The GbaramatuVoice was established in 2015 as a monthly tabloid published by the Gbaramatu Publishing Company Limited. It hit the newsstand first on August 2015. The newspaper’s sole objective is to bring to public glare what the management saw at the cradle of its formation as information gap and asymmetrical reportage of the activities and people of the Niger Delta.
By Jerome-Mario Utomi Gordon S. Black of The University of Rochester, in his theory of political ambition; Career choices and role of structural incentives’’ posited that; as a politician rises to new positions of power and prominence, his motives for seeking political advancement becomes subjected to intense public scrutiny. In most cases, politicians try to
“What’s the use of a fine house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on.” These words of Henry David Thoreau underscore the emerging conversations as we mark yet another World Environment Day (WED). The World Environment Day (WED), which takes place annually on June 5 is the biggest event to celebrate and promote environmental awareness and sustainability
By Prince Akpo Abugo It was a gathering at a news-stand, with members united by their frustrations at the economic stagnation and injustice that the Nigerian state has meted out to the Niger Delta the despite human and economic contributions it has made since 1956 when oil was discovered in the area. Crude oil is
Over the years, Nigeria has misled the world with its ineffective gas flaring prohibition bills and deadlines,ODIMEGWU ONWUMERE writes. Nigeria has been flaring gas since the 1950s in the Niger Delta, where Co2 and several pollutants are emitted into the atmosphere at will by the multinational oil companies. In order to halt the illicit activity, in
We had high hope of graduating from the Niger Delta Amnesty programme but it turned out our ordeal than the good life we had expected it would offer. Pending school fees of students with Canadian University of Dubai were not offset by the then Paul Boroh administration of the Amnesty Programme. We wrote several emails
In 1884, the Berlin Conference led to the ramshackle of the continent of Africa into spheres by the European Imperialists which culminated to the forceful emancipation of the Niger Delta region into the present day social colonial Nigeria state in 1914. Niger Delta people were before the emancipation, a people with different cultures and customs.
Michael Owhoko canvasses the relocation of the operational headquarters of oil companies to the Niger Delta I congratulate you on your re-election at the recent concluded presidential polls. This has thrown up another opportunity for you to serve Nigerians for another four years. Since this will be the last lap of your administration, it is
Nigerian authorities have had incessant failed policies outlawing flaring of gas in the Niger Delta region, the hub of Nigeria’s economy. The consequences of this are the health, human rights and environmental challenges the residents are suffering; and the culprits of these woes – multinational oil companies – do not pay the fines leveled against
By Odimegwu Onwumere It is on public notice that there are people and groups frightening the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 23 2019 presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Their tactics is by asking him to sheathe the legal battle he is instituting to reclaim the supposedly mandate given to
The commonness of child brides in Nigeria is becoming astronomical with poverty fingered as a factor leading families to give out their girl children to older men for marriage. ODIMEGWU ONWUMERE writes that 23 million girls are already victims of child marriage in Nigeria and while one in every five girls is married before her 18th birthday, some
By Godknows Boladei Igali TRIBUTE IN BRIEF Imprints in the sands of time It is often said, that the times and course of the history of the nations and the peoples of the world are in the hands of God. Indeed, the writers of the Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 17 verse 26, stated inter
By Ben Binebai We mourn this season as illustrious sons and daughters of the Ijaw nation and the Niger Delta because one of our giant stars that illuminated Ijaw destiny, Pastor power Ziakede Aginighan has suddenly danced to the world beyond. Though we grieve in tears and long drained vowels rendered in soundless sorrowful songs, we
By Owei Lakemfa THE Nigerian Army on November 1, flagged off “Operation Crocodile Smile Three 2018’’ in Bayelsa State while that of Delta State was launched the next day. The ‘Operation’ is in the Niger Delta which has experienced decades of repression, abandonment, neglect, pollution and deepening poverty despite producing oil, the country’s mono-culture. The
By Chukwudi Nsofor The Niger Delta region, also known as the South-south would easily pass as the most violence-ridden part of the country some few years ago. It has been so for more than four decades. Characteristically, the conflicts are rooted in protests against injustice, which metamorphosed into the quest for resource control. Previous governments
By Damian U. Opata “There comes a time in the life of a man when major decisions are made. When there is a seamless plot to beggar you into retirement from planet earth, taking major decisions becomes righteously unavoidable. President Waibode has a grand plot to beggar the southern Oporozans into retirement from this earth
By Abai Francis As difficult as it may sound, there are still some communities in Nigeria, especially those that are located in the creeks of the Niger Delta region, that are yet to benefit from quality, basic and affordable education. In fact, these sets of Nigerians continually beg to be educated or for educational infrastructures
By Julius Akpovire-Enyeh When great men celebrate, even the stars bow in solemn hallow. As the immediate past Governor of Delta State and the All Progressives Congress candidate for Delta South Senatorial District for 2019, Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, celebrates his 64th birthday today (October 22, 2018), the periscope is focused on a man who
…Reads even in toilet, emerges overall best graduating student at Alabama varsity By Murphy Ganagana At age seven, she dreamt of stepping into the shoes of Ben Carson Sr., a globally acclaimed black American neurosurgeon and incumbent United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, who was a presidential aspirant in the Republican primaries in
By Abai Francis As Nigerians and the world over mark October 5 as World Teachers’ Day (also known as International Teachers Day), the state of education in the riverine areas could best be described as a disaster. While the World Teachers’ Day aims to focus on appreciating, assessing and improving the educators of the world, and to provide opportunity
By Queen Aloro The expectations of Nigerians were great when the British Union Jack was lowered and the green-white-green flag was hosted on the 1st of October 1960, to mark the end of colonial rule, which the country’s nationalist finally won in the struggle for independence, and the readiness to build dreams. The expectations the
By Shina Badmus It is a fact that a clean environment brings about a healthy environment. Hence, environmental sanitation has been formally defined as activities aimed at improving or maintaining the standard of basic environmental conditions affecting the well-being of people. According to Robert Stock, since the demise of the second Republic in 1983, environmental
By Jerome-Mario Utomi The Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, without any shadow of doubt, typifies a man committed to bringing the Nigerian pollution riddled oil and gas sector out of the wood. Apart from his past actions that support this assertion, Kachikwu again on Monday 2nd September 2018 while speaking at the
By Abai Francis Of a truth, can we say Nigeria as a nation is truly an independent country? If yes, then why do the country’s leadership still harbour traits of dependent mentalities by their refusal to take independent actions that would project the country as indeed, a free nation? While this write-up is not intended
By Prince Abugo IN Delta the tripod of traitors, sycophants and irredentist tribalists are never satisfied no matter the goodwill or generosity showered on them. They cling on any straw to vent their venom of greed and avarice pulling down opponents and desecrating everything society values. They also urinate on family shrines and defecate on
By Jerome-Mario Utomi The recent statement by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) that Nigeria has about 139 gas flare locations spread across the Niger Delta both in onshore and offshore oil fields where gas which constitutes about 11 percent of the total gas produced are flared came as a rude shock to the watching world. But to
BEHIND THE FIGURES BY IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU Exactly a year ago, a news story published in quite a few papers failed to gain traction. Senator Omotayo Alasoadura who chairs the Senate Committee for Petroleum Resources (Upstream) was reported to have revealed how he resisted pressure from unnamed “high places” to kill the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill
By Dr. Emmanuel Ewetan Uduaghan CON immediate past Governor of Delta State. The toughest challenge for any leader in the Niger Delta since 1997 has been the issue of Peace and Security. For over 12 years, I was deeply involved in the management of the issues of the region, first as Secretary to State Government,
By Mary Agbajoh Evidence are bound that after hundred days in office, Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Professor Charles Dokubo has not only repositioned the Agency, but has brought life, Succor, Peace and Economic Development to Niger Delta Region. After taking over the mantle of
By Jerome-Mario Utomi It is a common knowledge that the National Water Resources Bill is before the Nigerian Upper Legislative Assembly-the Senate. But what is uncertain to the vast majority and the watching world is in whose interest the bill, if passed, is meant to serve/protect, and whether it will herald into our political geography
By Jerome-Mario Utomi Recently, I listened avidly to various speakers at a function in Lagos speak with great passion to underline the seriousness of their position and the depth of their conviction that leadership challenge in Africa is fueled by our ‘leaders’ non-possession of authentic leadership culture; a challenge they argued stripped Africa as a
Recently, some bloggers and online platforms went to town with an obviously orchestrated story that former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar was broke. The linchpin of the story was that the front line politician was so broke that he cannot fund his presidential ambition for the 2019 race. More laughable is the insinuation that Atiku, Turakin
The World Environment Day (WED), held annually on June 5 is the biggest event to celebrate and promote environmental awareness and sustainability across the globe. Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972, WED aims to raise global awareness and mobilize humans to take positive environmental action to protect nature and the planet Earth.
By MURPHY GANAGANA President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointment of Professor Charles Quaker Dokubo as Special Adviser on Niger Delta Affairs and Coordinator, Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) in March, is perhaps the most cheery news this year for the people of Niger Delta. It demonstrated the President’s commitment to turn around the sad narrative of a long
By Julius Enyeh There are politicians and there are politicians. In Delta State, they also abound in different shades and characters, so much so that if awards were to be doled out today, there would be a lot of pretenders amongst them as far as the development of the Big Heart State is concerned. Inversely,
By Reuben Abati The Petroleum Act 1969 (as amended) grants powers to the Ministry of Petroleum, acting through the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to administer the licensing of oil blocks in the country. These include Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL), Oil Mining Licence (OML) and Oil Exploration Licence (OEL), which allow the awardees, local and
