The Nation Newspaper

Category: Niger Delta

  • Rivers…20 groups boost pro-riverine governor rally

    Rivers…20 groups boost pro-riverine governor rally

    No fewer than 20 groups have signed up for the 50,000-man rally planned for next month by the youths and students wing of the Eastern Delta People Association (EDPA). The rally is to draw support for a riverine successor to Governor Rotimi Amaechi, writes PRECIOUS DIKEWOHA  

    The youths and students wing of the Eastern Delta Peoples Association (EDPA), the umbrella body of Ijaws in Rivers State, believes it is time for Rivers State to have a governor from the riverine area. The upland part of the state will by next have been in charge for 16 years.

    Next month, the youths and students will hold a 50,000- man rally to drum support for this cause. Twenty groups have signed to be part of the rally. Some of them are:  the eastern zone of the Ijaw Youth Council, the Ijaw Project 2015, the Rivers Coalition, the Ijaw Youth Mandate, the Ogoni Alliance, the Etche Brothers Assembly, the Ikwerre People’s Alliance, the Ekpeye Assembly, the Eleme People Assembly, the Wakirike Youth Congress and the Kalabari Youth Front.

    Speaking at a news conference after the inauguration of the EDPA youths and students wing in Port Harcourt, the spokesman of the wing, Mr. Kingsley Adonis Pepple, said the

    rally is to demand their right to produce the next governor of Rivers State. He said the purpose of the rally is to demonstrate the unity of the Ijaws in the 2015 governorship bid and to  mobilise support of all fair- minded and unity loving citizen to support the cause for the emergence of a Rivers governor of Ijaw extraction.

    Pepple noted that two former governors and eight other highly respected dignitaries would speak at the rally.

    He added that the rally would be  peaceful.

    He said: “The fifty thousand man match will hold at the historic Isaac Adaka Boro Park. This place bears meaning to all Ijaws worldwide.  We are riverine and creek dwellers. We have concluded plans to organise this rally to press forward our resolve to produce the next governor of Rivers State come 2015. We spread across ten of the twenty-three Local Government Areas of Rivers State.  “EDPA has already collected not less than twenty-five thousand signatures endorsing the rally and more persons are expressing support for the emergence of a Riverine Ijaw governor of Rivers State.

    “Twenty groups have also expressed support and solidarity with the Eastern Delta Peoples Association. Believe me, two former governors and eight other highly-respected dignitaries of the state are billed to speak at the unity rally scheduled for October in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State capital.”

    Chairman, Steering Committee of the EDPA, Elder Lawrence Jumbo,  who was at the briefing, said the EDPA is an umbrella body of socio political organisation of Rivers Ijaw communities spread across ten LGAs of Rivers State.

    He said: “Our focus is to pursue the socio-political and economic integration and advancement of the creek dwellers of the State. Our leaders have agreed with us and also told us that upland people who have honourably participated twice since the advent of the current political dispensation in 1999 and fully supported by Ijaws will now allow our people  in good faith to produce, occupy and serve Rivers State as governors for the permissible two terms in office. We ask for the same measure of friendship and support that we have freely given in the past, to enable a daughter or son of our challenged locality to occupy the Brick House and give adequate attention to our plight.

    “We shall be promoting injustice and exclusion if another son or daughter from the hinterland insists to occupy the seat of government in the state for another eight years, making twenty-four years of uninterrupted takeover of Brick House.  We commend other organisations and groups within the riverine communities that exist across the three senatorial districts of the state, who have openly thrown their support behind Rivers Ijaws through EDPA either in spoken words, written letters and actions taken in pursuit of this worthy venture.

    “We have seen different forms of manoeuvring, selling of outright lies, distortion of history and inducements to deny rivers Ijaws the same opportunity that we freely gave to our brothers in the past.  Their plan is to erase us out of the political equation of Rivers State. Our leaders, sons and daughters have agreed not to reject any money or gift offered to gain their support by these agents of disunity and hatred, simply because the item can be of service to them at some point. On 2015 polls, we have resolved to support a Rivers Ijaw candidate. We, therefore, encourage all men of goodwill, lovers of justice, equity and unity to keep pumping in the money as possible to support our economy. The vote of the people of Rivers State is not for sale.”

    He added that rampant financial inducement and offer of future political offices and contracts have been used to gradually trigger extremism in the society.

    Jumbo said: “Back to the era of frequent recording of politically related crimes, this is not a welcome development and we must do our best to resist violence and other vices that disrupts the peace of our people. We admonish our youths to avoid all unlawful acts. Our upland brothers held power for sixteen years creditably while the rivers Ijaws honourably offered our support in full. It is only fair and just to lend same enjoyed friendship and support to the people of the riverine communities come 2015.

    “In the coming weeks and months, political parties shall commence their standard flag bearer selection processes, we, therefore, remind the national and state leaders of the respective parties to remember that a social debt is owed to the people of the River Ijaws with respect to governorship of Rivers State. It is only but fair to offset this existing social debt. A candidate of the Ijaws extraction definitely settles the civil debt owed the people of the riverine. Luckily, Rivers Ijaws can be found in the three senatorial districts of the state.

    “We must at all times show our well known spirit of accommodation of others and our unity in diversity and continue to coexist in happiness. This is the most important service we owe to our people and ancestors. This will mean a big win for the people of Rivers State. It’s a consideration that will pacify all agitations, join new hands in friendship and strengthen existing relationships.

    “This is a panacea that will stabilise our polity, save lives and help more of our people to live free of fears. This is the agenda that Rivers people pray and shall vote to uphold come 2015.”

  • Youth leaders move to break second term jinx in Bayelsa

    Youth leaders from Bayelsa State met in Yenagoa, the state capital, have vowed to ensure that Governor Seriake Dickson break the second term jinx in the state.

    The leaders lamented that since the 1999 democratic dispensation in Nigeria, no governor has been able to rule the state for a second term.

    The youths said Dickson deserved a second term based on his performances and commitment to develop the state.

    They cited the Yenagoa flyover, airport project, the senatorial roads and scholarship to students as some of the achievements of the governor.

    “We are moving into the local government areas and all the wards to drum support for the governor. He needs to come back for more development”, they said.

    The leaders who organised themselves under the Bayelsa Youth Leaders’ Forum (BYLF) said they would resist external and internal influences working against the reelection of the government.

    The Chairman and the Secretary of the forum, Mr. Oborku Oforji and Mr. Okosikeme Ayibakuro respectively said they formed the group as a platform to sensitise people on the need to bring back the governor.

    Denying that the group was being funded by an aide to the governor, he described the pro-Dickson’s forum as a Non-Governmental Organisaion (NGO) formed after evaluating the performance of the governor.

    He gave a long list of ongoing and completed projects embarked upon by the governor and maintained that Dickson deserved to break the reelection jinx in the state.

    According to him Dickson’s achievements within two years have impacted positively on indigenes and non-indigenes resident in the state.

    He said the governor had shown commitment in the reelection of President Goodluck Jonathan by mobilising people of other geopolitical zones to support the President.

    “The forum was attracted to the achievements of Governor Seriake Dickson whose restoration government is poised at delivering the dividends of democracy to the people of the state.

    “We must as a people appreciate these good things by supporting the governor not just to complete his tenure but ask that he continues a second term,” he said.

    It was observed that the reelection campaigns for Dickson had begun amidst fears that all was not well between the Governor and the President.

    Groups and forums were being formed and sponsored by Dickson’s  key aides to identify with him and drum support for his reelection.

    Though the governorship elections in the state comes up in 2016, Dickson’s camp believes that it is time to begin building a formidable political structure for the governor.

    The intention it was gathered was to saturate the political atmosphere with calls for Dickson’s reelection in order to frustrate some powerful elements within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) calling for his removal.

    Apart from BYLF, chairmen of local government areas of Sagbama and Ekeremor had held rallies in their councils seeking support for Dickson’s second term.

    Also, ex-militant leaders under the aegis of the Leadership for Peace and Cultural Development Initiative (LPCDI) took turns recently to call for the reelection of the governor.

    The early campaign, our correspondent gathered, came against the backdrop of speculations that the relationship between Dickson and Jonathan was no longer cordial.

    The speculation became rife following Jonathan’s resistance of entreaties by the governor to visit the state and inaugurate some of his projects.

    The governor has been proposing and postponing dates for Jonathan’s official visit.

    The working visit was initially scheduled for March, April and finally May but Jonathan refused to show up. It was observed that the President shunned Dickson and rather visited Governor Godswill Akpabio in Akwa Ibom State.

    The development, some said, further deepened the cold war between the governor and the president.

    But Oforji said there was no problem between the governor and the President saying Dickson has continued to show unalloyed support for the President.

    “The governor is following the footsteps of President Jonathan who is transforming Nigeria,”he said.

  • Fear of death led me to Christ, says Bishop

    Fear of death led me to Christ, says Bishop

    Bishop Benjamin Beinmote Solomon of the Bible Pattern Evangelical Mission, Port Harcourt turned 50 last Sunday. He used the occasion to count his blessings,  writes Precious Dikewoha

    For Bishop Benjamin Beinmote Solomon, the Presiding Prelate of the Bible Pattern Evangelical Mission, his golden jubilee celebration is nothing but an opportunity to count his blessings. It took him more than one hour on the pulpit last Sunday to narrate how faithful God has been to him, his family and his ministry. He told the congregation that he has every reason to praise God and to rejoice.

    The birthday celebration, which started by 12 pm at the Bible Pattern Evangelical Mission Hall in Rumuokuta, Obio/Akpor Local Government of Rivers State, was attended by men of God, friends, well-wishers and families of the celebrant.

    The Bishop also dedicated his book titled: “Understanding the Divine Covenant”.

    Unveiling the book, the guest minister, Bishop Isaac Ididah, said the book is a must read. He added that if the congregation understood the importance of divine covenant no one would leave the church without buying a copy.

    Bishop Solomon said he was struck with the spirit of death and never thought he could celebrate 50. He said he was the only surviving male child in his family.

    He said the fear of death made him to give his life to God.

    His words: “The power of death was on me when I was at the age of five. To be specific, whenever good thing wants to happen in my life, the spirit of death will recur. I find myself dying and waking up and at that point I understood that my future is at stake. That means, I must be terminated. I knew I will die and my father also knew I will die. So while struggling with the strange spirit, I heard that Jesus can save.

    “So, I said if the power of God upon me can do this for me, I will serve him all the days of my life. I discovered that Jesus can change all things and make a difference in my life. So, it is the fear to escape death that led me to Christ.

    “Though there are different ways that God bring people to serve him because in my family the whole thing was clear that men don’t survive but women can survive. As I am talking to you in my own generation, I am the last man standing.”

    Many who were privileged to have worked with Bishop Solomon attested to the celebrant’s dedication and humility.

    Bishop Isaac Ididah of Delta State said Bishop Solomon is a real man of God who is serving God with all his heart.

    He said: “He is my best friend. He is a man with great anointing of God in his life, and he has been described as a humble man of God. He is a sincere and easy going man, a man who has gone through the fire and refused to burn. He came face to face with death and refused to die. He has no fear for the devil and has sacrificed enough for his members. He is a prayer warrior for the country. I want him to continue in the good work of God and that is the only legacy.”

    Pastor Author Godwin, one of the senior pastors of the church who has served the celebrant for more than 16 years, said: “He is a servant of God who has dedicated his life to Christ. He is known as a terror in the kingdom of darkness. For the past 16 years, I have been under his ministry and we have not lost any soul.  That shows the kind of man he is. I want him to continue with the good work God has handed over to him because we are happy serving under his leadership.”

    Another pastor, Pastor Kinsley Egunatu, said the Bishop is a man that is cherished by all.

    “Everybody in this neighbourhood loves him. He has helped many people, especially the poor. He is our legend and this he has proven through his relationship with people,” he said.

    The celebrant’s wife, Rev. Elizabeth Ibim Beinmote- Solomon, said she could have made a great mistake if she did not marry her husband.

    She said: “Today we are celebrating a great man of God who is also my husband. It has been to the glory of God; a wonderful experience living with him as husband and wife. He is one man who has laid down his life for many to live. I call him a destiny helper of our generation. Many have received and benefited from him. He is a man with a large heart.

    “A man that God called. I came into his life and I can testify about him today. I don’t only see him as a pastor; I see him as a husband, mentor, leader and God’s anointed. I have learnt many things from him. One thing I have discovered is that when you respect the anointing in the man of God, it is easy to receive the anointing. My husband is someone who is not afraid of failure no matter what comes his way, he is an excellent man.

    “There has never been any regret. As for me, I had never believed that I will marry a man of God. It has never been my agenda. When he came, I told him that I was not ready to be called a pastor’s wife but that did not mean I didn’t want to serve God. Whenever I prayed, I always added it as my prayer point that God should not allow me to marry a pastor.

    “But I see destiny speaking and I have to obey. My husband used to be my marriage counsellor. God has proven Himself why He brought us together and I have seen the reason why God bent my decision to marry a man of God. Without this man, my life would have been a forgotten issue.”

    The highpoints of the occasion were the cutting of birthday cake, book dedication and thanksgiving.

  • Bayelsa battles unemployment

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson has said his administration will create jobs for the youths.

    The governor noted that his government had employed more Bayelsa youths more than any other government. He stressed that about 200 forestry guards from different local government areas had recently been engaged on the basis of equal representation.

    According to the governor, in order to reduce unemployment in the state, the government appointed youths into positions of trust, besides the recent recruitment of 100 graduates and 1,000 non-graduates into the Bayelsa Volunteers scheme.

    Dickson, who addressed journalists at the Government House, said he had also authorised the employment of science teachers to fast track and enhance the teaching of science subjects in all schools in the state.

    “There are some employments we have authorised, and let me assure you that we have employed more youths than a lot of governments have done. Do you know that we have employed over 200 on the basis of equality of local governments?”

    Restating government’s commitment to creating jobs, Dickson said the situation was more challenging for states like Lagos and Kano with population of about 15 million, stressing that the problem of unemployment was aggravated by the dwindling resources of the state and the over-bloated wage bills.

    He, however, declared his administration’s intention to fight poverty and unemployment in collaboration with youths by creating wealth through agriculture and investments in relevant sectors of the state’s economy.

  • All set for Ogbia football tournament

    The maiden edition of the President Jonathan Ogbia Intercommunity Football Tournament  is set to kick off.

    The football event is sponsored by the George Turnah Foundation (GTF).

    The Chairman of GTF, Ebis Orubebe, said the tournament is aimed at uniting and uplifting Ogbia youths through football.

    “Our aim is to bring together the youths of Ogbia extraction through football. We at George Turnah Foundation are inclined to using football to send this message of unity.

    “It is Bar Turnah’s way of bringing development to the Ogbia kingdom. GTF did a similar thing during the 2012 flood disaster when we distributed relief materials all over the Niger Delta. In the near future, the foundation has plans to distribute free school materials to all primary and secondary schools in the state. “

    “Ogbia is made of up 54 communities and these 54 communities entered the first qualifying round.  From the first qualifying round, we will proceed to the second and final qualifying round after which 32 teams/communities will emerge.

    “After the draws, there will also be unveiling of the logo and mascot of the tournament. The overall winners of the competition will go home with N500, 000 while the runners up will pocket N300, 000 and the third place finisher, will get N200,000 as consolation prize money.”

  • Group to Delta, Edo youths: don’t vandalise pipelines

    The National Coordinator of the Youth Coalition Against Vandalism(Y-CAV), Comrade Roland Odih, has urged youths from Edo and Delta states to devise means of protecting petroleum and power pipelines installations in their areas rather than vandalising them.

    He spoke at a two-day sensitisation programme organised for youths from Edo and Delta states held in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State.

    In a communique issued at the end of the workshop, Odih urged the youths to be patriotic.

    He urged the youths to work with the coalition, the government and security and relevant agencies in  preserving and protecting the various power projects and facilities within their domain.

    He said the programme, which is in the pilot phase, is expected to span three years.

    He saidthe programme was set up to enlighten youths on the hazards of pipeline vandalism.

    Odih said  there would be workshops and talk shows for the youths.

    He said: “The programme is an innovative engagement platform geared at preventing  electricity facilities and petroleum pipelines vandalism in Nigeria while also exploring areas of productive endeavours for the youths of the affected areas”he said

    The National Secretary of the Y-CAV, Solomon Adodo, urged the Federal Government to create jobs for the youths  to stop vandalism.

    Traditional rulers from the two states were also present at the event.

  • The thick forest called Bayelsa Federal Polytechnic

    It was established to be a centre of technical and vocational education. A place where skills, practical skills as against mere academic theories, are passed on to students. Not a few were excited about what the products would contribute to the country’s professional cadres. Great engineers, solid technicians and exemplary hands for the oil and gas sector were expected to be churned out by the Federal Polytechnic, Ekowe, Bayelsa State.

    Sadly, the institution has been irresponsibly abandoned. It is now a thick forest. Six years after its establishment, it is on the verge of going moribund.

    The polytechnic was established in 2009 when President Goodluck Jonathan was the Vice-President to specialise in oil and gas studies and other related fields.

    Now, administrative and academic activities are grounded at the school. Vegetation, long shrubs and grass have overgrown many buildings and facilities in the school. Some of the buildings are in disuse and are locked. Money is simply wasting away and no one seems to care.

    Academic, non-academic, senior and junior members of staff are no longer reporting for duty at the polytechnic.

    “The ugly situation has left the students in a very terrible condition in the campus,” a source, who pleaded for anonymity, said.

    “The school clinic is locked up due to the fact that all the drugs have expired. No lectures are going on, there’s no medicare and what have you,” he added.

    There is no security in the institution, a development which has exposed the school to attacks by hoodlums.

    A source told this writer that the school suffers from lack of infrastructure and social amenities. He said the administrative changes carried out in the school during the one-year nationwide strike by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) have made matters worse.

    He said the acting Rector, Emilia Bribena, who was appointed in January, sacked security personnel and cleaners without replacement.

    He said: “Few days after her appointment, she dropped almost all junior members of staff in the school such as security, cleaners and labourers that were taking care of the campus.

    “The school campus was abandoned for several months to the extent that it was like a hunting ground filled with grasses. All the generators were vandalised with some parts stolen.

    “The worst of it all is that the school authority has not shown any care or concern about the lives and the condition of students despite the danger surrounding the students.”

    Something urgent must be done to reverse the ugly trend in the institution. Without this, the objective behind setting it up will remain unachieved. And money will also have been wasted.

    Being a federal institution, the Ministry of Education headed by Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau must move in immediately. All issues raised deserve attention. No stone should be left unturned.

    If any one involved in the management of the institution is found negligent, heads should roll. An institution like this does not derserve to waste away when the oil and gas industry keep requiring local hands to solve some of its challenges.

    The local content law requires the oil and gas operators to reserve some of their contracts for local hands and the operators have always complained about challenges in getting men and women with the right skills to fill the space. So, this is not a time for an institution set up to meet this kind of needs to become a thick forest. This is not only unfair to those who should benefit from the products of the institution, it is also unfair to Nigeria as a country.

    The time to act is now and anything short of this deserves to be described as nothing but irresponsibility on the part of those who should monitor such institutions.

  • Cut from civilisation by water

    Cut from civilisation by water

    •Tales from Alison-Madueke’s Yanaka community

    Anytime the glamorous Petroleum Minister, Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke, wishes to visit her ancestral home in Yanaka, Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, she has to do it through a local canoe.

    There are no vehicles in Yanaka, a rustic and poor community lying close to the developing capital city. This is because there is no road to Yanaka. Also, there is no road to Belebebiri I and II, Omodubiri and Ekolo, the other impoverished communities that share boundaries with Yanaka.

    Perhaps, there would have been a road linking the communities to Yenagoa if a bridge had been constructed by the government. Only a water channel separates the communities from Yenagoa.

    Belebebiri, the first of the communities, is just a stone thrown from Yenagoa. It is located behind the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) and accessed through the popular Hospital Road in Yenagoa.

    Typical of a suffering and smiling condition, the people of the communities have devised a means to eke out a living from their adversities. Following the lack of a link bridge,  canoe paddling is the common business and it is reserved for women alone. Women, mostly aged ones, own locally-made canoes and use them to cross people over to the river banks.

    Morning, especially on weekdays, is a busy period for the canoe paddlers. Like a typical rush hour, civil servants and other workers living in the communities, including owners of businesses in Yenagoa, besiege the Bebelebiri river bank to board canoes to the capital city.

    They also cluster the FMC axis of the bank while returning to their communities in the evening. The paddlers grapple with the water which on rare cases become turbulent as they struggle to sail their passenger-filled canoes safely to the river bank.

    Angelina Koki is one of the canoe paddlers. She is a 65-year-old widow and has been catering for her household with proceeds from the strenuous occupation.

    Sitting at the edge of her long canoe and forcing out a smile, she says: “I’m a ferry paddler, I work here everyday and we pull the paddle stick on this water until 2pm.”

    According to Koki, the business is organised with a roaster. While some women work from morning till afternoon, others take over till night. Koki goes home everyday with N1000 some days and N500 sometimes.

    “Sometimes we get N1000 and at other times, it’s N500. The boat can carry eight passengers at a time, and we collect N10 to and fro from each passenger. But, if it is a chatter, it becomes N50.

    “We most times do this so as to render assistance to the passengers but still we don’t get enough passengers. And it’s from this money I take care of my children, so there is no money because we buy garri with this money.

    “We get this money little by little and use it to pay for our children’s school fees. I don’t have any other husband again. I am a widow, so, I use this little money I get to fend for my family,” she says.

    Apart from her seven children whom Koki feeds, clothes and pays their school fees, the woman is a grandmother. “One of my daughters gave birth in my house so I automatically became the breadwinner of the home,” she said.

    On how she learnt canoe paddling, she said: “ I’m an Ijaw woman, swimming is in my blood. I started when I was small. That was how I found it easy in doing this job. Sometimes the water hyacinth  which we call “lagua” covers the surface of the water. This problem makes paddling very difficult.

    Though she confesses disliking the job, she has no choice. She will readily abandon the job if she sees a better one. She believes she overworks herself for a little gain.

    “I need a job. I love to be a salary earner that is receiving salary at the end of the month because we work but we don’t see the money”, she laments.

    To Sarah Binipramine, her surname has enabled her to survive the hardship of canoe paddling. According to her, Binipramine when transliterated means  “I’m not dying but I have long life”. In fact, she is determined to live longer despite the unfriendly nature of her environment.

    The 45-year-old woman laments that her lack of education forces her into her present business. “I did not go to school. I don’t have anything to do. That’s why I’m doing this business”, she says.

    Lamenting the hazards of her job, she adds: “This work is very tasking. We work under the rain and in the sun. Supposing I saw something else doing, I would have changed to another job.”

    Canoe paddling, according to her, is more difficult to cope with as a nursing mother.

    “It’s not easy if I must confess. I can’t say since I’m working, I won’t give birth. If it is possible to do so, I don’t really mind,” she laments.

    Binipramine is not also happy with the little money each passenger pays for her service. Passengers to her are not in short supply. She says: “The problem is that the payment is very little because N10 is what we collect when the passengers are complete in the boat but if not we collect N50.”

    Like Koki, Binipramine knows her trade by virtue of her tribe. “I came from the water and as a typical Ijaw woman, it’s our nature to learn how to swim and also pull a boat from our childhood. I didn’t learn it from anyone. I grew up with it”, she says.

    Apart from Koki and Binipramine, paddling canoe puts food on the table of Mrs. Agnes Tombra who since her childhood has known aquatic life. Tombra proudly identifies herself as a boat rider, saying: “This is what I do to sustain my family.”

    She further explains: “I was given  birth to in this community. I  grew up here. In fact, I and my family reside here. Yenegoa is very close to me but I choose to remain here since I am not educated.

    “This is the  only job an uneducated person like me can get but if the government can give me other job, I wil be forever grateful”.

    In fact, paddling canoes has some negative impacts on the health of the women. Tombra says the occupation has forced her to age faster.

    “I was younger than this initially but since I have to do this for the sake of my family, l am becoming older  day by day. It has also affected my health having regular body aches.

    “Coming in contact with cold water everyday affects the blood. So, this is also an issue. Secondly, the money we get from this is very small. It is not encouraging but I have no option because am not educated,”she says.

    Jobs for mothers alone

    The job of crossing passengers to the river banks through canoes is done only by women. In fact, not just women but mothers. It has become a taboo for men to be found in the midst of women doing similar job.

    Indeed, canoe paddling in Belebebiri is a custom culturally reserved for mothers. It is so by convention. The men are allowed to drive the speedboats. The women belong to a union and they are expected to register  before joining the business.

    Everybody confirms it. Koki says it is neither a job for men nor for boys. “The business is solely for women because there is a boat paddler union so if you pay you enter so if you meet the head of this water side, you register and become a member.

    “Young boys cannot do this because it’s very difficult to row. The union is only meant for women. Since it is meant for mothers, men are not allowed into the union, rather, they drive the speedboat”, she explains.

    Also,  Binipramine, a mother of four children,  whose husband is jobless, admits that men are not allowed to do the business.

    “I feed my four children and husband with this. This job is solely meant for women since it is part of our tradition. Men must not be found in women business,” she says.

    Communities demand for a bridge

    Despite exploiting an opportunity afforded by lack of a bridge to make a living, the women and members of the communities are not comfortable with the development. They need a bridge to bring development to their communities.

    The communities are far from development despite their closeness to the state capital. They are more like settlements, rustic, outlandish and lacking basic amenities. Residents leave in hut-like houses in inclement conditions especially when it rains. Following lack of bridge, residents who own vehicles park them in Yenagoa before crossing over to their communities.

    Tombra says she will be happy if the government decides to construct a bridge to link their communities. She recalls that the government promised to build a bridge in the area.

    “I will be very happy for the sake of my children and the community if government fulfills this long promise. It means there is hope for our children because  this will bring good opportunities for our children and the community at large,” she says.

    Also, Cynthia Ozoro, who lives in the community, pleads with the government to link the communities with a bridge. She believes that a bridge is what the communities need to develop. Besides, Ozoro is not a good swimmer. She is always scared any time she travels on canoe.

    “The government should build a bridge across this community because this will bring about massive development. There will be job and everything will be fine.

    “I am not a good swimmer. I am always scared  when l am traveling on this water but I have to cross this water to meet my  daily needs.

    “I am so scared mostly when l am carrying my baby. I have heard of so many casualties on this river but  any time I travel I really thank God,” she says.

    She also believes that the women will find an alternative means of livelihood if eventually the bridge is constructed.

    “For the women what they are doing is like an  employment  because  they use this in taking care of their family.

    “But if they cross this bridge now, they will look for an alternative. Government should please construct a bridge for us so that I and my family can survive,” she says.

    Speaking on the issues, the Chairman of Community Development Committee, Belebebiri II, Mr. Nicholas Ewere, says the communities are in dire need of development.

    He says: “These communities need development. We are still in need of the government because their presence is not found anywhere around this area. We have other three communities that surround Belebebiri II.

    “All of them are still in the same level.  In fact, we all are in need and desperately in need. We need grassroot development in every  side.

    “This little water is demarcating us from Yenagoa. So, we are in need of a bridge. The only area we are begging the government is to do something; at least if this bridge is constructed we are okay.”

    He blames the woes of the community on lack of a short bridge. He says there are no schools, clinics and other basic amenities in the area. He admits that Allison-Madueke hails from Yanaka.

    “She is from Yanaka community. This place is just behind  Belebebiri II. When you take a walk, it is not up to 25 minutes so we are all one because  everybody from   the other  four communities go through this ‘bridgeless’ road,” she says.

    On whether Mrs alison-Madueke has assisted the communities to alleviate their suffering, he says: “From my own understanding, I learnt that she is giving out this money for contracts but those who grab this money divert it into their own personal pockets.

    “I am not blaming her because she cannot be there and close her eyes seeing  her people suffering. I just believe that she is doing something. The problem is the people she gives this money for  this contract.

    “But she should be mindful when giving money. She should give this money to a successful contractor.

    “I am using this opportunity to let the government know that what  is happening in this place is not supposed to be of this nature because in this village we have civil servants, military people and in the morning when these peole  will be going to work, they meet hazard endangering there lives.

    “Some in the cause of crossing to the other side, at times their canoes capsize and we record many casualties  every year. So, if there is a bridge, such things won’t happen.”

  • Doubts over Rivers’ readiness to battle Ebola

    Doubts over Rivers’ readiness to battle Ebola

    Is Rivers State set to conquer Ebola if it rears its head? The government and other stakeholders say yes, but a few believe that  sensitisation on the deadly disease, which has so far been confined to Lagos, started late and is not enough.

    Rivers State Commissioner for Health Dr. Sampson Parker said the state invited doctors from Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, United States to train health workers on how to handle likely Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) cases.

    Dr. Parker said the Rotimi Amaechi administration was being proactive because of the state’s proximity to Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and other countries affected by the deadly disease, especially by sea. “We want to assure Rivers people that the government, which effectively handled the outbreak of the Lassa fever, will also tackle the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). Our health workers have been kitted to handle the EVD, even though no case has been reported.”

    But some medical experts have argued that the government responded too slowly on the Ebola virus unlike other state in the federation.

    “It was just last week that the ministry of health started making noise about the Ebola case, now they have brought in foreign doctors, saying they are ready to fight Ebola. But the question is: what has state government done to sensitise the teeming population in the state, especially at the grassroots level? The state government and its agency must institutionalise communication and awareness campaign about Ebola virus in all the local government areas because prevention is better than cure,” Dr. Emmanuel Ohwor said.

    Dr.  Chijioke Igwe said since Rivers State has not recorded any case yet, awareness should be the main concern.

    “So the primary concern of the state government is how to create awareness about the deadly virus in the state. As I am talking to you now, many people in this state still believe that the story of Ebola virus is untrue. So, this is our major challenge for now and not to bring doctors from abroad. Our people need to know about Ebola. The UPTH, BMSH and other hospitals in the state should send team of their staff to the rural area to educate the people.”

    Dr.  Sunny Chinenye, a consultant Physician who spoke at an Ebola awareness campaign organised by the University of Port Harcourt, said those living in the rural areas should be the first to be sensitised about Ebola virus.

    His reason: “These are people that set trap for bat and play with monkeys. They have access to bush -meat than those who live in the city. The culture of washing hands always is alien to them. They respect the tradition so much that they could sleep with the bodies of their relatives or loved ones. Of course, the body of an Ebola patient has more of the virus than when the patient was alive. So, the state must not relax. The government should put a proactive measure to contain the virus.”

    For Prof. Aaron Ojule, Chief Medical Director, University Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), his concern is that the state should prepare for Ebola as if it were already there.

    He said: “We cannot claim ignorance of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Port Harcourt. We may say it will not come but what if it comes, what we do? We must prepare for it and put adequate measures in place to face the challenge. To be frank, nobody knows which state is next.”

    Prof. Ojule said the hospital’s management has educated health workers on Ebola virus, especially those working at the laboratories. He said the awareness campaign was also to prepare the health workers on the change in job ethics.

    “I want to thank the hospital’s Infection Awareness Committee for putting this workshop together. This is mainly to educate the health workers on the need to be alert by handling every patient, even if the person has headache, he or she will be regarded as a potential carrier of Ebola disease.  This decision is in line with the Federal Government’s declaration of state of emergency on Ebola virus. It will assist the members of staff of the hospital to stay alert on any patient whether positive on Ebola virus or not.

    “The hospital must prepare for the challenge of the outbreak of Ebola disease by creating awareness to doctors and nurses whom reports and evidence have shown are at the greatest risk due to their professional calling. We are working with both the state and federal governments to see how we can contain the epidemic. We must protect ourselves, at the same time we don’t pray that any case should come but what if it comes? The doctors and nurses must be prepared.”

    He added that the hospital was working hard to improve its diagnostic capability.

    Another expert, Dr. Awopeju Temitayo, said the laboratory workers must be more conscious than any other person in the case of Ebola, adding that the room where an Ebola patient is being kept and the laboratory where the blood sample is examined are highly infectious and should be avoided except with safety wears.

    “I think I will suggest that we should be more careful at our various homes and environment. Some of us sleep in the same house with rat and we don’t care to chase them away from our homes. From today, I want to plead that we should kill the rats and ensure that no other ones come into our house again. This is because we don’t know where the rat is coming from. It may have contact with animals living with Ebola virus. People must also learn how to avoid fresh meat, stop touching fresh meat; those in abattoir are in a very high risk because they touch fresh meat. If that meat has Ebola virus, then the virus is more effective in fresh meat than when it is boiled or dried.”

    Significantly, many in the state still consider Ebola a myth.  A visit to motor parks and drinking joints showed that the ‘word’ Ebola sounded funny to this class of people. For them, it is another trick by the Whiteman to deceive Africans.

    Mr. Boniface Nduka, a bus assistant popularly called conductor, said: “Please don’t allow people to deceive you; it was HIV/AIDS to Lassa, now it is Ebola. How did they know that the name is Ebola? Oh, the Whiteman has been using our brain. If this disease kills the way they are talking about it now, we would have been in the grave. Now think about it, how many Whitemen have contacted the disease?”

    A passenger, who spoke with Niger Delta Report on a bus heading to Mile 4 axis of Port Harcourt, Chinaka Ugomati, said: “There is nothing called Ebola disease, it is another strategy for America to make money from the African countries. The Americans know about the disease; that was they were able to stabilise their citizens who contracted the Ebola disease.  Where do they see the drugs? Believe me, they are after our oil; they want to wipe us out as to take our oil.”

    The argument by Ugomati and Nduka show that more awareness still needs to be done.

  • Ex-militants seek Toru-ebe State

    Niger Delta ex-militants have called on President Jonathan to support the creation of Toru-Ebe State.

    Delta State Chairman, Amnesty Phase 2, Gen. Kingsley Muturu,

    stressed the need for Jonathan to address the long-standing issue of Toru-ebe State, which will unite the balkanised Ijaws in Delta, Edo and Ondo states.

    They said: “All we are saying is that Toru-ebe State creation is one thing we agitators have been fighting in order to unite our balkanized people. It is our home and we are calling on President Jonathan to look at this issue critically in the Confab report. He should not ignore it if we are creating additional states in this federation.

    “Jonathan should revoke all oil licences because they were allotted by people for themselves without following due process. He should revoke and re-allot them according to due process with Niger Deltans at heart, because we suffer all the degradations and pollution in the area.”