The Nation Newspaper

Category: Niger Delta

  • ‘How leisure could spark business in Tinapa’

    ‘How leisure could spark business in Tinapa’

    Having survived many challenges since it was conceived over a decade ago, the Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort in Cross River State has proved it has come to stay.

    Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nova Rosta, Geraldine Itoe, believes the leisure aspect of the resort which seemed overlooked at first could actually launch the resort to its full potentials of being a business hub.

    Itoe, whose company has been part of the resort since inception, said at first the emphasis was on trade and business.

    She said: “Tinapa is a work in progress and it is a dream I believe in because I have been there. We began with Tinapa from inception. Our first event was the Summer Camp. That was the first event that launched us and opened the window for the leisure aspect. At first emphasis was on trade and business and when we realized that leisure could also play a key role we started out and that in my opinion launched part of the leisure drive. Over time we have been opportuned to arrange other leisure packages at the resort and so many of them. These events they pull in crowds and increase traffic into resort. This traffic has a ripple effect as it enhances business as people go to the malls to do shopping and carry out other such business activities.

    “We have experienced a lot of increase in the traffic coming into Tinapa and it has been upward, because when we first started we had for instance 200 0r 300 persons, but now in a day we could record up to 3, 000 at the water park especially when we host events.

    “Recently, we had the NOVA ROSTA Calfest Millionaire, the first millionaire Christmas event hosted in Calabar and built into the Calabar Festival calendar. It hosted about 9000 persons in the four days the event held and everywhere was jam-packed. I must say the future is bright for Tinapa.

    “Those who say nothing is happening in Tinapa are probably not based in Cross River State. They probably heard rumours. Of course Tinapa had its challenges over time which had changed for the better which I can say as I have grown to become part of the Tinapa family.

    “The hotels now are always fully booked. There is a whole of traffic coming here and to me it is progress compared to where we are coming from. The crowd coming here, as I said especially for leisure, have a spill over effect on other parts of Tinapa which include trading. Even the host community benefits, because there is work to be done and money to be made.”

     

  • Delta community battles oil firm Dubril

    Delta community battles oil firm Dubril

    An oil-rich community, Ughoton, and an oil firm are engaged in a battle of words over issues bothering on social responsibility, writes Osagie Otabor, Benin.

    Ughoton, an oil-rich village in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Delta State, is locally and nationally significant. The Bini people believe that it is the route where the dead pass through to heaven. They believe that a bereaved family, anywhere in the land, could briefly see for the last time their lost member if they rush to Ughoton at a certain time after the death.

    Ughoton is also historically significant as the burial site of Captain James Phillip, the leader of the British expedition team who was killed by Benin chiefs for refusing to obey no visit order during a feast. His death led to the Benin massacre of 1897 and the exile of Oba Ovoramwen.

    Unfortunately, the abundant wealth and rich historical background of Ughoton have not translated into better life for the people.

    Niger Delta Report’s visit to the community revealed that the only health centre in the community was built 12 years ago; it is not functional and overgrown by weeds. The village gets 12 hours of electricity daily from generators provided by Dubril Oil Company and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The only borehole provided by the NDDC is presently faulty. There are no roads in the community apart from the road leading to Gelegele village that was constructed by the NDDC in 2009.

    There are four oil wells in the village from which 340 barrels of crude oil are produced daily by Dubril Oil. On December 28 last year, Dubril shut down one of the oil wells that supplied 200 barrels of crude oil daily due to oil spillage in one of the pipelines. The ruptured pipeline occurred under the tarred road.

    After the oil spillage and the negative news report aired by a local television station, management of Dubrin Oil ran to Benin City and held a press conference where they debunked locals claimed that they (Dubril) have not been doing anything for the community.

    The oil firm’s Community Relations Officer, Mr. Clement Seweje, at the briefing said less than one barrel was spilled before it was contained and the oil well shut. He said the oil spill did not cause any damage to crops or farmlands in the community.

    He blamed the incident on the alleged negligence of a contractor engaged by the NDDC. He said it ignored its warning that the road was on its pipeline rights of way. He said Dubril would re-route the pipeline from the main road.

    Mr. Seweje said Dubril plans to raise its crude oil production to 2,000 barrels per day by the third quarter of this year and pointed out that the oil company has been discharging its corporate social responsibility to the community.

    He said: “We are giving them what is due to them. We hold quarterly meetings with them. We provide electricity 12 hours daily from our generators. We renovated the only primary school in the community and provide them with scholarships. We have economic empowerment scheme for their children who want to learn skills.

    “There are two factions now in the community and we choose to remain neutral by not supporting anybody. We have told them to put their house in order before we can give anything further.”

    A visit to Ughoton, however, revealed a community that seemed abandoned. Many houses have collapsed and the villagers get their water from a nearby stream. Our reporter was taken round some of the projects claimed to have been executed by Dubril. The school block built by the community has collapsed and there were no doors in the five blocks of classroom built by Dubril.

    “Does this looked like a community with oil?” Quipped one of the elders,Uyi Erhunomase.

    “Dubril has not explored other oil blocs since they took over from Phillips company. They gave us a generator without erecting a building for it and we did not use it. We are only using the one provided by NDDC. These oil pipes were laid 52 years ago and they have not been changed.

    “We saw the oil spilling out and we quickly informed them. They came and shut the well without repairing it.”

    The abandoned health centre build by the NDDC has been overgrown by weeds. It was built with residences for doctors and nurses. Uyi said it was locked after it was commissioned and since then they have not seen any health officials.

    He said they used to travel to Benin City which is about 45 minutes drive for medical attention or whenever health officials visited every market days.

    Head of the village, Izevbigie Ehrunomase corroborated Uyi, saying the company has not done anything since he emerged as the village head. He said stipend it used to pay to the elders was suspended because they claimed a faction existed in the village.

    “The oil well security provided by the villagers was stopped and they brought soldiers. They used to bring Christmas gifts but for two years now they have not brought anything during festive periods. They did not provide us with water. It was brought by NDDC. It is faulty now and we asked them to repair it and they refused. Now that their pipeline burst, they have agreed to repair the borehole but nothing has been done now.

    “The generator was brought by Phillip before Dubril came but for three years now, the generator has been faulty and they did not do anything about it. We built our school but it has collapsed.

    “The scholarship is N30,000 a year for a child and it is given to 10 children after a written examination. Last year they brought a list and the names there were strange to me and I refused to sign. I told them the names are not from this village. They have not brought any list this year.”

    “We want them to fix electricity, water and restore the security job. The elders’ money should also be paid. The burst pipe should be removed from the main road. It is bursting all the time and it is endangering our lives.

    Local and state government have not done anything for this community. This oil community should be lifted and accorded the status it deserves. We need help. If they give us what we want. If they deal with the other faction, there will be no settlement. We don’t want trouble but they will not work here if they deal with other factions.”

     

     


     

  • Ogbe-Ijoh traders count their losses after market fire

    Ogbe-Ijoh traders count their losses after market fire

    The Ogbe-Ijoh Market in Warri metropolis of Delta State has over the years become as famous for incessant fire as for the volume and quality of fresh fish, periwinkle and food stuff sold by local traders in there.

    Niger Delta Report checks revealed that the popular market, located on the fringe of the Warri River has been gutted by fire at least five times in the past four years.

    Traders and shop-owners who invested in GSM telephones do so not just to make calls to loved ones and friends, but to monitor activities in the market when they retire home every night.

    Those who made the investment in GSM telephone set saw the benefit again on Saturday night when they got the most dreaded call, once again that ‘Ogbe-Ijoh Market is on fire’.

    Unfortunately for some, the ownership of telephone did not prevent their shops from being razed because, although they got the alert that the market was on fire, when they arrived the scene, there was nothing left to savage.

    Mrs. Roseline Hitler was one of those who arrived the scene shortly after the fire broke out, but like dozens of ill-fated traders, her effort to rescue her ware of smoked fish and other items was too little and too late.

    “I lost goods worth over N400,000 today,” she told reporters amidst sobs.

    Another trader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said she was heavily indebted from the lost she suffered in the last fire incident. “I am only beginning to pay off the loans I took from my cooperative to start my life again when this fire started again.”

    Eyewitness’ accounts of the incident revealed that the fire started from a section of the market which comprised of makeshift stalls and brick shops. The area was one of those that was destroyed when a similar fire swept through the market in 2008.

    However, it was gathered that the swift response of fire fighters from the nearby Zonal Office of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), halted the growing spread of the fire to adjourning stalls, shops and houses located close to the market.

    Although the cause of this latest fire was yet unknown at the time of this report, aggrieved traders and leaders of Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdom are alleging foul play.

    The Chairman of Ogbe-Ijoh Governing Council, Hon. Lucky Clement Oromoni said the incessant fire incidents at the market was cause of concern, not only for traders but for the community leaders.

    He hinted of conspiracy and arson by “people envious of the popularity of the market”, adding that the market’s identity, Ogbe-Ijoh Market is envied by some other groups. The envy, he posited was a cause for suspicion that the market was torched.

    Speaking in the same vein, Chairperson of the market, Madam Queen Ajemitolu, invited the state government to set up a committee to carry out holistic investigation to unravel the incessant fire outbreaks in Warri markets.

    However, experiences over the past years also suggested that such fires are the handiwork of hoodlums and arsonists who hide under the guise of helping to put off the fire to loot shops.

    Traders in the market where household items, building materials, fish, cloth and clothes, shoes and other sundry items are sold are believed to have lost goods worth millions of naira to the latest inferno.

    Mrs. Ajemitolu equally called on government to assist the embattled traders, saying experiences of the past when government officials “would just come and go without doing anything for us” was not acceptable

    She asked for soft loans so that the market women could get back to business while appealing for security to be reinforced around the market to deter hoodlums who are prime suspects in the incessant fire outbreaks.

    For his part, Comrade Austin Ozobo of the Ijaw Peoples Development Initiative advised the state government to expedite action on the completion of the Ogbe-Ijoh market.

    He also called for a thorough overhaul of the fire service in Warri and its environs to enable it tackle fire outbreak and attendant loss of property and means of livelihood.

     

  • ‘It’s shameful we don’t know how much oil is produced’

    ‘It’s shameful we don’t know how much oil is produced’

    Comrade Sunny Ofehe, founder/Executive Director, Hope for Niger Delta Campaign, an international NGO based in The Netherlands that raises awareness on the environmental and human rights situation of the people of the Niger Delta area. In this interview with SHOLA O’NEIL, he speaks on some issues affecting the people of the region including the environment, illegal bunkering and others.

    What is your foundation doing about environmental issues in the Niger Delta?

    The Hope of Niger Delta Campaign started 2005 and we have done quite a lot. In the beginning, we started by organising conferences to raise awareness, bringing experts and stakeholders together. The aim was to raise awareness and proffer on tropical issues. We also have short documentary films to show the environmental impact resulting from oil extraction in the area. These can be found in our website.  We also follow up on government programmes they affect the region. Recently we submitted a memorandum to the Joint House Committee on the PIB and i came in to defend the memorandum. Our foundation has in the past and currently worked with international agencies like Amnesty International and Friends of the Earth/Environmental Rights Action and other agencies.

    Do  you think governments, oil firms and others are doing enough to address environmental issues?

    My personal assessment is that the government, the oil companies are not doing enough. Let’s take the UNEP Report, this is a wonderful report done by a reputable respected organisation reporting on the situation in Ogoni, which is a small part of the Niger Delta. One would have expected that the government would have taken that report seriously and use it to force the IOCs to act accordingly to meet up with international standards in doing their business in the Niger Delta. Unfortunately, two years on nobody is talking about it. We are planning through some international NGOs and a member of the Dutch parliament to see how we can bring other European MPs together to raise that awareness and put pressure on the government and oil companies so that they can go back and follow all the recommendations in the report.

    When you look at the environment today, you can say that the manner with which the oil companies carry out their operation is a little bit different because of the awareness that have been raised.  That is not to say they are doing it properly, but it is a little bit different from what we used to see in the region. Today, ignorance has paved way for awareness and because they now know there are international attention on the region, people are going there to find out for themselves so the way the IOCs operate is no longer hidden. Because of that, there have been some levels of improvement. But to say the state of the FG has done enough to check environmental degradation is not correct. For oil companies, remediation processes are not really impressive; compensation for families who have lost their sources of livelihood because of oil pollution is still not there. You will remember that a Dutch court recently reached a verdict on the case of four farmers who brought SHELL to court in The Hague. Although majority of the case was lost, it went a long way to bring interest to the issue of environment in the Niger Delta.

    People feel that the FG has not help locals tackle the issue of pollution because as a majority stakeholder, it is in fact the biggest polluter. Do you think the FG should hands off oil business as some suggest?

    I don’t think the FG should hands off the industry. We have agencies like NOSDRA, DPR, who are supposed to be very independent of the oil operations. Ordinarily, they have the constitutional mandate to follow up, investigate causes of oil spills, determine extent of damage and seek remediation and force the polluter to act according and follow up.

    Unfortunately these agencies are not well funded, they don’t have technocrats, they have been criticised, they are directly under the control of government and the oil companies tend to be their sources of equipment to carry out their works. They rely on the oil companies, who are the polluter to reach some of their final results. That is also affecting the results. If the government can have the political will….

    In all countries, there is always government involvement to some extent in oil extraction. Like in the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexica, the government there have a stake in the process, but when that spill came, the government act independent irrespective of their own position within the formation.  They followed the law, pushed BP to follow the law and pay compensation. We expect that to take place here. Unfortunately, we have so much corruption within the oil and gas institution. That corruption is making things not to work the way it should.

    Also, the victims of oil pollution are usually very poor people who don’t have the means to fight the powerful oil companies and the Nigerian government. I don’t want to say that the government should hands off oil business because if it happens you leave it in the hands of private people. What I think should be done is that the oil companies should follow international laws and raise their standards to meet international standards. If there is pollution, you must find a way to cleanup as soon as possible and pay the victim.

    As an international NGO operator, what are you doing to achieve this?

    In 2010, I facilitated the trip of a member of the Dutch Parliament to the Niger Delta. We went to two locations, one was to see gas flare, the other to see oil spill. What they say was different from what they read. Moved by what they saw, they organised a Dutch Parliamentary here and I was invited to talk about the situation. Shell was invited to defend their role in the Niger Delta.

    There was so much media frenzy on that hearing. The outcome was not really what we expected, but we were able to raise the level of awareness to that level where Shell for the first time was summoned to the parliament to explain their action in the Niger Delta. It was clear that the interest of the parliamentarian was that Shell was Dutch own and whatever damage they do to the name also affects the country. They owed it a duty to the citizens of The Netherland to question Shell.

    We also took it to the European Union Parliament, where we spoke to some members and a date was set in April 2010. This time we wanted to take it just beyond Shell. We wanted to bring in the French because of Total and Italians because of ENI. Somehow, Shell withdrew from that roundtable and because it is the biggest player in the Niger Delta, AGIP and Total had to follow suit.

    Do you think agencies like NOSDRA are doing enough and how do you address the issue of corruption in the system?

    They do not have the means, qualification and funding to carry out an independent assessment and spill analysis and the will to apportion blames on who it should be and push the processes that would lead to proper cleanup and compensations for the victims. That is still not an excuse because at the end of the day people are suffering and we do not want that. That is why we feel government should take the right step.

    Compare the Federal Government response to the Bonga Spill with the U.S.’s response to the BP Spill; a lot of people feel that although the spills are similar, response are widely different because of the calibre of persons handling sensitive position as the Ministry of Environment, whose then minister overflew in a Shell helicopter and came back to praise the polluter as doing a beautiful work.

    I also had that situation when I came in with the member of the Dutch Parliament. We had our meetings arranged and when it got to the time of Shell, the company told them that they do not want me to be a part of that trip. They came with MOPOL and heavily armed men and the usual military vehicle.  Prior to this time I had taken the people to places, even the water front in Port Harcourt, some communities without any form of escort and they were amazed. But when it was time for Shell, they came with armed men and took them around in a helicopter to all the places Shell wanted them to see and they came back trying to compare the trip of Shell with the general situation.

    Why would a minister fly on Shell helicopter to inspect a spill site that occurred offshore? It is because they do not have their own.  Now even NOSDRA was relying on data supplied by Shell to do their reporting. When there is a spill, these agencies are waiting for Shell to bring vehicles to convey their staff from location A to B. So, you cannot get an independent report that would really tell the true situation of what is happening.

    What is your opinion on the PIB and the delay in its passage by the National Assembly

    I think the bill is a very wonderful idea. I have taken my time to go through the areas I can understand because there are so many legalities in the description. But I think it has touched virtually everywhere that we didn’t have any legislation on.  The cases in The Hague was very difficult for judges to reach a decision because there was no national law in Nigeria that they could use as reference point to make their judgement. If the bill becomes law, it will empower local people. It will also give room for the local communities in direct involvement in the resources that comes from their area. I think we should not politicise this bill. I was there during the public hearing and there were lots of people from northern Nigeria speaking against the bill. I do not think it has to do with ethnicity ; it can also be used by states in the north to control resources they produce. It is a good step and I am happy that the executive arm is willing to see it becomes a law. I also want to appeal to the legislature to act quickly and make it become a law.

    How do you suggest the Federal Government tackle illegal bunkering?

    It is a cartel business that requires the effort of not just the Nigerian government but the international community. We have always said that one of the best ways to tackle illegal bunkering is to mark the Nigerian crude oil. In Europe from for instance, if there is a spill from a vessel carrying crude oil, merely looking at the crude floating on the sea, if you know about how it is coloured, you will know from which country it is coming. If you are able to mark Nigerian crude it will be easy to separate the genuine crude from illegal crude. It means if you are buying unmarked crude from Nigeria, you are involving in a criminal activity. That should be the first step.

    Most times oil companies tend to put the blame on criminal elements in the Niger Delta but I think it goes beyond that. There was a time we wanted to carry out a documentary to show that some official of Shell, JTF and security operatives and even politicians are involved. People use tank vessels that are millions of euro. That is no small business. You need more than Nigerian security forces to fight. We want to call international forces to support Nigeria but we as a country must show that it wants to be supported.

    If there is corruption, it will be very difficult for even the US to the UK to come and protect oour shorelines and pipelines from being vandalised and being source of illegal bunkering.

    Nigeria as a country does not know how much crude oil companies drill. This is really a shame that one of the largest oil exporters in the world don’t know what it produce. I read that Norway wanted to help Nigeria to establish mechanism to measure the crude produce, but this was sabotaged by the oil firms. The government of President Jonathan took some steps at the beginning but the oil firms also sabotage this effort by saying it is too expensive.

    I want to believe that the biggest oil bunkering is taking place in this process of Nigeria not knowing how much crude oil they pump from the ground.

    Are you saying the oil companies are involved in illegal bunkering?

    If you cannot tell the  owner of the crude oil how much oil you drill, you just come up with report and say this is what we have for today, then you leave room for people to also suspect that you have the capacity to also drill more than you are declaring.  If you want to be transparent in your operation, you should within the manifold, measure exactly what you drill and what you declare.

    Do you think some Nigerians, government agencies are benefitting from this ambiguity?

    Definitely. The oil companies cannot drill more than what they declare without a few Nigerians in some positions knowing that. I want to believe that the biggest bunkering is actually taking place in this process.

  • When elders wine and dine

    When elders wine and dine

    Senior citizens in Rivers State, especially the over 200 beneficiaries of the O.B.Lulu-Briggs’ “Care for Life” Foundation, have always looked forward to the first day of every January.

    It is a day set aside by the Foundation of Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs to receive, honour and celebrate the successful cross-over of these elders into a New Year.

    Like a ritual, the event has been on in the past 12 years and the 2014 edition was not different. As usual, the elders were treated a warm celebration reception while they wined, dined and danced in praise to thank God for His privilege on them to witness another year.They were showered with gifts by their host, just as their hope for better care in the year was renewed.

    The event at Onubio (aka Briggs Compound), in Abonnema Town in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers state, was heralded with fanfare. The celebrants were visibly happy at the event.

    Over 230 indigent elderly men and women of Rivers state origin, aged from 65 years and above are in the care list, of Lulu-Briggs Care for Life Foundation. They (beneficiaries), are given care, fed, clothing, health and in some cases, homes by the foundation.

    Speaking at the event the Executive Director of the Foundation, Pastor Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs, thanked Almighty God for the gift of life and the privilege for a triumphant entry into a glorious New year.

    “The unspeakable joy that wells up in the heart of men comes from the knowledge of being surrounded by people who love and truly care about them. This joy cannot be undermined and that is why we have gathered here today to honour and celebrate the elderly citizens of the O.B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation and other invited senior citizens.”

    The 2014 event, as with the previous ones was not sacrosanct to only those in the ‘Care for Life’ pay roll as other elders, chiefs, the clergy, men, women, youths, the very young among others in Abonnema, and Onubio in Particular also look forward to using the day/celebration, to celebrate their cross over to a brand New year. Every one present was had good entertainment and New year gift. The event took place at Onubio a war canoe House, and ancient compound where it has held from inception.

    “To us, it has become a date, so if it fails to hold any year, we the people will ask questions.” an indigene of the area told the Niger Delta Report.

    The celebrants are conveyed in their various buses donated by the Foundation to ease their movements to events venues and the Biokpo Recreation Centre in another part of Abonnema, also built by the Foundation for them.

    Beneficiaries came from Abua in Abua/ Odual, Elelema in Asari-Toru, Abonnema and Obonoma both in Akuku-Toru Local Government Areas of the state to the Onibio. It was an opportunity for them to celebrate, interact and share with their mates from other environments.

    About N500million is yearly mapped out by the High Chief to carry out the foundation’s programme.

    Apart from the elders, the foundation equally have education programme for the gifted children of indigent parents.

    The foundation is sponsoring 110 students in institutions in Nigeria and abroad.

    The foundation also undertakes development intervention programmes in the rural communities.

    The ceremony was also an opportunity for the chair to review the activities of the past year and disclose its plans for the new year, particularly the proposed intervention in Port Harcourt Prison.

    She said: “As far as we are concerned and by what we saw there when we visited, their state of hygiene is deplorable in fact, none existent. We were granted the opportunity to visit them and there is no way we could continue to leave them live as though they are none existent.

    “For this reason we decided to take up the construction of sanitary facilities for both male and female hostels, and also sink bore holes for them and connect to the toilets, make a network of pipe to the various location the Prison authorities have given us land to erect these structures for the use of the inmates.

    “Last year we worked in three states in our Free Medical Mission and embarked on a total of four outreaches, one per quarter, this year we are seriously looking at the possibility of making at least two outings per quarter, God granting us the grace we shall make it and spread them across the states.”

    Reacting on the Foundation’s celebration, a Kalabari Chief, Gorge Amakiri said: “Today has been a day of life, good health, prosperity, protection and peace. We have been witnessing this day in the past 12 years.

    “We had a coral night praise and worship on December 21, today we are here to thank God Almighty further for all that High chief O.B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation has been doing. The kindness, goodness benevolence to humanity. Many of us are beneficiaries one way or the other of the act of charity of this High Chief.”

    He prayed to God to give long life to Chief O.B.Lulu-Briggs and his wife that they may continue to do the good things of making recognisable impacts on the lives of people.

    Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, an elder simply identified as Tonye recalled all the benefits they have enjoyed through the foundation. He listed daily feeding, monthly allotment of food stuff, medical checks, housing in some cases, clothing, and above all deploying of care givers/helpers to the homes of the very weak among them to cook, wash and fetch water for them

    The high point of the event was the unveiling of the Foundation’s new Logo, which was said to be a symbol to unleash their potential to reach more frontiers.

  • Women group donates to hospital

    The women wing of the Edo National Association (ENA) based in the United States has donated some medical equipment worth millions of naira to the female ward at the Central Hospital, Benin City.

    Women Affair Coordinator of ENA, Mrs. Esther Thompson, who donated the equipment said the gesture was to compliment the efforts of the Edo State government.

    Mrs. Thompson stated that ENA understands that the state government could not do everything alone hence their resolve tp give back to the society.

    According to her, “We want to give back to the society we came from. We want to put smiles on the faces of our people especially the less privileged”.

    Items donated include a suction machine, steriliser, blood pressure machine, stethoscope and a refrigerator.

    She called on successful Nigerians in the diaspora to give succour to less privileged in the country.

    Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Edith Kayode-Iyasere thanked the association for the donation and added that equipment would go along way to meeting medical needs of patients in the hospital.

     

  • ‘We were not part of Warri riverside feast’

    Our attention has been drawn to a publication in the Friday, January 3, 2014 edition of The Nation with the above title, which conveyed impressions that are patently false, highly embarrassing and directly at odds with the doctrines and practices of the God’s Kingdom Society (GKS), the church of the living God, based on the Holy Bible.

    We find highly offensive the last paragraph of the report “of the annual feast of the God’s Ministry CGS International Inc.” (sic) which says, “the grand finale of the feast featured traditional open display by choir of the church and those from no fewer than seven other denominations like Christ Apostolic Church, God’s Kingdom Society … among others”. We find such a report surprising, not the least because reporters from The Nation, have been doing a good job of covering the Feast of Tabernacles of GKS in the last few years.

    We must reiterate the fact that the GKS does not take part in interdenominational Services as the Bible condemns interfaith – people of different beliefs coming together in an unholy union to worship. It is a union of contraries which involves the blending of truth with falsehood, which is a sin. (Jeremiah 23:28) The Holy Bible says that two cannot work together except they be agreed, (Amos 3:3); that one cannot serve two masters, (Matthews 6:24); and that those who believe in the truth should ensure the purity of their faith by keeping themselves separate in terms of beliefs, practices and mode of worship. – 1 Timothy 5:22; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 1 Corinthians 1:10; 1 John 2:21.

    It is ridiculous for anyone to suggest that a choir or group from GKS would participate in a so-called Feast of Ingathering, hosted by an evangelist who is said to be “the Regent of Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom”. Contrary to the Christian Feast of Tabernacles celebrated by the GKS in obedience to the Lord’s injunction in Zechariah 14:16-19, to which all people of goodwill were invited, the one at Ogbe Ijoh is an imitation of the Lord’s ordained Feast, being, as the report said, “a celebration of the prevailing peace and unity in the clan as well as the entire Warri area of the state”. While the GKS will always support efforts at achieving peaceful co-existence that are in line with the Holy Bible, she had no part in the celebrations under reference.

    We hope The Nation would give prominence to this rebuttal of what amounts to an egregious blunder, in order to put the records straight, for the benefit of her numerous readers and to allay the apprehensions of our members and friends who have been calling us from near and far since the story was published.

    Yours faithfully,

    Brother Benedict T. Hart, Publicity Secretary, GKS

     

  • Meet Eket’s Mr Condom

    Meet Eket’s Mr Condom

    Bassey Ngehaje does not have a problem using condoms. When that moment approaches, when he’s aroused in the company of an alluring woman, Bassey pulls out a condom and puts it on, even if she does not want him to use it.

    “I will never do anything without a condom,” he says.

    Like most in his community in southern Nigeria, Bassey is Christian, belonging to a charismatic sect called the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, or what many Nigerians refer to as the cult of “Olumba Olumba,” named after the now-reportedly deceased, controversial founder Olumba Olumba Obu. Members wear flowing white garments, proclaiming the healing powers of God with dabs of holy water.

    For Bassey and many Christians in Nigeria, God is the ultimate doctor, and faith in God is the best preventive health care.

    That’s why Bassey says his public promotion of condoms is a risk. He says using condoms is “illegal in the church.” But, Bassey was not always the condom enthusiast that he is today. It took a trip to Immanuel General Hospital, where he accompanied a friend to patch up a bloody wound to change his perspective. There, for the first time he saw what HIV looked like. He saw people with skeletal frames and patchy skin.

    His lifestyle’s sexual vibrancy and its seeming carelessness came to mind. He got scared.

    That’s when he decided that God sometimes needs help.

    He points his finger heavenward, saying, “After God’s security is the condom.” He says he began a strict adherence to using condoms from August 2013. His transition from a woman-wooing playboy to sexual health advocate took some work. He’s got greenish hazel eyes, a slick goatee, a robust physique and the kind of smooth golden-brown skin that some Nigerians would describe as bright or fair. With such looks, it’s easy to see how he wins over the ladies.

    “I used to have many sexual partners at the same time,” the 35-year-old tailor says with a smirk.

    In his shop, his employees bend over mechanical sewing machines, stitching together elaborate cotton and wax fabrics in a windowless room. The front and back doors are open yet there’s barely a breeze to push the hot, sticky air. This small shop, in the commercial area of Eket in Nigeria’s Akwa Ibom State has become a gathering point for young people interested in hearing about the salvation of the condom. They hang around and listen to Bassey tell his story, of his former distaste for the condom.

    “Condoms did not give me what I really wanted because I like to get the real feeling, flesh to flesh,” he says.

    This popular opinion is partly why consistent condom usage is still relatively low in Nigeria, where HIV affects an estimated 3.5 million people. As I wrote for Al Jazeera, “The National Agency for the Control of AIDS says Nigeria has the world’s second-largest number of people living with the virus after South Africa” and “Akwa Ibom… has the second-highest HIV prevalence rate in the country. A survey on sexual and reproductive attitudes conducted by ENR’s Akwa Ibom team found that practices such as wife sharing and avoidance of condom use have led to the high rate of infection.” Bassey met a woman simply known as “Mama Condom,” a local facilitator working with the Enhancing Nigeria’s Response to HIV and AIDS program (ENR). The six-year program was funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) with a sizeable contribution of one hundred million pounds.

    “There was a lot of skepticism. It’s a huge amount of money with a lot of expected deliverables,” says Olanipekun Oluwasola, who helps to monitor and evaluate ENR’s activities. “In the past five years we have proved that we have been able to manage such money — not just manage but to make a huge difference on ground.”

    Through its eight partner organizations including, the BBC World Service Trust, ActionAid and the

    Society for Family Health, ENR has implemented HIV prevention strategies in seven focal states in Nigeria: Benue, Cross River, Enugu, Kaduna, Lagos, Nasarawa and Ogun.

    With knowledge she received through ENR trainings, Mama Condom campaigns throughout Eket.

    “If you don’t know about yourself, you will not know what to protect,” she says. She says many people use condoms incorrectly, or they’re in such a hurry to get the sexual action on that they tear the condom when they open the packet.

    Her guidance for Bassey has been so transformative, that Bassey is now a face for condom advocacy in Eket. He used the melody of a popular Nigerian Christian song and composed a catchy jingle in the local language of Eket.

    The lyrics loosely translate as:

    Condom has done a good thing in my life Has done us much because We do not have HIV again With you we don’t have AIDS With you we can do family planning Condom has done us much

    Now, Bassey wants to go bigger, branding himself Mr. Condom. He’s looking for grants so he can start a grassroots group that will focus on sexual health and of course, distribute more condoms.

    However, condom usage is a sensitive topic in some communities in Nigeria.

    23-year-old Saleh Kabirat is an ENR-trained point person in his village of Yanshyi in the northern state of Kaduna. In his role, he reaches out to sexually active males, advising them to stay with one partner and to use condoms.

    “Boys here say it’s better not to use a condom,” he says. Reportedly, about 28 people are infected with HIV in his community of an estimated 6,470 residents.

    With the setting of the sun’s glow stretching across the capital city of Abuja, prostitutes come out to pose languidly along busy streets and wait for customers to pull up in their cars. One of them, to be called Ada, said she does not always use condoms because men sometimes pay double for “flesh to flesh” contact. When a customer makes such a request, Ada takes out her Bible from her purse, places it on the pillow, takes off her clothes and renders her service.

    “I feel protected with my Bible,” she says.

    In Kwara State, where Hajiya Limoto Goroso Giwa runs the International Women Communication Center talking about condoms is somewhat of a taboo.

    “This is a predominantly Muslim society, though we have Christians, and polygamy is the norm in this culture,” says Giwa. “If a woman asks her husband to begin using condoms, he will suspect her of being a prostitute and can become angry. So here, it is difficult to talk about condoms. That’s why I encourage the women to use female condoms so they can be in control of their own health.”

    Her diverse team of young and elderly women is making commendable progress from its base in Ilorin. Many of the beneficiaries, some of whom were homeless after being thrown out by their husband upon discovery of having HIV or a sexually transmitted infection, are now upstanding, respectable community advocates. Some of them have learned basic nursing and administer health care, while others have learned how to use computers or hairstyling or sewing.

    But even among these socially and economically empowered women, condom usage is tricky.

    One married middle-aged woman (who asks for her name not to be used) admits that sexual protection is more of a luxury. She and other woman agree that praying for Allah’s protection is the only thing to do in instances when a man flat-out refuses to use a condom.

    The woman is a small-scale retailer, selling fish in local markets. In the early morning, she gets her supply from a fisherman who she says sometimes demands her to have sex with him before he will sell her the fish. At those times, protecting her health becomes secondary.

    With her eyes cast toward the floor she asks, “What can I do? I need the fish.”

    •Culled from a blog in Huffpost

     

  • Crisis brews in Etche over alleged neglect

    Crisis brews in Etche over alleged neglect

    •Youths hand Shell 90-day deadline to address demands

    A crisis is brewing in oil producing communities in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State over alleged marginalisation and underdevelopment of the areas.

    The Etche Peoples Liberation Congress warned that if urgent step was not taken to address the social injustice in land, the situation might get out of hand. It said the people have threatened to take the law into their hands to draw attention to their plights.

    EPLC, which comprises of activists, social critics, commentators and academics of Etche origin, has assumed the mouthpiece of Etche ethnic nationality. The group demands adequate compensations from the federal and state governments as well as oil multinational Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).

    The group is also demanding the inclusion of its in the boards of Federal parastatals and agencies, particularly the Nigerian National Petroleum Cooperation (NNPC), Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Niger Delta Basin Development Authority (NDBDA), Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF), National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NODSRA) National Environmental Standard, Regulation and Enforcement Agency (NESREA) among others.

    A visit to Etche communities by Niger Delta Report showed that some of the major road contracts awarded six to eight years ago were either poorly executed or abandoned. The deplorable condition of Umuechem –Ozuzu road, Okoroagu-Odagwa road and Igboetche –Oyigbo road which is the major roads linking the communities in the area are in a deplorable condition.

    Comrade Japheth  Ogbueri,  the President of EPLC said the organisation was formed to institute a formidable pressure front that  will address challenges of all social and political injustices that are detrimental to the  prosperity  of oil producing ethnic nationality of Etche. He said the organisation also monitor projects initiated by government and multi-national companies operating in the area.

    To this end, he disclosed that the EPLC has given SPDC 90 days to initiate a roundtable discussion with the Chief and Elders of the area over the economic sabotage of Etche ethnic nationality or leave their environment.

    Ogbueri said: “After the expiration of the ultimatum given to SPDC and nothing happened, we the youths of Etche will chase them out of our land.”

    He said Etche, an oil-bearing ethnic nationality had nothing to show for its contribution to economic of the country even as its people lived in penury.  He noted that the abandoned road projects was as a result of the economic sabotage perpetrated by the SPDC and corrupt politicians in collaboration with some elders who have sold their respects and dignities for selfish interest.

    Comrade   Ogbueri said the best time to address the social injustice in the land is now before it is late, he threatened that the incident that took place at Kokori community may repeat itself in Etche.

    “The issue of Kokori , Ogoni  and the rest of oil communities will not be compared to what may happen in Etche when the time comes. We are tired of seeking for peace; of course, those oil producing communities who carried arms against Federal government are not stronger than the Etche people. As a matter of fact, we have consulted the highest deity in the land called Amadiohazuzu and he has given us his approval to go ahead with our struggle, so we are not afraid of anybody.

    ”Though, we have not done anything in Etche land that will attract the Federal Government attention to recognize our pride of place as oil producing ethnic nationality. The worse of it all is that one kobo of security vote has not been extended to this ethnic nationality. We are hospitable people, since 1959 when SPDC started operation we have not seen N1 million naira project sited in the area.

    “There is oil spill in Etche that is why my organisation is fighting SPDC and we are going to use every available democratic nonviolent, intellectual means to fight our battle.  SPDC has never talk about negotiation they don’t have visible MOU or GMOU. They mingled with some corrupt community leaders and take a unreasonable agreement without the consent of the majority of Etche people. There is nothing in Etche land  to show that SPDC is operating in the area, go to other oil producing  communities in Niger Delta you will see projects executed by  SPCDC but Etche are being taking for granted.”

    Comrade Prince Onyeche, the Principal Information Officer of Etche People’s Liberation Congress added that the organisation is carrying out community to community sensitization programme for the youths of Etche as part of the measure to reawaken their consciousness over the suffering of the ethnic nationality.

    He accused politicians in the area of being the main saboteurs in dragging the destiny of the ethnic nationality back by placing personal interests above the general interest of the people.

    ”We are respected youths   who came together to fight different atrocities in Etche. We have started our sensitization and mobilization campaign because when the time comes we will mobilize the youths against the saboteurs in Etche. We have our support, we have our resources, the most important thing now is to make the youths think rightly and to defend the available resource within their environment.  Those politicians who are selling their conscience will soon be chased out of Etche land. Enough is enough; we are no longer a child. The business to rescue and liberate our people from object power is our most concern.”

    Speaking in the same vein, Chief Michael Anaele,  one of the elders in the area, said, “Etche people are happy that their sons and daughters are now fighting what nobody was able to fight. Today EPLC has identified the developmental needs, they are now demanding for compensations from SPDC for wanton destruction and devastation of Umuechem, Odagwa, Igbo, Umuebulu and Okoroagu communities.  So we are very happy because they made themselves available to ensure that Etche ethnic nationality is not taking for granted.”

    Efforts to reach SPDC spokesperson, Mr Joseph Obari, were abortive. He was yet to respond to text message request for comment at press time.

     

  • When governor’s aide gives back to the society

    When governor’s aide gives back to the society

    The gathering was meant to wine and dine with David Etuk, the Special Assistant to Governor Godswill Akpabio on Projects, at his Ikot Idem home in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, but later turned into political rally.

    The youth, women and elders came from three local government areas of Etinan, Nsit Ibom and Nsit Ubium that make up the Etinan Federal Constituency to celebrate the yuletide with the governor’s aide who many described as the friend of the masses.

    They sang the praises of Etuk, urging him to contest the House of Representatives seat for Etinan Federal Constituency.

    According to them, his representation at the National Assembly would bring in more dividends of democracy to the people of the area.

    Etuk, who later explained the significance of the party, said he had made it a tradition in the past seven years to interact with his people in the Federal Constituency as a means of creating awareness on the minds of the people on the workings of government towards the betterment of the people in the society.

    The governor’s aide explained that the dividends of democracy can only be appreciated when the masses are properly informed about the projects and the social amenities government has provided for the people.

    He commended Governor Godswill Akpabio for the giant strides of development in Nsit Ibom local government area especially the Enen Nsit Road which remain a significant land mark that has change the socio-economic lives of the people of the area.

    Etuk disclosed that PDP in Etinan Federal Constituency understands the language of zoning within the three local government areas that make up the constituency.

    Going down the memory lane, Etuk, recalled that from 1999 to 2003 Emah Bassey from Nsit Ibom local government area represented the constituency, followed by Late Aniedi king in 2007 who was from Etinan local government area.

    According to him, the member that is representing Etinan Federal Constituency in the Federal House of Representatives, Dan Akpan is from Nsit Ubium local government area that got the people’s mandate in 2011.

    He therefore maintained that the representation of the constituency come 2015 beckons on Nsit Ibom local government area.

    The governor’s aide called on the people of Etinan Federal Constituency who came out enmasse for the season’s cerebration, which is his brain child, to remain focused as 2015 electioneering year is fast approaching.

    Etuk advised them to elect competent and visionary individuals, who are passionate about infrastructure and human capacity building.