The Nation Newspaper

Category: Niger Delta

  • Charles Harry, Rivers politics and Ijaw governor

    Those not conversant with Rivers State politics may not know him. His names are Charles Harry. His title is Alatubo. Hence he is known as Alatubo Charles Harry.

    He ran for the Presidency of the umbrella body of the Ijaw in Nigeria, the Ijaw National Congress (INC). He was the brain behind the Ijaw Republican Assembly (IRA).  He is the  man behind the Rivers Democratic Movement (RDM) and is now better known for a pressure group, Affirmative Bloc for Credible Democracy (ABCD). A commentator once described him thus:  “He is known for his forthrightness, blunt outspokenness, and controversial irrepressibility…Alatubo Charles Harry is an enigma in Rivers politics and an avowed Ijaw irredentist.”

    In August last year, he authored a piece titled ‘Why Ogoni can’t succeed Amaechi’. In the piece he made it clear that Ogoni is part of Upland Rivers, which has been ruling the state since 1999. It is now the turn of the riverine part of the state, he said clearly.

    He wrote: “Old Rivers State was created on the 27th of May 1967 from the then Eastern Region and further balkanised into Bayelsa and the present day Rivers State in 1996. Made up predominantly of Riverine Ijaw (Kalabari, Okrikan, Ibani, Andoni, etc) and the Upland (Ikwerre’s, Ogoni’s, Ekpeye, Etche, Oyigbo, Ogba’s etc). From inception, harmony, brotherhood and cooperation has been sustained through the efficacy and conscientious application and observation of the Upland/Riverine dichotomy principle in the allocation of socio-political and economic gains accruing to the State, as a balancing ideology to promote unity and discourage discord.”

    He went on: “Some erstwhile leaders who had tried to repudiate the principle had failed spectacularly and the budding revisionism borne of the myopia of inordinate ambition of an unconscionable few today, would fare no better.”

    The last riverine man to occupy the office, Chief Ada George is Riverine, lasted less than 2 years. After him, Dr Peter Odili and Governor Rotimi Amaechi have occupied the seat for close to 16 years. They are both from the upland.

    Harry believes the Ogoni  should in good faith ought to concede the exalted position to their Riverine neighbours. Failure to do this, he said would amount to excluding the riverine component of the state from the power matrix for 24 years.

    Earlier this week, Harry wrote another treatise. His focus was to insist on the riverine’s right to succeed Amaechi.

    He also advised the Supervising Minister for Education, Nyesom Wike, to forget about running for Rivers State governor.

    Harry said his ambition was against the public perception in the state.

    Said he: “Rivers Ijaws will not sit still and watch idly our posterity and heritage consigned to hewers of wood and fetchers of water in the political matrix of our state.”

    If Rivers’ people have a gentleman’s agreement on the leadership of their state, this is no time to break it, as doing so may do more harm than good.

    The state has more than 30 ethnic groups and so talking about rotation of offices among 30 ethnic groups is not realistic. What is practicable is the two main geopolitical divide- upland and riverine or the three senatorial districts .

    It is not realistic to say after Dr Odili, an Ndoni man, it is the turn of an Egbema or Egi man from the same Local Government Area  because they are of another ethnic stock. It is also not practicable to say after Amaechi from Ikwerre, let  another Ikwerre man from a different Local Government Area or an Etche man take over the seat because it is another ethnic nationality or after an Ogoni, let an Eleme man become governor.

    Broadly, the upland part of the state is made up of different ethnic nationalities as the riverine too.

    What is fair is for the governorship to rotate among different ethnic groups when it comes to a particular geopolitical divide. So, when it is the upland’s turn, let all the groups in the upland part of the state be considered and when it comes to the riverine’s turn, let it rotate among the different groups there.

  • Trans-Amadi butchers elect officials, 14 years after

    Trans-Amadi butchers elect officials, 14 years after

    It was dream come true last Sunday, when members of Rivers State chapter of National Butchers’ Union of Nigeria (NBUN), Trans-Amadi,   Obio/Akpor Local Government Area (OBALGA), elected leaders to run their affairs in the next four years.

    The election, which produced Alhaji Musa Baba Owere and Alhaji Haruna Abdu as Chairman and General Secretary respectively, came 14 years after a protracted battle to oust the last Ibrahim Maisumdu Beli-led exco.

    Others members of the Executive included, Ibrahim Lawal, Assistant Secretary, Sulaiman D-Sule financial secretary, Bashiru Dande, Assistant financial secretary and Emenike Ogu was elected Welfare officer.

    Also elected are Ibrahim Musa P R O (1), Murain A. Taofeeq  Amobi  P R O (2).  Alhaji Isiaka Omofunde Treasurer, Shagari Musa Auditor(1), Lawal Abdulahi Auditor (2), Uba Rabina Chief Whip, Alhaji Ali Chikas Exco(1), Alhaji Amini Dangote Exco (2), and Kabiru Sani Yakubu emerged Organising Secretary.

    Beli was allegedly imposed by the immediate past Executive Chairman of OBALGA, Prince Timothy Nsirim as Caretaker Committee chairman for five years, because of his relationship with the former chairman. This was after he  served out his two-term of four years each, thereby keeping him on the seat for 13 years.

    “The position made him very powerful and untouchable. The state of the market and slaughter house became deplorable with no funds to run it. Sanitation in the area crumbled to zero, the water supplying system (boreholes), broke down at a time with no money to fix it, the stench from the place became unbearable, no platform to discuss the issues, because union meetings were never conveyed, efforts and correspondents to dialogue with Nsirim during the period met brick walls, members were helpless, efforts to conduct elections were quashed by the council chairman.

    “He went and obtained an interim order of court to stop us from conducting elections.  Intervention by our national chairman was bluntly ignored by the chairman (Nsirim).

    “Tension rose in the area, breakdown of law and order was imminent, especially among our youths, our elders led by the current Union chairman, Alhj. Owere and our national President, Chief John Osamede Adun (Bob Izua), intervened by sending petition to the state governor and security agents in the state for their intervention,” a member of the new Executive recalled.

    Trans-Amadi Slaughter is the biggest abattoir in the state and slaughters over three hundred cows every day, on the average levy of N1,000 on each cow slaughtered there.

    Beli was however removed by the court in 2013, to give way to a five-man transitional Committee led by Alhj. Salisu Umar Ubaningi. He and his members successfully conducted the elections after fixing the Union for 1year and one month.

    Speaking on the outcome of the election, Suleiman Danjuma  Sule said:  “We have waited for the election for a long time and the mandate of the people on who to lead them has been established and we are happy about it.

    “We are happy with Ubaningi-led CTC members for the way they organised this election. They tried and we are satisfied with the peaceful exercise.”

    Also in his reactions shortly after the swearing-in, the chairman expressed happiness on the success of the election and pledged to carry everybody along in the running of the Union.

    He called for the support of all members and appealed to everyone doing business at the slaughter market to be law abiding, noting that the Union would be revived in due time with all the incentives put in place.

    “I am very happy that the election has finally been conducted and happier because it was very peaceful. For a long time, the Union has been battling to see this day come through and God has made it possible today.

    “I thank my people (NBUN), members for the show of love to us (the new Executives), a mention must be made of the Rivers State government led by Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, the OBALGA council chairman, Dr. Lawrence Chuku and his people, all the security agents in the state, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Tunde Ogunsakin and my National Union(NBUN), who came and conducted the election. I appreciate their unalloyed supports and concerns that led to the success of the exercise.”

    The National Secretary of NBUN, and chairman election organising committee, Alhaji Umaru Shaibu speaking about the outcome of the election said: “We were in the state four days before the election. The reason being that we came to put things in place especially as regarding the advisement, sell of nomination forms for the various positions to interested candidates and to conduct the screening.”

    Alhaji Surajo  Lawal Dabai, who lost to the new chairman, congratulated  him and expressed the willingness to work with him for the good of the members.

    He noted that it was the will of God for his opponent to secure the seat and promised to try again in the next four years. He advised the winner to ensure he comes up with programmes and activities that would unite and bring about the desired progress to the members.

    Also Alhaji Ubaningi, union CTC Chairman, congratulated the chairman and his executives for being selected for the positions. He expressed satisfaction at the peaceful conduct of the election, describing it as free and fair.

    He advised Nigerians to borrow a leaf from Trans-Amadi butcher on the way to organise elections, especially as the next general elections draw close.

  • Rape…A Fine Arts teacher’s road to Warri Prisons

    Rape…A Fine Arts teacher’s road to Warri Prisons

    Six years after he committed the crime, a teacher at the Delta Career College, Warri  is sentenced by an Effurun High Court to 14 years’ jail term for a minor’s rape, reports SHOLA O’NEIL 

    On Tuesday September 23, 2008, Grace Ese (not her complete names), a single mother, kissed her daughter goodbye as she left home for Delta Career College, Warri, Delta State, one of the pioneer private schools in the Southsouth. The school has a reputation built over three decades as a trailblazer in its field. The founder and principal of the school, a seasoned educationist, Mr Emmanuel Ukeredi, takes pride in the school, whose motto is “Purposeful Education is only the best”.

    It was because of that status that Ms Ese sent her daughter to the school. The child is a bright and promising girl. Her steady progress in her education made her mother hopeful that by the time she clocks 15, she would graduate and probably go on to become one of Nigeria’s youngest doctorate degree holder.

    It was a dream mother and daughter shared. Having being forced to abandon her own pursuit of higher education when she got pregnant with the child, Ms Ese was hoping to achieve, through her daughter, her quest for higher education and a better future.

    She confided in our reporter that she conceived the child after her man she thought was her ‘Christian brother’ took advantage of her and then abandoned her when she got pregnant.

    She said: “I was doing my higher education when I got pregnant and I had to stop school because of her. I couldn’t take care of myself, the pregnancy and then the child. I had to stop because the father did not support me. When I went to my family, they did not support me because they felt the child’s father should help me. I sold akara (bean cake) to cater for her and I begged on the streets to sustain my child.”

    Ten years after her own ordeal – on September 23, 2008 – Ms Ese was forced to relive the horror all over again when a 35-year-old school teacher at the famous college, Mr Godwin Onoyiwai was accused of raping the child she loves and sacrifices so much for. Onoyiwai is a Fine Arts teacher of the school; he was employed to teach young children like the nine-year-old victim to appreciate and recreate the beauty of nature and everything around them.  Instead he reportedly etched lines of pain, trauma and stigma that might have scarred the child and her mother for the rest of their lives.

    Reconstructing the event that took place in the school’s premises six years ago, Ms Ese said the teacher lured her daughter into his office in a secluded part of the expansive school premises located on Airport Road in the Oil City and repeatedly violated her child until got released from his satanic urge.

    “He locked the door, asked her to open her legs. He said he wanted to show her something (in between her legs). She (the child) said, ‘no, tell me; when I get home I will look at it.’ He said ‘No’.

    “Then he forced her, pulled her dress, her boxers – because being a girl I ensure she wears boxers in case she opens her legs – her pant. He put her on the floor and when she was screaming he held her mouth. She was telling him, ‘My mummy said nobody should play this kind of play with me o. If my mummy finds out she will beat me oo’.

    “He said, ‘No, your mummy will not find out’.  He forced himself on her, continuously until he released.

    “After he raped her, she was bleeding and there was blood on the floor. When he saw that she was bleeding, he asked her to put on her pant, clothes and gave her bucket to go and get water. He gave her mop (stick) and asked her to mop the floor and put the blood into the bucket. That she did. Her pant was already stained; she was wearing it like that. She went to another student, a boarding student, who gave her peg and soap to wash her pant and hang it to dry in the school,” her eyes filled with tears as she replayed the scene from her daughter’s account. The report of the indecent act shocked the city, not even the medical staff who examined the child could hold back the jolt. One of the two doctors, who examined the child at the Warri General Hospital, described the rapist as “a very wicked and heartless person.”

    However, Mr Ukeredi and other members of staff of Delta Career College took the allegation with a pinch of salt and even strongly debunked it. Shortly after The Nation broke the news on September 29, 2008, the management of the school accused the mother of blackmail and attempt to extort money from the school. It was gathered that the authority of the college stormed the “A” Division Police Station, where the suspect was being held, claiming the he was a victim of the child’s mothers ploy to extort money from the school. The school’s proprietor stood by his employee, insisting that he is innocent. Police detective handling the investigation were also tainted by the brush of scandal. First, sources close to the suspect claimed that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and some policemen at the station demanded for gratification to “kill” the case.

    Similarly, the child’s mother told our reporter that a Commissioner of Police in the state was forced to transfer one of the investigating officers after he demanded N5,000 from her to facilitate the movement of the file to the state headquarters in Asaba.

    Independent investigations by Niger Delta Report revealed that prior to the unfortunate incident, the relationship between Ms Ese and the management of the private school had deteriorated. It was gathered that the latter was unhappy about what they perceived as the woman’s meddlesomeness.

    “The woman was always complaining about one thing or the other, especially with the running of the school. At a point, some of us were already saying that she should take her daughter away if she was not satisfied with the way the school was being run and that was when this matter started,” a staff of the college told this reporter on condition of anonymity.

    When Niger Delta Report asked Ms Ese about this dimension to the incident, she confirmed that she had been forced to demand better performance from some teachers and other staff of the school when she noticed perceived failing.

    “That is no reason why they should pay me back by raping my daughter,” she said.

    As the case dragged on, the relationship between the parent and school degenerated further. Ms Ese accused the school of throwing everything at her in a desperate bid to force her to give up on her quest for justice. She disclosed that the case file got missing twice at the Police Headquarters in Asaba and the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP’s) office.

    “There was a time I was so afraid that the power of the school would supersede me – their power, money and influence. The man told me to my face that he has kept N20m to fight me. Can I produce one per cent of that N20m?”

    In court, the teacher denied the charge against him. He said he went outside the gate to eat with his colleague, Edafe. He claimed they had invigilated the GCE exams and he was heading towards the boys’ hostel when he saw the girl in front of the boys’ hostel. She was in the midst of other students playing, he said.  He claimed they later saw her wandering around the boys’ hotel. He said they called her to ask what she was looking for around the boys’ hostel and she told them that she lost her bag.

    He said he was forced to confess committing the crime, adding that he told the DPO that he didn’t commit the crime. He said he spent 16 days at the police station and was kept in the cell.

    He accused the child’s mother of threatening to close the school if she was not paid N16 million.

    The judge did not believe him. The highly respected Justice P. O. Onajite-Kuejubola of the Effurun High Court mid last month ruled that the evidence before the court was overwhelming and proved the Fine Arts teacher was guilty of raping the nine-year old child. The teacher was senenced to 14 years in jail.

    Justice Onajite-Kuejubola said: “The defence put up by the accused is merely a shame defence; which is incapable of belief by any stretch of imagination in the face of cogent, credible evidence led by the PW1, the victim, supported by that of IPO, PW4, PW3, the medical doctor and PW2, the mother of the victim.

    “…The offence of rape, where the commission of the crime is proved beyond reasonable doubt, is no doubt a wicked, callous and dastardly act. Particularly in this case where a teacher like the accused person who is expected to be a guide, over a child like the victim herein, takes advantage of her. I want to condemn the act of the accused person very strongly and urge teachers whom parents look up to take care of their wards, who are sent to learn and by so doing repose some amount of confidence in such teachers, not to betray that trust and hope.

    “The entire circumstance of this case has been carefully considered in arriving at this decision so as to ensure that the innocent are not punished and the guilty set free. The accused is found guilty as charged.

    “The accused is hereby sentenced to 14 years imprisonment with hard labour.”

    Ms Ese, who said she was not totally satisfied with the sentence, praised the DPP and Justice Onajite-Kuejubola.  She was expecting a life sentence. She expressed the hope that it would serve as deterrent to randy school teachers who plan to take advantage of young pupil and student in their care.

     ‘We are shocked; we will appeal’

    The school’s principal, did not want to speak about the ruling when our reporter called him. He said an official statement would be issued by the school. At the time of this report, the official statement he promised was yet to be released.

    He, however, gave a hint of the feeling of the management of the institution about the development. When he was informed that Ms Ese had made certain serious allegations that the school made attempts to sweep the matter under the carpet, Ukeredi said the allegations were unfounded, adding that the school’s statement would say its side of the story.

    An interesting part of the story, however, is the fact that the school still maintains its stance on Onoyiwai’s innocence. According to the principal, the judgment shocked the school and the management had instructed its counsel to file an appeal.

    “We have instructed our lawyers to appeal. You can have interview with her (mother of the victim). Whatever porous allegations she made notwithstanding, I’m telling you that we were dumbfounded by the judgment and we have given instructions to our lawyers to appeal. If you see our press release, you will see the school’s own part of the story,” Ukeredi said.

    The last certainly has not been heard of this matter.

     

  • Moment of reversals

    Moment of reversals

    I Return to Edo today. But, this time around, it is with a heavy heart. Not because someone close died, but because I believe reform is being buried gradually. We are succumbing to the notion that reforms are not meant for our society. Things should just stay the way they are, even when totally bad.

    At least twice on this page, I wrote in support of the Edo State government’s decision to make teachers take competency test. My position has not changed. So, you can imagine my disappointment when the Edo State government last week reversed the planned competency test. It also recalled the 936 teachers whose names were deleted from the payroll for certificate discrepancies and age falsification.

    The government equally announced the immediate extension of the relativity to teachers in public schools.

    Lest I forget, there is nothing wrong with having a change of mind. It can show grace. It can also mean humility. For me, these two reversals, cancellation of the competency test and pardon of teachers with cases of records’ falsification, send a wrong signal. To my ‘ungubernatorial’ mind,  I do not see the humility or grace in this, as seen by an Edo monarch. What is humble about jettisoning  reform-driven decisions?

    The about-turn  followed a meeting Governor Adams Oshiomhole had with the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

    Dear reader, please permit me to quote the governor copiously so that we can  see how much sense he made.

    Said he: “On assumption of office, it was very clear to me and my colleagues that our future is defined by the level of investment in education and the quality of the basic education we provide for our children and that is why we have devoted resources to the rebuilding of our primary schools, junior and senior secondary schools.

    “For me, it was clear coming from my own background, I had obligation to restore dignity to the educational sector in the state. Basic education is like the foundation of a house. If the foundation is weak, the building will collapse but if the foundation be strong, it will withstand the test of time. It is easier to re-roof than to rebuild a complete house.

    “The need to ensure the future of the state is not compromised by compromising the future of the Edo child necessitated the action to redefine the educational system in the state. The state government’s commitment to carry out competency test was informed by these broad facts having discovered that some of our teachers were not qualified or up to date with recent teaching methods. Our insistence on the fact that competency test must be seen in this light.

    “However, having listened to all suggestions and consultations with various groups, government has agreed to set aside the competency or assessment test in order to re assure Edo workers that government has no intention to sack anyone.”

    The governor said in place of the competency test, government would introduce training and re-training for teachers and all others civil servants in the state.

    He also said: “On the teachers with falsified age declaration with criminal intentions to cheat, government has resolved to pardon them and retire those whose records show that they are above 60 years while those below 60 years are to return to the classroom with their names returned to the payroll and will benefit from the training programme.

    “Following investigation, the alleged ghost workers in Ovia North East Local Government Area who have been found to have actually been on ground will have their two months pending salary paid. I will discuss with the local government chairman on how to effect their payments.”

    Teachers were happy. For me, the decisions, especially the aspect regarding the recall of people who falsified academic records, sound somehow. It is a virtue for government to listen to the people, but this particular issue borders on criminality. I sincerely believe there is no way training or re-training can make someone who, in the first place, is not qualified to be capable of imparting knowledge. You can’t give what you don’t have. The governor also said those who  falsified their age would be pardoned and retired. What this means is that they will get their retirement benefits and life will still be good. Will this not encourage people to still falsify their ages? Age falsification seems to mean nothing much around here. Not long ago, a famed and respected judge died. His official record and his children’s claims were at variance. His children said he was older that his official record. Yet, while alive he was a role model. If people at that level can falsify their ages, why can’t teachers? This seems to be the message we are passing.

    I love the comrade governor. I have admired him for years. This action of his has saddened me though and I wonder if there is hope for reform. It has also got me thinking what must have informed the decision. I have also thought of what meetings took place  before this concession was arrived at.

    Something tells me that this may not be unconnected with the need not to lose political grounds. Teachers are a sizeable portion of the population. If they all collectively decide to vote against the governor’s party in the next election, it will have significant effect. Is this what the governor is avoiding? I can’t say for sure.

    What I am sure of about our society is that people who set out to carry out reforms are never given a chance. Members of our society, perhaps because of the level of poverty, always frown at anything that will affect their purses. Whether it betters the lot of the generality and improve the society at large does not matter.

    My final take: I am not happy that Edo has decided to allow people who falsify their records to get their benefits. This borders on criminality and we need to set examples so that with time we can start the end of criminality. The case in Edo is an opportunity missed and it saddens me. Opprtunities lost may never be regained. If a reform-minded governor can change his mind on an issue like this, who then can lead the change?

    Something tells me that His Excellency was not happy with these decisions. His statement alluded to the fact that he had to listen to other voices. But, as the leader, he will forever be mentioned as the one who abandoned these laudable reforms.

     

  • Warri…Pains, debris everywhere

    Warri…Pains, debris everywhere

    Almost everybody agreed that Warri, the commercial nerve centre of Delta State, was dirty. But not everybody agrees on how the state government should clean it up, writes BOLAJI OGUNDELE

    The city was consumed and literally drowned in an ocean of dirt and endless lines of illegally erected structures.  To the governor,  Warri metropolis and its environs should not be left to drown in filth.

    Governor Emmanuel Udughan set up a 25-man special sanitation team, led by his deputy, Prof Amos Utuama, to supervise the cleaning up of Warri, Uvwie and Udu council areas of the state. Initially, it was meant to be a one-week exercise. According to Utuama, the committee, which was the outcome of a special session of the state’s executive council meeting, was a necessity, borne out of the serious concerns over the increasing growth of unauthorised markets, motor parks, as well as the poor culture of hygiene in the city.

    “One of the steps we are going to take is to start going round to all welding places in the state, we will be arresting welders that are welding caravans. Any welder that is welding containers will be arrested and prosecuted by the Ministry of Justice,” the committee threatened at a news conference.

    The committee, especially from the point the Commissioner of Environment, Chief Frank Omare, took over its leadership on May 4, has become more aggressive, storming streets and alleys to demolish illegally sited properties, caravans and some residences. In each of the places it touched, it left both debris and pains behind.

    The rate at which the bulldozers were tearing down shops and residences has come under immense condemnation from different quarters, mostly those affected as well as the civil rights community. When you move round the city to observe the activities of the committee and listen to the man who has been the face of it, you will definitely want, not only to see reason with the government, but to also give support.

    Omare is wont to say that government would not just fold its arms and allow the system run into a halt by not correcting ills, he would say he was sympathetic to the plights of those affected, but that there was hunger in the land did not mean lawlessness should be condoned. When you see the space created where caravans and some structures were removed, you are likely to say the government could not have done better.

    When it comes to going round town to give the exercise a second look and listen to some of those who have lost one thing or the other; a business, a property or both to Omare’s armed security men-protected bulldozers, then you will definitely have to reassess your initial thought about the whole thing. Instances abound of petty retailers, whose little businesses were swept into the rubbles of demolition, landlords whose properties have either lost grounds or the main building ebbed by a bulldozer.

    Mrs. Betty Onoriode owned a caravan where she was selling retailed items on Third Marine Road, Uvwie Local Government Area.

    She said: “How I wan take feed now? All the market I bought yesterday are in the house no, all of them are spoilt, now where I want take get money? If I no see, I no go chop. We agree that the place is dirty, but they could have told us to keep it clean instead of destroying structures. Now we have no other place to go, this is our source of livelihood. As you see this place, there just too many widows, they are the ones caring for their children, paying school fees. There’s this girl who just came from Port Harcourt to start a salon, no mother, no father, now they have destroyed her caravan. She said she’s returning to prostitution because what she had hoped to make a livelihood from has been destroyed by government.

    “Now the government is trying to empower the youths, like as we are talking now some girls are in the secretariat learning how to do hair, some beads making, some dress making, the question is where are they going to stay to practise? Uduaghan himself empowered some of them, bought machines, bought hairdresser’s equipment and most of them have bought caravans to use, where do you want them to start from? He has destroyed their sources of livelihood. He went to Aboh Market to give them land. Must everybody go to that place? Can I go to that place to work?”

    Christy Onosode is a hairdresser, who had a caravan made out into a shop for her.

    She said: “This has affected me badly, it means I’ll be losing customers because when I leave this place I may not come back and there is no other place for now. So, we will just have to be like this for now till we find another place.”

    Mr. Paul Obuh’s land on New Layout Road, off Jakpa Road, also in Uvwie Local Government Area, was containing a number of shops made out of caravans, behind which was a nursery and primary school. The bulldozers destroyed the caravans, the school as well as everything in the school.

    Obuh said: “The pale loader was already out of this place when I came, it was in the next place. I went there and saw Boro because the information we got was that it was Boro who brought them because of this my land, claiming that there is a church here making noise to disturb him.

    “Before then though, he had approached me to sell the plot to him, which I refused. When he was building he said the back of his building was too tight. So, he needed me to sell part of my land to him, but I said no that I didn’t want to sell; but I gave him three feet by hundred and only told him to pull down the fence at the back there for me. People were telling me to collect money, but I said no that at least he is going to be my neighbour. After some time, he started approaching me to sell.

    “I believe he has an avenue now to raid the place and that is why he did this because if you check the whole Warri, I don’t think there’s a place they destroy like this; destroy hundred by hundred with the whole property, the blocks, the granite. After the caravan, he still went inside into the school, packed everything together and smashed them. You can see for yourself that this is a deliberate act.”

    Also in a sad mood is an engineer, Oduh Edafe Unuezi who built a car wash on Refinery Road, investing over N6.5million.

    He said: “They want to plant flowers on the road when the people are hungry. I am a Mechanical Engineer and I set up this business to help myself and be an employer of labour, but we have not even commenced business and they are telling us to pull down our structures. It is painful for somebody to have invested so much money on a business and somebody will just wake up one morning to send people out of business. No notice was given to us before this destruction.”

    Oghenejabor Ikimi, the Executive Director of the Centre for the Vulnerable and Underprivileged (CENTREP), took the state government up on the demolition of sixty-five residential buildings in  Ifiekporo, Warri South. The government said the people built illegally on a royal cemetery.

    He said: “We are not oblivious of the fact that over 200 families were rendered homeless in one swoop without notice or due process as a result of the action of government and we call on the state government to adequately compensate the victims without delay as information reaching us indicates that the demolished residential buildings were duly covered with approved building plans after the buildings were registered by their owners through the Ministry of Lands and Urban Development.”

    The Commissioner of Environment insisted:  “We will not because of hunger and poverty and hunger allow society run wild.”

    He also said  there is no sacred cow as the wave of demolition has touched his property as well as that of the governor. He also noted that the demolition did not start suddenly, but that people had been notified long ago.

    Where next goes the bulldozer? That seems the question on lips in Warri.

  • PIND,NISER present report on devt models

    PIND,NISER present report on devt models

    As  part of its effort to encourage partnerships that support development in Niger Delta communities, the Partnership Initiative for Niger Delta (PIND)  in collaboration with the Nigerian Institute for Social and Economic Research and the Africa Growth Initiative (AGI) conducted a study on two development initiatives in Bayelsa and Rivers states, reports SHOLA O’NEIL

    The Akassa Development Foundation (ADF) and the Rivers Songhai Initiative are two development initiatives that have recorded some degree of successes in the Niger Delta. The latter was structured along the lines of the Songhai International in Port Novo, Republic of Benin and has created jobs; the former has catalysed development and improved living condition in the remote community of Bayelsa State.

    Last year, top researchers from PIND, NISER and the Washington DC-based AGI at the Brookings Institution undertook studies of the two initiatives in the first of its Models of Development and Experiential Learning (MODEL) to identify elements that made for their successes and how to transfer such to other initiatives.

    According to the PIND Foundation, a non-profit organisation funded by Chevron, “MODEL aims to identify, describe and document developmental models that have obtained a perceived success in the Niger Delta.”

    The findings of the research were presented at an event held at PIND office in Port Harcourt last Thursday. They focussed on the Rivers Songhai Initiative and Akassa Development Foundation in Rivers and Bayelsa states.

    Executive Director of PIND, Mr Sam Daibo,  said: “We believe that the replication of these development models will add innumerably to the success of socioeconomic projects in the Niger Delta.”

    The first report was on the ADF, an instrument setup by Ijaw of Akassa community (comprising 19 towns and villages) to develop their areas. The finding revealed that prior to the establishment of the ADF in 1997,  Akassa was isolated from other parts of the state by its inhospitable terrain and lacked development and governments presence.

    It was established in the aftermath of an environmental impact assessment of the region by StatOil/British Petroleum, which identified the  area as the location that was most susceptible to the impact of oil spill and leakages from its operation.

    Over the years, the ADF became a model of successful community development intervention that has been successfully implemented its agenda to the satisfaction of the people, with over 90per cent approval rating.

    Mr Andew Onwuemele of NISER, while presenting the results of the studies titled ‘AGI Working Paper 14 (ADF) and 15 (RSI), which he co-authored with Mwangi S Kimenyi, Temesgen T. Deressa, Jessica E. Pugliese and Micah Mendie, clarified that they are not impact studies. He stated that the partners were not evaluating the models, but merely identified “critical elements in the models that provide narratives to their successes.”

    The ADF, he said, operates within the context of bottom-up approach, meaning that the choice of development project emanated from the people at the grassroots and not from somebody or group thinking on behalf of the foundation.

    Other principles in the foundation that aided its success were due process, transparency and accountability, all-inclusiveness, gender equality, community-driven and inter-generational equity in the running of the various organs.

    “Every year, each community (there are 19) comes forward with priority projects’ list; the projects’ list is presented to the general assembly, which looks into it in terms of cost and then allocate money to it and then the technical committee will then come up with bill of quantity,” he said.

    The list is then handed over to the implementation committee in charge of projects for implementation; the same committee also chooses site, appoints manager of the project and recruit a local contractor.

    Thereafter, meetings are held to discuss each milestone with accounts kept for internal auditor until the project’s completion when the account is analysed and then taken for storage to wait annual auditing.

    The study revealed that running of the foundation in an open and transparent manner accounted for its acceptability and general feeling of satisfaction from beneficiaries and respondents with many saying their living conditions have improved  as a result of the ADF.

    Consequently, it recommended that policy makers should place emphasis on the importance of collective choice arrangements and a participatory approach when deciding to utilise the ADF type of community development intervention.

    “In the case of Akassa, the most significant predictors of participants’ satisfaction with project design are: being involved in the design and implementation of the project; being involved in setting goals, and discussing and approving the rules of the project. Further replications of the ADF model should consider how to retain these features from the original concept,” the report suggested.

    The second report was on the Rivers Songhai Initiative (RSI), which was established to curb the perennial problem of youth unemployment by refocusing youths’ attention from oil to the agric sector in 2008 by Governor Rotimi Amaechi. At the same time, RSI aimed to increase productivity in the sector and create opportunity for families to improve their livelihoods through increase income and opportunities.

    The RSI is morphed from the School-to-Land initiative of past administrations and it inherits its predecessor’s assets in Tai and Etche local government areas. One of the stack differences from the ADF is that its approach was the up-bottom approach. It is managed by the state government through the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA).

    Although the RSI achieved some degree of success in increasing income and productivity of beneficiaries’ farmland, the report noted that with an average age of 43 years of respondents, the initiative “does not appear to reach the younger age groups (youths), which are its target population.”

    The report also expressed concern about the low number of poor trainees in the programme, stressing that majority earned between $3.33 and $16.67, which is far above the international poverty line of $1.25 per day. “In a country where one-third of the population lives on less than a dollar per day, it is unclear if the initiative has successfully targeted the poor or not.”

    Nevertheless, the finding showed that over 50 per cent of respondent beneficiaries are female, adding, “This is very important indication that the RSI is encouraging female members of the community to be entrepreneur in agriculture, which is rare in African communities where training opportunities for women are very low.”

    The report also commended the use of community leaders to select beneficiaries for the training, but said the suitability of crops grown was a problem.

    “Respondents reported that the RSI often attempts to grow crops that are not suitable to the environment (do not grow well) or are not profitable (no local demand)”.

    Rice and Chinese yam were some of the crops ‘imposed’ on trainees.

    The report, therefore, suggested that before scaling-up or replicating the RSI, “there needs to be a careful study on the agro-climatology of the selected sites. Cultural preferences of crops and socio-political backgrounds of the beneficiary community should also be included when determining suitability and profitability of crops.

    “…These results suggest that the RSI may want to consider methods to integrate poorer farmers, less established farmers and less educated farmers into the programmes.

    “The results from in-depth interviews also demonstrate that it is advisable to adjust development programmes to local conditions rather than utilising cut-and-paste designs with no medications even if the programmes are of African origin.”

    Guests and resources persons were also unanimous that to replicate successful development models, such as  the ADF and RSI, it was pertinent to look at the context  in which they were established.

    Prof John Mbaku, an AGI fellow, advised governments to build institutions that support developmental projects’ sustainability and continuity when planning development of the Niger Delta region. The Economic Professor decried prevailing situation where projects and programme set up by past administrations are easily neglected or abandoned totally by their successors leading to dearth of funding.

    Mbaku remarked that only the building of strong institutions can divorce development programmes from their initiators, adding, “Sustainability is very important and has to do with institutions. One of the problems with sustainability is lack of institution and therefore projects are attached to individuals.”

    He advised that institutions should be built on local values, stressing: “Local values are very important in what the people think about themselves.”

    Besides, he maintained that good development models should be planned to evolve and not to solve a particular problem, adding: “The Niger Delta of 20 years ago is not the same with the Niger Delta of today. There was no internet then and the education level has changed.”

  • African Students Parliament honours ex-Tinapa boss

    African Students Parliament honours ex-Tinapa boss

    For committing time and resources to the development of Africa, the former Managing Director of the Tinapa Resort in Calabar,  Bassey Ndem, has been honoured with the Kwame-Nkrumah Leadership Award by the African Students Union Parliamant (ASUP)

    The Speaker of the Union, Culibaly Ahmed, from the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology, said the parliament is the umbrella body that covers all students within the 54 AU recognized African countries with core objectives of encouraging corporation and harmonious coexistence among member states’ student for the purpose of students exchange programme, objective analysis of issues that affect them, encouragement of individuals, stakeholders and public office holders for the much needed peace, development and economic stability continent .

    He said in doing this, the sought role models and mentors in life as Ndem.

    Ahmed, who spoke in French said: “The parliament has taken her time to scrutinise leaders, public office holders, business moguls and individuals who have committed their time and money to serve the common good in the Pan-Africanism ideology.

    “At this point that the youths need to have exemplary leaders and role models, we are carefully selecting such leaders like your highly respected person and honouring them with the Kwame Nkrumah Leadership Award.

    “Our recipient for today is a detribalized Nigerian, lover of students/youths and charismatic personality whose credible credentials of efficient serviced delivery, high administrative acumen and community service yet unsung marks him an iconic patriot in our Nigerian society worthy of emulation.”

    His speech was translated by the Majority Leader of the parliament, Comrade Allao Assao Chance Wallaki from Universiti du Sheikh Antar Diop, Dakar, Senegal.

    Ndem said he was honoured to have been chosen for the award and promised to keep working hard for the betterment of the continent.

  • Lamentation of two ex-militants

    Lamentation of two ex-militants

    For some time now, there have been complaints about the Presidential Amnesty Programme. Most  times there are complaints, the leadership of the programme has always explained them away by saying the complainants were fake.  Adediwura Aderibigbe tells yet another tale of aggrieved ex-militants who traced their woes to their camp leaders

    The duo walked into The Nation’s headquarters in Lagos. The young men in their late 20s did not look an inch individuals who can foment trouble. Phillip Ukange and Avurakoghene Ogofotha said they are ex-Niger Delta militants, whose allowances are allegedly being owed. They presented identification cards to prove they were militants enrolled on the Amnesty Programme.

    Mili 3
    Ogofotha

    Ogofotha said after laying down his arms following the offer of amnesty by the late President Umar Yar’adua, he enrolled at the University of Benin. Now, he is troubled that his education is under threat as the expected source of funding has dried.

    Ukange said he was entitled to N65, 000 monthly allowance; he said he only got paid for six months.

    The young men claimed they were victims of corruption in the Presidential Amnesty Programme having being enrolled in the 2012 phase two of the initiative.

    Ogofotha said: “I want to do something meaningful with my life. I am an ex-militant of the second phase of the amnesty programme, I have not been paid since 2012 when they started paying money into the account of the second-phase ex-militants.

    “As at the time, they gave us a phone contact of a man called Tony (he said he couldn’t recall Tony’s full name) who was said to be the paymaster. We called him but to no avail. We also tried to go to the office but whenever we attempted going there they would bar us.

    “Although some other affected ex-militants have gone to lay complaints but nothing was done; sometimes we would be molested by the military men there.

    “I am not the only one, we are over hundred. Some got their money for a number of months while others were partly paid. When we disarmed, I actually started school with the hope of using the allowance to pursue my education in the university but that was not the case. It became difficult for me to pay my school fees to the extent that I had to resort to menial jobs to remain in school. As it is now, my graduating from the school is hanging in balance; I may not be graduating with the right grade because of financial difficulties. All I want is to get paid in full from January 2012 till date.”

    They said as militants they could afford all they wanted but not freedom to live and walk around. “There was money but we were not free to move around and enjoy the money. We were always staying in the bush,” said 28-year-old Ogofotha.

    He went on: “Some of the repented ex-militants might have gone back. For me, I don’t want to go back; I want to go to school and live a different life but I need the money to complete my education. I may not be able to give you the exact number of the ex-militants affected by the unpaid allowances but I know we will be up to five hundred as it cuts across different states.

    “They have influenced the list of the ex-militants, some of them have put their girlfriends in the position. They receive money that ex-militants are supposed to be receiving and they are even going for training abroad.

    “When we took our protest to Abuja in 2013, they promised that they would send officials to come and rectify the problem in Warri. They did come to find out if we were the real people documented as ex-militants. And when they came, they found out that we were the real people because they came with their own list which tallied with what was on ground. They promised us that when they got back to Abuja they would rectify the problem but since then we have not heard anything.”

    mili 4
    Phillip

    Ukange said he got his first six months payments.

    “When I noticed I stopped receiving money I called my Generale,George Esebaro. He is the leader of the group called Uti Camp which I belonged. When I called him, he said I was a very rude boy, that since I had been receiving my money I did not pay return, I did not call him let alone send him call cards so that was why he went to Abuja to block my account.

    “He told me that the people that have been receiving normally paid him some money. So, if I could not do the same, then I should not expect to keep receiving money. Since then, he stopped responding to my calls; sometimes he would pick, he would warn me not to disturb him and hang up.”

    Ogofotha offered more insight: “At the initial stage before they started paying into our accounts, the money was being paid through our leaders who were always deducting from our legitimate allowance; out of N65, 000 we were being paid, each ex-militant would pay their leader N25, 000 – sometimes we were not even paid anything.

    “Meanwhile, at a point, some ex-militants refused to comply and all allowances were blocked by the leader of my camp, Abraham Ekokotu. He had gone to court to get a documentation to back his action which resulted in the blockade of accounts from my camp called Agbalakoko Camp.

    “When the affected ex-militants stopped receiving money, they had to seek a way out and he forced them to sign an agreement even as some of them could not read, they had to sign. The accounts were later unblocked when the people succumbed to his demands.

    “It has not been easy for me going to school though my brother has been assisting me in a little way and advising me not to get involved in anything violent. When they stopped my payment, my intention was to go back to the creeks but my father did not allow me to.”

     

  • Lawmaker calls for free council polls in Delta

    Member representing Burutu North Constituency at the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon Daniel Yingi, has urged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to ensure free and fair local government election.

    He spoke at the formal declaration of intention by a PDP councillorship aspirant to contest the Seimbiri Ward in Okpokunou town, Burutu, also charged all aspirants to go about the contest like sportsmen.

    Yingi advised his party to allow free, fair and credible primaries, allowing every man with an aspiration to test his popularity in the open, thereby allowing the people to choose those they best trust to represent them at the grassroots level.

    According to him “I am appealing to leaders in various wards not to interfere with the forthcoming council polls in the state by imposing unpopular candidates on the people. Let there be a level playing ground for all aspirants to test their popularity with the people to allow them choose their grassroots leaders”.

    He also appealed to aspirants to play the game with love and develop the spirit of sportsmanship by accepting defeat without bitterness. “Everybody cannot win at the same time. There must be losers and winners in every election. If today is not your turn, tomorrow could be yours. Therefore, do not make it a do or die affair” he said.

    In his address, the PDP ward chairman, Kelvin Adamu, lauded the leadership qualities of Chief Daniel Yingi, Dr. Sunday Ezonfade and others who have joined him to rule smoothly without any trouble in Seimbiri over the years.

    He assured the party leadership to always be transparent in the conduct of ward party primaries. He pledged to play a level playing ground for all the aspirants to exercise their popularity on the primary election ground and vowed not to be intimidated with an imposition of aspirant on the party at the local level by godfathers.

  • Niger Delta power firm spreads wings

    Niger Delta power firm spreads wings

    Still basking in the successful completion of the first phase of the National Integrated Power Project, the Niger Delta Power Holding is on the march again as it unveils plans to build 16 Hydro-Power Plants under the second phase of the scheme, write Muyiwa Lucas and Bola Olajuwon.

    The nation’s power sector is upbeat. This is courtesy of a wind of change currently blowing across the sector. Touted to be a hydra-headed problem that had defiled all logic, the involvement of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) in the National Independent Power Project (NIPP) appears to have restored hope of steady power supply in the country soon. This is further accentuated by the successful privatisation of seven of the 10 thermal plants it constructed, for which payments amounting to $5.7 billion, representing 80 per cent of the proceed, has been completed.

    This development has further given hope to the federal government’s promise of realising 10, 000 megawatts (MW) by December 2014, since the 10 NIPPs are expected to generate additional 5,454mw to the current estimated 4,500mw.This makes the NDPHC one of the best decisions government had made in a very long time.

    Now, riding on the back of this success, the NDPHC is set for another giant stride as it recently unveiled a proposal to set up16 Hydro-Power Plants (HPPs), in Abuja, to kick-start the second phase of the NIPP, thereby bringing another vista of relief to the nation’s power industry. This initiative, stakeholders in the sector said, is a positive step considering that the country’s existing dams such as Kanji, Shiroro and others, have descended into deplorable conditions.The HPPs, which will be in three different categories of small, medium and large, will be located in 11 states of the country.

    NDPHC’s Managing Director, Mr. James Abiodun Olotu,disclosed that the new projects had been approved by the National Economic Council for implementation. Olotu’s confidence of a successful HPP is buoyed by the experience garnered by the NDPHC in executing the first phase of the NIPP and a better understanding of the industry.

    The large hydro-power plants are Mambilla Dam HPP in Taraba State, with a capacity of 3,050 mw; Gurara II Dam HPP in Niger State, with 369mw capacity, and the only medium HPP with 40mw capacity will be sited in Itisi Dam, Kaduna State.The small HPPs, which capacities range from 0.3 mw to 10 mw, are to be constructed in Oyan Dam (10mw) and Ikere-Goje HPP in Ogun State (6.0mw); Bakolori Dam HPP, Zamfara State (3.0mw); Challawa Dam HPP in Kano State (7.5mw); and Tiga Dam HPP, also in Kano (10mw).Others are Kampe Dam HPP in Kogi State (0.5mw); Owena Dam HPP in Ondo State (O.45mw); Doma Dam HPP in Nasarawa State (1.0mw); Zobe Dam HPP in Katsina State (0.30mw); and Jibia Dam HPP also in Katsina (4.0mw).

    Others are Katsina-Ala Dam HPP in Benue State (4.0mw); Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria Dam HPP and Jado Dam in Adamawa State.

    The capacities of the last two dams is yet to be finalised.This new initiative is already generating huge interest amongst energy experts, who reason that the new HPPs will bring succour to Nigerians after unenviable history of unimpressive state of current power supply.

    Already, funding for the HPP would not be a challenge, unlike what happened in the first phase of the scheme. This is because a significant percentage of the proceeds from the $5.7 billion from the sale of the thermal stations would be used to finance the HPP. Besides, the Federal Government also assured that it would invest $10 billion in collaboration with power sector private investors to build the new hydro-power stations in the phase two of NIPP. These funding, therefore, provides a good springboard for the launch of the HPP.

    Indeed, this feat has watered down the conflicting views on the HPP by other critical stakeholders in the industry.

    While opposition to the earlier project was intense, the disposition to the new plan is subtle with those averse to the current move insisting that the country does not have the capacity to build power plants without the involvement of multinational firms.

    Such fears are however understandable given the fact that indigenous public enterprises have a penchant for failing in the discharge of their mandate to the people.

    Tomiwa Sogunro, an energy consultant, however believes that for the NDPHC to achieve its full objective, especially with regard to the HPP, certain bottlenecks must be cleared. One of this is the pending litigations over the sale of the remaining three power plants.He is right.

    Three out of the 10 power plants constructed under the first phase are yet to be concluded by way of NCP and NDPHC joint board approval on the outcome of the financial bid results.

    The delay is caused by law suits filed by certain individuals and organisations over issues which could be sorted out administratively.

    Although progress has been made in the ongoing discussions to end the legal disputes, Sogunwa is of the opinion that the issues involved should be speedily settled possibly out of the court.”Both the litigants and the courts should weigh and sway all decisions in favour of the privatisation process, which has been nationally and globally adjudged to be free, fair and transparent.

    Since the interim injunction is not a perpetual order, it needs being revisited to put the conclusion of the three transactions on course. This will ensure that the ongoing reform in the power sector does not attract negative perception and reception, which could dent the image of the country before the international community,” he appealed.

    Raymond Okeke, a businessman, said government must retain the confidence of foreign investors, especially the World Bank and other international organisations, which have keyed into the power sector reforms, so as not to lose out in the long run, and bring the efforts made so far to zero.

    But still, there are challenges ahead for the NDPHC. One of this is the inadequate supply and payment for the input by the end users, that is, the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN.

    This is constituting a clog in the wheel of progress in optimising the capacity of the NIPPs. While assurances have been given that gas supply hiccups to the power plants are being addressed by the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, stakeholders are canvassing that since NDPHC pays commercial rate for gas used in generating power for TCN and sell at a not too profitable rate, then government should restructure the tariff arrangement to meet current realities, where TCN pays for power received from NDPHC.

    Importantly, the TCN should also be ready to liquidate its over N36 billion debt on gas to NIPP, as a further boost to encouraging investment in the sector.

    This move, it is believed, will serve as a means of restoring investors’ confidence in the process. The NIPP was conceived in 2004 as a fast-track public sector funded initiative that would add significant new generation capacity to Nigeria’s electricity supply system along with the electricity transmission, distribution and natural gas supply infrastructure.

    The initiative was dogged by the lack of confidence based on the country’s lack of experience in building thermal plants powered by gas. But government kept faith and the results are trickling in.