Opinion

Task Before Rivers Golden Jubilee Committee

Published

9 years ago

November 28, 2016

By virtue of Decree Number 4 of 1967, the Federal Military Government of Yakubu Gowon created a 12-state structure to replace the hitherto existing four regions. The creation of the 12 states was also contained in a national broadcast on 27th May 1967. Out of the 12 States six states were created from the north and another six from the south. Rivers was one of the states created with Port Harcourt as its headquarters. It is worthy of note that Rivers State was part of the defunct Eastern Region of Nigeria.

One thing is clear: the inclusion of Rivers in the 12 state structure did not happen on the platter of gold. Rivers was truly created out of the age-long demand by the founding fathers of the state involved in the Rivers State Movement. In other words, the creation of Rivers was not an act of benevolence.

In fact, writing on State Movement, Ben Naanen (2002) pages 339 to 350 in Ebiegberi Joe Alagoa and Abi Derefa~a in a book entitled: The Land and People of Rivers State: Eastern Niger Delta, explained that the struggle for ethnic hegemony in Nigeria referred to as ethnic nationalism has been linked to the formation of Pan-ethnic unions from the 1920s.

Professor Ben Naanen, concluded thus: “although, these ethnic movements were founded as cultural and welfare associations, they quickly assumed a political character when party politics emerged in Nigeria.

For instance, Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) founded in 1949 transformed to a political party in 1951 while the Egbe Omo Oduduwa established in 1945 constituted the nucleus of the Action Group and so was the case of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroon NCNC inaugurated in 1944 while Igbo Union in Lagos was at the same time the major source of support.

It is no exaggeration that this gradual growth of ethnic politics became a source of worry to minority groups including Rivers people and Calabar Ogoja Rivers State Movement.

This may not be unconnected with the springing up of the Ijaw dominated body called Rivers People’s League of 1941 whereas non-Ijaw groups notable among them were the Ogoni, Ekpeye, Ikwere- Etche and Abua groups sprang up within the same period.

It is on record that the first attempt at the creation of Rivers State came to limelight when the Rivers province was created in 1947 made up of Ahoada, Brass, Degema and Ogoni with Port Harcourt as headquarters. However, all this is history now.

Probably what is most important in the modem history of agitation for the creation of Rivers State was the collective effort of the founding fathers represented by the famous Rivers State memorandum.

It is common knowledge that the Rivers State memorandum was presented to the Head of State at the time, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, by the Rivers Leaders of Thought and was signed by S.N Dikibo, Chairman, Mr. E.N. Kobani, representing Ogoni Division, Dr I..J.M. Fiberesima representing Degema Division, R.P.G Okara Brass Division, Mr. G.B.C Otoka (Opobo Division) and N. Nwonodi for Ahoada and Port Harcourt Divisions.

Besides these signatories, other prominent names associated with the creation of the state were Chief D. Davies Manuel, Chief Harold Dappa Biriye, E.J A Oriji, W.O.Briggs who later defected to Calabar Ogoja and Rivers Movement and much later Captain Elechi Amadi joined before assisting the Nigerian Army to liberate Port Harcourt during the civil war.

It is also on record that on hearing of the new but strong romance between Rivers leaders of thought and the Head of State, the Governor of the defunct Eastern Region, Chukwu Emeka Odumegu Ojukwu, invited another set of leaders of the state movement on September 2, 1966 asking them to give up creation of Rivers and instead promised a province of Port Harcourt and urged them to support Biafra project.

It is for this reason many hold the view that among other factors, Rivers was created to polarize the struggle for Biafra and gained support of the old Rivers people. Be that as it may, Rivers has been created and will be 50 years on 27th May 2017.

Governor Nyesom Wike has set up the Rivers State Golden Jubilee Committee comprising about one hundred and fifty-one members while a renowned quantity surveyor and builder, Chief Ferdinard Alabraba, and legal luminary, O.C.J. Okocha are to serve as chairman and alternate chairman respectively.

The members who cut across all spheres of human endeavor, comprise distinguished Nigerians from within and outside the state who do business in the state.

Governor Wike, during the inauguration, stated categorically that the terms of reference include among other things to organise a month-long memorable celebration to mark the Golden Jubilee of the creation of Rivers State, to identify, seek support, collaborate with corporate organizations and individuals for a successful celebration and to determine categories of awards and also recommend persons from within and outside the state to be honored. This, no doubt, is a sensitive task that requires not only funds but wisdom and inclusiveness. raIl stakeholders, to achieve set objectives.

To this end, the task before the committee would be to identify and re-enact the first love of the founding fathers of the state which was to create and promote favourable identity of the Rivers man. To achieve this target, the committee must make conscious effort to present an accurate and updated information on the state. Such information should entail demographic details, occupation and culture of the people.

The quest to meet the manpower need of the state informed manpower development through technical and science education and further led to the establishment of the Rivers State College of Science and Technology which transformed to the premier university of science and technology in the country, the Rivers State University of Science and Technology. Better still, technical colleges and craft centres were accorded priority attention but this does not seem to be the case now.

It is worthy of note that strategic media outfits were put in place to engender favourable identity and they include the Rivers State Newspaper Corporation, publisher of The Tide Newspaper, Rivers State Broadcasting Corporation comprising Radio Rivers and RSTV.

Interestingly, the government of Commander Alfred Diete Spiff embraced the Rivers Readers Project under the leadership of late Professor Kay Williamson, Professor Emeritus E.J.Alagoa and Professor Erneritus Otonti Nduka to promote writing, teaching and learning in Rivers indigenous languages. The Committee should see the need to mark the celebration with launch of primers in indigenous Rivers languages as there cannot be culture without language.

At this juncture, it may be pertinent to ask the questions what is the state of key state institutions such as Rivers State Museum, Council for Arts and Culture, Library, indigenous crafts and trade centres, public laboratory that can evoke a sense of history?

This is where Governor Nyesom Wike must be commended for conceptualising the Rivers State Golden Jubilee Committee which, no doubt, for once would move the people of the state from party politics to a point of sober reflection and our common humanity and to enable Rivers people focus on the big picture.

As the state plans to organise a golden jubilee celebration in 2017, emphasis should not be on the mere celebration of it with a giant cake but the resolve by the founding fathers to accomplish their dreams and aspirations despite daunting challenges.

The Committee must ensure that parts of the state ceded to other states if any because of petrol politics are recommended to be brought back while the founding fathers, who have not been immortalized be named after road, streets, strategic buildings across the state. It is hoped that such a celebration will not be concentrated in Port Harcourt city alone, but all the 23 local government areas will host components while the grand finale takes place in the state capital.

The Rivers State Golden Jubilee Committee must bring to the front burner how to revive the culture of the Rivers man towards truth, justice, love, forgiveness, hard work against bloodletting and killings so prevalent in our society today.

In other words, preservation of cultural heritage should not be limited to physical properties such as piece of cloth, historical site and art alone.

The committee must know that to whom much is given much is expected.

Sika is Port Harcourt-based journalist and public affairs analyst.

Opinion

Agony In Ivory Tower

Published

1 hour ago

March 9, 2026

The Tide

Quote: A university that tolerates missing scripts, result manipulation and ‘sorting’ is not merely failing students—it is quietly destroying the moral foundation of education itself.”

The sad cases of missing scripts, compulsory Sorting, inputting of wrong results and other obnoxious practices in some public universities, leave much to be desired. One cannot imagine how a student will be compelled to suffer consequences of the flagrant negligence of a Head of Department, a lecturer, Department staff or an ICT staff.Many academic and non academic staff in several public universities seem to be performing far below standard, thus unproductive to the university system. The unacceptable cases of sorting, missing scripts, missing results, inputting of wrong grades to students, should not be mentioned in a university, not even in any academic community. This is because people who are employed to work in various positions should have cognate work experience and unquestionable competence. They should not be seen as certificate welding illiterates but people who have been proven to be worthy in learning and character, diligent and competent to carry out assigned responsibilities with minimal or no supervision.

The university as a citadel of learning should boast of men of integrity, people who are repositories of applied knowledge and competence to drive the much desired holistic development in a nation that functions on quality teaching and learning. A situation where a student having gone through the crucibles of learning and written a prescribed semester examination or class-based evaluation test, is told that his or her script is missing or that he or she did not participate in that academic exercise, or must sort to pass, is an unpardonable error and a height of callousness. In fact some lecturers and staff of Departments are using the seeming systemic defect (which is their architecture) as an opportunity to extort students. Sometimes it is discovered much to students chagrin that the supposed missing script was later discovered when a ransom was paid.

Since a lecturer, or Head of Department has in their disposal both Yam and the knife and determines who takes what (if they wish to give without strings), students have no alternative but to submit to their importunate demands in order to graduate at record time.Such practices should be unheard of in an institution that should be a vanguard of moral and ethical values and conduct. What people learn in school constitute their behavioural patterns in the society. Where the school as an agency of socialisation cannot drive positive change first in its immediate environment, then the objective of education as a bedrock for the development of society, is inevitably compromised and counter-productive. The German Reformer, Dr. Martins Luther was quoted as saying, “I advise parents not to put their wards or children in any school where the Bible is not being used as a rule of life because such institutions will unnecessarily be corrupt”.

Gleaning from Luther’s sentiment one can deduce that the lack of respect and regard for values as well as the absence of the fear of God is the greatest undoing of most public schools. Another major challenge is that lack of Information, Communication and Technology literacy or compliance on the part of some lecturers and heads of department, may have informed the decision to give students’ scripts to secretaries to compile and input students results thereby making the secretaries the determinants of students’ fate. It is not saying a new thing that some of the secretaries in the process of compiling results have inputted wrong results, omitted names or down graded some students or given unmerited grades to others.Society today is ICT-driven and ICT-literacy enhances efficiency, speed and a reasonable degree of accuracy if the person behind the computer is level headed, articulate, competent, alive to responsibilities and is aware that negligence on his or her part is not only tantamount to a disservice to the university but to the students who may not graduate at record time because of his or her (computer operator’s) gross ineptitude or carelessness.

The ICT era makes the carrying of hard copy of results obsolete as lecturers through the Heads of Department can log on to the central server of the Exams and Records (if any) or ICT unit and input students’ results directly. By so doing the incessant cases where result on spread sheet is different from the one published online, more often than not, caused by abject negligence, will be avoided. The process will also end the intermediary services of some staff in the universities’ Information, Communication and Technology Department which has become a money spinner-a lucrative source of income to many of them. In fact some ICT staff reserved the power to award grades to students depending on students’ degree of compliance to terms and conditions. They can dubiously make or unmake a student. The university community should be considered too lofty to have careless, negligent, immoral and academic or professionally deficient people as academic or non-academic staff.

The Governing Councils and Senates of universities should be proactive in addressing the menace of missing Script, inputting of wrong results and sorting. This is necessary to end the slogan “Education is scam” so the system can produce quality students who are truly found worthy in learning and in character by operators who exemplify diligence, moral and ethical values. The much-needed reform must begin within the institutions themselves, because the future of any society is shaped in its classrooms.

By: Igbiki Benibo

Opinion

Strength of Emotional Equality

Published

1 hour ago

March 9, 2026

The Tide

Quote: “Love thrives not when one gives more, but when both give fully — not in competition, not in performance, but in partnership.”

In every healthy relationship, there exists an invisible balance. It is not measured in grand gestures, expensive gifts, or public displays of affection. It is measured in something quieter and far more significant: emotional equality. When couples stand on equal emotional grounds, love becomes less of a negotiation and more of a partnership. Emotional equality does not mean both individuals express love in identical ways. It does not require matching personalities or mirroring temperaments. Rather, it speaks to balance — a shared willingness to invest, to communicate, to be vulnerable, and to grow. It is the difference between two people walking side by side and one person constantly trying to catch up.

In many relationships, imbalance begins subtly. One partner initiates most conversations. One apologizes more frequently. One carries the emotional labor — remembering important dates, managing conflicts, sensing tension, and attempting reconciliation. Over time, this uneven distribution of emotional effort breeds exhaustion. The partner who gives more begins to feel unseen. The one who gives less may grow comfortable in emotional passivity. Love, in such a space, starts to tilt — slowly at first, then significantly. Resentment can creep in quietly, disguising itself as patience. Silence may replace honest dialogue. What once felt effortless begins to feel heavy.

When couples stand on equal emotional grounds, responsibility is shared. Both people are accountable for the health of the relationship. If conflict arises, neither hides behind silence nor dominates through control. Instead, they engage. They listen. They speak honestly without weaponizing words. Equality creates safety — and safety strengthens intimacy. It allows both individuals to express needs without fear of ridicule or rejection. One of the most overlooked aspects of emotional equality is vulnerability. True connection requires courage. It demands that both partners risk being misunderstood. But when vulnerability is one-sided, it becomes exposure rather than intimacy. If one person consistently opens up while the other remains guarded, trust cannot fully deepen.

Equality ensures that emotional risks are mutual. Where one shares fears, the other shares too. Where one admits weakness, the other responds with openness rather than judgment. In such a space, authenticity flourishes. Another crucial element is validation. In emotionally balanced relationships, both partners feel heard. Their concerns are not dismissed as “overreactions.” Their feelings are not minimized or compared. When couples operate on equal emotional ground, they acknowledge each other’s experiences as legitimate. They may not always agree, but they always respect. Validation does not mean surrendering one’s viewpoint; it means recognizing that another’s emotional reality matters.

Equality also protects individuality. Contrary to popular belief, healthy love does not erase personal identity — it enhances it. When both partners are emotionally secure, they do not feel threatened by each other’s independence. Personal ambitions are encouraged, not resented. Friendships are respected, not restricted. Growth is celebrated, not feared. Standing on equal emotional grounds means neither person shrinks to accommodate the other. Instead, both expand, knowing the relationship is strong enough to hold their evolution. Power dynamics often expose emotional inequality. When one partner controls communication — appearing and disappearing unpredictably, withholding affection, or using silence as leverage — imbalance emerges.

Emotional dominance weakens intimacy. It creates anxiety instead of assurance. But when couples share emotional power, there is consistency. There is clarity. There is no need to decode affection because it is offered freely and intentionally. It is important to understand that equality does not imply perfection. Couples will still disagree. They will face stress, miscommunication, and moments of frustration. However, when emotional footing is equal, conflict does not threaten the foundation. Instead, it becomes an opportunity for understanding. Both partners approach challenges as teammates rather than opponents. They choose resolution over ego and repair over pride.

Time often reveals whether emotional equality truly exists. In the early stages of love, intensity can disguise imbalance. Enthusiasm feels mutual. Effort appears equal. But as routine settles in and novelty fades, the structure of the relationship becomes clearer. Who still initiates? Who still invests? Who still shows up consistently? Sustainable love requires sustained balance. It is built not merely on attraction, but on deliberate reciprocity. Standing on equal emotional grounds requires intentionality. It demands honest conversations about needs and expectations. It requires both partners to examine their habits — whether they withdraw during tension, avoid accountability, or rely on the other to carry the emotional weight. Emotional maturity is not about avoiding conflict; it is about handling it responsibly and returning, again and again, to shared ground.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of emotional equality is peace. There is no constant anxiety about where one stands. No guessing games about commitment. No fear that affection may suddenly disappear. Instead, there is stability. There is reassurance. There is mutual effort. In a world where relationships often blur the lines between attention and commitment, equality offers clarity. It reminds us that love should not feel like competition or performance. It should feel like partnership. When couples stand on equal emotional grounds, they build something resilient. They build trust that does not fracture easily. They build respect that does not depend on mood. They build a connection rooted not only in passion but in balance. And in that balance, love finds its strength — not in who gives more, but in how both give fully.

By: Sylvia ThankGod-Amadi

Opinion

NDDC: Time To Illuminate Homes

Published

1 week ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

Quote:“Twenty-five years on, the Niger Delta cannot celebrate illuminated streets while families sit in darkness. Development must begin inside the home — where children study, businesses grow, and lives are built — before it glows on the roadside.”

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) was established in 2000 with a clear and urgent mandate: to facilitate the rapid, even, and sustainable development of Nigeria’s oil-producing Niger Delta region. The creation of the Commission followed decades of agitation over environmental degradation, infrastructural neglect, and socio-economic marginalization in the region. Its core mandate included the development of roads, bridges, electricity, water supply, health facilities, education, housing, environmental remediation, and economic empowerment initiatives. At inception, expectations were high that the Commission would transform the Niger Delta into a model of regional development. Over the years, the NDDC has indeed implemented numerous projects across the nine Niger Delta states. Roads have been constructed and rehabilitated in several communities, easing transportation challenges.

Schools have been renovated, and new classroom blocks have been provided in underserved areas. Health centres have been built or upgraded, improving access to primary healthcare services. The Commission has also awarded scholarships to students, including foreign postgraduate scholarships, empowering thousands of youths academically.Skills acquisition and youth empowerment programmes have helped many young people gain vocational competencies.Through various interventions, the NDDC has contributed to job creation and local economic stimulation.Solar-powered street lighting projects have been widely implemented in urban and semi-urban communities. These streetlights have improved visibility at night and contributed to enhanced security in some areas. Markets, highways, and public spaces illuminated by solar lights have experienced extended business hours.

For these efforts, the Commission deserves acknowledgment and commendation. However, development must always align with foundational mandates and pressing grassroots realities. A growing concern among residents is that while streets are illuminated, many homes remain in darkness. Rural electrification and household power access remain inconsistent and inadequate across large parts of the region. In riverine and remote communities, families still rely on generators, kerosene lamps, or complete darkness after sunset. The irony of brightly lit streets juxtaposed with powerless homes cannot be ignored. Electricity at the household level directly impacts education, health, and small-scale enterprise. Students cannot effectively study at night without reliable indoor lighting.Families cannot preserve food or power essential appliances without stable electricity.

Micro and small businesses struggle to grow without dependable energy access. While street lighting enhances public aesthetics and security, it does not substitute for domestic electrification. The proverb “charity begins at home” is especially relevant in this context. True community development must first empower households before beautifying public spaces. The Commission’s original mandate emphasizes integrated and sustainable development, not isolated infrastructural gestures. Balanced development requires that energy interventions prioritize homes alongside streets. Solar technology presents a unique opportunity for decentralized household electrification in off-grid communities. Extending solar solutions to individual homes would have a transformative social impact. Home-based solar systems could power lights, fans, small appliances, and communication devices.

Such interventions would reduce poverty, improve living standards, and stimulate grassroots productivity. By broadening its energy focus, the Commission would better reflect the spirit of its founding legislation. This is not a call to abandon street lighting projects, which have their merits. Rather, it is an appeal for balance, inclusivity, and alignment with core developmental objectives. Strategic planning should ensure that rural electrification and household access form a central pillar of ongoing interventions. Community engagement and needs assessments can help determine priority areas for household solar deployment. Twenty-five years after its establishment, the NDDC stands at a reflective moment in its institutional journey. The people of the Niger Delta say: thank you for the efforts so far—but not very much—because true appreciation will come when development begins at home and radiates outward, not merely when streets shine while houses remain in darkness.

By: King Onunwor