it was all a bid to stop Amaechi from being made a minister by President Muhammadu Buhari, whose election he played a very critical role in.

    Time and questions here and there revealed that neither Wechie nor Integrity Group was rich. So, the poser was: Who was behind him? It was easy to assume who it was given the timing and the nature of the documents Wechie was churning out. They were stuffs he could not assess unless he was given.

     On Monday, Wechie was on Focus Nigeria, a programme on the African Independent Television (AIT). He rubbished the documents, which he made media organisations published against Amaechi. He said he was deceived into believing the documents were real.

     His recent outing reminds me of a day one of our correspondents in Port Harcourt called to tell me there was a full page black and white advert an activist wanted us to publish. I asked that the material be forwarded to my e-mail. The potential advertiser turned out to be Wechie. I read the copy and was just screaming. It was full of bile, libel and claims that can never be substantiated. I called the correspondent and let it be known that there was no way this newspaper would publish such an advertorial, even with all the money in the world.

    From the correspondent’s account, Wechie wanted it published that way or nothing. My response was: to hell. A day after, the correspondent called to say Wechie said we could edit it to a publishable standard. I edited out the bile and the libel and as I suspected, what I edited out was what the sponsors wanted and Wechie said we should not publish.

    Permit me to quote Wechie words on the source and credibility of the documents he caused to be published.

    His words: “We acted in 2015, believing that the documents used in fighting Rotimi Amaechi were true, being documents emanating from the Government. Time has played out, we have just realised that those documents were only politically fabricated just to fight and stop Rotimi Amaechi’s appointment.

    “I was the architect of Justice Omereji’s panel report that indicted Rotimi Amaechi in 2015. I drew the script, the report etc.

    “The only intention of Nyesom Wike’s government was to let the world know how bad this man, Rotimi Amaechi, was and leave it at that without prosecution, because they have nothing really indicting him. They have continued to ride on those wings to exhibit fiscal irresponsibility in government.

    “In the 8 years of Amaechi’s tenure, the Budget was a public document, but in this Wike’s government, no one government official, not even commissioners have access to the budget for these two years. Only a criminal hides Budget.

    “My joy is that I now have the opportunity to explain what actually played out in 2015 and still going on.”

    Hours after Wechie dropped the bombshell, the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), an organisation to which he belongs, disowned him.

    “Mr. Wechie admitted in his live appearance that he told lies, on behalf of his Integrity Group and not on behalf of CLO. We therefore urge the relevant agencies to further investigate these lies and do the needful,” the group said.

    Wike’s media aide Simeon Nwakaudu also descended on Wechie. He described him as “the proprietor of Integrity Group of Companies”. He claimed Wechie struggled in vain to exonerate   Amaechi .

    “There was no time that Mr Wechie acted on behalf of the Rivers State Government or the governor. There was no need for the merchant of blackmail   to work for the administration, since he runs a private company.

    “Mr Wechie, himself, on his different television and radio appearances, stated unequivocally that he was not on the sponsorship of the Rivers State Government.  With the benefit of hindsight, the interviewers helped to keep everything in the right context. Whatever Livingstone Wechie said on Focus APC is unfounded  falsehood. His thoughts on the programme are the baseless concoction of a blackmail trader who hides under the cover of activism,” said Nwakaudu.

    My final take: Since Wike has dissociated himself from Wechie, can he show us evidence that the government is the source of the documents? Wechie needs to tell us who paid for those adverts. Was the Integrity Group buoyant enough to have paid for the publications? Was the fund from members’ contributions? Who and who are the members? Or did he get grants from foreign organisations to carry out his anti-corruption campaign, which, he said, he has since found out were propelled by forged documents?

    In his AIT outing, Wechie blamed everybody but himself. His excuse for the evil he did was that he was misled. I laughed and cried for this nation seeing a grown-up admitting lying on television and seemingly expecting the viewers to clap for him.  The way he carried on, he obviously expected to be decorated with a national honour. He needs to apologise, tell it all and seek forgiveness.

    Festus Adeniyi Keyamo and history

    The last time I saw him was in our newsroom. He came as part of his campaign activities for a political office. He recognised my face and hugged me. I am not sure he remembered my name. Festus Adeniyi Keyamo is not just a name to me. He was a good source in my early days in journalism.

    Keyamo

    I remember the lengthy interview he granted me with which I crafted a mini-biography of him for The Source, where I cut my journalism teeth 18 years ago. The three-page publication occupied a space on the notice board of his then small law firm in the Maryland Business Plaza, which has now given way to Maryland Mall.

    Till today, a particular statement he made during the interview sticks: “I am hungry for history to record me.” History is sure recording Festus Adeniyi Keyamo, the Urhobo man with an Ilaro, Ogun State mother. He has been admitted into the enviable club of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). He deserves it and more. I felt some form of personal loss when he was earlier refused the honour.

    Forget his foibles, Keyamo has made his marks. And I have a strong feeling that this country has not seen ten per cent of what Keyamo has in stock.

    Congrats to this man who once called me ‘agbalagbi’.

  • This Livingstone

    This Livingstone

    Stones do not have blood. So, they cannot have life. But when you come across a stone that is living, you have got to take extra look. There must be something about this Livingstone. I really thought there must be something when in 2015, Livingstone Wechie, the executive director of a hitherto unknown group, Integrity Group, stole into our consciousness. I assumed he was rich or his organisation had heavy grant from overseas to battle graft.

    Don’t blame me; when you open pages upon pages of newspapers and you see adverts on one single matter, the assumption is that the individual behind it must be rich. That was my thinking when Wechie’s adverts against Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi took several pages. I believed it was all a bid to stop Amaechi from being made a minister by President Muhammadu Buhari, whose election he played a very critical role in.

    Time and questions here and there revealed that neither Wechie nor Integrity Group was rich. So, the poser was: Who was behind him? It was easy to assume who it was given the timing and the nature of the documents Wechie was churning out. They were stuffs he could not assess unless he was given.

    On Monday, Wechie was on Focus Nigeria, a programme on the African Independent Television (AIT). He rubbished the documents, which he made media organisations published against Amaechi. He said he was deceived into believing the documents were real.

    His recent outing reminds me of a day one of our correspondents in Port Harcourt called to tell me there was a full page black and white advert an activist wanted us to publish. I asked that the material be forwarded to my e-mail. The potential advertiser turned out to be Wechie. I read the copy and was just screaming. It was full of bile, libel and claims that can never be substantiated. I called the correspondent and let it be known that there was no way this newspaper would publish such an advertorial, even with all the money in the world.

    From the correspondent’s account, Wechie wanted it published that way or nothing. My response was: to hell. A day after, the correspondent called to say Wechie said we could edit it to a publishable standard. I edited out the bile and the libel and as I suspected, what I edited out was what the sponsors wanted and Wechie said we should not publish.

    Permit me to quote Wechie words on the source and credibility of the documents he caused to be published.

    His words: “We acted in 2015, believing that the documents used in fighting Rotimi Amaechi were true, being documents emanating from the Government. Time has played out, we have just realised that those documents were only politically fabricated just to fight and stop Rotimi Amaechi’s appointment.

    “I was the architect of Justice Omereji’s panel report that indicted Rotimi Amaechi in 2015. I drew the script, the report etc.

    “The only intention of Nyesom Wike’s government was to let the world know how bad this man, Rotimi Amaechi, was and leave it at that without prosecution, because they have nothing really indicting him. They have continued to ride on those wings to exhibit fiscal irresponsibility in government.

    “In the 8 years of Amaechi’s tenure, the Budget was a public document, but in this Wike’s government, no one government official, not even commissioners have access to the budget for these two years. Only a criminal hides Budget.

    “My joy is that I now have the opportunity to explain what actually played out in 2015 and still going on.”

    Hours after Wechie dropped the bombshell, the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), an organisation to which he belongs, disowned him.

    “Mr. Wechie admitted in his live appearance that he told lies, on behalf of his Integrity Group and not on behalf of CLO. We therefore urge the relevant agencies to further investigate these lies and do the needful,” the group said.

    Wike’s media aide Simeon Nwakaudu also descended on Wechie. He described him as “the proprietor of Integrity Group of Companies”. He claimed Wechie struggled in vain to exonerate   Amaechi .

    “There was no time that Mr Wechie acted on behalf of the Rivers State Government or the governor. There was no need for the merchant of blackmail   to work for the administration, since he runs a private company.

    “Mr Wechie, himself, on his different television and radio appearances, stated unequivocally that he was not on the sponsorship of the Rivers State Government.  With the benefit of hindsight, the interviewers helped to keep everything in the right context. Whatever Livingstone Wechie said on Focus APC is unfounded  falsehood. His thoughts on the programme are the baseless concoction of a blackmail trader who hides under the cover of activism,” said Nwakaudu.

    My final take: Since Wike has dissociated himself from Wechie, can he show us evidence that the government is the source of the documents? Wechie needs to tell us who paid for those adverts. Was the Integrity Group buoyant enough to have paid for the publications? Was the fund from members’ contributions? Who and who are the members? Or did he get grants from foreign organisations to carry out his anti-corruption campaign, which, he said, he has since found out were propelled by forged documents?

    In his AIT outing, Wechie blamed everybody but himself. His excuse for the evil he did was that he was misled. I laughed and cried for this nation seeing a grown-up admitting lying on television and seemingly expecting the viewers to clap for him.  The way he carried on, he obviously expected to be decorated with a national honour. He needs to apologise, tell it all and seek forgiveness.

     

    Festus Adeniyi Keyamo and history

    The last time I saw him was in our newsroom. He came as part of his campaign activities for a political office. He recognised my face and hugged me. I am not sure he remembered my name. Festus Adeniyi Keyamo is not just a name to me. He was a good source in my early days in journalism.

    I remember the lengthy interview he granted me with which I crafted a mini-biography of him for The Source, where I cut my journalism teeth 18 years ago. The three-page publication occupied a space on the notice board of his then small law firm in the Maryland Business Plaza, which has now given way to Maryland Mall.

    Till today, a particular statement he made during the interview sticks: “I am hungry for history to record me.” History is sure recording Festus Adeniyi Keyamo, the Urhobo man with an Ilaro, Ogun State mother. He has been admitted into the enviable club of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). He deserves it and more. I felt some form of personal loss when he was earlier refused the honour.

    Forget his foibles, Keyamo has made his marks. And I have a strong feeling that this country has not seen ten per cent of what Keyamo has in stock.

    Congrats to this man who once called me ‘agbalagbi’.

  • Shagari, Lawan hail Dickson on projects

    Shagari, Lawan hail Dickson on projects

    Former Deputy Governor of Sokoto State Muktar Shagari and a former member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Abba Lawan, recently visited Bayelsa State. They came on the invitation of Governor Seriake Dickson.

    The duo were, however, interested in assessing the performance of the governor. They were conducted round some of the ongoing and completed projects in the state. They were impressed and their verdict was that Dickson had done well for his state.

    Among the projects they toured were the newly established University of Africa in Toru-Orua, Dickson’s hometown in Sagbama Local Government Area of the state. They also visited the Ijaw National Academy (NIA), one of the 15 boarding schools built by the governor.

    Muktar and Lawan extolled the leadership qualities of Dickson. They ruled that Dickson had made judicious use of scarce resources to develop the state through the provision of critical infrastructure, education and security.

    Shagari said: “First of all, I must say that, if somebody had told me in Sokoto of what I’m seeing here in Bayelsa, I wouldn’t have believed. I would have simply said ‘no you are just telling me stories.’

    “Like they say in China, don’t believe until you see. I’ve come and I’ve seen from Yenagoa to this place. And, having come here today to see the University of Africa, and in particular, the road that they said was completely impassable in the past before he came in, I believe that, if I have the opportunity, I’ll try to emulate what he has done, because that is what it is, for a leader to love his people.

    ‘’A leader loves his people, when he provides for them, what will make life better for them in the future. The new Governor’s Office is simply a marvel. It is something that anybody from this state and in my party (PDP) should be proud of, because, it is one of the best in the country.

    ‘’Secondly, the Ijaw National Accademy is a novel innovation and the number of students I saw in that place tells me, that the future of Bayelsa State is assured, because, education is the foundation for development, direction and understanding. I challenge anybody in this country to come here and see for himself what Governor Seriake Dickson is doing for his people.’’

    On his part,  Lawan said:  “It is an eye opener, but I’m not surprised, because, I have known the governor since our days in the House of Representatives. He is such a man that when he sets his eyes on something, he usually does that with flying colours.

    “We have gone to schools, different clinics and we have seen a lot of beautiful and wonderful things happening here. I wish the same is being achieved in my own state. I think after his services to the people of Bayelsa, we must steal and take him somewhere else to do the same wonders and magic.”

    In his remarks, Dickson has assured that, the newly established University of Africa, Toru Orua would commence undergraduate programmes by September, 2017.

    The governor  expressed satisfaction with the quality and level of construction work going on at the site. He noted that the hostel blocks were almost completed. He said his administration’s target was to begin the undergraduate programme with adequate accommodation facilities for over 1000 students.

    He said the dream of the state government was to provide a world-class university to absorb the top-flight students that would be produced from the model boarding secondary schools, including the NIA.

    Dickson commended the host communities and people of the state for their understanding and cooperation. He said that the School of Foundation Studies, which had already taken off at Bulou-Orua community with 500 students was on course.

  • DELSU ignores Fed Govt, charges N5, 000 for post-UTME screening

    Contrary to Federal Government’s policy, Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, has announced its readiness to conduct “computer-based aptitude tests” in place of post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for the 2017/2018 academic session.

    Besides, the university is charging each candidate N5, 000, in addition to N1, 000 bank commission, bringing the total cost to N6, 000 against the maximum N2, 500 allowed by the government’s order for the screening.

    In an official bulletin dated June 13, the institution directed candidates to visit its admission portal to “generate a virtual pin with N5, 000’’.

    Candidates were directed to make the payment at Ecobank, Unity Bank, Zenith Bank, UBA or Fidelity Bank.

    According to it, the payment is for centre-screening and covers honoraria for centre-facilitation, logistics for producing screening materials and security.

    Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, in a statement on June 28, 2016, warned tertiary institutions against charging candidates for post-UTME screening.

    The warning followed reports that some institutions had ignored the earlier abolition of post-UTME test and devised other means to screen students with certain fees imposed on them.

    “Any screening which tertiary institutions choose to conduct should only be for the purpose of verification of certificates of the candidates, JAMB scores, and any other physical examination to ensure that such candidates are not cultists.

    “After this, the candidates are qualified for matriculation. Such screening should be at no cost to the parents or students and should be done upon resumption in order to avoid unnecessary travels in search of admission,” Adamu said.

    The Registrar of DELSU, Mr Daniel Urhibo, confirmed the authenticity of the school’s bulletin and defended the N5, 000 screening charge per candidate.

    “It is aptitude test. We are not setting another kind of examination for them the way JAMB sets for them, and it is going to be computer-based,’’ Urhibo said.

    Asked to differentiate the “computer-based aptitude test’’ from the post-UTME test abolished by the government, he told NAN that the Federal Government did not scrap post-UTME test.

    “It is the same agency of the government that said `you can select your students.’

    “Twenty-six thousand candidates applied to DELSU; how do you select, may be 5,000 or 6,000? There must be some kind of uniform test to assess them.

    “Last year, we asked them to submit their secondary school results and we graded them. Do you know that people claiming to have `A’s in their results could not write their names?

    “Some of them had forged results. We went to the internet and discovered that somebody who claimed to have scored 300 in UTME had just 120.

    “So, if you use that type you won’t get the best; that is why there is some kind of a little aptitude test for them,’’ he said.

    Urhibo explained that the N5, 000 charge was needed to conduct the exercise as the university was not in good financial position to bear the cost.

    “We need materials to do this test; we will pay the people who are going to administer the test and those who will mark it.

    “We need money to service our computers and to develop the software for the test. So, from where do you expect us to get the money to do these?’’

    The minister of education or spokesman of the ministry could not be reached for reaction to this in spite of several attempts in more than two weeks.

    However, a top official of the ministry, who craved anonymity, said what the university was trying to do was illegal. The National Universities Commission (NUC), tasked with enforcement of the abolition of the post-UTME test and screening charges, was also not forthcoming on the matter.

    Its Executive Secretary, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, neither answered several calls to his mobile telephone nor replied NAN enquiry sent to him via SMS and Whatsapp.

    The commission’s spokesman, Mr Ibrahim Yakasai, also did not respond when contacted through the three channels.

  • Amnesty Programme’s first class brains

    Amnesty Programme’s first class brains

    THE Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) is harvesting its good work in the Niger Delta. In the last few weeks, it has added to the list of first class brains who will help develop their region and, by extension, Nigeria.

    Last weekend, at the Benson Idahosa University, Benin City, Edo State, 12 of PAP’s delegates bagged First Class Honours Degrees, 20 bagged Second Class Upper Division and 29 earned Second Class Lower Division.

    Four of the First Class delegates came out as best graduating students at the 13th convocation ceremony of the university. 59 Amnesty delegates graduated in different fields at the 13th Convocation. The best Amnesty 1st Class delegates who made the list of best graduating students include, Mr. Bolei Gideon, (Department of Agronomy and Environmental Management), Mr. Azebi Oyeikurokaemo Marcodinho, (Geopphysics), Miss Febaide Mabel Ebiere, (Banking and Finance) and Miss Guwor Egbedetimi Williams (Sociology and Anthropology.

    The Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh (rtd), said: “Four of the 59 beneficiaries, came out as best graduating students in their various departments.

    “I just have to state their names here, Mr Bolei Gideon, First Class Honours Department of Agronomy and Environmental Management, Mr Azebi  Marcodinho, First Class Honors Geopphysics.

    “Ms Febaide  Ebiere, First Class Honours Banking and Finance and Ms Guwor  Williams, First Class Honours Sociology and Anthropology. They have all made the people of the region and the Nation proud,” he said.

    According to him, the graduation of the 59 delegates of the Amnesty Programme fitted perfectly into the Amnesty Exit Strategic Plan.

    Gen. Boroh said the programme would continue to contribute to human capital development in the Niger Delta region and the nation at large.

    He described the development as heart-warming, adding that President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to sustain the programme showed his sincere commitment to ensure  peace, stability and rapid socio-economic development in the region.

    Gen. Boroh  hailed the beneficiaries for their exemplary performance in their academic pursuits.

    According to the coordinator, people who are educated are better informed and can differentiate from what is right and what is wrong.

    “Educated people are united by the sense of right and wrong”. And since they are aware of the situation in their environment, they can be relied upon.

    He said the education of the youths would enable them have the sense of fulfilment in life and achieve their dreams.

    He urged authorities of institutions where amnesty beneficiaries have broken academic records through their high performance to find ways of absorbing such high flying beneficiaries.

    He said the amnesty educational empowerment programme has given hope to the youths in the region, and  urged them not to allow anyone to short-change and mortgage their lives.

    The strides of the delegates are not just at home. Some days before the Edo achievement,  45 beneficiaries graduated from two universities in Belarus with three of them clinching first class honours in Information Technology from the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics. 29 majored in various fields from the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, 16 others trained in related areas at Brest State University, Belarus.

    The graduation ceremony in Minsk was well attended by envoys from various countries with a delegation from the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

    The First Vice Rector of Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, Dr Siarhei Dzit, in the graduation speech, commended the international students, including the Amnesty delegates for their resilience and expressed hope that they would apply the knowledge gained in advancing the society.

    He said: ‘’As one of the best international school in Information Technology, we are known to produce graduates with the requisite technical knowledge to meet contemporary challenges in the industry. I am optimistic that these graduates can firmly take their place in world class firms to exhibit their professionalism.’’

    In a congratulatory message to the graduating students,  Brig.-Gen. Boroh hailed the delegates for outstanding performance.

    He said excellence was the hallmark of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, thus the expectations from every delegate to exude the highest level of competence and excellence in their chosen area of vocation.

    Attributing the success to their peculiar position and drive as Niger Delta youths to better their lot in life, Gen. Boroh urged the graduates to put to gainful use the skills they now possess to place Nigeria on the map in Information Technology and other advanced technical areas.

    He stressed on the imperatives for quality education , re-stating the commitment of the Amnesty Office to use education as a strategy for human capital development in the Niger Delta.

    Gen. Boroh emphasised the resolve of the Muhammadu Buhari administration to create opportunities in the region and noted that as internationally certified technicians in specialised fields, the new graduates were better positioned to be part of government’s new projects in the Niger Delta.

    He encouraged them to take advantage of efforts by government to involve Niger Deltans in oil production through the establishment of modular refineries, community pipeline surveillance and massive job opportunities in railway projects across the region.

    A representative of the delegates and first class awardee, Christopher Okorie, thanked the Federal Government and the Amnesty Office for the unique opportunity given them to study in one of the world’s best universities. He said they were now change agents with the hope to give back to their country through professional service delivery.

  • Environmentalists kick against plantations replacing forests in Cross River

    A landscape governance assessment workshop in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, has kicked against oil palm, rubber and other such plantations springing up at the expense of forests in the state.

    The workshop under the programme called the Green Livelihood Alliance (GLA), is an international programme of Milieudefensie/Friends of the Earth Netherlands, Tropenbos International and IUCN Netherlands.

    Project Officer for Forest and Biodiversity for Environmental Rights Action(ERA)/ Friends of the Earth Nigeria (FoEN) and Coordinator for Forest and Biodiversity Friends of the Earth Africa, Mrs Rita Uwaka, said it was active in nine countries and in Nigeria, where Akamkpa local government in Cross River is the focal landscape, GLA works (ERA/FoEN)

    Uwaka said, “If you plant a particular tree over a large expanse of land doesn’t make it a forest. Forests have been standing for years. The idea of bring them down in the name of development as some governments would say, or in the name of making profit it is not friendly to the environment because we know the implications, such as the contribution to global warming. In Nigeria, the second highest contributor to climate change after gas flaring is deforestation. And the major contributor to deforestation in Nigeria is the conversion of forested landmass to agro-commodities like oil palm plantations, rubber plantations, and a host of others. This is at the detriment of peoples, of the biological diversity that we have.

    “We have been talking about ways in which diverse stakeholders from different backgrounds come to discuss about issues relating to the governance of forested landscapes. Our focus here is on Akamkpa because Akamkpa is significant in a number of ways. It has a lot of environmental significance in the entire Cross River State landscape being that it is home to Cross River State National Park, which is one of the 25 biodiversity hotspots in the world. It is also home to one of the best community forest management practice on the continent and even beyond and that is the Ekuri forest that is managed by the communities about 33, 000 hectares of forested landmass of primary forests, rich roots, biodiversity of plants and animals species. This is an initiative driven by the communities.

    “Also in this landscape, we have a lot of interests from the private sector, where there is a growing and flourishing agro-commodities business and the most common of them is deforestation for oil palm plantations. We felt that there is need for all the stakeholders to come together and talk about how best we can have a more inclusive and conducive landscape governance, because you cannot be talking about landscape governance without involving all of these people.

    “So we had civil society organizations, we had trade unions, communities representatives, people from government and also people from the traditional institutions, we had companies, quarry companies that dot the landscape.

    “All of them came and gave their own opinions about how best we can have a friendly environmental practice in the landscape without causing more threats. As a fall out from the meeting, one of the points we were to put forward is to create more awareness and engagement of civil society organizations, private sector, government, traditional councils and all relevant stakeholders.

    “There is need to adopt a system of community forest management methods and also recognize that communities are the best custodians of the environment and for us to say our environment is our life, it means all the stakeholders must be part of the sustainable use of resources and sustainable environmental practices, especially the one that is community driven. It was also an opportunity for us to put forward a plan where before any projects goes son, or any decision making process is carried out in the landscape, each of the stakeholders must be involved and this through a specified criteria under the landscape governance assessment.”

  • Stakeholders commend Ijaw youth leader

    A former Special Assistant to Delta  State Commissioner  for Transports Ebi Baikefie, has said the inauguration of the new National President of Ijaw Youth Councils Mr.  Owileme Pereotubo will foster peace and unity in the Niger Delta.

    He added that Pereotubo’s inauguration by Bayelsa State Governor Seraike Dickson was well deserved, noting that the activist’s pedigree put him in vantage position.

    Baikefie said: “With his vast experience in the field of peace building and ability to mobilise people for developmental purposes, he is the best man for the position and we believe stakeholders will benefit maximally. ”

    He will not only be the spokesman for the entire region,  but also the defender of the people. The time has come to take a critical look into the politics of the oil of the region and maximise the gains nature had bestowed on us.

    He said the region had  been short changed at the expense of the original owners of the land, noting that the only result that accrued from what nature had endowed the Niger Delta was perpetual poverty.

    ” I  have confidence in the  Pereotubo led leadership because  of his ruggedness and steadfastness, he definitely will not disappoint his people. The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) is a civil rights which had been demanding its rights in civilised ways.

    “The new President is not only competent but always committed to the cause he believes. He will also used his vast knowledge as a lawyer to explain the position of the law to his people anytime they are  undermined.”

    He said the Ijaw Youth Council comprised of Ijaw ethnic nationality, spread across Bayelsa, Edo, Delta, Ondo, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States, stressing that his appointment was a dawn for Ijaws across the country.

  • Ogoni clean-up…the fears, the facts

    Ogoni clean-up…the fears, the facts

    The state of the Ogoni clean-up has raised posers. PRECIOUS DIKEWOHA, who has toured the oil spill sites in the four local government areas in Ogoni with the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Programme (HYPREP) Team, provides the answer.

    In 2011, the Federal Government constituted a committee to study the spill in Ogoni land  and the report of the committee known as the UNEP report has given birth to a fresh hope for the people. It has also come with fears.

    The Project Coordinator, Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Programme (HYPREP),   Mr. Marvin Dekil,  an Ogoni son, said  to kick- start the process  of the cleanup, a Board of Trustee, Governing Council  and the office of the Project Coordinator was constituted for easy implementation.

    The Acting President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo had last year inaugurated committees that would facilitate the implementation. But till date the people of Ogoni are worried over the continuous delay in the implementation. The truth is that many Ogoni indigenes are looking at Ogoni cleanup  with the view that it will lead to distribution of cash, compensation and settlement of land owners. Unfortunately,   the money is tied to training and empowerment.

    Dekil said the exercise has different phases.

    He explained: “Yes, we have started, but   since the cleanup project is on stages it is not everybody that would understand that something is going on at this stage.  But we have done a lot, that was why we decided to visit your community to brief you of what we intent to do in your community.

    “The project is being backed by the Federal Government to clean all the affected Ogoni communities, but this is Ogoni project.  We need to reach out to the communities. We need to inform you that Federal Government is ready to clean up Ogoni. We are about to commence work. We are visiting the entire sites. Some companies have already moved in to the spill sites testing their equipment and expertise. But, we have not awarded them the job; anything they do now is from their own money. We will be carrying out training for women, youths and those with requisite knowledge in specialized areas that would help the cleanup process.

    “No oil spill site will be left unattended and we will respect your community and cultural boundaries. We are here to do a thorough job for Ogoni people. We will bring people who will examine the drinking water you have here because we will bring good drinking water. We will bring people who will visit all the sites.  The provision of water and health impart assessment are important to us. We will bring experts all over the world including Rivers State Ministry of Health to know the health impact of the people and provide treatment were needed.”

    During the visit to some communities in the four local government areas of Ogoni land, including a courtesy  visit to the palace of their monarchs,  the project coordinator insisted  on open meeting where the youths, women, elders and chiefs would have equal opportunity to speak and ask questions.

    Some of the questions are: how many years would this clean up last? What will be their benefits, is the cleanup going to stop us from fishing , if you train and  provide job for the youths what about our women and elderly people. Since you are going to bring some companies to work in our community can you considered us to do some of the jobs under the local content policy. When are you starting, the water you said you are going to provide is it going to be centralize or to install in each of the community.

    The coordinator said: “The water is in two phase for remediation process we are going fix all the already existing water facilities in the affected communities and in the long measure we are going to install water tanks in the communities.  On whether we are going to carry you along, the project is Ogoni project definitely we are going to train some youths including empowering the women. As I speak some Ogoni youths who have degree in the related field are already working with us. We are going to train more youths even those who have no degree.  In addressing the water needs, we will do something that will provide quick water for the people before the permanent water treatment plant will be installed. We want to beg your support so that we can be sure that the water facility you already have before can be maintained. We are to train 1,200 women from the four Local governments everybody is going to benefit.”

    When HYPREP team visited the chairman of Ogoni Supreme Council of Traditional Rulers, His Royal Majesty, Chief Godwin N.K Gininwa, the Gbenemene of Tai Kingdom, the people came out enmasse to welcome their visitors.

    For them the federal government should first of all fix the bad roads linking the area, which, they said, has become a nightmare for the people.  They promised to give necessary support to HYPREP project coordinator.  They also made it clear that the cleanup should reduce crime in the area through provision of job for the jobless youths.

    While commending the Federal Government for fulfilling their promises to Ogoni people, Chief Gininwa also thanked God that money was not paid to be shared among the communities but tied around the project, adding that this could have resulted into bloody communal clashes and family problem.

    A visit to the  tensed   Kpor community in Gokana local government of Rivers State showed that the crisis rocking  chieftaincy stool in the community may be a setback for the companies  testing their equipment at the oil spill sites because both the youths and the elders are divided. Our investigation revealed that the cleanup can only be successful when there is peaceful co-existence among the communities in the area.  Of course, HYPREP has done one of the crucial aspects of going round the communities in the four local government areas to sensitise the communities to understand the important of the project and give their approval, especially the youths of the area.

    During an Ogoni stakeholders meeting, which took place at the HYPREP office in Port Harcourt, Ogoni leaders–   made up of traditional rulers, politicians, businessmen and community heads– demanded to know the challenges facing the project coordinator’s office which they believed is affecting the speedy implementation of projects in the oil spill  affected communities.

    They expressed dissatisfaction over inability of the stakeholders, including IOC to contribute their quota of the $1billion clean up in Ogoni land, adding that it was not enough to present an Ogoni man at the front as the project coordinator.  They said every necessary thing required at the office of the project coordinator should be provided.

    The Ogoni leaders  insisted that the project coordinator must always open up and feed them with information  to enable them pressurise the government, board of directors and others to fast tract the project.

    Mr. Barinua Wifa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who chaired the meeting, said the essence of the meeting was to listen to the overview of the cleanup from the project coordinator and know what role to play as Ogoni leaders. He said it is legitimate for people to show concern about the issue affecting the people and its environment but it is totally wrong to play politics with issues that are affecting the people.

    He called on the Federal Government to be sincere and provide adequate fund for the project implementation in Ogoni land, stressing that, Ogoni leaders cannot allow anybody, be it Federal or state to play politics with Ogoni project.

    Another Ogoni son at the stakeholders meeting was Hon Dike Matthew, member Representing Tai Constituency in Rivers State House of Assembly.   He called on HYPREP to take urgent step in providing water to the affected communities.

    Hon. Matthew said: “The UNEP report stated clearly that the drinking waters in the area are not safe for consumption. So why are they still telling us that they are going to provide water when water are yet to be provided to this affected people. If UNEP report said water source has been contaminated and that drinking the water in those areas is poisonous, yet the people are still drinking the same water, something need to be done urgently to protect the lives of the people.”

    The Resident Coordinator of United Nations in Nigeria, Mr. Edward Kallou   and United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Stuart Syminton,  visited Ogoni and interacted with the people and HYPREP team.

    Kallou stated that the remediation process involved technical approaches that needed a lot of time to achieve a result. He urged the people of the area to give the Federal Government a chance to be able to deliver a better result.

    Kallou said: “I am here today on a familiarization visit on Ogoniland. I am here to have a better understanding on the impact of the oil spill and the progress that has been made in the implementation of the UNEP assessment of the devastation in the area. There are two conclusions I want to draw in my visit. This is a very technical investment; it is not a rural type of investment where you are going to see houses built within a short period of time. My appeal is patience, to ensure that the required technical needs are met and to ensure that at the end of the cleanup it is properly done.”

    For Mr. Stuart Syminton, United State Ambassador to Nigeria said his visit to Ogoni was to get information about the cleanup. He commended the idea by HYPREP to think of providing water and building of health facilities to the communities in Ogoni area, adding that the project should target on the people by ensuring that everyone is happy at the end of the day.

    He noted that United States would partner with government and those handling the programme to achieve a good result for the people of Ogoni and the people of Niger Delta.

    Syminton said: “We are here to access the progress in Ogoni land, we are happy to hear that work has started, we are also glad that they are thinking on how to provide clean water for the communities including the provision of health facilities. This is part of the remediation; it is not about starting this project, it is about the people, the community and to ensure that everybody is involved.

    “The United States is interested in the area of provision of health care facilities and we are going to look at areas to partner with you, but we are happy that something is going on in Ogoni land.  We would like to know how the fund is being release to you, what is the structure of the decision making body of this programme. Are the people affected full represented, who are these people, is the private sector and local community part of the structure. I will advise that you source your manpower locally.”

  • Our vision for Bayelsa judiciary by new NBA Exco

    New leadership of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Yenagoa chapter, has emerged. It is led by a seasoned lawyer, Mr. Clement Buruboyefe. The new chairman and members of his new executive committee were recently inaugurated in Yenagoa, the state capital.

    Other members of the five-man executive committee are, Tariere Egbegi, Vice Chairman; Somina Johnbull, Secretary;  Dienaworio Wuku, Financial Secretary; and Felix Okorotie, Legal Adviser.

    To the chairman, his new position was a dream come true. He was a former Publicity Secretary of NBA when Justice E.G Umukoro led the Yenagoa branch of the association. Having assumed the mantle of leadership,  Buruboyefa presented the vision of his new committee.

    He articulated his vision within the framework of the set goals and objectives of Article 2 of the Uniform Bye-Laws, 2016 of the NBA Yenagoa Branch. First and foremost, he vowed to discharge the constitutional duties of the Chairman contained in Article 7 of the law.

    The new boss promised to work for the unity of the bar. He said the new committee would work in close consultation with elders and past leaders to strengthen the unity of the Bar.

    He said: “We shall work hard to reunite the bar and bring back our elders, seniors and colleagues who have for reasons parted from NBA Yenagoa and have not been participating in the activities of the bar.

    “In acting as vanguard for the propagation of the rights and general wellbeing of the public, we shall reactivate and reposition the bar by making it truely virile and purpose driven. We shall be committed to the rule of law, warfare of lawyers and service to humanity.

    “The bar, as the conscience of the society, under my leadership, will always, after consultation with the exco and elders of the bar, release and issue statements on matters of general interest to the branch and the public. The bar will act as a gatekeeper of the liberty of the generality of the populace”.

    Buruboyefa also vowed to constitute an Advisory Committee that would comprise  the past chairmen, secretaries, professors, elders and most senior members of the bar to advise the new committee.

    On accountability and transparency, he said: “Accountability and transparency contribute to building the confidence of members of the Bar and the integrity of Elders.

    “Under my leadership, we will ensure effective and accurate dissemination of information on all the activities of NBA to every member of the bar and will give account of every money received for the branch”.

    Buruboyefa said his vision included solving some of the problems militating against the judiciary in the state. He said his committee would rigorously pursue and make case for infrastructural development of the official residence of judicial staff, court houses and provision of vehicles for judges.

    “We shall also make case for the provision of official residential quarters for magistrates and chairmen of the customary court”, he said.

    He added: “NBA Yenagoa Branch under my leadership will encourage the mandatory continuing legal education by organising workshops and seminars periodically to address issues of concern to lawyers.

    “The NBA under my leadership wil have a proper and accurate information and record keeping system. We shall open files for outgoing and incoming correspondences.

    “We shall ensure proper register of attendance of meetings, proper keeping of receipts booklets according to the years and payment of the various dues, such as Bar Dues, Welfare Dues and proper directory of members of the branch.

    “We will work with the Young Lawyer’s Forum (YLF), in consultation with other stakeholders to seek ways of of improving the welfare of the young lawyers at the bar. Our young lawyers and junior must be repositioned to attain the achievement of their higher dream in the legal profession and beyond”.

    He further asserted that his committee would work for the commencement of the building of NBA Secretariat and law center without delay. But he was worried that the bar in Yenagoa lacked an operational vehicle.

    He said: “It is disheartening to note that NBA Yenagoa Branch does not have a sound, functional and operational vehicle.

    “I therefore most respectful appeal to members of the bar, spirited individuals, corporate bodies, other associations and Bayelsa state Government to come to the aid of the Bar, to provide a sound, functional and operational vehicles for the branch.

    “These programs to be fulfilled are not only mine, but are also the expression of the newly elected executive committee of NBA Yenagoa Branch.

    “We can only but ask for your maximum co- operation and support to achieve them within the short period of our two- year term.

    “I will not be distracted and will always think NBA Yenagoa first. I will do more than members expectations in uplifting the bar”.

    He thanked members of the Electoral Committee for discharging their assignments honourably. He further hailed the immediate past chairman of the bar and his executive committee for their selfless service.