The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Niger-Delta

  • ‘Lift Niger Delta women out of poverty, diseases’

    group, the KEBETKACHE, has decried the poverty and diseases affecting women and children in oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta.

    Its Executive Director, Emem Okon, spoke in Port Harcourt at a two-day training, tagged: “The Niger Delta Women Regional Strategy Training on Implementation of the UNEP Report in Ogoni”.

    She said it was time to involve women in mainstream government policies, programme and development.

    The executive director noted that rural women experienced poverty, which exposed them to sexual abuse.

    Okon said since their livelihood had been destroyed, it was difficult for them to survive.

    Said she: “The women came with samples of polluted water.  Oil spill has affected their water, air is polluted, the environment is destroyed. There is high mortality rate in the community.”

    Okon said Ogoni women were supposed to be the first beneficiary of the clean-up programme, describing them as stakeholders.

    One of the women from Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Gloria Alexander Thomas, said her local government Ibno, lacked potable water.

    She said 240 women and children died last year because of water pollution.

    Her words: “We need potable water. I want the government to assist us.”

     The event at the KEBETKACHE Women Development and Resources Centre, Port Harcourt, attracted women from oil communities.

    It was a platform to highlight issues affecting women and children.

     

  • FG targets 10,000 ex-militants for agric training 

    The Federal Government of Nigeria is to enroll 10,000 ex-militants in the Niger Delta to be trained in farming under its agricultural initiative at a bio-resource centre in Udi, Bayelsa State.

    Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brig.-Gen. ‎Paul Boroh (retd.), stated this Tuesday at Uvwie, Ikpoba-Okha local government after inspecting a fish farm established as an empowerment tool for an ex-militant, Ruben Bibowe Opuobori,

    Brig-Gen Boroh said the project was part of ways to ensure a sustainable re-integration of ex-agitators with a view to resolving the conflict in the region.

    Boroh stated that President Muhammadu Buhari is commitment towards peace in the Niger Delta region by focusing on agriculture because it is the best alternative for the

    economy of the nation at the moment.

    He said those engaging in pipeline vandalism in the region were ignorant” of government’s efforts towards having a peaceful nation and vibrant economy.

    Boroh said, “The drive we are into now is on agriculture because agriculture captures three major items in life. Agriculture ensures that food is secured within the environment.

    “There will be job opportunities for those who have agriculture on their mind as well as increment in their financial position because they will be able to sell their farm products and make some money.”

    “That is why I am very happy to be here today, after deploring ex-agitators at the bio-resource centre in Odi, Bayelsa State.”

    “I want 10,000 of them to benefit from this project. Edo State is capturing 100. We will take it up all the way, across the entire Niger Delta; every state will benefit one way or the other.

    “Those people involved in pipeline vandalism are not beneficiaries of the programme. They are ignorant of what the Federal Government is doing.”

    Bibowei said the programme has given him a sense of direction and made him self-reliant.

    He said, “The project has done so much for me. It brought me out from the creeks and it has given me a direction. I advise them (militants) to come out and work with the Federal Government.

    Bibowe was provided with borehole, water tank, generator and a pond containing three compartments with one already stock with 1000 fingerlis.

  • People bombing pipelines not ordinary Nigerians, says Buhari

    People bombing pipelines not ordinary Nigerians, says Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday maintained that the people involved in the blowing up of oil pipelines in the Niger Delta region are not ordinary Nigerians going by the sophistication of equipment they are using.

    By going into the sea for almost 70 kilometers to blow pipelines with ease, he said, has necessitated the need for some professional associations with high competences to talk to their members to ensure they were not deploying their skills in a negative way to the detriment of the country.

    He spoke at the Presidential Villa after his investiture as the Grand Patron of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering (NAE), led by its President, Mrs. Joana Maduka.

    He said: “How can ordinary Nigerians go into the deep sea almost 70 kilometers to blow installations, they are not ordinary Nigerians. So you have to talk to your members.”

    Disagreeing with the delegation that Nigerian engineers are under utilized, he said that 99 per cent of those that constructed the four refineries in the country were Nigerian engineers.

    Stressing that the government has always taken engineers seriously in the task of nation building, he described Nigerian engineers as those whose capacity to learn is unparalleled.

    Regretting that none of the four refineries in the country are currently working, he blamed the country’s leadership for the situation and not the engineers.

    “Nigerian engineers are competent and cost effective. I respect you all, it takes a lot to be a competent engineers”. He stated

    Speaking earlier, Maduka pointed out that Nigerian engineering companies have performed laudably well in the last one year in the procurement and construction of a 600 megawatt power generating plant and a 330KV switching station, the biggest in the national grid.

    She said that the role of an academy of engineering all over the world is to serve as Think Tank for the technological and economic development of a nation.

    “Countries like China, USA, Japan, South Korea and Malaysia are examples of nations that have harnessed the benefits of their engineering academies for economic progress. Fellows of the Academy of Engineering are Engineers who have reached the peak of their careers and are invited to join”.

    She noted that the anti-corruption efforts of the administration was a move in the right direction as it will bring about economic transformation of the country.

    The group also backed the move by the Buhari’s administration to fix all the infrastructural deficit in the country.

    She said: “This effort is very germane to the development of our nation. For this to be done effectively and efficiently, inputs are required from all cadres of engineering disciplines.

    “The physical indices of development of any country are engineering based like roads, railways, water supply, power, housing and other infrastructure. However, Nigerian Engineers are underutilized for the tasks and challenges of nation building.

    “For the country to attain sustainable growth status, the Nigerian engineers need to be adequately engaged in planning, policy formulation, consultancy and construction as well as industrial processes of production and manufacturing.

    “Furthermore, the fact is that Nigeria is grossly under-engineered as there are insufficient engineering professionals taking the population per capita basis. For example, in China, between 2000 and 2013, all the nine members of the Standing Committee (Ministers) of the Politburo were trained engineers.

    “Currently, about half of the cabinet ministers in Singapore are engineers and in China,  70 per cent of the cabinet are engineers”. She stated

    She disclosed that the Nigerian Academic Engineering is currently made up of 140 fellows.

  • ‘Expired pipelines causing explosions in Niger Delta’

    ‘Expired pipelines causing explosions in Niger Delta’

    A lawyer and prominent leader of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, Mr. Tare Porri, yesterday blamed most of the explosions in Niger Delta on expired pipelines.
    Porri insisted that majority of the oil pipelines criss-crossing the region had expired and needed immediate replacement.
    He said relevant authorities and companies had not addressed the problem of failed pipelines, adding that more trunk lines would still explode and wreak havoc on the environment.
    Porri, who is also the Deputy Speaker of IYC Parliament, spoke in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, while declaring his interest to run for the position of IYC National Legal Adviser in the coming council election.
    He said: “If you look at the Niger Delta region, all the pipelines criss-crossing the region have expired. What does that mean? It means that about 90 per cent of pipeline failures in the region are caused by these expired pipes.
    “So, when I come on board as IYC National Legal Adviser (NLA), we are going to ask the multinational oil companies operating in the region to quickly change all the expired pipelines in the region.”
    The lawyer regretted alleged extra-judicial killings in the region.
    He urged relevant security agencies to apply professionalism in the discharge of their duties and respect the sanctity of human life.
    Porri said: “The mandate of my legal team is to address all the legal issues that are confronting the people across the zones and chapters. I have also stated that the extrajudicial killings in Niger Delta are alarming.
    “Therefore, if I am given the opportunity to be the NLA, we are going to engage the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), the Operation Delta Safe (ODS) and other security agencies in the region to let them know that the Ijaw are not criminals and that they should properly investigate before shooting at our people.
    “A lot of things have happened in Ijaw land. A 17-year-old boy from Southern Ijaw was murdered in cold blood. We frowned at it. We mobilised our people and called for justice. Today, because of our involvement, the people who carried out the dastardly act are facing prosecution for murder.”
    The lawyer said many Ijaw youths were incarcerated in various prisons without reasons.
    He promised that when given the mandate, his team would enforce the fundamental human rights of the Ijaw facing different charges without proper trial.
    Porri called for unity among the Ijaw, adding that without oneness, socio-economic and political development would continue to elude the Ijaw.
    The lawyer said by virtue of his position as IYC’s deputy speaker, he, along with other humanists, had been able to release over 200 Ijaw youths from detention centres through legal processes.

  • Oil communities pledge support to end militancy in Niger Delta

    Oil and gas host communities in the Niger Delta region have disclosed commitments to support oil and gas firms to end militancy in the oil producing states.

    The communities, under the aegis of Oil and Gas Host Communities Association, said beyond dialogue, it was ready to initiate development and empowerment programmes that would engage the aggrieved youths.

    In a statement issued by the association’s spokesperson, Franklyn Nneji Monday in Abuja, he stated that most youths had to engage in militancy due to joblessness and destruction of their ecosystem.

    He condemned situations where reasonable revenue of the federal government was sourced from the region, yet the host communities remained poor and under-developed.

    Nneji said: “The association wants to ensure that people of the host communities are adequately engaged and empowered. This is for the interest of the people, the oil and gas companies and the nation at large.

    “The major cause of insecurity, youth restiveness and militancy is idleness, lack of what to do to earn a living. Youths of the host communities are roaming the street without anything to do to support their existence, it may be difficult for them to be employed but the surest way for them to be engaged is though self-employment, but then, how can they be self-employed without technical and financial support?

    “The oil and gas host communities association will therefore identify the people of the Host Communities and harness their potentials to ensure that they are adequately engaged and empowered.”

    The association informed that in order to achieve their mandate, it would encourage formal education among the host communities, source for available amenities for people of the host communities and encourage entrepreneurship among the people.

    “The oil and gas host communities association will make this possible by liaising with the necessary organs of government, multinationals, oil and gas companies operating in Nigeria and also ensure that all conflicts are resolved through dialogue. It is a new approach to bring peace,” Nneji added.

  • Tapping agricultural potential of Niger Delta

    Tapping agricultural potential of Niger Delta

    Mike Odiegwu in this report reviews the agricultural endowment of the Niger Delta region in view of the renewed commitment by the federal government towards diversification from the oil sub-sector

    The riches of the Niger Delta region go beyond oil and gas. The region is blessed with arable and fertile land capable of feeding not only Nigeria but the entire West African sub-region. Even President Muhammadu Buhari acknowledged the agricultural potential of the Niger Delta.

    Buhari was a guest at the Green River Project Farmers’ Day in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, where farmers recently celebrated and showcased their yields. The Green River Project (GRP), an initiative of the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) Limited, thrilled the President.

    NAOC and its parent company, Eni, has kept faith with the project for 20 years. Within the period, the company has been able to prove that agriculture can coexist with oil and gas production.

    Therefore, Buhari finds the Agip’s initiative, which had been expanded to the firm’s areas of operation in the Niger Delta, useful and relevant to his administration’s policy of diversification.

    The year’s event with the theme, Sustainable Farming for Sustainability, attracted Oando Plc and other oil companies; traditional rulers and farmers from different NAOC’s cooperative societies of Imo, Rivers, Delta and Bayelsa states. The governor’s of the benefitting states including the host Governor, Seriake Dickson, sent representatives.

    The President, who was represented by his Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, was excited to see that even mushrooms can be grown in the Niger Delta.

    The farmers showed the President tomatoes, pepper, rice, tubers of yam, massive tilapia and cat fish, natural honey and other items they produced through the Agip’s GRP.

    Buhari noted that the agricultural potential in the Niger Delta region was far greater than its oil and gas deposits. He said such potential should not be destroyed through illegal actions of pipeline vandalism and illegal bunkering regretting that Nigeria was spending an average of $22bn importing rice, fish, wheat and sugar annually.

    He said: “It must be noted that despite the huge oil and gas deposits, the Niger Delta region is blessed with one of the world’s largest wetlands with arable land for agriculture and has the capacity to become a domestic and international provider of agricultural produce.

    “This asset should not be destroyed by our own actions of pipeline vandalism and illegal bunkering. The focus of the present administration is to redirect attention to agriculture in its entirety and empower our people in a productive and sustainable manner.

    “This entails treating agriculture as a business to create wealth and provide employment and take us from being an import-dependent country that spends an average of $22bn annually on wheat, rice sugar and fish imports to a self-sufficient nation with surplus for export to earn foreign exchange.”

    He said there was abundance of land available for cultivation to meet the demand of about 170 million consumers in the country’s domestic market and the entire West African sub-region.

    “I wish to acknowledge the unrelenting efforts of the Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited, who in their bid to prove that oil production and agriculture can coexist has for the past 29 years supported their host communities to focus on agriculture through their Green River Project.”

    The President further appealed to state governors to collaborate with the Federal Government to make agriculture a key business in the country. He insisted that agricultural development would curb youth restiveness, protect ecosystem, promote peace and increase revenues in the states.

    But the President lamented post-harvest losses estimated to be about $9bn annually in the agricultural sector. He blamed the huge losses incurred by farmers across the country on lack of processing facilities. But Buhari said the Federal Government was solving the processing problems through the Ministry of Agriculture.

    In his speech, the Vice-Chairman/Managing Director, NAOC, Massimo Insulla, said the GRP had played important roles in the livelihood and sustenance of many families. He said it also became a vehicle for positive engagement and collaboration with host communities and governments.

    He said the company increased the coverage of the project by creating a new plant propagation centre in Kwale, Delta State. Insulla, who later signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on agricultural development with the Achievers Farm owned by Dr. Lionel Jonathan, in Yenagoa, said the company started rehabilitating existing farm complex of about eight hectares in Bayelsa to support the project.

    He said the complex would comprise a training centre, processing mills, fish ponds and other infrastructures. He said that the complex would boost the activities of the GRP and join other strong network of infrastructures consisting of the plant propagation centres at Obie (Rivers State), Obama and Okpoama (Bayelsa) and 14 extension offices spread across the four states of NAOC’s operations.

    Insulla further took time to congratulate beneficiaries who took advantage of the GRP to make big business out of agriculture. For instance, he said Lucky Azazi from Bayelsa, who emerged the overall best farmer for 2016, was earning a good income from his farm.

    He hailed Charles Okoronkwo from Imo State saying that within five years he had become a supplier of honey, palm oil, poultry and vegetables. “Incidentally, he has planted rice in Mgbede and is the proud owner of the first rice farm in the region. We also have Ebochine Farm from Delta State earning a good income from fish farming, poultry and various crops.”

    Also speaking, NAOC’s General Manager, District, Mr. Marco Rotondi, said the project had revealed that the farmland in the Niger Delta is arable describing the people of the region as amiable.

    Rotondi said the theme of this year’s celebration was predicated on four elements that make up sustainable farming such as the farming women of Niger Delta, the youths, the future of the Niger Delta and cooperatives.

    Oando, in its goodwill message lauded the GRP model saying it had been able to create 35,000 farmers within 120 communities.

    The company said: “We at Oando, a proudly Njgerian and indigenous company acknowledge the untiring efforts shown by farmers in providing sustenance for our ever-growing population; providing raw materials to the nation’s industries and contributing substantially to the nation’s foreign exchange.

    “We have worked to create the necessary visibility and awareness about the Green River Project locally and internationally. The thinking behind this approach is to further harness local capacity about sustainable farming.”

    In their various goodwill messages, the state governors through their commissioners for agriculture lauded the programme and prayed for its sustainability.

  • Group seeks alternative conflict resolution in Niger Delta

    Members of Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK) Nigeria branch gathered in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital recently to discuss the need to adopt use of “Alternative Dispute Resolution” (ADR), in settling issues, rather than the stereotyped court system.

    The two-day gathering was put together by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), Nigeria branch. It was the group’s 17th annual conference of the Nigeria’s branch, established in the country in 1999.

    The theme of this year’s annual conference was “Exploring New Frontiers in Arbitration and ADR.” Indeed new frontiers are emerging in the arbitration and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) plane.

    Issues on the proven effectiveness of ADR in resolving conflicts arising from Oil and Gas activities were discussed, with those in mainstream oil operators giving insight to the challenges. The role of Arbitrators in the ongoing terrorism, insurgent attacks, the role of modern technology in conflict creation and how ADR could be a variable means of solving the problems, as well as Nollywood issues, among others were discussed.

    Earlier in her address, the branch chairman of the Institute, Mrs. Adedoyin Rhodes-Vivour said: “These are turbulent times for the Oil and Gas industry, effective and expeditious dispute resolution will assist in assuaging the effects of the downturn in the oil market.”

    Concerns on new phenomenon and new challenges in Arbitration plane were equally handled by discussants.

    In the same manner, new developments such as third party funding currently generating debate in various jurisdictions in view of the need to ensure that ethical considerations or the transparency of the process is not being negatively impacted by the relatively new practice were examined.

    According to Vivour, the emerging improvements in industrial and technological knowhow have necessitated expansion in the nature of disputes that arise in the society, coupled with the relatively new forms of threats to the relationship among individuals, nations and corporate organisations, hence the need for faster and effective means of resolving them so they don’t get worse.

    “Indeed, terrorism and insurgency threats abound worldwide and further depict the growing level of conflicts in human society. Our mission is the global promotion of the resolution of disputes through mechanisms outside the court system, alternative dispute resolution (ADR).

    “We recognise the need to evolve and position ourselves in line with present day challenges and developments. Indeed the continuing relevance of any organisation lay in its ability to adapt to evolving times and maintain its relevance in a changing world.”

    She expressed the need for Nigeria to review and upgrade her arbitration laws to accommodate the latest realities.

  • The Niger Delta story will change for the better, says Ndoma-Egba

    The new chairman of the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba from Cross River State told reporters soon after his inauguration that the story of the Niger Delta, will change for the better under the new administration. NICHOLAS KALU was there. Excerpts:

    What are your plans towards revamping the  NDDC  as quickly as possible so that it can achieve the developmental goals for which it was set up?

    First of all, we would need to carry out a number of audits. An audit of our systems, audit of our processes, audit of our projects and audit of our personnel so that we can have a true picture of not only the governance systems but also a true picture of our obligations.

    Secondly, we have to develop a master plan. There was a master plan that was drawn up before. It was a 15-year plan. It is more than 10 years after the plan was drawn up, so it is either we do a new plan or we revalidate the old one. But there has to be a master plan that would govern planning for the region.

    Part of the problems has been that the NDDC is budgeted for on a year-by-year basis. It would not work. We have to have a long-term plan to say this is what we want to see out of the Niger Delta and then you use the yearly budget to achieve that ultimate goal. Those are some of the things we intend to set out to do.

    Uncompleted projects would be captured in the project audit because a project audit would determine the number of projects you have, the nature of the projects and the status of each project.

    The projects that you need to get off your books, you find a convenient way of getting them off the books, because we need to clean up the books. Right now, NDDC has over 9, 000 contracts and that is an unwieldy number. No matter the capacity of an organisation, I doubt if you have capacity to properly execute 9, 000 contracts. Some of those contracts are moribund, some are dead and some are non-existent. So, you need to really investigate and find out the status of each and every one of them and then you clean up the books and then begin to deal with the realistic ones.

    Funding of NDDC is a known problem. Apart from the budget from the Federal Government, there are companies and organisations to contribute to the running of the NDDC. How are you going to deal with this given that most have lost faith in the commission?

    Well, funding would be an issue, but one of the greatest impediments to funding is the lack of transparency. When people don’t see a transparent process in an organisation, they will hold back their money. So, we have to re-engage the stakeholders by making sure our systems and processes are transparent.

    What people see now is a very opaque environment and that would not encourage them to put in their money. So, you have to open up the system, make sure that there is due process in everything you do and then re-establish the confidence of the stakeholders. Under the act establishing the NDDC, for instance, there are some committees and organs that should operate. There is an advisory committee made up of the governors of the NDDC states. But I don’t know when last that organ met. Why do you need the advisory board? You need the advisory board because the member states are contributors to the finances of the project. So, they must be part of the planning.

    They must be part of the budgeting process. They should have input into what kind of projects the commission should or not carry out in their states.

    Recently, I was told in Rivers State or so, the NDDC said it did some projects and the state government is saying no, you did not do the project. We did the project. So, we don’t even know who did what.

    Youth restiveness, militancy and vandalism are affecting the economy and people are expecting that your board would definitely address all that. What is your comment on this?

    First of all, we need to engage with the youth. We need to engage with all the stakeholders. If a group believes that it was part of a process, a decision-making process, they will feel a sense of ownership of the process and the outcomes. But when a group is not part of that process, it sees the process and the outcomes as being strange to them, because they are detached.

    So, there is no ownership. The important thing going forward in the Niger Delta is that every stakeholder must feel a sense of ownership. They must be a part of the process. If the youth are part of the process, I believe they will begin to own the process and it would begin to douse militancy. It won’t stop it because what would eventually stop militancy is development; the kind of development that would create an economy that would make them productive.

    So, until we get to that point, we would still have some restiveness. But you cannot have development in an atmosphere of militancy and chaos.

    People’s expectations are high from the NDDC. What advice do you have for the people of Niger Delta?

    The people should expect a new story. It would be a new story of commitment, single-minded focus and determination to make a change in the region. It is only the Niger Deltans that can change the Niger Delta and we have this historic opportunity to do so. The choice to succeed or fail is ours to make, and I would rather choose to succeed than to fail. I would do everything to make that difference.

  • Row over Niger Delta students’ election

    Row over Niger Delta students’ election

    Three students were arrested by the Rivers State Police Command during the violence that marred the Niger Delta Students’ Union Government (NIDSUG) election. The violence followed Juliet Manyo’s election as the union’s first woman president. EMMANUEL AHANONU (Political Science, University of Calabar) reports.

    ONE WEEK after the election which produced the first woman president of the Niger Delta Students Union Government (NIDSUG), the tension is yet to be doused.

    The president-elect, Juliet Manyo, is preaching peace, but those contesting her election seem not to be listening to her. NIDSUG is the umbrella body of students from the South-south. Three of its members are being held by the police following the violence that marred the election.  The election of Juliet of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) followed the union’s convention held at WAG International Hotel in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

    The process was said to be “highly contentious” by her opponents, who accused her predecessor of installing a puppet.

    After Juliet was sworn in, she was led to Rhythm 93.7 FM in Port Harcourt to give her inaugural speech.

    This irked her opponents, who allegedly mobilised people to the radio station. As Juliet was reading her speech, dozens of people invaded the radio station, vandalising equipment worth millions of naira.

    The people said to be members of the union fighting the outgoing administration, led by Akpomiemie Obada, threatened to burn down the station. They wondered why Juliet was being referred to as the union president and allowed to broadcast her speech when there was controversy over her election.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that they forced their way to the studio after they overpowered the station’s security guards. They were said to be armed with various weapons, including spiked clubs and broken bottles. The management called in the police as the protesters made their way into the studio. The studio’s equipment were vandalised before the police arrived.

    Our correspondent gathered that the protesters were led by the union’s erstwhile Public Relations Officer (PRO), Ekadi Daubi, who was alleged to have spearheaded the anti-Obada sentiment. Three persons, including Ekadi, were arrested in the studio after the destruction.

    A top management official of the station, who asked not to be named, told CAMPUSLIFE that the vandals would be released after their family members sign an undertaking to replace the damaged equipment.

    “We have told the police not to release them until they are made to buy the equipment they damaged in our studio,” the source said.

    The violence followed months of crisis in the union, which led to several postponements of the election. Delegates arrived for the election from universities in the nine Niger Delta states. Former and serving state coordinators of the union and its Legal Adviser, Kalada Nonju, supervised the process.

    Addressing the delegates before the election, Obada thanked members for supporting his administration, saying the union had became stronger under his leadership.

    The Convention Planning Committee, Boma Wakkike accredited delegates before the election.

    Announcing the results, chairman of the electoral body, Abasa Uloho, said Juliet scored the highest number of votes to defeat her rival, Jumbo Okah of Imo State Polytechnic.

    Amos Akuro is the vice president for Administration; Henry Enyioha is the Senate President.

    Nonju, said the election was free, fair and peaceful. He advised union members to be law-abiding and urged the new leaders to put the union’s interest above any personal matter.

    Juliet promised to take the union to greater heights, pleading with members not to encourage thuggery. She promised to fufil her campaign promises, adding that she would embark on sensitisation across campuses to promote peace within the union.

    She said: “We intend to give a facelift to our union and review its relationship with politicians and leaders in Niger Delta region. We will run an all-inclusive administration that will help students achieve their academic pursuit. We will beam our focus on empowerment of women and fight for students’ bursaries. We aim to equip our national secretariat with modern gadget for effective performance. We also hope to collaborate with the police to bring up programmes that will lead to reduction of vices on our campuses.”

    Juliet said the task ahead was enormous, urging members to support her. She said she would purge the union of “criminal elements” using it to cause mayhem and defraud politicians.

    She added: “There are many evil-minded persons causing crisis in the union to defraud politicians. We have seen situations when some of them went to use the name of the union to collect money from government and politicians and share. We urge them to desist from this dishonest act and have a rethink. We will not hesitate to expose them if they do not stop.”

    Students’ leaders, who attended the  convention, expressed confidence in the president. They hailed Obada for the union’s achievements in the past two years, urging his successor to sustain the gains.

    National Association of  Imo State Students (NAISS) President Sabinus Nwachukwu, a final year Political Science student, advised Juliet and other members of the executive not to disappoint their supporters.

    “The new administration must mend fences and consult the former executive council when necessary,” he said.

     

  • Bode George to Fed Govt: don’t use force in Niger Delta

    Bode George to Fed Govt: don’t use force in Niger Delta

    Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, has urged the Federal Government not to use military action against Niger Delta militants.
    The former military governor of Ondo State noted that using military force would have grave consequences on the nation.
    Addressing reporters yesterday in Lagos on his 71st birthday, George said dialogue remained the best way to resolve the Niger Delta crisis.
    The politician said the nation’s colossal revenue loss since the renewed hostilities in the Niger Delta could not be quantified.
    According to him, it is better to engage the militants in mutual dialogue than force them to disarm.
    George added: “There is need for dialogue with the parties involved in the Niger Delta crisis. The revenue of the country has gone down since oil well and pipelines were being blown up. It is only when you have money that you can run a government. That is the reason the government must open discussion.
    “We must reach out, otherwise the issue will become monotony and boring. I am really worried and concerned about what is happening in the country, especially the dwindling fortune to meet the needs of the people.
    “As a naval officer, the clemency of that area would not augur well for any warfare. Democracy is not monotony; it is a creation of dialogue. Sometimes, you win some, sometimes you lose some. I was told that even the pipelines that were recently repaired have been blown up again.
    “Having been in the Navy and you know we have these riverine people who are with us in the Navy. They are not special sea divers, but can stay under water for a long time. That is their general terrain. It is not a warfare that is required. There must be a lot of patience.
    “Even if people are talking rubbish, you must listen. One single man’s vote is very important and since he or she voted, you have to listen to him. The government must give the people education, which is very important, to elevate them from poverty. It makes people easy to govern but very difficult to deceive.
    “So, whatever is needed to show them that government cares for their welfare must be embraced.
    “In the same vein, the nomadic education for the Fulani is very important because that is important to those people from that part of the world. Government must look at all that is needed to make the people feel they are part of government.”
    On next Saturday’s Ondo State election, George said there was a fundamental flaw ahead of the poll.
    The retired Navy commodore described the political developments in the state as unbelievable.
    He said: “The electoral laws are clear. We all saw what happened in the Ondo primaries. Delegates were generated through the normal process. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must be there when you carry out your primaries. They were there in Akure; the police and the Department of State Services (DSS) were there. They did it and we all watched it.”
    “Some people congregated at Premier Hotel in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, three states away from the centre of Ondo and came out with a candidate. I thought it was a joke. But before we knew it, they went to Justice Abang Okon to approve their candidate. But how will Justice Okon be remembered? This is because whatever anybody does will live after him.
    “It’s a very clear thing, even to a daft person, that this is odd. We know that this is absolutely illegal. Now, you have put a stamp of legality on an illegality and suddenly decided that this man who conducted his own primary in one room at Premier Hotel is the real candidate.”