Author: Constance Meju

The Rivers Women Cooperative Federation Alliance Ltd has strengthened the capacity of its members for better performance. It held a one-day training tagged, ‘Capacity Training on Strengthening Women’s Participation in Resource Governance’ on Saturday, March 22 at the Kebetkache Women Development  and Resource Center hall in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The training featured a presentation on ‘Mainstreaming Gender Equality and Social Inclusion for Community Development,‘ and ‘Developing Community Needs Assessment for Host Community Development’. Delivering her presentation on Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, Mrs Idongesit Smart, senior programme officer with Kebetkache stressed, that for development to be progressive and sustainable,…

As the world celebrates the month hosting the International Women’s Day, Ogoni women, victims of torture in the hands of the Nigerian military 1993-95, during the days of agitation against the atrocities of Shell in their land, retold their stories of torture including rape and unimaginable humiliation that still wracks their lives. This was part of events marking the 2025 International Women’s Day in Port Harcourt, Monday March 10, 2025, tagged, “2025 International Women’s Day: Feminists Convergence and Trauma Healing Session.” At the trauma healing session, the women cutting across varied ages, narrated their harrowing experiences sending deep feelings down…

At the ceremony marking the grand opening of the Tech Skills Training Programme, TSTP, organized by Women Action for Positive Development and Gender Enhancement Center, WAPDAGEC with support from the Innocent Chukwuemeka Empowerment Foundation ICCEF, the wife of the Governor of Cross River State, Bishop (Mrs.) Eyoanwan Bassey Otu, represented by Dr. Grace Oko, called for enhanced technical and digital training for boys and girls for a more assured future. The event which held at the Cross River State University March 17, is part of the broader TSTP initiative, which seeks to provide young individuals with technical skills and opportunities…

Niger Deltans especially, communities hosting oil and gas negatively impacted by oil pollution in furtherance of their rejection of attempts by International Oil Companies, IOCs operating in their area with Shell Petroleum Development Company leading the campaign for divestment from onshore extraction, on Wednesday December 17, staged a march to the Rivers State Government House in Port Harcourt where they called for an immediate halt to divestment proceedings pending a clean-up of the mess created in the region.The congregation of community youths and women as well as civil society members working on environment, called on President Tinubu to stop Shell…

Otive Oguzor, founding executive director, Centre LSD School, said leadership is a critical missing element in Nigeria’s governance which has resulted in the continued dwindling state of affairs in the country. Dr Otive, senior special adviser to the immediate past deputy Senate president, Senator Omo-Agege, was guest speaker at the sixth graduation ceremony of Kebetkache Center Leadership and Strategic Development, LSD, Port Harcourt on Saturday November 9, 2024. Decrying the lack of good leadership in the country, he said, “This is very important; over the past 10 years, we have had leaders who are not able lead with the challenges…

For Okwuzi Community people, the rising flood this 2024 is not only unwelcomed but a harbinger of a revolving round of dislocation, discomfort, waste and pain that keeps them in the bondage of poverty. As long-term host of oil extractive activities and the devastating marks that have left on their environment and livelihood, yearly flood forces them to prematurely harvest poor yielding crops leading to months of emptiness and hunger after the floods. With the flood back, the past week has seen community members frantically uprooting their cassava to hurriedly sell what they can and cheaply too, keeping the little…

With the erratic rain timetable occasioned by climate change, watching the flood or guarding against it has become a hectic task for many, especially those in coastal communities. While it had been predicted severally that there would be heavy flooding this year and that Niger Delta States would be affected, there was hope among many that Rivers State would escape this year especially as the year had come into the third quarter without much incident. That hope was dashed following the heavy rains of Friday, October 26, 2024. After many hours of rainfall, many places in the city and the…

Amnesty International has expressed serious concern over the state of corporate accountability in oil and gas operations in the Niger Delta and,  the fact that the health, wealth and agricultural resources of the Niger Delta are taken for granted even though it hosts the economy of the country. The international human rights body expressed these concerns at a press briefing to unveil its research finding on Shell’s divestment moves from Niger Delta onshore oil communities. The event held in Port Harcourt on October 24. Country director of Amnesty International, Nigeria, Isa Sanusi said the press event which, had community leaders…

There is serious anxiety in the flood prone communities of Rivers State, following a series of heavy rain in the week around the country and in most parts of the state, which is now pushing flood into Okwuzi Community in Orashi Kingdom (Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area). The federal government had on Monday, issued a flood alert announcing that there would be five days of heavy rains which is expected to result to serious flooding in 22 states of the country. Although, Rivers State was not specifically mentioned on the list of potential victim states which left some trace of hope…

…as Women Plot Improved Representation in Politics To halt the declining state of women representation in Politics, a She Persists Coalition has been inaugurated in the South-South by Baobab for Women’s Human Right, a foremost women organisation in the country. The event, a strategic workshop on Women’s Participation in Politics and Leadership in the South South, which held September 26, 2024 in Asaba; Delta State, drew participants from former and current political office holders, aspiring young females, civil society and media practitioners from the six South-South states of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Edo, Delta and Rivers States. There was,…