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Tag: Niger-Delta

  • Niger Delta crisis: Avengers write Buhari

    Niger Delta crisis: Avengers write Buhari

    The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) is not keen on meeting with security agents who may be representing the Federal Government at the proposed peace talks over the crisis in the zone.
    The NDA, in an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, said it is not proper for a democratically elected government to conduct such talks through security agents.
    It was responding to what it called the president’s “continuous disparaging remarks since the cessation and suspension of hostilities by our fighters for the liberation of the Niger Delta from economic colonialism of Nigeria.
    “We are curious of comments like ‘Niger Delta militants objective is to colonize Nigeria economically’ and ‘Niger Delta militants are sponsored by economic looters’ during the Passing Out Parade (POP) of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) 63rd Regular Course,” NDA said in the open letter signed by ‘Brig. Gen’ Mudoch Agbinibo. 
     The letter further stated that, “You personally issued misleading statements and threats of decisive military action – if necessary – to deal with Niger Delta agitation because you have purportedly opened up channels of talks through security agencies/agents and the Multinational Corporations.
    “Mr. President, do democratically elected governments open channels for talks in situations like we have in the Niger Delta through security agencies/agents or you are assuming the Niger Delta as a conquered colony in your 1984 Era?”
    The militant group also expressed dislike for the President’s constant reference to the recently flagged off clean up of Ogoni as part of government’s program to salvage the ravaged environment. 
    It said the pollution of Ogoniland was caused by successive governments, adding:”How can you justify Ogoni clean-up and at the same time constitute a Task Force Called “Operations Delta Safe” that is embarking on environmental pollution with the burning and bombing of petroleum products in the guise of fighting oil theft? 
    “Does that amount to lack of genuine ideas or sincerity? 
    “Or at least, is there no relationship between environmental pollution and the ongoing indiscriminate burning and bombing of petroleum products by operatives of the so-called Operations Delta Safe?
    “Mr. President, basically, some other factors fueling the Niger Delta conflict are corruption engendered by successive government that you served since oil becomes the commonwealth of the nation Nigeria.
    “Whilst you start the Ogoni clean-up process, what is wrong in reviewing the Sir Henry Willinks Commission Report of 1958? The Ogoni Bill of Rights, The Kaiama Declaration document of the Ijaw Youths Council, The General Alexander Ogomudia Committee Report, and The Leedum Mitee-led Niger Delta Technical Committee Report?”
  • Semenitari’s legacies in Niger Delta

    Semenitari’s legacies in Niger Delta

    Mrs Ibim Semenitari’s tenure acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) will not be forgotten in a long while

    Ibim Semenitari is a woman with the heart of gold. Looking at her gives you the feeling that we have a future in this country. She has demonstrated an uncommon selflessness and kindness to the weak as represented by Cross River State in the midst of other Niger Delta states. I can spend a whole day celebrating her.”

    Prof. Ben Ayade, the Governor of Cross River State, said these and more about an amazon who has left indelible footprints on the sands of the Niger Delta. The governor in more ways than one cast Mrs Semenitari, who just finished her assignment as the Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, as a “woman of inestimable value.”

    Ayade was speaking at the Government House in Calabar during a courtesy visit by Mrs Semenitari and other NDDC directors.

    It was a day the professor of environmental microbiology struggled to find the appropriate adjectives to describe Mrs. Semenitari. The governor said he was particularly impressed by Semenitari’s the performance, noting that but for the intervention of the NDDC, the 2016 Calabar Carnival would have been a disaster because nobody would want to come due to the deplorable state of the roads leading into Calabar.

    Prof Ayade had more to say and he literally got everyone drenched in emotions as he added: “You have demonstrated that women can deliver on their duties and touch even many more lives. For this reason, our carnival torch which signifies the commencement of the Calabar Festival will be lit by you as a mark of honour.”

    The governor had good reasons to be excited because Mrs Semenitari, through the NDDC, saved his state from isolation. A few weeks earlier, both the Calabar-Itu highway and the Calabar-Ikom highway, the two major arteries to the state capital, were impassable. She turned the deplorable situation around in a matter of weeks.

    So, it was an appreciative governor, who promised that Cross Rivers State would roll out the red carpet for Semenitari. He predicted that she would be called to a higher national duty having performed well in NDDC, stating: “Semenitari is a special gift from God to humanity.”

    It is not surprising, therefore, that this outstanding amazon of the Niger Delta was picked out by President Muhammadu Buhari on December 21, 2015, for a special assignment in the oil-rich region. Three days to Christmas, Mrs Semenitari, arrived Port Harcourt from Abuja to the warm embrace of an enthusiastic crowd that gathered at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa.

    She quickly mounted the saddle as the baton of leadership was handed over to her by  Bassey Dan-Abia, at the Commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt.

    From the onset, Mrs Semenitari left no one in doubt that she was ready for a serious assignment. In her first address to management and staff of the Commission, she promised to reposition the interventionist agency for better service delivery to the people of the Niger Delta.

    She charged the staff of the commission to brace up for hard work. “We will ensure that we put the people of the region first. For that reason, we must make sure that contractors are not allowed to get away with shoddy jobs as we must insist on getting value for money spent on projects and programmes,” she said.

    Ten months down the line, the stories coming out of the NDDC have been remarkably and refreshingly different. Semeniari’s sterling performance has attracted so many testimonials similar to the opening quote from Prof Ayade. The accolades were crowned with a royal title from Ondo State.

    The Olufon of Ifon, Oba Israel Adegoke Adeusi, may well have been speaking the minds of other traditional rulers when he described the NDDC as a performing government agency with a woman of substance at the helm of affairs. The Oba was obviously impressed and he showed it.

    He adopted Mrs Semenitari into his Council of Chiefs, honouring her with the prestigious title of Eleru of Ifon in his palace.

    The royal endorsement was also stamped with a legal seal, as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Niger Delta, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, declared: “We are impressed by the innovations introduced by the Acting MD of NDDC.”

    The Senator Nwaoboshi-led committee had inspected the emergency repairs on the Calabar-Itu Road and the DDPA Housing Estate Road in Asaba, Delta State. At the project sites, Mrs. Semenitari, told the Senators that the deplorable state of the roads made it imperative to take urgent action to reduce the sufferings of road users and save the economy of many states in the region.

    A list of the projects produced by the NDDC Directorate of Utility, Infrastructural Development and Waterways showed the spread of the massive intervention in the nine mandate states of the Commission.

    The document showed that the Commission was working on 18 roads in Abia State, 32 in Akwa Ibom, 14 in Bayelsa and 4 in Cross River, including the Calabar-Itu-Ikot-Ekpene-Aba Federal Highway. The other roads covered in the emergency intervention are 26 in Delta, 8 in Edo, 22 in Imo, 6 in Ondo and 64 in Rivers State.

    Other stakeholders that acknowledged the efforts of the NDDC included the Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC. The APC Chairman in the state, Dr Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, congratulated Mrs Semenitari for moving swiftly to rehabilitate important roads in the Niger Delta for the benefit of the people.

    To add an international flavour to her accomplishments, Mrs Sementari was in Washington DC, United States of America on August 19, 2016, to share her experiences with other women of note across the world. She was, indeed, the toast of the 8th edition of the African Women in Leadership Organisation. It was a moment the audience, which included top political leaders, business moguls, African-American lawmakers, listened to the dynamics of women owning their voices for the greater good.

    Some of Semenitari’s remarkable achievements include the completion of the Ogbia-Nembe Road project, and the revival of many abandoned projects scattered in several parts of the Niger Delta region. Indeed, she was already looking forward to the commencement of work on the second phase of the Ogbia-Nembe Road which will take the road to Brass.

    The 27-kilometer Ogbia-Nembe Road with six bridges and more than 50 culverts was awarded at the cost of N24.5 billion and executed by the NDDC in partnership with multinational oil giant, Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC.

    Under her watch, several project sites of the Commission were reactivated to step up development of infrastructure. She said: “Some of our key projects where contractors had left site are now active, as we have made some payments to encourage them. We have carried out a number of inspections and supervisions and I have directly carried out 43 projects supervisions and inspections since assumption of duty, while commissioning and handing over a couple of projects.”

    It is noteworthy that Semenitari re-activated the abandoned 3.65-kilometre Okrika-Borokiri road by mobilising the contractor back to site to complete the project. This key road had three bridges connecting Kolabi, Abotoru and Okpoka creeks to Port Harcourt and it is expected to ease traffic along the East-West Road and connect several communities.

    The NDDC under Semenitari gave impetus to its Post Graduate Foreign Scholarship Programme. On October 4, beneficiaries of this year’s foreign scholarship were given their letters of award and prepared for departure to their various universities overseas.

    Addressing the NDDC scholars, Mrs. Semenitari said that they represented what could be achieved through hard work, commitment and determination.

    In the area of healthcare, the NDDC under Ibim endowed a Professorial Chair in Malaria Research for the Centre for Malaria Research and Phytomedicine, (CMRAP), at the University of Port Harcourt, for the sum of N25 million per annum, to encourage the global fight against malaria.

    The desire to enhance stakeholders’ buy-in prompted Mrs Semenitari to host the Partners for Sustainable Development (PSD) forum on Tuesday, July 19. Many stakeholders share her views that the forum was very important for “the development of our Niger Delta,” especially at this auspicious time when the country was relying on major actors in the Niger Delta to come together and address the development challenges facing the region in view of the Change Agenda of Mr President.

    As part of the motivation, the Commission moved its Rivers state office from a rented accommodation to an imposing three storey complex, thus ending its 16 years of operating from a rented office. The state office project was started several years ago by previous managements of the NDDC but was later stalled until Semenitari revived it on assumption of office.

    The edifice has provisions for several facilities, including a large reception hall, conference/multi-purpose hall for 250 people, staff canteen, sick bay and offices for drivers on the ground floor. Each of its four floors has ample space for offices and a basement floor for archiving and car park.

    The traditional ruler of Port Harcourt, Eze Victor Woluchem II, described the office as a magnificent structure that had changed the skyline of his domain.

    Among the new things she brought to NDDC was instilling the culture of transparency and accountability. This was reflected in the release of NDDC’s first and second quarterly reports, now online on the NDDC website.

    The NDDC under Mrs Semenitari also played a leading role in kick-starting the clean-up of Ogoniland. The Commission collaborated with the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs to ensure the success of the flag-off exercise.

    To further demonstrate its concern for the environment, the Commission organised a road show to sensitise the public on the value of tree planting to mark the 2016 World Environment Day.

  • Navy arrests 25 for “illegal bunkering”, recover products

    Navy arrests 25 for “illegal bunkering”, recover products

    As part of efforts to eliminate economic sabotage and criminality, the Nigerian Navy (NN) has arrested 25 suspects for illegal bunkering in the Niger Delta.

    Thirteen of the suspects were apprehended in Akwa Ibom by operatives of the NNS JUBILEE with 103 drums filled with illegally refined diesel and 188 empty drums starched in three wooden boats.

    According to the Director Information, Commodore Chris Ezekobe, three suspects were apprehended by the Forward Operation Base (FOB) ESCRAVOS, where six wooden boats carrying suspected stolen products were destroyed around Sandhill Creek in Warri South, and recovered two wooden boats laden with 300 Metric Tones (MT) of stolen crude oil and a pumping machine during the raid.

    “The 13 suspects allegedly involved in illegal bunkering activities were arrested around Ibeno area of Akwa Ibom State in three Cotonou boats. Two of the boats were carrying 55 and 48 drums of suspected illegally refined AGO respectively, while the third Cotonou boat was carrying about 188 empty drums. The suspects and exhibits have been handed over to officials of Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for necessary action.

    “A patrol team deployed by NNS PATHFINDER raided Adokiakiri Creek around Okirika and Dutch Island at Onne, Rivers State. During the operation, the team arrested eight suspects and destroyed four speedboats laden with 100MT of illegally refined AGO.

    “Two barges containing 500MT of suspected stolen crude oil were also destroyed by the team. In another raid, the patrol team arrested three suspects onboard MV OMETE VI and a large wooden barge laden with about 120MT of illegally refined AGO around FOT Onne in Rivers State.

    “NNS DELTA patrol team raided an illegal refinery site at Saba Creek in Warri South LGA of Delta State. During the operation, a suspect was arrested while the illegal refinery site and a Cotonou boat laden with about 82MT of suspected stolen crude oil were destroyed.”

  • Reparation: A Case For Nigerian Soldiers

    Reparation: A Case For Nigerian Soldiers

    Seven years of Nigeria’s engagement with haunting and revolving internal security crises speak of her most turbulent history since independence. Whether it is the violence of terrorists in Northeast; pulling of the strings by armed bandits and cattle rustlers or stretching further to militants in the Niger Delta and the Southeastern, somewhat, thoughtless agitations for secession have for the same number of years weighed so much on the country’s internal security coherence.

    It has cost Nigeria huge waste of both human and material resources, but most importantly, the loss of its finest military personnel in unnecessary combat escapades for internal national security. No one can doubt that the Nigerian military’s main constitutionally defined duty is to protect the nation against external aggression.

    Internal aggression is basically the duty of other arms of security agencies, such as the Police, and its latter-day sister, Civil Defence. But when breach of internal security gets worse and beyond the capacity of these civil security agencies, the military, especially soldiers are drafted into it in complementary status.

    Lawfully, the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria drums it in section 217, where it clearly outlines the duties of the various arms of the military, like the Army, Navy and Air force. It goes further to assert that Nigeria’s territorial integrity and her borders, whether on land; in the sea or air, must be protected. Quelling internal insurrection by the military is secondary and it publicizes the additional duty of the military.

    Bargaining it the more, Nigerians who have taken to the profession of the armed forces are loved by their country, much as their beloved families. They have graciously chosen to sacrifice their lives to secure Nigeria and her peoples.  They are the rare warriors of the nation, which some communities lack. They are deprived of every comfort to keep Nigeria secured.

    Nigeria’s map today has been re-drawn with massive internal violence. The country has become a replica of a state or nation under siege by its own deviants. The level of sophisticated weapons and ammunitions at the disposal of these agents of destabilization against the state baffles even the devil who might, perhaps, be tempted to rebel against his kingdom. They often overwhelm civil security apparatus, each time they strike, compelling presidential orders for the involvement of the military.

    Most times, such presidential orders are directed at the Nigerian Army. This is not to say, other segments of the armed forces are not important or do not perform similar or vital functions on security in the country.

    But by the nature of soldiers, they are more inclined to assist weakened or overwhelmed civilly-friendly security apparatus in the country. Soldiers operate on ground, but in contrast, the Navy does it in the water and the Airforce, in the air. Soldiers are nearer the police in such dire stress of national security dilemma.

    The argument has been that among armed security forces in Nigeria (and including the Police), the army is the most vulnerable camp of the fraternity. Arguably too, the army parades more number of personnel than the rest other arms of the military.

    In Internal Security Operations (ISOPs) Nigerian soldiers suffer more casualties than any other compartment of the armed forces. Those who are abreast with news would easily testify that whether in the Northeast or the South-South or anywhere, the arm of the Nigerian military which suffer more casualties as always confirmed by the mass media is the Nigerian army.   Screaming news headlines such as “ Boko Haram insurgents kill soldiers,” or “ Soldiers ambushed by Boko Haram” have been the frequent of the media. You hardly hear of the Airforce or the Navy.

    There are dozens of soldiers, who die or get killed in the line of duty.  It’s their sworn voluntary vow to die in loyalty and defence of their country. But the frequency of the deaths of soldiers and their proneness to such preventable hazards in the course of duty has raised serious concerns about the families they leave behind and the need for compensation.

    Two recent outstanding incidents can appropriately punch this plea.  Last month’s attack on soldiers or troops in Bosso LGA of Niger State and the boat incident involving some Nigerian soldiers of the “Operation Crocodile Smile, “ in Bayelsa state comes to mind.

    Numbers of soldiers who have lost their lives in the Boko Haram insurgency need no mention and Nigerians are aware. When news headlines scream about deaths of military personnel, it’s all about soldiers.

    The Bosso LGA, Niger state and the boat mishap incidents in Bayelsa sufficiently conveys the plight of soldiers and why they ought not only to be appreciated, but Nigerians should begin to canvass for a special compensation for their families.

    The NUJ leadership in Abuja, under Comrade Waheed Odusile, penultimate week, hailed Nigerian army as the best in the world.  The commendation emanated from a clan of critical minds, (journalists) permanently insatiable, but were touched by the sacrifice Nigerian soldiers have made to rescue Nigeria from anchors of terrorism. It implies that Nigerians across board are beginning to appreciate them.

    Why this appreciation is necessary and should extend beyond words of mouth could easily be pictured in the two incidents cited earlier. In the Niger state incident, soldiers or troops on “cordon and search” operation in some communities in  Bosso were ambushed on three different fronts by armed bandits and gun-runners by the same community they went to secure.

    At  the end of gunfire, at least, 10 members of the troops lost their lives. But out of the number, eight soldiers, including an officer, lost their lives; however, just two airmen died in the incident, and yet another soldier could not be found immediately.

      Director, Army Public Relations (DAPR), Col. Sani Usman,  explained that,   “following covert surveillance and intelligence reports on the activities of some gun runners and armed bandits in Kopa, Dagma and Gagaw villages of Bosso LGA, Niger State, troops of 31 Artillery Brigade, 1 Division Nigerian Army, in conjunction with Nigeria Air Force detachment on Internal Security Operation MESA went on quick cordon and search in the affected areas to recover suspected weapon cache and arrest the suspected persons and the armed bandits.”

    “While approaching and deploying to carry out their lawful duty, the troops came under simultaneous and sporadic shootings in all the three locations. They however responded as necessary in line with the rules of engagement,” he added.

    In another incident, some Nigerian soldiers attached to ‘Operation Crocodile Smile’ in Bayelsa had a boat accident, when locals ambushed their boat on the sea. Many soldiers also lost their lives.  “It is quite a tragic incident, ” mourned Col. Sani.

    Therefore, it is easy to understand that the army is the mother of other arms of the armed forces. They are on land, in water and everywhere duty beckons.

    But after each death of a soldier, the family’s sorrow is exacerbated with isolation and abandonment. Outside, the late soldier’s legitimate entitlements, in some instances, very meagre,   Nigerians   abandon the family, comprising usually, a wife (s) and children, some of them very tender.

    It’s improper and inhuman to continue this way. Nigeria as a country can do more to assuage the pains of families of soldiers who die on the battle front.

    The Current Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Tukur Buratai has promised that every soldier who has partaken in the Northeast terrorism war is entitled to a personal house upon retirement. This and a lot more are achievable in appreciation of Nigeria’s gallant soldiers. Nigerians should begin to think along this line of thought. Its reparation for Nigerian soldiers too much a price, the nation can pay for their sacrifice?

    Akorojo writes from Ikeja, Lagos State.

  • New film project to engage 500 Niger Delta youths

    A new film project bankrolled by a group of individuals and hoteliers, expected to engage more than 5,000 Niger Delta youths in acting, has started auditioning in Delta and Bayelsa states.

    The Audition Coordinator and Nollywood film producer, Mr Efekoha Ikimi, said in Yenagoa on Tuesday that the objective was to take talented youths of the Niger Delta out of the creeks and expose them to

    legitimate source of income and career in acting.

    According to him, the project, which will last for one year, will see the production of 50 films, a soap opera and a featureless film.

    He added that the soap opera and the featureless film would be shown in cinemas across the country.

    The Nollywood producer said “the project is a partnership arrangement with some hoteliers, television stations and private individuals.

    “We plan to produce 50 short films, a soap opera and a featureless film; the featureless film and

    soap opera are going to be shown in cinemas across the country.

    “It is going to be a one-year project; we are interested in grooming new talents and we will be engaging more than 5,000 casts from Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states.

    “We are trying to do this because we have come to understand that the youths of the region will not be involved in criminality if they have legitimate source of earning income.

    “They will not be involved and influenced negatively to carry guns if they are exposed to career opportunities,” he added.”

  • Navy’s carrot-and-stick approach in Niger Delta

    Navy’s carrot-and-stick approach in Niger Delta

    The Nigerian Navy is changing the perception of many communities in the Niger Delta about the military. Hitherto, many communities viewed the military as an institution preoccupied only with wars and violence. In dread, they would flee to different directions for safety on sighting the men in uniform.

    But gradually things are changing. The military now wears a human face. It has embraced professionalism. With the carrot-and-stick approach encased in different social intervention programmes, the military is now able to win the hearts of many communities in the Niger Delta region.

    The Central Naval Command (CNC)  has a robust social welfare scheme for communities in its Areas of Responsibility (AoR). With headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, the CNC visits different communities with its medical outreach programme.

    The Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Central Naval Command, Rear Admiral Mohammed Garba, is passionate about the medical rhapsody. He is in the forefront driving the process and within a short period since he assumed the CNC’s command, Garba has reached five communities with healthcare scheme.

    Recently, the Ede-Epie community in Yenagoa, trooped out en masse to partake in its turn of the Navy’s medical mission. Children were dewormed. The aged, women and youths were treated for various health conditions. In fact, Dr. Jennifer Odjegba and other medical experts in the naval team handled the cases of the beneficiaries professionally.

    About 2000 persons benefitted from the gesture. The Navy offered free malaria tests and treatment, blood pressure checks, eye screening and treatment. They also gave free diabetes screening, treatment of urinary dysfunction, among others.

    Consequently, the community poured encomiums on the navy. Many of them said with the kind of gesture extended to them by the navy, their perception about the military changed from negative to positive.

    The Paramount Ruler of Ede-Epie community, His Royal Highness, Edwin Iti, wore smiles permanently on his face. He said the navy made him proud before his subjects. According to him, the people heaved a sigh of relief.

    He said the military has revealed its humanitarian face by showing that it does not only exist to apprehend criminals. He vowed to partner with the military to rid the community of crimes.

    The monarch said: “We appreciate the Navy for deeming it fit to extend this medical rhapsody to our people. Before now, when my people see military personnel, they get scared. But now, we are glad that the perception has changed.

    “We are overjoyed. The wisdom of coming to put smiles on the faces of our people is welcome. This programme has revealed that the military is not only to apprehend people but to offer humanitarian services. We are fully ready to partner with the military to rid our communities of criminals.”

    Garba, who personally declared the event open, said the free medical rhapsody was to promote and strengthen civil-military relations and also to boost healthcare service delivery at targeted communities.

    He said the Chief of Naval Staff was very proud of the programme as it was meant to explore partnership of all stakeholders as part of the measures to tackle criminality in the CNC’s area of responsibility.

    He urged the people of the community to continue to support the programmes and policies of the Federal Government and that of the military to achieve sustainable peace and security in the Niger Delta.

    He appealed to the community to distance itself from criminal activities, maintaining that the Navy zero tolerance for criminalities was not negotiable.

    Garba said: “I want to urge the community members to distance themselves from criminals that want to take the advantage of agitations and struggle to unleash mayhem on people.

    “Do not allow the magnanimity of the Federal Government to dialogue to be a missing opportunity.

    “This medical rhapsody is a programme meant to show appreciation to the host communities. They have been cooperative and supportive of the programmes and policies of not just the Federal Government but also the Nigerian Navy.

    “We feel we have to give them something as a token of our appreciation. That is why we organise this free medical rhapsody to the communities in the region and we are doing it every month.

    “In Yenagoa alone, five communities have already benefitted. We are encouraged by the turnout of community members to this programme. Before now, people see the military as a threat but now a lot of people have changed that perception and are beginning to embrace the exercise.”

    He advised the communities to key into the Navy’s zero tolerance for criminalities by appealing to their people to shun criminal acts such as piracy, cultism, kidnapping, oil theft, vandalism and other vices.

  • Shell awards scholarships to 60 Niger Delta pupils

    Shell awards scholarships to 60 Niger Delta pupils

    A new batch of 60 pupils from the Niger Delta has been awarded the special secondary school scholarship of the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) Joint Venture’s Cradle to Career, covering tuition and  other bills for six years in four of the topmost private secondary schools in Port Harcourt.

    Brookstone Secondary School, Jephthah Comprehensive College, Archdeacon Brown Educational Centre (ABEC) and Bloombreed High School in Port Harcourt will receive 60 beneficiaries yearly from difficult terrains of the Niger Delta on scholarship for their secondary education, after a two-week orientation  with introductory courses in academics, character and psychology.

    The pupils are the seventh set of beneficiaries, bringing the number of beneficiaries since inception of the Cradle to Career programme to 410.

    SPDC Managing Director and Chairman, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Osagie Okunbor, represented by the General Manager External Relations, IgoWeli said: “This year, the first set of beneficiaries completed their secondary education and the report we have is that about all of them recorded excellent performance in the school certificate and unified tertiary matriculation examinations. It means the aims of the programme are being achieved.”

    Speaking at the ceremony in Port Harcourt, the SPDC chief said Shell and its joint venture partners had sustained the scholarship initiative despite the economic challenges because they see education as a right for every child and not a privilege.

    Dr Patricia Ogbonnaya, Mrs Elizabeth Alagoa and Dr Moses Onoriode Bragiwa, representatives of the Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta states Commissioners for Education, extolled the scholarship scheme for complementing their governments’investments in education. They praised the transparent selection and the human capital development benefits of the programme to the region.

    “SPDC has a passion for investing in people and we are happy to report that students in the programme have over the years been on the top of their classes in their respective schools. We thank Shell and their joint venture partners for helping to ameliorate the problems of the Niger Delta,” said Dame Christie Toby, the proprietress of one of the implementing schools.

    The SPDC JV launched the Cradle to Career initiative in 2010 to provide for bright indigent students and improve on the positive results of its other portfolio of scholarship schemes for local and international undergraduate and postgraduate studies.

    Shell companies in Nigeria support education through scholarships and other initiatives. In 2015, SPDC Joint Venture and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo.) invested $10.1 million in scholarships.

    Grants were awarded to 930 secondary school pupils and 638 university undergraduates last year, with a total of 10,401 (secondary) and 3,532 (university) grants given over the last five years.

  • Kachikwu: Niger Delta dialogue has not collapsed

    Kachikwu: Niger Delta dialogue has not collapsed

    The  federal government says it is very much at work to achieve a mutual understanding with Niger Delta stakeholders, through an upcoming dialogue, to bring lasting peace and sustainable development to the oil-rich region.

    The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, who debunked rumours that dialogue efforts between the two sides had failed, gave this assurance yesterday in Effurun, Uvwie council area of Delta State, where he was the Visitor at the 2016 Convocation ceremony of the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI).

    The minister, who encouraged citizens not to despair in the face of the prevailing economic challenge facing the country, assured that the federal government is doing all that is needed to end the current suffering through the implementation of sincere policies and programmes. He assured the people of the Niger Delta of President Muhammadu Buhari’s devotion to giving them their fair share as critical contributors to the nation’s sustenance.

    According to him, a lot of works have been going on underground, aimed at stopping the resurging militancy in the oil-rich region, adding that the administration had been taking its time so as not to make the sort of mistakes made by past administrations, when quick-fix solutions were engaged, leading to early failure of such solutions.

    ‘’It has not collapsed, I have led that process and the president is very supportive of it, what  I think the president does not want to do is putting in place same old models that have failed; after four months, the militants are back to the creeks, so we are looking at long term models.”

    Speaking on the popular belief that the Buhari administration has been particularly unfavourable to the people of the region, Kachikwu said ‘’we absolutely believe that the Niger Delta is key to this country; they have contributed so much and the society has failed them in very many ways. I used the word society, not necessarily government. If you look at what has been provided in the last ten years, it is a lot and some of that hasn’t gotten to them for one reason or the other.

    The minister said he had ordered the Petroleum Trust Development Fund (PTDF) to provide scholarship for further studies for the three best graduating Ordinary National Diploma (OND) graduates, just as he said the three best graduating Higher National Diploma (HND) graduates won themselves automatic employments under his ministry.

    The Principal of the PTI, Professor Sunny Iyuke, said the institution was in process of transforming into a digital petroleum training institute, through an e-Platform Application, a project estimated to cost about N120 billion.

  • ‘How to end kidnapping in the Niger Delta’

    ‘How to end kidnapping in the Niger Delta’

    Sir Lucky Ugochuchwu Worluh is the Chairman of the Ikwerre Youth Movement (IYM), an umbrella youth body of Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality of Rivers State. In this interview with Precious Dikewoha, he appraises the security situation in Rivers State and Niger Delta.

    As youth leader, what do you think is the possible way out to end kidnapping in Niger Delta especially in Rivers State?

    It is to invest in human capital development. Over the years, governments both at the national and state levels have failed to invest in the development of their youths. There should be a special attention to the youths of this country. Youths should not be remembered when we want to contest election or when we want to assonate those we described as our political enemies.  For example in Rivers State, why is the Trans Amadi industrial layout that hosts many companies in Rivers State turned to a ghost town. It is because the government in the state are not thinking of how to attract investment and create enabling environment for those companies who have folded to go back to work.  Those who left Trans Amadi because of insecurity were contributing for Rivers State economy. They were paying taxes, employing our youths, renting our houses, sleeping in our hotels, marring our women etc today they left town due to insecurity.  Each time I see people talking about Nigeria recession I get angry because the possible way out of recession is to declare state of emergency on Security in Rivers, Niger Delta states and other part of Nigeria where insecurity has destroyed economic progress. In Niger Delta, insecurity in the region has deprived government from making profit.

    Here in Rivers and other Niger Delta states kidnapping has become a lucrative venture, do think any government can ever stop them?

    We live in a society that encourages criminality; let’s go back to memory lane and think of when this kidnapping started. It started with idle youths turning into agitators under the instruction of their masters who claimed to be fighting marginalization of the region. They were abducting white men; they thought it will end there. Later they started kidnapping our prominent people, today they are abducting everybody. And you cannot force people   to bring their investment to any place were security is not guaranteed. So, I ‘m of the opinion that the President should assist the region and Rivers State to declare an emergency on security; that is the only way to minimise crime in Rivers State. Don’t forget that no administration has addressed this Niger Delta issue, Obasanjo wanted to address it by making the Niger Delta man the vice President, by the Grace of God that Niger Delta man became the President.  He would have used that platform to address this issue the way President Muhammadu Buhari is addressing the Boko Haram issue in the North. But he did nothing to our plight instead he created more trouble to our people. The only way kidnapping can minimize in Rivers State is for the government to act as role model, how can a political party gives ticket to militants to run as  members of state house of assembly, appoint cult leaders as caretaker chairman that government lack the moral Fabre to fight kidnapping and other criminality.

    We have youths in the region who challenge the military; some are now expert in handling all kind of ammunition…

    They should be engaged into the military. There is an important department in the military, we have what we call marine Army.  The United State marine is one of the strongest military that the American has. If we create Nigerian marine it would engage thousands of youths. We need to employ thirty to forty thousand personnel, because it’s not only in the Niger Delta area we have criminals, we have criminal in the Lagos and they are defeating them.  We have to come out to build a strong force. And when you create this employment, all these youths carrying guns in the name of Avengers can be recruited. This would happen if these youths were confronted, rebrand for a better Nigeria to defend the integrity of Nigeria as a nation. I’ m not in support of negotiating with the Niger Delta youths in Abuja if they want to negotiate with them, then they should come to the region where the pressing issues are. This would also help other expert at the negotiation table who are not of the region to see things for themselves. And why we are talking of dialogue we must reposition NDDC and other establishment created for the development of the region.

    Many analysts several times have alleged that some persons are benefiting from the Niger Delta crisis?

    Of course, there are invisible hands on the crisis rocking the Niger Delta region but those invisible hands have started to be visible.  For example, when we had election last year in Rivers State, some prominent personality imported arms into the state and young men were hired to make use of those arms to subvert the will of the people at the Election Day.  Today, they have used these boys to win election and some of them were not settled. These youths who are now angry,  with the ammunition in their hands have become terrorists, avengers, kidnappers, arms robbers etc. So why the crisis in the region linger some people are benefiting. In fact, these beneficiaries of Niger Delta crisis are praying harder and making everything possible to frustrate President Muhammadu Buhari’s dialogue offer to militant groups in the region. In our region today, these youths have destroyed their communities and the governors of Niger Delta states are suffering more than any state governors.  The 13 percent derivation they are supposed to be getting from Federal Government, they no longer get it, so, who is losing?

    The governor has offered amnesty to cultists and militants groups in the state can this offer minimise the insecurity in the state.

    For me as a Christian, if man gives Amnesty, that is not divine until that person gets amnesty from God. Almost all the people being offered amnesty in Rivers State are still criminals who have not repented. They need to have a change of mind, repent within them before you offer them amnesty. You don’t offer criminal who have not repented amnesty it’s a waste of time and resources. I am not against the amnesty being offered to cultists and militants group in the state but we must get it right if such suffer was targeted in reducing or minimizing crime in the state. If you go to Omoku and other part of the state the same boys they are offering amnesty are still there terrorizing the people.  The person accepting the amnesty must be willing to change just like Ateke Tom and Asari who were granted amnesty and sincerely changed and are now doing exploits and contributing for the peace of the region. I heard that the Present administration in the state said they are not offering money to militants in the name of amnesty but planning to empower them for life. If that will be possible I support the idea, I will like to suggest that the government should involve some professionals and the private sectors for a rehabilitation programme. You cannot give someone amnesty, and what you do is to give him money every month and is still in the creek smoking and involving in criminality. You have to give amnesty and send them for training to acquire skills that would change their mentality of things in life.

  • Bayelsa APC lauds Buhari over federal appointments

    The ‎Bayelsa State chapter of the All Progressives Congress ( APC), on Monday, poured encomiums on President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing two indigenes of the state into key federal offices.

    The President appointed a retired permanent secretary in the Bayelsa State civil service, Mrs. Gloria Izonfuo as a member of the National Population Commission (NPC).

    He also appointed an oil and gas expert, Mr. Simbi Wabote, as the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Monitoring and Development Board (NCMDB).

    In a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Fortune Panebi, the state’s APC described Buhari’s gesture as a sign of comfort and positive development for the state.

    The party said the President has effectively replied persons taunting its leaders in the state and cynically asking them to use their connections to attract federal appointments.

    The party said: ”The appointment of both Mrs Izonfuo and Mr Wabote is a welcome development to us, a very positive sign of comfort and the best to come at this time.

    “While we are confident that both appointees are credible and experienced in their chosen career lines, this gesture from the president shows that he has every part of the nation at heart.

    ”Truly, these appointments, coming at a time cynics were already taunting our revered leaders ‎to attract more appointments to the state are a collective manifestation of the cohesion, understanding and unity of purpose in our party.

    ”Nothing can be more commendable than having two illustrious sons of ours, the first being the minister of state for agriculture and rural development, Dr. Heineken Lokpobiri and the newly appointed Wabote among government officials who will play key roles in the economic turnaround of the nation.

    ”May we use this opportunity to, therefore, thank our leader, Chief Timipre Sylva, Dr. Lokpobiri as well as other notable leaders of the party for providing the needed leadership and direction to this point in spite of some unavoidable drawbacks.

    ”Finally, we appeal to our Niger Delta brothers who are up in arms against our oil and gas assets to eschew violence and embrace the path to peace. This is desirable not only for the government but for our ecosystem that is the immediate victim of your actions”.