TheNewsGuru

Tag: Niger Delta

  • Okiemute! Okiemute! Okiemute! A clarion call for Urhobo unity post 2019 – Anthony Omowhovo

    By Anthony Omowhovo

    Since time immemorial, there has always been a reason for the existence of every tribe or ethnic nationality, Urhobo which constitute a sizeable percentage of the population of Delta State is not an exception. They are predominantly found in 24 kingdoms in Delta central senatorial zone of the state.

    Urhobo people are culturally and linguistically from a common genre, and share common aspirations, sentiments, values and destiny, hence, it is not uncommon to see people of the Urhobo ethnic nationality benefitting from noble acts of charity from affluent sons and daughters of the Urhobo nation.

    Likewise, persons of Urhobo stock have also been meted with undeserved punishments for the inadvertent or contrived misdeeds and or misdemeanour of some of their illustrious and not so illustrious kinsmen, which they were not privy to.

    In view of the vagaries of human existence, It behoves every person of Urhobo descent, to embark on a critical and holistic review of our social, political and economic standings in Delta state albeit Nigeria, with a view to articulating well thought out and pertinent decisions, expected to impact and change our collective and individual fortunes for the better.

    Uncharacteristically, it seems, and has been observed that the famed uncommon age-long hospitality of Urhobo people is about to be abused and taken for granted by some of our neighbours who are propelled and goaded by inordinate ambition and vile quest to shortchange Urhobo in the clamour to produce the next governor of Delta state come 2023.

    It is pitiable and disdainful to note that our ijaw neighbours have not hidden their obnoxious disdain for equity and fairness in their surreptitious and covertly orchestrated moves to produce the PDP governorship candidate for the state come 2023 irrespective of the fact that the extant PDP zoning arrangement favours the Urhobo ethnic nationality.

    Our uncommon hospitality and sense of fairness is about to be taken for granted by some of our neighbours who are driven by inordinate ambition and insensitivity.

    Some of their highly placed leaders have been heard boasting that they would humble the Urhobo nation the way they “walloped” Itsekiri.

    While such boasts cannot be dismissed as fabrications because of the natural boisterousness of the average Ijaw man and their presumptuous posturing against Isoko from their Delta South Senatorial district which they erroneously view as underdogs.

    But for their contempt for everyone including Isoko People, the perverted logic they are touting on the rotation policy of PDP should throw up Isoko as the ethnic group from Delta south to vie for the governorship. This should be the natural sequence of the alphabetical arrangement of the three ethnic groups viz: Ijaw, Isoko, and Itsekiri .

    Having regard to the above order, once the Itsekiri took the first shot at the governorship of the state by dint of zoning , the next on the line in the district to produce the governor should be Isoko by her natural position in the alphabetic sequence.

    Presumably, the proclivity of Ijaw for belligerence and delusion account for why the unscrupulous Ijaw politicians feel that they are entitled to take a shot at the governorship seat before Isoko.

    In the light of the penchant of these unconscionable ijaw politicians to turn their back against decency and fair play, we call on Urhobo sons and daughters to close ranks and view the threats from these ijaw politicians outside the lenses of partisanship but within the compass of patriotism and love for their God-given fatherland.

    May I, therefore, appeal to everyone embroiled in the deep intraparty and inter-party disputations over the rightness or wrongness of zoning of the governorship position in the past 10 years plus, to take an introspective view of the challenges that characterise the issue and consciously wean themselves of all the prejudices and bitterness of the past and tackle this challenge from some unscrupulous Ijaw politicians as an existential threat that deserves a strategic and collective onslaught.

    Urhobo ona o odja . Once again , let us come together and repeat the awesome feat of our forebears who confronted the challenge of education in the early 40S when they established Urhobo College, Effurun, one of the foremost community school in Nigeria to provide education for their kith and kin .

    Dear Kinsmen and Kinswomen, this is a feat that is accomplishable when we come together to show case our potentials . This is a doable that must be done in our time

    Comrade Anthony Omowhovo
    Political activist/ social commentator

  • Covid-19: Niger-Delta group urges Okowa, Obaseki to give quality palliatives, safety kits to Edo, Deltans, hails DSP Omo-Agege

    Covid-19: Niger-Delta group urges Okowa, Obaseki to give quality palliatives, safety kits to Edo, Deltans, hails DSP Omo-Agege

    A socio-activists group, Niger-Delta Redemption Advocates(NRA) has urged Delta and Edo State government to provide safety kits and quality palliatives to the people in the state in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 virus in the state and cushion the effects of a pandemic on the masses.

    The group leaders, Mr. Erhomarhua Afure and Eddy Aitah, both who are the National Co-ordinator and Patron made the appeal to newsmen yesterday.

    The group is reacting to the not so impressive preventive measures adopted against the spread of COVID-19 by the Delta and Edo State governments.

    According to the statement, Aitah said provision of safety kits and other preventive items will in no small measure minimise or curb the further outbreak and spread of the disease across the States.

    Afure, also observed that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta has not done enough in ensuring that palliatives get to the very vulnerable persons in the state.

    “ As concerned stakeholders who are interested in the advancement of Edo and Delta State, we strongly believe that It has become pertinent to provide safety kits and palliatives to people.

    “Also, the suffering at the grassroots due to the Covid-19 pandemic is becoming awful. We are aware the state government has said they have commenced distribution of palliatives but it is not visible. We plead with Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and Gov. Godwin Obaseki to expand the reach and ensure palliatives gets to the very vulnerable persons in our society.

    “As it is, it has become an established fact that there is currently no vaccine to prevent the Coronavirus disease in Nigeria, it is apparent that giving our people succour amid this raging crisis is one way to save lives as the States battle the virus, which is now a feat that will take a longer period”

    We are demanding that all the three tiers of government, well-meaning individuals and organisations should come together for the sake of Edo/Delta, and provide palliatives for hungry citizens. This effort will rectify the economic losses being currently experienced.

    Meanwhile, the group led by Afure has commended the magnanimity and contributions of the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, for providing visible huge relief to the people, by donating food palliatives and financial support to aged parents across the States.

    The group also recently partnered with the leadership of APC in Okpe LGA of Delta State to give financial empowerment to women in Okpe Local Government area, the empowerment program which took place on June 5th in Okpe Kingdom, was attended by Comr. Man-United Okeh, Chief Hon. Julius Okpoko, Hon. Wester Erasere, Chief Cosmos Ighoraye, Chief Hero Umurhiren and other dignitaries from accross the Delta State, All Progressives Congress.

    The group also called on the people of the Edo and Delta States to continue to take all necessary precautionary and preventive measures against the spread of the disease.

    “We recommend the covering of the nose and mouth with disposable tissues or flexed elbow when coughing or sneezing.

    “We should avoid close contact with people who are not well and heed the expert advice to stay at home and self-isolate from others,” said the NRA.

  • PANDEF, UNDEDSS to Buhari: Relocate Mega Dry Dock in Lagos to Niger Delta now

    PANDEF, UNDEDSS to Buhari: Relocate Mega Dry Dock in Lagos to Niger Delta now

    The Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) and the United Niger Delta Energy Development Security Strategy (UNDEDSS) have urged the Federal Government to relocate the Mega Dry Dock from Lagos waters to the Niger Delta region.

    The two organisations stated this at a special webinar meeting, organised on Monday in Lagos, to mark to mark the 93rd birthday of the PANDEF Leader, Chief Edwin Clark.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was aimed at x-raying the Niger Delta economy after the COVID-19 lockdown.

    According to the Niger Delta leaders, the dock, which is described as the largest in Africa, will be the ideal enterprise for President Muhammadu Buhari to inaugurate in the post-COVID -19 Nigerian economy.

    They said that the dry dock, specifically designed for the region, had been lying unused in the Lagos waters.

    A statement issued by Mr Tony Uranta, the UNDEDSS Executive Secretary and General Secretary of PANDEF, said that the benefits of the dock to the region would be immeasurable, considering the Maritime University in Delta.

    “Relocating the Dry Dock project to the Niger Delta will be the biggest investment in the Niger Delta, post-COVID-19, and will open up the economy of the region,” he said.

    NAN recalls that the House of Representatives had, in March, urged the Federal Government and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to return the floating dock, acquired at a cost of over N50bn to Okerenkoko, Delta.

    The House had also called for the installation of the floating dock at Okerenkoko, the location that was said to have been decided upon by government as the operational base of the maritime facility.

    It had urged NIMASA to abide by all the terms and conditions precedent to the acquisition of the dock, with a view to ensuring that it was put into operation in Okerenkoko.

    NAN recalls that the dock had, since its arrival in the country on June 11, 2018, been in a storage cart, owing to alleged bureaucratic wrangling over its location as its operational base.

    The statement stated that the project was duly considered and approved by the Federal Executive Council at its 37th meeting on Oct. 23, 2013, adding that the approval was conveyed to the Federal Ministry of Transport on Oct. 29, 2013.

    “The location of the dry dock to Badagry in Lagos State is contrary to the initial approval by the Federal Government for its location in Delta.

    “Our appeal is that the dry dock be moved permanently, installed and inaugurated in Delta, considering the contributions of the region to the nation’s economy.

    “The dry dock is lying fallow in the waters of Lagos State and should be taken to Delta, next to the Maritime University, to provide practical knowledge to the students.

    “The dock, if located in the Niger Delta, will open up the region and make it more viable, including the employment it will generate and the trainings on ship building processes,” he said.

    Uranta said that the meeting had set up a committee, headed by Prof. Utomi, to look at its institutions, state leaderships and contributions of its elected members in the National Assembly to the development of the region.

    “We are going to begin to study, more rigorously, the daily records of how many bills promoted by the region’s representatives at the national assembly.

    “Our focus will also be on state governments in the region and their ministries, to ascertain the utilisation of statutory funds to cut down corruption,” he said.

    Uranta quoted the meeting as appealing for more palliatives to the region in order to keep it robust and assist the people whose lands were no longer viable for farming due to excavations and explorations.

    He said that the region had remained the cash cow for the country, pointing out that while oil prices had crashed, gas prices had risen.

    Uranta reiterated the groups’ position, supporting the audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC), as ordered by the Federal Government and cleansing of the Ogoni land oil spills.

    He also quoted the groups as urging the governors of the region to step up action for internal security of their respective states.

  • Encomiums as Edwin Kiagbodo-Clark turns 93

    The Lagos Chapter of the Ijaw Elders Forum (IEF) on Sunday joined all well-wishers across Nigeria and the globe to celebrate elder statesman and nationalist, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo-Clark ahead of his 93rd birthday.

    In a statement jointly signed by Chief Bukazi Etete and Efiye Bribena, the Chairman and Secretary of the IEF, Lagos, they lauded the elder statesman for his steadfastness.

    “On a day like this, we recall with nostalgia and pride the quality of leaders the Ijaw Nation has provided in ensuring peace, love and unity in our country.

    “Ijaw leaders have always contributed sacrificially to the unity, peace and well-being of the Nigerian Nation.

    “Right from the first republic, Chief Clark stood for and fought for the rights of minorities and the downtrodden.

    “A great lover of education, He was pivotal to the establishment of the University of Benin.”

    The statement highlighted the pivotal role played by Clark to restore normalcy in the Niger Delta region at the height of restiveness in the oil rich area.

    “At the height of militancy in the Niger Clark and other well-meaning Ijaw patriots at great personal risk and sacrifice worked for the promotion of Unity, Peace, Love and Progress in Nigeria by working tirelessly to restore peace and normalcy in the Niger Delta.

    “At the risk of losing his reputation with his people, Clark also led other compatriots under PANDEF to pressurise the Niger Delta militants to maintain the peace in 2016.

    “It is worthy of note that in spite of the concerted efforts of Chief Clark and other compatriots to maintain the peace in the region, the expectations of the people from the government have not been met.

    “We would like to appeal to other sectional leaders to emulate the good works of Chief Clark by putting aside selfish and section interests to work for the peace, security, progress and unity of Nigeria.

    “Leaders should shun all forms of nepotism, tribalism and corruption and promote the virtues of integrity, peace, love, probity, sound reasoning and selflessness.

    “As we celebrate this great leader, we call on all well-meaning Nigerians to draw the attention of our leaders today to halt the drift to abyss by emulating the values of our revered founding fathers,” the statement said.

  • CSOs, environmentalists reject NOSDRA’s report on dead fishes along Niger Delta coastline

    CSOs, environmentalists reject NOSDRA’s report on dead fishes along Niger Delta coastline

    Civil Society Organizations, environmentalists and community people in the affected areas, have rejected the report presented by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) on the massive death of fishes along the Niger Delta coastline.

    Recall that the reports of dead fish awashed on an extensive stretch of the Niger Delta coastline which first broke out on 20th February 2020 when community people from Ogulagha Kingdom in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State raised an alarm on the death of fish, floating and littering their shoreline. There were also similar reports from fishing communities of Ondo, Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom States.

    Environmentalists and stakeholders were pleased when after several outcry, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) took samples of the dead fish, sediments and water from some of the affected areas.

    However, on May 13, 2020, NOSDRA in a press statement titled: Alleged Mass Fish Kill Along The Coastline of Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers States played down the issue. NOSDRA’s statement concluded thus: “In the light of the foregoing, noting that hydrocarbon were not responsible for the death of the fishes, the plausible cause(s) could partially be attributable to other anthropogenic activities which are probably land-based”.

    This summation according to stakeholders is capable of sweeping this serious issue under the carpet, while the affected communities are left to live with the impacts and uncertainties.

    Reacting to NOSDRA’s press statement, environmentalists, CSOs and community people in the affected areas noted thus: “We expected a detailed and in-depth analysis from NOSDRA working in cooperation with agencies and institutions including the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR), National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency and Federal Institute for Fisheries Research which they said were informed of the tragic occurrences. While the result of the laboratory analysis may reflect the true composition of the samples, the data interpretation may be misleading. For example, it is a known fact that crude oil comes with a mix of heavy metals such as Cadmium and Chromium which are some of the pollutants from that sector.

    Responding to the NOSDRA statement, Ako Amadi, a Marine Ecologist and former Head, Fisheries Resources Division of NIOMR states: “Fish deaths commonly result from oxygen depletion in the aquatic medium. In the case of this recent occurrence in the Niger Delta, mortalities were reportedly concentrated on the genus Pseudotolithus, the croaker which is a bottom-feeder. It points to the fact that if the deaths had been as a result of ingestion of toxins the entire food web, that is, the benthic fauna of invertebrates including shrimps, crabs, zooplankton and juvenile fish, must have been affected. Evidence could then be deduced from toxicological examination of stomach contents, gills and bladder, or other respiratory and filtration organs of both dead and living croakers for comparison. This has not been the case.”

    Ako Amadi states further: “The Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research, NIOMR in Lagos, and ancillary institutions in Port Harcourt and Calabar have enough expertise in this regard. The residence time of suspected toxins in the benthic environment and land-based or ship transport sources are easy to determine. Aquatic toxins do not affect only particular species of fish but all fauna in an affected area. I also fail to see statements on tolerance of croakers and associated living organisms to variations of environmental change in the inshore waters of the affected system.”

    Amadi summed his response by stressing that “The NOSDRA report hardly shows any evidence of possible linkages to sudden increases in water temperature and current variations in the Eastern Gulf of Guinea that could have caused ecological hypoxia (oxygen depletion), such as ocean acidification fortified by increased waste (including oil) and heat discharges from coastal industries and shipping as well as from agricultural runoff and mangrove deforestation. The NOSDRA conclusions appear not to have been followed by immediate investigations, which infuses credibility cracks into the report. I hope that we can see more logical results to these investigations than what NOSDRA has currently presented.”

    The short statement by NOSDRA declared twice that the contamination was not from hydrocarbon sources. The agency preferred to point fingers elsewhere when they said, “it is commonly observed that most industrial and domestic wastes which contain heavy metal found their ways into drainages and onward transfer to the water bodies”. Assuming this is true, it means the incidence was never an act of nature but a pure case of poisoning of the water bodies from sources that have to be stopped.

    Like Amadi,director of a non- governmental organisation, Health of Mother Earth Foundaton, HOMEF, Nnimmo Bsssey NOSDRA’s summation is just scratching the surface of the matter. According to him, the report of laboratory analysis as presented by NOSDRA does not resolve the problem and can be diversionary.

    Bassey, in his reaction expressed deep concerns about the fate of community people who depend on the affected water bodies for sustenance and noted that the situation compounds the struggles of affected community people as they battle the hardships brought by the restrictions occasioned by the COVID-19 outbreak.

    He added that what NOSDRA gave is a very basic and tentative explanation merely aimed at ruling out the possibility of the cause being from hydrocarbons. They have mentioned possibility of other chemicals being the cause but went ahead to say that this would only affect fish in restricted areas and couldn’t cause widespread dying of fish.

    Bassey insisted: “The NOSDRA statement doesn’t help the situation and doesn’t erase the anxieties of the peoples of the region. It is not new to see a specific fish species dying as this has happened in other countries where, for example, species have succumbed to thermal or temperature increase shocks. It is true that NOSDRA focuses on hydrocarbon pollution and has restricted its review to sources in that field. Seeking to shift blame to other factors, sectors or communities cannot be the end of the story.”

    “The Ministry of environment and relevant agencies have a duty to tell Nigerians what killed the fish so that we know how to respond to this and future incidents. We are not satisfied with NOSDRA’s report as this doesn’t bring a closure to the matter. Explaining why we experienced a massive death of fish on our coasts is not beyond our scientists within and outside government,” he concluded.

  • Ex-President Jonathan denies presenting speech on Niger Delta, Biafra agitation in US

    Ex-President Jonathan denies presenting speech on Niger Delta, Biafra agitation in US

    Former Nigerian President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has disowned an online statement credited to him concerning the relationship between the South East and the people of the Niger Delta, describing it as a fabricated speech.

    The report claimed that the former President spoke on the position of Niger Delta over agitations for Biafra in a speech he presented recently in Texas, United States.

    However, a statement signed by his Media Adviser, Mr. Ikechukwu Eze, on Saturday described the report as false, declaring that the former President could not have presented the purported speech because neither did he travel to the United States nor send anybody to represent him at the unnamed event.

    Eze who noted that it was the second time in three years that the former President would be issuing a disclaimer on the purported speech, blamed the development on the effort of some unscrupulous criminals out to tarnish the image of Dr. Jonathan.

    He wrote: “Our attention has been drawn to a fake story with the title ‘Why Niger Deltans don’t want to be part of Biafra’ currently circulating online and purported to have been taken from a speech allegedly presented by former President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan at an unnamed event in Texas, United States.

    “The story which is being recycled in some online platforms claimed that the former President allegedly spoke on the relationship between the people of the Niger Delta and South East states while addressing the broader issue of agitation for Biafra.

    “We thought we had finally dealt with the issue of this falsehood with our timely and well publicised disclaimer, soon after the supposed speech first surfaced online in 2017. However, it beggars belief that the same jejune and disastrous effort at speech writing, hatched by some yet-to-be-identified shady character, is again being served to the social media public as a fresh dish.

    “We want to clearly state, as we did in 2017, that there was no such event involving the former President and that Dr. Goodluck Jonathan will never present such a sloppy and hate-filled speech.

    “We note that the false report is the same old statement that was first put out about three years ago by some unscrupulous elements. Now and as then, it began this way: “Former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebere Jonathan yesterday delivered a lecture at Texas, United States….

    “We recall that when the purported speech was first published in 2017, we dismissed it as pure fiction because, unknown to the authors, they made the claim at a time when the former President had neither been to Texas since leaving office in 2015, nor been invited to any speaking engagement in the US State. Our disclaimer which was issued on October 13, 2017 was published then in many newspapers.

    “That this odious concoction has not only resurfaced as a new document but continues to spread in May 2020 shows to what a sad extent the fake news and bizarre hoaxes industry is gaining ground in our public space.

    “It makes it even more distressing that such a poorly conceived dithyramb and the obvious falsehood around it, could receive any attention from discerning Nigerians. For instance, this is a speech that was purportedly presented in Texas, United States, but nothing was said about the actual date, venue, organisers and purpose of the event. Does it also make any sense that the former President would be assumed to have travelled to the United States to present a speech, at a time when airports are shut and public gathering banned across the world on account of Covid-19 pandemic?

    “We can only reiterate as we did in 2017 that this falsehood serves no purpose other than probably massage the ego of the faceless writer. At a time like this, Nigerians have more important things competing for their attention than waste their data on the hackwork of a fraudulent wannabe speech writer who thinks nothing of the criminal implication of attributing his duplicitous diatribe against a people to former President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.”

    –

  • Buhari suspends Amnesty Programme Co-ordinator, Charles Dokubo

    Buhari suspends Amnesty Programme Co-ordinator, Charles Dokubo

    President Muhammadu Buhari has suspended Professor Charles Quaker Dokubo as the co-ordinator of the Federal Government Amnesty Programme for Niger Delta militants.

    Dokubo’s suspension takes immediate effect, according to a statement by Femi Adesina, the presidential adviser on media and publicity.

    The suspension followed the recommendation of the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, who had set up a Caretaker Committee, on Buhari’s instruction, to look into the faithful execution of the programme.

    The committee emerged after numerous allegations and petitions surrounding the Presidential Amnesty Programme, which has been dogged in the past by similar allegations of financial misdeeds.

    Former President Umaru Yar’Adua established the programme in 2008 to end the rebellion in the Niger Delta by militants.

    “Part of the Committee’s task is to ensure that allocated resources are properly utilized in consonance with government’s objective of alleviating problems in the Niger Delta region, and stamping out corruption in the Amnesty Programme”, said Adesina.

    The President has also directed that the Caretaker Committee set up to review the programme should oversee the running of the programme henceforth, with a view to ensuring that government objectives are achieved, Adesina added.

    Dokubo was appointed by Buhari in March 2018, to replace Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh, who was also accused of misappropriating the funds meant for the programme.

    Dokubo, was born in Abonnema, Akuku Toru Local government of Rivers state on the 23rd of March 1952.

    His primary and Secondary education were done in Abonnema. He then went to the UK to do his A-Levels at Huddersfield Technical College in West Yorkshire.

    From 1978-1980 Dokubo was admitted to the University of Teesside at Middlesbrough, where he undertook a course in modern History and politics and was awarded a BA[Hons.].

    He went to the University of Bradford for his Masters Degree in Peace Studies, and followed with a doctoral degree in Nuclear Weapon Proliferation in 1985.

    He returned to Nigeria in 1993 after some years of lecturing at Bradford.

    He was a research professor at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs in Lagos before he was appointed to head the amnesty programme.

    Other heads of the programme were: Timi Alaibe(2009-2011), Kingsley Kuku(2011-2015).

  • FG to complete 9,000 abandoned N/Delta projects – Akpabio

    The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, says the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the completion of about 9,000 abandoned projects across the Niger Delta region.

    Akpabio made the disclosure when he briefed State House correspondents at the end of the Council meeting, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday.

    The minister announced that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) would also be constructing nine housing estates in the region while about 1,600 people had been empowered in the last 100 days.

    “We briefed the council today of the number of people that have so far been empowered in the first hundred days of coming into office.

    “Over 1,600 Niger Deltans have been empowered with different skills, through the skills acquisition programme.

    “We are building one skills acquisition centre per state in the region and many of them are at 80 to 90 per cent completion levels.

    “Each encompasses about 38 buildings, so it’s almost like a technical college, with accommodation and other facilities.

    “We are also doing about nine housing estates in the region from the Ministry’s perspective, to also add value to the affordable housing of the federal government’s policy,’’ he said.

    According to him, the ministry is engaging the various communities in the Niger Delta region to ensure safety of lives and property and at the same time ensure the growth of the region.

    He said the ministry was carrying out remediation works in the affected states in the region.

    He revealed that the ministry was also supervising the affairs of the Niger Delta Development Commission for optimal result, saying the ministry was at the verge of concluding the due process to commence the forensic audit of the NDDC.

    “I also briefed the council about the preparedness for the forensic audit.

    “We have got the Bureau of Public Procurement’s ‘No Objection’ and we have also been able to get the concurrence of the Auditor-General of the Federation’s office and lead consultants have come on board.

    “`At the moment we are trying to bring out the forensic auditors. Each state of the Niger Delta is a lot, we have nine lots in that section and then the headquarters is also a lot, which makes it ten.

    “We have already set up centres in the ten locations for verification, evaluation and documentation of all IPCs and all award letters for contracts so that we’ll know the contingent and actual liabilities of the NDDC.

    “At the end of the exercise, the federal government hopes to have a bankable NDDC, where the balance sheet can go to the bank and be accepted and bring value in terms of industrialization to the region,’’ he said.

    The Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Hajiya Ramatu Tijjani, who also spoke on the outcome of the meeting, said she presented ministerial deliverables of the FCT to the Council.

    She said: “We were able to shed more light on the assignment of creation of 5,000 affordable housing units in the federal capital territory.

    “This has gone a long way already because we have ensured, regulated and profiled investors already and have been able to secure land and make adequate provision for these 5,000 units.

    “We have 30 hectares of land in each area council, multiply by six that will give you about 180 hectares of land.’’

  • Niger Delta benefiting from Buhari administration-Presidency

    Niger Delta benefiting from Buhari administration-Presidency

    The Presidency yesterday mentioned a long list of the areas the Muhammadu Buhari administration has touched in the Niger Delta region.

    It showed how the administration elevated the region and the progress it made in the Ogoni clean-up.

    A statement by the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, said the administration’s New Vision for the Niger Delta region had made progress in various areas of the region’s developmental programme.

    These, it said, include reorganisation in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Eastern ports’ development and other areas.

    The Presidency said the progress report on the Niger Delta New Vision indicated clearly that “since the Ogoni clean-up commenced in January 2019, with 16 contractors moving to site, 21 sites have so far been handed over to contractors by Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP) under the Federal Ministry of Environment”.

    It added: “This is besides the commencement of the Maritime University in Delta State, now on full steam with over 1,000 students spread across 13 undergraduate courses in three faculties and the progress made in the establishment of modular refineries, including the Niger Delta Resources Refinery (NDPR), which has now moved from 1,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 6,000 bpd a couple of weeks ago.

    “There are altogether six modular refineries currently at different stages of completion in the six Niger Delta states of Rivers, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River and Imo.”

    Giving details on the Ogoni clean-up, the statement said: “The 21 sites where remediation works are ongoing are located in four of the local government areas in Ogoni land, namely: Eleme, Tai, Khana and Gokana.”

    The Presidency said the Buhari administration had received local and international commendations on the Ogoni clean-up.

    The 2011 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on Ogoni land, devastated by decades of oil spills, was not implemented until June 2016, when the Buhari administration kick-started its implementation.

    Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo kick-started the clean-up in the region.

    The Presidency said: “The commitment of the Buhari administration to the Ogoni clean-up has received several local and international endorsements with visits to the sites by the Dutch Ambassador, British Deputy High Commissioner, U.S Ambassador, German Ambassador, Norwegian Ambassador, UNEP team, among others, all attesting to the progress being recorded in the clean-up.”

    Giving an insight into the progress report, the statement quoted many of those who have attested to the good job on the clean-up.

    “I can see that work is ongoing and hopefully it will produce results soon,” the Netherlands Ambassador to Nigeria, Marion Kappeyne Van de Coppello, said in August 2019 when she visited one of the sites in Ebube community, Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State.

    “Also, during an inspection visit, the UNEP team leader, Mr. Mike Cowing, said the re-engagement of the UNEP team for the Ogoni clean-up shows the commitment of the Federal Government to effectively implement the UNEP Report.

    “We see that very sincere plans are being put together. We are part of the planning and we would be part of the implementation,” Cowing said.

    On modular refineries in the region, the Presidency said: “So far, six modular refineries are currently at different stages of completion in the Niger Delta region. The refineries are located in six states in the Niger Delta: Rivers, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Imo, Bayelsa and Cross River. This includes the Niger Delta Petroleum Resources Refinery (NDPR), in Ogbele, Rivers State, which was refining at 1,000 bpd, and was recently upgraded to 6,000 bpd.

    “The Federal Government’s Presidential Amnesty Presidential Amnesty Programme continues to engage ex-militants and youths in the Niger Delta region in formal education, vocational skills acquisition and empowerment schemes, while creating jobs for beneficiaries.

    “The Niger Delta region is also benefiting from the Buhari administration’s efforts to improve the country’s infrastructure, including the Bonny-Bodo road and bridge project.

    “This is an important road and bridge going across the Opobo channel, being undertaken as a collaboration between NLNG and the Federal Government.

    “When completed, the 34-kilometre Bonny-Bodo road and bridge project, which was flagged off in October 2017, would connect several major communities and boost socio-economic development in the region.

    “There is also the Itakpe-Warri rail line project, which is now complete and ready for inauguration. The rail line would handle passenger, commercial and freight services.

    “The Federal Government is also in the process of developing sea ports in the region, including Warri, Ibaka deep see port, among other development projects, like the establishment of Export Processing Zones (EPZs) to boost economic activities.

    “In the same vein, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is being repositioned for better delivery. It would be recalled that following the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari, the NDDC has since begun the audit and verification of projects and contracts in the nine Niger Delta states to better serve the people of the region in terms of development,” the statement said.

     

  • NDDC boss: Let’s chart new course for Niger Delta

    NDDC boss: Let’s chart new course for Niger Delta

    Acting Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Joi Nunieh, yesterday said that the interim management committee (IMC) of the commission would bring all stakeholders, including youths, on board to chart a new course for the Niger Delta region.

    Nunieh, who spoke during an interactive session with youth leaders in the region in Port Harcourt, said it was important to aggregate the views of major groups to give impetus to the development programmes being driven by the commission. Present at the meeting were youth leaders, led by the President of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Mr Pereotubo Oweilaemi; IYC Chairman, Eastern Zone, Mr. Sammy George; representatives from Isoko, Ogoni, Ikwerre, among others.

    The NDDC chief executive officer underlined the need to have a sense of direction to help quicken the pace of development in the oil-rich region. In this vein, Nunieh said: “We are promoting the ‘Charity Begins at Home’ programme, meant to inspire companies and individuals to give back to their communities.

    “We want companies to buy into the programme and adopt different communities for the provision of infrastructure. For instance, Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) has responded to the campaign and is now fixing the failed sections of the Akpajo-Onne axis of the East-West Road in Rivers State.” Nunieh said that henceforth, NDDC contractors would be required to adopt communities where they would execute a project such as water, electricity or health facility.

    She added: “What we are trying to do with this programme is to mobilise people to give back to our communities.”

    The acting managing director urged Niger Delta stakeholders to support the efforts of the Federal Government to clean up all polluted environment in the region, noting that; “We must realise that the essence of the Niger Delta struggle is more for environmental security.”

    She said NDDC would encourage the various communities to keep their villages and beaches clean and appealed for all hands to be on deck. According to her, “all of us have roles to play to make our region safe, clean and economically viable.”

    Nunieh observed that oil companies operating in the Niger Delta had through their exploration and exploitation activities degraded the environment.

    To make matters worse, she said: “Our youths who are engaged in illegal refining of crude oil, have joined in this despoliation by polluting the environment with soot. “The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report shows that one in eight persons from Ogoni will die of cancer. This is frightening and we must do something now to correct the problems.”