The Nation Newspaper

Category: Niger Delta

  • Beware of expert petition writers, gossips monarch tells FUPRE council

    Beware of expert petition writers, gossips monarch tells FUPRE council

    The Ovie of Uvwie Kingdom in Delta State, HRM Emmanuel Sideos, Abe I, has expressed concerns over the activities of rumourmongers and ‘professional’ petition authors in the University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun.

    The monarch advised the Governing Council of FUPRE to be wary of such petitions and other reports, f it is desirous of moving the pioneer institution forward and ensuring development of the areas.

    Abe Sideso I spoke when the Chairman of the Council, Professor Shehu Abdulahi Zuru, paid him a courtesy visit in his palace located in Effurun, headquarters of Uvwie LGA, last weekend.

    He said, “I want to advise the new council to be fair and transparent. Listen to the officers of the university because they are on ground, at the same time, do not be carried away.

    “We want development in the federal university, we want the communities to be developed, we want Uvwie to be developed, and we want the university to excel academically. Of course, the VC and his team have been doing very well, please listen to them,” the Uvwie monarch added.

    “In this part of the country we write a lot of petitions, a lot of rumours that will distract you from doing what you should do. So I will advise the council, please let the development of the university be a priority, not what you want to have as your personal gains. It is for the development of the university and that of Nigeria that you were appointed to come here to serve.

    “Do not listen to petitions, most of them are not founded, I am saying this from experience.

    “We are very happy that you are here with your team. When I see things that are not going on well, I will tell you, but if you don’t listen I will leave you, I will just be quiet, when we get to the bridge we will cross it, but your career is very important.”

    “The most important pain to us today, Mr Chairman of Council, and if you and your team can solve this for me, I will be very happy on signing the Act establishing the university, which is now at the Presidency.

    “I want you to use your connections, all of you here, members of council. Do whatever needs to be done. A lot of things are being held back because of this. I am appealing to you. Like I said, we will work together, Nigeria is for all of us, we will work together. I am assuring that I will cooperate with you.

    “We’ve heard you, we’ll work with you and make peace with you and make the place conducive for you to work and don’t hesitate to call on your father here, this is your home, the door is open for you and for every member of the council. We have to work together to make sure that the place becomes a better place.

    Earlier Prof Zuru promised to take the university to a greater height and ensure that the Act establishing the institution was passed into law.

    Members of the Governing Council included Alhaji Ibrahim Mahmud, Professor Bello Zaki Abubakar, Mr Paul Odili and Professor Abiodun Alan. Others were Prof Christopher Ajuwa, Prof Christopher Onosemuode, Dr Godswill Ogualgha, Rev Fr Oghenejode Abaka and Dr Allenotor David among others.

    Prof Zuru assured that efforts were being made to get legal backbone for the institution by passing the Bill establishing FUPRE into law. He promised that getting the law enacted remained a primary interest of his board.

    Meanwhile, the university council chair has assured staff of the institution that the current council would not leave any stone unturned to address the challenges facing the institution in order to take it to top.

    “To put it mildly, because I’m an optimist, it’s herculean, but the essence of having a problem is to solve it, not to use it for an excuse, so whatever is the problem on the ground in this university, is surmountable.

    “Like I reassured during my address to the Congress, we will do our best by leveraging on the best opportunities that the university has. Where the opportunities are not there, we will create such opportunities for the university because there are just so much that can be accomplished. With the right leadership I can assure you that there’s no problem that we cannot solve,” he enthused.

    To this end, he admonished members of staff of FUPRE to function as a family unit that is focused on achieved the lofty ideas behind the establishment of the institution.

    “The federal government did not make a mistake by the establishment of this university and we are the stakeholders, we have to function as a family unit, that we must do in order to move the university forward.

    “I have already emphasized this time and again that the primordial consideration for the current council is rejigging the template on the basis of which the university has been developing because we have to synergize the platform on the basis of which we have been operating, we have to come home and come clean about our performance so far and where we are taking this university.

    “I want to assure you that with the present vice chancellor, the management and the council, we are all winners. We will succeed,” he assured.

  • High rent fuels street trading in Edo

    High rent fuels street trading in Edo

    Street trading is a menace, which many a government struggles to beat. In Edo State, the government of Governor Godwin Obaseki  is fighting to end this poverty-induced practice, write Osagie Otabor and Yusuff Ibrahim

    Do you want a shop in any market in Benin City? Simply walk into any market, any empty shop you see, break it open if it is under lock and forcefully start selling your wares. Anybody that comes to harass you or ask you to leave, report back with the person to our office. That is the message from officials of Oredo Local Government Area to individuals or traders seeking shops at various markets in Benin City.

    But, are shops really available at the market?

    Many were recently sacked from engaging in street trading at the Oba Ovoranmen Square, the Oba Market Road and over ten adjoining streets. Today the streets around the Oba market are clean and motorable. Some of the street urchins who hitherto collected money from the street traders were arrested and remanded in prison custody. But street trading still thrives in other parts of the city like Third junction, New Lagos Road, roads around New Benin Market, Oliha markets, Uwa market and Edaiken market.

    The sacked street traders were asked to go and find shops inside the Oba Market and other markets within Benin City metropolis. Acting General Manager of the Edo State Waste Management Board, Prince Aiyamenkhue Akonofua, told reporters after the street traders were sacked that leaders of the various markets had been urged to make space available for the displaced street traders inside the markets.

    Akonofua dismissed claims by the street traders that there were no available stores at the various markets or where stores are available, the prices are too high for the traders to pay.

     

    High rent, empty shops

    Checks by our reporters showed that empty shops abound in all the markets in Benin City but people prefer to sell in the streets because of the high cost of getting a shop inside the markets. There are 11 markets in Oredo local government and other major market are the Edaiken market and Egor market. Shops in the markets are allotted to rich individuals who in turn gave them out at exorbitant prices to the petty traders.

    The official annual price to secure a shop at the markets varies. In the Oba market, double lock up shops go for N20,000 while squatters pay N18,500. In other markets in Oredo, the price ranged from N12,000 to N18,000 annually. When our reporter visited Oredo Secretariat to inquire on how to get a shop. A woman at the desk said shops are not allotted by the council officials but by the shop managers. When questioned about payment, she said: “You don’t pay to us. We only deal with the managers (shop owners). They are the one to pay to us.”

    A visit to the Oba Market  showed another scenario. A shop owner, whose identity could not be ascertained, demanded N100,000 annual pay, including kola nuts and drinks for lock up shops. For an open stall whose official price goes for N5,400, the owner demanded N80,000. Many of the shops were under lock and key. The top floor of the market is mainly not occupied.

    At the Agbado market on Akpakpava Street, many shops were also seen to be under lock and key. A shop owner said she would only manage to give out a shop for N50,000 besides other things like kola nuts, drinks and sometimes yams.

    It was gathered that the bold move by  Obaseki to sack the traders from the street had made officials of Oredo council to undertook verification of the actual shop owners. A source said the verification exercise had showed that the council did not know who owns which shop and those managers that have not paid up to date. This account for the reason they asked prospective traders to go scout for empty shops themselves.

    Besides the high price of securing shops, most of the markets have not been refurbished for many years now. Modern facilities are lacking in many of the markets. Motor parks that used to exist in markets like New Benin and Osa are no longer there. The markets that were built in the 1980s could no longer cope with the growth in population.

    The official in charge of allocating market shops in Oredo, Comrade Agbons Uyigue, dismissed allegations that it was difficult to secure shops at markets in the locality. He said there were over 400 empty stores at the Oba market that traders are yet to occupy.

    He said: “If you are a trader and you see any stores that are locked unoccupied in any of our markets, then move in. That has been the council’s policy for six years now. If you see any empty store in the market, enter the shop and start trading. If anybody challenges you then you and the person should bring the matter to the council and the council would take it up from there.

    “There was a time we realised some of these traders were being asked to pay high amount of money by some store owners and we stopped them. We told the store owners that you cannot secure these stores from the government at low prices only for you to begin to lease them out to traders at exorbitant rates.

    “It is only when they pack into an empty store and somebody comes to drive them away, it is then that they can have a legitimate complaint. Let them move into any of the empty stores and if anyone prevents them, they will know if the council is docile.

    “If they have a legitimate claim, let them move into any empty stores in the Oba market and let us see who will drive them away.”

    He however refused to state how much the council generates annually from market rates.

    A trader at the Oba market, who simply gave her name as Glory, said it was difficult to get a good shop. She said many of the available shops were used as warehouse to store goods.

    Josephine Irabor, a tailor at the market, said: “The reason why some traders do not occupy the shops here is because of the low sales at this side of the market. Buyers or customers rarely come here to patronize us. Therefore the low sales here really discouraged many traders from occupying the stores here.

    “Apart from this reason, the nature of their trade products or commodities is perishable in nature. If they keep them in the stores within few days, they would get perish. Such traders would definitely not rent stores stores here but prefer to operate in the open places such as roadsides for people to see and patronize their products before they get spoilt.

    “For those who trade items such as clothes or wears believe that their goods must be displayed on the major roads to gain buyers attentions.”

    To Mrs. Joy Godwin, “Most of the stores you see here are leaking. When rain starts you will realize that many stores here need to be renovated. Infact, many of the traders have to spend up to N10,000 to stop the leakages in their stores. I had to leave the store I was occupying before and move to this place because of the leakages.

    “How can someone selling petty goods rent stores upstairs at the Oba market? Look at the structure of the market. What about those whose total money they use for  businesses are not more than 5,000 naira? Do u expect those set of people to also rent stores in the Oba market?

    “In my own view, I would strongly suggest the government should create or make provision for that category group of petty traders. It is not about chasing them to the store. They should create open space for such traders to trade.”

    Another cloth seller, who refused to give her name, said: “To get a small store here varies between 20000-30,000 naira. Most of the traders here did not get the shops directly from the government but rather from the stores owners who got the shops directly from the government. It is these stores owners that determine the shops rates based on the original rates they got them from the council.

    “The reason why many traders did not occupy many stores in the Oba market is the problem of accessibility. The stair cases and pathways  that lead to the stores have been blocked by traders and their goods therefore not allowing passers-by and people to have access to most of the stores in the market. So because of this reason, many traders are discouraged from occupying the shops in the market.

    “Traders in this market are not organised like markets in my place where I came from. Over there, you dare not put your goods on the way or path ways.”

  • Dialysis centre berths in Bayelsa Government Hospital

    Persons suffering from kidney and renal problems in Bayelsa State can now heave a sigh of relief. They will no longer travel outside the state to seek solutions in medical facilities with dialysis equipment. The state can now boast of having the best dialysis machine in the world in an equipped cozy medical facility.

    In fact, the dialysis centre in the Government House Hospital is the first of its kind. hitherto, the hospital was merely a clinic. It was established to cater for political appointees and Government House employees. Members of the public were denied access to it.

    But Dickson has changed all that. He upgraded it to a hospital status and opened it to members of the public. Indeed, it is a different kind of hospital. The wards and walls are built with comfort and architectural beauty.

    Though it is in Government House, its proximity to the Bayelsa State Diagnostic Centre, one of the best facilities for medical diagnosis in the country, gives the state the confidence of having a complete medical solution. Combined with the diagnostics centre, the hospital has been saving lives.

    The capacity of the hospital to respond to emergencies was tested recently. The management of the facility deployed the state-of-the-art equipment to save the life of Joshia, who was hit by a Pathfinder SUV on the Children’s Day.

    Joshia’s parents and members of the public poured encomiums on the hospital for quickly rising to the occasion by deploying its expertise to salvage a bad situation.

    The four-year-old, who hails from Ekeremor Local Government Area, was on his way to attend one of the parties organised in the state capital for children when his world came crashing at the popular Julius Berger axis of the Sani Abacha Expressway.

    The driver of the vehicle quickly rushed the dying Joshia to the new medical facility. Ebi, an eye-witness gave an account of how the two facilities combined to save the kid.

    Ebi said: “When we got to the Government House Hospital, the CEO, Dr. Hobbot Preye confirmed the receipt of the patient but said, he had a damaged left leg and was referred to the Bayelsa State Diagnostics Center, Imgbi Road for femur X-ray.

    “We quickly contacted the father of the victim, who happens to be a traditional bone doctor. On his arrival, he insisted that he will handle the treatment in the traditional way under his care, but we discouraged him and he later agreed with us.

    “When the X-ray was done, it showed fractured left femur (a broken bone) and total shift of the knee joint. The hospital management contacted an Indian-trained Nigerian Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Amefula, to head other white specialists from the United States of America to conduct an orthopedic surgery on baby Joshia.

    “The surgery, which lasted for about three hours, was successful and that the victim was in a stable condition”. With such facilities, Dickson, observers say, is scoring high marks in healthcare.

    Just recently, some medical experts from the U.S. came to tour Dickson’s health facilities. The governor was in ground to conduct them around the Government House hospital and the diagnostic centre. They were all impressed to see medical equipment they thought only existed in their country in Bayelsa.

    Some of them joined the tour in real time through Skype. They had healthy conversation with Dickson who embarked on the tour in the company of some of his cabinet members and members of the House of Assembly led by the Speaker Kombowei Benson.

    The visitors were elated with the dialysis centre. Dickson told them it was part of his revolution in the health sector. He said his state was leading the country to stop traveling to US and other foreign countries to seek medical help.

    Dickson said: “This is a statement we are making that Bayelsa has changed and we are waging a silent revolution for change, development and posterity. And this is one of the health care investment the state has made.

    “This is the first time we are having dialysis facilities in the state? and we are glad that our partners, a team of experts from the US are here to oversee these facilities. So with what you are seeing, the diagnostic center and the referral hospitals in the eight local government, you will agree with me that Bayelsa is set for quality health-care delivery”.

    The governor also disclosed that very soon the facilities would be formally opened but in the meantime it could be accessed by patients. He called on Bayelsans who are professionals in the health sector and are currently abroad to return home and contribute their own quota to the growing health system in the state, assuring that they would be fully accommodated.

    He also advised residents in the state to avail themselves of the medical services in the facilities. According to him his administration would continue to advance its strides in the health sector.

  • Mrs Khan and law

    Freedom is sweet. So sweet that we all crave it. Even prisoners have been known to break jail to have a taste of the free world.

    Ex-Rivers Resident Electoral Commissioner Mrs. Gesila Khan must sure appreciate freedom now better than she has ever done. She has had to ‘lose’ her freedom intermittently over investigations into alleged bribery in relations to the conduct of the last general elections.

    Mrs. Khan was picked up on Saturday in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    She was first arrested on April 15, 2016 following multiple allegations of financial fraud, including partaking in N650.9m and $115m poll bribes. She was arraigned two days ago. Her bail application will be heard today.

    Mrs Khan, who was the REC in Cross River State when she was first arrested, was granted an administrative bail on May 3, last year after fulfilling some conditions which included bringing a first class traditional ruler as a surety. It was the traditional ruler the EFCC made to produce her last weekend.

    Mrs. Khan is a remarkable woman. So remarkable her time in Rivers will never be forgotten. On one occasion, the Bayelsa-born Khan was honoured by three groups. I could not keep count of the number of awards she received from shadowy groups while she held sway in Rivers.

    Mrs Khan, while receiving one of these awards, said she complied with the Electoral Act in carrying out the last general elections. She said her efforts contributed to ensuring the violence in Rivers was minimal. She almost said she was able to bring to shame people who expected the state would grieve for a long time after the polls.

    So much was Mrs Khan able to minimise violence that Rivers was hell before, during and after the polls. For months, men without spine, men of brawn—and please permit me to add— who lack humanity and conscience put Rivers State, the Lagos of the Southsouth, on the spot. It was either they were shooting guns or they were throwing bombs. And when they did it, they hid their faces. They acted most times under the cover of the dark and daylight.

    Aside guns and dynamites, they also used machetes and other dangerous weapons. Heads were broken. Necks were twisted. Arms had hot leads pumped into them. And there was a woman whose back was reshaped with bullets. It was simply a tale of blood.

    In 2015, I received the picture of a man on a hospital bed somewhere in dear Rivers. Blood was gushing out of the middle of his head. It looked as though his skull was broken. His name, I found out, is Emenike. In the picture, he looked dead. In fact, he was reported dead and condolences were sent to his friends and families. The picture was to illustrate a story for the next day’s edition of this paper. But, we simply could not use it. It was gory. My Editor, Gbenga Omotoso, cringed on seeing the picture and simply screamed: “We can’t use this. It is gory.”

    He was not the only one attacked that day.  Others were too. They were at a meeting when they were attacked by men of low moral standing, men who are so-called because of their physical possessions.

    Jerry Needam, who speaks for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, alleged that the then Chief of Staff to the immediate past Governor Rotimi Amaechi, Chief Tony Okocha ordered political thugs and APC supporters to attack a former chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government, Timothy Nsirim at a function in Rumueme. Needam described the alleged attack on as “criminal, barbaric and animalistic”.

    Nsirim, he claimed, was physically battered by Okocha and sustained major injuries all over his body and had his clothes torn to shreds.

    “The PDP therefore, calls on the Inspector General of Police, IG and the Rivers Commissioner of Police, CP to arrest and prosecute Tony Okocha. The party also describes Okocha as lawless, blood thirsty and one if not tamed, would cause crisis in Rivers State, ahead of the general elections,” he said.

    But Nsirim’s father, the King of Rumueme community, Nyeweli Omunakwe Nyeche Nsirim, accused his son of using thugs to disrupt the APC rally. According to him, the APC stalwarts in the community had duly obtained the blessing of the chiefs of the community to organise their political rally. He described as false the claim by the PDP that Okocha and other APC supporters attacked the former council chairman.

    The bulk of those at the receiving end of the madness in Rivers were of the APC. The PDP said the APC was the one throwing the dynamites and attacking its own to buy sympathy.  Several APC supporters on their way to the official flag off of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari’s presidential campaign in Port Harcourt were attacked by masked gunmen near Harry’s Town, in Degema and Sakpenwa, in Tai. The cowards were not bold enough to do it without hiding under face masks. They left many unconscious and in their pool of blood and fled into anonymity to spend the filthy money from their cowardly masters.

    Ask Aadum Pya-Alu, Deemua Beatrice, Sorbari Npebee, Barbe Jack, Victory Vinam and Wisdom Akpogbara and they will tell you tales that not only touch the hearts but break them.  Pya-Alu’s leg shot by the cowards tell all the story; Beatrice’s back-arm can never forget the day hot leads were pumped into it; Npebee, who was shot in the head and neck, is lucky to be alive to tell the story; and elated is Jack for not dying as a result of the gun-attack on his stomach; so is Vinam, who was shot in the leg; and Akpogbara must be thanking God that the bullet he received on the head for daring to identify with Gen. Buhari’s aspiration did not kill him.

    Okrika, the hometown of ex-First Lady Dame Jonathan, never allowed any APC rally. On one occasion, gunshots were exchanged between those who wanted the rally stopped and the police. At the end, a policeman died and a reporter with Channels Television, Charles Eruka, was stabbed. Some other policemen were also badly injured. Yet, Mrs Khan claimed she was able to ensure the violence was minimal.

    Mr Anayo Onukwugha, a journalist working for Leadership in Port Harcourt, was overpowered by youths who collected all they could lay their hands on in his pockets, including his two phones, a digital voice recorder and some cash.

    His colleague, Emeka Amaefula, the Bureau Chief of City, sustained abrasion on his sheen and waist and had an elbow inflammation.

    Of all the killings while Mrs Khan was in Rivers and was supposed to have brought violence to a minimal level, those of the Adubes caught the public’s attention more. Their killers showed no mercy. In one fell swoop, nine persons, including a father, his two sons and daughter were killed. The Adube family members are still in tears and are seeking justice.

    Those killed are: former Caretaker Committee Chairman of Ogba/Egbema/ Ndoni Local government, the late Hon. Christopher Adube, his two sons Lucky and John Adube, his daughter Joy,  a family friend, Mr. Iyk Ogarabe and the family driver, Mr.  Samuel Chukwunonye.

    Gunmen also killed nine persons and burnt the house of a politician in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area in one day.

    My final take: Now that Mrs Khan is having her day before the law, she should be given the right to defend herself, just as the EFCC must also do its best to ensure the case is diligently prosecuted.  Will she defeat the law or will the law defeat her? Time, like we say, will tell.

  • Bayelsa royal author reconstructs Iduma Kingdom’s history

    Bayelsa royal author reconstructs Iduma Kingdom’s history

    The Niger Delta region has a cream of intellectuals as traditional rulers. Most of them are accomplished in their various chosen fields. They are experienced in the traditional of their domains and versatile in history.

    In fact, some of the Monarchs in the region are trailblazers. King Collins Daniel, for example has blazed a trail. Daniel, the Olila Ebhugh (traditional ruler) of Abureni Kingdom, Ogbia Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, is perhaps, the first occupier of a traditional stool in Bayelsa to have written a book.

    The book is borne out of his love for straightening matters. Irked by the distortion of the history of his people, the Idumas, Daniel’s passion to salvage the situation led him to author a book, ‘A History of Iduma; from Ancient Times’.

    Daniel, a historian, carried out extensive research before presenting the proper perspective of the history of his people from the ancient to the modern times. He invested much of his time in correcting identified distortions.

    In his account, Iduma, in the Abureni clan of Bayelsa State, came from Ke in Kalabari Kingdom, known as the oldest community in the Eastern Niger Delta.

    King Daniel is a first-class monarch in Bayelsa State, a retired Permanent Secretary, an arbitrator, a barrister at law, solicitor and advocate of the Supreme Court, among others.

    The 57-year-old king, who rules over the entire Abureni Kingdom, comprising 15 towns and villages criss-crossing Rivers and Bayelsa states, has built bridges across the country and his popularity was evident recently when he presented the book to the public.

    The event was a gathering of creme-de-la-creme. Notable politicians, captains of industries, accomplished academics, traditional rulers and religious leaders gathered in Port Harcourt to celebrate the royal author and his book.

    A former Military Administrator of old Rivers State and Amayanabo Twon-Brass, His Royal Majesty Alfred Diete-Spiff, was the chairman of the occasion; Founder and Chancellor, Afe Babalola University, Chief Afe Babalola, was the chief launcher/pressenter and a prolific writer and journalist, Prince Nengi Owei-Ilagha, reviewed the book.

    The former Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega was among the personalities who delivered goodwill messages at the event. The king in the book, proved that he could tell the story of his people better than strangers.

    The king said no previous works had given people a detailed treatment of Iduma general history. According to him the book was an attempt to reconstruct the history of Iduma from their own tradition.

    He said: ”After leaving the civil service as a Permanent Secretary, I felt there was a hole I needed to fill. That hole was to cement the history of my people by doing a story of a people like the Iduma.

    ”There was the need to do an enormous research. During my graduate days, my project was partly on the history of the Iduma. So, I did a lot of research which entailed me travelling many places such as Enugu several times.

    ”I also travelled to London to her Majesty’s office to get colonial records, family diaries and again I was also lucky, by 1896, it was my grandfather that brought a church to Iduma, so he had family records.”

    He said that Iduma, under the Abureni clan in the Niger Delta, has a unique history of being of combining three cultures of Kalabari-Ijo, Ogbia and Odual. It occupies a strategic location as a buffer zone between two hitherto powerful coastal city states of Kalabari (New Calabar) and Brass.

    He said: “Iduma shares a wonderful location of both fresh and salt water geographical vegetation. There is the need for the people to know about that fact and to appreciate the strategic location of the Idumas.

    “The creation of Bayelsa state in October 1996 has led to some political, economic and social developments in Iduma. But the activities of multi-national oil companies operating in the area have not helped the community, rather it has brought misery occasioned by pollution, and general environmental degradation.

    ”This development has affected both the economic and social life of Iduma. The oil prospecting and exploitation companies do not seem to be genuine in their promise to develop the community, so is the Federal Government also, as both are engaged in a blamek game with each other.

    ”Therefore, no meaningful development project has been embarked upon byu either of the two, despite the contribution of the community to national development. The few projects executed are not of priority to the community and have no bearing on the economic emancipation of the people.

    ”The resultant harmful effects of the activities of the multi-national companies have wrecked the environment, and national resources have been depleted. This has given rise to agitation for resource ownership and control and eventually militancy in Iduma.”

  • Day ex-militant leader donates to 500 widows, gives scholarship to students

    Veteran  actors and the Okrika Council of Chief have commended ex-militant leader High Chief Ateke Tom for showing love to  500 widows  in Okrika, Rivers State  through the provision of food items, wrappers and scholarship to students

    As one of the activities marking his birthday,  Tom, who is fondly called Daddy by his people, donated rice,  noodles, soaps, wrappers, salt, oil and other  items to the widows in the area.

    Two days before the date with the widows, the ex-militant leader also gave scholarship to five students in the tertiary institutions and five students in primary and secondary school. There are also many who are acquiring different kind of skills under his sponsorship.

    Mrs. Patience Uzokwo, popularly known as Mama G,  and Gentle Jack led popular Nollywood actors to the occasion. Others are friends,  Ijaw Youth National President, former and present council chairman of the area and members of Okrika council of chief.

    Declaring the event open, the chairman, Okrika Council of Chief, Chief Biriowu Opuayaraya said every historical event is led by great men, adding that Ateke is one of the great men in Okrika.

    He said Okrika people was proud to have Tom as its son.

    Opuayaraya said: “We are happy that a great man is leading this great history in our own time. The widows are happy and they are going to pray for him. If you look at the guests present you would know that Ateke Tom is the face of the world. Through him these well known guests are in Okrika today.

    “This is not the first time he is assisting the widows, the orphans and many others who come to him for help. Those who knew him will tell you that this is his nature, he is not doing it for political reason or to impress anybody but for the sake of humanity.”

    Mama  G, who addressed the widows on behalf of others Nollywood stars , called on politicians and privileged individuals to support and respect women whose husbands have died.

    Mama G said: “I want to inform you that  as a widow that  there was a time in my life that I could not find what to eat. What remain was to cook  sand as rice and give it to my children to eat.

    “I want to call on politicians and privilege individuals in the country to help widows in our society. I advise every woman to ensure that they train their children well, both male and female, in fear of God because tomorrow they will stand for you.

    “I also urge men to try and respect and support widows because they are going through difficult times. Some of these women are not remarried because of the respect they have for their late husbands. All of us as widows thank Chief Ateke for remembering us.”

    One of the widows, Mrs. Charity Jack who spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries, said God would keep Tom alive to continue his good charity, “Nothing will happen to you, God has always protect those who feed the destitute and widows. So our prayer is that God will not allow you to die before your time.

    “What you gave widows today may be little in the eyes of the people but it is great in the eyes of the widows who have nobody to help them. Because you have remembered us God will remember you and give you many more years.”

    Tom said he is worried with the pain women undergo in training and fending for their children after their husbands’ death.

    He said: “Today is my birthday; it is not a day I make long speech, it is a day to honour my creator and show love to those around me. People should always know that there is somebody somewhere; some are your neighbour who needs your help. Learn to lift the burden of other people; to be frank it gives me joy each time I gave a token to someone in need of help.”

  • Reflections on Acting President’s visit to Cross Rivers

    As a practical demonstration of the determination of the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to  meet the over 60-year peculiar challenges  of the Niger Delta and oil production, the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, GCON,  visited Cross Rivers State from June1-2, 2017. This was also to find solution to the twin issues of sustainable peace   and development in the Region.  Having visited other oil producing states, building bridges of understanding, putting all-inclusive programmes of development in place, listening to the people and involving them in practical solutions, the visit to Cross Rivers state was one of consolidation.

    Apart from carrying the President’s message of hope, cooperation, peace and development to the people, fundamental achievements of His Excellency, Professor  Ben Ayade’s government  in the state, were also to be commissioned, underling the fact that the Niger Delta States have fundamental roles to play in the Region’s transformation.

    However, two days before the commencement of the visit, an unfortunate security challenge arose; a misunderstanding between some Naval personnel and policemen on the street snowballed into a shooting match. Fortunately, the situation was quickly brought under control. As  part of the Acting President’s advance team,  I met with the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral James Oladapo Oluwole and emphasized that while tension can rise amongst security agencies, the functionaries have the professional duty to exercise restraint, display decorum and unite to ensure security for the citizenry.

    As is the culture of this administration to consult widely with all stakeholders irrespective of class, gender or age,  a Town Hall meeting was held. But it had the peculiar characteristics of Cross Rivers State; a State with the inhabitants of Bakassi who had been displaced as a result of Nigeria conceding their ancestral home to neigbouring Cameroun. Bakassi  was a three-fold  issue.  The first is the loss of our sovereignty over the territory. On  this, the Acting President who is also a Professor of Law, declared: “The ceding of Bakassi as a result of the judgment of the ICJ (International Court of Justice) is a development that we all consider a loss.’’

    The second issue arising from ceding Bakassi is the displaced people who need to be adequately catered for. In explaining  this, Professor Osinbajo told the people “The President strongly believes that while we ruminate over the legal issues, we must not allow Nigerian citizens in Ikang and elsewhere to suffer. The Federal Government will certainly do more and engage more with the displaced in Bakassi. This is our duty and our commitment’’

    The third issue on Bakassi is militancy in the area, the response of security forces and the fall-out which has negatively affected the people. On this, the Acting President assured that a lasting solution will be found.

    He emphasized  the need to take initiatives and implement programmes that will develop the Niger Delta. He returned to the theme he had developed during his tour of Bayelsa State; that of  the states, oil companies and the Federal Government working in synergy  to vastly improve living conditions and develop the Region. He told the people that  “The vision of President Muhammadu Buhari for Nigeria is one where the Federal Government partners with the States to create industrial, commercial and professional opportunities for all our citizens.”

    Amongst the Federal Government projects in the state the Acting President listed are the Calabar-Lagos  Railway which has the potentials of reviving the economy of the area,  and the Udokpani – Ikot Ekpene Road which are captured in the 2017 Budget, and the on-going road and erosion control projects including the Calabar-Ogoja Road. He also said in order to cushion the effects of the economic challenges in the country, the Government under President Buhari had given bailout funds to the states  to support payment of salaries, pension,  and to address ecological issues.

    Cross Rivers State which has strived to develop its tourist destinations and has the most patronized international tourism festival in the country; the  annual Calabar Festival, received the Federal Government’s praises for  setting the pace in the hospitality and tourism industry in the country.

    The Acting President commissioned the Cross Rivers State mono rail, its garment factory, inspected the   Calabar Pharmaceuticals; the CalabaPharm, and performed the groundbreaking   ceremony for the  Rice City. He commended Governor Ayade for his development-oriented projects. He also visited the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Clinic as well as an  exhibition of made-in-Nigeria products.

    At the Palace of the Obong of Calabar, Edidem  Ekpo  Okon Abasi-Out V, the Acting President returned to a strong message that he had taken round; the need for unity, and the wisdom in our country  remaining a united entity  which he explained, is the reason why we are respected internationally.

    One memory of the visit that sticks to the brain is not the tangible programmes or plans, but  the infectious connection between  the Acting President and the children. It was like him saying, ‘let the children come to me’ as they swarmed round  him and the government delegation. The children  were happy and showed a lot of enthusiasm. It is their generation that will harvest  the seeds the President Buhari government is planting and watering in the Niger Delta today. Seeds we need to culture to sprout into sustainable peace and development not only in the Region, but the country as a whole.

    *Brig-Gen. Boroh is the Special Adviser to the President on the Niger Delta and the Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty programmme.

  • Estate administration tears family apart in Rivers

    Mr Emmanuel Jaja, the head of  the Jaja extended family in Opobo,  has told a Rivers High Court sitting in Port Harcourt   that a child born out of wedlock cannot claim the father’s property.

    Jaja, a chartered accountant,  said this on Wednesday  while being  cross examined  by Mr Ishmael Blue-Jaja,  the counsel to Charles Jaja, the claimant.

    The case was instituted by Charles who is seeking the leave of the court to include him in the administration of  the estate of  his late father,  Dr  Joseph Jaja.

    The head of the family, a witness in the case, alleged that  Charles’s mother was not legally married to the late Dr Joseph Jaja who was his brother.

    He, however, said his late brother had introduced Charles to him as his son in London when he visited.

    “ Where a man is not legally married to a woman, her child has no claim to the father’s estate.

    “This is the Opobo custom and tradition.

    “The child is only his mother’s property,” he said.

    Mrs Barbel Jaja, the wife of the late Jaja,  claimed that her husband only told her that Charles was his son after she gave birth to Daniel Jaja in London.

    She insisted that the claimant was born out of wedlock and did not attend his father’s burial ceremony in Germany and Opobo.

    Daniel had obtained a letter of Sole Administrator of the estate.

    The claimant , however, said he was sick during his father’s burial ceremonies in Germany and  Opobo.

    The presiding judge, Justice Silverline Oragunima,  adjourned the matter to Nov. 18 and  Nov. 22 for continuation of hearing.

  • Communities seek support to conserve Cross River forests

    Communities seek support to conserve Cross River forests

    Forest communities in Cross River State have called on government and international donor agencies to develop their areas and provide alternative sources of sustenance so they can reduce their dependence on the forests.

    They made the plea when the Wise Administration of Terrestrial Environment and Resources (WATER) with support from Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) and Mainyoito Pastoralist Integrated Development Organization (MPIDO) organized one day capacity building workshops on climate change mitigation for each of five forest communities in the state.

    The communities are Etara, Ekuri Eyeyeng, Okokori, Agoi Ekpo and Agoi Ibami.

    The communities complained that despite preserving the forest for years, nothing profitable has come to them as a result of that.

    Village Head of Etara in Etung local government, Ntufam Edwin Ogar, who expressed gratitude for the training, said, “We need the government and foreign agencies to give us assistance.  Our people are ready to conserve the forests, but we need help. We also call on our people not to go into farming again to protect wildlife too that contribute to the sustenance of the forest. If the government and agencies give us support, most of our people would not indulge in these logging and hunting.

    “The message I have for my people is make a way and put what we have learnt into practice and government should also create a way that people would no longer be interested in logging and hunting.

    “If you talk of carbon credit, many of our elders have died keeping this forest. We have been waiting and waiting. Never a time have Etara or any community received anything. In respect of that if they are willing to help us, we need support.”

    Prince Simon Ogar Ifere indigene of Etara said they keep hearing that communities who preserve their forests benefit from carbon credit fund, but for them it has not been the case.

    Ifere, a retired civil servant who has retired to rural life to farm cocoa, said extreme poverty in the area had forced some people to exploit the forests, even to their own disadvantage.

    “I am impressed with the opportunity given to the people by this workshop. Long ago we didn’t know that preserving the forests and the plants in the forests would be of benefit to our lives. It is from these lectures that we have realized that these plants need to be preserved. They help a lot. They check a lot of negative things that would happen to man and I am praying that my people having heard this should abide to the instructions and learning we have gotten into. It is a good thing.”

    Also a retired National Park Service Officer, Mr Hart Urom, “If we can get ourselves engaged in other activities that would reduce pressure on the forest, it would be very good. How can we achieve this? May be the community people can have incentives, something like soft loans or whatever to bring them out from the forest, then there would be a better chance of conserving these remaining forest we have now.”

    Officer on Climate Change for WATER, Agbor Agatha Owor, said the issue of climate change was exacerbating that is why the whole world is trying to see how it can be tackled.

    “We have come here to create an awareness on forest conservation in order to reduce climate change. The participants are indigenous people who still have forests all over the community, so we start from the grassroots to educate them on the causes of climate change, its effects and also how theycan mitigate climate change.

    “In order to mitigate climate change, WATER taught the communities to conserve the forest as well aspractice sustainable agriculture, land use planning and agro-forestry and the beneficiaries are willing to put these into practice and seeks enabling supports to keeptrees standing to absorb carbon, minimize release of carbon and reduce climate change. WATER also taught them sustainable forest management to ensure wise utilization of resources, storage of carbon, reduction of climate change and availability of forest resources for the sustainable development of the present and futuregenerations yet unborn. Gladly, the beneficiary communities have realized that the conservation of the forest is for their own good as well as protection of wildlife that is critical in the dispersal of fruits and regeneration”.

    She said that: “Without biodiversity  and ecosystems, no human being can survive on mother earth. So the communities that WATER have trained are ready to reduce deforestation and ready also to practice reforestation programmes so that we can regenerate the forests and reduce climate change.”

    Programme Coordinator, WATER, Chief Edwin Ogar, said in working with the five communities, the challenges mainly faced are the issues of poor social and economic activities of the communities, which has led to intensified agricultural activities in forested areas.

    “The communities are complaining that they are poor and the only way to survive is to cut down the forest and cultivate food crops for them to survive and sell to earn an income. I appeal that both government and the donors should do something because these communities are within sensitive areas of Cross RiverState. They are situated in the forest belt. They still have the remaining forest in Nigeria”.

    “I appeal that government should do something very positive as well as the donors to intervene in these areas to provide social and economic incentives as to reduce the amount of pressure on the forest for farming and logging. Even though there is a ban on logging, people are still logging all over the whole place, which is another challenge. Another key challenge is that the communities see the government as not living up to expectation because they have not done what they feel the government should do. You go around the community you cannot feel the impact of government and they are complaining bitterly and even saying they would destroy the entire forest if government does not do anything for them. We have educated them that destroying the forest would also help to impoverish them and they seem to understand in that line. But there is need for government, international agencies and NGOs also to come around and support these communities so they can do something else to relieve pressure on the forest ecosystem,” Ogar said.

  • Weep not for Goodluck Jonathan

    Weep not for Goodluck Jonathan

    A major ammunition with political foes of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan which shot down his re-election bid in 2015 was the accusation that he favoured the Niger Delta region over other parts of the country. Specifically, his critics alleged that the choicest appointments he made went to Ijaw people, with Bayelsa, his home state, particularly favoured. This allegation was practically made into a song, one that played loudly and was enjoyed to the hilt by other sections of the country.

    However, those of us who are Ijaw knew this was nothing but fallacy. It was effectively shown up as such before the election, which Jonathan eventually lost to General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The widespread assumption that Jonathan did so much for the Niger Delta, especially the ordinary Bayelsan, was ripped up by the former President himself. Perhaps unintended. Unknown to him at the time, he was making a rod for his own back.

    The former President, standing on the podium at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, venue of the presidential campaign rally in Port Harcourt, unwittingly invited what would come to haunt him later.  With the trademark wide grin pasted on his face, he danced and waved enthusiastically to loud cheers from his supporters. While speaking, Jonathan admitted that he had done very little for the Niger Delta, but promised to make amends if re-elected. Perhaps, the admission was made in the hope that other parts of the country would view him as a non-sectional leader, while the people of the Niger Delta would be seduced into longing for four years of intensive development of the zone.

    It did not pan out either way. In fact, what happened was that Jonathan, unknowingly, invited Niger Delta activists to come up with a narrative that his five-year presidency amounted to a waste for the ordinary Bayelsan and Niger Deltan.

    A confirmation of this was delivered by Jonathan himself after he lost the re-election bid. It was at a state banquet held in his honour by Governor Henry Seriake Dickson at the Dr. Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre in Yenagoa on May 29, 2015.

    The occasion, brimming with Jonathan’s close aides, officials of his government and the crème de la crème of the Ijaw nation, was akin to a stock-taking exercise. Addressing the gathering, Jonathan said he thought Bayelsans would boo him for neglecting them but was amazed by the level of love the governor and the people of the state have shown him.‘‘…When you are in high office and you finished serving, you are afraid of going back home, … at the late hour, it dawns on you that you could have done that, you failed to do this, you failed to do that… you begin to fear whether the people that come to receive you will curse you, hoot at you,” Jonathan thundered.

    Clearly stated by the former President was that despite his administration’s neglect of Bayelsa State, Governor Dickson’s support for him never wavered. What, perhaps, went unstated was that Governor Dickson also remained steadfast despite the former President’s wife undisguised attempts to humiliate him.

    As a matter of fact, mutual friends of the duo were persuaded that Governor Dickson’s affection for the former President was like that of a son for the father, a state of affairs that angered many Ijaw activists like me.

    We believed that such strong affection for a man, whose administration neglected the Ijaw nation, amounted to a betrayal of the Ijaw cause for which Isaac Boro, Melford Okilo, DSP Alamieyeseigha fought and died.

    The former President would, again, confirm Governor Dickson as a dependable ally. The confirmation was made during the run-up to the December 2015 Bayelsa State governorship election, which Governor Seriake Dickson won.

    On 8 September 2015, while making a strong case for the re-election of Governor Dickson, the former President described the governor as a man of uncommon leadership qualities and a ‘‘trusted and dependable person’’.

    Thus, when the news media erupted with the reports, on 16 May, that Governor Dickson accused Dr. Jonathan of neglecting the Niger Delta during his five-year presidency, it came as no surprise to me. Why? Jonathan himself had admitted doing so. The governor made the remark at the annual Isaac Adaka Boro Day celebration at the Izon Warri in Yenagoa.

    After a careful reading of the governor’s speech, I realised-as any reader capable of reflection should-that Dickson’s comments were directed, exclusively, at the political elite, notably ministers and other appointees of the Jonathan administration. In very clear terms, the governor pointed out the studious refusal of people in this category to team up with him in his efforts to develop the state.

    Even then, it would require a mighty effort not to be tempted to interpret Dickson’s remarks as suggesting that Jonathan wasted the chance by the Ijaw to develop the Niger Delta because he was the leader. The leader, by nature, provides direction to the led. Not the other way.

    Ijaw leaders invested significant efforts, time and resources in the quest for true federalism, resource control and an opportunity to have one of them lead the country as president.

    The strength of this agitation, arising from decades of minority oppression, led the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo to say: “I look forward to the day, not in the far distant future, when an Ijaw would be president of our Republic and a Birom or vice versa.”

    Awolowo’s hopes were fulfilled when Dr. Jonathan got the chance. Did he use it well for the Ijaw nation? He has answered the question by himself.

    It is important for every Nigerian to understand that there should be adequate collaboration between the government of Bayelsa State and the Federal Government principally because the challenges posed by the environment cannot be surmounted by the state government alone.

    The dip in revenues accruing to the states of the federation makes this doubly difficult. The failure of the former President to adequately take care of the Niger Delta has been seized upon by the Buhari administration to reject requests for collaboration from the Bayelsa State government.

    The Buhari’s administration’s default question is: Why did such collaboration not take place when a Bayelsan was President?

    While I am not an admirer of Governor Dickson, I am persuaded that his disappointment with the former President is well founded. I think this is the position of well-meaning Ijaw person. It is a fact that oil exploration started in Ijawland, precisely in Oloibiri, Ogbia Local Government Area. Despite prosperity the country has seen from oil, Ijawland remains grim and in the grip of poverty and environmental degradation.

    It would have been amusing, were it not for its seriousness, that some people are making an issue of Governor Dickson’s observation, which Jonathan himself publicly admitted.

    Even if Jonathan had not admitted, evidence would have declined to support any grand claim he would make. The failure of the Jonathan administration to build the East-West Road, the only highway linking the Niger Delta region with the East and West, and his neglect of the federal road to Bayelsa State and the one to his community in Otuoke would have punctured any confected narrative of good performance.

    Dickson, it bears repeating, is not a man I admire. But his courage is an attribute I cannot dismiss. One of the first roads he constructed within his first year in office was the road from Sagbama to Toru-Orua, his community.

    So, my advice to those who love Jonathan more than he loves himself is:  If they must weep, they should weep for the grotesquely underdeveloped Ijaw nation, not for Jonathan, who frittered an opportunity to correct the wrongs of the past.

    For those with little or no knowledge of the Ijaw, they remain one of the world’s most oppressed people. A little background could help put the Ijaw situation in sharper focus. Bayelsa is the only homogeneous Ijaw state. It is the hub of neglect and therefore, agitation in the Niger Delta region.

    By nature, the Ijaw are activists, an attribute imposed on them by their challenging environment. It was this environment that gave rise to Major Jasper Isaac Adaka Boro, a native of Kaiama, Bayelsa State. Boro and his colleagues famously launched the 12-Day revolution against the Nigerian state, the foundation for the Niger Delta struggle.

    The founding fathers of Bayelsa State wanted the state they were agitating for to be the Jerusalem of all Ijaw scattered across Nigeria. It was against this background that late Governor DSP Alamiesiegha, nicknamed “Governor – General of the Ijaw nation” gave appointments and scholarships to Ijaw irrespective of whether they were from Bayelsa or not. The pattern has continued under Dickson, who was famously described by Alamieyeseigha as his successor in the Ijaw struggle.

    The implication is that a Bayelsa governor must attend to the needs of all Ijaw people, as he is viewed as a governor of the Ijaw nation. Bayelsa State was also conceived to only offer opportunities to only Ijaw.

    It also explains why Bayelsans tend to see public funds as something to be shared among themselves. I can say with authority that before Dickson became governor, public servants in the state were not paying Personal Income Tax. Similarly, citizens were not paying electricity bills, as they were borne by government.

    Bayelsa, as stated earlier, sits atop vast oil and gas deposits. Oloibiri in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State was where oil was first struck in commercial quantities in Nigeria. This has counted for nothing, with the treacherous terrain serving as impediments to wholesale development by successive state governments. This is made worse by inadequate or half-hearted interventions by the Federal Government, which has also continued to ignore agitation for more accruals. Successive state governments did their best and the current one is doing same, within the limits of its resources. Their efforts, however, have been like a drop in the ocean.

    This is why it is important to have a State/Federal Government collaboration on projects such as the Brass LNG, construction of an airport, deep seaport, good road networks to the oil terminals. There is no doubt that these big-ticket projects are way beyond the financial capacity of state government, even if it does nothing else for 10 years.

    One cheering news is that Dickson is building an international airport which, when completed, will transform the economy of the state but he must pay off salary arrears being owed public servants or else we boo him!

    The Jonathan presidency raised hopes. Jonathan was expected to allot oil wells to interested Ijaw businessmen and hit the Atlantic, where Ijaw people’s wealth lies, on three fronts: Brass, Oporoma- Koluama and Ekeremor-Agger. These fronts host the oil terminals, but are inaccessible to motorists. The prevalent belief in Bayelsa is that the state cannot develop until it has access to the sea. Having access not only entails building roads, but also having a deep seaport and an airport to make the state play an active role in the Gulf of Guinea.

    These, sadly, did not happen under Jonathan.

    • Comrade Soweibo is a Niger Delta activist based in Yenagoa and wrote in via soweibo50@gmail.com