The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Delta

  • NUC shuts ‘illegal’ varsity in Delta

    NUC shuts ‘illegal’ varsity in Delta

    The Nigeria Universities Commission (NUC) yesterday sealed off the premises of World Mission University, Abraka, Delta State, declaring its activities illegal and without approval from the regulatory body.

    The institution, located on a  storey building on old Sapele Road in Abraka, Ethiope East Local Government Area, had 84 students in various disciplines, such as Nursing and Health Care, Information Technology, Building and Electrical Technology, Mass Communication and Computer Science. The school also ran diploma programmes in vocational studies.

    The university’s National Coordinator, Pastor Hannah Lucky, said the institution started operations in Benin, Edo State in awarded diploma certificates to 5,000 graduates.

    The coordinator said campuses affiliated to the university were in Oghara.

    She said Nursing and Healthcare had 42 students; Information Technology, 12; Building and Electrical Technology, six; Media Department, four and Computer Science and Vocational Studies, 34 students.

    Mrs Lucky said the school’s proprietor was planning to get approval from the NUC.

    According to her, the institution will award degrees to its first batch of deserving students in August.

    She  said lecturers were qualified volunteers, adding that the school created training centres for vocational courses.

    But NUC’s Head of Closure Team, Moses Awe, who led a four-man team, regretted that there was a rise in illegal universities, despite government’s efforts at expanding access to tertiary education.

    He said: “It has become a notorious menace in Nigeria, despite the efforts of the Federal and state governments at expanding access to the university education. You are aware that as of today in Nigeria, we have over 140 universities with the proprietorship of federal and state universities. You are also aware of the National Open University (NOUN), which is also an extension of expanded access.

  • ‘We are engaging Delta youths meaningfully’

    ‘We are engaging Delta youths meaningfully’

    Kelvin Okolie, chairman, Delta State chapter of Nigeria Youth Organization, NYO speaks on his mission and the forth-coming inauguration of the state’s executive council in Asaba.

    What exactly is the mission of Nigeria Youth Organization in Delta State?

    As the name implies, we are a youth organisation that is concerned about youth empowerment through creating awareness for youths to realize themselves in the society.  I wish to state here that skill acquisition is one of the vehicles for realising these objectives. In Delta State, we are passionate about youth empowerment in the areas of sports development, agriculture, ICT and entrepreneurship. Part of our work is also to create awareness about their role as youths in public service and leadership positions. If we say that a youth of 18 can vote, why then is it difficult for that same youth of 18 not to be voted for?  There is no point stating the fact that we are not well represented in government today, this is a well known fact.

    How much of these objectives have you achieved in Delta State?

    At the moment, we are putting finishing touches to our various programmes which are intended to train 25 youths from our state’s 25 local government areas. And we will be organising a seminar where these youths would be empowered with materials to work with. As you are aware, we will inaugurate our state chairman and executive members alongside local government chairmen on July 2. As far as we are concerned, this is a big event as we will be playing host to dignitaries both within and outside the state.

    Beyond the inauguration, what else?

    We are going to organise a lecture titled: The Youth and the Challenges of Building a New Nigeria. We chose this topic in order to create the needed consciousness among youths. We feel the time has come for Nigerian youths to take their place in the society and play the expected roles. Our aim is also to get the youths off the streets by channelling their energies to more productive ventures.

    There are many youth groups in Nigeria saying almost the same thing. What distinguishes you from others?

    As you are aware, NYO is a foremost youth organization in Nigeria founded in 1980. The organisation was founded with the belief that the youth as a class have a common destiny and obligation to society. But more important, NYO serves as a catalyst for the promotion of peace and good neighbourliness among young Nigerians. Therefore, there could not have been a better time to galvanise youths in Nigeria and Delta State in particular. We know the challenges we face today as a country and as an important and vibrant group, we cannot afford to stand aloof.

    But it is regrettable that we are yet to take advantage of our number and strength in the society. Current statistics show that the youth constitute more than 65 per cent of the population in the country. Ironically, a good number of this population is idling away and this is antithetical to the fact that youths are the engine room of development in any nation. Conscious of this fact, we are therefore determined to make a difference.

    Finally, how do you intend to drive this process in order to make the needed impact in Delta State?

    As a youth organisation, our priority is to engage and motivate youths of Delta State to make positive impact. But we cannot do all we set out to do in isolation. We will need support from relevant stakeholders, particularly Delta State which should provide the enabling environment. Our approach naturally will be anchored on advocacy, mobilisation and capacity building. It is gratifying to note that we already have a youthful governor who knows the issues. This, no doubt, would go a long way because Delta State is bubbling with energetic and vibrant youths who need little motivation to achieve their objectives in live.

  • Delta Assembly opposes order freezing its account

    Delta Assembly opposes order freezing its account

    The Delta State House of Assembly has kicked against an order by Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court in Abuja freezing its account with Guaranty Trust Bank in a garnishee proceedings initiated by a former member of the House, Jenkins Giane Duvie Gwede, who is claiming NN490,803,002.

    The Assembly argued that the judge granted the order for garnishee nisi, attaching its accounts in Guaranty Trust Bank without jurisdiction.

    It urged the court to stay further proceedings in the garnishee proceedings pending the determination of its appeal challenging the court’s order of April 15.

    The Supreme Court had, in an October 24, 2014 judgment, ordered Edoja Rufus Akpodiete, who was wrongly returned as winner of election for Ughelli North Constituency II in the Delta State House of Assembly by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to vacate the seat for Gwede.

    The apex court voided the Certificate of Return issued to Akpodiete and directed him to refund all his earnings, while he illegally occupied the seat, from June 2011 to October 2014 to the Assembly.

    Upon an application by Gwede, the Supreme Court later varied the October 24, 2014 judgment, ordering that “the sum of money so refunded by the second respondent (Akpodiete) to the Delta Assembly shall be paid to the appellant/applicant (Gwede)”.

    Rather than ensure that Akpodiete made the refund, as ordered by the Supreme Court, Gwede went before the Federal High Court in Abuja to begin a garnishee proceedings to compel the Delta Assembly to pay him what Akpodiete ought to refund, which he (Gwede) unilaterally estimated at N490,803,002, as no ascertainable sum was mentioned as due to Gwede by the Supreme Court.

    Following an ex-parte application by Gwede’s lawyer, Joe Agi (SAN), Justice Ademola, on March 7, granted an order of garnishee nisi, attaching Delta Assembly’s accounts in Guaranty Trust Bank Plc and ordering the bank and the Assembly, named as judgment debtor, to show why the order nisi should not be made absolute.

    When the parties returned to court on Monday (June 6),  Agi attempted to persuade the court to make the garnishee order nisi absolute, a move Delta Assembly’s lawyers – Prof Yemi Akinseye-George (SAN) and Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN) – objected to it on the ground that their client’s various applications against the court’s  April 15 order were pending before the Court of Appeal.

    Copies of the various applications, hearing the notices and record of appeal from the Court of Appeal and the processes filed by Agi opposing the matter before the Court of Appeal were made available to the court.

    Kehinde, who spoke on behalf of Delta Assembly, urged the court to restate its earlier order adjourning further proceedings in the case, pending the conclusion of his client’s appeal before the Court of Appeal.

    He noted that the Court of Appeal was already seized of the case and all the parties have made representations before the Court of Appeal Abuja division before Monday.

    Kehinde, who tendered a hearing notice from the Appellate Court, among other documents, said the Court of the Appeal had fixed March 7, 2017 for hearing of the pending applications.

    The lawyer said one of the issues his client was contesting is that it is not the judgment debtor.

    He added that it was also not a party to the suit that resulted in the judgement.

    Kehinde averred that the Supreme Court refused Delta Assembly’s application to be made a party to the case.

    The lawyer said his client’s contention was that by the judgment of the Supreme Court, it was at best a facilitator and not a guarantor of the purported judgment debt and that it is also not a judgment debtor.

    The Delta Assembly’s lawyer, who gave the number of his client’s pending appeal at the Court of Appeal, faulted Agi’s contention that no valid appeal was pending.

    He argued that Agi’s intention was to mislead the court and bring it on a collision course with the Court of Appeal, which had not decided on the various applications pending before it.

    But Agi urged the court to ignore Kehinde’s arguments and proceed with the garnishee proceedings.

    He argued that the Delta Assembly had no valid appeal pending before the Appellate Court.

    Justice Ademola, after listening to the arguments of both sides, adjourned till June 14 for ruling on whether to stay proceedings, pending the outcome of the Assembly’s matter before the Court of Appeal or proceed with the garnishee proceedings.

     

  • Sai Baba and Niger Delta

    Sai Baba and Niger Delta

    It is one year and five days today that President Muhammadu Buhari became the landlord in Aso Presidential Villa, Abuja. Not one single kilometre of federal road has been tarred anywhere in this oil-rich region. The North, Southeast and Southwest are also in the same situation.

    The song of hip-hop act, African China, comes to mind at a time like this: “Food no dey, walahi light no dey. And our road no good…”

    And to add salt to injury, the people of five states in the region have not had the honour of being visited by their president. Of the six states in the Southsouth, Buhari, in his first year in office, only visited Cross River. Delta, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Edo and Bayelsa did not have the honour of hosting the president.

    For reasons best known to those behind it, brigands in the Niger Delta were reborn in the first year of the Buhari administration. A new ‘terror’ group, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), emerged. Grenades were thrown at major oil and gas facilities at will. They said without some conditions being met by Buhari, peace would elude the Niger Delta, their home. And, by extension, Nigeria.

    They bombed the Chevron valve facility and the 48-inch trunk line supplying crude oil to Warri refinery. The Chevron facility they bombed is the main connecting point where all other platforms are linked up. “With the valve platform blown all Chevron activities are now halted,” the group boasted.

    Their demands are myriad. One of them is the immediate implementation of the report of the 2014 National Conference organised in the run-up to the last general elections by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan. They said if this was not done, the country would break up.

    Another of their demands centres on ownership of oil blocks. They said 60 per cent of the oil blocks must be owned by indigenes of oil-producing areas.

    The avengers also had an axe to grind with their fellow Niger Deltan and Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, who earlier in the life of the Buhari administration faulted the Maritime University started by the Jonathan administration. They said Amaechi, an Ikwerre man from Rivers, must apologise to the Ijaw on whose soil the university is situated for his “careless and reckless statement about the siting of the university”. They said maritime university “is located in the most appropriate and befitting place Okerenkoko” and must start the 2015/2016 academic session immediately.

    They also said Ogoni and all oil-polluted areas in the Niger Delta must be cleaned up and compensation paid to the communities. They also demanded that the Niger Delta Amnesty programme must be well funded and allowed to continue to function effectively.

    These avengers also claimed the Buhari’s anti-corruption campaign was, in his first year, skewed in favour of his political associates. The militants said that all members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) indicted in any corruption-related cases should be made to face trial like members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

     

    They also demanded apologies from Buhari, the Department of State Services and ex-Governor Timipre Sylva for killing former Governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, “with intimidation and harassment because of his party affiliation”.

    “Until our demands are met, no repair works should be done at the blast site. Whoever that is going there for any repair work will be doing that at their detriment,” they threatened.

    As expected, the president wrote them off. Fighter jets are now in the region trying to smoke them out. If their statement is anything to go by, they are not deterred. Their latest statement, issued on Tuesday, threatened the military, the oil companies and their workers. And of course the economy.

    Let’s get away from the avengers, whose real motives are still shrouded. In the last one year, the common man in the Niger Delta has not felt the change that Buhari promised.

    The common Niger Deltans are still poor, stinking and not sure of where the next meal will come from. They are yet to quit the creeks. Their houses, made of wood, are still covered with palm front. For them, luxury is a stranger. Their children can still not go to school.

    At this juncture, I will like to share my thoughts on what the president and governors in the region can do so that by May 29, next year and beyond, we will have a better story to tell about the common Niger Deltan.

    I will start with the East-West Coastal Road, which can be funded through Public Private Partnership (PPP) since there is cash crunch in the land. The concept, construction and cost of the East-West Coastal Road surpasses geographical spread, technical and structural specification, of any other project ever undertaken since independence.

    The proposed road, which will originate from Udukpani in Cross Rivers State, will transverse and connect over 1,000 communities and will terminate at Aiyeteju, Epe, in Lagos State. The three sections of the road will pass through areas with challenging and difficult terrains. The East-West Coastal Road Section 1 is from Warri to Kaikama in Delta State; the Section II is from Port Harcourt to Ahoada in Rivers State and Section II-II from Ahoada, Rivers State to Kaiama in Bayelsa State. It will interface with the ongoing Trans-African Highway running from Dakar, Senegal to Mombasa in Kenya.

    The East-West Coastal Road, according to experts, will serve as the shortest link between Lagos and the coastal areas of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Ondo and Rivers states. It is also meant to stem the rising tide of rural-urban drift as the opportunities within the region will outweigh those outside it.

    The road will enhance the security of the region and Nigeria at large. It will facilitate the direct access to waterways that have not been utilised, even as it will encourage the setting up of core maritime engineering facilities, such as ocean terminal for deep-sea anchorage; ship repairs and maintenance facilities to handle the engineering needs of big ocean-going vessels; fishing and passenger commuter terminals; increase in fishing activities in the coastal region; encouraging the establishment of functional Export Processing Zones (EPZs) in the coastal states; and boosting trading activities.

    The road will open up employment opportunities to both skilled and unskilled labour during and after the construction of the road. The road will facilitate new investment in the coastal areas of the Niger Delta and encourage local technology and content.

    Also, there should be profound commitment to the prosecution of a diversified economic roadmap with special emphasis on agricultural transformation and agro-industrial development that will utilise available local raw materials and other contents.

    The various states should be made less dependent on statutory allocations from the Federation Account and concentrate on other areas of revenue-generation. This is time to plan for Niger Delta after oil.

    I also want the administration to ensure the proper monitoring of the activities of oil companies to control the recklessness associated with oil exploration and exploitation as most of the past spills and other ecological disasters have either been as a result of poor regulation or none at all.

    Given the success of Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals, more investment should be encouraged in the area of petro-chemicals and agro-allied industries.

    And to governors in the region, it is time to collaborate to realise their goals through judicious deployment of the region’s oil earnings to ensure a seamless transition from huge allocations to none at all.

    My final take: It is only when the welfare of the people of the Niger Delta becomes the utmost concern of leaders at the federal, states and local government levels that those years of marginalisation, lack of representation, physical development and exploitation can be reversed. With opportunities for all, dissent and rancour will be banished.

    The region sure needs leadership that thinks years ahead of its contemporaries to bring enduring succour and satisfaction to the people and extricate them from crass poverty, hunger, under-development and want.

     

  • Ijaw communities in Delta decry military operation

    Residents of Ijaw communities in Warri Southwest Local Government Area of Delta State have urged President Muhammadu Buhari to restrain the soldiers on security operation in the areas from victimising the people.

    Our reporter received several messages from some of the communities, indicating that men of the Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Pulo Shield, currently on an operation in some communities in Gbaramatu Kingdom, especially Oporoza, that the military had been tormenting the residents.

    In a telephone chat yesterday in Warri, the Chairman of Kokodiagbene community, Comrade Sheriff Mulade, said the military had built blockades against the residents, causing fear of food shortage.

    The community leader noted that although the people welcomed the military on the waterways to curb militants and other hoodlums, the military operations in the communities were allegedly stretching the people’s confidence and threatening their peace and freedom.

    According to him, passenger boats have been impounded and thoroughly searched.

    Mulade said: “As we are talking, no boat is coming in or going out. They have barred the people of Oporoza from fishing. The people cannot go out to get anything; they are intimidating the villagers, that they must produce members of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) and Chief Government Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo).

    “Also, students, children and women are in the forest. There is a deliberate blockage of the waterways; food shortage is on the increase. The military’s approach is not the best option; dialogue is the way to go.

    “The communities are deserted as more troops have been deployed to Oporoza and the surrounding hamlets, creating fears in the people.

    “We welcome the military because of the activities of NDA and pirates. We believe the military will stem the tide of the activities, but the humiliation and intimidation of innocent residents is unacceptable and unconstitutional.”

    He added: “NDA members do not reside in Gbaramatu. They have adopted guerilla tactics to perpetrate their evil acts. The people are living in abject poverty and the Nigerian state should not worsen the people’s hardship. The ecosystem is destroyed by the bombing. But, with the way the military is going, it will be difficult for the people to corporate with them. The people cannot be tortured and be expected to give information. It is not possible.”

  • Delta Tourism Expo holds July 12

    Delta State Tourism Board (DSTB), which is charged with the development, promotion and marketing of the state tourism industry, has stepped up preparation for its tourism expo for this year, which is tagged Delta Tourism Exposition 2016 with the theme, fascinating Delta, rich tourism, great people and is billed to hold at Asaba Convention Centre, Asaba between July 12 and 14.

    Speaking on the event, the General Manager of DSTB, Ms Josephine Anyameluhor, said that the expo is meant to promote and market the different tourism offerings of the state to the world as it is opened to all travel and tourism trade operators, buyers and suppliers across the tourism value chain and others in allied businesses and operations across the nation’s economy.

    According to her, the board, is set again to reclaim it number one spot in the country and that the rejuvenated tourism expo is part of the effort at rebranding the board and the state tourism.

    The three days expo will among others feature unique and special events, one of such, according to her, is the Delta Food Court. It will parade massive display of local cuisine, ranging from appetizers, spices, main course, and desserts to beverages and cooking competition.

    Other line – up includes road show /cultural carnival, fashion show and musical concert, arts, craft and souvenir, tourism seminar and workshop, tours and award/gala night.

  • Delta sets up peace panel on communal clash

    The Chairman of Isoko South Local Government of Delta State, Sir Itiako Ikpokpo, has inaugurated a peace committee to reconcile Okpolo-Enwhe and Igbide, following last week’s clashes in which some people were killed and property destroyed.

    The committee is led by the President General of Isoko Development Union (I.D.U) Chief Iduh Amadhe while Mr Kola Obrogo is the secretary.

    Others are: Odion-Ologbo of Oleh Kingdom, the Ovie of Ozoro, Revd John Usiwoma Aruakpor, Bishop of Oleh Diocese, Anglican Communion, five representatives each from Igbide and Okpolo Enwhe as well as representatives of security agencies.

    It was learnt the clashes broke out when militants from Okpolo-Enwhe allegedly attacked their Igbide neighbours.

    Although the reason for the attacks could not be established, there have been disputes over farmlands between the communities.

    A source at Igbide claimed that the residents had endured harassment from their neighbours in Okpolo-Enwhe.

    “On the night of May 5 till the next three days, Okpolo-Enwhe residents attacked Igbide clan, first at Ekpo-Igbide and at Owodokpokpo-Igbide, far from the area of conflict,” the source said.

    Igbide residents said two of their indigenes – Oghenekaro Ogbo and Okorofa Erobi – were abducted and killed by Okpolo-Enwhe militants. Several buildings, including the Church of God Mission at Owodokpokpo-Igbide, were allegedly vandalised.

  • Oil spill: Communities groan, seek FG’s intervention in Delta

    Residents of Edjophe and neighbouring communities in Okpare-Olomu, Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta on Wednesday decried the impact of oil spill on their communities.

    They consequently appealed to the Federal Government to come to their aid as their means of livelihood were being destroyed by the oil spill.

    The chairman of Edjophe community, Mr College Akpoughegbe, who made the call in interview with newsmen in Ughelli, said that the spillage emanated from a pipeline belonging to the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC).

    He said that the incident started on Friday, adding that it had spread to other communities like Iwhrekan and Otor-Edo.

    Akpoughegbe said that spillage had affected farming and fishing activities in the affected communities.

    Akpoughegbe, who attributed the development to equipment failure, alleged that the NPDC officials in a self defence linked the oil spill to activities of saboteurs.

    ‘’The oil spill, which started on Friday, has impacted severely on farming and fishing activities in our communities.

    ‘’The spill emanated from a pipeline belonging to the NPDC but they attributed it to activities of saboteurs.

    ‘’Officials of NPDC, Department of Petroleum Resource (DPR) and the Delta Government carried out a JIV test on Tuesday to ascertain the cause of the spill but the result is not available yet,’’ he said.

    One of the residents, Mr Omonigho Edafe, a farmer, corroborated the chairman’s view, saying that his farmland was greatly affected by the oil spill.

    Effort by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) to get response from Mr Ugo Atugboko, External Relations Officer of NPDC was unsuccessful, as he said in a text message that he was out of the country.

    ‘’I can’t pick your call, kindly send me a text,’’ Atugboko’s told NAN in a text message.

  • Fed Govt wades into Delta, Edo boundary dispute

    The Federal Government will resolve the boundary dispute between Delta and Edo states, Director-General of the National Boundary Commission, Dr Mohammed Ahmad, has said.

    A statement by the commission’s Resident Information Officer, Mr Kabir Bala, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Abuja said resolution of the dispute was part of efforts to advance the definition and determination of boundary between both states.

    Ahmad noted that there was need for the two states to maintain peace in their boundary communities.

    He said: “A boundary dispute is not a do-or-die affair. The lines are not walls; they are only identified and drawn for administrative purposes.”

    Ahmad said a joint meeting of officials of Edo/Delta Interstate Boundary Committee was held in Asaba, the Delta State capital, a few months ago to deliberate on how to resolve the dispute.

    He recalled that the meeting deliberated on grey areas constituting challenges between both states.

    According to him, the meeting resolved to continue the enlightenment and sensitisation of boundary communities through the involvement of traditional rulers, chairmen of local government areas and other stakeholders.

    Ahmad said the states would maintain the “status quo” pending the final determination of their boundary by the commission.

    The commission chief added that field work on the grey areas would be undertaken from June 6 to July 22.

    The statement said Delta State Deputy Governor Kingsley Otuaro noted that the states were one and the same, notwithstanding the “artificial boundary” between them.

    Otuaro called for an urgent resolution of the boundary dispute to avoid unhealthy commotion between the communities and states.

    Also, Edo State Deputy Governor Pius Egberanmwen hailed the commission for getting the parties to resolve the boundary dispute.

    Egberanmwen said Edo State would complement the efforts of the Federal Government by supporting and cooperating with the commission.

     

  • Suspected Fulani herdsmen kill two in Delta

    Suspected Fulani herdsmen kill two in Delta

    Suspected Fulani herdsmen have killed two persons in  Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State.

    A member of the House of Assembly, representing Ethiope East, Evans Iwhurie, said the traces of the killers were unmistakable.

    The lawmaker said an employee of the Delta State University (DELSU) at Abraka, Francis Okotie, as well as an indigene of Oria-Abraka, Philip Obayendo, were killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen in separate attacks on their farms.

    Okotie (52) and father of eight, including a DELSU worker in the Library Department, was allegedly shot twice on the arm and on the back of his head on his plantain and palm oil plantation farm,.

    Iwhurie said: “It is easy to identify the culprits because they always leave behind trails of cattle excrement and damaged crops by their herds.”

    The lawmaker noted that Okotie’s death happened on the heels of a similar killing of Obayendo, who was reportedly shot and cut to pieces by his assailants on his farm at Oria-Abraka.

    He said: “The decomposed body of Obayendo was discovered five days after he was last seen going to his farm.

    “Though this is a menace that has been occurring across the country, these two cases are among the many that have befallen the people of my constituency, especially in Abraka area.”