The Nation Newspaper

Category: Niger Delta

  • Perewari Pere’s example

    Perewari Pere’s example

    As a nation, we must find a way to ensure funds for this kind of scholarship are set aside even before the students resume. The money should be kept in a special or dedicated account and should not be used for any other purpose other than footing their bills. Making the students go through the hassle of being harassed by school authorities over unpaid bills is capable of affecting their academic performance. Who knows may be there would have been more Peres if only the stress of being harassed for unpaid fees were not there.

    I cannot remember my first contact with the money-spinner called Niger Delta. It must be decades ago. Thanks to journalism, especially those early days and years when nowhere was too far to go in search of news capable of being rendered in good prose.

    Before my physical contact with the oil-rich region, I had met it in books, in articles, on television and on radio. I remember Ikot Ekpene, Bassey, Edet and those imageries of Akwa Ibom and Niger Delta in our literature text at Orile-Agege Primary School, Orile-Agege, Agege, a Lagos suburb.

    From those early contacts, the promise of the region was not lost on me. It was a region flowing with milk and honey, a region of great minds and a region meant to flourish and flower.

    Its key cities, such as Port Harcourt and Benin, are convergence for races— Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Kanuri, Ibibio and others.

    Some years back, the region, especially Port Harcourt, wore a new garment, the garment of fear.  Fear walked on all fours. That ended the era where oil giants made money and were not afraid. Now, their gates are manned by stern-looking soldiers or riot policemen. Their key figures are escorted everywhere by gun-toting security men. My last trip to Port Harcourt on the invitation of Eleme Petrochemical Company opened my eyes to the danger of being an expatriate in the Niger Delta. They live secluded lives and go out with heavily-armed security men ready to take on kidnappers and armed robbers.

    Politicians — out to show strength — have not helped the Niger Delta. They empower young and jobless youths with rifles and machine guns. Opponents are taken down with ease. When there are no political opponents to harass, the boys turn their guns against innocent citizens. Big boys now move around in bullet-proof vehicles. Many now take their kids far away to school.

    Shooting of guns or throwing of bombs is not strange in the region. Politicians outsource the punishment of their opponents through fatal deaths to cultists. Heads are freely broken. Necks are twisted with ease. Arms have hot leads pumped into them regularly. It is simply a tale of blood in many streets and creeks of the Niger Delta.

    It was in this region that 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 — which, I am afraid, may never come.

    Because of the madness in the region, many are now homeless. Many are now fatherless; many are widows; and many are on wheel chairs, with pellets of bullets lodged in their bones.  You can imagine the pains of walking around with legs that feel like wood. Dreams have died and aspirations doomed. It is a crazy world out there. Really crazy world.

    Welcome to this world where many a youth sees the easy way as the only way to make money. Here a sizeable population of youth prefer to roll on the lap of luxury, enjoy the extravagancies of women of easy virtues and turn champagne to hand-washing liquid. Thanks to easy cash in the hands of men with brawns and no brains.

    Don’t get me wrong; I am not saying the Niger Delta story is all gloom. Far from it. And that was why I was excited early in the week when the news broke that a Bayelsan, Perewari Victor Pere, bagged First Class Honours from Lincoln University, United States. He also emerged the Overall best and was named University’s Valedictorian.

    Bayelsa State Governor Henry Seriake Dickson expressed his delight over Pere’s feat, which was achieved in Mathematics/ Computer Science.

    I was doubly excited when I got to the part of the report which said Pere’s brilliance has caught the attention of foremost ICT giant Apple, which is considering having him on its payroll.

    Pere’s dream would have been aborted if the Lincoln authorities had not been lenient. At a point, his sponsor, the Bayelsa State government, which was also sponsoring 20 other students in the university, could not afford to pay their bills as and when due. The state government has only managed to cough out $500,000 of what it owes. Dickson says the balance will be paid.

    Beneficiaries of similar scholarship, sponsored by the Presidential Amnesty Programme, ran into stormy waters because of inability of the programme to meet their financial obligations to institutions. Many of them graduated recently and did exceptionally well.

    Not less than 2,000 students are abroad studying for one degree or the other on the bill of the Amnesty Programme, which was introduced during the regime of the late Umar Musa Yar’Adua, to bring peace to the Niger Delta. There are several others who have been trained as pilots, marine engineers, underwater welders and experts in various oil and gas fields. A motor assembly plant is planned for the Niger Delta and it will be run by ex-agitators trained at Innoson Academy by the Amnesty Office. These are the Peres of the Niger Delta and should be put to good use.

    My final take: As a nation, we must find a way to ensure funds for this kind of scholarship are set aside even before the students resume. The money should be kept in a special or dedicated account and should not be used for any other purpose other than footing their bills. Making the students go through the hassle of being harassed by school authorities over unpaid bills is capable of affecting their academic performance. Who knows may be there would have been more Peres if only the stress of being harassed for unpaid fees were not there.

    We should also find a way to ensure that those still on the streets of the Niger Delta instilling fears in others through kidnapping, armed robbery and all kinds of criminalities must be taken off and made to turn a new leave and if they are unwilling, they should be fished out, prosecuted and jailed.

    Niger Delta is a first class society and there should be no room for killer-politicians and youths out to make free cash to lavish on women, champagne and all manners of frivolities.

  • Politics of NDDC projects in Akwa Ibom

    Politics of NDDC projects in Akwa Ibom

    Nkeneke Efo, an Uyo-based journalist, analyses the politics of the state of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC) projects in Akwa Ibom State.

    Nsima Ekere is just one of few Akwa Ibom indigenes to have been privileged to serve in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) at the level of Chairman, Managing Director (MD) or Executive Director (ED).

    Others who served at some of these levels before him were Ambassador Sam Edem (Chairman); Barrister Bassey Dan-Abia (Acting Chairman/Managing Director); Udo Mbosoh (ED); Eshiett (ED); Engr. Thomas Ukott (ED), amongst others.

    But Ekere’s tenure, which is just about six months old, has seen the NDDC became a song on every lip in the state, owing, principally, to the new interest generated in the project of the commission.

    It all started when the Commission under Ekere, a former Deputy Governor of the State, barely two months in office, rolled out an advertisement for tender on contract jobs available for award. About 60 were for Akwa Ibom State only and covered the areas of the Commission’s mandate: Water, health, education, power and roads. Almost all local government areas had one or two of the projects listed. This, in addition to about 37 Emergency Roads Repair jobs that were also awarded by the commission, was enough to send signals to discerning citizens that the commission was going to be pro-active in its posture towards the state.

    The road projects, especially, were awarded on roads that had long been abandoned, neglected by past government and which were in different states of disrepair, always flooded and most times, impassable. Some of the roads are Ukana Offot Street, School Roads, Udo Eduok Street, Nelson Mandela, Federal Housing Estate, Uyo among other roads in Uyo, and several others across the state.

    Not many, especially in the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which produced the Governor  Udom Emmanuel, saw the move as being political. There are speculations that Ekere, who had previously ran for the office of the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, will run again in 2019, on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Emmanuel is interested in a second term.

    To the PDP, spotting Ekere early enough was fair. Sensing the direction of his Commission’s intervention in the development of the state was fairer. What to do? Politicise the intervention and set up a political ambush for the intention of the Commission in fulfilling its mandate to the people of the state, so far it stops Ekere from getting an associated boost for his perceived aspiration in 2019.

    The opportunity showed up when the state government, which had worked on one of the roads abandoned by the NDDC in Ikono Local Government Area, went to inaugurate the road. Commissioner for Works Akparawa Ephraim Inyang said the NDDC had turned the state to an abandoned project site, urging the Federal Government to probe the NDDC over the act. In quick succession, a group, Akwa Ibom Integrity Group, which many believe is funded by agents of the government, ran a 7-page advertorial in national and local newspapers calling  for the probe of the current management of the NDDC. Their petition listed 377 projects purportedly abandoned in the state.

    What the petitioners did not know was that they had stirred the hornet’s nest. Ekere, who was their subject, was not to be found in the nest as other groups joined the petitioners, but this time with a refrain demanding that the probe should rather be on  the contractors, who were mainly members of the then ruling PDP. The contractors listed in the petition were mostly ones awarded between 2007 and 2015 when the PDP held sway at the commission. The hunter thus became haunted.

    To date, outside the emergency road repair contracts, Ekere’s NDDC is yet to award contracts in the state. The process for awards is, however, on. The commissioner recanted, saying he was not calling on the government to probe the PDP contractors but for the NDDC to complete its abandoned projects.

    Some weeks after, another opportunity showed up. Minister of the Niger Delta Pastor Usani Usani was in the state to inspect projects under his ministry. The Commissioner for Works followed him round. The minister obviously irked by the quality of job by some contractors complained. The Works Commissioner’s media handlers went to town: ‘Minister berates NDDC for poor quality of jobs’, starting their stories with “the Managing Director of the NDDC, Nsima Ekere, has been berated by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Usani, for the poor quality of jobs by the NDDC.” It became an issue which led to the NDDC Director of Commercial and Industrial Development, Mr. Anietie Usen, a veteran journalist who served as the first Head of Corporate Affairs of the Commission, coming to Uyo to clear the misconceptions about the state, situation, quantity and quality of projects in the state.

    Inyang countered by appearing on the state owned AKBC-Radio to make further comments, including saying: “I want to appeal to the NDDC to direct their contractors working on Ewet Housing Estate roads to do a good job. They are currently putting red earth on unsuitable materials. This is below sub-standard. That road will collapse in three months. We want roads in Akwa Ibom but we want good quality roads that will last.”

    The attention of the Minister, Pastor Usani, was drawn into the crisis and he quickly sent out a release: “My attention is drawn to press posts which suggest that I hold the MD of NDDC, Nsima Ekere, responsible for poor projects delivery. Whereas I express grave disconnect for obvious observation of poor project execution, there is no wresting of attributing the case to the current management. I am conscious of the fact that my observation predates the current management which places no burden of liability on the Managing Director (Ekere).”

    Day after day, especially in local newspaper and on radio stations in the state, the debate on the NDDC projects prevail, mostly fuelled by the politics of 2019 and the political traducers of the MD, Ekere.

    My investigations to road project sites reveal that the NDDC has a very robust checkup system initiated by the current management.

    At the Federal Housing Estate, Abak Road, Uyo, where the NDDC has “cleaned up” the once desolate estate, the Managing Director of the firm handling the “clean up,” God’s Owned Projects Limited, Mr. Godwin Brownson, said “those who said NDDC does poor jobs, should come and see what we are doing. They also do not know the NDDC very well. There is a serious quality assurance scheme in the NDDC contract process. There is no way I can do any of the bits on the BEME (Bill of Engineering Measurement and Evaluation) that NDDC project monitors and inspectors don’t come to see. Even if they were not to come, most of the contractors are conscious that they have to build a good name and therefore cannot afford to do shoddy jobs. Every NDDC contractor wants a new job and also wants to get paid. The payment process is strictly based on quality of delivery and other due process. So, no NDDC contractor can joke with the quality of work he is contracted to do.”

    “The job we are doing here is almost a complete new road, though the NDDC calls it emergency repairs. From excavating the old road surface, filling it with new laterite, stone basing, priming and asphalting, complete with new drains, it is a complete process of constructing a new road. The people of the state should be grateful to NDDC for this intervention,” Brownson added.

    Investigation shows the people are grateful. A few I spoke with said they have never had it so good with NDDC. Imaobong Effiong, who runs a restaurant in the estate, said her area was inaccessible because of the bad road and she had to close down her restaurant, but with NDDC interventions, more shops including her restaurant have reopened for business.

    To Otu Ita Toyo, former PDP State Chairman, “It is wrong to politicize the NDDC intervention. In a widely circulated piece he titled Where We There When The Vultures Gathered?, he stated: Now, if Akwa Ibom State Government draws attention to abandoned NDDC projects in the state in good faith, they are in order. Starting  from abandoned local and state projects, the state government has a duty to ensure the completion of project within her jurisdiction even when the project was instituted by United Nations. There is nothing amidst there. To our fortune, the NDDC is here doing what the agency could not begin to contemplate in the days we controlled the Presidency. Would it not be a source of joy to then complement the state government for a change. Both Governor Akpabio and Presidient Jonathan publicly acknowledged that during their time in office, the PDP Federal Government and NDDC did nothing for Akwa Ibom State. Must we encourage that situation to survive now that we have the good fortune of a son who remembers the situation back home? The unhealthy rivalry is senseless, rather there should be cooperation.

    Another former PDP chieftain, Chief Edet Mkpubre, former National Vice Chairman, Southouth, said: “All these stories of abandoned projects and blaming same on the present management of the Commission, boils down to the politics of 2019 in the state and that is regrettable. It is impossible to assess the Managing Director of NDDC in just five months.”

    Possibly conscious of this scheming against the leadership, the Commission has at every fora reiterated its commitment to ensure that projects are driven more by community needs than any other considerations and also ensure that contractors perform within the confines of best practices and quality delivery.

    In an address to the Akwa Ibom State Phase of the Stakeholders Consultative Enlightenment Programme in Uyo, Ekere had said that with the determination of the Commission’s leadership, it was incumbent on stakeholders to provide independent verification of project status within their communities, pointing out that the Commission recently launched a project monitoring and information portal that enables stakeholders to send pictures and updates of projects in progress.

    The commission has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with FOSTER, one of its development partners, to strategically translate the Commission from a contract awarding institution to a development-based institution. The MoU will ensure the development of a communication strategy that has a mechanism that allows for feedback from key stakeholders that will ensure all key stakeholders are aware of NDDC activities as well as develop a robust monitoring and evaluation strategy that will ensure projects are impactful in the lives of the host communities.

  • Dickson’s bag of honours for Boroh

    The late Major Isaac Adaka Boroh resurrected again this year. Boroh is remembered May 16th of every year. The celebration, which took place on Tuesday, was a memorable event especially for the family members of the dead hero.

    Esther, the first daughter of Boroh, the wife of the late hero and others, who gathered at the Ijaw House, Yenagoa, to mark the momentous day, gave Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson a standing ovation.

    The governor reinstated the monthly allowances his administration has been paying to the Boroh’s family and other Ijaw compatriots. Dickson started paying the allowances in his first tenure as a governor, but suspended them following the economic recession that hit the early months of his second tenure. But the governor has brought the grooves back.

    Dickson has also given priority to Kolokuma-Opokuma, the local government area of the late hero, in his projects.

    He took a road to Boroh’s Town, created in the council in honour of the late Ijaw hero, after many years of neglect. The governor sited one of his most enduring legacies in education, the Ijaw Academy, in Kaiama, the community of the late Boroh. It is an academic institution with boarding facilities designed to offer free education to Ijaw pupils. Dickson also built the Youth Development Centre in the council.

    In fact, the Paramount Ruler of Kolokuma-Opokuma, King Mosi Agara, named the governor, the Adaka 2nd for stepping into Boroh’s shoes. The traditional ruler  said Dickson was the first leader, who went through a rigorous process, to bring back the remains of Boroh from Ikoyi Cemetery to the Heroes Park, a special place he dedicated in Yenagoa for burials of distinguished late Ijaw leaders.

    The traditional ruler eulogised the governor for naming the Bayelsa College of Education in Sagabma Local Government Area  after Adaka Boroh.

    Also, Esther, the daughter of the late hero, poured encomiums on the governor for bringing back in action Boroh’s memories. She said the governor saw the need to build a road to Boroh’s town, skill acquisition centre in Kaiama and the NYSC permanent orientation camp.

    She appealed to the youths to desist from vandalism of oil installations and destruction of the environment, saying such actions defeated the true essence of Boroh. Instead, he said youths should help the governor develop and move the stage forward.

    The people, who gathered for the celebration were also thrilled for the adjustments and other pronouncements the governor made in the spirits of Boroh. Henceforth, the celebrations will be held in schools. Teachers trained on Ijaw Language by his government are hereby given immediate employment. Ijaw anthem to be launched soon and the first Ijaw International Conference to be held outside Nigeria.

    Dickson said: “Beginning this year, the government of Bayelsa State as part of our policy of taking Bayelsa and Ijaw nation to the world, will be sponsoring the first ever World Ijaw International Conference outside the shores of Nigeria to sensitise the world about the Ijaw condition”.

    The governor seized the opportunity to speak hard truth to the Ijaw.

    He said: “For those of you who think that you have a Bayelsa that exist only to fill your pockets, think again. For those of you, who think that this state only exist to satisfy the greed and avarice of the elites and few people, think again.

    “For those of you who are civil servants who think that this state exist to fill your pockets without you doing your duties by going to work, where 43,000 or 45,000 of you in the state in a population of close to three million will think that everything we receive in this state should be channeled towards you even without doing your work, think again.

    “For those of you who connive and perpetrate fraud on our state at every level, think again. Isaac Boro and persons who fought beside him believe in the wellbeing and welfare of their people not themselves. They stood trial, were convicted and sentenced to death and later granted pardon. They later came to fight for our liberation and they died.

    “As we speak, we have a thousand young Boroh’s being incubated. We took them from their parents. They are there fed by the state, clothed by the state and accommodated by the state with books and other materials provided by the state. By Friday this week (today) another set of five boarding schools are starting in Bayelsa. That is the way to carry out the dreams of Boroh”.

    The governor, his Deputy, Rear Admiral John Jonah (retd) and other dignitaries laid wreaths in honour of Boroh.

    In their goodwill messages, the Amayanabo of Twon Brass, Alfred Diete-Spiff and the chairman of the Bayelsa Elders Forum, Chief Francis Doukpola said Boro lived and died for what he believed in.

  • Italian court intervenes in Bayelsa community’s,oil giant’s dispute

    Italian court intervenes in Bayelsa community’s,oil giant’s dispute

    Friends of the Earth Nigeria and Friends of the Earth Europe have teamed up with a Bayelsa State community, Ikebiri, to drag oil giant ENI before a court in in Milan, Italy, over the pollution of their environment, writes PRECIOUS DIKEWOHA.

    ‘It is frustrating to learn that AGIP accepts responsibility for the Spill but without liability to clean up and pay adequate compensation. The tactics of underestimating spills to reduce damage has been challenged by this historic court case’

    Ikebiri is a community in Bayelsa State. It is made up of several villages. Its main economic activities include palm-wine tapping, canoe carving, fishing, farming, animal trapping and traditional medical practices.

    Its story took a sad turn on April 5, 2010. No thanks to the bursting of an oil pipeline operated by oil giant ENI’s Nigerian operation, the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC). It burst 250 metres from a creek north of Ikebiri. The spill affected the creek, fishing ponds and trees essential to the local community. It badly damaged the livelihoods of the community.

    Six days after the spill, a joint inspection visit led by NAOC cited “equipment failure” as the cause of the spill.

    The oil giant operates seven wells and eight pipe lines with several flow lines in the area. The leak was closed, and the surrounding polluted area of bush was burnt without the consent of the community. This was a process far below international standard.

    The community approached NAOC/ENI for emergency relief materials and compensation. On April 5, the oil giant released N2 million to the community and on April 18, it added €10,034 for relief materials. As compensation, it offered N4.5 million, which was rejected by the community. The community wants N31.5 million.

    A resident, Emilia Matthew, said: “I am sick and we don’t know what to resort to when experiencing illness. Fishing, which has been our means of livelihood, is now threatened; it is no longer productive due to the river being polluted by oil spills. The fish in our fish ponds in the swamps/bush too have all been killed by crude oil. So, we have lost our fish ponds. The vegetables we plant within the community, some of which are medicinal and we use in treating ourselves are also affected by crude oil.”

    Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Executive Director Nigeria Dr. Godwin Uyi Ojo, at news conference on Tuesday in Lagos, said: “It took six days for NAOC to agree to a joint inspection visit where it was concluded that “equipment failure” caused the spill. NAOC operates seven wells and eight pipelines with several flow lines in the area of Ikebiri. You will be shocked to know that after that visit the leak was closed but the surrounding polluted area of bush was set ablaze in a state of the art clean up technology often deployed by AGIP and without the consent of the local community. No other clean-up has taken place since.

    “It is frustrating to learn that AGIP accepts responsibility for the Spill but without liability to clean up and pay adequate compensation. The tactics of underestimating spills to reduce damage has been challenged by this historic court case. Though NAOC claimed the polluted area is 9 hectares and an estimated 50 barrels of oil leaked, we know from chemical analysis that the polluted area is much wider. It is at least 17.6 hectares wide, while evidence of pollution has also been found by soil sample analysis 2km downstream from the spill site.”

    Ojo added: “The monumental hurdles and the challenges of access to justice on the way of community people includes lack of access to information, high costs of legal cases, sleeping on your rights which limits period of initiating a case, and the cumbersome nature of oil spill cases against transnational companies that could take a lifetime. These impediments on the way of local people to seek access to environmental justice persists hence this court case to serve as deterrent. In the Niger Delta, there are potentially over 1000 cases against oil companies arising from negligence and nuisance from their oil operations. In the case of Ikebiri, AGIP/ENI is considering as cleaned up a land that is still heavily polluted, and offering a paltry sum as compensation to externalise productions costs. The community has lived with this heart retching situation ever since.  Their plight is now the same with other communities of the Niger Delta that live with the impacts of continuous oil spills on their environment, health and livelihoods.

    “As mentioned last week when the case was instituted, the spill could have been managed and stopped from spreading to a huge expanse of the Ikebiri swampland but the nonchalant attitude of the ENI/NAOC created the current mess.”

    Friends of the Earth Europe and the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria are supporting the community’s court case against ENI.

    In the case against AGIP/ENI filed in Milan, Italy, on May 4, the plaintiffs are seeking the clean-up of their community and compensation for the pollution. The King of Ikebiri is the plaintiff, and the lawyers representing them are Luca Saltalamacchia with Chima Williams of ERA/FoE Nigeria.

    Ojo explained that “we feel this case should set the stage for others equally impacted by ENI’s operations to take their destinies in their hands and to provide deterrents to Agip/ENI and other oil companies.”

    He gave recent cases as:  Azuzuama, which happened on July 9, 2015 in which 14 persons were burnt beyond recognition along NAOC’s Tebidabe-Clough Creek pipeline, Etieama community in Nembe Local Government Area and Ayamabele/Kalaba community environment, in Okordia clan, Yenagoa, Bayelsa.

    The ERA boss went on: “This is an unprecedented case in Italy, and its success has been a product of 4 years of painstaking research and documentation and the patience of the Ikebiri people suffering this ordeal this past seven years.  We hope that this case will be successful being the first instance of an Italian company having to face justice in Italy for its actions in destroying the environment overseas. It will help end the impunity and offer hope to other communities that have suffered damages as a result of pollution from oil wells or pipelines operated by Agip/ENI or any other multinational firm operating in the Niger Delta and elsewhere.”

     

  • As Obaseki begins civil service reforms

    When the Edo State Civil Secretariat buildings were first inaugurated during the military administration of late Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia, they were a cynosure of beauty.  Located along Sapele Road in Benin City, the secretariat buildings were the second high rise building in the country after the Cocoa House built by late Obafemi Awolowo.

    The buildings were supposed to housed all government ministries and agencies in the defunct Bendel State. As at the time of inauguration of the buildings, three out of the five buildings were completed. Those completed were the Palm House which consisted of 12 floors, the secretariat building (eight floors) and the two storey Civil Service Commission building. The buildings especially the Palm House was tagged the Pride of Bendel.

    Two other buildings tagged Block C and Block D which are eight floors each were yet to be completed. In 2008, the Block D was awarded and completed but government officials did not move in until while the uncompleted Block C served as a place of abode for some policemen until 2010 after a report was published about the living place of policemen in Edo State.

    Today, the completed secretariat buildings are an eye sore. State Chairman of the Trade Union Congress, Comrade Ohue Marshall aptly captured the rot and decay in the buildings in his May Day address to Governor Godwin Obaseki.

    He said, “We expect government to pay attention to its buildings and offices to make work environment conducive. A first time visitor will wonder the kind of people we are given the nature of our infrastructural decay.

    “Our offices as at today are not qualified to be called offices but simply put “Abandoned kitchen”. This is as a result of complete neglect of various work places by past government over the years. The environment is hostile and all elements for effective and efficient working system are completely abandoned.”

    The 9th and 10th floor of the Palm House that was gutted by fire in 2003 are yet to be  renovated. The only lift operational in the building is always faulty that people preferred to use the stairs. Many of the offices except the part recently renovated by Edo SEEFOR are an eyesore. Files are scattered in many of the offices and many of the furniture are old. In fact, for the past 40 years that the buildings were erected, no major renovation work has been done.

    When Obaseki paid a working visit to the secretariat, his verdict was that “You do not expect people to work in this condition and get results”.

    Obaseki went on: “This complex was designed and most of it constructed, almost 40 years ago. So, the decay started quite a while ago.

    “We need a total overhaul, not only cleaning, but the entire process. You could see squatters, you could see traders all over the place, and that in itself creates insecurity for people working here. So, we are going to look at the entire gamut; from ensuring that this place is properly fenced to having a power system.

    “Rather than each ministry having a generating set, we need to have an efficient system that powers the secretariat and the entire complex, ensure that they have water, ensure that the place is properly cleaned and ensure that you have control in terms of access of who comes here and that government documents that are kept here are safe.”

    During the presentation of the 2017 budget, Obaseki said his policy focused on six key areas which include Economic Revolution, Infrastructural Expansion, Institutional Reform, Social Welfare Enhancement, Culture and Tourism and Environmental Sustainability.

    In carrying out institutional reform, Obaseki said he would put required facilities in place so that civil servants could work in a safe and efficient environment.

    He commenced the renovation of the secretariat buildings. A visit to the secretariat showed that work has commenced in the building housing the Local Government Service Commission, Law Review Commission and Civil Service Commission.

    The floor tiles in the top floor were being removed while many of the doors and furniture were removed from many of the offices.

    Chief Press Secretary to Governor Obaseki, Mr. John Mayaki, said the renovation  was systematic fulfillment of electoral promises.

    He said: “In his first week after assuming office, he was clear on the condition of workers, welfare, environment, safety and general infrastructure. He inspected Palm House, Secretariat building, Block D, Benin Technical College among others to ascertain their conditions and how to put them in befitting order for workers’ optimum productivity. He left nobody in doubt that he would match words with action.

    “What is clear here is that Mr. Governor is not distancing himself from his campaign promises. He is not your type of politician who will say what he does not mean, knowing fully well that voters choose one politician over another because of campaign promises and personality.

    “It is disingenuous to get the votes of the electorate based on specific promises but turn back on those promises once elected. The governor is a man of integrity and must be regarded as making genuine efforts to fulfill his campaign promises.”

  • New roads to travel in Edo 

    New roads to travel in Edo 

    Confucius – that renowned Chinese sage of many catchphrases – was, no doubt, high as a kite when he said: “Roads were made for journeys, not destinations”. The idea here is not that he snuck and took some opiate to heighten his creativity, or that he went and indulged in the fruit of the vine.

    The idea is that he was, of imagination, on an intellectually elevated pedestal and was seeing things that were as sound in concept as they were poetic in expression.

    In Edo State, the appositely lauded technocrat governor, Mr. Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki, leaves no one in doubt of his unfeigned understanding of the importance of roads to the socioeconomic wellbeing of the people of Edo State. If the road is unduly rough, the governor understands, the journey surely will be unpleasant, and the desire for the destination may wane.

    It explains why Governor Obaseki reiterates his unambiguous commitment to the development of road infrastructure in the state. During his recent commissioning of the newly constructed 500km Nevis Street Road, which links four major roads in Benin City, the governor reaffirmed his administration’s resolve to make certain that within the four years of his first term in office he completes 3000km of roads.

    To be sure, all of these roads will not only enrich the development of infrastructure and make life more meaningful for the people in the state, they will equally generate decent jobs for all categories of people especially youths who will be given requisite training in road designs and constructions using concrete technology.

    One of the things that will stand out the roads to be constructed across the state under this administration is the use of concrete technology. The newly reconstructed Nevis Street Road is the first road to be reconstructed in the state using concrete materials.

    Constructing roads with concrete rather than asphalt will facilitate durability. Road construction experts have maintained again and again that rigid concrete is more durable than asphalt; it has a lifespan of between 20 and 40 years. Such roads are less likely to have potholes. The surface of concrete is also better at preventing automobile skidding, it ensures the safety of people and in that connection helps reduce the frequent spate of accidents necessitated by poorly constructed roads.

    Besides, concrete roads do not drain the coffers like asphalt roads when it comes to maintenance. Asphalts are money guzzlers when maintenance is considered. If heavy spending on road maintenance is out of the way, money will be available for other equally important programmes. With concrete pavement, it is a win-win for both government and the people. Already in many advanced societies of the world, concrete roads are more increasingly in vogue. The reason for this inheres in the great benefits it offers.

    Of the significance of constructing roads with concrete, Mr. Ashif Juma, the Managing Director of AG-Dangote, the company contracted to refurbish the Nevis Street Road with concrete, noted further that, “Concrete has always made most sense in the long run. No other paving materials match concrete’s strength and durability in standing up to heavy usage and truck traffic. Concrete lasts longer without the need for resurfacing, patching or surface sealing. Concrete delivers structurally, financially and environmentally.”

    He added that the road was constructed in compliance with Governor Obaseki’s directive that the materials must be sourced locally, noting that what the governor’s directive enabled his company to prove is the fact that concrete roads could be built within a short period.

    Doubtlessly, it is the habit of leaders who are prudent and are irresolute in their commitment to the progress of their people to make sure that they maximise resources and achieve the best with what is available. Governor Obaseki demonstrated that he belongs in the fold of such uncommon leaders when he noted that given the success recorded in the use of concrete technology, about 45 roads that have been awarded for construction and reconstruction would be done solely with the use of concrete. The roads would be constructed, he observed, with raw materials sourced from within the state.

    In his view, Edo State does not need to depend on foreign exchange for road construction as all materials and human capital could be sourced locally. It is to this end that the governor encouraged youths in the state to take advantage of the opportunity for employment available in the Edo Jobs Initiative by registering for it. As he emphasised at the referred road commissioning ceremony, there would be a beneficial, enduring road infrastructure revolution in Edo State, for among other things, he has “come to change the face of politics in Nigeria.”

    In other words, he has come to change the narrative of road infrastructure in the country setting his state up as a model. And this is no mere sweet talk. Hear him: “The construction of this Nevis Street within seven weeks showed that this government can make promises and fulfil them. This is a revolution in our road construction. We will design our roads, and we will train our youths on roads design and construction without waiting for foreign exchange. We have all the raw materials here.”

    As of now across different areas in Benin City about 29 roads are in different stages of reconstruction and rehabilitation, with some being remodelled with concrete technology.

    For Edo residents, the revolution springing up in road infrastructure in the city centre in the state is no fluke. It is in view of this unmediated reality that some of them have expressed their heartfelt delight and satisfaction. The summary of their experience in this regard is that life is surely getting easier. They feel really happy that their socioeconomic undertakings will be greatly enhanced by the reconstruction and rehabilitation of roads. Indeed, the journeys for which the roads are made will be more pleasurable, even as their desire to achieve the goals of their varied activities become more boosted.

    Reporter who went round the state capital last Friday on a tour of some ongoing projects coordinated by the Office of the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Godwin Obaseki captured the infectious gladness of the people in response to the vast improvement taking place in road infrastructure.

    A resident and fabricator working along Wire Road, Iyoyin Shekiri, expressed joy over the development, saying that Obaseki had started following the developmental footsteps of his predecessor, Comrade Adams Oshiohmole, in ensuring that Edo people have access to good roads.

    He said Wire road had never had it good in terms of access to good roads until Governor Obaseki assumed office “to redeem the people from the road that had suffered years of abandonment” and had become a death trap.

    The situation at Nevis Street was not different as residents came out in their large numbers to applaud the Governor Obaseki on his determination to improve the socioeconomic wellbeing of the people through massive road construction and rehabilitation across the state.

    Daniel Ohenhen, who was among the residents that spoke to reporters at Wire Road, thanked the governor for doing a good job, and appealed that more of those works be replicated across the state.

    The Director of Construction in the state Ministry of Works, Mr John Obanor, explained that from the total 29 roads of over 50km earmarked for rehabilitation, 15 have been completed with either flexible pavement or rigid pavement.

    At Ikpokpan Road in the Government Reservation Area (GRA), Obanor said rigid pavement with concrete was used on the road to check areas susceptible to erosion. According to him, lkpokpan Road, which was about 60 to 70 metres of rigid pavement, was expected to stand the test of time for a minimum of 25 years.

    Other roads include Oba Eweka/Ogbetuo Oni Road, Osabuihien Close GRA, Wire Road, Nekpenekpen, Nevis Road, Ugbor, Nekpenekpe, Oni Street, and Jemide/Akhiobare.

    Explaining the technique behind the constructions, Obanor said: “We have done quite well as regards reconstruction and rehabilitation of the roads. In fact, we are sure of completing all these roads before the rains set in proper.

    “As you may have noticed, we adopted quite a number of measures to ensure these roads last longer. These measures are the combination of rigid pavement and flexible pavement. For areas that are prone to environmental condition, we used rigid pavement while we used flexible pavement for the areas that are not prone to flooding.”

    In Governor Obaseki, Edo has got itself another bright mind willing to modernise the state for the overall good of a greater number of the people. The rising tide of road infrastructure, among other laudable programmes, is an eloquent proof of this.

    • Osadolor writes from Benin City.
  • Women,young farmers count blessings in CADP project in Cross River

    Women,young farmers count blessings in CADP project in Cross River

    Women and youths that were beneficiaries of the Commercial Agricutlture Development Progamme in Cross River State have expressed gratitude for the programme, which they said have changed their lives for the better.

    The women and youths empowerment programme, which was launched in 2009 and would wind up on May 31, 2017 this year, is driven by the World Bank and the Federal Government to empower women and youths in the area of agro-business in five states.

    In Cross River State 700 women and youths have benefitted from the programme, and were trained across he value chains of oil-palm, cocoa, rice, poultry and aqua-culture.

    The beneficiaries were divided into three batches. The first batch of 100 who were trained from August to September 2015. According to the Project Coordinator in the state, Mr Duckham Ama, the first batch who had concluded their training at the Songhai Farms in Itighidi in Abi local government area were mobilized with N2.5 million each.

    The first batch consisted of 46 women and 54 young men, while the second and third batches have 298 women and 302 young men.

    The second and third batches trained from November and December last year received a higher sum of N3 million. According to the Coordinator, the money was non-refundable, but there were measures to ensure that beneficiaries do not use it for purposes other than what it was meant for.

    Speaking at an interactive session between the media and beneficiaries of the project in Calabar, farmers who participated in the first batch described how the programme had changed their lives.

    Mr Okon Augustine Ekeng, who is into fish farming said, “I am grateful for the World Bank for helping us to implement this. Today I am very successful person. You can see here I have my fresh and dry fish here. It is of high quality and hygienically prepared catfish that is free of sand and cancer free. What we use in drying it is smoke free. I thank God for what he has done and also went the CADP staff that helped us stand on our feet to also help the 600 batch that has just started.

    “I have been able to employ two persons. I have a garden behind my fish farm, so the waste water goes there. Nothing is wasted.”

    Also, Mr Elemi Williams, who is into rice farming said, “It has been wonderful. It started like a learning experience. But now I am experienced. I have gained knowledge and that has brought me to a level where I can bring a physical product for you to see as my product, not someone else’s product. I am into the native rice, which is totally de-stoned and is 100 per cent chaff free. It is our native rice. The passion is there. I see my future in this business. I see my dreams interpreted through this business the drive to do more is there. My dealing with the organizers have been wonderful in the sense that I had a passion for what I came for and used that passion in dealing with the people who funded this project. My dealing has been very sincere with them. My advise to the younger ones who are coming into doing it is for them to be sincere with themselves because if they are sincere the benefit of that sincerity will come.”

    Mrs Okoma Bassey Edet, who is into oil-palm said, “we make our oil such that we remove the fatty acids and cholesterol to a very low level. With this programme, we see that it has helped the youths and women in terms of unemployment. I mean look at me now. I am making my own money. We are no longer sitting at home and just receiving from our husbands. We go out there to keep ourselves busy and reduce unemployment. For instance I employ two people for now and I am still believing God as the business keeps growing I will employ more. The business is improving.”

    Ama urged the second and third batches of beneficiaries to be committed to the programme so their lives can be better. He said they were committed to the success of the programme.

    Commissioner for Agriculture, Prof Anthony Eneji, was grateful for the programme and assured the state will do all it can to support it.

    The Special Adviser on Agriculture, Yvonne Idem, said the governor, being an entrepreneur him, would do all can to support entrepreneurs.

    She said the first batch had been fully implemented and were doing very well, and urged the second and third batches of beneficiaries to be serious as they were privileged to be the few chosen from so many.

    She said under the program 55.77km of roads had been constructed to enable farmers bring out their products, reduce travel time and cost of transportation.

    She urged beneficiaries to help build others.

  • Going for NLNG’s neck

    Going for NLNG’s neck

    As a child, one lesson my parents and teachers left me with is that you change or amend something to make it better. As  an adult, I have realised that not everybody shares this belief. At times, some people just want to change or amend things for reasons they may not even be proud to reveal. To justify their action, they will simply just look for a well-sounding excuse, which will carve them in the image of super heroes.

    You may wonder: what is he rambling about? It is all about Tuesday’s action of the House of Representatives on the NLNG Act. The Act, which started out as a military decree, has been in existence for close to 30 years. The House of Representatives amended it on Tuesday. The Senate is expected to follow. When this is done, our jewel of inestimable value and Bonny Island’s dearest, the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited, will never be the same again.

    Bonny Island, where NLNG is located, was without form until Shell the light. Mobil saw it later. The Nigerian LNG Limited saw it over two decades ago when work started on Africa’s largest LNG plant. They all liked the place and the promise there. The Federal Government, which has interest in all of these ventures, too knows what the country stands to gain from Bonny Island, which hosts the country’s only port of origin.

    Of these companies in Bonny, NLNG seems dearest to the indigenes. It is their pride. Through it, they enjoy uninterrupted power supply, among other dividends. For Nigeria, it is both our pride and cash-cow.

    You will understand better what NLNG means to Nigeria if you listened to Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Group Managing Director (GMD) Dr. Maikanti Baru  some months back on an NTA programme.

    To Baru, the Bonny NLNG is one of the biggest success stories of the oil and gas industry. This company, Baru said, has generated $90 billion revenue, $30 billion dividends and contributed four per cent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    The model, which made NLNG a success, is, however, under threat from the National Assembly. Baru believes this move against the NLNG Act has dampened the optimism of investors in the industry.

    “The review of the NLNG Act by the National Assembly is causing a challenge for the Federal Government and the IOCs and it is sending wrong signals to the international community about how business is done in the country,” he said.

    The NLNG has been a darling and should be allowed to remain so. Let me cite this particular example: When President Muhammadu Buhari came in, the Federal Government initiated a bailout package for states owing their workers. The bulk of the money which made up the N400 billion package came from proceeds from the Bonny Island, Finima, Rivers State-based company.

    This darling, which was incorporated some 30 years ago but its first cargo of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) did not leave the Bonny Port until ten years later, rose so fast that it became the fourth largest supplier of LNG. The company has also paid over $5.5billion as Companies Income Tax, Tertiary Education Tax, WHT, VAT and PAYE. Regulators’ levies and other fees have led to the company coughing out over N51billion.

    The NLNG owns some 30 ships. It used to be 24 until six additional ships were delivered by Samsung and Hyundai dockyards. Through its second subsidiary, the NLNG Ship Manning Limited (NSML), the NLNG is the biggest employer of Nigerian seafarers on board its 13 LNG carrier ships. Also, the company has a wholly-owned subsidiary set up in 1989, Bonny Gas Transport (BGT) Limited, which provides shipping services for NLNG. The BGT was set up in Bermuda with an ordinary equity holding from NLNG Limited and preferential equity holding from the sponsors, NLNGs shareholders. Another wholly owned subsidiary of NLNG Limited is the NSML, which was set up in 2008 to provide, develop and manage high-calibre personnel for NLNGs maritime business.

    Former Coordinating Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala visited the NLNG Plant on Bonny Island, Rivers State on November 15, 2013. She described the NLNG as an asset to Nigeria, a shining example of a successful company and a beacon of hope for a better Nigeria. She described the NLNG as the most successful Nigerian company with 49 per cent government ownership.

    Shell Gas BV (SGBV) controls 25.6 per cent. Total LNG Nigeria Limited owns 15 per cent and Eni International controls 10.4 per cent.

    The failure to take the final investment decision on its Train Seven has made it lose its pre-eminence in the global LNG market. There are imminent fears it will still dip further if its expansion plans are not concretised soon. And now the House of Representatives has thrown spanner in the works.

    As at the time it celebrated the export of its 3000th cargo on January 6, 2015, a large expanse of land, close to its Train Six in Finima, Bonny Island, was waiting for further action to house the Seventh Train of the plant. As a result of this, the NLNG, once the fastest growing facility in the world, has lost grounds to Qatar and Australia. Qatar has moved its output from 20 million metric tonnes to 80 million metric tonnes. Australia, from its previous 20 metric tonnes, now churns out 81 metric tonnes annually. NLNG is stuck at 22 million metric tonnes. Australia has 10 LNG projects, with 20 trains and $215 billion worth of final investment decision. Yet, Australia has only 60 percent of Nigeria’s gas reserves. Nigeria has gas reserves estimated at over 160 trillion cubic feet. The United States (U.S.), formerly a major LNG export destination, is now a net LNG exporter.

    The seventh train of the NLNG plant will bring in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) estimated at over $8 billion, help reduce flared gas and improve the country’s revenue profile. With Train 7, the NLNG, said industry watchers, would provide about 10,000 jobs. Since it opened shop in Bonny, NLNG Limited has provided over 2,000 jobs each construction year and 18,000 jobs at the peak of construction. The government, they said, will also reap an additional $2.2 billion annually in dividend.

    What really does the National Assembly have against the NLNG Act? The National Assembly is trying to end the company’s status as dollar denominated, which was agreed on to protect the company against Naira’s flip-flop. The National Assembly also seeks to make its subsidiary, Bonny Gas Transport Company, pay tax in Nigeria. It also plans to make NLNG pay three per cent of its annual revenue to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), pay three per cent of gross freight on international inbound and outbound cargo to NIMASA, pay two per cent of contracts performed by companies engaged in cabotage and pay one per cent of any contract award upstream to the government.

    This Act under threat is a contract between the Federal Government and the NLNG shareholders. The thrusts of this contract include incentives, concessions, guarantees and assurances, which were reaffirmed in Letters of Assurance to lenders for the Nigeria LNG Trains 4 and 5 expansions by the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Justice and the Central Bank.

    The incentives, concessions, guarantees and assurances are not uncommon in the global LNG industry. They are used in countries, such as Qatar, Oman, Malaysia, Angola and others to support and grow their LNG plants. The guarantees are to assure foreign investors that their investments will be protected.

    What those asking NLNG to pay the NDDC Levy seems to have forgotten is that the levy is aimed at upstream oil and gas producers. NLNG does not produce gas. It buys gas from producers and liquefies it. If it pays the levy, it amounts to the government taking money twice for the same purpose; one from the producer and two, from the client. The NDDC pursued the matter up to the Supreme Court and it lost.

    These alterations planned by the National Assembly are against the guarantees and assurances Nigeria entered into with the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and others. The National Assembly needs to forget its feeling that the NLNG is enjoying a rare privilege. Firms in free trade zones enjoy almost absolute exemptions from taxes and levies. NLNG enjoys partial exemptions. Since 2010, it started paying Companies Income Tax, because its exemption from this expired in 2009.

    The sponsors of the amendment believe the NLNG has cheated the people of the Niger Delta by not contributing to the purse of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). As far as they are concerned, the reasons of the NLNG on why the amendment should not sail through are balderdash. The House of Representatives by its action on Tuesday has sanctioned this belief. Will the Senate follow? The signs indicate so.

    My final take: President Muhammadu Buhari should not sanction the amendment. Anything that has the potential of weakening the NLNG should be avoided. The company is our shining light and is run on international best practices, to the best of my knowledge. This is acknowledged globally, a situation which makes the Bonny-based firm to have a better international credit rating than our dear country.

     

    …This is a revised version of my column of March 17, 2017.

  • Delta monarch relives palace’s desecration

    Delta monarch relives palace’s desecration

    HRH Odjevworo Akpomeyoma Majoroh, Ojeta 11, Ovie of Oruarivie-Abraka, was regal in  a  red frock with a matching beaded  red crown as he sat on a luxurious couch, to receive the  leadership of the apex Urhobo socio-cultural organisation, Urhobo Progressive Union (UPU). They came after an attack on his palace by irate youths.

    But beneath this façade, the king is sad and visibly worried by the events of the past few weeks in his kingdom. He is at a loss why his subjects will turn against him unleashing violence of the most unimaginable proportion against the exalted throne of his ancestors.

    All is not well with Abraka community, Ethiope East Local Government Area, host to the  Delta State University. It is embroiled in crisis following the beheading of an indigene allegedly by Fulani herdsmen.

    The occasion was a fact-finding visit, earlier this week, by the Urhobo Progressive Union (UPU) led by Chief Osiobe Okotie, its first vice-president.

    The royal father described kings in Urhobo land as “an endangered species”, adding not everyone is happy in a system where monarchy is rotational.

    His words: “Kings in Urhobo Land are an endangered species. People are extremely jealous of their status, especially in areas where kingship is rotated, everybody is not happy.  This was an excuse for them to do what they wanted to do.”

    He said he felt pained by allegations that he had not done enough for his people, adding: “It is unfortunate that my own people will say I am not doing enough. I know what I have done. I know my contributions to the community.”

    He said the most disturbing aspect of the whole episode was the deliberate attempt to desecrate the throne by bringing a corpse to the palace, as it is a taboo for a king to see a dead person.

    His words: “The youths knew that traditionally it is taboo for a king to see dead bodies and that dead body is forbidden in a palace.”

    He said following the desecration of the palace grounds by the actions of the youths , he had to stay indoors for the whole day until the palace was ritually cleansed

    According to him, trouble started in the morning hour of the fateful day after he was briefed by the President-General of the community of a murder of his subject allegedly by Fulani herdsmen.

    He said: “What happened was on that day which was a Tuesday at about 10.30a.m the president-general briefed me of yet another incident at our farmland Ovre that Fulani herdsmen killed someone. I directed that he got the President of that community and incident the case at the Police Station. I did not get the details that day as I was heading to our ancestral shrine as it is our traditional market day. Upon my return I was briefed on the matter. I ordered that they should get the police and recover the corpse for safety reasons; before I knew it my personal assistant came in to inform me that the youths from my community were moving en masse to the palace with the corpse of the boy. I called the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) to come with reinforcements. I also put a call to the president-general and the youth leader who informed me that they were outside the palace fence. The vigilante group was also on ground outside the palace. After a while I heard protests outside and the protesters started hitting the gate .I was calm and thinking of the next course of action when I heard the protesters breaking windows panes in the palace. My entire living room was filled with splinters of glasses and guns were booming outside.”

    The monarch said the protesters destroyed vehicles parked in the palace grounds, and were in the process of setting the palace, including him and his guests on fire, when the military intervened.

    He said after the youths fled they split into two groups, adding that one group headed towards the Hausa quarters and attacked its residents.

    He said a major grouse of the youths was that he has refused to supply them with ammunitions to fight the herdsmen ,adding “ Some persons want me to provide ammunitions for them, but I ask am I involve myself in illegality to solve this problem”.

    The royal father accused security agencies of being aware of the activities of the herdsmen, but did nothing to check their activities.

    He said he was awaiting government action following the intervention of the state government, adding that he hoped that meetings between the Hausa/Fulani leadership and his community and government would provide a workable solution to the problem.

    President-General, Abraka community, Dr. Tedwins Emudainowho described the Ovre-Oruarivie forest as “Sambissa Forest”, claiming that with over 2000 herdsmen committing various atrocities ranging from kidnapping, armed robbery and other crimes the situation was a keg of gunpowder waiting to explode.

    He said the immediate cause of the crisis was the beheading of Solomon Ejoor who along with three persons attempted to rescue their mother trapped by Fulani herdsmen in her farm, adding that since 2012 no fewer than 18 persons have been killed in the community.

    Chief Osiobe Okotie thanked God for sparing the life of the monarch, adding that the UPU was in the process of convening a forum to sensitise youths to respect constituted authority.

    He urged the Federal and State governments to “do something urgently about the Abraka situation before it gets out of hand.”

    His words: “We want to use this opportunity to send a message across to the federal/state government to do something urgently about the Abraka situation before it gets out of hand. We cannot sit and watch our people being slaughtered .The UPU is using this medium to send a message to President Muhammadu Buhari to take appropriate action because information getting to us is that the area where this dastardly act occur there are over 2000 herdsmen fully armed raping our women, our daughters. They have taken over our lands .We do not know their mission. It is the responsibility of the government whether federal or state to ensure that the lives of its citizens are protected .The government should as a matter of urgency step into this matter so that people will not be forced to either protect themselves or do anything otherwise, so we want to avoid that .UPU is watching, our eyes are on Abraka.”

  • Project ‘Touch a life today’ launched

    Project ‘Touch a life today’ launched

    Project ‘Touch a life’ visited Ughelli General Hospital and Kiagbodo General Hospital in Delta State on May 2.  131 patients, including children, women and men had their medical bills subsidised.

    It is the brainchild of the Global Initiative for Peace, Love and Care (GIPLC), which was launched a new initiative which will be taking place from April 25 to May 17. Project ‘Touch a life’ will reach 1000 patients in three states in three weeks.

    The non-governmental, not-for-profit charity organisation, which was founded in 2006 to cater for orphans and vulnerable children in Nigeria, has launched this new project as part of Igho Charles Sanomi II’s birthday celebrations and to commemorate the GIPLC’s 11th anniversary. 1000 identified vulnerable Nigerians in Abuja, Delta and Benue States will receive financial support to subsidize and assist their medical bills. Visits will be made to patients to follow up on their progress.

    A full professional team of GIPLC staff, doctors and nurses will be deployed to ensure the desired impact is met and lives are touched and saved.

    Sanomi, founder and chairman of Taleveras, and past recipient of a Dr Martin Luther King Legacy Award for Philanthropy and International Service, said: “Supporting the work of the GIPLC is something I have done for many years, in many ways. This year I wanted to do something which would help even more of the vulnerable people who have been at the core of the GIPLC activities. This unique initiative seeks to touch the lives of the most needy members of our communities at a time when they need it the most. This is something I believe in wholeheartedly and to which I am pleased to have been able to lend my support.”

    Nuhu Kwajafa, GIPLC Co-ordinator, said: “We give God all the glory for His blessings and the capacity and the will, for people like Igho Sanomi to give back to those in need.  We pray that by this gesture, ICS II will endear others to do same, so we may sustain this practice on a yearly basis. Ultimately, the goal is to stimulate the mobilisation of resources and raise awareness on the plight of those living in especially difficult circumstances. GIPLC will coordinate and share this experience daily. God bless you all.”

    The initiative was founded in 2006 to cater for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Nigeria by providing food, medical assistance and learning materials for their development.  It also aims to stimulate sustainable, participatory, community based projects, which will help to meet the needs of vulnerable children and other persons living in especially difficult circumstances.

    “Life has been interesting since I started GIPLC because I look at it like a cash register, in that every account, every thought, every deed, like every sale is registered and recorded. The best use of life is to spend it for something that will outlive life itself. I believe at my age I have lived half my life for myself. Right now I am dedicating the remaining half for humanity,” Kwajafa.

    Sanomi II was born in 1975 in Agbor Delta State, the fifth child (and first son) of a devout Catholic family. His father, the late Dickens Oghenereumu Patrick Sanomi hailed from Delta State and was a retired Assistant Inspector General of the Nigerian Police. Mr Sanomi’s mother, Mabel Iyabo Sanomi holds a Royal title of Yeye Jemo of Isotun Ijesha Kingdom in Osun State. She was a renowned nurse and medical entrepreneur from Osun State in South Western Nigeria.

    Sanomi entered the world of business shortly after completing his Bachelor’s Degree in Geology and Mining at the University of Jos in Northern Nigeria. Mr Sanomi is the Chairman of Taleveras which he founded in 2004. He is also Chairman of the Dickens Sanomi Foundation board of Trustees. He also sits as Chairman and co-chairman of various companies which he founded or co-founded. These companies’ activities span from Telecom to Shipping, Aviation and Real Estate Investments worldwide.