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In a bid to reduce maternal mortality rates, the Federal Government has launched the Maternal Mortality Reduction Innovation and Initiatives (MAMII), a national effort designed to reduce deaths among mothers and newborns. The initiative was officially inaugurated at Gwarinpa General Hospital in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, on Monday. Prof. Muhammad Pate, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, outlined several provisions of the initiative, including free health insurance for pregnant women, access to free cesarean sections, mama delivery kits, and transportation vouchers. Pate, represented by Dr Dayo Adeyanju, the National Coordinator of MAMII at the Ministry of Health, emphasised that the initiative was a direct response to President Bola Tinubu’s directive that “No woman should die as a result of childbirth.” Pate described the programme as a comprehensive effort aimed at ensuring every pregnancy resulted in a healthy baby and a healthy mother. According to...

By Dr Helen Chimezie  Rural leaders in Akwa Ibom state have endorsed the model initiated to groom agripreneurs in their areas. This is as the new model fashioned along the incubator-incubatee system seems to make waves in the Niger Delta. Details: The model involved experts in a particular agric value chain being contracted to train young persons and women including persons with disabilities (PWD) in the rural areas. The programme which is anchored by a special purpose vehicle named Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises – Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) has been endorsed by Akwo Ibom rural leaders as the most suitable in the oil state.  Newsmen who went round some of the communities found that community leaders in Ikot Ikpa and Ui Ikot Monte communities in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State have commended the incubator-incubatee model. The chairman of Ikot Akpa village council, Chief Friday Johnson, who spoke with newsmen described the programme as a laudable initiat...

By Dr Helen Chimezie  The conversation around the Blue Economy in Rivers State and the Niger Delta is unrealistic without first addressing the widespread environmental pollution and degradation caused by decades of oil exploration, an expert has warned. President of Garden City Premier Business School and former Commissioner of Finance in Bayelsa State Commissioner, Prof. Silva Opuala-Charles, said the Niger Delta region cannot genuinely pursue a blue economy when its waters were stained by oil spills and its marine life is devastated by pollution. Prof. Opuala-Charles spoke at the 2025 Correspondents’ Week of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Rivers State Council. He said: “We say Blue Economy, but what is blue about our water? The waters are dark, oily, and toxic. The creeks are dead zones. Our fishermen bring back nothing but stories of hardship. Before we can talk about tapping into the ocean economy, we must clean up the mess first.” Delivering a speech titled “Blue Economy: S...

  By Ignatius Chukwu & Dr Helen Chimezie When the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) made a burnfire at the Aluu dumpsite near Port Harcourt of N4.7bn worth of drugs impounded at the Onne Port in Rivers State, little did they know that they had set the stage for a big drug market that thrived around the dumpsite for weeks. Or did they know? This is because while the fire raged at the top, black market traders knew that it would cool down and destroy the surface whereas the main drugs were intact beneath the smoke and fire. BusinessDay painstaking investigations can reveal that a racket around the area has produced several millionaires who now supply the Garden City and nearby towns with ‘drugs’ from Aluu. Most of the newly ‘made men’ have left town to parts of the country especially the north. BusinessDay uncovered a huge racket that seems to start with the guards at the place who issue permit to go and explore; the land owners around t...

  By Dr Helen Chimezie   In a bid to reinforce its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts, and enhance security along the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP), Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) convened a stakeholder engagement meeting aimed at reviewing its CSR interventions, assessing progress, and gathering feedback from community stakeholders from Rivers, Imo and Abia States, for continuous improvement. The event, which took place in Port Harcourt on Monday, 31 March 2025, brought together key stakeholders on the TNP corridor, including Local Government Chairmen, Community chiefs, women leaders, and youth leaders, to openly dialogue on PINL’s CSR impact in host communities. Speaking at the event, PINL’s Community Relations Consultant, Dr Akpos Mezeh, said pipeline surveillance is intelligence -driven, and they get reliable intelligence from the communities. “So far, the support from the communities have been wonderful. And we think that there is no better...

By Dr Helen Chimezie  Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL), the firm responsible for securing the Trans-Niger Pipeline (TNP) has scheduled a two-day high-level town hall meeting with key stakeholders along the TNP corridor to strengthen pipeline security and promote peace in host communities.   The engagement, set to take place on March 31, 2025, and April 1, 2025, at Port Harcourt and Yenagoa respectively, will bring together government representatives, industry leaders, and community stakeholders to discuss collaborative strategies for safeguarding the TNP, which is a critical crude oil export pipeline in Nigeria.  With pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft posing major threats to national revenue and environmental sustainability, PINL aims to reinforce security measures while fostering stronger relationships with communities along the TNP corridor.  The company emphasizes that inclusive dialogue is essential in ensuring a secure and stable operati...

  L-R: NDDC Director Director Dr/Mrs Winifred Madume with National Project Coordinator Engr/Dr Abiodun Sanni By Dr Helen Chimezie   The International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises-Niger Delta project, has on Wednesday February 5, 2025, onboarded 350 incubatees and 14 incubators in the first batch of beneficiaries from Rivers State LIFE-ND project. The project which is co-financed by the IFAD, the Federal Government of Nigeria, The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and the Rivers State Government is aimed at building the capacity of agripreneurs, enhancing incubatees’ income and ensuring food security in Rivers State and the Niger Delta States where the programme is being implemented. Speaking at the orientation meeting, the National Project Coordinator of LIFE -ND, Dr. Abiodun Sanni, explained that the initiative underscores the collective commitment of the funders to ensure food security in Nigeria, and transform t...