Headline

Flood: Stop Blaming Cameroon, Be Responsible, Clark Takes Swipe On FG

Published

3 years ago

October 16, 2022

Worried by the recent cases of flooding across the country, former Federal Commissioner for Information and South-South leader, Chief Edwin Clark, has taken a swipe at the Federal Government, asking it to stop blaming the Cameroonian government for being responsible for the problem, just as he warned that a great disaster looms in the country.

According to Clark, instead of a blame game, one would have even expected a responsible government that swore to an oath, to see to the welfare of the people. to have taken steps to alleviate the suffering, by building the Lagdo Dam in Benue State 10 (ten) years after the last disaster flood that ravaged the country in 2012.

In a statement yesterday in Abuja, the leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF said that the attitude of not caring has reminded him of what happened some time ago where Billions of naira was voted to dredge the River Niger, during the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) days and up till today, there is no sign of dredging in Bayelsa and Delta States.

The statement is titled, “The Deplorable Conditions of Flood Victims – Need for Federal Government to act fast, not to abandon the Niger Delta.”

Clark said, “I was at the forefront, as leader of my people, to carry out an impact assessment of the area, before such dredging can be done. But none of the two earmarked dredging, was done. In fact, a dredging of the Warri River to Escravos was carried out, on the Escravos side, has also stopped. As a result of not carrying out this project, presently, ships can no longer come to Warri. We are told that there is a pipeline on the bed of the sea, that hinders the dredging operation. For several years, there has been on-going talks between the then Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), which have not yielded any results.”

The Elder-statesman asked President Muhammadu Buhari to act fast in addressing the deplorable conditions of flood victims in the Niger Delta, just as he urged him not to abandon the people of the region.

The Leader of The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders’ Forum (SMBLF) accused the Federal Government of its nonchalant attitude towards the plight of the citizens in the Niger Delta, adding that in Bayelsa State, there is a what he described as a palpable case of humanitarian crisis, adding that most communities of the State, including majority parts of Yenagoa, the State Capital, are under water.

Clark said that the people of the State, who do not have where to go to, have resorted to some crude accommodation of pinning sticks inside the water, with a platform which they use as bed, made up of cellophane bags.

The Statement read, “Firstly, my heart goes out to all the people whose homes and communities are being ravaged by the devastating floods; my commiseration to those who lost their loved ones, properties, etc.

“The flood of this year, 2022, is said to be worse than that of the year 2012. Even in 2012, I recall that it was so bad that I embarked on a visit to some of the flood-ravaged communities, both in Bayelsa and Delta States, with some relief materials, for the flood victims, to encourage them. Because at such times, whatever is donated to these victims goes a long way, to bring some sort of succour. Now, due to age and its attendant issues, I feel bad that I am not in a position to visit or send relief materials.

“Unfortunately, the Federal Government seem to be nonchalant over the plight of the citizens in the Niger Delta. For instance, in Bayelsa State, there is a palpable case of a humanitarian crisis. Most communities of the State, including the majority of parts of Yenagoa, the State Capital, are underwater. The people of the State, who do not have where to go to, have resorted to some crude accommodation of pinning sticks inside the water, with a platform which they use as a bed, made up of cellophane bags.

“There is starvation in the land, no water for the people to drink, the State is cut off from all sources that supply food to her, even electricity supply, has been cut off. The people now live in their homes with reptiles and other animals, whether aquatic, terrestrial or amphibian, which now drag spaces with humans in their homes, because these animals have also been displaced from their natural habitation because of the flood. It is a scary situation, as this exposes the people to danger.

“The Federal Government has not done anything to reduce the plight and suffering of the people. The State Governor, Sen. Douye Diri, was on the news on Saturday, 15th October 2022, visiting some of the affected communities. In his speech, while addressing the victims, the Governor stated that the Federal Government has not sent a kobo, nor any relief materials to the State. The Governor of Rivers State, Ezenwon Nyesom Wike, also made a similar statement a few days ago, when he made some donations to the flood victims in Rivers State.

“The country has Ministries and agencies that are supposed to act in such cases, and act fast, because these are emergencies. The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, whose mandate is to “ensure strategic disaster mitigation, preparedness and response,” has not been to the Niger Delta; has not even sent any relief materials to them.

“But the Ministry on Saturday, donated food items to vulnerable and displaced persons as a result of banditry in Sokoto State.” While this is quite commendable, the same gesture should, please, urgently and speedily be extended to the states of the Niger Delta, and other places, which are being ravaged by flood. In this case, it is not only foodstuff that is needed, but water, medical and other essentials are urgently needed. Because the Ministry’s mandate also includes “implementation of fair, focused, social inclusion and protection programmes in Nigeria.”

“In addition, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), established to handle disaster management, has not also visited the flood victims in the States of the Niger Delta. Commendably, the Director General of NEMA on Wednesday, 12th October, 2022, speaking at an event to mark 2022 International Day of Disaster Risk Reduction, stated that Mr. President “has approved 12,000 metric tons of grains for victims of flood across the country.” Have these materials been distributed, if so, where have they been distributed to? Who received them?

“Or are the Governors of the Niger Delta States raising false alarm? Because, it is money gotten from the region, that is used to purchase these relief materials. I hope, tomorrow, the Ministry and NEMA will not say they spent billions of naira in providing relief materials for flood victims, which nobody saw or received.

“One would have even expected that 10 (ten) years after the last disaster flood that ravaged the country in 2012, a responsible government, which swore to an oath, to see to the welfare of the people, would by now, have taken steps to alleviate the sufferings, by building the Lagdo Dam in Benue State, instead of blaming Cameroonian Government.

“This attitude of not caring reminds me of what happened some time ago. Billions of naira were voted to dredge the River Niger, during the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) days, but today, there is no sign of dredging in Bayelsa and Delta States.

“I was at the forefront, as leader of my people, to carry out an impact assessment of the area, before such dredging can be done. But none of the two earmarked dredgings was done. In fact, dredging of the Warri River to Escravos was carried out, on the Escravos side, and has also stopped. As a result of not carrying out this project, presently, ships can no longer come to Warri.

“We are told that there is a pipeline on the bed of the sea, that hinders the dredging operation. For several years, there have been ongoing talks between the then Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), which have not yielded any results.

“Meanwhile, ships cannot berth at Warri Sea Port. Both the immediate past government of the federation and the present one should be held responsible for the attitude they took on this matter. I challenge Muhammadu Buhari’s government to name any development it has carried out in the Niger Delta region, with exception of the Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Delta State.

“Today, the construction of the East-West Road, which began over ten years ago, to the embarrassment and shame of all of us, has not been completed. The road is being threatened. People cannot pass a section of it easily, either to go to Port Harcourt or return, from Bayelsa State, due to the ravaging flood.

“I enjoin these Federal Government bodies to act fast and sincerely. And should ensure that if relief items are provided, they will reach the right people for whom it is meant.

“The Federal Government should please act fast. A great disaster is looming.”

Headline

South Korea, Japan Protest China, Russia Aircraft Incursions

Published

10 hours ago

December 10, 2025

Editor

South Korea and Japan reacted furiously on Wednesday after Chinese and Russian military aircraft conducted joint patrols around the two countries, with both Seoul and Tokyo scrambling jets.

South Korea said it had protested with representatives of China and Russia, while Japan said it had conveyed its “serious concerns” over national security.

According to Tokyo, two Russian Tu-95 nuclear-capable bombers on Tuesday flew from the Sea of Japan to rendezvous with two Chinese H-6 bombers in the East China Sea, then conducted a joint flight around the country.

The incident comes as Japan is locked in a dispute with China over comments Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made about Taiwan.

The bombers’ joint flights were “clearly intended as a show of force against our nation, Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi wrote on X Wednesday.

Top government spokesman Minoru Kihara said that Tokyo had “conveyed to both China and Russia our serious concerns over our national security through diplomatic channels”.

Seoul said Tuesday the Russian and Chinese warplanes entered its air defence zone and that a complaint had been lodged with the defence attaches of both countries in the South Korean capital.

“Our military will continue to respond actively to the activities of neighbouring countries’ aircraft within the KADIZ in compliance with international law,” said Lee Kwang-suk, director general of the International Policy Bureau at Seoul’s defence ministry, referring to the Korea Air Defence Identification Zone.

South Korea also said it deployed “fighter jets to take tactical measures in preparation for any contingencies” in response to the Chinese and Russian incursion into the KADIZ.

The planes were spotted before they entered the air defence identification zone, defined as a broader area in which countries police aircraft for security reasons but which does not constitute their airspace.

Japan’s defence ministry also scrambled fighter jets to intercept the warplanes.

Beijing later Tuesday confirmed it had organised drills with Russia’s military according to “annual cooperation plans”.

Moscow also described it as a routine exercise, saying it lasted eight hours and that some foreign fighter jets followed the Russian and Chinese aircraft.

Since 2019, China and Russia have regularly flown military aircraft into South Korea’s air defence zone without prior notice, citing joint exercises.

In November last year, Seoul scrambled jets as five Chinese and six Russian military planes flew through its air defence zone.

Similar incidents occurred in June and December 2023, and in May and November 2022.

Meanwhile, Tokyo said Monday it had scrambled jets in response to repeated takeoff and landing exercises involving fighter jets and military helicopters from China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier as it cruised in international waters near Japan.

It also summoned Beijing’s ambassador after military aircraft from the Liaoning locked radar onto Japanese jets, the latest incident in the row ignited by Takaichi’s comments backing Taiwan.

Takaichi suggested last month that Japan would intervene militarily in any Chinese attack on the self-ruled island, which Beijing claims as its own and has not ruled out seizing by force.

AFP

Headline

Thousands Reported To Have Fled DR Congo Fighting As M23 Closes On Key City

Published

23 hours ago

December 9, 2025

Editor

Fierce fighting rocked the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday as the Rwanda-backed M23 militia rapidly advanced towards the strategic city of Uvira, with tens of thousands of people fleeing over the nearby border into Burundi, sources said.

The armed group and its Rwandan allies were just a few kilometres (miles) north of Uvira, security and military sources told AFP.

The renewed violence undermined a peace agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump that Kinshasa and Kigali signed less than a week ago, on December 4.

Trump had boasted that the Rwanda-DRC conflict was one of eight he has ended since returning to power in America in January.

With the new fighting, more than 30,000 people have fled the area around Uvira for Burundi in the space of a week, a UN source and a Burundian administrative source told AFP.

The Burundian source told AFP on condition of anonymity he had recorded more than 8,000 daily arrivals over the past two days, and 30,000 arrivals in one week. A source in the UN refugee agency confirmed the figure.

The Rwanda-backed M23 offensive comes nearly a year after the group seized control of Goma and Bukavu, the two largest cities in eastern DRC, a strategic region rich in natural resources and plagued by conflict for 30 years.

Local people described a state of growing panic as bombardments struck the hills above Uvira, a city of several hundred thousand residents.

“Three bombs have just exploded in the hills. It’s every man for himself,” said one resident reached by telephone.

“We are all under the beds in Uvira — that’s the reality,” another resident said, while a representative of civil society who would not give their name described fighting on the city’s outskirts.

Fighting was also reported in Runingo, another small locality some 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Uvira, as the M23 and the Rwandan army closed in.

Burundi views the prospect of Uvira falling to Rwanda-backed forces as an existential threat, given that it sits across Lake Tanganyika from Burundi’s economic capital Bujumbura.

The city is the main sizeable locality in the area yet to fall to the M23 and its capture would essentially cut off the zone from DRC control.

Burundi deployed about 10,000 soldiers to eastern DRC in October 2023 as part of a military cooperation agreement, and security sources say reinforcements have since taken that presence to around 18,000 men.

The M23 and Rwandan forces launched their Uvira offensive on December 1.

Rich in natural resources, eastern DRC has been choked by successive conflicts for around three decades.

Violence in the region intensified early this year when M23 fighters seized the key eastern city of Goma in January, followed by Bukavu, capital of South Kivu province, a few weeks later.

– Regional risk –

The peace deal meant to quell the fighting was signed last Thursday in Washington by Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame, with Trump — who called it a “miracle” deal — also putting his signature to it.

The agreement includes an economic component intended to secure US supplies of critical minerals present in the region, as America seeks to challenge China’s dominance in the sector.

But even on the day of the signing, intense fighting took place in South Kivu, where Uvira is located, which included the bombing of houses and schools.

Witnesses and military sources in Uvira said that Congolese soldiers fleeing the fighting had arrived in the city overnight Monday and shops were looted at dawn.

Several hundred Congolese and Burundian soldiers had already fled to Burundi on Monday, according to military sources, since the M23 fighters embarked on their latest offensive from Kamanyola, some 70 kilometres north of Uvira.
Since the M23’s lightning offensive early this year, the front had largely stabilised over the past nine months.

Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye warned in February there was a danger of the conflict escalating into a broader regional war, a fear echoed by the United Nations.

Headline

‘Santa Claus’ Arrested For Possessing, Distributing Child Sexual Abuse Material

Published

24 hours ago

December 9, 2025

Editor

A 64-year-old man from Hamilton Township has been arrested in the United States after investigators linked him to the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material.

The suspect, identified as Mark Paulino, had been working as a “Santa for hire” at holiday events, a role that placed him in repeated contact with children.

Mercer County officials said the investigation began on 4 December when detectives were alerted to suspicious online activity involving the uploading of child pornography from a residence in Hamilton Township. The probe quickly identified Paulino, a retired elementary school teacher, as the person involved.

Police stated that Paulino had presented himself online as a retired teacher and had recently performed as Santa Claus for photographs and private, corporate, and organisational events. “Because this role involved direct, repeated contact with children, detectives worked around the clock to secure a search warrant,” authorities explained.

The warrant was executed on 5 December, during which police seized multiple items regarded as evidentiary. Paulino was taken into custody without incident and charged with possession and distribution of child sexual abuse materials, as well as endangering the welfare of a child.

Prosecutors have filed a motion to detain him pending trial. The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have urged members of the public with relevant information to come forward.