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Tag: Bayelsa

  • 10,000 Police Job: PSC gets 158,773 submission within 18 days

    The Police Service Commission (PSC), said it has received 158,773 applications from Nigerians who are seeking employment into the Nigeria Police Force as Constables.

    The Commission said it got the submissions 18 days after the announcement to recruit 10,000 as Constables was made.

    Out of the applications received, 140,902 are males while 17, 871 are females.

    The Commission while giving an update of the recruitment process in a statement in Abuja by its Spokesman, Ikechukwu Ani said the submissions reached 158,773 as at 11.00am on Monday, December 17th, 2018.

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    On the states with highest and lowest submissions, Ani said: “Niger State maintained its lead with 11,047 applicants while Bayelsa also remained last with 672 applicants. Kano State has the second highest applicants with 10,745 applications, Katsina State third with 9,778, Bauchi State fourth with 8,882 and Kaduna fifth with 8,832 and Adamawa sixth with 7,722.

    “Following Bayelsa State from the rear is Lagos State with 826 applicants, Ebonyi third from the rear with 980, Anambra, 984 and Abia State, 1,195 applicants.”

    The Commission advised interested applicants to apply within the next 21 days as the PSC portal would close on the 11th of January 2019.

  • Police arrest suspected armed robber, cultists in Bayelsa

    The police in Bayelsa State have arrested a suspected armed robber, James Oweifa, for allegedly terrorising Yenagoa, the state capital and its environs.

    The 22-year-old Oweifa, who hails from Agbere in Sagbama Local Government Area was said to be in possession of a revolver pistol with five rounds of 9mm ammunition when he was nabbed by the police.

    A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Asinim Butswat confirm the arrest of the suspect popularly called Grade.

    Butswat, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP)said the suspect was trailed and apprehended by the Surveillance Team of the command’s monitoring unit.

    He said: “On 13 December, 2018, at about 1330 hours, the Surveillance team of the Command Monitoring unit, acted on a tip-off and arrested one James Oweifa ‘m’ 22 years, a native of Agbere Community, Sagbama LGA.

    “The suspect a notorious Icelanders cultists AKA Grade, was arrested in possession of a locally made revolver pistol with five rounds of. 9mm live ammunition. Investigation is ongoing to arrest his cohorts”.

    He further said that stop and search operations embarked upon by operatives of the police command in Yenagoa metropolis was yielding positive results.

    Speaking on the success of the operations, he said: “On 14 December, 2018, at about 1120 hours, Policemen on Stop and Search operations, arrested one Ayibamiebi David ‘m’ 20 years, AKA Desperado in a tricycle along Ekeki Road, Yenagoa.

    “The suspect a notorious Icelanders cultists is a native of Opuama Community, Southern Ijaw LGA, he was arrested in possession of a locally made pistol. Investigation is ongoing”.

  • 10,000 Police Job: PSC gets 104,289 applications in twelve days

    …Niger record highest with 7,985 applications

     

    The Police Service Commission (PSC) said it has received 104,289 applications after it announced the recruitment of 10,000 into the Nigeria Police Force as Constables.

    The Commission said it recorded the figure twelve days after the recruitment portal was opened on November 30th, 2018.

    The Commission also revealed that Niger State has the highest number of applicants while Bayelsa has the lowest.

    Giving an update on the recruitment process, the Spokesman of the Commission, Ikechukwu Ani in a statement in Abuja said the application hit 104,388 at 11.30am on Tuesday, December 11th, 2018.

    On the states and sex with highest and lowest applications, the Commission said: “Niger State has the highest number of applicants at 7,985 while Bayelsa State has the least applications of 347.  Kano State is second with 7,513, Katsina, third with 6,820, Bauchi fourth with 6,204 and Kaduna State fifth with 5,729 applicants.

    “Following Bayelsa from the rear, is Lagos State with only 516 applicants, Ebonyi State is next with 600, Anambra State, 605, Abia State, 733 and Imo State with 870 applicants.

    “Out of the 104,289 applications received so far by the Commission, 93,871 were males while 10,418 were females.”

    The Commission restated its commitment to ensure a merit driven and transparent recruitment exercise that will follow due process and abide with the relevant rules and regulations in the Public Service.

    The Commission also noted that applicants are expected to apply on-line to the Commission’s portal www.nigeriapolicecareers.net adding that the portal will officially close on the 11th of January, 2019 in compliance with the six weeks requirement by Federal Character Commission.

    The Commission also warned applicants not to give money to anybody for assistance as the giver and receiver will face the full weight of the law if caught.

  • Murder of 20-year-old under-graduate that shook Bayelsa

    “I need justice for my son. I need justice for my son. My son cannot die like that”; Mrs. Erepade Patricia Nikade wept and cried in her home at Tinacious Road, Edepie, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, as she uttered these words. If anybody had told her that life would be snuffed out of her last child, Tariela Nikade, in such a brutal and gory manner, she would have dismissed it as a doomsday prophecy. But her vivacious young son, her confidant, friend and playmate was gruesomely murdered on November 23. Strangely, the 20-year-old Tariela was killed by a law enforcement agent, who ordinarily was supposed to protect his life. The trigger-happy policeman, in questionable circumstances, released the bullet that put paid to the dreams and aspirations of Tariela. The hot lead, which drilled a hole on the victim’s chest and came out of his back, shattered the hope of the undergraduate petroleum engineer. Tariela was a bright 300-level student of the Bayelsa State-owned Niger Delta University (NDU). He was a handsome boy with the brains of his late father.

    In fact, Tariela was a replica of his late father, Mr. Benson Nikade, who was also an electrical engineer. The resemblance was so much that his family simply referred to him as ‘Brother Bronson’s. He was, indeed, a chip off the old block. After the loss of her husband, Mrs. Nikade took solace in his last son. Each time she looked at his face, her physiognomical countenance beamed with smiles and reassurance that her late husband was still somehow alive. “I was attached to him. He was my last born. We played together and shared jokes. He simply reminded me of my late husband. Tariela was a very lovely boy. How can I ever cope without him? Among all my children, he was the closest to me. “Tariela was so humble that everybody on our street liked him. If I sent him for an errand and a neighbour saw him and sent him for another errand, he would first run a neighbour’s errand before completing mine”, the weeping mother said. Narrating how his son was killed by the policeman, she said: “We were together in the house discussing. He was forced to be at home because of the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). “Towards evening on the fateful day, he said he would like to go the a barbers’ shop close to our house. His friend owns the shop. He always went there to learn how to cut hair. So, any time he was not home, he must surely be at the barbers’ shop.

    He also said he wanted to go there and charge his phone because of lack of electricity. He went there. “After some time, somebody called me and told me that Tariela had been shot. I quickly rushed to the the place but on getting there, I was told that youths in the neighborhood had rushed him to a private hospital. “We started looking for the hospital and found it later. I cried when I saw my son. He could no longer talk. He had lost a lot of blood. He was later taken to another hospital, where he died. They tried their best to save his life”. The first son of the family, Anderson Nikade gave further insight on how his younger brother was killed. Anderson, who is a journalist with the Bayelsa Stateowned Niger Delta Television, described his late brother as a quiet, respectful and focused young man with many prospects. He said: “We hail from Agbere town in Sagbama LGA of Bayelsa State.The deceased, Tariela Nikade, was our last born. He was 20 years old. He was a quiet, respectful and focused young man with so much prospects, a 300-level student of Petroleum Engineering, Niger Delta University. Due to the ongoing ASUU Strike, he returned home to Tinacious Road, Edepie-Yenagoa, where he resides with our mother.

    Our father passed on five years ago. “On that fateful day, Fridayz November 23, this year, he(Tariela Nikade) was at a soloon close to our house in Tinacious Road, Edepie, where he was undergoing training on how to cut hair. At about 7pm when four armed policemen arrived the front of the saloon in an unofficial private car to conduct their usual raid which has become the hallmark of Akenfa Divisional Police Station. “One of the policemen, now identified as Sergeant Timadi Emmanuel, ordered the 20- year-old- Tariela Nikade to raise his hands, which he did. He was pleading with the officer to show mercy, but the trigger-happy policeman opened fire on him at close range, shooting him in the chest with what is suspected to be an AK 47 riffle. “Sergeant Timadi walks up to the fatally wounded victim and asked him thrice, ‘where the bullet touch you?’ When he saw the boy in a pool of blood, he immediately attempted to sneak away from the scene when one of the witnesses asked him to pick up the injured boy. “The sergeant ordered the man, who witnessed the incident, to shut up, threatening to shoot him if he raised the alarm.

    Sergeant Emmanuel thereafter took to his heels, and sped off in their car along with three other officers. They later dropped off one other young man whom they had earlier arrested in a grand plot to conceal their identity, before returning to their police base. “Critical minutes went by as residents of the area mobilised and struggled to secure a tricycle to take the victim to Gloryland Hospital, Yenagoa. The victim was later moved from Gloryland Hospital to Family Care Hospital, where he later died at about 9:30pm, having sustained serious damage to his lungs, ribs and other vital organs”. Anderson said his entire family was devastated, adding that his mother had yet to absorb the shock. “This is another reminder of the urgent need to re-organise the Nigerian police in order to forestall further extra-judicial killing, which is fast becoming common place in Bayelsa State, in the wake of growing security concerns, amidst the recent disbandment of the security outfit , Operation Doo Akpo”, he said. In fact, the killing caused outrage and protest in Yenagoa as residents and landlords in Akeinfa marched oncthe streets and demanded justice for Tariela. The protesters besieged the Akenfa Police Station, insisting that the policeman must be identified and prosecuted for the crime. Also, scores of students took to the streets to protest the gruesome murder. Some of the residents decried the unprofessional attitude of the conventional police, saying it was a far cry to the professional conduct of the withdrawn state security outfit, Operation Doo-Akpor. A resident, who spoke in confidence, said: “The Nigerian Police in Bayelsa State has lost focus and direction.

    Extra-judicial killing of innocent lives is now the order of the day. This is the height of irresponsibility and unprofessionalism”. A social commentator, John Idumange, called for thorough investigations into the circumstances that led to the killing. “The matter should be thoroughly investigated. We cannot keep quiet. For now, sorry is not enough. Kokorifa was killed and his killers have been served justice. This matter should be pursued to to its logical conclusion”, he said. The body language of the state Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mukan, however, immediately gave an indication that the killer cop would not escape justice. In a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Asinim Butswat, Mukan, identified the shooter as Sergeant Timadi Emmanuel. He said the policeman was immediately arrested, disarmed and was undergoing orderly room trial. He also commiserated with the family of the deceased for their loss. Following the outcome of the in-house trial, the policeman was dismissed from the force and detained for prosecution.

  • NNPC/Chevron JV donates to IDPs in Delta, Bayelsa

    The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)/Chevron Nigeria Limited Joint Venture has donated mattresses, food items, toiletries and other materials to assist flood victims in Warri Southwest, Warri North, Delta State and Igbogene in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. The gesture, according to the joint venture, is another significant contribution to the wellbeing of people in Nigeria.

    At  Warri Southwest, Secretary to the Local Government, Mrs. Gabari Gladys Omare, and the state Emergency Management Authority (SEMA) representative, Mrs. Attu Evelyn, received the items on behalf of  the council Chairman, Hon Tuoyo Duke Taiye, while in Warri North, Secretary to the Local Government, Mr. Victor German with the support of Head of Department, Engineering, Jerry Atigan, received the items on behalf of the council chairman, Mr. Aduge Okorodudu. At Igbogene, the items were received by  Angus Didei on behalf of Bayelsa State Emergency Relief Committee.

    Explaining the reason for the donations, General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs (PGPA), Esimaje Brikinn,  represented by Tony Emegere, PGPA superintendent, said: “This donation is in line with the NNPC/Chevron Joint Venture’s commitment and our tradition of care for the welfare of people around our areas of operation in Nigeria and beyond.  As we donate these items today, I hope they will assist in meeting the needs of the people,” he said.

  • Outrage in Bayelsa as policeman kills 300 level varsity student

    •Police arrest, disarm killer cop

    There was lamentation in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, at the weekend following the gruesome killing of a 20-year-old 300-level student of the Niger Delta University (NDU) by a trigger-happy policeman.

    Tariela Nikade, the last in the family of Nikade Anderson, a popular broadcaster, was reportedly shot dead close to their house at Tinacious Road, Edepie, Yenagoa.

    The latest murder came a few weeks after a 100-level student of the university, Seifa Fred, was shot dead by a gang of cultists, who snatched her smartphone.

    It was gathered that following the strike declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Tariela, an engineering student, decided to learn haircut at a barber shop close to their house.

    Narrating how his brother was killed, Anderson said: “My brother, the last in our family, who came home following the ASUU strike, was at a barber’s shop where he was learning haircut.

    “Suddenly, at about 7pm, a team of policemen stormed the area. They entered into the shop and asked people there to raise their hands. I and others raised their hands. One of them shot my brother at the back of his neck.

    “Immediately they noticed that they had shot my brother, all of them rushed into their van and zoomed off. They did not wait.”

    Anderson added that his brother was immediately rushed to a private hospital in Yenagoa and was later moved to the Family Care Hospital where he was confirmed dead.

    The killing caused outrage and protest in Yenagoa as residents and landlords in Akeinfa marched the streets and demanded justice for Tariela.

    The protesters besieged the Akenfa police station, insisting that the policeman must be identified and prosecuted for the crime.

    Some of the residents decried the unprofessional attitude of the conventional police, saying it was a far cry to the professional conduct of the withdrawn state security outfit, Operation Doo-Akpor.

    A resident, who spoke in confidence, said: “The Nigeria Police in Bayelsa State has lost focus and direction. Extra-judicial killing of innocent lives is now the order of the day. This is the height of irresponsibility and unprofessionalism.”

    A social commentator, John Idumange, called for thorough investigations into the circumstances that led to the killing.

    “The matter should be thoroughly investigated. We cannot keep quiet. For now, sorry is not enough. Kokorifa was killed and his killers have been served justice. This matter should be pursued to its logical conclusion,” he said.

    But the police command in a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Asinim Butswat, identified the trigger-happy policeman as Sergeant Timadj Emmanuel.

    Butswat said the policeman was immediately arrested, disarmed and was undergoing orderly room trial.

    He said: “Bayelsa State Police Command condoles with the family and assures that justice will be done.

    The Bayelsa State Police Command regrets the unfortunate incident involving a police officer and a resident of Tenacious Road, Edepie, Yenagoa.

    “On 23 November, 2018, at about 1930 hours, Sergeant Timadi Emmanuel, attached to a patrol team of Akenfa Division, while on patrol at Tenacious Road, Edepie, under questionable circumstances, shot one Tariela Nikade ‘m’ 20 years. The victim was rushed to the hospital, where he was later confirmed dead.

    “The sergeant has been disarmed, arrested and is undergoing orderly room trial. Investigation is in progress and its outcome will be made public.

    “The command is hereby appealing to residents to be calm and assures the family and the general public that justice will be done.”

  • 2019: PDP accuses APC of unholy alliance with police

    ….PDP inciting public against police – APC

     

    The Bayelsa State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of unholy alliance with the police ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    The state Chairman of PDP, Cleopas Moses, in a statement alleged that the leaders of the APC in the state turned the office of the Police Commissioner, Joseph Mukan, to their operational political base.

    But the APC in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Doifie Buokoribo, said the PDP was irresponsibly inciting the public against the police.

    Cleopas, described the office of the police chief as critical to security maintenance and the preservation of state stability, but lamented it had been tainted with political bias in Bayelsa.

    The PDP Chairman claimed that the conversion of the office of the Commissioner of Police to the security wing of the APC was the first manifestation of the political mission of the Joseph Mukan in Bayelsa.

    He said the opposition APC in its desperation for political control in the state started colluding with the police chief to weaken the security apparatus in the state for selfish political purposes.

    Cleopas asserted that the unholy alliance between the commissioner and the APC culminated in an upsurge of cultism in the state.

    He said that the action of the police boss was not unexpected as he was sent to the state to prosecute a dirty political assignment which he stressed would be resisted by the Bayelsa people.

    While acknowledging that the Inspector-General of Police has the right to deploy his men, Cleopas queried why Mukan was posted to head Bayelsa State Police Command for a record three times, if there was no ulterior motive.

    The PDP Chairman said that a police commissioner, whose posting was allegedly influenced by the APC and who identifies with the publicity apparatus of the party’ could not be trusted with the security of Bayelsa.

    He said: “We made it clear to Nigerians a few days ago that this particular police commissioner was posted to Bayelsa to intimidate PDP supporters to join APC, destabilize the security and stability of the state for political purposes ahead of the 2019 elections.

    “This unholy alliance, he stressed is fueling the upsurge of activities of cultists who are mainly APC members.

    “Since he was posted to Bayelsa State, his office has become an annex of the APC headquarters as members of the party have relocated to the command to plan how to destabilize the state by weakening its security.

    “Nigerians should Note that this particular CP has been transferred to Bayelsa State for the third time, and we as a party wonder why this particular CP out of the many in this country is the preferred commissioner for Bayelsa?

    “The last time he came he was accommodated by APC leaders in Abuja and Yenagoa, Former Governor Timipre Sylva and the Minister of State for Agriculture, Hen. Lokpobiri.”

    But the APC, however, condemned the PDP for a serial show of irrationality and fear since the recent posting of a new commissioner of Police to the state.

    Buokoribo said that PDP took its phobia to an alarming extent of now creating frightening scenarios and plotting “low level fiction” all in an attempt to incite the populace against the police.

    He described as indecent and reprehensible that a party in control of government and power in the state could be so frightened by a lawful routine security posting, with no evidence of infraction that it would begin to provoke unlawful behaviour among the population.

    He recalled that not long ago, under the Governor Seriake Dickson government, his personal friend and member of his party, PDP, was posted to the state as Commissioner of Police.

    The APC spokesman said despite apparent injustices, APC never resorted to PDP’s current attempt to provoke public anger against the police and cause anarchy.

    He accused the PDP of having something untoward up its sleeves and fearing that the new police commissioner would not condone such.

    He said: “As usual, the PDP has not provided any evidence to support this low level fiction. We consider it indecent, reprehensible and ungodly for a political party that is in control of government and power at the state to serially incite the populace against the police.

    “We are in a democracy, and the PDP must know that it has to respect all the institutions of law and order. The PDP cannot decide for the Inspector General of Police whom he should appoint as Police Commissioner in the state.

    “Except there is something they are not telling us, the PDP is not in a position to say it is only someone they can do business with that must be Police Commissioner in the state.

    “The PDP is taking its objection to the posting of the new Bayelsa State Police Commissioner, Joseph Mukan, beyond the red lines. It has become a joke taken too far.

    “The Bayelsa APC is a party of peace-loving people committed to democracy and the progress of Bayelsa State. Like President Muhammadu Buhari, we would like to take the state to the next level. We have nothing to gain in the event of a breakdown of law and order in the state.

    “We cannot help but wonder with alarm what unlawful acts the PDP plans to engage in this time, which they fear the new Police Commissioner, unlike their friend and party man, would not condone. To us, the new police commissioner is doing very well in the state.

    “Indeed, we commend him for reaching out to all the critical segments of society, especially the youth, in his attempt to rid the state of crime and criminality.

    “Similarly, we salute Police Commissioner Mukan for apprehending the suspected killers of Miss Seifa Fred. Fred, a first year student of Niger Delta University, was killed recently in Yenagoa. We call on the people of Bayelsa State to support and cooperate with Police Commissioner Mukan”.

  • N80bn Bayelsa airport project outrageous – Bayelsa APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa says the ‘astronomical’ rise in cost of the Bayelsa Cargo Airport from N40 to N80 billion is worrisome and a waste of public funds.

    The APC said that the reaction of Bayelsa Government to its allegation on the project was a failed attempt to divert attention from obvious lack of fiscal discipline and prudence by the state government.

    The party said that “serious issues of accountability, due process and democratic governance” raised in its Nov. 15 statement regarding the airport project was never addressed.

    Mr Doifie Buokoribo, the APC Publicity Secretary in Bayelsa, said in a statement in Yenagoa on Monday that the state government had carefully avoided the critical concerns raised by the party.

    The party said that by the diversionary response, the Dickson government had only confirmed the allegation, stressing that “Governor Dickson is guilty as charged.”

    The APC had criticized the Bayelsa Government for borrowing from the money market at the current high interest rate and described it as a ploy to siphon public funds.

    It alleged that the high interest of N62 billion to be paid on the N80 billion loan would stifle the state of funds through the monthly repayment obligations in the next eight years.

    It said that the project lacked vital inter-modal network for easy accessibility.

    The APC said that the N80 billion project was inflated and described it as “clearly the most expensive airport project in Nigeria.”

    Buokoribo said that Bayelsa Government’s response was silent on the economic viability of funding such a capital intensive project from the money market at huge interest rates.

    “The Bayelsa State Government’s reaction to our statement of Nov. 15, 2018, on the Bayelsa Airport scam did not address any of the issues we raised. This is unfortunate, but understandable.

    “Unfortunate because the government is attempting to divert the attention of the Bayelsa populace from the serious issues of accountability, due process and democratic governance.

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    “These concerns underscore our party’s intervention. We said the airport project is a fraud. We said at more than N80 billion, it is grossly inflated.

    “We said the airport project is a deliberate cover by Gov. Seriake Dickson to launder state’s funds. We have no reason whatsoever to change our well thought-out position.

    “Rather than address the concerns we raised, Gov. Dickson, through his Information Commissioner, chose to abuse our party and its leaders.

    “The APC is a party of serious-minded people. We are not in competition with anyone as to who will emerge best in exchange of insults and abuse. We are focused on a better life for all the people of Bayelsa State,” he said.

    Bayelsa Commissioner for Information, Mr Daniel Iworiso-Markson, had during an inspection tour of the airport in August, put the cost at N90 billon.

    In his reaction, Iworiso-Markson said the past administration in the state failed to give the people the desperately needed international airport between 2007 and 2011.

    Iworiso-Markson said that the Gov. Timipriye Syla-led administration (now in APC) failed to build an airport in spite of the huge resources at the disposal of his administration.

    According to him, the past administration used what should have been a laudable idea of an airport project to milk the state and siphoned billions of naira into private pockets.

    The commissioner challenged the APC to tell Bayelsa people and Nigerians what the former governor did with N300 billion agriculture loan the state took from the World Bank.

    According to him, the past administration also frittered away the N3 billion Millennium Development Goal (MDG) funds made available to the state and foisted a bond obligation of N125 billion on the state.

    NAN

  • Day pregnant women caused a stir in Bayelsa

    OVER 1,000 pregnant women thronged the Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha Memorial Hall in Yengoa, Bayelsa State, recently. It was a beautiful sight to behold. Pregnancies at various stages competed to gain an entrance and a space into the expansive hall. Why would such number of pregnant women from different parts of the state converge at a particular location in Yenagoa? In fact, passers-by demanded to know the reason for such an assemblage. Mrs. Dumebi Jeftha was one of the pregnant women. She simply said she came to receive the N3000 monthly allowance promised all pregnant women by the governor of the state, Mr. Seriake Dickson. “We were asked to come and collect the money the governor promised us.

    They told us that the government would begin to pay the money today. That is why l came to collect mine”, she said as she walked into the congested hall. But Patience Thomas, another heavily pregnant woman, tried to explain the reason for the assembly better. She said sometimes in July, 2018, the governor launched a safe motherhood programme. Part of the programme, according to her, was a promise by the governor to pay pregnant women in the state N3000 monthly. She said the money was supposed to be an incentive to attract women to government-owned health centers and reduce the high incidence of maternal and infant mortality rates in the state. Patience added: “We were told that today is the beginning of the scheme to transfer the cash to us. They said they would give us the cash today. That is the reason you see pregnant women all over the place.

    More are still on their way”. Indeed, the hall was not enough to contain the number of pregnant women who turned up to collect the money. The car parks, verandas, lobbies and the entire surroundings were taken over by women with pot bellies. It was not just the money that brought them. They were in for the total package of the motherhood initiative. Dickson,in a policy statement, made a commitment to cater for all pregnant women in the state. Any woman that conceives becomes a property of the state. The only caveat is that the woman must go to a nearby government health centre, register her pregnancy and regularly attend her engagements with health experts in the clinic. Every medical engagement, drugs and other caregiving are free and completely paid for by the state.

    The government in addition provides each woman with N3000 monthly to facilitate her transport to the health centre. No wonder, the women grinned and beamed with smiles at the hall. Most of them viewed Dickson as their caring ‘husband’. The only job of their legal husbands is to get them pregnant. Dickson takes over, nurtures them and ensures they are delivered of their babies safely. He also takes care of their postnatal treatments. “The governor is now our caring husband”, one of them, who identified herself as Esther said. “Pregnancy does not start and end with conception. The burden of pregnancy is taking care of it till birth. And it is always difficult most times, especially for some of us who are not rich.

    “That is why in most cases we opt for the cheapest method of care by visiting traditional birth attendants. Others don’t event do any form of ante natal until their pregnancies mature. It is always risky and that is why some women die during birth. “Your husband is expected to take care of your pregnancy till the birth of the child. But with this initiative of our governor, he has taken over that role. So, it is right for us to also call him our husband. We are grateful to him”. The women had their eyes on the stage where the safe motherhood scheme and free cash transfer was launched. They watched various presentations from medical experts, including the President, Federation of African Medical Students Association (FAMSA), Esite Winifred, on the required health practices for safe motherhood.

    The pregnant women also watched educative drama on dangerous practices and superstitious beliefs, including belief in witchcraft hindering healthy motherhood in most remote villages. The awardwinning State Council for Arts and Culture was in its best during the drama. They learnt from various remarks from health experts such as the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Ebitimitula Etebu; the National Safe Motherhood Officer, Dr. Samuel Oyeniyi; World Health Organisation (WHO); United Nations International Children Education Fund (UNICEF); Chairman, Bayelsa State Primary Healthcare Board, Mrs. Victoria Denenu and the House Committee Chairman on Health, Koku Obiyai. However, the remarks by the Governor of Delta State, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, who was the special guest of honour for the programme, moved the pregnant women to appreciate the essence of the scheme.

    Okowa, who is also a trained medical doctor, praised Dickson for all his interventions in the health sector, including operating a health insurance scheme in the state, adding that only Bayelsa is running the safe motherhood scheme in the country. He said his inquiries revealed that Dickson provided necessary health infrastructure to drive the safe motherhood and health insurance schemes. Okowa said with 105 health centers and 40 hospitals across the state, pregnant women would have unfettered access to quality healthcare. But he also warned against abusing the scheme. He said the scheme should not be viewed as an opportunity for women to give birth recklessly.

    Okowa advised that while taking advantage of the programme, women should also abide by the rules of child spacing for healthy motherhood. He said: “The safe motherhood scheme is very noble. I think that only Bayelsa State is running this kind of scheme. I thank the governor for starting a health insurance scheme in the state. “Only about four states in this country are running a health insurance scheme. But Governor Dickson has taken it beyond the health insurance by providing stipends that can make mothers live healthier lives. If you want to really touch the life of any family, just touch the life of the mother. “I thank the governor for recognising the family as a unit.

    The money that comes every month does not mean that women should be giving birth as regular intervals. It is not medically right. We want to plead with out women and men that there is what we call birth spacing. For the health of the woman and the home, there should be birth spacing”. Addressing Dickson, Okowa said: “What you have done today is a wonderful programme. It is a bold step that you have taken. It is going to cause the state a lot of money on monthly basis. “But it is a programme that no other programme can be equal to it. It is better than road construction and any other thing. You are giving life to a family. The life you are giving is to the poorest people in the society. Those are the people that need the impacts of the government. They are the people that you touch. When you touch the poor, you touch the heart of God”.

    Dickson said he was worried by the high maternal and infant mortality rate in Bayelsa. He said his desire to deal with the issue compelled him to convene a summit on safe motherhood on July 31, 2018. He said after all deliberations, he made policy statements on the way forward, which included taking over the responsibility of catering for registered pregnant women in the state. He said since that day, his medical team went to work. The team, in conjunction with the Information Ministry, headed by Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, created awareness on the programme. He said all health facilities across the state were equipped to ensure the realization of the scheme’s objectives. Dickson said: “A lot of work has been done in the area of sensitization. There is still a need for constant enlightenment. A number of the causes of death attributed to witchcraft are as a result of lack of knowledge. “So, we have a lot of work to do to educate our people on the need to register for ante-natal services and to deliver in the hands of a trained healthcare provider.

    We are here to demonstrate the policy that was announced. “What we held in July was a summit. But we have gathered for the official launch of that programme. We made an announcement of N3000 allowance to every pregnant woman in Bayelsa. “We made it clear that the money was not just to be giving to every woman that is pregnant, you have to first go to the healthcare delivery centre. We have enough healthcare facilities for all our pregnant women to be attended to”. The governor encouraged all the pregnant women in the state to register to enable them qualify for the monthly cash transfers and other ante-natal and neonatal care.

    Addressing the pregnant women, he said: “Once you are registered and it is confirmed through basic tests that you are organ ant, you are automatically eligible to N3000 every month. It is your right and you don’t need to beg anybody for it. But be sure we are following up on the attendance. “Once you register, you won’t get the money until there is evidence that you have registered. Your regular attendance at the healthcare provider will determine whether you will continue all through your pregnancy to receive the money. We want to monitor the attendance”. Furthermore, the pregnant women appreciated Dr. Rachel, the governor’s wife, for supporting the programme. Mrs. Dickson thanked her husband for carrying all the women along and appealed to the women to take advantage of the opportunity.

  • Okowa urges police to check increasing spate of kidnapping

    Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta has charged the police to hasten to check rising kidnapping and violent crime rate in the country, saying they have become the Force’s great challenge.

    Okowa made the call on Wednesday when the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 5, Mr Alkali Usman, visited him at the Government House, Asaba.

    He said: “There is no doubt that Delta is relatively peaceful, but kidnapping has become a national issue and it is very unfortunate.

    “Most of the kidnappings take place in the highways and that is a cause for worry because road users face a lot of attacks daily.

    “It is getting scary and soon we will not be able to travel without seeking some form of help from the security agencies.

    “I know that the police do not have enough manpower to provide protection for all travellers.”

    The governor expressed concern over the recent kidnap of some Catholic priests in the state but said that he was in touch with Commissioner of Police in the state, and that a lot was being done.

    He underscored the need for greater synergy between Delta and neighbouring Edo, Bayelsa and Anambra commands of the police in the efforts to finding lasting solution to kidnapping.

    According to him, we need to gather a lot of intelligence because I strongly believe that these criminals are mobile and move from one location to another.

    Okowa congratulated Usman on his appointment as AIG and hoped that he would deploy his wealth of experience and knowledge of the area to achieve success in crime control in the zone.

    He admonished the police to be proactive in crime control in view of imminent 2019 general elections.

    He also advised politicians to play by the rule and shun acts that could overheat the polity.

    Earlier, Usman, who said that he was on a familiarisation tour of police formations in the zone, thanked the governor “for contributing to the success story of the police in crime control.”