The Nation Newspaper

Category: Niger Delta

  • Calabar: The beauty, thrills and memories

    Calabar: The beauty, thrills and memories

    From all perspectives, a recent tour of Calabar was very delightful, justifying the tourists’ assumption that the ancient city is always a tourist delight.

    Although the visit was for the National Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Library Association (NLA), it gave the conference’s participants the opportunity of knowing more about Calabar’s tourist sites and their potentialities.

    The Cultural Centre, Calabar, the venue of the conference, displayed some of the tourist expectations of the rich cultural values in other parts of Cross River state.

    The well-paved roads leading to the centre were beautified and they showcased some elements of the abundant tourist attractions in the state.

    The conference of librarians also attracted exhibitors, publishers and friends of the association.

    During the conference, 14 papers were presented, while three celebrities, including Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River, Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom and Chief Emeka Ofor, a prominent businessman, were honoured with NLA Merit and Eminent Personality Awards.

    The participants savoured the aesthetics of the neat and well-planned city but their ecstatic mood switched into to a sombre mood when they visited some places.

    They visited some places of interest such as the Marina Slave Museum and Tinapa Business Resort, among others.

    The visit to the museum brought back the memories of the horrific Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, which was then perpetrated by European slave traders and their African collaborators.

    The visitors walked in a single file formation to re-enact the way the slaves were forced to move in chains to “their destinations of no return’’.

    Viewing some of the antiquities and artworks was quite emotional and, in fact, some of the visitors broke down in tears.

    Some of the artworks reflect the slaves’ voyage to faraway places, during which they were forced to lie down in a way that made it virtually impossible for them to communicate with one another.

    In the artworks, the weak and sickly slaves were isolated from the healthy ones, while some were thrown into the sea.

    The emotions of the visitors could have lingered for a longer time if they were allowed to take pictures of the revealing artworks.

    One of the chambers of the museum contains the chains and shackles used in tying up the slaves to prevent them from escaping.

    The visitors were told that the slaves were exchanged for valueless items such as guns, hot drinks and mirrors, while each of the items could be exchanged for ten human beings.

    Another chamber contains the slave-masters’ rods, which were used for stamping identification marks on the slaves.

    Some of the artworks contain images such as white men flogging fleeing slaves and bull dogs, used by the white slave-masters to hunt down slaves.

    One of the artworks depicts slaves groaning under the yoke of heavy chains, while working on sugarcane plantations.

    Some of the artworks provoked strong feelings in the tourists, as some of them, who could no longer control their emotions, burst into tears, recalling the striking instance of man’s inhumanity to man.

    Some of the visitors asked thought-provoking questions such as: “How could the people who brought Christianity to us unleash this kind of bestial acts on our people?

    The visitors, however, found solace in a chamber of the museum in which the statues of Rev. Samuel Ajayi Crowther, a former slave who later became the first African Anglican bishop in Nigeria, and William Wilberforce, who fought for the abolition of slave trade, are erected.

    At the Tinapa Business Resort, a magazine — Waka About Africa — carried a cover story, “Badagry: A Walk Through The Slave Route’’, which caught the attention of the visitors.

    The publication argued that before Africans could blame Europeans for the atrocities of the slave trade, they should first investigate the involvement of various community leaders, who searched the hinterland and captured the slaves for the European slave merchants.

    The magazine, however, noted that after the proclamation that made slave trade illegal, the trade stopped in British West Indies in 1863 and in Brazil in 1818, while Africa followed in 1870.

    It noted also that long after the abolition of slave trade, the inhuman trade in persons still flourished in Badagry until 1886.

    The general consensus among the visitors is that other forms of slavery still exist nowadays, citing human trafficking and child labour as examples.

    They underscore the need for governments and relevant agencies to make concerted efforts to eradicate any form of modern-day slavery.

     

    •Ejiogu is of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

     

  • How pirates killed 20 on Nembe water

    How pirates killed 20 on Nembe water

    Suspected pirates have taken over Nembe water. Hardly does a day pass without one incident or the other being recorded. So bad is the situation that boat drivers and travellers literally say their last prayer before beginning a journey.

    Last week, many travellers were killed by pirates on Nembe water. Two speed boats were also stolen.

    Niger Delta Report gathered that no less than 20 travellers and boat drivers killed have been killed this year. 32 speedboats have been stolen.

    The Nembe water in Rivers State, which is one of the water routes for those travelling to Bonny, Okrika, Nembe Town and some parts of Bayelsa, such as through Sagbama, Akasa and Brass, has became a deathly route due to the activities of pirates.

    A visit to Nembe jetty in Rivers State shows that the continued attack on passengers and boat drivers has instigated anxiety. It has also crumbled the maritime business in the area.

    The boat drivers now find it difficult to enter the water. The sea travellers are now opting for other means of travelling, except those who have no alternative. The boat owners are now afraid of investing on the business. Some of the boat owners who have six to ten boats are operating one or two.

    The presence of security agents has not deterred the sea robbers. The Maritime Workers Union and the boat owners said they have written to the police and severally met with the security operatives in the state to see what they could do to assist them. They said the sophisticated weapons at the disposal of the pirates show that the police were ill-equipped to contend with them.

    Drivers have sad tales to tell. Mr. Linus Adolphus, a boat driver with Tari Company who was recently discharged from the hospital after being shot by the pirates, relived his experience to Niger Delta Report: “I loaded from Nembe jetty to Nembe town. I was on the water and noticed that the water wave has increased; then I revved the engine to enable my boat cope with the wave. Suddenly, when I look at my left I saw another speed boat with those onboard fully armed men started coming close to me. When I tried to speed off, they shot me from the left side of my chest. The bullet hit me on my hand and scattered the bones. One of them jumped inside the boat and drove us to the creek where they robbed the passengers of their belongings; they even collected their shoes. When we got to the creeks, they discharged the passengers and ordered them to run. They collected the boat and asked me to call the owner of the boat on phone and told him where I was. I called my company and eventually they located me and took me to the hospital. I thought I was death because I was seriously bleeding with severe pain until I got to the hospital.”

    Adolphus said the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) must find a solution to sea robberies in order not to kill their business.

    Other boat drivers, who spoke with Niger Delta Report, said they were afraid to drive on the water.

    “My brother, if you go to the jetty now, you will see many boats tied in the waterside. None is on duty. The worst thing is that the owners of the boats no longer release boat to their drivers because they are Aboh, said things must change. He believes if the attacks on boat drivers and sea travellers continue, they may force the boat owners out of business, thereby leading to frustration.

    He said: “I want to call on Governor Rotimi Amaechi to consider our plight because in the Bayelsa axis, the government was able to secure the water ways. The only problem we are having now is Rivers routes. In Bayelsa, some boys were recruited and attached to military officers, who monitor the pirates. That is what we need in our own water ways.”

    The owner of Matco Marine boat, Ebi Ovugbani, said three of his boats were snatched in September. He said each of the boats cost between N1.8 million to N3 million.

    He said: “This year alone I have lost three of my boats to pirates and these were new boats. I came with seven boats when I started operation at Nembe water, but as I am talking to you now, I have no boat and I have nothing doing to survive. The problem with most of us now is how to live up to the responsibility at home. Some of us are yet to pay our children school fees.”

    The Unit Chairman, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria Nembe branch, David Teke, said the government of Rivers State should emulate its Bayelsa counterpart.

    He said: “Things are not going well here with us. Travellers are being attacked and boats are being stolen daily. We do complain to the security officers when any incident occurred but the security officers who come around sometime, especially when we complain of any robbery incident, do not have the kind of weapon the pirates have. Mind you, the sea pirates also monitor the security personnel and when they discover that they are not around; they attack and go back to the creek. We don’t have security that could match or overpower the pirates. Since I assumed office, 23 boats have been stolen and about 20 people have been killed.

    “On August 8, three passengers were killed during a raid on the boat by a gang of pirates and about 25 passengers on the boat were robbed of their belongings. We are calling on the Federal Government to assist us. We don’t have arms to face them. If not for God, nearly the criminals would have collected another boat yesterday. When NIMASA visited us to preach about safety where they distributed about 200 lifejackets, most of us told them that life jacket is not the major issue because sometimes pirates also collect the lifejacket given to travellers by the union.

    “But we told NIMASA to assist us protect the water ways; we want them as a body in the maritime sector to protect our life. They can secure our water ways. The distribution of life jackets is not our main priority for now; we need help from the state to Federal Government to provide security for the safety of travellers, especially during Xmas period.”

     

  • Tinapa crawls to life on AMCON’s back

    Tinapa crawls to life on AMCON’s back

    It must have been a difficult decision for Cross River State Governor Liyel Imoke. His predecessor and friend, Donald Duke, had a dream of turning the state to the tourism hub of sub-Saharan Africa. It was a dream Imoke bought into while he was a senator. So, when he took over from Duke, he continued the Tinapa dream from where his friend of many years left it.

    Six years down the line, however, Imoke realised that the burden was too much for the state to bear. So, he turned the business and leisure resort over to the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON). What forced Imoke to take this painful decision are banks’ debts Tinapa has accumulated over the years. The debts to various banks are put at N18.5 billion. No thanks to bottlenecks that have ensured the project remains unprofitable. With this, the government has given 85 per cent of Tinapa’s shares to the corporation. AMCON is expected to inject about N29 billion to revive business activities in Tinapa before inviting investors to take over majority shares in the outfit.

    The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, AMCON, Mr. Mustapha Chike-Obi, said: “The strategy is to find an operator for Tinapa immediately. We will advertise for an operator very soon, inject capital into the facility and allow the operator to run it for some years. After Tinapa has been made profitable, we will privatise it just like we are doing to the three bridged banks we took over. So it is the same strategy we used for the banks that we are using for Tinapa.”

    The Speaker of the Cross River House of Assembly, Mr. Larry Odeh, believes the move to privatise the Tinapa is in the best interest of the state, adding that it will stimulate growth of the economy of the state.

    But some of Odeh’s colleagues believe there are issues to be sorted out before the giant edifice is turned over to private hands. A member representing Ikom 1 Constituency in the assembly, Mr. Agbiji Agbiji, said the contributions of local government areas in the state to the project must not be allowed to go down the drain.

    He said: “The LGAs have invested; so is the state government and they want to know the cost of ceding ownership to AMCON and other details of the Memorandum of Understanding.”

    Another member, Mr. Jake Enyia, toed a similar line, saying: “We should not just pass it because it will amount to legislative rascality; we need to put things straight because when I was chairman of council, I contributed N180m, so also other council areas.”

    But, how did Tinapa get into this mess? The $600 million worth Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort has not had it smooth since it was inaugurated six years ago. The 265 hectares empire’s ground-breaking ceremony was performed in Adiabo, on the outskirts of Calabar, in 2005. And on August 15, 2006, the Federal Government declared the Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort a Free Trade Zone pursuant to the provisions of Section 1(1) of the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Act No. 63 of 1992. Investors saw this declaration as the tonic needed to realise Duke’s vision. The excitement was palpable.

  • Akwa Ibom boat operators: pirates are disturbing us

    Akwa Ibom boat operators: pirates are disturbing us

    Boat operators and traders in Oron, Akwa Ibom, have decried the increasing rate of piracy activities around the Calabar creeks.

    The operators and traders told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Oron that attacks on boats and vessels have been the major challenge in their business.

    NAN gathered that the development had led to a hike in water transportation charges as the operators claim to be operating under risks.

    Mr Ime Etim, a boat owner, told NAN that piracy was affecting water transportation in the area.

    “If pirates attack us, we give them money. Sometimes, they seize our boats or the goods of the traders,” Etim said.

    Mr Taju Balogun, another boat owner, corroborated Etims’ complaint, saying that pirates not only seized boats, but sometimes killed passengers in the boats.

    Mrs Ndi Okon, a fish trader, told NAN that boat owners have increased their fares because of the activities of the pirates.

    “Before now, we paid between N400 and N500 within the Calabar creeks, but now, we pay N1,200 per trip. This is affecting the cost of business,” Okon said.

    Sources told NAN that vessels navigating within the Calabar creeks, around 40 nautical miles from the Fairway Bouy, up to the Calabar Port, have been operating in fear.

    The source said that reports of attacks on vessels and boats around the port have increased in recent times.

    According to the source, who pleaded anonymity, there are several islands around the passage leading to the port.

    These islands, the source said, served as hideouts for militants who carried out illegal operations on the water.

    “The problem with the passage is that there are several islands, like Parrot Island and Snake Island, where militants used to hide.

    “Even ordinary boats crossing the islands have increased their fares because of the activities of pirates,” the source said.

    The source said that Nigerian waters had yet to attain a satisfactory level of security, in spite of measures being taking by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

    “Recently, NIMASA arrested some oil tankers and handed them over to the EFCC, but nobody has been prosecuted.

    “NIMASA is struggling, but at the same time, there are people sponsoring these pirates,” the source said.

  • For the love of Edo language, culture

    The Eighty-five children and youths, who successfully participated in the four-weekends Edo Language Class at the Ogbe Primary School, Benin City, the Edo State capital, went on a tour of historical sites to round up the programme.

    The Executive Secretary of the Institute for Benin Studies, the sponsor of the programme, Mr. Aiko Obobaifo, said the participants were taken through the rudiments of introduction to Edo Language, ethical values and tradition, including general salutation and family greetings.

    Obobaifo said the tour of the historical sites was the major outdoor engagement to physically take the children around some of the sites dedicated to heroes and heroines, which they have read and heard much about.

    At the palace of Chief Ogiamien on Sokpoba Road, the participants got to know that the building was one of the only two buildings that remained standing after the British punitive expedition of 1897, Obobaifo said. He added that another important factor of the Ogiamiens in the Benin coronation programme was that the reigning Ogiamien would always oppose the incoming Oba and a mock ‘battle’ known as ‘battle of Ekiokpagha’ would take place in which the Oba always emerged victorious.From there, the children and youths moved to Igun Street and thereafter the party moved to the residence of Chief Ihama where they were put through the rudiments of Bronze casting.

    Their next port of call was the Holy Arousa Cathedral where the children were told that Oba Akenzua II dedicated the Cathedral in 1945 to revive the worship of the Supreme Being in the Benin religious life. They later visited the Palace of the Oba of Benin.

    He said: “This is to commemorate the battle Oba Eweka I in the Benin historical second period had to engage in so as to dislodge the entrenchment of the Ogiamien family that held the status of Administrator in the absence of a substantive Ogiso circa 1100 AD.”

    “It is pertinent to introduce children at young age to traditional values; hence the tour headed for the Ogba Zoo and Nature Park for the rounding up activities and the children were given knowledge of Edo names of the various animals in the zoo”, Obobaifo said.

  • Many controversies of the Ijaw Youth Congress elections

    Many controversies of the Ijaw Youth Congress elections

    All is not well with the youth body of the Ijaw Nation, the Ijaw Youth Congress (IYC). Though the body was enmeshed in protracted crisis associated with change of leadership, the transition when it ended on Tuesday sowed more seeds of discord among the youths.

    In fact, the election was supposed to hold in Yenagoa on Saturday, but it was shifted to Monday by the state government because of the visit of the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Pastor Enoch Adeboye. Postponing the election was a wise decision since the government could not afford to be dealing with crisis during the visit of Adeboye.

    The election was later held on Monday at the Samson Siasia Sports Complex.

    There was no difference between the complex and a battlefield. Fully armed mobile policemen, soldiers, operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and other intelligence officers relocated temporary to the complex and its surroundings.

    Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and many patrol vans of security personnel dotted the road to the complex. Indeed, the police and other security commands in the state were ready for any eventuality. Many people including journalists were not allowed access to the venue. The fear lingered but at the end the area became rowdy.

    Tempers flared. The youths violently protested within the complex and the election was declared inconclusive. The problem. When the votes for the financial secretary were being counted, it was discovered that the number of ballot papers exceeded the number of accredited voters.

    Instead of 99, the official went beyond it to 106. “This is fraud”, one of the youths shouted in protest. He was soon joined by others and the moods of delegates changed. The election was cancelled till further notice.

    Surprisingly, members of the Electoral Committee, were said to have sent text messages to delegates at about 1am on Tuesday insisting that the election must be concluded latter on Tuesday morning. Unconfirmed reports said a directive from the Presidency mounted the pressure on the state government to facilitate the conclusion of the IYC matter.

    The sudden change of mind by the electoral committee created the crisis. Most of the delegates when they arrived the gate of the complex, were denied access to the venue of the election by security operatives. Delegates, aspirants and their agents milled around the gate and remained there till the end of the election.

    The announcement came that the election had ended and that Mr. Udens Eradiri, emerged the President-elect of IYC. The camp of Eradiri rolled out drums to celebrate the victory. But the supporters of other presidential aspirants boiled in anger. Following the violent outburst, members of the electoral committee were said to have been secretly smuggled out of the venue under heavy security at about 10am.

    Though many believed that Eradiri because of his oratorical skills, courage, leadership qualities and vision deserve to lead the Ijaw youths, others are not buying the idea. Eradiri campaigned widely and warmed his hearts to many Ijaw leaders, including the Governor Seriake Dickson. He also used the media to his advantage.

    But the aggrieved youths soon rocked Yenagoa with protest. They took to the streets harassing buses and commuters. They stormed the Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) at Azikoro Road to register their complaints over what they described as imposition of candidates by the government.

    They marched to the entrance of the Government House. But they were immediately dislodged by security operatives. As they moved, they complained. The angry youngsters alleged that the elections were manipulated and rigged to the advantage of the government candidates.

    Two rival groups of youths clashed in a free-for-all. But they mended their fences, joined voices together to curse the masterminds of their travails.

    Other delegates who complained that they were shortchanged from the electoral process, held parallel elections and elected their different presidents. In fact, all the aspirants laid claims to the presidency of IYC.

    But the 2013 Electoral Committee of the IYC chaired by Sunny Tolofari insisted that Eradiri, the former Secretary-General of IYC, is the authentic President-elect.

    The protest, however, went wild. The protesters said the elections were marred by fraud with total number of voters exceeding the number of accredited voters.

    They claimed that the delegate list was altered and that officials of the state government deployed armed soldiers and police to stop original delegates from gaining access to the Sports Complex, the venue of the election.

    Some of the aspirants that laid claims to the presidency in parallel elections are Elvis Donkemezuo, Jonathan Lokpobiri and Nengi Ikiba.

    “My election as President of IYC was secured through a landslide victory. I call on my supporters to be law-abiding and urge other aspirants to come and work together. For Ijaw nation to move forward, everybody must come together as one,” Donkemezuo said.

    When Yenagoa became too hot for them, the angry youths relocated to the East-West Road, blocked the Mbiama axis of the road and caused heavy gridlock.

    For hours, commuters and motorists were held by the protesters who ignored all pleas to leave the road. They used a trailer to block the ever-busy road and chanted war-like songs.

    A member of staff of Vintage Press, Olatunde Olajogba, who was on his way to Yenagoa on an official trip, was held by the traffic. Olajogba who is the General Manager, Port Harcourt Office, described the traffic situation along the road as hellish.

    “Everywhere has been paralysed. There is no free-flow of traffic. I have been here for over four hours. The IYC boys say they are protesting against an election that was held in Bayelsa”, he said.

    He added that though security operatives flooded the area, they were unable to disperse the protesters. After waiting many hours without success, Olajogba was forced to do a u-turn back to Port Harcourt.

    “The police are everywhere. The JTF are everywhere. The youths said the governor of Bayelsa State did not allow them to participate in the election. We are handicap, everybody on this road. There appears to be no way out”, he said.

    Speaking through the mobile phone of Olajogba, one of the protesters, Mr. Jonathan Lokpobiri, vowed to remain on the road until some of their boys arrested by the police in Bayelsa were released.

    Lokpobiri, who was also a Presidential aspirant in the election, said the protesters would continue to block the road until the state government withdrew its recognition of Eradiri as the elected President.

    “There was an election on Monday but it was declared inconclusive and postponed till further notice. But to our surprise, we got text messages that we should come for the election the next day.

    “When we got there, they didn’t allow us in. No delegate was allowed to enter the premises. They later announced that some persons have won. This is not the way the Ijaw people behave.

    “The government should face governance and allow us to do our election. As it stands now we have gone to do our individual elections and all the 16 presidential aspirants have been declared presidents of IYC”, he said.

    Also another aspirant, Mr. Olorogun Kenneth, said all the aspirants had been declared winners of the elections by their delegates. He said the government deceived them to impose their candidates on them adding that accredited delegates were not allowed to vote in the elections.

    “We need well-meaning Ijaw leaders including the Presidential Adviser on Niger Delta Matters, Mr. Kingsley Kuku to intervene”, he said.

    But after hours of the protest, the youths were forced out of the road by reinforced security operatives.

    But Tofolari said such protest was expected claiming that the election was free and fair. He said Eradiri won the election with 56 out of 99 votes describing as untrue the allegation that the election was marred b irregularities. He said Eradiri emerged through due process.

    He said Jeremy Ebipadei was elected as the Deputy National President, Ala Hart, the Secretary and George Ikuru as Assistant Secretary. Others are Financial Secretary Alfred Emikpade; Director of Mobilisation, Wisdom Ikribu; Woman Leader, Felicia Ngere; Treasurer, Bowe Tombra Ben and Legal Adviser, Ikine Ebele-Kori.

    Shortly after reeling out the names, Tofolari said: “These are the persons who won the offices. All across the world when it comes to electoral issues, there is bound to be such things that we are seeing now. This is not left out.

    “But the persons we mentioned to you were the elected persons. Protest is normal when it comes to electoral periods. The election is free and fair. All the issues will be resolved later.”

    Meanwhile, the Kawu-Baraje faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Chief Richard Kpodo expressed concern over the protest marches and said the election was a charade.

    He said the hijack of the IYC electoral process by the government was “a show of shame and an unnecessary politics that will further divide the Ijaw race”.

    “The government interest should have been tactfully done. This action will further tear the Ijaw race apart rather than bring the youths together”, he said.

    Eric Omare, who contested to be the organisation’s spokesperson, said the delegate list was altered by members of the Electoral Committee to exclude legitimate clan delegates and include fictitious names.

    Omare, who is a Warri-based lawyer, said: “Thereafter, after voting was concluded, the collation of result on a position by position basis started. The collation was successfully done for the positions of Mobilisation Officer, Treasurer and Woman Leader. However, when it was turn for the collation of the votes for spokesman, it was observed that the numbers of votes cast were more than the accredited voters. Whereas, the number of accredited delegates/voters was 99, the total number of votes cast was 103. Similar irregularity was observed with regard to the collation of the result for the Financial Secretary. Hence, there was serious disagreement between the agents/aspirants and the members of the Electoral Committee. After, the several hours of argument, it was unanimously agreed that the entire process has lost credibility and the election was accordingly cancelled apart from the election of the Treasurer, Woman Leader and Mobilisation Officer. The cancellation was announced in the full glare of the media by the Chairman of the Eleco, Comrade Sunny Diritolofari at about 9.30pm on 28th of October, 2013 at the Samson Siasia Stadium, Yenagoa. Therefore, the election for the position of Spokesman, Secretary, Financial Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Deputy President and National President was inconclusive and cancelled.”

    He added: “It is sad that as Ijaw people we cannot even conduct an election involving only 100 people/delegates and involving only Ijaw people. The inability to conclude the election and the subsequent events have led to a near state of anarchy and total disintegration of the once cohesive Ijaw Youth Council.”

    He urged President Goodluck Jonathan, leader of Ijaw Nation, Chief (Dr) E. K. Clark, Presidential Advisers, Kingsley Kuku and Oronto Douglas to intervene and save the IYC from total disintegration.

    But Tofolari and Eradiri denied that the government hijacked the process.

    Eradiri said:”I don’t need government to win IYC election. I was given the opportunity to serve the Ijaw people as the former Secretary-General of IYC and I served well well; so, my hard work and my vigorous campaigning made me to emerged as IYC President.”

    Eradiri also condemned the post- election crisis, including the destruction of vehicles and blocking of the East-West Road by 16 aggrieved presidential aspirants.

    He said other aspirants gunning for the job lacked the leadership qualities to chart an enviable course for the region.

    He said his administration would ensure the “total cleansing of the IYC nation and structures” and would not tolerate any act of indiscipline and nonsense .

    He said the new government would ensure unity, discipline among the youths and build bridges.

    He said: “I want to ensure that young Ijaw youths begin to re channel their energy positively, because failure to do so would spell doom. We shall rebuild IYC structures and cleans bases, we shall also take crude oil thefts in our environments, re-articulate our position in the country.”

     

  • ASUU-DELSU shuns Uduaghan’s threat of no work, no pay

    THE Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has defied the ‘no work, no pay’, policy of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan.

    Its Chairman, Dr. Emmanuel Mordi, who led a rally of over 100 lecturers during the week, marched through some major streets of Abraka.

    The lecturers, who were chanting solidarity songs, bore placards with inscriptions, such as “ Federal Government should fulfill her earlier promise to pay us”; “Time is now”; “Let us support ASUU to save university education in Nigeria”; “ We will not relent in our efforts to ensure that Justice is done to our noble Course” and so on.

    Mordi said: “It is regrettable that the Federal Government has stopped the payment of salaries of lecturers in federal universities. Similarly, Delta State government has also threatened to follow suit. “We need to remind that the policy of ‘no work, no pay’ will give rise to the policy of ‘no pay, no work’.

    “It is important to stress that by our own estimation, the MOU should have fetched Nigerians Public Universities at total of N 500 billion by now if government were to faithfully implement the understanding reached with ASUU in 2012” remarked the union chairman.

    “In effect, the government appears to have repudiated the 2009 agreement, the MOU and others. What has emerged is that government never intended to implement the provision of any of these important documents, while publicly and privately encourage ASUU and the country to believe that it was determined to address the delay and not in the universities.”

    He said he was particularly sad that President Goodluck Jonathan was not worried about the woes of the education system.

     

  • How we are transforming tourism in Delta, by RMD

    How we are transforming tourism in Delta, by RMD

    What has been your major focus since you assumed office, sir?

    My major focus apart from performing my statutory roles has been in the area of partnership, trying to bring in as many private investors into the business because prior to now the development of tourism in Delta State has mainly been a government priority and its dwindling funds and all that, it became imperative that even from trying to propagate culture and all that, we cannot depend on government. Because of my background in the private sector, my first desire was to try and make sure that every programme I had to do here had private sector participation. In the process of doing all of that, we expanded it and found what we were looking for. It started small with small enquiry and it later blossomed into a full-fledged relationship, which has resulted in our present partnership; so, that has been our major focus and because of the intention for job creation, it becomes even more imperative to keep looking for more investors. As I speak to you now, we are looking at concessioning the entire Convention Centre with a view to not just improving the facilities because to improve the facility is one thing, to now get people to use the facility is another. I had the privilege of visiting South Africa recently; in the process of attending an exhibition, I found out the space was so well utilized. We posed the question if the investors would be interested and they were interested and to my greatest surprise, about two weeks after my trip, they sent people here. They came through Benin and today we are talking and they are going to be here for another one month. They are going to be here with more of their people to take actual measurement of the entire grounds. In fact, I am hoping that over time they would keep expanding; in fact, they actually wanted to partner us in building a cultural centre. You know we own a land that is next to the Cenotaph and one of the things that I wanted to pursue during my tenure is to have a space that integrates every arm of culture and tourism -a land where tourism board would be, the art council would be, the administrative offices would be, a place where the cultural centre would also be for performances and have a shopping complex just like what you have in the museum in Lagos , the one near City Hall , a lively space. So, I wanted our gyms to have that place not just the office of the tourism ministry but to be the real focal point of activities in Asaba, a place that never goes to bed; that’s the idea. Even if we don’t achieve that, maybe the coming administration will achieve that. So, that has been the main aim of getting the investors here because with the investors money, we can do a whole lot more than the government can commission.

    How difficult has this been?

    It’s been very difficult because the nature of tourism itself depends on the functionality of every other arm of government; so, it is only when there is complete oiling of the system; when education is working, when infrastructure is working, when health is working, when works is working, when housing and environment and when all other things are working. All of these elements have to keep coming together. So, for most times you wait apart from the direct development of the areas that nature has endowed you with or some of the very special things that we have been able to create like the Lander Brothers Anchorage,decoration or ornamentation of city roundabouts and museums and all of that for the other parts; we actually depend on how government is functioning. So, it is difficult because fund is a challenge and over and above everything else, security has been in the front burner of this country now in the last ten or so years in different areas. If it is not Boko Haram, it is agitation for the control of the oil well, piracy, militancy and so on. Nigeria has constantly grown since 9/11. We have been growing by the time the Xmas Bomber Nigerian boy was seen or caught with a device that could not detonate. Our tourism alert level rose to be at the same level with Pakistan. So, travel advisory is not in our favour in any way. I will give you an example; when we started discussions with Scarner Pfm, the first time that their expatriates came, the Asaba airport was not working then. I received them in Benin. I had to go to the army headquarters in Warri and the governor gave me clearance. So, I took some soldiers. I had police men just to be able to bring five of them to Warri. It was the demand of our visitors. The travel advisory was that they should not come. The luck I had was that I had a set of stubborn people that were also rugged; they wanted the sense of adventure. After we shipped them to Warri, we went around and they spent about eight days and they left. When they got back, one of them sent me the travel advisory that came when he had left that he should not near Nigeria that if he must come apart from Abuja and Lagos, he is not safe but he was now laughing and saying to them ‘thank you very much but I have gone and come back’. It is not all of them that would take that risk. I will give you an example of what you suffer with security. The people who were supposed to build Warri Convention Centre; one of the times they came was when there was bombing in Warri during the Vanguard Lectures. We know that it is not a Delta thing, it is a national problem but when security is threatened anywhere, the first thing that suffers is movement, not just movement of foreigners to your country but internal movement. I do not know how you would love a posting to Borno State.Each time you are talking about Nigeria and tourism, I know what we suffer. The opposition you get is how will this work? You throw it back at their faces because you are talking with investors in South Africa and they are telling me how unsafe Nigeria is and I am telling them everybody that comes to your country is robbed between the airport and his hotel. The question arises: is South Africa safer than Nigeria? That is the kind of argument you are constantly faced with. You give examples of Israel, Egypt and the Middle East that is dependent on tourism and that has not stopped tourists going to those places but once it is a developing country, everybody wants to make a mountain out of a mole hill. So, these are the challenges, they are such that once there is any major thing in or in your state, it tends to affect anything that has to do with tourism. But the comfort is that we have also come to a point where it is clear to everybody that we cannot keep relying on oil. There is a dire need to diversify; that is why the Delta State beyond Oil initiative should be commended. The major challenges have been funding and security issues.

    Despite your efforts and its cultural and natural endowments, it would appear Delta State has been unable to project itself as the preferred tourist destination in the country.

    I do not agree with you in the sense you have posed the question. For one, that of Cross River State, it is a deliberate state policy to pursue a state without oil that had started during the regime of ex-Governor Donald Duke. So, all policies are geared towards that area. What we have done here in the last six years is to redirect the efforts of government into diversification and so it is aimed purely at tourism alone. But in spite of not having done that in the sense of Cross River State, you will still find we are indeed a destination of choice in the area of conferencing in Asaba because there is relative peace and conducive environment. If you talk about an environment that has been enabled, Asaba has been enabled that is why people draw comparism. When you leave Edo State and enter Delta State, you will see a remarkable difference in terms of the layout of the town and when you cross into Onitsha, you see a remarkable difference. So, it is like an oasis smack in the middle of the desert. It just keeps drawing people to it and with the establishment of the airport, it has become a hub. Maybe we have not projected it in that sense like the Cross Rivers has done. I agree with you that perception is reality. But we are beginning to break that perception gradually. It is not something the Culture Ministry can achieve as an arm of government but the entire government in terms of policies. Delta beyond Oil has just become the present focus; we have graduated beyond our 3-Point Agenda naturally into the Delta beyond Oil, which is a bigger platform. It will come to fruition; we are incubating the Oleri Water Park , Ogwashi-Uku Wildlife Park. When they are functional, we will get to that point where we want to get to. The important thing is, are we laying certain foundation? Yes, we are. In the fullness of time, we will see come to public light.

    How significant is the Supreme Court judgment in the case between Lagos State and the Nigeria Tourism and Development Commission (NTDC)? How will it impact on revenues accruable to Delta?

    First and foremost, we do not get a lot of receipts in terms of collection from hotel registration from this part of the country because of our population. Sometimes when people compare Lagos and Delta, it is an unfair comparison, you are comparing 18 million people in a city that has been developed many decades unlike Delta State created 22 years ago. Having said that, what that judgment does is that every of our receipt is retained, boosting our IGR and being a conferencing centre, more hotels are being planned. In answering your question, part of what I did not mention is that before now we have been growing hospitality business at a small level but we have reached out to the bigger brands and so the branded hotels are coming; Hilton with development at very advanced stage, Best Western Deluxe are coming, there is a Protea in Warri but Protea is coming to Asaba. We are in discussion with some brands that I am not at liberty to divulge; so, all of those are part of it. When all of that comes in, whatever collection we make will be for us as a state as opposed to the time when 50 per cent goes to the Federal Government.

    How do you respond to critics who say the Oleri Leisure Resort may not get the required patronage and as such will not be a commercial success?

    People are entitled to their opinions; criticisms are welcome. The reason I am optimistic is that we have done our research, the investors have done their research, and the demographics are there. It is like saying will Shoprite work in Asaba? Before now, the first show I was going to do in Asaba –the first made-in-Warri show, we were very scared because you can stand in the middle of Ogboegonogo market, and you look right and left and the entire Asaba is before you. I feared where the people who will attend the show will come from. With pounding hearts, we went ahead and did the publicity and the show was to start at 7.00pm.I remember I took Ali Baba, Basket Mouth and the others to pay a courtesy call on the Deputy Governor. We were at the Deputy Governor’s place at 4.00pm, but I got a call that we must come right because the hall was too full. I could not believe it because the entire venue was jam-packed. That was how we started doing concerts in Asaba and today everyone wants to do shows in Asaba. There is a tendency for people to look at everything that has to do with government as being grandiose. What is the essence of a tourist attraction if it is not in its grandest form. A leisure resort in the Niger Delta with people with highly disposable income that is bordered by Bayelsa, Rivers, Edo even Lagos states, I do not see how anyone will doubt that people will come. A family of five can go with N1000. The way the investors have calibrated the entire project at its worst receipt of 25 per cent patronage, they will still be in business. Do you know how long it took Disney Europe to break even? It took it 10 years. And guess where the receipts came from? Nigeria. People will come if the attractions are there. People confuse the facts, it is not government money. That is why they label it grandiose. How can tourism be anything less than grandiose? How can you build anything that will not take your breath away? Which is what is about to happen at Oleri Leisure Resort. People are even saying will it be ready before 2015, but why should the project all be ready be 2015,it is not a project that is tied to the lifespan of the Uduaghan administration. It is a private sector project with government’s role clearly defined. If critics know what it takes to develop a theme park, they will know it is too late to pull out because too much has been committed to it already by the investors.

    How did you manage to pull this project through, because it is truly grand. What did you tell investors despite the advisory reports on security situations in the country?

    Nigeria has the numbers. You will use the success of MTN to prove to them that Nigeria is the place to do business despite the crime rate, poor infrastructure and all the other negatives but today we are responsible for 20 per cent of their entire income worldwide. Once we got Governor Uduaghan’s backing, the rest was easy.

     

  • New dawn for Etche kingdoms

    The kingdoms have existed for ages. But their quest to have their chieftaincy titles recognised and upgraded by the Rivers State government met with uncertainty each time they tried. All that is history now. There is a new dawn in these three clan kingdoms in Etche ethnic nationality. And the natives are happy and full of praises for the man who made it happen: Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.

    The three clan kingdoms are Igbo-Agwurasa kingdom, the Agwuru-Ozuzu kingdom and the Agwuru-Okehi kingdom, all in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State. Now, their traditional rulers are first class and can sit among the ‘big boys’ in the traditional circle.

    The monarch of Igbo-Agwurasa kingdom, HRM Eze (Dr) Austin Amaechi, said the dividends and impact of upgrading of the chieftaincy stools would bring the people at the grassroots closer to government for speedy development.

    He said on Sunday in his palace: “In the history of our people, the Igbo-Agwurasa clan kingdom will never forget that the Rivers State Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi played a vital role in bringing the people at the grassroots closer to government, especially the upgrading and recognition of the Igbo-Agwurasa to first class chieftaincy stool. This is something our people have been patiently waiting for, so we can be independent. I can remember that Governor Amaechi six years ago embarked on a familiarisation tour to Etche Local Government Area. We had a brief discussion with him and also requested for the official upgrading and recognition of our age-long traditional chieftaincy stools; we are unbounded with joy over the development and our people are ready to support Governor Amaechi anytime he beckons, we are behind him.”

    He said the upgrading and recognition of the chieftaincy stools would not only enhance active participation in governance but would further strengthen the existing peaceful co-existence put in place by the Amaechi administration.

    Eze Amaechi urged the people of Etche to continue to work with Amaechi to develop the state. Some community leaders, including the Ochimba of Okomoko, Chief Magnus Nwuke and the Ochimba of Chokocho, Chief Charles Nwala, women and elders said, they were happy about the development.

    Also speaking, the Eze Di-Iche, Ogbugaa of Etche, High Chief Ambrose Nwuzi of Etche-Okehi clan kingdom, said the upgrading and recognition of the Agwuru-Okehi clan kingdom to first class status would add value to the overall development of their communities and villages.

    He said: “If you check the Ogoni traditional chieftaincy stools, you will find out that they have numerous first class and second class chieftaincy stools. We need not to play politics with our traditional institution. Our people are happy with the new development, we need more chieftaincy stools.”

    His Royal Majesty, the Onyishi Agwuru-Okehi clan kingdom, Eze S. E. Okaegbu sees his recent elevation to first class chieftaincy status as a welcome development.

    Eze Okaegbu described the leadership style of Amaechi as people-oriented and further acknowledged the priority given to the education, health and power sectors to improve the living standard of his people.

    “What Governor Amaechi has done is development, we will stand with him and turn out enmass, we are proud and fulfilled”, Eze Okaegbu said.

    The Onyishi Agwuru-Ozuzu clan kingdom, Eze M. R. A. Amaechi, in an address read by the Secretary, Chief E. A. Azubuike, said he has been on the chieftaincy stool for over twenty-five years after his coronation, and added that his recent elevation has nothing to do with politics as the upgrading and elevation was borne out of long and persistent agitation by the people of Ozuzu clan.

    “Moreover, the stool has never been in dispute and has no litigation in any court of competent jurisdiction. We will continue to say thank you to Governor Amaechi, and we will not stop supporting his administration in the state,” Eze Amaechi said.

    The lawmaker representing Etche I Constituency in the Rivers State House of Assembly, Victor Amadi, urged the people of Agwuru-Ozuzu clan and his constituency to remain loyal and committed to the Amaechi’s administration in order to enjoy the dividends of democracy.

     

     

  • Controversy over girl’s death in Agbor

    Controversy over girl’s death in Agbor

    Twenty-five-year-old Radah Emuobosan Elsie Agbaje had just graduated with a Second Class (Upper Division) degree in Microbiology from the Delta State University, Abraka. She had high hopes about her future. She contacted some of her influential uncles about getting a job and was making plan of settling down with her fiancé.

    She was living with her aunt and her medical doctor husband in Agbor, Ika North East Local Government Area. She had been living with the couple for several years and those who knew the family said she was a dutiful young lady who served her host, and anybody she came across, with dedication and sincerity. The couple were also said to be very happy with her and entrusted her with the responsibility of caring for their three children.

    “Life was going on beautifully for everybody until that fateful day on October 15,” recalled a close family source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

    The matriarch of the home was away in Warri and her husband was on duty at a government