Category: South East

The umbrella body of Ijaw youths, Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide, has alleged neglect and exclusion by the Federal Government in infrastructural development of the Niger Delta.

It advised President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, not to test the resolve of the people of the region.

In a statement yesterday by its spokesman, Ebilade Ekerefe, IYC complained that despite that the region produced the oil and gas wealth used by the Federal Government to embark on infrastructural development initiatives in the country, the region was neglected and excluded.

The IYC lamented the lopsided sharing pattern of the roads to be constructed by the current administration between the North and the South and the exclusion of other vital federal roads, particularly in Bayelsa State.

It said despite years of peaceful and intellectual agitations by Ijaw youths under President Buhari, his administration had continued to “rob Peter (Niger Delta) to pay Paul (other regions)”, warning that the region might change its tactics to confront the Federal Government.

The IYC took a swipe at the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, over his alleged lacklustre posture, which led to the exclusion of federal roads in Bayelsa in the proposed 21 roads to be undertaken by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) covering 1804.6km at a cost of N621.2billion tax liabilities.

region are no longer areas of interest to the President Buhari administration. We wonder what the ministers from the region, especially Chief Timipre Sylva, is still doing in the cabinet of President Buhari, who does not mean well for his region.

“Or is Sylva and others claiming not to be aware that they have been incapacitated to make inputs in the number of roads to be constructed by the NNPC? It must be pointed out that when the IYC called for a town hall meeting with Sylva over the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), it was not only to listen to rhetoric on the Act, but to deliberate on the possible ways the youth will work with cabinet ministers from the region to get results under the President Buhari administration.

“But now, we have discovered that the ministers from the region and the entire administration are irredeemable. We, therefore, call on President Buhari to direct NNPC to revisit this injustice and review the approved roads to include substantial federal roads in the Niger Delta that are begging for urgent attention.

“Again, if they like, let them pay deaf ears as the government has always done, but let it be on record, that we have warned and nobody should blame us if the youth of the region speak in a language that the Federal Government will understand. While we have studied the body language of President Buhari and his ministers on these issues, we have discovered that it is a deliberate act to provoke unimaginable action from the people of the Niger Delta.”

Stakeholders in Cross River Southern Senatorial District met at the weekend in Calabar where they declared to abide by the gentleman’s agreement, which has seen an unwritten but practical zoning and rotation of the governorship seat in the state from South to Central and currently North.

The meeting, under a non-partisan platform, was attended by representatives from the seven local governments that make up the Southern Senatorial Districts.

The participants comprise politicians, clergymen, monarchs, traders, youths, women and professionals.

The organisers made everyone present to stand and declare to support the call for wheel of power rotation and zoning of the governorship position to the Southern District in 2023.

The lawmaker representing Southern Senatorial District, Senator Gershom Bassey, declared support for the Calabar Declaration 2021.

He said: “The 1999 constitution, the

Peoples Democratic Party constitution and the All Progressives Congress constitution provide for equity and fairness in the nomination of candidates for election and appointment. Therefore, the continued rotation of the governorship seat to Cross River South Senatorial District by political parties in Cross River State is the way forward in 2023.”

There was panic at the weekend at Ebekpi in Esit Eket Local Government of Akwa Ibom State, as a gas well head operated by Savannah Energy Ltd exploded.

The sound of the explosion, which made villagers at Ebekpi and other neighbouring communities to run, was reportedly caused by a gas leakage, which lasted for over five hours.

Our correspondent, who visited the scene, observed that a fire service vehicle, believed to have come from Eket Fire Service, was parked nearby.

The Head of Ebekpi village, Chief Ama Joseph, condemned the environmental hazard caused by the eruption and implored the authorities to assist the community.

The Ebekpi Village Council Chairman, Elder John Harrison, said the eruption shook the community and caused panic, as some residents ran as far as Ikot Odiong for safety.

A landlord, whose building is about 50 metres from the company’s site, Mr. Sunday Jacob, said his building witnessed cracks, adding that he suffered psychological trauma.

Youths in the area, in a show of annoyance and concern for the health and safety of the people, barricaded the premises of Savannah Energy Ltd, calling on the management to explain to the community what happened.

A gas expert, who craved anonymity, said that the company was doing a well head test, noting that it, however, made a mistake of not informing its host community of the impending test run.

Efforts to reach the company spokesman or any of its representatives proved abortive.

The Niger Delta Peoples Charter, embedded with critical developmental demands for Nigeria’s oil-rich region, has been earmarked for unveiling on February 23, 2022.

The President of the Niger Delta Congress (NDC), Nubari Sataah, disclosed this at the weekend in a statement made available to reporters in Warri, Delta State.

He said unveiling date was chosen to commemorate the 55th anniversary of the ‘Niger Delta Republic’, as declared by the late Isaac Adaka Boro at Kaiama (in the present day Bayelsa State), in 1967.

Sataah said the Niger Delta Peoples Charter would be signed by representatives of the 70 ethnic nationalities that make up the Niger Delta, representatives of organisations in the region, as well as representatives from Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.

He noted that the signing began with Prof. Ebiegberi Joe Alagoa signing the adopted charter at his Nembe country home, on behalf of Bayelsa State, last Thursday.

Enshrined in the charter are five critical demands by Niger Deltans, which include the need for the Nigerian constitution to be revised as recommended at the national conferences convened in recent times.

tionalities across the Niger Delta, under the auspices of Niger Delta Congress, on October 8, at the Ijaw House Complex, Yenagoa, adopted a charter of what they termed their “inalienable rights”.

They warned that failure by the Federal Government to adopt a constitution that captures these rights in the shortest possible time will leave Niger Delta people with no option, “but to exercise our rights to self-determination as a people, independent of the Nigerian federation.”

The inalienable rights stipulated in the charter are life and liberty, resource control, sustainable environment, justice and fairness, as well as self- determination.

A group, Alliance for the Advancement of Auchi Polytechnic in Edo State, has called for due process in the appointment of a substantive rector for the Federal Government-owned institution.

The group, through its convener, Alhaji Oshiobugie Danjuma, yesterday in Benin, said that the call became necessary to avoid taking the polytechnic back to the dark days.

It noted that the appointment of a substantive rector with experience would place the first-generation polytechnic in the right position for its planned upgrade to a university.

The body said: “The authorities must avoid the issues that have brought about acrimony between polytechnic and university graduates, in the appointment of a substantive rector at Auchi polytechnic.

“Ignoring the most qualified person for the ‘rectorship’ will not augur well for Nigeria’s foremost polytechnic. We are aware that interview for the appointment of a substantive rector for the polytechnic has been conducted. We are also aware that master’s and doctoral degree holders were interviewed for the position.

“Our position is that it will be out of place to appoint a holder of master’s degree as the substantive rector, when there are qualified doctoral degree holders. Doing that will not alllow Auchi Polytechnic to compete favourably with universities.

“The case of Auchi Polytechnic should not be different in the country, where all rectors are doctoral degree holders. We are not for anybody. We are only out for the right thing to be done, for the betterment of the institution.”

It said that the planned upgrading of Auchi polytechnic must not be jeopardised.

The former commissioner for Housing in Delta State, Mr. Joseph Ogeh, is dead.

His death occurred barely 24 hours after Isoko nation lost a renowned historian and an ex-commissioner for Education, Prof. Abednego Ekoko.

Ogeh, an architect, reportedly passed on yesterday morning after he collapsed around 3am at his home in Warri.

He hailed from Iyede clan, Isoko North Council Area.

He served as the commissioner representing Isoko nationality in the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) during ex-governor Emmanuel Uduaghan administration.

Ogeh was a bigwig among the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faithful in Isoko.

The Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, has donated over 150 eyeglasses, mosquito nets in a free medical outreach to the people of Odoni community, Sagbama Local Government Area of the state.

The outreach was organised in honour of late Elizabeth Alagoa, mother of the Chief Medical Director, FMC, Dr Dennis Alagoa, who died at the age of 91.

The memorial outreach programme, which was part of the activities to mark her burial, scheduled for December 17, saw over 800 residents of the community tested and given medications and surgery for different ailments.

Some of the activities included free medical care services such as free eye tests, dental checks, awareness seminar on Hepatitis B, among other medical services.

The Chief Medical Director, Dr Alagoa, said the gesture was in memory of his late mother, who wanted to become a nurse in her tender age but did not achieve it due to certain circumstances.

The CMD said that no fewer than 800 residents of the community benefitted from the programme.

He said: “Today we are reaching out to her people in her memory which lives forever in our heart. We have given eyeglasses, done free tests, free distribution of medical equipment to the health centre for the health of the Odoni people.

“The opportunity God has given to we want to use it to reach out to the people. God knows why He put us in Odoni community.”

First son of the deceased, Mr Chris Hannasah, said the brother, who is the CMD, organised the medical outreach to benefit members of the community where their mother came from.

He said that the people were overwhelmed with the gesture as the whole community embraced it holistically.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Organising Committee of the medical outreach, Dr Obioma Obikeze, said that the outreach was intended to address the healthcare challenges of the Odoni community.

He said the essence was to meet those who could not access healthcare needs as well as those who could not afford paying the exorbitant hospital bills.

In his address, the Paramount Ruler of Odoni Community, King Pere Albert, said the free medical outreach gladdened his heart as people turned out en masse for the programme.

He said they had it in mind to organise a free medical outreach for the people next month but that their son had brought it to their doorstep.

The monarch said it was a very big relief to the community, as most of them could not take care of their health issues because of paucity of funds.

One of the beneficiaries, Mr Ebiakpo Ebidor, thanked the organisers for the opportunity.

He said: “I came here to avail myself of the opportunity that is available to everybody else. I checked my blood sugar level, did eye test, blood pressure and also received medication at the pharmacy.”

One of the community leaders, Chief Nikadei Omemu, thanked the CMD for the free medical outreach, saying it enabled them and their children to access quality health services without paying for them.

The Movement for the Survival of the Izon Ethnic Nationality in the Niger Delta (MOSIEND) has called on the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio to give account of billions of naira that accrued to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in its two years of interim administration.

MOSIEND accused the minster of underperformance, highhandedness and lack of transparency in the management of NDDC.

The group, in a statement in Port Harcourt by its National Secretary, Amb. Amain Winston Cottrell said: “The region has not seen any tangible infrastructure or sustainable policy framework that is targeted at promoting socio-economic sustainability and infrastructural development.

“Note that from 2019 till date the NDDC has received well over N799bn, from 2019 budget to 2020 budget, yet, the region still suffers gross underdevelopment with nothing to show for it.

“This is the first time that the presidency is giving full powers to the ministry to supervise the NDDC, recall President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 formally transmitted a letter to the minister of Niger Delta, giving him the full power to supervise the commission, a move that is targeted at accelerating development and democratic dividend.”

The statement said MOSIEND would partner with organisations of like minds to launch civil disobedience to compel Senator Akpabio to resign.

The statement said: “MOSIEND is going to engage all known forms of civil disobedience to compel Sen. Akpabio to resign. As it is now, the most important move to salvage the Niger Delta is to ensure that Akpabio resign without being booted out of office for his own good.

“We wonder why the security agencies, like the DSS are not furnishing the presidency of the tension brewing in the region as a result of the unnecessary delay to inaugurate the board of NDDC.

“It is an eyesore how our brothers that were once respected have cultivated the habit of hobnobbing with the minister and continue to encourage him to adopt all kind of ulterior practices in attempt to pocket the commission.

“We are calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to rise up to the occasion and appoint a substantive board that is independent of Akpabio’s manipulation.

“If the youth of the Niger Delta decide to take the laws into their hand in a course to compel the federal government to do the needful, they need not to be arrested nor be embarrassed by the security agents who by themselves are culpable of keeping silence and not transmitting true correspondence of the situation of the region to Mr. President for prompt action,” MOSIEND said.

Ahead of yesterday’s Anambra gubernatorial election, the founder of Igbo Youth Movement (IYM) and Secretary of Eastern Consultative Assembly (ECA), Evangelist Elliot Ugochukwu Uko, has called on all

stakeholders to ensure nothing goes wrong.

In a statement made available to The Nation, Uko said, “It has become necessary to remind our people, especially Anambrarians that Anambra, as the leading light in this country, must endeavour to get her acts together in order to inspire a new social and political order.

Everything should be done to manage properly, the quite avoidable and unfortunate untidy socio-political environment, created unconsciously by political hubris and leadership errors.”

He said the current “unpleasant political climate of uncertainty, buck passing, name calling, finger pointing and muddled up cocktail of meaningless recriminations cannot actually be divorced from the poor

handling of agitation closely tied to the painful unwillingness by those in power, and for a very long time, to genuinely address and fairly but firmly resolve the lingering Igbo question within the Nigerian project.”

“This is where bold and sincere leadership comes in. Our elders and political leaders have floundered for so long, almost abdicating their responsibilities, thereby compounding the crisis. The situation shouldn’t have degenerated to this shameful level, had the right and needful leadership been shown earlier than now.”

“I conclude by sounding a note of warning to the people hounding only Presidential hopefuls from the East, Supreme court justice from the East and now entertainment and hospitality businessmen from the East,

that this very persecution, suggestive of selective oppression, actually inspired the anger, frustration, bitterness and loss of faith powering and fuelling the uncontrollable agitation ravaging the land today. There’s no wisdom whatsoever, in towing and continuing the same trajectory that brought us here. Wisdom is profitable to direct,” he said.