News

Bayelsa Community Protests Military Invasion

Published

10 months ago

November 27, 2023

The aggrieved people of Igbomotoru in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, yesterday, staged a peaceful protest against the invasion of the coastal community by military gunboats.
The protesters, made up of youths, men, women and chiefs, who demonstrated in the community, in several videos posted online, alleged that the onslaught was reportedly at the instance of the All Progressives Congress (APC) deputy governorship candidate in the just-concluded state governorship election, Joshua Maciver.
They also alleged that Maciver masterminded the invasion to oppress them and also install one Friday Jonathan, who had been rejected, as the paramount ruler of the community.
The community equally claimed that the APC chieftain was using his links with a pipeline surveillance firm in the Niger Delta region, Tantita Security Services Limited, to cause mayhem in the community.
They vowed to resist any attempt to impose an “unwanted stooge” as the paramount ruler of the community.
In one of the videos, a man who claimed to be the deputy paramount ruler of the community said the town had been peaceful and called on the federal and state governments to check the activities of Tantita and Maciver.
He also alleged that Maciver was planning to bring back somebody from another community to be forcefully installed as the Igbomotoru ruler.
An old woman, who also spoke in Izon language in the video, said the community was peaceful and warned against attempts to cause mayhem in the area.
She said they would resist the plot to impose any ruler on the community.
The caretaker committee chairman of the Southern Ijaw council area, Lucky Okodeh, had raised similar security concerns over Tantita’s operations in the area.
The council chairman accused the firm of a security breach, including the destruction of lives and property.
He said some workers of the company in September, while patrolling the rivers in gunboats, invaded Okpotuwari, a neighbouring community to Igbomotoru, where it allegedly caused mayhem, fear, and destruction of lives and property.
Okodeh said he and his team had to intervene to restore peace in the community.
He called for a thorough investigation to address the alleged security breach perpetrated by the company’s operatives and bring the perpetrators to book.
Okodeh said, “Elections have come and gone, and I have a mandate to protect lives and property in Southern Ijaw LGA, and as such, politicians plotting political vendetta should be reminded that nobody, no matter how highly placed, will be allowed to toy with the peace existing in the LGA.
“We call once again for the security agencies to act swiftly and diligently to protect the lives and property in Southern Ijaw.”
Efforts to get a reaction from Maciver as of the time of filing this report proved abortive.

News

Nigeria’s Rail Transport Generated N1.69bn In Q2 -NBS report

Published

4 days ago

September 20, 2024

The Tide

The Nigerian rail system generated N1.69billionn in revenue from passengers in the second quarter of 2024, reflecting a 53.14 per cent increase compared to the N1.10billion recorded in the same period of 2023.
This data was disclosed by the National Bureau of Statistics in its report released yesterday.
According to the report, a total of 689,263 passengers travelled by rail in Q2, representing a growth rate of 45.38 per cent compared to 474,117 passengers in the corresponding quarter of 2023.
The volume of goods transported via rail also saw a significant increase, with 143,759 tons moved in Q2 2024, up from 56,936 tons in Q2 2023. Additionally, the Nigerian Railway Corporation reported a volume of 5,940 tons of goods transported through pipelines in Q2 2024, an increase from the 2,856 tons recorded in the same period of the previous year.
Revenue from goods conveyed via rail stood at N537.36m in Q2 2024, a remarkable increase of 206.68 per cent compared to N175.22m in Q2 2023. The movement of goods through pipelines also contributed to revenue generation, with N42.08m collected in Q2 2024, compared to N12.81million in Q2 2023.
Other revenue receipts amounted to N994.68million in Q2 2024, representing a staggering increase of 5,206.68 per cent from the N18.74m recorded in the corresponding period of last year.
In the first quarter, of 2024, The Tide source reported that Nigeria spent more on servicing the debt incurred for building its railways than the revenue generated by its railway system. The country spent 2,470 per cent more on railway debt servicing than it made from revenue from rail services in the first quarter of 2024.

News

NDDC Unveils Initiative To Enhance Food Security In N’Delta

Published

4 days ago

September 20, 2024

The Tide

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) says it is committed to advancing projects and programmes that enhance food security and sustainable growth in the region.
Chief Monday Igbuya, the Delta State representative on the NDDC Board, made this pledge in a statement issued in Port Harcourt, yesterday by the NDDC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Mrs Seledi Thompson-Wakama.
Igbuya spoke at the inauguration of a training and empowerment programme for women and youths in livestock and agro processing in Amukpe, Sapele area of Delta.
He stated that the NDDC was prioritising livestock training in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“NDDC is focussed on implementing programmes to ensure food security and agricultural growth in multi sectors, aiming to improve living standards.
“It is our belief that for socio-economic development to take place, there is need to develop manpower in the agricultural sector,” he said.
Igbuya expressed confidence that training farmers would enhance livestock production, create jobs, and alleviate poverty in the Niger Delta.
Mrs Winifred Madume, NDDC Director of Agriculture and Fisheries, said that training farmers and entrepreneurs was essential for improving productivity and market access.
“The commission has been promoting research and development through various institutions and providing farming techniques to beneficiaries,” she said.
The Project Consultant, Dr Simon Akhaine, said that 200 women and youths had registered for the livestock and agro-business skill acquisition programme.
According to him, the programme aims to equip them with the essential knowledge and skills for self-sufficiency in livestock farming, thereby boosting regional food security.

News

Tinubu Shelves UNGA79 Trip To Address National Challenges

Published

4 days ago

September 20, 2024

The Tide

President Bola Tinubu will not attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this year.
In his stead, Vice President Kashim Shettima will lead Nigeria’s delegation to the annual summit.
Tinubu “wants to focus on domestic issues and address some of the country’s challenges, especially after the recent devastating flooding,” a statement from the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, revealed yesterday.
The statement is titled ‘Vice President Shettima to Lead Nigeria’s Delegation to the 79th United Nations General Assembly.’
It reads, “President Bola Tinubu will not attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this year.
“Therefore, the President has directed Vice President Kashim Shettima to lead Nigeria’s delegation.”
Tinubu, who returned to the country last Sunday after his trips to China and the United Kingdom, “wants to focus on domestic issues and address some of the country’s challenges, especially after the recent devastating flooding,” said Onanuga.
At UNGA 79, Vice President Shettima will deliver Nigeria’s national statement to the General Assembly, attend important sideline events, and hold bilateral meetings.
The high-level General Debate, with the theme “Leaving No One Behind: Acting Together for the Advancement of Peace, Sustainable Development, and Human Dignity for Present and Future Generations,” will run from Tuesday, September 24, through Saturday, September 28, 2024.