BY David Owei.

Niger Delta Progressive Alliance (NDPA) has felicitated with Chief Ikenna Nicholas Ukwa on the occasion of the Ikenna Ukwa Progressive Group Summit and Empowerement of Youths, Women and the Disabled in Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency on Sunday December 7, 2025.

The occasion, which took place at Ohafia Central School Playground, Elu Ohafia, provided an opportunity for Chief Ukwa, Senior Legislative Aide to the President of the Senate, to once again demonstrate his humanitarian and philanthropistic gesture to the people of his constituency.
Hundreds of youths, women and people living with disabilities were generously empowered with scholarships, skills acquisition training, business capital and other livelihood materials.

In its goodwill message the NDPA commended High Chief Ukwa on his social investment in his people describing it as a testament “of selflessness guided by humility and love for humanity”.

The message, signed by Ambassador Victor Ufoh, President General of NDPA said; “Certain moments in the chronology of a community transcend the ordinary passage of time, embedding themselves within collective consciousness with the gravitas of historical import. These are occasions when society collectively pauses, draws breath, and acknowledges that an occurrence of profound consequence has unfolded in its midst”.
Describing the occasion as one of such moments the NDPA said that it stood as precisely such a watershed moment. “Its significance derived not from theatrical display or calculated political spectacle, but from the substantive gathering of citizens at Ohafia Central School Playground, Elu Ohafia, who assembled to witness a deliberate and transformative act of communal elevation.”
“At the heart of this remarkable occasion stood Chief Dr Ikenna Nicolas Ukwa, Senior Legislative Aide to the President of the Senate, a distinguished leader who comprehends with crystalline clarity the authentic responsibilities they shoulder by virtue of humility and conscience.
“He addressed the assembly with the composed assurance characteristic of those who have discerned their fundamental purpose, projecting a conviction shaped and energized by the unwavering belief that genuine human advancement must be engineered through concrete, measurable intervention. His objective was unambiguous: to furnish the youth, women, and persons with disabilities with the competencies and resources capable of fundamentally redirecting the trajectory of their lives.

According to the group, the occasion was a chapter that found “its foundation in substantive empowerment rather than rhetorical flourish. Representatives from every ward within the constituency participated.

Each beneficiary was selected through meticulous deliberation. The animating principle was not to generate applause but to construct capacity and resilience”.
“To fully appreciate the magnitude of this moment requires examination of the patterns that preceded it. Ukwa’s philanthropic endeavours cannot be reduced to a sporadic collection of charitable gestures. His work has never announced itself through clamour or ostentatious display. Rathe, it constitutes a sustained tradition that has expanded methodically, incrementally, village by village and family by family, through actions that resonate far more powerfully than any declaration.

Across successive years, Ukwa has systematically transformed the physical and social landscape of Ohafia and Arochukwu through manifestly visible interventions”.
NDPA went further to catalogue Chief Ukwa’s interventions in the community; “He has installed solar-powered street illumination throughout rural communities. These installations accomplish far more than mere environmental lighting. They illuminate confidence, enhance security, and fundamentally alter the pattern of daily existence for families who have endured excessive periods shrouded in darkness and apprehension.

He has orchestrated comprehensive medical and ophthalmological outreach programs, visiting vulnerable households, supporting orphaned children, and delivering healthcare services where they remained desperately scarce.
He has championed educational advancement through the systematic distribution of academic materials to both pupils and educators. Chief Ikenna evidently recognizes that education functions as the subtle revolution capable of elevating populations from mere subsistence to visionary possibility.
Agricultural producers have received fertilizers during seasons when the soil proved particularly unforgiving. Women entrepreneurs have obtained support that stabilized their commercial enterprises. Medical interventions have reached remote villages and care facilities where assistance rarely penetrates. Even the Uzuakoli Leprosy Colony has experienced his compassionate attention.
Women and persons with disabilities have occupied not a peripheral position in his strategic vision but rather its very center. His empowerment initiatives acknowledge that these populations frequently stand at the threshold of opportunity rather than within it. By placing implements, capital, and professional training directly into their hands, he relocates them from the margins to the productive core of community life. These are not transient donations but rather invitations to reclaim autonomy and participate comprehensively in constructing more robust communities.
Yet what fundamentally distinguishes Ukwa extends beyond the inventory of accomplishments to encompass the very manner in which he conducts himself. What proves most striking about this leader is the elegant simplicity of his bearing. There exists no grandiosity in his self-presentation, no calculated effort to project an outsized persona. He carries himself as would a neighbour blessed with greater access who consciously elects to deploy those advantages for collective benefit”.

By Joshua Kingsley Kenneth

For over two months Nigerians have been awashed with the threat by the United States President, Donald Trump, to send in troops into Nigeria, to identify and eliminate terrorists and so-called bandits killing citizens and sacking communities.

The statistics have dwelt largely on the gruesome killings of unarmed and innocent Nigerians in different parts of the country- from Benue to Taraba, Borno to Kogi States, just to list a few.

Not long ago the country again woke to a stark reminder of the abduction of school with 300 kidnapped from a Catholic school in Niger State, and another 24 taken hostage from Government Girls Comprehensive secondary school in Maga in Kebbi state.

Added to this horrendous list of insecurities and woes are the killings and abductions in Kwara State, and the general air of danger and fear that has gripped the country resulting in unquantifiable economic losses and a credibility crisis on the part of the federal government.

It therefore did not come as a surprise to many, especially victims of these dastardly attacks, when the United States through the activism of some of its lawmakers inspired President Trump to move against Nigeria, especially seeing that the federal government had failed in its primary responsibility of protecting lives and properties of citizens.

Whilst JOSHUA K B DISABILITIES RIGHTS AND SUPPORT INITIATIVES, a non-governmental organization committed to promoting the rights, welfare and wellbeing of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) in the country joins the millions of well meaning and right thinking Nigerians and the international community in condemning the heinous and barbaric acts of killings, abductions and the insecurity engendered by terrorists, bandits, non-state actors, other criminals, their financiers and supporters whoever and wherever they may be, we call for urgent attention to Persons who may have been disabled by this phenomenon.

We call on the federal government, especially the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, National Emergency Management Agency, state governments, the armed forces and other intervention partners to urgently identify victim-PWDs from these crises and provide such interventions that would help them integrate into the economic and political lives of their immediate communities and the country at large.

We are convinced that such quick interventions would prevent a stage two crisis such as depression, low self esteem, poverty, and a host of other debilitating post crisis trauma that would further deteriorate their situations.

We also call on military authorities to provide meaningful economic, social, material and other forms of assistance and interventions to service men who are now members of the PWDs community following their sacrifices on the line of duty.

As an organisation focused on advancing the course of PWDs, JOSHUA K B DISABILITIES RIGHTS AND SUPPORT INITIATIVES uses this opportunity to sensitise relevant authorities, CSOs and other stakeholders that the various violent armed conflicts and attacks in the country has caused physical harms, leading to new disabilities or worsening existing conditions.

It has caused families to flee homes, lose livelihoods and resources, forced many, especially old and PWDs, into begging and extreme hardship.

JOSHUA K B DISABILITIES RIGHTS AND SUPPORT INITIATIVES also calls the attention of stakeholders to the struggle PWDs to escape danger due to inaccessible environments, making them targets for abuse, neglect, and exploitation during crises.

Systems and measures must be put in place to pull PWDs from severe neglect, discrimination, and lack of basic needs like food and healthcare which they face in camps and displaced.

By Our Correspondent

The Federal Government and the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund ( NSITF) Monday threw weights behind bill on Social Security Trust Fund which seeks to harmonize the existing NSITF Act and the Employees’ Compensation Act (ECA) 2010 for better service delivery.

This is as the Senate through its committee on Employment , Labour and Productivity , assured all stakeholders at public hearing organised for their inputs into the proposed legislation , very acceptable law for all .

The bill sponsored by Senator Cyril Fasuyi ( Ekiti North) , primarily seeks to expand the scope of NSITF into social security through harmonization of NSITF Act of 1993 and the Employees Compensation Act 2010 which will transformed NSITF to Nigeria Social Security Trust Fund ( NSSTF).

In his presentation at the public hearing , the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NSITF , Mr Oluwaseun Faleye, commended the Senate for what he termed a “strategic and forward-looking legislative intervention.

The new bill according to him, marks a decisive step towards modernising Nigeria’s social security framework in line with global standards, especially the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No. 102), and the Tripartite Consultation Convention, 1976 (No. 144).

One of the most significant elements of the Bill, according to him, is the repeal of both the NSITF Act of 1993 and the ECA 2010.

Their co-existence, he explained, had resulted in operational ambiguities, particularly after the Pension Reform Act (PRA) 2014 transferred contributory pension functions from NSITF to the National Pension Commission.

“The consolidation of the two Acts into a single, coherent statute is timely, necessary, and commendable. It eliminates duplication, resolves conflicts, and strengthens the legal framework of the Fund.

“The Bill’s expansion of social security coverage to include informal sector workers and self-employed persons is a historic step towards inclusive protection for all categories of working Nigerians”, he said .

Despite its broad support for the Bill, the NSITF raised concerns about what it described as the “misapplication” of the term Board throughout the document. Faleye warned that using the word to refer simultaneously to governance, oversight, and day-to-day administrative functions could create confusion and weaken accountability.

“The Board meets quarterly, while daily operations are under the Managing Director. The Bill must distinguish clearly between the Governing Board as oversight body, Management as administrators, and the Agency as the implementing institution,” he said.

He recommended that the Bill adopt clearer definitions similar to those used in the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Act, where the Board’s role is separated from that of the Executive Chairman, who functions as the Chief Executive and Accounting Officer.

Faleye concluded by reaffirming NSITF’s full support for the passage of the Bill, describing it as “progressive, timely, and aligned with global best practices.”

In his remarks , the Minister of Labour and Employment, Alhaji Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi described the move by the Senate on the proposed law as very beautiful idea .

He however urged the Senate through its committee on Labour to arrive at safe and acceptable position for all stakeholders by striking the required balance between powers of management team and that of the board .

Though the Nigeria Labour Congress ( NLC) and Nigerian Employers Consultative Association ( NECA ) , kicked against the bill, but NLC led by its National President, Joe Ajaero , later succumbed, saying ” we are not here for we no go gree, we no gree .. ”

” Since many of the other critical stakeholders have supported the bill, NLC is not hellbent in opposing it . But the grey areas we identified during presentation , should be addresed by the committee .

After exhaustive deliberation at the public hearing , the Committee , Chairman , Senator Diket Plang ( Plateau Central ) , assured Nigerians of very acceptable law on social security trust fund very soon .