News

Act Fast On Oil Spill Rocking Forcados Area, CSOs Task FG, Delta Govt

Published

1 year ago

July 26, 2024

Environmental groups have called on the government at all levels to be proactive towards issues concerning environmental pollution and oil spills.

Their call followed a massive oil pollution ravaging Forcados area which has affected the Okuntu community coastline and other neighboring communities in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State.

According to reports by the community, the oil spill was caused by a fire incident which happened on a Floating Production Storage and Offloading Facility owned by Brittina-U Nigeria Limited, at Ajakpa Field, OML 90.

Okuntu community which is in Ogulagha kingdom is close to Ibabebe (Isiayegbene) and Odimodi (Beniboye) communities, all along the Forcados area, who are also affected by the pollution, a statement issued by Elvira Jordan,
Communications Consultant to the groups said.

Speaking on the issue, Executive Director of Community Development Advocacy Foundation (CODAF), BENIN Richard, faulted the Federal and Delta State governments for Environment on their failure to conduct an on-the-spot assessment of the incident or issue a statement regarding this environmental disaster in Okuntu.

According to him, the people of Odimodi(Beniboye ), Okuntu and Ogulagha communities and the ecosystem are under assault, and it is imperative that the authorities take immediate action to address this situation.

He urged the Commissioner for Environment to visit the affected area promptly, providing hope and reassurance to the affected communities.

“We demand a comprehensive assessment, prompt cleanup, and adequate compensation for those affected. The government must take responsibility for ensuring the well-being of its citizens and the protection of the environment.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and advocate for justice and relief for the people of Odimodi (Beniboye), Okuntu, Ogulagha and adjoining communities.” He said.

Lending his voice on the issue, the Executive Director of Environmental Defenders Network, Chima Williams, lamented that the neglect of the local communities in relation to environmental pollution has become one too many in the Niger Delta.

He further laments that such neglect by the relevant agencies has driven communities in the Niger Delta into deep levels of poverty, as the people rely on their environment for survival.

Williams also called on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to immediately swing into action, and to compel the polluting company to clean up the polluted environment around Okuntu and other communities.

A fisherwoman from one the communities, Baby Oziye, lamented that the pollution has caused hunger in their community, adding that several people are now hospitalized after drinking their water, following the pollution caused by the spill.

She added that the fisher folk are unable to carry out their fishing activities, causing hunger among the people.

Another community member, Akin Ayigo who also spoke on the issue lamented that after the fire incident and pollution, neither the company nor the government has done anything about the issue.

He added that fishing boats are afraid to go close to the polluted area due to the high level of chemical concentration in the area.

He called on the relevant agencies to swiftly swing into action.

On his part, the chairman of Okuntu community, Mofort Mebilaje stated that fire broke out on the 18th of July 2024 from a facility owned by Brittina-U Nigeria, which caused crude oil and other chemicals to drift ashore, polluting the coastline of Okuntu and other communities.

He revealed that the people of the community are unable to carry out their fishing and farming activities which has crumbled the economy of the community, pushing the people into hunger and starvation.

He added that the community had tried to escalate the issue to the company without any response.

Mofort called on the federal and state governments to intervene on the issue and prevail on the company to constitute a Joint Investigation Visit to the community to determine the level of pollution and to send relief materials to the community.

News

Bumper Harvest: Foundation Distributes 6,000 Fertilizers To Farmers In Bauchi

Published

9 hours ago

August 14, 2025

Editor

A group, Wunti Al-Khair Foundation has donated 6,000 50kg bags of fertilizer to farmers in Bauchi state in order to have a bumper harvest.

Speaking during the flag off ceremony of the distribution of the fertilizers on Thursday, Mr Abubakar Mohammed, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Wunti Al-Khair Foundation, said the distribution was only for the indigent farmers in the state.

He said the fertilizers would be distributed to farmers in underserved communities across the three Senatorial Districts of the state.

“We are gathered here to flag off the free distribution of fertilizers to farmers, especially the indigent farmers that don’t have the means to buy fertilizer for their farms.

“That is the reason why the founder of this foundation bought the fertilizers and distributed them to the low income farmers in the state.

“We have gone round the nooks and crannies of the state to identify the underserved communities and those that deserve this particular gesture.

“We planned to distribute about 6,000 bags of fertilizer and due to the populous nature of the Bauchi LGA, they have the largest share but some other local governments too have hundreds of beneficiaries which we divided into Senatorial zones,” he said.

According to him, today was the flagging off of the Bauchi South Senatorial District, adding that the extension of the gesture would commence in Bauchi North and Bauchi Central Senatorial Districts tomorrow.

Mohammed explained that the only criteria used in selecting the beneficiaries were underserved communities and low income farmers, adding that “we know that a large number of the farmers in Bauchi state are low income farmers.

“Those are the people that we identified, verified and they are our beneficiaries and we have warned the general public about the activities of some unscrupulous elements that go round to impersonate our foundation.

“Wunti Al-Khair Foundation is not charging a kobo for every part of its activities, be it education, healthcare, economic empowerment and community development”.

Responding, one of the beneficiaries, Emmanuel Samson, described the support as a timely intervention that would greatly enhance his farming activities and appreciated the foundation for the intervention.

Another beneficiary, Salisu Maidawa, who was short of words for the gesture, said the gesture came at a time when he was in dire need of it.

News

IYC Urges Tinubu To Sack NCDMB Boss

Published

10 hours ago

August 14, 2025

Editor

Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Western Zone, has urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately sack Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, the Executive Secretary of Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for allegedly not “keeping up to the fundamental mandate,” upon which the agency was established.

This was contained in a statement jointly signed by Comrade Nicholas Igarama, Comrade Ebi Joshua Olowolayemo, and Comrade Tare Magbei, Western Zone
Chairman, Secretary, and Information Officer respectively, and made available to newsmen in Warri on Thursday, August 14, 2015.

According to the IYC, the call for Ogbe’s sack becomes necessary following his incompetence and ethnic bias, adding that Ogbe has turned the agency meant for the whole Niger Delta to his Itsekiri ethnic group alone.

The IYC, while noting that efforts to meet the NCDMB Executive Secretary to discuss critical issues as they affect the region and its people have proved abortive, said it can no longer fold it arms and watch while things go from bad to worse.

“As Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Ogbe has consistently failed to input his supposed industry track record in the advancement of the mandate upon which the agency was founded.

“He has continually had a sectional engagement with his fellow Itsekiri Kits and Kin, thereby shutting all other ethnic nationalites in the Niger Delta region out.

“Repeatedly, he avoided critical youth engagement in the region while sponsoring that of his Itsekiri ethnicity through different human capacity development initiatives, while other ethnic nationalites are left unattended.

“As Ijaw, mostly from the western flank where Engr. Ogbe also hails from, we will not sit and watch others benefit from the resources that we produce without our practical involvement to better the lives of our people as well.

“It is on record that the leadership of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Western Zone has tried to establish communication with Engr. Ogbe, for the last ten months, but every medium of communication to get his attention has fundamentally proven to be abortive.

“As youths, we can no longer have leaders in office who have now equated themselves to demi-god and have refused to attend to most significantly youthful issues in the Niger Delta Region.

“To this end, we therefore call on President Bola Ahmed Tinibu to immediately sack Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, who has consistently displayed disregard for critical actors in the Niger Delta and has also exhibited the highest level of gross inefficiency by not keeping up to the fundamental mandate upon which NCDMB was founded,” the statement reads.

The IYC also called for the probe Ogbe as Executive Secretary after his sack.

Efforts to reach Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, the General Manager, Corporate Communications, NCDMB, for reaction proved abortive.

News

I’m Being Impersonated – Goodluck Jonathan Disowns Social Media Account

Published

12 hours ago

August 14, 2025

Editor

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, on Thursday said he is being impersonated by fraudsters.

Jonathan alleged that a fraudulent Instagram handle has been impersonating him.

In a statement by his Media Aide,
Ikechukwu Eze, the former President insisted that he does not operate any Instagram handle.

The statement is titled ‘Beware of fake Instagram account impersonating H.E. Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’.

“Our attention has been drawn to a fraudulent Instagram account operating under the handle goodluck_ebelejonathan, which is falsely impersonating former President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

“This impostor account has been deceitfully posting content, some copied from Dr. Jonathan’s Facebook page, while pretending to represent the former President.

“We wish to emphasise that Dr. Jonathan does not operate any Instagram account.

“The media and members of the public are strongly advised to disregard, avoid sharing, or promoting any content originating from this fake profile,” the statement read.