The Nation Newspaper

Category: Niger Delta

  • Uduaghan inaugurates 130 buses for Warri/Effurun BRT route

    Intra-state and city transportation in Delta State received a boost with the inauguration of 130 buses by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan penultimate Monday.

    The move followed the commencement of operation by 130 mid-capacity boats acquired by the state government for water transport to riverside communities in the state and its environs.

    The buses, comprising 100 Toyota Hiace (14-seater buses) and 30 Innoson high capacity buses will add to a fleet of nearly 1,000 modern buses operated by the Delta State Mass Transport Programme and its Private Public Partners.

    Speaking at the inauguration of the buses in Asaba the state capital, Governor Uduaghan pledged to further boost the programme in order to remove wobbly and unworthy cars and buses from the streets of major cities.

    He said: “The state government is determined to banish rickety buses for mass transit from our roads and ensure that people of Delta State move around in comfortable vehicles.

    “With this inauguration, the state now has over 700 18-seater Hiace buses and 130 Tata, Marcopolo and Innoson buses for intra- and inter-city mass transit scheme with the broad goal of providing safe, reliable, efficient and integrated transport operations.”

    The governor further explained that the state government was partnering with the private sector in the mass transit programme, even as he urged the private operators participating in the scheme to always make prompt returns.

    He averred that prompt repayment by the beneficiaries would ensure that more buses are procured and distributed to others waiting on the wings of the very successful scheme.

    “Prompt payment by you (beneficiaries) is the only way more buses can be bought and distributed for the benefit of our people and the state at large,” Governor Uduaghan said.

    While appealing to the operators to continue to maintain the 50 per cent fare subsidy contained in their agreement with the government, Governor Uduaghan urged the drivers to take care of their buses by ensuring regular maintenance of their vehicles. This, he said, will ensure safety and comfort of passengers as well as their own business interest.

    In the same manner, he urged people of Delta State to support and co-operate with the government to enable those in authority and the governed to contribute to the development of the state.

    “This administration remains committed to evolving more people-oriented policies and programmes that would have direct bearing on people’s lives. We pray and hope with faith that the coming year would usher in more peace, progress, prosperity and fulfilment for all across the state,” he said.

    In his remarks, the Commissioner for Transport, Hon. Benson Igbakpa, revealed that the state government has approved the construction of a 12.55 kilometres bus rapid transit system in Warri, the third BRT in Africa meant to transport a total of 42,000 passengers per day with 70 buses running simultaneously.

    Igbakpa, who later spoke in a telephone chat with our reporter, further disclosed that contracts for the construction of the BRT lanes have been awarded. He added that the contractors are being mobilised to commence construction in January this year.

    “With the new traffic law signed by His Excellency the governor, sanity will be maintained in our roads. This, along with all these buses, is expected to improve road transport in Delta State. The Warri BRT is expected to transport some 42,000 passengers daily.

    “We expect that very soon, people will start patronising public transport more and those who have cars would prefer to ride in government buses for convenience and ease. This will improve traffic flow because right now, there are just too many vehicles on the road.

    “The governor has promised more buses in the days ahead. When we complete all the projects relating to the transport initiative: the BRT lane, mega bus terminal and junctions, the state will wear a new look and people will appreciate the vision of the governor,” Igbakpa stated.

    Meanwhile, the commissioner revealed efforts to improve water transportation in the state. He disclosed that 130 boats, tagged ‘water buses’ acquired for riverside movement of travellers, goods and services have been inaugurated.

    “The boats have been allocated to the private operators. Before we did the allocation, we built 30 jetties to ease their operation and there is plan to do more in that regard. So, nothing is being left undone here,” he said.

     

  • Abe urges support for Amaechi

    Abe urges support for Amaechi

    The Senator representing Rivers South-East senatorial district in the National Assembly, Magnus Abe, has urged Rivers Youths to support Governor Rotimi Amaechi in his struggle to defend democracy in Nigeria.

    He spoke during the inauguration of the Kenule Saro-Wiwa Students’ Centre, Bori, headquarters of Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State.

    Abe said Amaechi’s fight was not for his own benefit, but to enable Nigerians experience the kind of democracy that would be beneficial to all and sundry, irrespective of their class, religion, and tribe.

    He said: “I want to use this opportunity to urge all of you to continue to support our dear governor, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in this fight to make democracy beneficial to Nigerians. He is not fighting for himself but for Nigerians, irrespective of class, religion, or tribe.”

    The lawmaker, who is also Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) pledged to provide computer sets and one year free internet subscription as well as a staff, who must be a student, to manage facilities at the centre.

    The President of the National Union of Ogoni Students (NUOS), Comrade Kpuinen Meedubari, pledged continued support to Governor Amaechi and Senator Abe, in appreciation of their contributions to the development of students in the state.

    be later at his Senatorial Office, Bori presented certificates to graduates of his skills enhancement scheme, which he is doing in partnership with the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA).

     

     

     

  • Okowa urges adequate funding of primary healthcare

    The Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa, on Monday said the nation’s primary healthcare sub-sector was under-developed due to inadequate funding.

    Okowa, (PDP-Delta North), spoke at the Illah Day 2013 Celebration at Illah in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta.

    He said the sector, being the bedrock of every society, had suffered because there was little or no attention paid to it.

    Okowa said adequate attention should be paid to the development of primary healthcare as the only way to touch lives of people at the grassroots.

    He said this could be achieved through allocation of certain percentage of funds on annual basis to develop the sub-sector and attract development to the grassroots.

    Okowa commended the Illah Development Union of Nigeria (IDUN) for its commitment to the development of the communities.

    The senator said he would partner with the union to establish a befitting health and skill acquisition centres for youths in the community.

    The President-General of IDUN, Prof. Lawrence Ezemonye, said the union had recorded tremendous achievements through the support of some individuals and philanthropic organisations.

    He said the union had assisted in building a primary healthcare centre, providing palliative measures at controlling floods, and upgrading of Illah Girls Basic School to full-fledged secondary school.

    He added that the union would turn attention to furnishing/equipping the Youths Skill Acquisition Centre in the town.

    Ezemonye pointed out that the union would revive the entrepreneurial spirit in youths to tap from the gains of cottage activities in the area of textile, welding and carpentry.

    The traditional ruler of Illah, Obi Nwabuenu Mebu, said the community had witnessed some levels of development in the last few years.

     

     

  • Witchcraft: Boy cries for justice in Akwa Ibom

    A 15-year-old Akwa Ibom teen whose head was broken by hoodlums for allegedly using witchcraft to kill his father is seeking justice, writes Kazeem Ibrahym

    The case of a 15-year-old Akwa Ibom boy, Asuquo Edet, has again highlighted the plight of children accused of witchcraft in Akwa Ibom State.

    Despite a law prohibiting abuse of children, Asuquo’s head was broken by hoodlums for allegedly using witchcraft to kill his father.

    Asuquo is seeking justice. The boy, who spoke with our correspondent during a visit to the Child’s Right and Rehabilitation Network (CRARN) in Eket, said the incident had affected his education.

    The victim of the attack is from Ikon-Edikor in Udung Uko Local Government Area.

    “If the hoodlums that attacked me are brought to book, it will serve as deterrent to others who are in the act of labeling their children witches and wizard,” he said.

    The visibly worried Asuquo gave kudos to CRARN, a non-profit organisation for coming quickly to his rescue during the attack on his life.

    He said his father who had been ill for several months received him with open arms before he died a few days later.

    Narrating his ordeal, Asuquo said: “My father was very happy to see me again after abandoning me for more than three years on the streets because one soothsayer, Alex Otong from Obughu, brought by my stepmother told him that I was a wizard; and responsible for his illness, the poverty and misfortune in the family.

    “I was sitting in my late father’s house, mourning his death that fateful day when the hoodlums led by two of my stepmother’s brothers, Silas and Peter Inwang, cordoned the house and started beating me with machetes, cables, rods, spine-sticks and ‘mbritem’, a local sugarcane-like plant, while questioning me on why I returned from exile only to kill my father.

    According to Asuquo, the beating, which started at about 12 pm lasted for about four hours when he finally fell into a state of coma after they used “axe” to break his head.

    His words: “They beat me with wire, machetes, horsewhip, rods and spine-sticks, and even poured urine and ‘combine’ on me until I did not know what was happening to me again!

    “I only found myself lying on the floor overtaken by blood when one an unknown woman who visited our village, woke me up and asked me to leave immediately otherwise I would be killed; as the men were bragging and saying I should come back and destroy lives.

    “So, I went and stayed in the nearby bush for three days. When I came back, she gave me N500 to use for my transport, and told me that those men came and set my father’s house on fire so that it will burn my body, thinking that my body was still lying there.”

    The Head of CRARN’s litigation, Emmanuel Okon, said CRARN responded to an urgent call by an anonymous person that Asuquo’s life was in danger.

    Okon said: “When we got there, Asuquo’s neighbour Mrs. Eno Okoti and his grandmother Mrs. Grace Ita Asuquo that tried to shield him were also accused of killing Asuquo’s father

    “The whole family house was burnt down. Even the house belonging to one of the neighbours, Mrs. Eno Okoti, was also destroyed. We were told at the scene that Asuquo escaped to an unknown located when he was about to be killed.”

    Okon while condemning the attack on Asuquo’s life advised parents/guardians to desist from labeling their children/wards witches and wizard.

    He also urged the Akwa Ibom State Government to take adequate sanction against any parents/guardians that flout the Child Rights Law.

     

  • Ikom NBA roots for senate leader in 2015

    The Ikom branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Cross River State has thrown its weight behind Senate leader, Victor Ndoma- Egba, who is from Ikom Local Government Area, for another term.

    Ndoma-Egba represents the central senatorial district in the state.

    The Association made this known at their 3rd general meeting held at Obubra, the Central Senatorial District of Cross River State.

    In a communiqué made available to reporters in Calabar yesterday, the association pledged their total support for Senate Leader in 2015, calling on all and sundry to join in drumming support for him.

    It read: “The Bar pledge their total support for the re-election of Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba to the senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for providing exemplary and good leadership to the Nation and for the support, hospitality and commitment toward the success of Ikom branch in promoting the rule of law.”

    They urged leaders to develop new visions and demonstrate higher levels of patriotism, hard work, selflessness, integrity and responsiveness to the yearnings of the people.

     

     

  • Feast sets Warri riverside community aglow

    Feast sets Warri riverside community aglow

    The idyllic Salvation City, New Ogbe-Ijoh community in the riverside area of Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State was bustling place on Sunday when hundreds of residents of Warri and Ijaw from all over the State joined their counterparts for the celebration of the Christian Feast of Ingathering hosted by Evangelist (Dr) Samson Mamamu.

    The 2013 edition, which is the 37th of the annual Christian feast of the God’s Ministry CGS International Inc, was turned into an interdenominational event by the presence of Ijaw and religious leaders from the various denominations who stormed the peaceful city to celebrate with Mamamu.

    Notable guests included the Delta State Commissioner for Environment, Chief Frank Omare; Chief Favour Izoukumor, Fiyewei of Ogbe-Ijoh; Chiefs David Pere, Couple Oromoni, Joel Ogbona, Kobi Izoukumor, Paul Yemenegbeha, Alice Harris Gbenakama, Richard Evene, Vero Eselemon and Mrs Beatrice O. Izoukumor among others.

    They described the ceremony as a celebration of the prevailing peace and unity in the clan as well as the entire Warri area of the state.

    They said it was an opportunity for indigenes of the area to meet and be grateful to God for the past years and the unity in their kingdom in spite of the recent demise of their monarch.

    Speaking at the event, Mamamu, who is the Regent of Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom, used the event to admonish political and religious leaders on the importance of giving cheerfully and not as a means of attracting public praises.

    He lamented the dying culture of being our ‘brothers’ keepers’, remarking that even churches that make so much money do not give. He therefore wondered how it would be possible for pastors and evangelists to preach to their members about giving when they do not practice it.

    Quoting Luke 6:38, he said, “Give to every man that asks of thee. Give to those who are not able to help themselves, whether they be believers or unbelievers.”

    The highpoint of the eight-day event was the presentation of the policy statement of the church, which admonished politicians to be wary of the destructions that awaited those who fritter public funds in 2014. He also took a veiled swipe at the instigators of the crisis rocking the country, as well as governors who recently left their parties.

    He said, “We observe that politicians in the system are sharing evil leaves by their various approaches to partisan politics. We deemed that the serving governors breaking without consulting their electoral mandators, matured father and daughters. Their waste of energy and money is affecting the economy of this country.

    “We are calling them to fear God almighty and discharge their political duties with fear for peace if not, God will hold erroneous ones responsible for His judgement which no human being can tell. With the fear of God the warning has arrived that those politicians should change gear for proper political retreat.”

    The religious leader also appealed to the Federal Government to establish universities and other higher institutions of learning in the riverside areas of the region, lamenting that children from the area face hardship in their quests for higher education.

    He said youths of the region have no business being in the disadvantaged education position they are now because of the quota system and favouritism in the sector.

    On the devastating scourge of the Boko Haram insurgence in the northern parts of the country, Mamamu urged President Goodluck Jonathan to turn to prayers to tackle the terrorists and their sponsors.

    “The industry of Boko Haram, kidnapping and ritual killings and other vices should be tackled with prayers by Mr President appointing selected ministers (ministries) to conduct their spiritual assignment. In fact if the spiritual bodies focus attention, (it) may bring in difference and result.”

    Speaking with Niger Delta Report afterwards, Chief Frank Omare commended Mamamu for his leadership attribute, not only as a clergyman, but as a leader of the Ogbe-Ijoh clan. He said the ceremony was to celebrate what God had done for the people and the state.

    “I am from this local government; I was born and bred in the creeks. I am duty bound to be with my people. We are here celebrating, dancing and celebrating all that God has done for us.

    “I led a campaign here sometimes ago. Today, I am happy to see that about 95% of the promises we made have been delivered and completed. We promised a jetty, reopening of schools that were shut down etc. The solar street lights leading to the next community are being done.”

    Speaking in the same vein, Chief Izoukumor, who is the Spokesman of Ogbe-Ijoh kingdom, said the leadership of the kingdom gathered and deliberated on the appropriate way to reward their regent for his sterling leadership.

    “But you know him, he is not a man who likes earthly gifts and material wealth. The only way we felt we could win his heart and acknowledge his contribution is to send a delegate to come and join him in this feast of ingathering. The festival has contributed to the growth of Ogbe-Ijoh, Delta state and Nigeria at large,” he stated.

    Izoukumor and Omare commended the vigor with which Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan is going about his last years in office, stating that he has a lot of gigantic and important projects ongoing.

    The grand finale of the feast featured traditional open air display by choir of the church and those from no fewer than seven other denominations like Christ Apostolic Church, Gods Kingdom Society, Winners Chapel and Cherubim and Seraphim among others. There was also an amazing song presentation by children of Salvation City.

     

  • All set for first Calabar marathon

    The Cross River State has entered into partnership with Active Sports (Nigeria) Foundation and Connect Marketing Services to stage a world class international marathon to be known as ‘Calabar Marathon and Carnival Run’ (CMCR).

    The marathon race is scheduled for April 2014.

    The signing of final agreements and documents, between the government and the partners took place at the Cross River State Tourism Bureau (CRSTB), Okoi Arikpo House.

    The government was represented by the Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Patrick Ugbe,as well as Michael Williams, Managing Director CRSTB. The collaboration between these two departments has delivered a new platform in sports development and tourism marketing for the State.

    Representatives of the partnering companies, Kazeem Abimbola, Executive Director of Connect Marketing Services (CMS) and Ndubuisi Kanu, Managing Director, Active Sports Foundation (ASF) were in the State to enjoy the Carnival Calabar 2013 fiesta before participating in the endorsement of the marathon by the government.

    While ASF has been granted exclusive rights as the sponsorship marketer for CMCR, CMS has also been granted exclusive rights as technical partners on the proposed race.

    Williams explained that the marathon will place Calabar in the league of cities with notable international marathons and mentioned the Reggae Marathon of Jamaica and New York Marathon, as notable events in the sports world with positive impacts on tourism.

    He also said ‘the CMCR will promote the rich heritage of the State and present a platform for sponsors on their products and brands, hence creating greater interest in the State as a life-style sport destination.

    Ugbe believed the product will engage more people in sports through racing, while promoting youth employment and healthier aging for retirees.

    The forthcoming Calabar Marathon and Carnival Run will be funded solely by sponsorship partners while also granting the State another opportunity to test its preparedness for the National Sports Festival 2014.

    The government will provide contributions in kind, to support the project. Such contributions will include: provision of government logistics, provision for medical support, provision for security and crowd control through liaising with the Nigerian Police.

     

  • What hope for Bakassi returnees?

    IT is a New Year and that time of the year when people look forward to new things. People even go to the extent of writing goals for the New Year. Some also make resolution about what they did last year that they would love to stop this year. Many who smoke make a resolution to stop. Others who engage in adultery vow to turn a new leaf.

    For the people of Bakassi, who are holed up in camps in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, if given the opportunity, will most likely wish that their woes of last year perish with the year.

    If they had been given the opportunity to talk about what they would love to see in 2014, not a few would say they wanted an end to their stay in camps, where water is never enough, where food is rationed, where children cannot freely play like kids and where life is anything but exciting.

    Their woes began when Nigeria lost the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroun as a result of a judgment of the International Court of Justice in the Hagues. For no less than a decade, the two countries battled for the control of the region. Lives were lost. Soldiers of both countries fought relentlessly. Then at a point, the International Court of Justice took over. It was a tortous journey to where we are today. In the court’s wisdom, the oil-rich Peninsula is Cameroun’s. It meant nothing that the people who populated it were Nigerians in deed and character. By the Nigerian Constitution, the area belonged to Bakassi Local Government Area of Cross River State and till date, the constitution still recognises it as such.

    Since the verdict, things have fallen apart for the people. The Federal Government promised that they would properly be reintegrated. They were promised homes. To be fair, a couple of building projects were started around Calabar, which were planned to be their homes. But as we write, they still live in camps. Reports say some of the building projects have been abandoned and weeds have taken over them. Instead of serving as homes for human beings, reptiles of all kinds have found free shelter and it promises to be a tough battle to take over the place from them!

    Last May, rainstorm even sacked some of them camping at the Akwa Ikot. The windstorm blew off the roof of the St Mark’s Primary School, which has been their home since last March. They were exposed to harsh weather, with their personal effects damaged. And life was unbearable.

    Last April, the Cross River State government accused the Camerounian government of not honouring the Green Tree Agreement (GTA), which provided that no occupant of the peninsula would be forcefully evicted. It also urged the Federal Government to expedite action on the permanent resettlement of the returnees, which, it said, was beyond its capability.

    Some 1,000 people are affected by this sorry situation. The Bakassi people deserve better than they are getting from both the federal and state governments. It was no fault of theirs that the country lost the peninsula to Cameroun. It is no fault of theirs that the governments have not got their act right.

    The country had enough time to prepare for the resettelemnt of the returnees. There is no excuse for what is happening now and the painful thing is that the Dr. Goodluck Jonathan administration has said nothing about the plight of these people. It seems it means nothing to the government that kids who are supposed to be in school are not in school because they have not been properly settled. It also seems it means nothing to the government that the future of the youth there is being mortgaged and there is danger in that for the government and for the society as a whole. If we do not train our youth to be useful, we are invariably training them to be terrors and we will all be the the casualties.

     

     

  • Man must not live by oil alone

    This is not one of those New Year resolutions. Many of us make them and break them the next day. These are just my wishes for the people of the Southsouth, the goose that lays the golden egg.

    Until oil was discovered in the Niger Delta, the people had a life, a life built around water. The people ate a lot of fresh fishes caught from waters free of pollution. The youth and the old swam like fishes. They knew how to dodge the sharks and the crocodiles, which competed for rooms in the waters with tilapias, catfish, shrimps and so on.

    Those who chose to farm also did so without any inhibition. Life was good. No hassles. No worries. At least as it related to daily existence.

    Then the black gold was discovered. That marked the beginning of the end for the people. It also marked the era of good foreign exchange for the federal authorities.

    Attention was not placed on the environmental hazards that came with oil drilling. The men in power at the time were too excited to care about small details like that. In no time, however, the oil drillers took away the people’s peace, their waterways and farms. The fresh fishes also became afraid and sought fresh waters outside of the Southsouth. No thanks to the oil poured everywhere by the drillers all in the name of exploiting for oil. They exploited the people under the guise of exploiting oil.

    Their exploits turned the farms to bad lands for the crops; the fishes bailed out from the polluted waters, not a few died with hydrocarbon in their bellies; and the cash from the oil were used to develop other places.

    A once-prosperous land and people became paupers. The Niger Delta became a place where you see hell and heaven side by side. Hell was where the people reside and heaven is the residential quatres of the oil majors.

    The situation has not changed over the years. Rather it has gotten worse, with the people helping themselves through illegal activities, such as bunkering, pipeline vandalisation and oil theft, which has seriously hemorrhaged the economy.

    Thanks to journalism, I have been to every part of the Niger Delta. I have been to Akwa Ibom; I have been to Cross River; I have been to Delta; I have been to Edo; and my path has crossed with both Bayelsa and Rivers states. The creeks and the swamps are littered with a people who want a better life, a life devoid of oil pollution, a life where they can farm and fish and a life where the basic amenities of life are provided by those who govern them.

    The creeks are filled with young ones who are disappointed in their leaders and will seize any chance to take their pound of flesh. There are loads of children whose playing grounds have been violated and thus robbed of their childhood. Many youth in the region will waste no opportunity to ‘port’ out of the country forever.

    Much of the Southsouth are difficult terrain. In places, such as Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers, many people can only access their towns and villages through the waterways. Bonny Island, which is reputed as one of the richest Islands around on account of hosting the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited and some oil majors, is only accessible by water and air (helicopter). There are many places like that in the Southsouth. It is not that roads cannot be made to get to these places. It is just that fortune is needed to get these roads done and they are not seen as priorities now. So, the people continue to suffer hours of turbulence on water to get to their homes. I am sure they will be happy to see someone end the misery of having to risk their lives on water to visit townships, such as Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

    That life is brutish and largely short in the Southsouth is an understatement. There are many young men there who know no other way to make money than the fast lane, which ultimately lead to perdition. The region is home to many who cannot afford to go to school. Some who even go to school go without shoes. How many of them will have the good luck of becoming deputy governor, governor, Vice-President and President?

    The New Year is here. By the end of today, it will be three days old. Expectations are high and Rivers will be a place to watch. Rivers has been in the news for some time now. No thanks to the rift between Governor Rotimi Amaechi and President Goodluck Jonathan. The battle may become worse as 2015 draws closer and the two gladiators continue to flex muscles. But my wish is that may the people win at the end of the day. May the people be the one to decide who replaces Amaechi, who is completing his second term of office.

    It is my wish also that the kids in the Southsouth should see waters where they can swim without fear of being harmed, not by crocodiles, but crude oil that has seeped in. I wish fishermen can use trawlers to get bounty harvest from the waters. They can do with plenty of shrimps and other sea foods also. And I wish, conducive environments will be provided to really re-orientate and absorb the youth and make them use their brains for positive stuffs. I wish those in power in the region will see themselves as representing the people. I wish they will realise that power is transient. I wish they will know that the sirens will not forever announce their arrivals and departures at events. I wish they can look back and ask what has happened to the men who were in power between 1999 and 2007. I wish they will fear God and spend the resources on the people.

    I wish this year those who have power to turn around things in the Niger Delta will truly realise that it is time the region looked beyond oil. There was life before oil, there will be life after oil and even with oil, there must be a conscious effort to downplay the importance of oil. Man must not live by oil alone.

    Generally, I just wish the people a Happy New Year. It is not too much to ask. Is it?

     

  • Delta set to regulate advertising practice

    Delta set to regulate advertising practice

    Stakeholders in the advertising industry recently gathered in Asaba, the Delta State capital, to streamline and regulate outdoor advertising in the state.

    The forum, organised by TAS and Associates, a licensed outdoor advertising regulator in the state and the Outdoor Advertising Agency of Nigeria (OAAN), drew participants from Delta State Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture and the Outdoor Advertising Agency of Nigeria.

    Prof. Sam Oyovbaire, a former Minister of Information and Chief Executive Officer of TAS and Associates, said the forum became necessary as unlicensed outdoor advertisers had abused the process while local revenue collectors have also capitalised on the process and milked advertisers without remitting the proceeds to appropriate authorities.

    Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, who was represented by the state Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Kingsley Emu, said the state appointed TAS and Associates essentially to find lasting solution to the abuse of outdoor advertising.

    He urged outdoor advertisers to channel their outdoor adverts through licensed and authorised agencies to avoid the adverts being branded illegal and consequently removed.

    Governor Uduaghan observed that non-remittance of proceeds collected by local revenue collectors and indiscriminate erection of billboards and posters deprived the state of needed revenue.

    He said it was important to streamline revenue collections from outdoor advertising in a bid to enhance the revenue base of the state and sustain its taxation policy.

    He emphasised on the need to domicile the outdoor advertising plan with responsible agencies for effective regulation and added value with greater consideration on the environment.

    The governor frowned at the much-maligned method adopted by the local government councils in the collection of revenues accruing from outdoor advertising, adding that this informed the appointment of a credible agency backed by law.

    He suggested the need to step up efforts to drive the programme as needful item in the current effort to shore up the revenue base of the state.

    He added that it was important for proper collection and remittance of revenues to relevant agencies to avoid unhealthy competition and rivalry.

    Uduaghan said billboards were meant for information and direction and not to deface the environment.

    Prof. Oyovbaire told the participants that TAS and Associates was granted franchise of outdoor advertising by the state government in August 2009.

    He further said the franchise granted in 2009 with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that was signed in September 2010 helped to strengthen the relationship between the government and the body.

    According to him, the two documents were meant to provide orderliness and beautification in outdoor advertising and generate statutory revenue to the state government.

    He said in carrying out these responsibilities, “TAS has been mindful of the need for co-operation and collaboration with primary stakeholders and statutory actors in the industry such as the local government and the Outdoor Advertising Agency of Nigeria (OAAN).”

    Oyovbaire said the delay in putting their plans to work was necessitated by the need to address certain critical components of advertising such as the role of local governments as well as building consensus with OAAN that would guarantee proper understanding of the state government’s intention by the major players in the advertising industry.

    His words: “Today, TAS is happy to inform the general public that our approach in handling these issues is gradually yielding results.”

    He explained that the aim of the stakeholders’ interaction was to find ways and means of achieving the goals of recreating the beauty of the environment and generate appropriate revenue for the state and local governments in a peaceful and orderly manner.

    South-South Zonal Chairman of OAAN, Solo Akugha said it was necessary for the advertising body to streamline the advertising business in Nigeria. He further explained that most billboards are owned by people who are not members of OAAN. This, he said, was against the practice of outdoor advertising in Nigeria.

    He called on authorised practitioners to clampdown on those who erect billboards indiscriminately and set standards for the practice in the country.