The Nation Newspaper

Category: South East

  • ‘We’re test running technology to tackle floods’

    By Simon Utebor, Yenagoa

    Bayelsa State Government has said it is partnering with the Federal Government and international agencies to mitigate the environmental problems facing the state.

    It said it had started test running a technology to tackle floods and flash floods in Yenagoa.

    Commissioner for the Environment Iselema Gbaranbiri made these known during a live radio programme, ‘Viewpoint’, on Rhythm 94.7 FM.

    Most parts of Yenagoa have been submerged by floods, forcing affected residents to relocate from their houses amid loss of property and other valuables.

    The commissioner reiterated the government’s resolve in tackling environmental crises.

    He said flood is a natural phenomenon, adding that the problems will not be properly handled, if done in a hurry.

    Read Also: PHOTOS: Tragedy as four dies in Abuja flood

    Gbaranbiri said the government had set up a technical committee headed by the Vice Chancellor of Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Amassoma, Prof. Samuel Edoumiekumo, to proffer solution.

    He said in a bid to ameliorate the rising cases of flash floods, the government had begun the disilting and clearing up of blocked water channels in Yenagoa.

    He said in preparation for the impending flood, the government would engage council chairmen to mark designated Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps across the state.

    The commissioner said: “The environment laws inherited from Rivers State have become obsolete. Bayelsa State Government is drafting a law to fit the contemporary Bayelsa environment.

    “The committee members are drawn from public and private stakeholders. The executive bill will be sent to the House of Assembly for passage anytime soon.

    “The timely evacuation of wastes from receptacles is on course, which has earned the state capital as one of the cleanest in the country. We also frown at the unpleasant and evil act of dumping dead newborn babies on the streets and receptacles around the state.

  • FRSC to arrest drivers with forged papers in Akwa Ibom

    By Bassey Anthony, Uyo

    Akwa Ibom State Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has threatened to arrest and fine drivers with forged papers.

    The state Sector Commander, Matthew Olonisaye, spoke yesterday ahead of the Joint Task Force Enforcement Drive to begin today.

    He condemned motorists who resorted to procuring fake documents through touts, instead of visiting the assigned centres.

    Read Also; Tanker explosion destroys Yola night market 

    Olonisaye said the drive, which has the collaboration of Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO), Akwa Ibom Internal Revenue Service (AKIRS) and FRSC, will begin today.

    “Most drivers are using fake and expired drivers’ licence to ply the roads. Let me state here that anybody caught with fake and forged documents will be arrested and fined.

    “Let me use this platform to advise the public not to patronise touts. They must also refrain from receiving driver’s licence by proxy,” he added.

    Olonisaye, who said the exercise would last for one week, added that 4,663 driver’s licences were left unclaimed in their custody.

  • We won’t condone exam malpractice, says Rivers govt

    We won’t condone exam malpractice, says Rivers govt

    By Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt

    Rivers State Commissioner for Education Prof. Kaniye Ebeku has warned pupils against engaging in malpractices at the ongoing 2021 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

    He spoke yesterday when he toured examination centres to ensure smooth conduct of the exercise.

    Addressing pupils, Ebeku said anyone caught in any form of malpractice would be dealt with in line with the prescribed rules and regulations governing the conduct of the examination.

    Read Also; Examination malpractice rampant in North – NECO

    He said: “The reason we are here today is to ensure that exams are going on seamlessly; we don’t condone malpractices and we will not allow you to cheat.”

    The commissioner advised the pupils against compromising their future by indulging in malpractices, saying he was confident they were prepared for the examinations.

    He said: “I know that your school is a good school and your teachers have trained you well. I know that you should have confidence in yourself and if you have confidence in yourself that you have prepared very well, then you have no reason whatsoever to cheat.”

    Ebeku also monitored renovation of Government Comprehensive Secondary School, Borokiri.

    He said Governor Nyesom Wike was passionate about restoring the glory of iconic schools in the state.

  • VAT: ‘Cross River must be positioned to boost revenue’

    By Nsa Gill, Calabar

    Cross River State Government has expressed concern about the impact of the ongoing argument over the right of states or the Federal Government on the collection of Value Added Tax (VAT).

    Speaking with The Nation, the Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Asuquo Ekpeyong Jnr, said if the Rivers State court ruling on VAT collection subsists, a new dimension will set in on VAT administration.

    He said: “The Value Added Tax administration may take a new dimension if the Rivers State court ruling of 9/8/2021 subsists. This will no doubt send ripple effects to other states as we see in the case of Lagos State House of Assembly bill on collecting VAT.”

    Read Also; Presidency: Buhari will respect court verdict on VAT

    The commissioner added: “While we are aware of the Federal Government’s move to challenge this development, Cross River State Government will begin to look inward to examine and work out modalities on how to receive directly the portion on non-import VAT accruable from businesses operating within the state.”

    He noted that “the existing VAT regime in Nigeria as overseen by the Federal Internal Revenue Service (FIRS) favours almost all states of the federation, including Cross River State. This is evident in the FAAC disbursed among the states since the inception of the VAT decree in 1993. It is pertinent to note that Lagos State, which is estimated to generate over 50 per cent of VAT federation receipts, harbours most of the corporate headquarters, who mostly pay their VAT through their head offices, e.g. banks, telcos, multinationals, etc. Yet these organisations are operating in many, if not in all states of the federation.”

    Ekpeyong Jnr said: “The proposed VAT administration, if implemented, means that Cross River State Government must be well positioned to boost its Internally Generated Revenue.

    “The state is implementing the policies that will improve our IGR and cushion the impact the new VAT regime will have on our financial commitments.”

  • APC governorship aspirant joins AAC to realise dream

    APC governorship aspirant joins AAC to realise dream

    Our Reporter

    A governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Chidozie Nwankwo, has defected to the African Action Congress (AAC), to contest the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State.

    He told reporters in Awka yesterday that he defected to the AAC following his inability to clinch the governor ticket in his former party.

    Nwankwo said: “My mission is a divine project. So I call on residents to ensure they play their part.

    Read Also; Anambra poll: Put your house in order INEC tells parties

    “Our mission to govern the state is a divine project. We promise to usher in a new dawn of development in the state.

    “Now that we have found a new party for the realisation of the project, I call on registered voters in the state to do the needful by voting for me.

    “We are not in this race for ourselves, but to help chart a new course for our state and its people.”

    He called on all and sundry to join hands with him in taking the state to the next level.

    “With experience garnered in politics, it will significantly be complemented by a former Anambra House Speaker, Princess Chinwe Nwebili, as my running mate. We will do much for the state.

    “I believe that getting the fundamentals right and working in synergy will position us to win the election,’’ he said.

  • Digitisation will eliminate registration irregularities, says NPC

    By Emma Elekwa, Onitsha

    The National Population Commission (NPC) in Anambra State has said the era of over-age, over-birth and other irregularities in registration of births and deaths by officers of the commission is over, following the digitisation of the process.

    NPC Federal Commissioner in the state, Mr. Chidi Ezeoke, spoke yesterday in Awka during the launch of a two-day training for deputy chief registrars and registrars in digitisation of vital registration.

    Ezeoke, represented by the state Director, Mr. Joachim Ulasi, said the digitisation of the process would also take care of low trace and slow pace of vital registration in the state due to analog form of registration, which had weakened the structures across the country.

    He said 66 workers, including 21 comptrollers, 21 registrars and other members of staff were selected for the training and were empowered with 21 laptops, printers and generators each to ensure seamless process.

    Read Also; CVR: INEC says 931,768 registrants complete physical registration

    Ezeoke said: “We noticed that when we collect the forms containing the registration of births, deaths and still-birth data, they have been there for years and are rarely analysed.

    “As a result, we collaborated with the Health ministry under UNICEF to train over 572 as well as train 1,350 catechists, all targeted at assisting our registers in churches to capture infant during baptism.

    “We also discovered that the 148 vital registration centres in the state are not enough, resulting in non-capturing of many births. Hence the decision to digitise the process for easy, faster and reliable documentation.”

    Expressing optimism that the re-training process, when fully optimised, would enhance the operational efficiency of the process, the NPC boss urged the controllers to upgrade themselves so as not to be dropped.

    One of the trainers, Mr. Uchenna Osegboo, said the training would assist the participants with required skill into the digital version of the commission targeted at ensuring that vital events were registered in the state for safe keeping.

    A participant and Comptroller, Orumba South Local Government, Onuekwe Ben-Chuks, thanked the commission for the initiative, saying the digitisation would reduce wastages and increase accuracy and speed.

  • National Assembly urges states to domesticate rights of persons with disability

    By Chris Njoku, Owerri

    The National Assembly has urged Houses of Assembly to domesticate the Discrimination against Persons with Disability Prohibition Act, to protect the rights of persons with challenges.

    The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Persons with Disabilities, Princess Miriam Onuoha, spoke at a retreat organised for members of the committee in Owerri, Imo State.

    She said despite the existence of legislations to protect the rights of over 35 million Nigerians with disabilities, they were still subjected to psychological torture following infringement on their rights by the public.

    Read Also: CVR: 931,768 registrants complete physical registration — INEC

    Onuoha, who represents Isiala Mbano, Onuimo and Okigwe Federal Constituency, said the National Assembly was committed to ensuring inclusion of persons with disabilities in all spheres of the society, whether in access, mobility or employment.

    “This committee will work in partnership with other relevant organisations to ensure that the rights of persons with disability will not be infringed on and to ensure the full weight of the law on anyone who contravenes this law.”

    The Executive Secretary, National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, James Lalu, lamented that persons with disabilities were often abused and discriminated against by the same persons that should protect them. He called for a more robust approach towards uplifting the challenged persons.

  • Delta revokes Asaba-Oko road contract

    Agency Reporter 

    Delta Government on Tuesday announced that it had revoked the multi-million naira contract for the construction of Asaba/Oko-Amakom/Oko-Obiokpu/Oko-Anala Road over poor performance.

    The road contract was awarded in 2018, transverses Oko communities in Oshimili South Local Government Area of the state, and has been a major challenge to the state government over the years due to the peculiar topography of the area.

    Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, told journalists at the end of the state’s Executive Council meeting in Asaba, that the meeting presided over by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, revoked the contract because the contractor was not working in line with the speed expected by the government after collecting mobilisation funds

    He explained that government would check its records and evaluate the contract performance with a view to finding out if the contractor would refund some money to government or not.

    He disclosed that the state government would engage another contractor with adequate capacity to complete the job in line with the speed required for the completion of the project.

    Read Also: FEC approves N30bn augmentation for 74km Loko-Nasarawa road

    On the other decisions of the Council, Aniagwu  disclosed that as part of efforts to provide potable water and reduce communicable diseases, the state government had approved the construction and reticulation of a major water scheme in Okerenkoko in Warri South Local government Area.

    He also added that the council approved the inclusion of certain erosion sites in Warri as part of efforts to address flooding in the twin cities of Warri and Effurun.

    “On education, Exco approved the demolition and reconstruction of a two-storey building not in best of shape at West End Grammar School, Asaba.

    “The project includes expansion of the building to 20 classrooms to enable the school run one session instead of the morning and afternoon sessions it was currently operating and the provision of a conference hall for assembly as well as toilets.

    “Exco today also approved the renaming of Ogini Grammar School, Oghara to Ogini Model Secondary School, Oghara and the approval of training and acquisition of starter packs in ICT for youths in the state for the Ministry of Science and Technology.

    “At today’s Exco, we also discussed the provisions made for the various ministries in the 2022 proposed budget and the possibility of a supplementary budget for 2021,” he stated.

    On COVID-19 pandemic, Aniagwu said Exco has directed that a massive sensitisation of members of the public be carried out again on measures being taken to control the spread of the pandemic.

    “With the return of the third wave and Delta variant, a number of persons have paid the supreme price on account of the attack including members of government. “The Governor has directed that there was need to continue sensitisation on members of the public to continue adhering to the non-pharmaceuticals of regular hand washing, wearing of face masks and social distancing.

    “Government is not considering another lock down in view of the hardship the pandemic has posed to the economy.

    “We however, appeal to everybody to be personally responsible in helping to curb the spread of the virus

    “Beyond that, government has asked everybody to come out for vaccination because we have made at least 6 points available in every local government and markets across the state.

    “We also appeal to religious and opinion leaders to help sensitise members of the public on the importance of taking the vaccine which is expected to boost the immune system and stop the virus from harming those affected,” Aniagwu added.

  • A’Ibom govt to establish College of Science and Technology 

    Agency Reporter 

    A College of Science and Technology that will run as an intermediary programme to prepare students into science and bridge the gap of effective science learning preceding tertiary education, is to be established, Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel has announced.

    Udom stated this while receiving a delegation from University of Lagos, his Alma Mata, led by the Vice Chancellor Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe who paid him a courtesy visit at Government House, Uyo.

    He solicited collaborations with University of Lagos in the areas of personnel training and manpower development said the state is set to rejig the curriculars of education generally and that of Akwa Ibom State University (AKSU) through collaborative programmes and entrepreneurial courses packaged to establish students after their school year.

    Emmanuel said, “So we are trying to rejig the curricular, we want to bridge a gap of intermediary education the way you see in other places, so we are thinking of establishing a College of Science and Technology that will serve as an intermediate programme that will prepare people to come into science because in most cases students leave secondary school and gain admissions into the University, and most secondary schools don’t have the same standards, so we are trying to bridge that gap and it is an area we need a whole lot of assistance”.

    Continuing, he said, “We want collaboration with you in our tertiary institution Akwa Ibom State University, (AKSU) I am sure the Commissioner for Education with Vice Chancellor of AKSU will make a presentation at Exco very soon in these areas we want collaboration especially in the area of training our people, lecturers and a whole lot, this is because the original vision of that institution was to specialize in Science and Technology”.

    Read Also: Lagos and quest for more varsities

    The Governor also indicated that plans are underway to formalize empowerment programmes at the skills acquisition center established by the state government to create jobs for youths, calling on University of Lagos to partner the state in areas of manpower development and entrepreneurial courses in the centre.

    “This year we announced that we are declaring a state of emergency in the education sector beginning from the basic level, rejig the system, recruit better teachers and this is an area we want UNILAG CONSULT to handle for us.

    “We have a whole lot of areas we will collaborate as government, I have a department headed by youths all they do is entrepreneurial training and set up, but I see that I can formalize that and what I am doing right now is we will setup a full institution, which after the first year of studies in that school, one starts earning money”.

    He thanked the delegation for the visit and promised to support the institution host the Nigeria University Games Association (NUGA).

    The Vice Chancellor University of Lagos, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe in his remarks, described Emmanuel’s leadership as unique in the state

    Ogundipe said as an alumnus he (Emmanuel) has made the institution proud and expressed readiness to partner the state in manpower development of the state’s tertiary institution.

    “We want to acknowledge your contributions in the areas of industrialization and power and we want to assure you that if there is any area you want us to collaborate in studies, we will be ready to collaborate with the state.

    “We are bringing on board two major things, we are ready to collaborate with you concerning the young university, just like the Borno State University that we are going to train their lecturers and some of their lectures who had to do Ph.D. definitely we will be able to assist them because of the collaboration we have with other tertiary institution outside the country it will be easy for them to do their research work.

    “The second thing is collaboration with government in areas of studies, you want to test your feasibility, and we will do it”, he stated.

  • Okowa mourns literary icon, Sam Ukala 

    Okowa mourns literary icon, Sam Ukala 

    Agency Reporter 

    Delta Governor, Sen. (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa, has expressed sadness over the death of Nigeria’s literary icon, Professor Sam Ukala, describing his passage as a monumental loss to Delta, Nigeria and global literary community.

    Ukala, who died Monday night after a brief illness, was a Professor of Theatre Arts and Drama at Delta State University, Abraka, until his recent retirement. He was 73.

    In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Olisa Ifeajika, on Tuesday in Asaba, Okowa eulogised the late writer and actor for his immense contributions to the growth and development of literature in Nigeria, Africa and beyond.

    He said that the works of Ukala promoted Delta particularly, the country and Africa, adding that he would be remembered and celebrated by lovers of literature across the world.

    Read Also; Buhari, Sani-Bello, SSG mourn Emir of Kontagora

    The governor described Ukala, winner of the 2014 Nigeria Prize for Literature and the 1989 ANA/British Council Prize for Drama with his bestselling books “Iredi War” and “Akpakaland”as a consummate patriot, great literary icon and teacher par excellence.

    He said that with the demise of the legendary academic, death, the inevitable, had dealt a devastating blow on the literary community and left a lacuna that may be difficult to fill.

    “On behalf of the government and people of Delta, I commiserate with the Ukala family of Mbiri, the Ika nation and the entire literary world over the demise of the cerebral writer.

    “The late Ukala propounded the theory of ‘folkism’ which was to base literary plays on indigenous history and culture, composed and performed them in accordance with African folktale which has gained significant global recognition.

    “Until his death, he was a member of the Governing Council of the three new universities we recently established and contributed his best in ensuring that the universities took off as planned.

    “It is my belief that the late Sam Ukala will be long remembered and honoured for his huge impact not just in African folktale but dramatic arts,” he said.

    Okowa prayed that God would grant eternal rest to the soul of the departed Ukala and comfort his family and all who mourn him.