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Tag: Bayelsa

  • SS3 student wins N1m essay writing competition in Bayelsa

    A 16-year-old SS3 student of Ijaw National Academy, Kaiama, Franklin Martin, yesterday won a one million Naira cash prize for essay contest organised for Senior Secondary Schools in Bayelsa.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the competition, organised by an NGO, Robert Sunday Iworiso (RSI) Foundation, was aimed at encouraging creative writing amongst the youth in the state.

    The topic for the competition was captioned “Education as imperative for National Development for global relevance.”

    Martin, who spoke at the grand finale in Kaiama, Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of the state, beat other 10 best writers selected from both public and private schools for the final.

    NAN reports that the second place went to Tamara Ayameiya of Biedomo Premier School, Yenagoa with a N250,000 while the third place went to Blessing Tari of Tari-pet International School, Yenagoa who received N150,000.

    The winner said the feat would propel him to do more in attaining his dreams and potentials.

    “I am very thrilled and thankful to God and the organizer for this huge opportunity and for taking a huge financial burden off my parents, especially at this trying time.

    “I believe the money will be judiciously used, especially on my education as I move on to the next levels and to the university,” he said.

    Mr John Iworiso, Director of the Foundation, said the competition was to discover and nurture gifted students in the state.

    “The competition is one of the several ways through which we hope to discover untapped talents from the creeks and farmlands of Bayelsa to the rest of the world.

    “We have engaged and inspired their minds as change agents and the true leaders of tomorrow for the state and Nigeria.

    “It is important to state that, with all that has befallen us as a people; education remains the key to the survival and liberation to the Niger-Delta region.

    “I urge you to continue to learn how to write as we make plans to make it an annual event for SSS 3 students,” he said.

    Mr Michael Afenfia, Chairman of the Organizing Committee praised the students for their outstanding performance.

    “Every student who sent in an entry is a winner. It shows that he or she is confident about his or her writing skill.

    “For those that did not win, I will say do not be discouraged. Take it as a challenge to perfect your writing and enter for the competition again in the next edition,” Afenfia said.

    Mr Bina Illagha, Bayelsa Chairman of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), urged students across the state to tap and key into the opportunity to build their career.

    Illagha also called on students to continue to improve their habit of reading and writing.

  • SS3 student wins N1m essay writing competition in Bayelsa

    SS3 student wins N1m essay writing competition in Bayelsa

    A 16-year-old SS3 student of Ijaw National Academy, Kaiama, Franklin Martin, on Thursday won a one million Naira cash prize for essay contest organised for Senior Secondary Schools in Bayelsa.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the competition, organised by an NGO, Robert Sunday Iworiso (RSI) Foundation, was aimed at encouraging creative writing amongst the youth in the state.

    The topic for the competition was captioned “Education as imperative for National Development for global relevance.”

    Martin, who spoke at the grand finale in Kaiama, Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of the state, beat other 10 best writers selected from both public and private schools for the final.

    NAN reports that the second place went to Tamara Ayameiya of Biedomo Premier School, Yenagoa with a N250,000 while the third place went to Blessing Tari of Tari-pet International School, Yenagoa who received N150,000.

    The winner said the feat would propel him to do more in attaining his dreams and potentials.

    “I am very thrilled and thankful to God and the organizer for this huge opportunity and for taking a huge financial burden off my parents, especially at this trying time.

    “I believe the money will be judiciously used, especially on my education as I move on to the next levels and to the university,” he said.

    Mr John Iworiso, Director of the Foundation, said the competition was to discover and nurture gifted students in the state.

    “The competition is one of the several ways through which we hope to discover untapped talents from the creeks and farmlands of Bayelsa to the rest of the world.

    “We have engaged and inspired their minds as change agents and the true leaders of tomorrow for the state and Nigeria.

    “It is important to state that, with all that has befallen us as a people; education remains the key to the survival and liberation to the Niger-Delta region.

    “I urge you to continue to learn how to write as we make plans to make it an annual event for SSS 3 students,” he said.

    Mr Michael Afenfia, Chairman of the Organizing Committee praised the students for their outstanding performance.

    “Every student who sent in an entry is a winner. It shows that he or she is confident about his or her writing skill.

    “For those that did not win, I will say do not be discouraged. Take it as a challenge to perfect your writing and enter for the competition again in the next edition,” Afenfia said.

    Mr Bina Illagha, Bayelsa Chairman of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), urged students across the state to tap and key into the opportunity to build their career.

    Illagha also called on students to continue to improve their habit of reading and writing.

  • Bayelsa PDP vows to resist hijack of party structure 

    The Bayelsa State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), at the weekend, vowed to stop attempts by some of its estranged members to hijack the party’s structure ahead of the 2019 general election.

    Speaking after the PDP’s State Executive Committee (SEC) meeting in Yenagoa, Chairman of the party Mr. Cleopas Moses insisted PDP would not be used as a platform by “anti-democratic forces” to impose their candidates on the party.

    He said political jobbers and miscreants jostling to take over the party should look elsewhere.

    Moses hailed the National Chairman, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, for not dissolving the state’s executive despite pressure on him by some elements  to do so.

    He maintained that the party in the state is strong and united, assuring the national caretaker committee of victory in the state.

    He said: “Those  pushing for dissolution of the state exco were the same people that tried but to no avail to use the defunct Transformation Ambassador of Nigeria (TAN) to detribalise the state in the wake of the 2015 election.

    ”Having failed to stop the re-election of the governor in 2016 , the same characters have regrouped to undemocratically take over Bayelsa State party structure ahead of 2019 with the aim of foisting Governor Seriake Dickson’s successor on PDP executives.

    “Their plans will fail and they shall be resisted by this exco. These anti-democratic forces calculating to hijack state structure to crudely impose candidates of their choice, including the PDP governorship candidate, on the party shall be resisted by the real PDP family.”

    Moses also reaffirmed the party’s support for the restoration government of Dickson and praised the governor for his achievements in the state.

  • Church preaches unity, renovates popular park in Bayelsa

    The Church of Jesus Christ of Later Days Saints, yesterday, called for unity and self-sacrifice when it renovated the Peace Recreational Park in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

    As early as 7am, members of the church, led by their President, Akekere Jonah, commenced the community service tagged Mormon Helping Hands with their working tools such as brooms, cutlasses, painting materials, among others.

    The members, including important personalities and dons from the state-owned Niger Delta University (NDU), repainted the chairs, pillars and other structures at the park.

    They also took their time to sweep and fumigate the environment and to evacuate the refuse from the park.

    Jonah, an Asst. Professor and NDU’s Acting Head of Department (HOD), Economic Department, said all the members from various branches of the church contributed 60000 man hours for the community project.

    He said it was the seventh selfless service embarked upon by the church in the state adding that the project was borne out of their desire to imitate Jesus Chris, who sacrificed his comfort for others without expecting returns.

    Jonah said the church was known for community service all over the world such as Latin America, Asia, Europe the Pacifics and the United States of America (USA).

    Also speaking, a notable member of the church, Ide Etimeke, said it was a thing of joy for him to serve others, adding that he was glad to partake in renovating the park located directly opposite the Government House.

    Others who took part in the project were Senior Lecturer, Geography Department, Dr. Tank Dumoyer; Director in the Ministry of Education Mr. Igoniwari Menu; notable lawyer, Matthew Beibei and Dr. Matthew Josephine of the Department of Foundations in NDU.

  • UNICEF, EU battle water-borne diseases in Bayelsa

    UNICEF, EU battle water-borne diseases in Bayelsa

    The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) is worried about water-borne diseases in the country especially in the Niger Delta region. The UN interventionist agency is particularly concerned that lack of access to potable water has led to deaths among infants.

    UNICEF in partnership with the European Union (EU) is deploying environmentally-friendly technology, resources and expertise to reduce and gradually eliminate water-related diseases killing children in various states in the Niger Delta.

    Therefore, UNICEF as a matter of policy, collaborates with government at all levels to set standards for water and sanitation systems and supplies, and supports them with innovative approaches such as Community-led Total Sanitation (CLTS), a non-subsidy approach to promoting improved household sanitation like latrines.

    The UN agency also helps build capacities of water authorities to improve provision and management of water facilities (boreholes and protected hand-dug wells depending on geology of the area) to schools, health centers and rural communities.

    The motive is to encourage governments to expand the systems to enable more Nigerians have sustainable access to sanitation and safe water. Recently, Bayelsa State, where access to clean water seems a mirage, became the focus of the agencies.

    In conjunction with the Bayelsa State Government, UNICEF and EU gathered media executives at Otuoke, Ogbia Local Government Area, to examine challenges of lack of drinkable water in the state. The workshop on Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) brought notable journalists in a roundtable to learn from experts and become part of the solutions to a mountain-like problem.

    Participants are the Programme Manager, Winikime Asingbi; Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Inebiri Daniel; Sanitation Officer, Andrew Tarivi; Water Supply Officer, Adolphus Alfred; Hygiene Education Officer, Felicia Afenfia and UNICEF State Consultant, Bright Nwaonu.

    UNICEF’s WASH specialist Martha Hoodia said access to water and proper sanitation could reduce poverty through decrease in morbidity, mortality, reduction in health expenditures, among others.

    She said EU, UNICEF and the Bayelsa State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), have been developing various innovative approaches to end water-related deaths in rural communities. She said UNICEF and its partners with effective knowledge management produced learning-based approaches and evidence-based advocacy and programmes to to stop the menace in communities.

    Diarrhea was identified as the third highest cause of death in children. Therefore, schools were implored to build safe and clean toilets. Schools were also asked to ensure that children have access to potable water and sanitation.

    Advantages of sanitation were discussed by the participants. Clean procedures help to reduce morbidity and mortality; healthcare expenditure and poverty. It also increases productivity, school attendance and income generation opportunities.

    The Programme Officer, Bayelsa RUWASSA, Asingbi Winikime, noted that in partnership with UNICEF and EU, the agency started work on sanitation and hygiene in two local government areas of the state. Winikime applauded achievements recorded in the two councils covered and called on the state government to reach out to six other local government areas.

    Winikime’s presentation raised the interest of the participants, who expressed the desire to tour the two councils and see work done by all the interventionist agencies. They wanted to see whether the agencies were really walking their talk.

    The trip was to enable the participants see what the experts described as the reverse osmosis, which helps to treat and preserve water for 20 years; ecological latrine (dry pit or drum latrine) used to counter open defecation and the water safety plan like the bio sand filtration for converting the river water into drinkable colourless, odourless and tasteless water.

    The EU/UNICEF intervention commenced in Bayelsa State in 2013 with two focal councils of Brass and Kolokuma-Opokuma, with the overall objective to mitigate violence in the Niger Delta states through the provision of water and sanitation facilities and promotion of safe hygiene practices.

    To tour the two councils, the participants were divided into two groups. While one group visited Brass, the other went to Kolokuma-Opokuma. The Niger Delta Report joined the Kolokuma-Opokuma trip.

    The journey terminated at Ekpotuari community. The area is said to have a population of 1,897 people including 854 males and 1043 females. Hitherto, residents practised open defecation. They defecated along bush parts and water bodies. They also used the same water for domestic activities such as cooking, bathing and drinking.

    The unhygienic system caused health crisis in the community. It led to infections, snake bites, cholera, diarrhea which in most cases resulted to death. But the calamity was reversed by UNICEF/EU when they intervened to eliminate the practice of open defecation. They sponsored the construction of the dry drum pit latrine, an innovative local technology for sewage disposal. It was delivered by RUWASSA.

    The families of Churchill Okotori and Janet Tombrigbofa, who benefitted from the intervention described it as a huge relief to the community.

    “The dry drum pit latrine is a huge relief. It is quite accessible because of its location. It prevents infections, enables an odorless environment, creates a high sense of hygiene and safety”, they said.

    Indeed, the local technology is a great innovation. The dry drum pit latrine is designed to separate urine from faeces during the process of defecation. It is like a normal latrine but it has a pipe leading to the drum for the faeces and a jerrican for urine.

    After excreting, the user sprinkles ashes on the faeces through the pipe and goes out to wash hands with the tippy tap. Water cannot be used for the latrine because as explained by Onuoha-Ogwe, water decomposes excreta.

    Tomgbribofa attested to the effectiveness of the latrine. “Whenever the Jerrican or drum fills up, they are rolled aside and replaced with another. The jerrican is allowed to sediment for three weeks then poured on farmland as manure for agricultural purposes as it facilitates rapid growth of vegetables, cassava and plantain.

    “The drum which is kept aside when full is sprinkled with ashes which help sediment it and convert it to manure that looks like sand. It can also be used for agricultural purposes and sand filling of bumps on roads.

    “The dry drum pit latrine is used by both young and old. It takes the drum months to get filled. As a matter of fact, it was constructed for the Okotori’s and Tomgboribofa’s compound over three months ago and till now, it is yet to be full”.

    The facility requires diligent maintenance. If it is not mismanaged, it does not develop any problem for a long time. But the locals still view it as very expensive to construct. The said its construction required about N50,000.

    But Asingbi said persons desiring to have more of the latrines should contribute to it to enable them value and handle the facility with care.  “RUWASSA will provide the manpower to fix the facility for them.

    “All that is required of the people is to get tapoline or any other cover for privacy, wood for the staircase as it needs to be raised up to place the drums under it”, Winikime said.

  • Bayelsa urges LG workers to end strike, pledges to clear salary arrears

    Bayelsa urges LG workers to end strike, pledges to clear salary arrears

    The Bayelsa Government has pledged to settle the 14-months salary arrears it owed local government workers currently on strike in the state.

    The government, however, appealed to the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) to suspend the ongoing strike by its members.

    The state Commissioner for Local Government Administration, Dr. Agatha Goma, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa on Tuesday.

    He said that ending the strike was necessary in view of steps taken by the government to address the workers grievances.

    “The labour leaders have made their point and government has heard them loud and clear,’’ she said.

    Goma explained that the authorities of the councils were working with the government to facilitate the payment.

    She said that NULGE’s stance on accountability, probity and transparency in the handling of the finances of the councils in the state reinforced the position of government.

    NAN reports that NULGE had in a statement on Aug. 7, backed local government autonomy in the ongoing constitutional review and lauded the state government for not touching local councils’ Federal allocations.

    Goma noted that the union was on the same page with the state government on the accumulated salary arrears owed its members.

    According to her, the arrears accumulated not because of mismanagement or deliberate ploy to punish workers, but due to drastic reduction in the councils’ allocation.

    The commissioner explained that increment in the allocation to the councils for the month of July gave the government leverage to pay up to three months salary arrears.

    Goma said that government had demonstrated commitment at ensuring that all agreements reached with NULGE were implemented.

    She said that such commitment was demonstrated when the government used part of its Paris Club refund to pay workers salary.

    The commissioner, also spoke on delay in the payment of primary school teachers in Ogbia Local Government, saying the affected teachers will receive their salaries before the end of the week.

    She also said that the government remained committed to ensuring adequate security in the state to boost economic activities.

    “But for the investment in security, we could not have witnessed the relative peace we now enjoy, which has created a friendly environment for oil exploration.”

    Goma urged NULGE to work with the local councils to resolve issues of indiscipline, ghost workers and over blotted wage bill.

  • Bayelsa Foundation to dole out N1million to winner of essay competition

    The Robert Sunday Iworiso Foundation (RSIF) is worried about the negative narrative of the Niger Delta region. The region is still seen as a hub for criminal activities such as militancy, kidnapping, oil theft and pipeline vandalism.

    Such narrative must stop. But the foundation knows it requires hard work to effect the needed change. Therefore, it believes that engaging young minds in meaningful academic activities like an essay writing competition will make them grow up to see the dangers in social vices. They will write their ways to fame and in the process re-write the Niger Delta story.

    The essay competition is with a mouthwatering prize. The winner goes home with N1million after doing justice to the theme, “Good Leadership: a prerequisite for global relevance”. The highest cadre of Senior Secondary School Students (SS3) are expected to participate in the competition.

    In fact, the foundation wants the youths to emulate the late Robert Sunday Iworiso, a Niger Delta man from Ogbia, Bayelsa State. His years were fruitful. He broke barriers through hard work and honesty.

    His son, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, who is the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Governor Seriake Dickson is a chip off the old block. He established the foundation in the memory of his father. The essay competition is coming few months after the foundation trained 100 youths in occupational skills in conjunction with the Helping Hands International (H2i).

    But this time, the foundation has gone into scholarship. So, on August 22 and 23, RSIF will begin the maiden series of Essay Writing Competition for senior secondary schools in Bayelsa State. The competition is scheduled to hold at the Ijaw National Academy, Kaiama. The essay project is being organized in conjunction with the state’s chapter of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), and the Bayelsa State Ministry of Education.

    A Director in the foundation, Chief John Iworiso explained that the essay writing competition was designed to groom young minds and to engender meaningful change and development in the society.

    He said the aim was to discover talented pupils with untapped potential, encourage and support them to fulfill their careers. He said the competition would inspire them to become change agents and the true leaders of tomorrow.

    Chief Iworiso thanked Governor Seriake Dickson for making huge investments in educational sector, human capacity and critical infrastructure. He said the competition was in line with the vision and passion of the governor in education.

    “We must all commend the revolutionary strides of the Dickson-led Restoration government for its huge investment in education and for clearly identifying with the fact that education is the strongest and most potent weapon to fight against poverty, underdevelopment and oppression in whatever shape or form.

    “In Bayelsa State today, we are in dire need of dreamers and vissioners in the mold of Governor Henry Seriake Dickson who lives in a Future of Bayelsa State that refused to yield to the economic recession of the day”.

    According to him, the foundation will soon commence Book Clubs in all  secondary schools in the state with the sole aim of impressing on them the need to develop a culture of reading.

    “As you all know, readers are ultimately leaders and as such, in our quest to raise a new generation of leaders for our region, the concept of a “Book Club” will go a long way to instill in our students the importance of reading as a means of encouraging them to prepare for leadership”,  he said.

    Throwing more light on the essence of the foundation, he said: “It is a non-profit organization founded a little over a year ago by Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, and other members and friends of the Iworiso family.

    “It was named in honor of the late patriarch of the family who during his lifetime showed extraordinary curiosity about his environment and strived to make everywhere and everyone he came in contact with, better than he met them.

    Another aim of this essay competition is to discover and nurture gifted young Bayelsans and encourage them to fulfill their potential. The young minds are to be engaged and inspired to see themselves as change agents and the true leaders of tomorrow that they are.

    “The foundation is available and committed to providing mentorship and support to students from Bayelsa and beyond at all levels. The foundation will continue to push the frontiers until Bayelsa state becomes the capital for education, learning and creativity”.

    The director said the competition would reinforce the message of the governor that the students could explore all the frontiers and fly like the birds in the sky. According to him the foundation aimed at producing students like Perewari Victor Pere.

    Pere, who was on government overseas scholarship at the Lincoln University, recently graduated with first class honours and was made the valedictorian of his class. He said the winner of the competition would be celebrated and given the prize in a colourful event.

    On his part the Chairman of the committee and immediate past state leader, ANA, Mr. Michael Afenfia, said contestants would win other consolation prizes.  He said the Niger Delta child was capable of conquering time and space to actualise his dreams.

    “This competition is established in a bid to change the narrative of the Niger Delta from militancy, kidnapping, and armed robbery. It is also poised to continue projecting the ideals and vision of the Niger Delta region which is blessed with abundant natural resources”, he said.

  • Confusion as APC expels Bayelsa Chairman for anti-party

    Confusion as APC expels Bayelsa Chairman for anti-party

    The National Headquarters of the All Progressives Congress (APC), at the weekend, said its Bayelsa State Chairman, Chief Tiwe Oruminighe had been expelled from the party.
    The party also confirmed the suspension of two other members of the State Working Committee (SWC), the Deputy Chairman of the party, Mr. Eddy Julius and the Secretary, Mr. Marlin Daniel.
    The party has dispatched separate letters of Oruminighe’s expulsion and the suspension of only two members of the executive committee loyal to him.
    There was, however, confusion as two separate letters containing conflicting punishments for the deposed chairman emanated from the headquarters.
    While the first letter said Oruminighe had been suspended, the second document said his punishment was outright expulsion.
    In the second letter dated August 4 and titled, “Expulsion from the Party”, APC said the decision against Oruminighe was reached at the 23rd regular meeting of its National Working Committee (NWC).
    The letter signed by the National Secretary of the party, Mr. Mai Buni, said the NWC took the action following the recommendations of the APC South-South Zonal Executive Committee.
    The letter said the committee deliberated on the report of the party’s Disciplinary Committee on Oruminighe’s anti-party activities in the state.
    “On behalf of the National Executive Committee of our party, All Progressives Congress, the National Working  Committee at its 23rd regular meeting of Thursday, 3rd August 2017 adopted the recommendations of APC South-South Zonal Executive Committee.
    “The committee deliberated on the report of the Disciplinary Committee that investigated your anti-party activities in Bayelsa State to the effect that you be suspended and ultimately from the party”.
    The letter, however, said the decision of the NWC was subject to the ratification of the party’s NEC.
    “As a consequence, you are to hand over all party property in your possession to the Zonal Vice-Chairman, Bayelsa Central Senatorial District with immediate effect while the National Vice-Chairman, South-South shall coordinate the state chapter of the party”, the letter said.
    Similar separate letters, titled, Suspension from  the Party, were also addressed to Julius and Daniel.
    Three of them fell out with the state leader of the party and former Governor of Bayelsa, Chief Timipre Sylva, shortly after the 2015 governorship election in the state.
    The feud led to the the division of the State Executive Committee (SEC) of the APC into two factions with other members of the committee declaring their loyalty to Sylva.
    The police and the Department of State Security (DSS) deployed a detachment to take over the secretariat of the party in the state at the weekend following tension created by the suspension.
    It was, however, gathered that the party in the state had selected Joseph Fafi, serving as a Vice-Chairman, Central Senatorial District, on the State Executive Committee (SEC) to fill the vacuum created by Oruminighe’s suspension.
    Already, most party members were in high spirits and were said to be jubilating over the choice of Fafi as the acting chairman of the party in the state.
    It was learnt that prior to the suspension of Oruminighe and the two executive committee loyal to him, other members of SEC held several meetings declaring confidence in Fafi.
  • My regrets as an ex-senator -Barigha-Amange

    My regrets as an ex-senator -Barigha-Amange

    Senator Nimi Barigha-Amange is a native of Nembe Kingdom in Bayelsa State. It is a riverine area where virtually all forms of existence revolve around the massive water surroundings. He recalls in this interview with PAUL UKPABIO the magnitude of poverty he had to grapple with as a growing up child, so much so that he would go to school in the day only to spend the whole night fishing just to be able to raise money for his school fees. It is the story of a poor but brave young man who out of sheer determination grew to become one of the leaders of his people, having struggled to become a petroleum engineer and then a lawyer before he became a member of the Sixth Senate.

    What experience did you take with you from the Senate?

    It was a wonderful experience that I got an opportunity to represent my people in the Senate. I am presently not a serving senator. I was part of the 6th Senate and we were able to contribute our own quota to democracy and the development of the country.

    Which senatorial district did you represent?

    I represented Bayelsa East.

    At what point did you decide to go into politics?

    I joined politics at the point when my people called on me to represent them. I had been associating myself with leadership roles here and there in my community, so politics was more or less inevitable as it created the opportunity for me to represent my people the more.

    In what ways did your early beginning contribute to the person that you are today?

    Well, I was born here in Nembe, Bayelsa State; a place where we are naturally surrounded by water. It is an island of sort. Like every other person in the community, my father was a fisherman; a vocation my mother also supported. So I grew up in that trade and business, the same with which I sent myself to school. I was going to school during the day and fishing in the creeks at night. That was the tedious circumstance I went through to get myself educated.

    Did you attend school in Nembe?

    Yes, my primary school was here in Nembe. Historically, the school was established in 1867. But surprisingly, we didn’t have a secondary school here until 1965. So you can imagine the gap between 1867 and 1965. That time lag, I mean the gap, of course in its own way affected growth and developmental activities here. That was the same secondary school that I eventually attended. Perhaps if there were more schools or more educational opportunities earlier in Nembe, things would have been different today.

    What happened after your secondary school education?

    I left Nembe for the University of Port Harcourt where I got admission to study Education as a course. However, though I was there, I was not pleased with my course of study. I was not too pleased with the course because I didn’t want to become a classroom teacher. However, luckily for me, after a while, the Petroleum Training Institute gave me admission to study petroleum engineering. That was how I left Port Harcourt for Warri. After completing the course in Warri, I later studied Law at Rivers State University of Science and Technology and attended the Law School in Lagos.

    Do you miss the Senate?

    Yes, I do. And one of my regrets was not being able to influence the successful completion of the Petroleum Industry Bill, and direct payment of 13 per cent derivation fund to host communities.

    The Senate has been in the news for the wrong reasons in recent times. Do you think that the average Nigerian considers the Senate helpful in the issues confronting the nation at the moment?

    The legislature is the identity of democratic rule. Without the legislature, there is no democracy. The people speak through the legislature. There are democracies that are more than two centuries old, yet mistakes are being made there. Let us give our democracy time to grow.

    If you were to have an opportunity to return to the senate now, what are the things you would like to change?

    I leave among oppressed people. I will fight against oppression and injustice.

    What is your impression of your community?

    To us, it is our natural environment. Our lifestyle or living condition is interrelated with our environment. We are just about 15 kilometres away from Oloibiri where oil was first found in Nigeria. My home town is surrounded by about 200 oil wells.Amidst this wealth is a great sense and feeling of lack and poverty. Much of this has to do with pollution which we are daily cautious of and resist. We change the corrugated iron roofing sheets of our houses every five or seven years due to acid rain emanating from gas flaring and water pollution. It is indeed a hard life to live. But over the years, we have developed a befitting lifestyle as much as we can.

    Are you hopeful that the current Senate will be able to look into ways of protecting the environment and your fortunes and those of your people?

    Yes, I hope so. Actually, I know there has been progress in that direction. The Host Communities Bill under PIB has scaled through second reading. So there is hope.

    What is social life like in Nembe?

    Despite the inadequacies and shortcomings of our environment, we still have a vibrant lifestyle. Like I mentioned earlier, we have various activities that we do on water, like boat racing, swimming competitions and so on. We also have annual wrestling festivals. It is an important sport to us in Nembe and its environs, a very entertaining one at that.

    Which sports did you grow up doing?

    As a child, I was very interested in football. I kept at it and played football all through my school days. I was part of the football team in all the schools I attended. I love to play tennis too. It has remained my favourite past time.

    Why did you have to study Law after becoming a petroleum engineer?

    You are right. I was already a petroleum engineer. As a matter of fact, I got a job with an oil company, and I was very comfortable. But there were leadership challenges in my place, hence the need for me to study Law. And that decision also helped and influenced my contribution to the development of my community.

    Warri or Port Harcourt, where did you meet your wife?

    (Laughs) I didn’t meet her in Warri or Port Harcourt. We met here at Nembe.

    How many wives and children do you have?

    My people honoured me with a chieftaincy title. Amange is actually a title which dates back to centuries. I am the seventh person to be so honoured and addressed by that title. It is a popular title in my place. Nonetheless, I am married to one wife. As for children, I have them, but at our place, we do not count children (laughs).

    How was the Nembe you grew up in different from the Nembe of today?

    Not much difference. Like I earlier told you, look at the time lapse in the establishment of a primary school and the establishment of the secondary school; about 100 years. Until the completion of the only road we now have, we used to sit for five hours in a boat on water to get to Yenogoa.

    The lifestyle has improved though. We have to thank the International oil companies, SPDC and NAOC who have also been of great help with electricity, potable water and internal roads.

    What’s the secret of your good health?

    If there is any secret, it must be the fact that God gives me rest of mind. I do not think evil of any man. But I also keep fit by observing daily exercise. I do my annual medical check-up here in Nigeria.

    We hear that you are also a philanthropist

    That is a part of me that I cherish. I am at my happiest moment when I give back to people or when I lend a helping hand. If one of my kinsmen asks me to pay school fees for his/her child and I cannot afford it, I feel deeply pained. That night, I would go to bed feeling very sad. I do assist orphanages that I am committed to. I do not celebrate birthday with lavish dance parties, but I celebrate with gifts to people and communities.

    What do you do these days?

    I do corporate legal consulting. I am into farming. As the President of Total (E and P) Pensioners’ Association, I move to see that pensioners receive their entitlements.

    Do you find time to go out of Nembe these days?

    Yes, I do go out sometimes. I attend friends’ activities. I also do visit places of interest.

    How about family holidays?

    Oh, under these harsh times (laughs)? Family holidays are a luxury now. I do not go abroad for holidays though, because I have not navigated up to 50% of Nigeria

    What would you say about your sense of fashion and style?

    I like wearing our traditional clothes. They have their own peculiar style and relays dignity in our traditions and culture. Our clothing and style have also today stand out to represent the people of our region, the South-South. I adorn the wrapper, the entire attire and the cap. I recall my trip to Canada a while ago and the attention that I was able to generate through my cultural, traditional clothing. And I also recall that some Nigerians in Canada where I stayed were able to identify with me through my clothing and style.

    In Lagos, for instance, what people consider as wealth is landed properties, cars and so on. What do people value as wealth in your area?

    We value the environment, land and children. Our daily bread depends on our creeks and lands. We fish to eat, we fish to train our children in schools and we fish to build shelters. This is the reason for our crying out aloud when our environment, made up in creeks, is polluted. Our entire lives depend on the creeks around us. What I consider as wealth is one’s ability to touch the lives of others.

    Who has influenced you the most, mum or dad?

    My parents equally influenced me.

    If you were not what you are now, what else would you have loved to be?

    God wants me to stay this way. I cannot decide for myself.

    How do you think the restiveness among the youth in the Niger Delta can be curtailed?

    That is simple. It is better to restructure Nigeria. Oil wealth should not be a curse but a blessing to the people of Niger Delta. They should not be allowed to wash their faces with saliva while at the water front.

  • Things fall apart for Igbo in Bayelsa

    Things fall apart for Igbo in Bayelsa

    All is not well with the Igbo community in Bayelsa State. The umbrella body of the community, Ohaneze Ndigbo, Bayelsa, is torn apart by leadership crisis. The desire of two warring parties to control the chairmanship of the socio-cultural group has created security concerns in the state.

    But the state government is not treating the issue with kids gloves. Governor Seriake Dickson deployed his aides representing the Igbo community in his administration to investigate the cause of the crisis and immediately restore unity in the battered Ohaneze Ndigbo.

    According to a report presented by the three Igbo government aides, the immediate cause of the leadership crisis in Ohaneze Ndigbo started last year. A transition caused the problem. An election was held to fill a leadership vacuum following the expiration of the tenure of the past executive committee of the association.

    One of the warring parties accused the past chairman of the association, Chief Okwudili Oko of foisting the current leadership on the Igbo community in the state. The dissenting voices said there was no election where Chief Amaku Chinedu emerged to lead the association.

    They faulted the process that led to the emergence of Amaku and demanded a fresh election to right the wrongs. Some of them said it was the turn of Imo State to lead the group but that the Imo community in the state was not consulted to present its selected candidates for the election.

    They insisted that the electoral committee changed the venue of the election, shifted the day to Sunday and held the poll at 9am when other members of the association were in church.

    However, the supporters of the new chairman said there was an election, which was free, fair and properly conducted in line with the customs and conventions of the Igbo cultural group. They noted that the Imo community as an entity pulled out of Ohaneze but only resurfaced when it was their turn to lead the association.

    They argued that since the organisation recognised individual membership, qualified members from Imo were allowed to contest the election in which Amaku emerged victorious. They contended that some of the candidates who were selected by the Imo community lost the election and congratulated Amaku.

    They wondered why the opposition against the new leadership came six months after its inauguration. According to them, persons angry at Amaku and the process that threw him up attended his inauguration and celebrated with him. Besides, the new leadership had started performing the functions of Ohaneze Ndigbo.

    Such were the ventilation of opinions and anger that characterised the reconciliation meeting between the two warring parties held recently at the conference hall of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). The parley was organised by the Commandant, NSCDC, Mr. Desmond Agu, to resolve the crisis in Ohaneze Ndigbo.

    It was a crucial meeting meant to permanently stop the tension emanating from the association. Agu, who also hails from Imo State, has been wading into the crisis to stop it from escalating. All the security commanders were represented at the parley.

    The Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Igbogene, Mr. Peter Ezebuike and the DPO, Azikoro Village, Mr. Solomon Ubani, represented the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Asuquo Amba.

    Others are A. Okoye, Department of State Security (DSS); Augustine Idima, Head of Asministration, NSCDC and Ikechukwu Lawrence Igwe, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC). Also among the peacemakers is Special Assistant on Security, Government House, Mr. Amoyah Freeborn.

    The Igbo warring parties and key players in the crisis  also attended the meeting. Two of the governor’s aides, Chief Tony Madu and  Sunny Chukwuezi, who were mandated by Dickson to resolve the crisis were also in attendance,

    The Traditional Ruler (Igwe) of Igbo community, Ezeigbo, Anthony Uwakwe-Onyendu; Chairman, Ohaneze Youth Council (OYC), Chief Chinedu Arthur-Ugwa; Igbo Women Leader, Nzube Ifeobo and many other Igbo dignitaries, stakeholders and interested parties attended the parley.

    Agu, the NSCDC Commandant in his opening address, said the security agencies were disturbed by the tension in the association. He said the disunity in the association was unsettling the Igbo community adding that there was need to maintain the existing peace in the state.

    Addressing them he said: “We are not happy that we still hear stories of crisis in Igbo community. I have invited you here four times to deliberate on this matter, yet the problems persist. This is the final meeting we are having in this crisis. All the security agencies are here and whatever we decide here today will be the solution to this crisis”.

    In fact, for over four hours, the peacemakers listened to the warring parties. One after another, they argued back and forth. At some points, arguments and shouting matches ensued because of frayed nerves. The issues seemed irreconcilable. But Agu and his team were patient, calm and in most cases dictated the lines of argument.

    But some of them were neutral. They wanted peace. For instance, a patron of Ohaneze, Chief Wilfred Ihenagoru, insisted that there was no need for crisis. He lamented that some persons always wanted to be in the corridors of power.

    He said: “This problem will not lead us anywhere. We should not spend our resources to resolve crisis. We elected a new government for some months. Some people always want to remain in government.

    “When they are not in government, they cause problems. Former President Goodluck Jonathan lost and conceded defeat. Let us be patient, resolve our crisis and move forward”.

    Prior to his departure, the Sector Commander, FRSC, Ikechukwu, appealed to the Igbo to put their house in order. He said the stubbornness of a few people had protracted the crisis in the association. He advised them to humbly accept whatever decision that would emanate from the meeting.

    “There is always misunderstanding. We should not kill ourselves. Be humble. It is humility that will help us resolve our crisis. Everybody has masters. Let us bring down ourselves. What are we fighting for?  There is no issue on ground. The issue is stubbornness”, he said.

    Speaking for the police, Ubani, said Agu’s gesture was a welcome development and appealed to the association to bury their hatchet and look for the way forward. He said since no election is totally free of hitches, Ohaneze should ask the outcome of the last poll in the interest of peace.

    “Let us always emphasize on things that bind us instead of things that separate us. No elections are free and fair anywhere. It could only be violent-free. Every little flaw in the election should be ignored for a way forward”, he said.

    Also the representative of the DSS, Okoye, said the crisis was the first thing that confronted him when he resumed at the state office as the Assistant Director, Metropolitan City.

    He said: “Some rich Igbo refuse to join the Ohaneze all because of the conflict amidst them. It’s not all issues that the security agencies should interfere in. Even if there are challenges, look for a peaceful way to resolve it as a way forward.

    “Other tribes such as Yoruba have their association but you don’t ever hear of them having issues. Work towards shifting the grounds just for the sake of peace. The tenure has a number of years which is already counting”.

    At the end, representatives of the security agencies read their resolutions to the crowd. In the spirits of ensuring the peace, they upheld the election that produced Amaku.

    They asked the Ohaneze Youth Council (OYC) and a splinter group, the Igbo Youth Council (IYC) to reunite. They also held that the state chairmen of Ohaneze Ndiigbo in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo and the two other Igbo-speaking parts of Delta and Rivers states should be automatic vice-presidents as recognised by Ohaneze National body.

    The peacemakers advised states that are not members of Ohaneze to register with the body without cost and urged individual members, who are not part of their various communities to identify with their communities.

    Opposition mounts.  The decision of the peacemakers did not go down well with the party against the leadership of Amaku. Some of them accused the peacemakers of bias. They also argued that the peacemakers overstepped their bounds, adding that they had no right to issue orders about the Ohaneze leadership. According to them, only the Ohaneze national body with its headquarters in Enugu could decide the future of the association in Bayelsa.

    Few days after the decisions, the national body reportedly sent a delegation to Bayelsa to look into the problems of the association in the state. They were said to have appointed a caretaker committee to take charge of the association and gave the committee three months to organise a fresh election.

    They were said to have appointed Mr. Mark Nlem to lead the caretaker committee. When contacted, Nlem said: “We were given three months to conduct the election and the intervention of the security agencies and their resolutions at the reconciliation meeting cannot stand. It is only Igbo that can decide who leads them. So they want to make it transparent. If Amaku continues to parade himself as the President, he is impersonating”.

    But Amaku insisted that the election that produced him was authentic and that he remained the leader of the Ohaneze in Bayelsa State.