The Nation Newspaper

Category: Niger Delta

  • Bad times for ‘Agberos’, CDAs in Edo

    Bad times for ‘Agberos’, CDAs in Edo

    Until the coming of Oba Ewuare II and Governor Godwin Obaseki, traders, property developers, commercial drivers and bike riders lived in fear of ‘agberos’, private revenue collectors, Community Development Association and all sorts of thugs. They faced daily harassment from several other faceless groups who made them to cough out money that never got to local or state government coffers.

    Traders at various markets, including squatters and hawkers, were made to pay between N500 and N1200 daily out of which only N60 got to the local government purse. These money was forcibly collected and goods of any trader who failed to pay were confiscated.

    Commercial bus drivers were made to pay between N900 and N4000 daily, taxi drivers paid between N500 and N3000 instead of N400 official rate for the both the state and local governments. Keke operators coughed out between N500 and N1000 daily against N200 official rate. The drivers were made to pay union dues to Driver Welfare Union before it was handed over to Professional Drivers on Wheel, Road Transport Employers Association and the National Union of Road Transport Workers. Besides, they were made to pay feeding money to chairmen, secretaries and treasurers of various motor parks.

    For private property developers, it was a journey through hell to erect a building due to constant demands from leaders of CDAs. Most times, three different communities’ CDAs would lay ownership of the piece of land. They made unreasonable demands ranging from development levy, borehole levy, fencing levy, roofing levy amongst others.

    Besides huge demands from property developers, many communities are yet to recover from wanton destruction of properties and loss of lives occasioned from attempt to change leadership of community CDAs. It was a common parlance among some youths to brag that ‘I work in community’ because of the financial gains.

    Believe Irorere from Ekiadolor was just 17 years when he was arrested for being a community fighter in Ekiadolor village because he was promised a parcel of land. He was arrested alongside Abraham Osifo with dangerous weapons while they were on their way to engage in a fight with neighboring Isikhu community in Ovia North East local government.

    Irorere is an apprentice learning how to repair heavy duty trucks. In his bid to get rich quick through the sale of land, he was encouraged to join in the fight against neighboring community to recover a large expanse of land out of which he would be given a piece.

    Speaking to reporters during a parade by the police, he claimed it was his first time of handling dangerous weapons.

    According to him, “I am a community fighter for Ekiadolor. We were going for a fight with a neighbourng community when I was arrested and they called me an armed robber. I am not an armed robber. I have not killed or injured anybody. The fight has just started. It was because of land. The land belongs to Ekiadolor community but Isikhu said it belongs to them. They picked me and others. The chairman said we should go and fight for the land and they would give us a portion. We were promised parcel of land. I carried cutlass. The chairman does not used to go to fight with us.”

    The story of young Irorere is a typical example of what youths in several communities under the guise of Community Development Association (CDAs) have resorted for land grabbing. For the prompt intervention of the police, Ekiadolor and Isikhu communities would have engaged in communal clash that would have resulted to loss of lives and properties.

    In 2015, Arougba Community in Oredo Local Government was enmeshed in crisis over sales of community land. Youth chairman of the community, Okoro Obaretin, was killed. Chief priest (Ohen-Ogba) of the community, Clifford Omosomwan, was  assassinated at his residence. Assistant head of the community, Goodluck Uwumahongie, was beheaded and his head was never found. Ten other persons were killed in the crisis while several houses, vehicles and motor-cycles were set ablaze.

    Azagba community in Uhunmwode Local Government was also enmeshed in crisis in 2014. Three youths- Osadolor , 28, Amigolo Ighitu , 45, and Ameosa Egbeobamwanye- who were hired by the CDA chairman were killed. Several houses were razed. Crisis in the community occurred over leadership tussle between spiritual leader of the community, Nosakhare Ogieriakhi and the CDA chairman, Charles Egbe.

    At Evbuekoi community,  Chief Priest of the community, Mr. Adesuwa Osaghea Osarodion, was last year chased away from his residence after some thugs invaded  the community over leadership tussle.

    Communities, such as Ukhoromi, Okabere, Ogheghe and several others in Edo South have been ransacked and properties destroyed when over attempts to change the CDA leadership or the Ohen (Spiritual head) or Odionwere (village head) want to take charge of the sale of community land.

    Besides the leadership tussle and wanton destruction of lives and properties, CDAs in some communities made land developers pay heavily for a building to be erected. They could sell one parcel of land to more than five persons, collect development levy as high as N300,000 for a land measuring 50 feet by 100 feet. As the chairmen of some CDAs became rich and powerful, they would start having loggerheads with the recognised head of the communities like the Ohen (Chief Priest) Odionwere (oldest man) or Enogie (Duke)

    However, Governor Obaseki did the unthinkable when on January 1 he announced a ban on all forms of collection of taxes, rates and levies from market women, hawkers and street traders. To show leaders of other various groups that he meant business, State Chairman of RTEAN, Osakpamwan Eriyo, was arrested in December last year over alleged threat to life. The action of Obaseki was in line with a promise he earlier made that his administration would not allow non-state actors collect revenue in the state.

    The state government has begun a pilot a scheme in three local government areas for the collection of revenue using Point of Sales otherwise known as e-ticketing. Commercial drivers are now made to pay N200 daily.

    It was Oba Ewuare II who began the campaign for the eradication of CDAs activities in communities under his domain. At the thanksgiving service to mark his coronation, Oba Ewaure II said the taking over of many communities by some youths under the guise of CDAs was worrisome and that communal affairs especially as it relates to land administration would henceforth be handled by the recognised leadership in the community.

    During a courtesy visit to Obaseki, the monarch told the governor to eradicate the menace of CDAs across the state.

    His words, “May I use this opportunity to seek the state government’s support in eradicating the menace of Community Development Associations in Edo South in particular and Edo state in general. Most of their actions have impeded the development of our communities. For the avoidance of doubt, CDAs are not supposed to be involved in land matters. Community lands as in other matters of the community are under the enigie, odionwere or ohenn as the case may be.”

    The Oba said youths have become terror in their communities instead of contributing to the growth of communities frowned at the current situation where the CDAs chairmen are custodian of community land instead of the Enogie, Odionwere or Ohen (Chief Priest). He said the era of illegal land grabbing has stopped and urged the youths to go back to farming instead of idling away in the name of CDAs.

    His words, “We are talking about hunger. The palace has many lands which many CDAs have encroached on. I don’t want hunger in the land. We have to produce our food. Many people don’t want to work again. They don’t want to go to the farm. Non indigenes are now doing the farm work in Edo land. Why is it that Edo people don’t want to farm again?

    Last month, the State House of Assembly passed the bill criminalizing activities of CDAs in the state. The bill prohibit forceful and illegal occupation of landed property by CDAs in the State.

    Explaining contents of the bill, Speaker Justin Okonoboh said the bill prescribed that no person or group of persons while acting for themselves or acting as agents or members of a community Development Associations to occupy any landed property in the State.

    ‘He said, “No youth organisations or other body by whatever name called shall demand or collect any fee or levy in whatever guise in respect of construction or development activities in any property in Edo.

    ”The bill also prescribed that a task force shall be established in the state which shall be responsible for the provisions of the law.”

    Speaker Okonoboh stated that any person who contravenes the provisions of the law commits an offense and shall be liable for ten years imprisonment or a fine of two million Naira.

    Following a recent increase in criminal activities in the state, the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 5, Mohammed Abubakar, at a stakeholders meeting warned the former revenue collectors to desist from causing mayhem in the state under the guise of being jobless.

    Alhaji Abubakar said the police has received security report that some groups among them were warming up to forment trouble and cause mayhem since they have been disengaged by the Edo state government.

    According to him, “The purpose of this meeting is for crime prevention. We are all aware of the fact that the state is very peaceful and the crime rate of the state is low. We have businesses going on without molestation. We have nightlife and everything is perfect.

    “However, we got intelligence that  some group of people are not happy with the recent happenings because of some policy pronouncement and that they are likely going to do some acts that will lead to the breakdown of law and order and to heighten tension in the state because of criminality and we feel that the people we need to partner with is you.

    “You are the people we are to partner with so as to know where the problems are and how we can tackle the problem so as to prevent commission of crimes and to prevent the breakdown of law and order. That is the essence of which we invited you here today because without you, we will not be able to know where the grievance are and you have a lot of membership”, he said.

    State Chairman of Road Transport Employee Association of Nigeria Pastor Sunday Erhahon informed the AIG that many of the association workers have been laid off due to the state government directives stopping them from collecting union dues.

    Pastor Erhahon stated that the state government directive may force the disengaged workers to take to crime and criminality in the state.

    Chairman, Akugbe Venture, Comrade Tony Kabaka told the AIG that the 2,722 persons working under him are jobless since the government opted to using POS to collect revenue.

    “For the revenue side like me, I have a database of 2,722 workers all over the state, they are jobless as we speak likewise the Road Transport Employer, likewise the Drivers Rebirth, the Drivers on Wheels, likewise with the National Union of Road Transport and the Drivers Welfare.

    “Sir,the latest development will not help the youth. We want you to use your good office to appeal to the governor to streamline the revenue collection this way.To start with, revenue collectors do not have a central park where vehicle can queue up and use the POS because most drivers are illiterate.”

  • Okowa commends Seplat over good community relations

    Delta State Governor Dr Ifeanyi Okowa has commended Seplat Petroleum Development Company for the giant strides it is making in the development of its host communities in Delta and Edo State.

    Okowa spoke at the commissioning of eight projects embarked upon by the NPDC SEPLAT Joint Venture in the Ugborhen community of the Sapele Local Government Area of the state.

    The Seplat projects commissioned by Okowa include: the 3.6km Elume-Ugborhen road; 3.4km Ugborhen-Ugbukurusu road; 3.76km Ugborhen-Ikeresan road; 1.09km Okuovu-1 community road; Concrete drainage system/road protection in Ugborhen; Ugborhen Housing Scheme; Ugborhen Solar Powered Water Scheme; Two blocks of 4-Classrooms and Science Laboratory at Adaka Grammar School; Ugborhen Ultra-modern town hall and Civic centre.

    The governor noted that investments by companies like Seplat in the development of host communities was bound to enhance the confidence of indigenes of oil producing communities while  encouraging peace in the Niger Delta and the country as a whole. He urged other oil prospecting companies to emulate Seplat’s consistent effort at developing their host communities.

    Okowa said: “I am glad to see partnerships like this between oil prospecting companies and their host communities. The job of government will be much lighter if oil companies and communities partner in this manner to develop our communities. I congratulate Seplat for the good work that it has done since it came into operation. I also congratulate the community for working together with the company as I look forward to seeing more oil prospecting companies engaging in this kind of positive relationships.”

    The governor thereafter donated the sum of ten million naira to the community for the furnishing of the town hall and civic centre. He also promised to construct an examination hall at the Adaka Grammar School, Ugborhen.

    Speaking earlier, Chief Executive Officer of Seplat Petroleum, Mr. Austin Avuru who thanked the Governor for honoring Seplat’s invitation explained that the welfare of members of the communities hosting the company’s operation would always remain its priority.

    He explained that Seplat was committed to the all-round development of citizens of these communities and that this influenced the decision to periodically embark on development projects affecting the health education and general wellbeing of the people as contained in the global MOU Seplat signed with its host communities in 2010.

    Also speaking, the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Major Gen. Felix Mujakperuo (Rtd), Orhue I commended Seplat for the various projects with which it is transforming the landscape of  host communities. He called for peace amongst communities in the area and urged Seplat not to relent in its effort to develop the area.

    Dignitaries at the event included Deputy Governor, Barr Kingsley  Otuaro, Speaker and Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Monday Igbuya, among others.

  • X-raying Dickson’s education tax in Bayelsa

    It is now compulsory for every taxable citizen residing in Bayelsa State to pay education tax. The new tax regime came into force following the signing of the Bayelsa Education Development Trust Fund (BEDTF) bill 2017 into law by the state Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson.

    It was not only the EDTF that was signed by the governor. The Bayelsa State Higher Education Student Loan (BSHESL) bill 2017 also received the assent of the governor the same day. But the EDTF generated widespread concerns in the state.

    The concerns were mainly predicated on the funding provisions of the EDTF. While the law provides that the government should solely provide the funds for the BSHESL, it makes the EDTF the collective responsibility of all taxable citizens residing or doing business in the state.

    Dickson expatiated on the provisions of the new law. The tax is compulsory for everybody. No one is exempted. But the monthly deductions are based on the incomes and categories of workers in the state. The higher the income the higher the contributions. In fact, the burden of education levy is borne more by elected office holders and appointees of the governor.

    For instance, the governor is the highest contributor. He pays N100,000 into the fund monthly. His deputy is to cough up N50,000 monthly.  The Speaker of the state House of Assembly, N30,000; appointees of the governor, judges and the Chief judge will commit N25,000 monthly to the fund. The governor has also directed that five per cent of the monthly Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR) should be deducted and paid into the trust fund. Also contractors and corporate organisations are mandated to pay certain percentage of their contractual sums and profits into the fund.

    But the governor said it would take little contributions from other Bayelsans, some as little as between N400 and N500 amounting to N6000 or less annually, adding that others would pay N1000 depending on their grades in the public service.

    Dickson said: “Every adult taxable person in Bayelsa is liable to pay the education development levy beginning with me the governor down the line to the least positioned public officer. We are starting from the public service to the private sector.

    “Anybody who has a shop in Bayelsa or is running a taxi, must pay this levy; nobody is exempted. If you are selling in a shop in the market, you must pay. It may be as low as N100 monthly but you must pay it so that everybody will have a sense of ownership”.

    The law also provides penalties for noncompliance. It is a criminal offense to evade the education tax as it attracts a jail term of about six months and five-time deductions from the offender’s salary.

    Such offender will also be deprived of some social and economic benefits like free medical service. For effective compliance, the state may demand receipts of the education tax before allowing an individual some economic and social benefits.

    The governor captured it in his explanation: “Very soon for  every public service, for you to access the hospitals we are building, for your children to have enrolment in schools,  we will ask for your receipt.

    “The only receipt we will ask for in this state for every official thing is education trust fund receipt because now we are in the period of emergency.  I believe it will be so for a number of years until we get out of it. Whoever the next governor will be will decide the next line of action.  I have made a determination that this is the right way to go”.

    Why the education trust fund?

    Investigations revealed that since the creation of Bayelsa, no government has made deliberate efforts and commitments to develop the educational sector especially at the secondary education level more than the present administration of Dickson.

    For over five years, Dickson has built new schools, rehabilitated many dilapidated school infrastructures and introduced some innovative policies to encourage and improve learning. The Ijaw National Academy (INA), a special school with compulsory boarding provisions will soon begin operation.

    A British and Cambridge-trained principal has been appointed for the school. Already, 1000 pioneer students selected from within Bayelsa with 100 from other Ijaw-speaking states have been given tuition-free admissions. The state will cater for them; their feeding, uniforms, sandals and other personal effects.

    The governor spoke glowingly of his investments in education. He said: “Government has spent over N50b building educational infrastructures. This does not include other recurrent investments in education. This is only the money spent in building infrastructure in all local government areas.

    “The level of investment we are making in education is next to none. Indeed I doubt if there is any state in Nigeria making this kind of investment in education. We are doing all of this in a time of recession.”

    Dickson regretted that his predecessors laid no solid foundation for education. He said on resumption of office, he discovered that the entire state had no single boarding school. He rationalized that it was the reason why most of the youths diverted their energy to criminality.

    “For me, that was criminal neglect and that explains why some local governments and across the state we have kidnappers and militants, criminals and cultists because the young people have not been given the opportunities to discover their potential and to contribute meaningfully to the society.

    “Now we have to break that cycle of criminality and unemployability, poverty and disease and ignorance  where people have lost the capacity to even analyze what they hear. It is so bad that you are building a road to someone’s community and they will say ‘Na road we go chop?’ The only weapon to fight this is investment in education”.

    Consequently, the governor believes that the EDTF would guarantee a sustainable platform to maintain his investments in education. Dickson does not want foreseeable disruptions of free academic activities, which could be caused by lack of funds, in any of the boarding schools.

    Collective funding of education will guarantee sustainability and excellence in the sector. Such system will also give every child irrespective of their financial backgrounds equal opportunity and access to qualitative education.

    Dickson explained further: “My parents were poor people. I did not go to top schools in Lagos or  Abuja or  Port Harcourt. I schooled in my village, in my local government and so I want the poor people who have the same background like my parents and their children who have the same background like me to have access to good education.

    “With what I have done, I am giving them the opportunities that children of elites have. Quality education is the best thing we can leave for children not these  big houses people steal money to build or the big cars and hotels civil servants will be stealing money to build”.

     

    How will the contributions be managed?

    Most people are afraid that revenue realized from the education tax can be mismanaged, diverted to private pockets or used for other purposes other than education. But their fears had been allayed by the law and the governor.

    The law provides that a board be established to manage the funds. The board is to be headed by a chairman. Already, Dickson has appointed Prof. Turner Isoun as the pioneer chairman of the board. Isoun was a minister of Science and Technology known for his giant strides in the field of science and technology. People are also watching to see the kind of persons Dickson will appoint to fill other vacant positions in the board.

    Speaking about Isoun’s personality, the governor said: “I have already appointed a very seasoned educationist, someone that is up there among the first 20 names you call in education in Nigeria and beyond the shores of Nigeria.

    “I have spoken with Prof. T.T Isoun, and he has graciously offered to serve once again even at his age. I thank him and express gratitude on behalf of the government and good people of the state. He has the knowledge, experience, passion, dedication, understands the issues and the role education can play as a tool for turning around the  Ijaw Nation.

    “With his experience and background, and integrity, and above all else it has been my honour to appoint him. I have since sent his name to the House of Assembly to chair  the education trust fund.”

     

    Labour kicks

    Organised labour in the state has yet to come to terms with the new tax policy on education. The state chapters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and a non-governmental organisation, the Patriotic Citizens of Nigeria (PACON), have not bought the idea.

    PACON urged the state government to suspend the implementation of the policy, describing the education tax law as enslaving and anti-people.

    In a statement signed by its Arch-Convener, Ebikebuna Aluzu, PACON said, “We believe that the design of this law is against the people whose welfare, the government is supposed to make paramount.

    ”We also condemn the state House of Asembly for passing such sensitive bill without conducting public hearing to get the views of stakeholders.”

    The NLC Chairman, Mr. John Ndiomu, said that while the workers were in support of the education development of the state, they believed that the government had the capacity to finance it without resorting to imposing further taxes on them.

    Ndiomu appealed to the government to review the levy because workers were still grappling with how to survive the current recession. On his part, the TUC chairman in the state, Mr. Tari Dounana, described the levy as “an anti-people’s policy” by the executive and the legislature without any inputs from the stakeholders.

    Dounana said: “It is unfortunate that such a law that requires civil servants to make contributions about their salaries was passed and assented to without a public hearing for the stakeholders to make their views known

    “We have already agreed to support the proposed Health Insurance Policy into which workers will also make contributions. This is one deduction too many. We are opposed to it.”

     

    Youths back Dickson; Commissioner offers more explanations

    Youths in the state have thrown their weight behind the governor and his educational policies. The youngsters under the auspices of the Niger Delta Youths Coalition for Peace and Progress (NDYCPP) said they were ready to collaborate with the governor.

    NDYPP in a statement by Pastor Olayinka Tiedor and Chief Henry Nabena, said they would sensitise the people on the need to contribute to the trust fund. They insisted that the educational programmes of the Dickson’s  administration were panacea for reversing the state’s backwardness.

    IYC Secretary Parkins Ogede said Dickson had taken the bull by the horns in tackling the educational disadvantage of the region by initiating the Education Development Trust Fund (EDTF). The organisation enjoined  other governors to emulate Dickson by paying attention to education.

    Offering further explanation to the education tax, The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Jonathan Obuebite, said that the levy had noble intentions insisting that the state needed it to move its education forward.

    He said: ”We have built infrastructure and built boarding schools for which 16 of them will commence soon. We need to put up a system that can sustain them.’

  • Governor NEW’s good intention

    At times, this country baffles me. We are a nation where we hardly identify genius. One such genius, with the purest intention you can imagine is Rivers State Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, my own Governor NEW— Mr Project of our generation.

    This great guy daily toils for the best of Rivers and our dear country, Nigeria. He is perpetually worried about the turn of events in our country and has decided to take one state after the other and fix. He started with Rivers, which he started governing May 29, 2015. Despite all the litigations, which ended at the Supreme Court, His Excellency perfected the art of not being distracted. He allowed the lawyers face the tribunal, Appeal Court and the Supreme Court, and concentrated his efforts on turning Rivers to a new land.

    A trip to Port Harcourt, Opobo, Eleme, Bonny Island and other parts of Rivers will testify to the goodness of Governor NEW. Roads, bridges, fly overs, drainages, jetties and so on have sprung up.  In less than two years in office, there is no road in Rivers that is not tarred. There is no bridge that needs to be constructed. There is no jetty that needs to be built.

    Salaries are paid as at when due; pensioners are not owed; universities get their subventions on time; and medical doctors get treats that even their colleagues in the United States do not get.

    And when you look at security, Rivers is superb. No wonder everyone is falling over to host their Annual General Meetings (AGMS), conferences, concerts and live theatre in this city of promise.

    And since all worries in Rivers have been attended to, Governor NEW is now exporting good governance. Benue is his first port of call. Plateau, Kano, Katsina and even Lagos are on his radar. Who knows, Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), may be lucky to get the Wike magic touch?

    I suspect some of you might be wondering why His Excellency chose Benue to start with. The answer is simple: the governor saw the plight of the people of Makurdi, the Benue State capital, Naka, Adoka , Aliade, Oju, Obarike, Ito and Otukpo  and he decided to reconstruct the Makurdi-Naka-Adoka Road and Aliade-Oju-Obarike-Ito-Otukpo Road. His respect for the late JS Tarka, Aper Aku, Senator George Akume, Gen. Victor Malu and former Senate President David Mark—all great sons of Benue—  informed his plan to spend N4 billion on the projects. The roads’ bill of quantity, said His Excellency, was ready. The people of Rivers cannot complain since the governor has fixed all their problems.

    But enemies of progress waylaid the governor’s good intention. They planned to stop the contractor, which His Excellency had already mobilised to site.

    It was a disturbed governor who spoke out on hearing the plot against his novel intention: “We have mobilised the contractor to site, to reconstruct the two roads in Benue State, but information reaching us indicate that there is plan to disturb the work. We want to get the road done as quickly as possible, but the plan to disturb the contractor is giving us some concern.

    “Those who are planning this should bear in mind that they are working against development. The people of Benue who use these roads are suffering and we want to bring an end to this by reconstructing the roads. Those against the job should not be enemies of progress.”

    Aside the governor’s good intention, he is also convinced that his colleague, Samuel Ortom, had failed in catering to the welfare of the people.

    “You must have heard that pensioners protested in Benue. They protested because they are being owed pension arrears. I have been vindicated. The Benue State government has failed in its duties,” Wike ‘the boy is good’ said.

    It is also his view that “the EFCC should look into the Paris Club refund allocation to Benue State because there is paucity of infrastructure in the state. The governor should be asked to account for the money and other allocations he has received in nearly two years in office,” he said. He said Benue people are suffering “because they don’t have dividends of democracy.”

    Governor NEW’s special interest in Benue also stems from his conviction that a state of emergency must be declared in Benue because Ortom had shown “ineptitude and lack of capacity to handle the security situation”.

    He thus cried: “You can’t have a governor watching helplessly, as his people are being killed. What kind of governor is that? He has displayed sheer laziness and incapacity in the whole issue, and this is quite unfortunate.

    “No excuse is acceptable for the high number of deaths in Benue. We didn’t even have the kind of insecurity and killings that we are witnessing in Benue today when some of these mischievous opposition   in Abuja were calling for state of emergency in Rivers, but now they have suddenly lost their voices. You can see their level of hypocrisy and mischief? I am calling for an urgent imposition of state of emergency in Benue, because there is a clear incapacity of the governor there to act decisively to stem the killings and tackle the problem.

    “When Rivers had security challenges, Ortom was among All Progressives Congress (APC) governors, who plotted for the declaration of state of emergency in the  state. When the problem of insecurity started here in Rivers, instead of joining hands to proffer solutions, they politicised it. Unless all those at the forefront of the plot against the state repent, this insecurity will visit them one after another.”

    Hear Ortom’s reply: “If Wike wants state of emergency, he should first ask for it in Rivers. Leaders should be careful what they say. I’m not his rival. His statements are unfortunate, but I will not join issues with him. I leave Wike to his conscience. I pray God will help Wike succeed as a leader. I leave him to his conscience.”

    Governor NEW certainly does not need Ortom’s prayer. If he needs prayers, he knows where to go. He showed that during the legal battles for the political soul of the state. From Pentecostal to Charismatic to Catholic and what have you, His Excellency sought the face of God and His men. They laid hands upon hands on him. Perhaps that was where he got the wisdom which has seen him fix all Rivers problem less than two years in office and is now on the verge of exporting uncommon leadership to Benue, which, surprisingly, is being resisted.

    I hear some people are even asking if the projects were captured in Rivers’ current budget. Don’t mind them, they are busy-bodies. They are even asking for proof that contractors were mobilised. A mischievous colleague asked me the other day if the communities that will benefit from the roads are inhabited by Rivers people living in Benue.  Must a man be good to only his people?

    Three days ago, the President of Ikwerre Bu Otu Peace Movement in Rivers State, Amb Prince I. Ihuonwo, spoke with our own Shola O’Neil and said “charity begin at home’.

    He said: “We are surprised that our governor is committing about N4bn to sponsor road in another state and we are here in Ogbakiri (Emuohua local government area) where there has been no road since the creation of Rivers State.

    “He (Wike) should not be doing something that he would receive praises for from outside while his people are dying. We have no road, nothing to show, while he is bettering the lives of other people in Benue State. How does it benefit people of Rivers? He should start from Ogbakiri, where the people have nothing to show for supporting the PDP.”

    My advice to His Excellency is that if Benue does not appreciate your goodness, leave its government and people alone. It is time you headed for Mogadishu; after all, if as a prophet, you are not recognised at home, go abroad. And what better place to start but Mogadishu, where civil war has seen houses bombed, families shattered and dreams killed before they could come to fruition?

    I have no doubt that if His Excellency does this and succeeds in fixing this capital of Somalia, he will not only write his name in the sand of African time, the global community will also take note and then Nigeria will be scrabbling to honour this great son who is being ignored at the moment.

  • School holds Unity Day

    School holds Unity Day

    A conglomerate of schools founded and managed by a renowned educationist, Dame Christy Toby, has held her 2017 Unity Day celebration in Rivers State.

    The annual event was to bring together the authorities, students as well as parents of all the students in the schools run by Mrs Toby.

    The schools  are Archdeacon Brown Education  Centre,(ABEC), Mary Virginia Nursery and Primary School and Christie Toby Inclusive Education Centre . Other schools in the list also include, Archdeacon Brown Secondary School (Day and Boarding), and Archdeacon  Brown Advance Level Centre.

    Pupils of the schools trilled their audience with their colourful displays as they showcased their talents,  mastery, artistry and professionalism as budding Nollywood stars, artists  beautiful dancers, fashion stars as well as their high intellectual know-how.

    Established 17 years ago, ABEC Group of Schools has the vision of raising excellent children for Nigeria’s future.

    Speaking at the event,The Executive Director of the schools, Dame Toby, explained that her vision for establishing the schools was borne out of the need to raise educationally excellent children in the midst of falling standards and moral decadence.

    She said the special education centre, Christie Toby Inclusive Education Centre, (nursery, primary and secondary), was established with the believe that no child is ineducatable, and that all students/pupils, irrespective of their challenges are endowed with God-given talents and abilities; which if harnessed would help them not only function better in society, but help them attain their maximum potentials in life.

    She said: “ABEC Group of schools was founded 17 years ago. It’s a vision borne out of the need to nurture and raise distinguished Nigerians with a view for our country and our passion for excellence.

    “As an educationist who has raised several generations of children both in Nigeria and beyond, I was perturbed at the falling standards and moral decadence in our system. “Having worked in the public service several years as an operator in the education sector, I was determined to translate my vision and educational mission that delivers of all spheres.

    “Today, I am glad that God has helped us achieve our goal in raising children who are making marks. Here in ABEC our children are proud. Here in ABEC, we Lead, we excel, we achieve, we respect, and we nurture. These are our core values. That is what we try to inculcate in all our children; to make them good leaders, to make them excellent achievers.”

    The wife of the former Deputy Governor of Rivers state, Sir Gabriel Toby continued,  “We show them how to respect anybody not minding class, their age and colour and to help them have confidence in themselves, and again, we can beat our chest that our children are making us proud in all spheres. From graduating 1st class in various schools and Universities around the world, and today entrepreneurs and chief executives.

    “It is in acknowledgment of this that we have tagged this year’s event, We Lead.” She bragged.

    She expressed gratitude to her partners for assisting to make the day memorable.

    The Chairman, 2017 event Planning Committee, Betty Anorue, described the day as opportunity for all the schools to come together as one big family to strengthen their bond and as well, showcase their various talents in various fields.

    “Right from inception, Archdeacon Brown Education Centre has always equipped it’s pupils with high quality education, life sustaining skills and constructive programmes even in unusual areas rather than mere bland certificates.

    “Our Unity Day is an opportunity for all the schools in the group to come together as one big family of schools to strengthen our bond as well as to showcase our talents in various fields such as Sciences, Arts, Sports, Health, dance, music, home economics, cookery and in other endeavours of our every day life.

    “Apart from our outstanding academic records, the need to enhance the civil knowledge, training, social well-being and impartation of lasting values of integrity, respect for law and order, honesty, trust and humility on children cannot be overemphasized in our present day Nigeria as we, as a nation continually strive to shift away from  crime to better the lives of our present and future generations.

    “It is therefore important to arm our children with skills for creative and productive optimal solutions to unemployment, crime-prevention and a better future for our great country, Nigeria.”

    From the results announced, 7-year-old Master Pureheart, from the Christie Toby Inclusive Education Centre, won the cooking competition, student from ABEC Day came tops in the song completion, while Princess Akinwunmi of ABEC Day emerged winner of the Science Exhibitions.

  • NDDC, PHC Global Shapers rebrand partnership

    Dozens of young Niger Delta IT entrepreneurs (netpreneurs), geeks, start-ups, NGO operators and others converged at the Heleconia Park, Intel Estate in Port Harcourt, Rivers state.  They are the masters of their chosen fields in the Garden City and were led by young, frisky podcaster of Stroll Live, Ebenezer Wikina, who is Curator, Port Harcourt Global Shapers, an offshoot of the World Economic Forum. The assembly was held as part of the ‘Meet The Leader’ dialogue series.

    About 50 youths from region engaged the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC?, Mr Nsima Ekere on sustainable development in the Niger Delta and how youths can get involved. The discourse was facilitated by a partnership of the PHC Global and the Chevron Nigeria Limited-funded NGO PIND Foundation’s Niger Delta Link, an information and communications platform of the NGO, which works towards “leveraging the power of the internet to unite stakeholders in the region.”

    The gathering was refreshingly different from those usually held to ‘find solution to the Niger Delta problem’. These youths were not the usual ‘youth leaders’ – some of whom usually are passed the half century age mark but still remained ‘youths’. These were graduates, start-ups and entrepreneurs in various fields aged from 20 – 30 years, brimming with ideas and running with them. They are graduates, who rather than seeking employments, are empowering, mentoring  and even employing others.

    Dayo Ibitoye, a development communication consultant, who studied Chemical Engineering at the Ahmadu Bello University, led the NDLink team. A very bright and intelligent young man, Ibitoye was already productive and making good use of his time and energy as a ‘Campus Reporter’ for The Nation newspapers’ before he graduated from ABU, Zaria.

    Other young leaders were ThankGod Okorisha, a journalist and former intern at 99.1fm; Bryte Chinule, a conflict resolution consultant; Randolph Fiberisima, a lawyer, and Onimim Fifi Karibo, a University of Port Harcourt Biochemistry graduate, who found her passion in the kitchen and runs a very successful catering service – Fifi House of Food – in Port Harcourt.

    The gathering presented the NDDC MD a very pleasant surprise. He was taken aback by the quality of the gathering, so much so that he described the crop of youths as refreshingly different from what Niger Delta youths are known for both within and outside the country. “We are not known for this”, Ekere said.

    Continuing, he noted that the air of optimism and positive vibe in the room gave him hope about the future of the region. “When I come in here and meet a very different environment it gives me a lot of hope. What people know us for is aggression, street harassments, kidnappings, violence, blowing up pipelines. That’s what being a youth in the Niger Delta is looked at and that’s how people see us.”

    Ekere was not the only person who shared that view. One of the participants was concerned that the negative image was a source of problem, stressing that a study she conducted in the region showed that impressionable young children see militants and warlords as their role model. “80percent said they want to be militant because those who own the big houses and driver fast cars are militants.”

    The NDDC top shot and the participants agreed that that should not be the case. He challenged the youths to expand and educate their counterparts across the region so that children don’t see warlords and criminals as role models. He said those who see violence and thuggery as a means of earning a living must rethink their ways, noting that the culture of giving out handouts as a means of ‘empowerment’ was not only unsustainable, but also wasteful.

    He decried the tag of militancy that currently hung over the region, stressing that strategic investments and projects that can affect the social and economic landscape of the region are taking flights as a result. He noted that the Dangote refinery, which is currently being built in Lagos, could have been located in the region, but for that stigma and fear of insecurity.

    Ekere, who made his mark early in the real estate business, told his audience how an early life car accident changed his life for good. He disclosed that the desperation arising from the need to repair a friend’s car that he damaged, opened his eyes to opportunities around him and showed him that “if you do not just sit in your office and wait for the salary at the end of the month, if you take initiative and decide to run around, things can actually happen!

    “There is the saying that your attitude determines your altitude in life. For you to have the right attitude, you must have the right mindset, education – formal and informal. If we do this, we will see that all these things that we are complaining about will begin to fall into place.”

    He tasked members of the group to be change agents, promising to work with them to change the narrative about the region. He said it was important for the PH Global Shapers members to become the image that people see when they think of Niger Delta youths

    Wikina and other members of the group urged the NDDC MD to help establish an information technology hub in Port Harcourt. They noted that the city is missing out on opportunities that such facility could generate, which their counterparts from Lagos and Abuja and other parts of the country are enjoying.

    Wikina, who won the International Journalist Network,  IJNet, “Journalist of the Month” in September 2016, revealed that the Port Harcourt Global Shapers was committed to improving the state of the world by starting from the Garden City of Port Harcourt. He said the

    In response to the appeal, Mr. Ekere revealed plans to use cable to convey excess internet capacity from Nigeria’s neighbouring Sao Tome to the states of the region. “One of the things we want to do is to have the IT connectivity in the Niger Delta. We have had several meetings and there will be more meetings,” he promised.

    Besides IT, he said the NDDC was aggressively pursuing agriculture as a way of securing the region’s future. “The emphasis on scholarship has been science and engineering, but things are changing, petroleum is not the way of the future. There is also agriculture and the value chain, something to add value. You send somebody to go and study engineering and when he comes out can he be on his own? He has to look for a job and if you cannot get that job, what happens?”

    Speaking on the outcome of the event, Ibitoye said, “I am happy at the quality of engagements, the energy and enthusiasm from everyone. There is hope for the region and I am happy to be part of those changing the narrative.”

  • Itsekiris protest, decry marginalisation in NDDC

    Itsekiris protest, decry marginalisation in NDDC

    A coalition of Itsekiri social groups; the Itsekiri Coalition Movement (ICM), has given the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) a 21-day ultimatum to commence attending to its list of demands, bordering on issues of development and marginalisation, or face the wrath of Itsekiri nation.

    The group, which led a crowd of angry protesters to the Warri Area office of the NDDC in Ejeba on Thursday, also called for the sack of the Commissioner representing Delta state on the board of the commission, Dr Ogaga Ifowodo, whom it accused of ethnic bias and incompetence. 

    The protesters, who were effectively contained and prevented from accessing the premises of the area office by a combined team of soldiers and policemen, created a huge scene around the area, causing traffic discomfort along the already narrow Ejeba road.

    The protesters, among other allegations, as contained in their communique, alleged that the NDDC had over the years failed to complete key projects in their area, frowning especially at the recent call for contract tenders, with the exclusion of Itsekiri areas in the bid process.

    The group, led by Tuoyo Ofuyaekpone, Samuel Khalil and Eddy Olueh, among others, presented a communiqué containing their grievances against the commission to an Assistant Director of the NDDC, Haruna Mazadu, who led other available management personnel to attend to the protesters.

    Presenting the communiqué to the commission’s personnel, Olueh, who appeared very angry, said failure of the NDDC to speedily attend to the demands within 21 days would force the group to initiate the next level of the protest, the nature of which he was silent about.

    “We came here hoping to meet the commissioner on seat, unfortunately the commissioner who ought to be on seat this morning is no where to be found. Therefore, as a nation we find him incompetent to hold the office of the commissioner and we ask him to tender his letter of resignation or be sacked without delay.

    “Having said this, we want to see a road from Warri to Ode-Itsekiri. We want to see the road leading from Omadino to Ode-Ugborodo. We want to see the Koko/Ogheye Road, which has been under construction for more than 6 years, but has yet to go as far as 4 kilometers, yet money has been paid for all of these projects and we are not happy.

    “Itsekiri nation is saying no to marginalisation. A couple of days ago they called for tender and our nationality, due to wickedness and a deliberate act by the NDDC, was left out of the tender. This is a slap on our face and we’ll no longer accept it. We are the largest producer of crude oil in Delta state and the second largest producer of crude oil and gas in Nigeria, yet we are being marginalise. This is unacceptable to us and we will no longer accept it.

    “Take our massage beyond here; take it to the NDDC office in Port Harcourt and to the Presidency. We are presenting to you our bill of demands, hoping that in the next 21 days this bill of demand will have started being implemented. Itsekiri nation wants to start seeing implementation and all abandoned projects completed, fund our projects because it is our money, give us what belongs to us, we don’t need to beg for it because it’s our right.

    “We hope that in 21 days, we would have started seeing the implementation of these demands. However, after 21 days we’ll be forced to take this protest to the next level”, he said.

    In his response to the presentation made by the group, an Assistant Director of the commission, Haruna Mazadu, promised that the list of demands would be passed on to the appropriate authorities, adding that necessary actions would be taken.

  • Doors closing on defaulting NDDC contractors

    Doors closing on defaulting NDDC contractors

    A comprehensive audit of projects being done by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has shown that contractors will no longer have where to hide, writes PRECIOUS DIKEWOHA

    For four days, directors and engineers from the Rivers State office of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) rolled up their sleeves for on-the-spot inspection of projects spread across the state.

    This came on the heels of a 30-day deadline given by the NDDC, for contractors handling its projects to return to site or face sanctions.

    The NDDC Managing Director, Mr Nsima U. Ekere said last week that  it had become imperative to fast track the on-going audit of projects awarded in the region, in line with government directives and one of the planks of the new Governing Board’s 4-R Initiative, “which is to restructure the balance sheet of the Commission and determine poor performing projects.”

    He declared: “It is important for our contractors to realise it can’t be business as usual. President Muhammadu Buhari is determined to change how government business is conducted and everyone must wake up to that reality. But beyond that is the fact that we owe the Niger Delta region and our people the duty to implement and complete these projects, in order to facilitate sustainable regional development.”

    According to Mr Ekere, the move would enable the Commission to identify the current state of the projects and hasten their completion based on the resources at its disposal. He described the audit as a demonstration of the commitment to the completion of all its projects.

    True to the declaration of the NDDC boss, the Commission’s state offices have already commenced the audit of all on-going projects across the oil producing region.

    Not waiting to be found wanting,, the Rivers State office, led by Hon Harry Dabibi, the Representative of the state on the board of the NDDC, started a four-day inspection of 32 projects being executed in different local government areas of the state.

    The NDDC inspection team, which included  Mr Benson Asubop, the Director of Rivers State Office, several engineers and the project consultants, took time to inspect the 4.72-Km Kaa-Ataba Road and bridge project in Khana Local Government Area.

    Dabibi, who took boat ride to the Ataba end of the first bridge in Andoni, said he was happy with the progress of work at the site. He, however, urged the contractor to put in more efforts to quicken the pace of work.

    He noted that some of the problems that had previously slowed down the pace of work on NDDC projects had been addressed, adding that “the process of payment has been streamlined and fine-tuned such that contractors are now paid as soon as they present their Interim Payment Certificates [IPC].”

    Hon Dabibi charged all NDDC contractors to fulfil their obligations to the commission by working expeditiously to deliver the various projects on schedule and in accordance with specified standards. He warned; “Contractors that are not on site or fail to keep to specifications will have themselves to blame because the NDDC will not hesitate to take appropriate measures to bring them to book.”

    He charged contractors working for the NDDC to buckle up as “the board will not entertain excuses for non-performance. Our contractors must prioritize the prompt and early completion of projects. Where there are challenges, we should know immediately,” Hon Harry Dabibi said.

    Responding, the Project Manager of the Kaa-Ataba Road and Bridge, Engr. Mene Solomon, assured that his company would work towards early completion of the job. He attributed the delay experienced so far to the turbulent waves in the water, which had hampered the delivery of materials to the site and affected the schedule for casting of the piers.

    Another project inspected was the 3.65-kilometre Okrika-Borokiri Road with three bridges at Kolabi, Abotoru and Okpoka creeks in Okrika Local Government Area. It was a different story compared with the situation at the Kaa-Ataba Road and Bridge project.

    The NDDC inspection team was taken aback by what they saw at the site of the  project they classified as high impact projects, as well as critical because it will connect the islands in Okrika to Borokiri in Port-Harcourt main town.

    Indeed, the dormant state of the project was very discouraging and the NDDC team leader could not hide his disappointment. He said that the Commission would invite the contractor to a meeting where commitments would be made by all parties towards ensuring that the site was active once again.

    The site manager for the company handling the project, Jolien Keneem, told the NDDC officials that his firm had devised a strategy that would help it to expedite work on the project, explaining that the work would be approached from different points simultaneously when more funds were released to his company.

    The site engineer could not, however, explain why there was no visible activity at the site and the obvious absence of equipment on ground.

    This key road with three bridges connecting Kolabi, Abotoru and Okpoka creeks to Port Harcourt, is expected to ease traffic along the East-West Road and connect several communities in two local government areas.

    According to the former Acting MD of NDDC, Mrs Ibim Semenitari, “this project is indeed a top priority because it connects several communities to the Rivers State capital. It is one of the projects that can take traffic off Aba Road and East-West Road. You will find people living in Okrika, Akpajo, Eleme or even Gokana and Khana commuting to Port Harcourt through the road.”

    When completed, it would reduce traffic congestion on the Refinery Road and cut travel time from Okrika to Port Harcourt. “With the road, those working in the Port Harcourt Refining Company can cross to Port Harcourt in just 10 minutes,” she said.

    The inspection team also checked the internal roads constructed by the commission in Asari Toru and Degema local government areas. In Abalama, the NDDC commissioner described the completed projects as not only commendable but a testimony to the commitment of some local contractors to the objective of delivering quality projects to the people.

    The team also expressed satisfaction with the quality of work on the solar-powered water project in Buguma. In Degema LGA, however, work on the internal roads in Obuama was still on-going and the NDDC team leader assured that the contractor would be made to deliver quality jobs that would also give value for the money spent on them.

    At the site of the Niger Delta Regional Specialist Hospital (orthopaedic and cardiovascular), in the heart of Port Harcourt, the NDDC team was greeted with another encouraging performance by its contractors.

    This laudable hospital project, comprising Orthopaedic and Cardiovascular units, was being replicated in Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Delta states. According to Dr Christian Oboh, who was the MD when the project took off, the idea was to reverse the trend of medical tourism in the Niger Delta. “We want our people to begin to get their medical treatment from our specialist hospitals, instead of travelling overseas for their healthcare needs,” he said.

    Justifying the need for the hospital, the NDDC boss stated: ‘The people need to be healthy to savour the benefits of good roads and bridges.” He said that when completed, the hospital will deal with the correction of injuries to the skeletal system, associated muscles, joints and ligaments while the cardiovascular unit will treat heart problems, said to be prevalent in the region.

    Hon Dabibi said he was impressed with the quality of work done so far and the appreciable progress made in putting up the two hospitals. “This is a great project because it is meant to save lives,” he added.

    The project site along Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, has a one storey orthopaedic unit and a four-storey cardiovascular centre taking the place of the demolished University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital.

    The NDDC team further inspected the Nigerian Police barracks being built for the Special Protection Unit, base 6 at Omagwa in the outskirts of Port Harcourt. The complex contains an administrative building and six blocks of residential quarters.

    According to the NDDC team leader, the status of work at the complex was satisfactory considering that the main administrative block and the residential quarters for the Police Commander in the barracks had been completed.

    “We hope that the other contractors will expedite action on the other buildings in the complex. We have seen some progress by two of the contractors; we expect the others that are lagging behind to wake up.”

    The next stop for the team was the site of the skill acquisition centre in Aleto, Eleme LGA. Here, the contractor was said to have left the site due to an outstanding IPC. After reviewing the situation at the building site, Hon Dabibi promised to make a strong case for the contractor to be re-mobilised.

    The lowest point for the NDDC officials came when they visited the completed cottage hospital at Eteo community in Eleme LGA. The hospital complex, which was ready for commissioning and hand over to the community, was totally vandalised by unknown persons. The hospital, which had been equipped and furnished, was virtually stripped bare of all valuable items, including the roofing sheets.

    Hon Dabibi was visibly pained at the sight of the vandalised hospital, appealing to communities to assist the NDDC by owning the projects and protecting them.

  • ‘Edo is in safe hand’

    Collins Idahosa, ex-Special Supervisor of Neighbourhood Watch to the immediate past Governor of Edo State Adams Oshiomhole, said governance is on good course in the state. The former president of National Association of Edo State Students (NAOSS) at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) urged the youth to support Gov. Godwin Obaseki in his drive to consolidate on the gains of All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government in the state. He spoke to WALE AJETUNMOBI

    How much do you know of Governor Godwin Obaseki?

    Governor Godwin Obaseki has established himself as a leader, who listens to the opinions of the people. In the last four months of his administration, the governor has demonstrated that he is ready to tackle challenges facing our state from the grassroots. When he assumed office, he told everyone who was ready to work with him to go back to their wards and meet with leaders of our party. This is to give everyone ward a sense of belonging. The governor made it clear to everyone that, no touts and thugs would have roles to play in his administration. This is a good omen for our state whose political trajectory is filled with hooliganism and brigandage. Former Governor Adams Oshiomhole and Gov. Obaseki have realised that the state cannot move forward when we have thugs and miscreants working in government. This is a good change that has come to Edo and we are happy the journey has been smooth in the last nine years.

    Assessing Obaseki’s leadership, what has changed?

    Unlike others, the governor does not make noise about his achievements in the last four months, but this does not mean he wants to be silent on his success. No. Obaseki has been making bold moves to consolidate on the gains of the previous administration in terms of job creation and increased internally-generated revenue. It has also been observed that Gov. Obaseki does not believe in politics of personality, which was the hallmark of previous PDP administrations in which godfathers recommended unqualified people for appointments and positions. The governor is looking for educated person and professionals to engage in the running of the state. If this merit-based policy is sustained, it means that all indigenes would have equal access to opportunities and jobs. These are part of the new thinking and behaviour the governor has introduced into the body politic of the state. You don’t have to know anyone before you get jobs or positions in the state. All that is required is your qualification and professional experience.

    Isn’t it too early to assess the governor?

    I don’t believe in people waiting for the end of the tenure to judge any government. Like they say, the brighter the morning, the brighter the day. Those that have the interest of the people at heart are easily known by the way they conduct their affairs of their people. Since the governor assumed office, he has distanced himself from people who want to curry cheap favours at the expense of the state’s scarce resources. This should tell you that it is no more business as usual in the day-to-day affairs of the state. The civil servants are now adjusting to the new measures, because the governor has shown, by example, that the development of the state is sacrosanct. Everybody who must work with the governor must also be ready to key into this, because there is a clear direction in which the administration of Obaseki is toeing to bring dividends of governance to the people, irrespective of social status or class.

    ‘Edo is in safe hand’

    There is no doubt that Oshiomhole handed over the rein of power to the best man that can consolidate on his foundations and gains of his eight-year tenure. Since government is a continuum as they say in political science, I believe the achievement of Obaseki would be another solid foundation for greater achievement for his successor. This is the beautiful thing about APC-led administration in the state. Our past political experience in the past nine years is showing that there is a new dawn in the state. Opinions of ordinary people are now being taken for consideration by the government. The manner with which Gov. Obaseki is educating Edo State revenue collectors and building his economic team is a good pointer to the fact that governance is on higher pedestal in Edo State. This is why I believe our state is in a safe hand. We can entrust our collective future on the hands of Gov. Obaseki; he won’t disappoint us.

    On the crisis in Ovia Southwest Local Govt

    I am aware of the Appeal Court judgement, declaring Godwin Adeomo as original person to represent the local council in the State house of Assembly, instead of the incumbent Hon. Sunday Aghedo. We must tread softly on this, because the matter is now in Supreme Court. We should wait for the Supreme Court to give final adjudication on the matter. This is not a lawless country. Being a students’ leader, youths and students have met with me to complain about delay by the House of Assembly to swear in Aghedo after the Appeal Court Judgement. I told them to exercise restraint. Staging protests won’t solve the matter, because there is no need for such. The fact that the incumbent lawmaker has approached the Supreme Court shows the law would take its natural course after the Supreme Court judgement. We must respect position of the House of Assembly. Our society is founded on the principle of justice and rule of law. If we must live in this society, then we must be ready to obey the rule of law, especially in political matters. I have personally reached out to aggrieved youths and students to shelve their planned protest against the assembly. We must remember that the parties in the matter belong to the same political party. If the Supreme Court passes judgement on the matter and the assembly does not obey, students would be justified to protest.

    ‘Youths must support Obaseki’

    This is not the time for hooliganism in Edo State. That era of thuggery has gone for good. The governor, who is the leader of the state, is a professional and educated. The youths must follow his footstep. Whatever we are doing, we must support it with education. We must drop destructive behaviours that do not reflect the values of our founding fathers. The governor is creating jobs to engage jobless youths in productive ventures. All they need to do is to register through their local governments and submit their qualifications. This is a sign that Gov. Obaseki is ready to build the capacity of our youths for employability and entrepreneurship. Youths must support the governor in his drive to reduce unemployment in the state.

  • Celebrating Niger Delta women in grand style

    Celebrating Niger Delta women in grand style

    The beautiful women from the host communities of Total Exploration and Production (E&P) Nigeria Limited in the Niger Delta, who wore classy uniform provided by the oil giant, were specially celebrated in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

    The celebration, which took place at Total Base, Trans-Amadi Industrial Layout in the Garden City, attracted many resource persons, with some eminent men also in attendance to make the occasion grand, but all the resource persons were women, as a form of motivation for others.

    The well-attended annual event, a capacity development workshop for the women, was part of activities to mark this year’s International Women’s Day, with the theme: “Be Bold For Change.”

    The International Women’s Day is a day set aside by the United Nations (UN) to celebrate women achievements throughout history and across nations. It is also known as the United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace.

    The 2017 theme is tailored towards addressing the rising disparity between men and women, which is a call for all women to take unprecedented actions in all spheres of life.

    Poverty used to be more acute among women living in rural areas, while women were hitherto poorer, because they had fewer economic opportunities and less autonomy than men.

    Women are currently striving to work harder to build a better world and participate more actively in the development process, while it is pertinent to stress that when women are given opportunities, they will surely do well.

    At Total’s workshop, papers were presented by Southsouth Zonal Operations Controller of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Mrs. Chioma Njoku; an Assistant Director in the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Emem Daniel, and the Founder of Tin Industrial Services Limited, Mrs. Tina Njoku.

    The DPR boss said: “We need to celebrate women everyday. Stop exploiting women. While women are being bold for change, they must not be insultive, disrespectful, arrogant or impolite. The powers of women are enormous, but they must change the way they do things/change their attitude and make themselves relevant.

    “Women must be adequately empowered, but they must start the change from their tiny corners. Let men know that women also have brains/something upstairs, are competent not to limit themselves and not to be afraid of challenging jobs, but to embrace hard work.”

    In her presentation, the assistant director in the Akwa Ibom state ministry of justice stated that women would always hold the key to peace in families, for the communities to be at peace, but urged the women to add value to themselves.

    Daniel, a lawyer, admonished the women to always take good care of their children and their homes, stressing that women must not be predictable, declaring that the change they want must start with themselves.

    The assistant director said: “I love being a woman. Women are not taking the place of men, but give them equal opportunities. That is the essence of gender parity. Women must be responsible, embrace peace and say no to war.”

    While presenting a paper titled: “Networking For Change,” the founder of Tin Industrial Services Limited urged the women to step up, but change with boldness and respect, while utilising every opportunity to network, make useful friends and expand their horizon.

    Tina Njoku noted that every gathering must be seen as an opportunity to learn, grow and build relationships, especially for women to better their lives, while displaying courage and boldness.

    The founder of Tin Industrial Services Limited said: “Confront fear and you will discover that it is not as powerful as you thought. Be women of substance, who will be respectful and humble, but make efforts to ensure change, which will come when you take a step.”

    The Rivers State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Ukel Oyaghiri, who was the special guest of honour at the training, urged women to be bold and courageous, in order to be recognised in the society and given opportunities.

    She, however, cautioned women not to be rude or disrespectful, but to be polite, humble, seek knowledge and place emphasis on qualitative education, in order to move forward.

    Oyaghiri, a lawyer, called on women to take unprecedented actions in all spheres of life, while stepping up in their quest for gender parity.

    Rivers commissioner for women affairs said: “The call is for women to do more and society to value their contributions. If the contributions of women are valued, well remunerated and equal training and opportunities are given to both men and women in the key areas of education, health, economy and politics, the gender gap will be closed, even before 2030, as pegged by the United Nations and the society will be better for all of us.

    “Give women the opportunity and they will do well. A woman who is not properly trained with the requisite skills cannot be bold for change. It is when the woman is trained that she can compete favourably to effect the needed change.

    “It is on this premise that the training by Total is organised, to give the women the needed knowledge and understanding that will spur them to take bold actions and steps in politics, business and education etc., in order to close the gender gap and gradually ensure the attainment of Vision 2030.”

    Oyaghiri also stated that knowledge, training and education were key to continuous living and sustenance, while insisting that knowledge is key to a better life.

    Rivers women affairs commissioner lauded Total for organising the workshop, which she described as a step in the right direction, while urging other corporate bodies to emulate the oil giant, especially in the area of women capacity building and equally commended Governor Nyesom Wike for giving priority attention to peace and development of Rivers state.

    In his keynote address, Total’s Deputy Managing Director, Francios Le Cocq, disclosed that the annual workshop was to key into the United Nations’ values for women development by providing a veritable platform for capacity building and networking for women in the oil firm’s host communities.

    He noted that the theme: “Be Bold For Change,” was indicative of the UN’s action to better the lots of women world over.

    Le Cocq said: “To us in TEPNG (Total), we have deliberately decided to align ourselves to the fast track in gender parity. In the past one year, women development activities have been elevated to heights never seen before in the company.

    “For those who are keen watchers of TEPNG’s activities, you will notice that women development programmes have received a boost never seen before.

    “TEPNG is committed to policies that stand out against gender-based discrimination, marginalisation, violence, human rights abuses and unequal access to education and healthcare. TEPNG promotes equal opportunities in leadership and participation for both genders.”

    The deputy managing director also stated that women and men could be leaders within their spheres of influence, by taking bold and pragmatic actions to accelerate gender parity and change.

    Le Cocq, whose family members were earlier in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, disclosed that members of his family now prefer and enjoying Port Harcourt.

    In order to have a better society, men should always encourage women to grow, excel, make useful contributions and given equal opportunities. Men must never be intimidated by the achievements of women