₦airaland Forum

https://emeraldng.com/so-touching-delta-councilor-agofure-feeds-people-in-3-lgas-for-4-days-check-out-the-lucky-3-lgas/ The lawmaker presented two square meals per day for four days from Thursday 13th to Sunday 16th August, 2020 for residence of the three LGAs.

The grouse of the nurses and midwives is that the state has over 1500 nurses and midwives who have already graduated from nursing and midwifery schools and waiting for employment by the state government. But rather than employing the ready-made health workers on ground, the ministry is selling forms for the training of community nurses and midwives, a development which nurses in the state frown at....Read more...http://emeraldng.com/investigation-delta-health-commissioner-nurses-in-heavy-warfare-over-training-of-community-nurses-midwives-read-the-nauseating-revelations/

Delta state commissioner for information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, has appealed to the people of the state to follow the health protocols prescribed by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC0 and the government as part of strategies to combat the lethal coronavirus pandemic http://emeraldng.com/covid-19-delta-restates-stand-on-adherence-to-health-protocols-as-cases-rise/

A group, Niger Delta Integrity and Development Group (NDIDG), has given a two-week-ultimatum to President Muhammadu Buhari to dissolve the Interim Management Committee of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and immediately constitute the substantive board of the commission.
In a statement signed by the group’s national coordinator, Ebiye Johnny and made available to journalists in Asaba, the Delta state capital, the group is insisting that the minister of the Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio and the governors of the region have failed and painfully disappointed the people of the oil rich but volatile region.
He said there are shocking scandal and contract fraud in the NDDC under the interim committee, noting that the uncovered fraud in the NDDC has made the anti-corruption fight of the president a mockery before Nigerians and the international community.
Mr. Ebiye reminded the president that on October 17, 2019, he ordered a forensic audit be carried out on the commission which should run from the establishment of the commission until 2019, a development which was widely applauded by virtually applauded by all leaders of the region.
He also said Godswill Akpabio told Nigerians that the IMC would be in office for a period of between three and six months to complete the forensic exercise but sadly the six months have expired, the forensic audit has not started let alone submitting report to the president.
He revealed that the IMC was hurriedly inaugurated and given a mandate to provide necessary documents for the forensic auditors to do their work, after which the IMC would have completed their job and pack out of the commission.
He said President Buhari was misled in March 2020 to inaugurate the NDDC advisory committee made up of governors of the region, noting that in the last few weeks there have been series of reports exposing the rot, stealing, corruption and fraudulent contract awards and racketeering and payments for jobs not executed and running into billions since October 2019.

He said: “It is more shameful and regrettable that our elected South South governors who should be courageous enough to tell truth to Mr. President to inaugurate the substantive board of NDDC, they submitted themselves to be inaugurated as members of NDDC Advisory Committee in March, 2020, knowing fully well that the president was yet to reconstitute the substantive board of NDDC.”
He added: “It is worrisome, if our elected South South governors, who swore oath to be faithful and honest, are afraid to say the truth or stand for truth, no wonder the oil rich region has remained backward.
“The South South governors should convince the people of Niger Delta by telling President Buhari to dissolve the IMC now and immediately reconstitute the substantive board of NDDC, except the governors want us to believe that they are afraid of Godswill Akpabio.”
He said: “We were told that the office of Auditor-General for the Federation, and Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs will jointly handle or supervise the Forensic Audit to cover NDDC's operations from 2001 to 2019.
“The IMC appointed the acting Executive Director Projects of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, as Chairman of NDDC Contracts Verification Committee. Few days ago, the IMC presented it report to the Auditing Principal Partner and Lead Consultant for the forensic audit.
“The IMC has handed over its preliminary report and documents of the verification exercise to the lead consultants of the audit, Olumuyiwa Basiru & Co., at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt, by the Acting Managing Director, Professor Kemebradikumo Pondei, wherein stated that over 8,000 projects were captured throughout the nine states. The preliminary report contained contract documents covering projects captured during the NDDC’s verification exercise
“From January 20th to February 7th 2020, the Interim Management Committee carried out a verification exercise, contractors were invited for verification of their contracts documents with the commission.
“The IMC, after submitting its final report to the Forensic Auditors, the IMC has become irrelevant and should be disbanded forthwith by Mr. President.”
Mr. Ebiye noted that President Buhari did not mandate the IMC to award contracts, pay contractors or complete any jobs, adding that the mandate of IMC was to collate and document every transactions of NDDC from 2000 to 2019 and submit to the forensic auditors, after which the IMC has finished their job.
He said the IMC has collated and documented every transactions of NDDC from 2000 to 2019 from its verification exercise and submitted same to the forensic auditors, hence the IMC has finished their job and should be immediately dissolved.
He said President Buhari should commence the process of reconstituting the substantive board wherein all the nine states in the region will be adequately represented as provided by the NDDC Act, adding that the ordered forensic audit, covers 2000 to 2019, while the substantive Board will commence it's activities from 2020.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Universal Learning Solutions, a UK not-for-profit organization, has launched the
Nigerians Educate Everywhere at a Distance (NEED) project for students and pupils to learn at home with ease.

According to the CEO of Universal Learning Solutions, Gary Foxcroft, ‘The NEED project has been developed quickly as part of our response to the Covid-19 crisis."
"We wish to implore all state governments and wider development partners to work with us to promote this Jolly
Phonics distance learning program and enable children to access the right to literacy from home", saying that all
resources were available for free on the website – www.jollyphonics.ng.

Mr Foxcroft stated that the programme has been developed to help support the call by the Universal Basic Education
Commission (UBEC) for states to develop programmes which ensure that young learners learn at home whilst schools are closed.

He said that the programme which deliver Africa’s largest and most effective English literacy programme in Nigeria,
focused on providing face to face training and support to Nigerian Government School and Primary School Teachers using
the fun and effective English literacy method, has proven to dramatically raise early grade literacy levels pupils in Nigeria and globally.

The CEO stated that due to COVID-19 situation, the organization changed its approach by creating a range of amazing free distance
learning solutions that could be accessed in a variety of ways.

He also revealed that Universal Learning Solutions has produced a 50 episode Jolly Phonics TV Lessons series after the
announcement of school closure due to COVID-19 to directly benefit Nigerian children and Nigerian Jolly Phonics
trainers has recorded a 42 part radio show for the North and South of the country.

He stated that the organization has also developed a free Jolly Phonics App and Africa-based Story Reading App on a
dedicated website - www.jollphonics.ng - where all the audio, video and App content can be accessed and also a range
of free worksheets and activities to keep children occupied in at home.

For families with no electricity, Mr. Foxcroft stated that Universal Learning Solutions would send SMS messages to as
many parents as possible including a full Jolly Phonics lessons course, developed in bite-sized chunks for parents.

He explained that State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) in Zamfara, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Abia, Anambra,
Jigawa, Ebonyi and Ekiti States have embraced the project through airing the radio show on a range of stations.

The benefits of Jolly Phonics are numerous, some of which include that it is full of fun and a multisensory programme for
teaching young learners how to read and write with confidence, it is packed with activities that children love and
learners feel like they are playing, yet learning.

Others are it help to read words in English, also helps learners learn how to read Hausa words.
He called on members of the public to call the Country Director on 07063045346 or email
patrick@universallearningsolutions.org for more details

Following the gruesome murder of Miss Elozino Ogege, a 300level Mass Communication of Delta State Univeristy, Abraka by yahoo boys, two human right groups in collaboration with Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) young wing have demanded for the disengagement of Deo Gratas, a private security firm from which the university security personnel who introduced the murdered student to the yahoo boys was hired.
The human right groups include Committee for the Defense of Human Rights and Conference for the Actualisation of Human Rights in collaboration with UPU youth wing having studied the situation surrounding the murder of the student made the joint the demand for the dissolution of the personnel from the security firm.
Although the groups have no outright grouse against the security outfit, seeing that the security personnel who acted as link man between the student and the yahoo boys is from the firm, it became imperative to disengage the services of the firm from the university seeing their dealings are mainly with members of the community.
In a statement signed and made available to Emeraldng.com by Efemena Umukoro, the secretary of the UPU youth wing, the groups said the resolve to call for the disengagement of the security outfit from the campus three axis of the university was predicated on the murder of Elozino Ogege.
But Umukoro, in the statement, said management of the university seemed not disposed to the call for the disengagement of the security personnel, rather he said the institution is sponsoring campaign of calumny against the UPU youth wing secretary and downplaying the crime against the institution and the Abraka community.
The groups have also proposed a protest following the unwillingness of the university to disengage the security firm, just as he faulted the unholy campaign of the institution against him as if the call for the disengagement of the security personnel was a personal decision made by him as an individual.
The statement noted that the three bodies have exhausted all avenues of peaceful dialogue with the management of the institution, adding that the vice chancellor of the university, Professor Victor Peretomode, is not being sincere with the process but has continued to apply tactics that have failed to address the issues on ground.
Umukoro alleged that Professor Peretomode wrote a petition against him though with a wrong name which he said failed to address the issue.
He said: “Sadly, after his failure to use the police to harass him, a professor of high repute has settled for the use of thugs to disrupt the peaceful protest which would end up in futility.”
Following the issues raised, the groups made the following demands:
“The peaceful protest is in furtherance of our demand for the disengagement of Deo Gratas company as a result of the various criminalities happening in the campus unchecked and the death of Elozino, a 300level student of the institution.
“That the Abraka Oruarivie kingdom is fully in support of the protest and all necessary organs of the palace is in direct communication with the UPU youth wing.
“That the protest was not initiated by the Secretary of UPU Youth wing worldwide comrade Kelly Umukoro but by the above mentioned Unions
“That it was the sole advice and directive from the secretary that enable DELSU management to have the courage of going to Irri to visit the family after the school management complained of fear of possible attack if they go to visit the family immediately, an advice which they carried out and was successful.
“That a legal action would be instituted against DELSU management if they continue to assassinate the personality of Comrade Kelly Umukoro by using agents associated directly or indirectly with the school management.
“That Comrade Kelly Efemena Umukoro is a peaceful and law abiding citizen of Delta state and number three citizen of Urhobo youths, hence would not engage with the management of DELSU in any form of media rascality but would use legal process to channel any grievance arising thereto.”

President Muhammadu Buhari’s election is programmed to suffer a huge blow in the Niger Delta region as a former die-hard ally, Israel Eshanekpe, also known as Akpodoro,..http://www.emeraldng.com/buharis-election-to-suffer-heavy-blow-in-the-n-delta-as-500000-youths-ex-militants-adopt-atiku/

Rt. Hon. Ndudi Godwin Elumelu, PDP candidate for the Aniocha/Oshimili Federal House of Representatives for the 2019 general elections...http://www.emeraldng.com/elumelu-builds-n2billion-massive-hospital-in-delta-hands-over-to-federal-ministry-of-health/

In the first place, I will like to tell you that every human being who is an adult and matured must in one way or the other be involved in politics. But not politics in the sense that you join a political party or arrogate to yourself the right to decide which party will win or lose. http://www.emeraldng.com/hot-story-nigerian-bishop-mogekwu-speaks-to-pastors-you-cant-be-a-politician-and-make-a-good-pastor-his-reasons-will-shock-you/

Five suspected killers of Elozino Ogege, the 300level Mass Communication student of Delta State University, Abraka, were, on Monday, arraigned before a magistrate court sitting in Asaba, the Delta state capital. http://www.emeraldng.com/court-remands-killers-of-delsu-student-elozino-in-ogwashi-uku-prison-to-re-appear-in-court-december-31/

In Delta, tears are still flowing over the gruesome murder of a First Class 300 Level undergraduate of Delta State University, Abraka. http://www.emeraldng.com/yahoo-boys-make-big-confessions-this-is-how-we-coordinated-the-murder-of-miss-ogege-300-level-delsu-student/?fbclid=IwAR3HxCgRGRbKvO0rodDFfbbBBam9_HtNCR4GpC397VFwauXDQx4LgR-EiSk

It is disheartening to learn that the social media platform which is supposed to be used to further faster information dissemination has been hijacked by jobless individuals who called themselves reporters.These reporters are fed with spurious information by disgruntled elements who may have failed in their bid to have their personal interest projected over the general good of the public.
Continue reading http://www.emeraldng.com/re-financial-scandal-rocks-delta-poly-as-rector-syphons-millions-of-naira-point-of-order/

A coalition of peace advocacy groups from the nine states of the Niger Delta have, on Tuesday, faulted the protest against the performance of the Security Task Force in the region code named Operation Delta Safe led by Rear Admiral Apochi Suleiman, saying the protest is sponsored by oil thieves.
Continue reading http://www.emeraldng.com/peace-advocacy-groups-fault-anti-jtf-protest-say-oil-thieves-are-fighting-back/

INTERVIEW: We believe in the unity of Nigeria, Africa and all Nigerians have a lot to gain from it

Below are excerpts from an interview with him in Owerri

What is your opinion on the murderous Fulani herdsmen and the Boko Haram insurgents?

The two groups, Fulani herdsmen and Boko Haram, are a phenomenon that is strange to us. Up till this moment, I don’t understand what is the purpose of Boko Haram and I agree that many Nigerians do not understand. Again, up till this moment, we don’t understand how Fulani herdsmen have access to sophisticated equipment, AK47 including explosives and bombs. I think we require some proper explanation from our security agents on how these groups have access to sophisticated equipment.
Continue reading http://www.emeraldng.com/chief-emmanuel-iwuanyanwu-the-clearing-house-of-eastern-politics-speaks-on-the-state-of-the-nation-read-how-he-views-the-current-system-in-nigeria/

The Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ) has appealed to Nigerians and particularly the people of the Niger Delta region to reduce the use of plastics to protect the environment.

The foremost NGO in Delta state made the appeal on Tuesday to commemorate the 2018 World Environment Day (WED).

National Coordinator of CEPEJ, Comrade Sheriff Mulade, said in a statement that all stakeholders, including agencies of government as well as federal ministry of environment should create awareness on dangers of indiscriminate disposal of plastics and call people to action to protect the environment.
Continue reading http://www.emeraldng.com/foremost-niger-delta-environmentalist-warns-against-indiscriminate-disposal-of-plastics/