Rivers

Army Clarifies Helicopter Fire On Bonny River

Published

4 years ago

September 1, 2021

The Nigerian Military has admitted that its combat helicopter shot at a local cargo boat, popularly known as ‘Cotonou Boat’, but clarified that the boat was suspected to be conveying illegally refined petroleum products along the Bonny River.
A statement signed by the Director of Defence Information, Benjamin Olufemi Sawyerr disclosed that the Air Component of the Joint Task Force Operation Delta Safe (OPDS) carried out the attack while providing air support to ground troops engaged in clearance operations in the incident area.
“The Air Component of the Joint Task Force Operation Delta Safe (OPDS) received reports from ground troops, who were on clearance operations but encountered resistance at the point of encounter.
“On receiving the report, a combat helicopter was despatched to provide close air support mission along the Cawthorne Channel.”
The statement said the helicopter, upon accosting the ‘Cotonou Boat’ which was being escorted by two speedboats on high speed, fired warning shots to dissuade the crew of the boat from hostile action but was fired at by the crew and had to engage it accordingly.
“The helicopter encountered an illegal oil bunkerers’ boat popularly called “Cotonou Boat”. The boat which was being escorted by two speedboats was suspected to be carrying illegally refined oil products in large drums along the Channel in the direction of OPDS patrol boats.
“On sighting the boat, warning shots were fired to dissuade the crew from hostile action. The crew fired back at the helicopter and the boat was engaged accordingly.
“The two speedboats detached from the convoy at high speed, leaving the “Cotonou Boat” which was neutralised. The helicopter later went after the two speedboats but was unable to track it. The suspects are still at large and a manhunt has been sent out to apprehend them.”
The defence headquarters reiterated that the military “remains a professional institution that operates in line with best practices through the application of the rules of engagement and code of conduct”.
It further asserted that, “It is also positioned to protect the populace rather than victimising them,” adding that “efforts by anyone to protect criminality by disparaging the actions of the military in preventing economic sabotage and other sundry crimes need to be condemned by all”.
Recall that the media space was awash with reports of an attack on unarmed civilians travelling in a local cargo boat on Thursday, August 26, 2021 from Port Harcourt to Bonny Island, with two of the victims telling journalists that their boat was attacked along the Bonny River near the Dawes Island (Dutch Island) fishing settlement in Okrika Local Government Area of the State.
According to one of the victims, Awwal Rufai, the military helicopter dropped one of its occupants via a rope, who checked the boat and was later pulled back up into the aircraft, which flew off and later resurfaced and dropped to about 500 meters above sea level and opened fire on them but flew off again when they cried out for help.
“Between 1:30 and 2pm a chopper was seen around that area, it came around the first time, went back, came back again the second time and left. The third time it came around, it dropped a rope from the chopper and a personnel was seen coming down from the chopper into the boat and later went back up, next thing they opened fire and started shooting at us.”

Rivers

HostCom Tasks HCDTs On Developmental Projects

Published

5 days ago

March 21, 2025

The Tide

Concerned with the absence of proper development in oil producing communities, Host Communities Development Trustees (HCDTs) have been urged to, as a matter of priority, be deliberate in embarking on projects that would impact and uplift the face of communities in their trusts.

The development of the host communities would further create a win-win situation for the tripartite concerned parties of the government, oil companies and the host communities.

The National President, Host Communities Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas, Dr. Benjamin Style Tamaranebi, gave the urge at the Town Hall Engagement with HCDTs and settlors In Rivers State, organized by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) in conjunction with HostCom Project Management and Adversary Consult, held at Golden Tulip Hotel, Port Harcourt, Weekend.

Delivering his address, Tamaranebi stated that every trust in the oil producing areas have been funded with the aim of translating the funds to sustainable development projects in the communities by the board of trustees.

According to him, each of the trusts has funds running to billions in their coffers insisting that should these funds be properly utilized, the Niger Delta and its communities would have been developed to the standard of oil producing areas.

In his words, “money has been paid to these trusts and each of these trusts have billions in their coffers. No trust in the Niger Delta cannot boost of a billion naira and these funds are meant for development”.

He noted with dismay the act of engaging in frivolous projects, duplication of projects, and siting of projects outside the communities saying, “there should be proper utilization of funds for projects.

“Look for and embark on projects that would impact on the people and site it in the community and not outside. Build and train human beings through scholarships to students and the likes”.

He noted that some of the host communities are richer than even the local government, charging the HCDTs “to utilize the 3% allocation as enshrined in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) so there’ll be change, development and progress in our communities”.

Tamaranebi further explained that the Town Hall Engagement was targeted at interacting with chairmen, secretaries and traditional rulers of HCDTs to become conversant with their challenges, assuring that their issues would be escalated to the NUPRC for proper tackling.

On his part, the Chief Executive, NUPRC, Gbenga Komolafe, noted that the gathering underscored the collective commitment of all stakeholders, including government, traditional rulers, oil companies and the communities themselves, to fostering sustainable community development, inclusiveness and accountability in the Niger Delta.

Represented by the Deputy Manager, NUPRC, Rivers State Chapter, Jerry Mbonu, Komolafe said, “The NUPRC remains dedicated to regulatory oversight, policy support and technical assistance to ensure host communities thrive alongside the petroleum industry.

“Let us seize this opportunity to turn challenges into opportunities and drive sustainable inclusive development in the Niger Delta”, Mbonu said.

In his Goodwill Message, Eld. Iduonibin Obaghama, stated that the fruition of the PIA was the effort of resilient men and women of the region who fought for their rights.

He enjoined stakeholders at the meeting to partner for the development of the host communities saying, “we are all from communities. It’s up to us to develop our communities. That’s all we’ve been saying here”.

Lady Godknows Ogbulu

Rivers

Host Communities Urged to Take Ownership of Development Trust Fund

Published

5 days ago

March 21, 2025

The Tide

Following the age long environmental degradation, pollution and increased poverty rate in oil-producing communities, host communities have been urged to take ownership of the Host Community Development Trust.

This call was made during a CSO/Media Town Hall Meeting organized by BudgIT Foundation with support from Oxfam, in which members of the community were sensitized on the importance of the trust fund and how to access it.

Rivers State Officer, BudgIT Foundation, Eze Eberechi, emphasized the need for every community in Rivers to access the fund for development.

According to her, most communities in Rivers State are still ignorant or lack the knowledge on how to access the 3% percent host community development trust fund, stressing that there is need for more sensitization.

“I am happy I go to communities to sensitize them, they now know better, they are no more helpless, their voices are being heard through writing community letter, Freedom of Information (FOI) and the media.

“We encouraged them to be able to integrate this host community development trust, those people that do not know the benefit incurred from Petroleum industrial act. We enlighten them on what they need to know by empowering them with information and show them how they can use it.

“Those communities that have issues with funding, leadership problems, we channel them the write way to go about the dispute.

“We also sensitized the people on how to access projects in Rivers State and how to track projects, so they can go back to their various communities to step down the training.

“Some host communities share their experiences: a community member whose community has been accessing the trust fund said his community has close to one hundred and fifty million in their account and so many other people that shared their experience”, she said.

She also called for partnership and collaboration from other CSO’s and the media.

“To achieve this, collaboration is very important, the media, CSO’s, organisations, community leaders, so at the end we can have a societal behavioural change”, she added.

A representative from a host community and Secretary, Advisory Committee, Odagwa Etche, Ejiogu Augustine, confirmed that his community has started receiving the 3% HCDT fund, noting that they are in the projects budgeting stage.

“Communities should be able to utilize the fund very well. The 3% if the production is high, it amount to substantial amount of money which the community should use for the development of the community such as the health care system, agriculture, sponsoring community people overseas and every other needs of the community.

“My community has received. We are in the process of budgeting, to know how much will be appropriated to each of the projects we want to do. I’m calling for the community to take ownership and do what they are supposed to do”, Augustine stated.

He, however, called for an increase in the fund from 3% to 10% or more, stressing that oil-producing communities bear the brunt of environmental degradation and deserve greater support.

“The government and the IOCs should do more, 3% is not enough. We are asking for an increments to 10% or more. It will help the community because they are the ones bearing the brunt of oil spill, and environmental degradation”, he urged.

Iragunima Benice

Rivers

NAFDAC’s Greenbook App’ll Curb Fake Drugs, Substandard Products’

Published

5 days ago

March 21, 2025

The Tide

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says the newly launched GreenBook App technologies would curb fake drugs and substandard products in the country

The Agency said they are fighting substandard and fake medicines in the country, also known as counterfeit products, “produced by our own people, described as evil men”.

Director General, NAFDAC, Prof. Mojishola Adayeye, stated this in Port Harcourt during a two-day NAFDAC workshop/training on Traceability, Greenbook and Paediatric Policy held in the state.

She noted that the Agency over the years had fought the menace of fake and substandard products in the country through the National Newspapers, Radio and Television.

Represented by the Director, Post Marketing Surveillance (PMS), Fraden Bitrus, the DG noted that the men and women who perpetrate the act have improved in their evil act in Nigerian Market.

The “Two-Day Workshop and Training”, Adayeye said, was to showcase the Agency’s new Green book App technology and improve its fighting mechanism on fake drugs and counterfeits products.

“The GreenBook serves as a tool to check fake and substandard drugs in Nigeria market space”, she said.

She noted that Nigeria is the first country in Africa to use the Green book App technologies and second on the world to use the App.

“With this Green book App technologies, stakeholders, medical practitioners and others can check fake drugs and substandard products”, she said.

The Director called on stakeholder’s and the public to encourage and support the new NAFDAC Green book App technologies to eradicate the use of substandard drugs in the country.

The Green book App, Adeyeye continued, shall also be used by the Agency to detect other fake and substandard products in Nigeria’s Market space.

Also speaking, Commissioner for Health, Rivers State, Dr. Adaeze Oreh, thanked the Director General of NAFDAC and her team for their unrelentless efforts at fighting the menace of counterfeits and fake drugs in the country.

Represented by Quanata Dappa, Oreh said the State Government is proud at NAFDAC’s efforts aimed at curbing fake and substandard products in the country.

Rivers State Government, the Commissioner said, “is supportive of the fight against this unpatriotic citizens of Nigeria aimed at selling fake drugs to consumers”.

According to Oreh, “the well being of our patients is very paramount as the new Green book App technologies will go a long way to curb fake drugs , especially in the life of pediatrics (Children)”, she said.

Chinedu Wosu