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Tag: bayelsa

  • Popular Bayelsa based baker strangled to death in his apartment

    Popular Bayelsa based baker strangled to death in his apartment

    The Commissioner of Police in Bayelsa, CP Mike Okoli, has ordered investigations into circumstances leading to the death of a popular Bayelsa based baker.
    The Police disclosed this in a statement on Monday by the Public Relations Officer of the command, SP Asinim Butswat.
    According to reports, the Rivers born cake baker, was found dead in his apartment on Saturday.
    Preliminary investigation revealed that George was allegedly strangled to death.
    Butswat said the scene was visited by police detectives and the corpse had been taken to the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, for autopsy.
    He said the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, for proper investigation.
  • 20th NSF: Bayelsa’s Gagbe emerges most outstanding athlete

    20th NSF: Bayelsa’s Gagbe emerges most outstanding athlete

    Ifiezegbe Gagbe of Bayelsa State has emerged the most decorated athlete of the 20th edition of the National Sports Festival (NSF) in Edo after winning 15 medals in the swimming event.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Gagbe won eight gold, two silver and five bronze medals in the aquatic events.

    Aside the laurels won, the swimmer, who also had no fewer than 10 silver medals to her name at the last games held in Abuja in 2018, broke six records in the swimming event in Edo 2020.

    She created new records in 100m Freestyle, 400m individual medley, 1500m freestyle, 200m freestyle and the 400m freestyle.

    The Bayelsa swimmer returned a time of 1:01.54 in the 100m freestyle for women, against the festival record of 1:02.66 that was set in 2012.

    Gagbe also erased the festival record of 5:47.95 in the 400m individual medley set in 2006 by returning a time of 5:46.95.

    Similarly, she beat the record of 21:05.10 set in 2018 by finishing the 1500m freestyle women in a new record of 21:04.92.

    Gagbe also created new records of 2:17.05 against 2018 record of 2:20.28 and 5:04.30 against 2012 record of 5:09.71 in the 200m and 400m freestyles for women respectively.

    NAN reports that the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo is expected to declare the games closed on Wednesday.

    It will be recalled that the 20th NSF, which had suffered several postponements, finally got underway on April 2 while the official opening ceremony for the nation’s biggest sporting fiesta took placed on April 6.

  • Shell confirms oil spill from its facility in Bayelsa community

    Shell confirms oil spill from its facility in Bayelsa community

    The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) has confirmed oil spill from its facility at Agbura-Otuokpoti area of Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.

    The company’s Media Relations Manager, Bamidele Odugbesan, confirmed the incident in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa on Friday.

    Odugbesan said the company got a report of the spill on March 31.

    “At about 8.30am on March 31, a community surveillance vendor reported a leak on the company’s Joint Venture pipeline at Nun River in Bayelsa.

    “Following the development, the facility was shut down and full isolation established at 09.45am.

    “The SPDC Oil Spill Response Team was mobilised to the spill site and was able to contain the spill to prevent further spread.

    “The Joint Investigation Visit team led by government regulator will determine the cause and impact of the spill,” Odugbesan said.

    He, however, said that there was an anonymous note found at the spill site, suggesting sabotage.

    Residents, who said the oil workers had yet to come to the site as at Friday, have resorted to scooping oil from water surface into drums.

    Daniel Ebitimi, who claimed that crude oil has curative effect on burns and skin diseases, said he collected some kegs, which he hoped to sell.

    The predominantly fishing and farming settlements regretted that the leakage discharged large volumes of crude oil into the River, resulting in pollution of the waters.

    Mr Collins Jackson, an environmentalist, said the spill was discovered in the early hours of Wednesday, when the people noticed large volumes of crude floating on the river.

    Jackson dismissed the company’s claim of prompt response and allegations of sabotage.

    He said he visited the site of the leakage with other natives but did not find any oil worker, while crude continued to discharge into the water.

    “The claim of an anonymous note suggesting sabotage is at best a fallacy because we visited the place immediately our people noticed oil on water and we did not see any note.

    “Why will SPDC jump into conclusion when the investigation has not been concluded?

    “The theory of sabotage is funny because the pipeline is corroded and has signs of loss of integrity due to age.

    “Also, the site is close to the security outpost so the possibility of a vandal gaining access is very slim,” Jackson said.

    He said the allegations of sabotage had led to a disagreement among the regulators, communities and state government officials on the joint investigation,” he said.

    Chief Don-Evarada Abednego frowned at the alleged insensitivity of the oil firm to the plight of the people in the affected communities.

    Abednego described the spill as “life threatening”, considering that the community lacked basic amenities, such as healthcare facility and portable water.

    He, therefore, urged SPDC to urgently provide emergency relief to the people, saying that drinking water from the river posed serious danger to the people’s health.

    Also, Alagos Morris, an Environmental Activist and Head of Field Operations with Environmental Rights Action, pointed out that the response personnel had yet to arrive at the site of the spill.

    He called on regulators to rise to the challenge and come up with measures to arrest the situation, in addition to immediate clean up exercise.

  • Alleged N3bn diversion: Court adjourns ex-Bayelsa GM’s trial untill April 16

    Alleged N3bn diversion: Court adjourns ex-Bayelsa GM’s trial untill April 16

    A High Court in Bayelsa on Thursday adjourned untill April 16, the trial of a former General Manager of Radio Bayelsa, Mr John Idumange, who raised alarm over alleged diversion of N3 billion Agric loan by government officials.

    The Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice in Bayelsa, Biriyai Sambo (SAN), sued Idumange for misdemeanor and seditious publications against government officials, who Idumange accused of diverting the loan.

    Justice I.A. Uzakah, fixed the date after counsel for Idumange, J.D. Olubowale, said there was no evidence that hearing notices had been served on other parties after the casee were reassigned.

    Uzakah ordered the court registrar to serve hearing notices on all the affected parties in the case.

    The judge adjourned untill April 16.

    A magistrate court had on March 11 in Yenagoa, ordered Idumange’s detention for 30 days pending Police investigation.

    Idumang, a former General Manager of Radio Bayelsa who alleged that officials of Bayelsa government diverted a N3 billion Agric loan was arrested on March 10 and charged to court the next day.

    Some officials of the Bayelsa government had reported to the Police that Idumange had made seditious publications that maligned their persons in his claims.

    However, the State High Court, Sagbama Division, granted bail to Idumange, who was an aide on Research and Documentation and later Social Media to former Gov. Seriake Dickson.

    NAN reports that the cases earlier assigned to Justice Ebiyerin Omukoro were reassigned to Justice Uzakah.

  • Gov. Diri hails Pinnick’s election into FIFA council

    Gov. Diri hails Pinnick’s election into FIFA council

    Gov. Douye Diri of Bayelsa has applauded the emergence of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Amaju Pinnick, into the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) council.

    Diri in a congratulatory message issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah, on Thursday in Yenagoa, described the election as another positive development for Nigeria on the global scale.

    The governor said with Pinnick, Nigeria had put its best foot forward to occupythe top seat in the global football community.

    According to him, the NFF president has displayed a remarkable passion for football development in Nigeria since his assumption of office.

    The governor said that he was not surprised that Pinnick had continued to excel as a football administrator.

    Diri, also a former Commissioner for Youth and Sports in Bayelsa, observed that Pinnick’s dedication had earned him a deserved recognition and elevation, urging him not to rest on his laurels.
    “Pinnick has shown remarkable passion for football development, not only in Nigeria but also, at the global level.

    “I, therefore, congratulate him and Nigeria, which put its best foot forward to ensure that he was elected into the FIFA council.

    “It is a deserved call to further service towards football development in Nigeria, Africa and on the global level.” Diri stated.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Pinnick was, on Saturday, elected as member of FIFA council at the 43rd CAF Ordinary and Elective General Assembly in Rabat, Morocco.

  • Trending: Man beats wife to death with pestle

    Trending: Man beats wife to death with pestle

    Police in Bayelsa State have arrested and paraded a 56-year-old man, Christopher Chiabata, from Onuebum Community in Ogbia Local Government Area of the state for beating his wife to death with a pestle.

    He was apprehended after a failed attempt to take his own life by drinking Sniper to evade arrest.

    “The suspect on February 28, 2021 at about 0200hrs hit his wife with pestle on her head over domestic argument at Onuebum Community in Ogbia Local Government Area of the state,” said Bayelsa police commissioner Mike Okoli on Tuesday when the suspected was paraded.

    “The wife who was bleeding profusely was rushed to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital where she was later confirmed dead.

    “The suspect after realizing that he has committed murder, he took sniper to commit suicide. He was rescued by neighbours, resuscitated and arrested. He has confessed to the crime. Investigation is ongoing”, CP Okoli said.

    Similarly, one Lazarus Josiah ‘m’ 29 years was also paraded for killing his biological mother for reasons yet unknown.

    Police authorities said that the suspect strangled his 58-year-old mother, Chain Bishop, at 2am on the morning of February 20 at Odioma Community, Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

  • Bayelsa: Why I distance myself from Diri’s government – Ex-Gov Dickson

    Bayelsa: Why I distance myself from Diri’s government – Ex-Gov Dickson

    Former Governor of Bayelsa, Sen. Seriake Dickson says he has no rift with Gov. Douye Diri, who took over from him on Feb. 14, 2020.

    Dickson said his noticeable absence from government functions was deliberate and in consonance with his values and principles of non interference.

    In a statement issued on Thursday, Dickson, who is now a senator representing Bayelsa West Senatorial District of the state, said he remained supportive of Diri’s administration.

    He said he had no hand in the media attacks against Diri’s administration by some of his former aides.

    Dickson’s explanation came on the heels of claims by Dr John Idumange, a former General Manager of Bayelsa Broadcasting Corporation, alleging diversion of N3 billion agricultural loan obtained by Dickson’s administration.

    Idumange, who was an aide on Research and Documentation to Dickson, who was governor from 2012 to 2020, claimed the present administration was diminishing the efforts of Dickson’s government.

    He claimed that he had so far, recorded 17 cases of diversion of the N3 billion loan obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

    Idumange also claimed that he would report the alleged fraud to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) when the count reached 25.

    Dickson, who washed his hands off the allegations, urged his supporters to close ranks and work for the success of Diri’s administration.

    “I want to advise that no one who is supportive of me, a member of our party or who claims to be, should be publicly critical of our government. This is unacceptable.

    “I am aware that some of our party stalwarts and members that I led in these unprecedented battles and victories, have one complain of non-inclusion or the other which is normal.

    “The governor and the party are available to address these issues and as such, do not call for a public attack on our government because an attack on the governor and his government is an attack on our party and I do not approve of such.

    ”My role and my duty as former governor and the first governor to have done eight years, who midwifed the process of reelection, is to advise, support and pray for the success of this administration.

    “My take is that every person in the current administration at all levels, beginning with the governor is part of our team,” he said.

    The senator however, urged the governor, members of his team and the party leadership to take steps to unify and create an atmosphere of inclusiveness and togetherness.

    Dickson maintained that as a political family, the governor remained the leader of the party.

    “The governor is head of both the party and the government and he has my support and I urge all stakeholders to stop the divisive politics and give him their support,” he said.

    He said where the present governor deemed fit, he could consult stakeholders for their inputs and advice.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that Diri was sworn in on Feb. 14, 2020 following a Supreme Court Judgment of Feb. 13 which sacked the erstwhile governor-elect, Chief David Lyon.

  • Bayelsa Government clears air on Nengi’s appointment

    Bayelsa Government clears air on Nengi’s appointment

    The Bayelsa State Government has cleared the air on the recent appointment of former BBNaija housemate, Nengi Hampson as face of the Bayelsa Girl Child.

    The State Government made this known following recent social media reactions after it appointed Ebizi Blessing Eradiri as the face of the Bayelsa Girl Child.

    However in a chat with BBC Pidgin, the Chief Press Secretary to the Bayelsa State Governor, Daniel Alabrah, stated that Nengi has not been fired nor replaced.

    According to him, Nengi and Eradiri will work together in promoting the Girl Child in the state.

    “Nengi is from the entertainment sector and as such she can function perfectly there. While Miss Eradiri will function in the education sector. This is for them to inspire and encourage young women from the state. It is wrong for people to speculate and politicise everything,” he said.

    TheNewsGuru recalls that in November 2020, Nengi was appointed as the special assistant to the governor alongside former housemate, TrikyTee.

  • The call of Nigerian Content from Bayelsa, By Chido Nwakanma

    The call of Nigerian Content from Bayelsa, By Chido Nwakanma

    Slowly but steadily, Nigerian or Local Content is becoming familiar and accepted terminology in the oil and gas sector that drives the Nigerian economy. As the Nigerian Content Development & Monitoring Board (NCDMB) pursues its mandate, it creates opportunities for many more Nigerians to participate in the sector that drives the economic fortunes of the country. It has a herculean task of creating awareness beyond the small band of oil industry players to include entrepreneurs in other sectors.

    The primary focus is getting greater involvement of the host communities of oil and gas operations in the states that make up the oil-producing belt of the country. The states are Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Cross River, Abia, Imo, Delta, Edo, and Delta.

    Opportunity beckons to Nigerians as individuals, companies, and communities in the evolving narrative around increasing the Nigerian Content of inputs and services in our premier industry, oil and gas. The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board is pushing the envelope for even greater participation and inclusion of Nigerians in this critical sector. They have grown Nigerian content from less than 5% in 2010 to 32% in 2020. The goal is to drive it to 70% by 2027.

    The Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act (NOGICD) of 2010 established the NCDMB. Its six key thrusts include integrating oil and gas producing communities into the oil and gas value chain; maximise the participation of Nigerians in oil and gas activities; and maximise utilisation of Nigerian resources, i.e. workforce, goods, services and assets. Others are to attract investments to the Nigeria oil and gas sector (service provider, equipment suppliers and other investment relevant to oil and gas industry; link oil and gas sector to other sectors of the economy and foster institutional collaboration.

    In short, the goal is to “develop the capacity of the local supply chain for effective and efficient service delivery to the oil and gas industry without compromising standards”.

    The new Community Content Guideline (CCG) is one of the expected game-changers. It seeks to achieve a key performance indicator that asked the industry to “deploy 30% of business opportunities from operating companies to communities” as articulated in the Petroleum Industry Roadmap President Muhammadu Buhari launched on 27 October 2016.

    The NCDMB’s Community Content Guideline will increase “community content” in oil and gas around four pillars of the establishment of Project Office; Employment and Human Capital Development; Procurement of Goods and Services and Funding.

    NCDMB now requires that all operators must have a functional Project Office” in the community where they have significant operations”. It applies to projects above $100m that would last for two years and above. They should staff the Project Office with persons capable of taking project management and procurement decisions.

    All unskilled jobs will go to indigenes. Indigenes will get 50% of semi-skilled employment and at least 10% of skilled roles”.

    “If the host community or communities does not have qualified personnel to take up to 10% of the skilled roles, and object to the filling of the skilled roles from the neighbouring community or communities, then “the firms should convert the 10% slot to additional relevant skill training for the community or communities.”

    Firms in the sector must develop human capital from the grassroots. The Human Capital Development interventions will cover scholarships, entrepreneurship and empowerment and training on projects. The platform for such recruitment would be the NOGICJQS. NCDMB promises to sensitise youths in the communities to register therein and leverage the Digital Centres in its Zonal Offices.

    We gathered at Habitat Hotel in Choba, Port Harcourt, kilometres from the River Nun and the 17-floor imposing headquarters of the NCDMB in Yenagoa. President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned that tallest building in the South-South and South-East only recently.

    Our Port Harcourt gathering next door to the University of Port Harcourt was to tackle the theme Sustaining Nigerian Content Development Amidst COVID-19 pandemic: The role of the media.

    Participants were journalists drawn from media platforms in the South-South. Port Harcourt was central. Speakers included the Executive Secretary of NCDM, SimbiWabote, an engineer now running his second term. He interacted with participants via Zoom from Abuja. Dr Ginah O Ginah, General Manager, Corporate Communications and Zonal Coordination, provided insights into Community Content Guideline, the latest initiative in deepening Nigerian Content. Engr Abayomi Bamidele briefed us on the Mid-Term Review of the Nigerian Content 10-Year Roadmap. At the same time, Prof DiriTeilanyo of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Science, Federal University, Otuoke spoke on Improving Writing Competencies to Meet Evolving Media Trends. Chido Nwakanma spoke to the keynote of The Role of the Media in Achieving Nigerian Content 10-Year Strategic Roadmap.

    I recommended storifying the narratives relying on the Narrative Paradigm theory, offering news you can use and deploying Solutions Journalism.

    Here are some storylines from that event that summarise the issues from the NCDMB angle: Local content ensured the continued operation of the oil and gas sector during Covid19 – NCDMB Exec Sec; NLNG Train 7 to create 40, 000 jobs with strong local content; $50m R&D Fund to deepen local content; NCDMB support critical to the establishment of Nigeria’s first modular refinery –Board Executive Secretary; Local Content Fund increased from $200m to $350m.

    The media will play a significant role in ensuring that everyone delivers on this significant national plan to provide greater local participation. It should be asking for specific key deliverables the Act requires from the operators. They include a Quarterly Procurement Report on local content for contracts exceeding USD 1m; Nigerian arm of an international firm must own 50% of equipment; Annual report on programmes for technology transfer and Nigerian Content Performance Report -60 days into each new year.

    In return, the media should seek a place on the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum that shall provide a platform for information sharing and collaboration in the Nigerian oil and gas industry. The Act says the Consultative Forum should have representation from stakeholders in various areas. It lists fabrication; engineering; finance, legal and insurance; shipping and logistics; materials and manufacturing; information and communication technology; petroleum technology association of Nigeria; education and training; and any other professional services nominated by the Board. Media? I submit that the Nigerian Guild of Editors stands in the best stead to pursue this for the industry as membership cuts across all media types.

     

    https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2020/12/13/the-call-of-nigerian-content-from-bayelsa/https:/

     

     

     

     

  • Boat mishap: Police confirm recovery of bodies of 6 personnel in Bayelsa

    Boat mishap: Police confirm recovery of bodies of 6 personnel in Bayelsa

    The Police Command in Bayelsa has announced the recovery of bodies of the six policemen who went missing after a boat mishap in Southern Ijaw Local Government area of the state.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the incident occurred on Dec. 4 when one of the speed boats conveying 11police personnel from Yenagoa to Southern Ijaw capsized at Oporoma.

    NAN also reports that five of the police personnel were rescued immediately, while six others were missing.
    The command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Asinmi Butswat, confirmed the incident in a statement made available to NAN on Sunday in Yenagoa.

    He said that the bodies of the missing police personnel, recovered by a combined team of officers from the Marine Department of the command and local divers, had been deposited in one of the morgues in the state.

    Butswat, who expressed the command’s condolences with the families of the deceased said that investigation had commenced to ascertain the cause of the mishap.