The Nation Newspaper

Category: Niger Delta

  • Tribute to Madam Mary Omafuakpore Agbonifo

    Her death on July 26th, 2013 took her loved ones, members of her immediate and larger family by surprise and left everybody downcast. Tears flowed! Those who witnessed her burial ceremony when she was lowered to the grave at her compound in Kokori knew that a great woman departed this world. And four years after her demise, we are still recovering from the shock of her unexpected departure.

    Chief (Mrs.) Mary Omafuakpore Agbonifo was born into the family of Chief Ogogo Ogbevire of Urhuokpe Quarters and Madam Iroroevu Ogbevire (Nee Akpojotor) of Ekrudu Quarters; both of Kokori Town in Ethiope East LGA Delta State.

    She started her primary school education  at Baptist Primary School, Samagidi-Kokori and then to Cavegina Catholic Primary School, Okere and completed her primary education at Girls School Igbudu-Warri. After her Standard School Education, Mary was basically literate and thus, adequately prepared to take on the prospects/challenges of the next level. She followed her heart and got married in 1952 to Chief Johnson Jebimiye Okene of Eku, in Agbon Kingdom.

    In 1962, Chief Mrs. Agbonifo started the buying and hawking of frozen fish around Eku town and did eventually developed to the level of a Sub-Distributor at the Warri main depot of the IbruSea Foods- covering Eku, Kokori, Oha, Abraka, Umutu,Obiaruku and environs. Through her proven track record, IbruSea foods gave her a wooden Coldroom at Eku, to promptly meet the needs of the Retailers and Consumers. Right from then, her volume and turnover grew in leaps and bounds.

    As mentioned earlier, Chief  (Mrs.) Agbonifo’s business empire was now getting too big for her already choked-up territory, Eku and environs. She took a bold step and relocated her headquarters to Warri City, to keep abreast with the ever-dynamic times. She first cited her  Big Cold Store at the popularIgbudu Market. As the business increased in size, she registered JOMA Frozen Foods Products Limited.

    Indeed moving over to Warri was divine for Chief (Mrs.) Mary Omafuakpore Agbonifo and her family. This was because various lofty business opportunities beckoned on her to make a choice. A Gifted Woman with the Midas touch and one Destined for greatness, she sought the face of God and He led her aright in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) segment; Transport; Real Estate; Oil & Gas (Downstream); Imports of Frozen Sea Foods; etc. These respective sectors metamorphosed into Mega Business through mutual beneficial transactions with reputable Multinational Conglomerates.

    Chief (Mrs.) Agbonifo registered separate and distinct companies with the Corporate Affairs Commission to transact business exclusively with each of these esteemed Conglomerates; for accountability, dedication and focus: In FMCG segment, her Magulf Global Company transacts with Nigerian Breweries Plc. Also in the FMCG segment, another of her company, Omovo Nigeria Limited, deals exclusively with Guinness Plc. Malco Limited is the transport arm, co-founded with her husband, Chief Godspower Agbonifo and was specifically registered to complement the FMCG business for prompt haulage of their products, to Distributors and Retail Out-lets across the country. Magulf Fishing Company is involved in the importation of Frozen Sea Foods from overseas, aside from huge purchases within Nigeria from Ibru Sea Foods; MoshesheFisheries; Fiogret Limited etc. In Oil & Gas, she established Magson Filling Stations, to meet the daily needs of commuters (petrol and diesel) as well as (kerosene for home use). HerMalco Trucks are always able to deliver products across the country.

    In Real Estate, she doggedly went into this segment purposely to save emormous costs of renting properties for her Mega Businesses. Therefore she bought and also built Vast Estates, Guest Houses, Shopping Complexes and Massive Warehouses, master cold rooms in Warri and Port Harcourt. Choice houses inWarri, Port Harcourt, Lagos, United Kingdom and United States of America.

    Chief (Mrs.) Agbonifo in her life time was a colossus and she was deservedly sought after and given numerous awards across board for distinguishing herself meritoriously.

    Her surviving children, Paul Okene; Efe Okene; Andrew Okene; Godwin Okene; Ochuko Okene; Juliet Agbonifo; VivianAgbonifo;  many grand children; brothers; sisters; Nieces; Nephews will always miss her but we take solace in the enviable legacies she left behind.

    May her soul continue to rest in perfect peace.

  • MTN Foundation’s footprints in Rivers rural areas

    MTN Foundation’s footprints in Rivers rural areas

    No fewer than 400 communities have benefited from the MTN Foundation  across the country.

    Speaking at a dinner party organised for the nominators in the Southsouth and  Southeast by the MTNF in Port Foundation, Rivers State, the Director of the Foundation, Reginald Okeya, said the Foundation received 121,000 nominations for 400 projects the company budgeted for in the two edition, having received over 91,000 nomination this year.

    “By the time screening was completed and communities were shortlisted for verification, over 1000 communities were visited for verification to ensure suitable project sights with the help of the nominators before we could arrive at the final conclusion of where projects should be sighted.

    “To embark on a successful implementation of any project, time and money is needed;  N1.01 billion has been spent in this initiative since it started, in 2015 with N548 million spent the phase two of the project.

    “The Foundation has so far invested over N18 billion to execute various projects in 550 locations across the 36 states of the federal including the federal capital territory. We do this because we are committed to Nigeria and will remain committed,” he said.

    Statistics of projects executed showed that the most frequently nominated projects are school furniture, hospital equipment and electricity transformers.

    Over five communities in Rivers benefited from the 2017 edition. One of the communities is Odufo, a community in Etche Local Government Area  where a water borehole was built.

    Community members, chiefs, men, women and youths, could not hide their joy and appreciations to the Foundation.

    They also thanked their son, Goodhope Amadi for choosing the project for them.

    An opinion leader and representative of the community at the project site, Pastor Richard Amadi, said the water project has rejuvenated the  people of the area as they no longer visit the oil polluted community stream for their daily water use.

    He said: “Before the project came, we get water from individual bore holes, while many more go to the stream but the stream water is not pure and healthy for drinking but we use, it was all that we had to get freely.

    “We actually do have power around here but it is not stable, so when it happens like that, members of the community willingly contribute some money to fuel the generator to pump the water.”

    Madam Cordelia Nwala, a mother and farmer as well as Oliver Nwala, who owns a commercial cassava grinding machine, said the water project has alleviated their problems.

    Mrs. Nwala said: “Before now we go through so much stress and spend money to get water but all that have become a thing of the past, we are indeed very grateful and said big thank you to MTN.”

    The Paramount Ruler of the community, Hyacinth Echefu, said: “I don’t know what work we have done for MTN to deserve this very generosity. Thank God the project has come up alive already and we are enjoying it and we are very grateful.”

    Mr. Lebari Wilfred from Kpor community of Tai who  got a set of school desks for her community school, said the exercise is free of any fraud, scam or flux.

    The MTNF Director said: “MTN would continue to impact positively to the lives of Nigerians as long as they continue to patronise the network. But said the country should endeavour to stabilise its political and economic policies to attract more projects to more rural communities to facilitate development across the country.”

    In his welcome remarks at the dinner in Port Harcourt, the General Manager East, Obinna Nweje, described the “What can we do together” initiative as a veritable move through which the  telecom company partner stakeholders to promote social development, economic empowerment to improve  the lives and well-being of the people, based on nominations received from these community.

    Nweje noted that “interactions with some of our nominators continue to show that the particular interventions implemented in their communities is for them, dream come true.”

    He appealed to the benefiting communities to own the facilities deployed in their communities, “they belong to us and we need to ensure that they serve the purpose for which they were set up. This is the only way the usefulness of this initiative can be sustained. We cannot allow these assets to lie fallow, be misused stolen or damaged, as this will erode all the progress that has been made so far and take us back to square one.” He appealed.

    The Deputy Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, Marshall Uwom, praised MTN for its show of love to Rivers communities and the country.

  • NGO seeks more funding of NDDC

    The Community Watch of Nigeria, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has urged the Federal Government to release more funds for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for project execution.

    The Coordinator of the NGO, Chief Samingo Etukakpan, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)  in Yenagoa that inadequate funds had hindered the performance of the NDDC.

    He appealed to the Federal Government to assist the commission to enable it to execute projects for the wellbeing of the people.

    Etukakpan said that Niger Delta people would only feel the impact of NDDC through its execution of projects that would improve their lives.

    “The commission cannot achieve any tangible development without adequate funds,’’ he told NAN.

    The coordinator urged that the government should give priority attention to NDDC to facilitate development in Niger Delta.

    He applauded the leadership of the commission for efforts to develop the region is spite of funds constraint.

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  • NMA in Bayelsa pledges affordable, accessible healthcare service

    The Bayelsa Chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) on Wednesday said it would provide accessible and affordable healthcare delivery   to people of the state.

    Dr Keme Pondei, the NMA Chairman, made the pledge in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa.

    Pondei said: “In spite of the prevailing economic situation in the country, we have carried out a medical outreach at Sagbama Town, in Sagbama Local Government Area.

    “We also, this week provided free healthcare services to rural dwellers in form of medical outreach to other parts of the state.’’

    He said the association was not partisan and devoted to the welfare of every Nigerian.

    “We are partners in progress with the Bayelsa Government and we have hands of friendship with them.

    “We pray that as partners in progress, government and NMA will partner to review the healthcare system in the state.

    “There is need to urgently pass the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (SPHCDA) Bill before the Bayelsa State House of Assembly,’’ Pondei said.

    He commended the state government for reviving the Bayelsa Health Insurance Scheme, saying that steps should be taken to join the National Health Insurance Scheme to achieve universal health insurance cover.

    Pondei said the association had met all its obligations in terms of meetings at the state, zonal and national levels, in spite of the drastic drop in its income.

    The NMA chairman said members of the association   were not just hardworking medical practitioners, but excellent sportsmen.

    He said the association came first at the Zonal NMA Games in Calabar in November 2016, and contributed almost half of the South-South contingents.

  • DPR to shut unregistered petrol stations in Akwa Ibom

    The Eket Office of Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) on Wednesday threatened to shut filling stations operating in the state without registering with DPR from August 31.

    Dr Joseph Frank-Briggs, its Operations Controller,  gave the warning at a meeting with officials of the Independent Petroleum Marketers of Nigeria (IPMAN) in Eket, Akwa Ibom.

    He said the office had noticed that the operators of some filling stations whose licence had expired had failed to renew them.

    “Any filling station that does not renew its licence by the end of August will pay the sum of N250, 000 before the operator is allowed to operate or be shut down.

    “To prevent any embarrassment, IPMAN members should display their renewed licences in their filling stations.

    “We want to stress that it is an offence not to display your licence in your filling stations,” Frank-Briggs said.

    Frank-Briggs frowned at marketers who were in the habit of adjusting their fuel pump to short change customers.

    He said any filling station under-dispensing petroleum products would face the wrath of the law.

    On the issue of kerosene explosion, he said that the department would partner IPMAN members to reduce adulterated petroleum products to the barest minimum.

    “DPR and IPMAN need to work together and see how the issue of kerosene explosion will be nib in the bud.

    “We cannot allow unscrupulous elements in the society to contaminate kerosene that will affect the lives of the people,” he said.

    Mr Ubong Isong, IPMAN Chairman of IPMAN in Akwa Ibom, expressed sadness over incessant kerosene explosions in the state.

    Isong said many families had been affected by such explosions.

    “From our investigation, no marketer had been involved in the adulteration of kerosene. The department should extend its investigations to surface tank operators in the state,” he said.

  • Our case against oil companies in Bayelsa, by Ijaw youths

    Oil companies operating in Bayelsa State should be prepared to contend with the anger of Ijaw youths. The youths have hinted of their plans to begin sustained protests against the multinationals over what they described as injustice done to them and their state.

    But the companies can avert the looming protests, which are capable of disrupting oil production in the country. The Eastern Zone’s chapter of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide said their plans would only be suspended if the companies looked into their demands.

    The newly elected Executive Council, IYC Central Zone issued the threats during its inauguration recently. The Chairman of the zone, Mr. Tare Porri and his executive members took oaths of office at the Ijaw House, Yenagoa, the state capital.

    The police, Department of State Security (DSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and other security agencies sent detachments to secure the Ijaw House and forestall possible breakdown of law and order. The pioneer President of IYC, Dr. Felix Tuodolor, led other past leaders of the council to attend the occasion.

    Also present were Ijaw leaders, a member of the state’s House of Assembly, Tonye Isenah, aides of the state’s Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, women and crowd of Ijaw youths. Porri spoke before the cheering crowd.

    First, the chairman asked oil companies operating in the zone, which covers mainly Bayelsa, to relocate their headquarters to the state capital. He said it was unacceptable that the firms had refused to relocate despite the directive of the acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, to do so.

    “We want to state here that all the multinational companies operating within  the central zone of the Ijaw nation as a matter of urgency, if they are willing to do business in our environment, must relocate their headquarters back to the central zone.

    “Myself and my team will stop at nothing to ensure that the multinational companies return their bases back to the central zone. Of course they have the Ijaw nation, the Ijaw youth central zone to contend with. We are ready to take them head on on this very serious matter”, Porri, whose point was applauded by the crowd said.

    The chairman said the youths were worried about the age of oil pipelines buried in the criss-crossing the state. He alleged that most of the pipeline had expired and required urgent attention. According to him since the pipes were buried after the discovery of oil in commercial quantity at Oloibiri area of the state, they had not been changed.

    He said expiration was the cause of most of the pipeline explosions and equipment failures causing oil spills in the environment. He said his council had the mandate to ensure replacement of corroded pipelines in the zone.

    He said: “Since oil was first discovered  in Bayelsa, in Oloibiri, the pipelines that are criss crossing  the entire central zone which they used in taking first oil from our environment have all expired. Even human life has an expiring date much less equipment made by humans.

    “Most of the explosion, most of the things that happen in the environment are not caused by  Ijaw youths. Ijaw youths are law-abiding, Ijaw youths are not fighters and we are hardworking.

    “I want to make bold to say that all the multinational oil companies that are again operating in our zone should as a matter of urgency commence the process of replacing all the expired pipelines across the central zone because we will no longer tolerate corrosion and equipment failure.

    These oil companies have a way of creating contracts for non-indigenes, for non Bayelsans, for non central zone businessmen and part of the enjoyment in the oil industry is through the pipeline arrangement that is why they are deliberately causing explosion in our environment.

    “So, my team and I are going to take on the multinational companies and ensure that all the expired pipelines in this central zone are replaced with immediate effect”.

    The IYC boss also asked the management of oil companies operating in Bayelsa State to either create employments and other jobs for youths in the state or face unrest. He said the rising unemployment rate of the youths amidst oil exploration and exploitation was unacceptable.

    Porri, said the youths were particularly concerned about an oil multinational, Aiteo Group, which took over from the Shell Petroleum Development Companies (SPDC) in Nembe Local Government Area of the state. He said their investigations revealed that the new oil firm had no indigene from the state in its payroll adding that most of the workers in the company were non-indigenes.

    He said one of the mandates of his executive council was to get the youths engaged in meaningful ventures and urged the companies to help in ensuring the peace in the state and discouraging attacks on their facilities by getting youths in their host communities involved in their operations.

    He said: “You are aware that Shell was operating in Nembe. Now Shell divested and sold its business to a private company, Alteo. But as I talk to you, Alteo which is a company that took over more than four flow stations from Shell has no Bayelsan in its employment data.

    “Therefore as a zone, we are calling again on Alteo, that if they want to continue doing business in this zone, as a matter of urgency, they should engage our youths and give them jobs. Otherwise, we will not allow them to operate in Nembe”.

    Porri further lamented that an oil well that would have been allocated to indigenous firms in Bayelsa when the zone occupied the Presidency, Ministry of Petroleum and the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) was given to  a non-indigenous company.

    He said if the oil well had been allocated to an indigene, it would helped to stimulate the local economy and boost the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state.

    “An oil well that would have ordinarily been given to Bayelsa state governor, that would have improved the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) base of this zone was given to an individual, a private firm.

    “My message to whoever that has bought that oil well, Ijaw youths moving forward will not allow them to operate in that oil well until the property is returned”, he said.

    Elders’ Advisory Council

    The new chairman announced the establishment of the first Honourary Elders’ Advisory Council (HEAC) for IYC in the zone. He said the council was borne out of his desire to return the IYC to the grassroots in line with the Kaiama Declaration. He immediately appointed a former President of IYC, Mr. Mike Wenebowei to head the council.

    “You are aware of the fact that the Kaiama Declaration, was founded on the principle of the Ogbos and then of course the clan structure. Therefore, I want to use this rare privilege as the chairman of the central zone to set up the first ever Honorary Elders Advisory Council.

    “The mandate of the council is to collate data of all the founding fathers of the Ijaw youth council from central zone, all the chairmen, dead or alive, to enable us document their achievements and celebrate them,” he said.

  • ‘There must be stiffer sanctions against hit-and-run drivers’

    ‘There must be stiffer sanctions against hit-and-run drivers’

    The Sole Administrator of the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA), Chief Felix Obuah, has stated that there must be stiffer sanctions against hit-and-run drivers.

    He described the death of Mary Udong James, a road sweeper, who was killed in the early hours of last Saturday by a hit-and-run driver, while performing her duties opposite the Rivers State government-owned Pleasure Park on Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway in the state capital, as quite tragic and very unfortunate.

    Obuah, who doubles as Rivers Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), stated these yesterday when officials of the agency paid a condolence visit to the members of the family of the victim at their residence in Rukpakolusi, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers, regretting that the woman lost her life less than four months after the death of her husband.

    RIWAMA’s sole administrator, who was represented by the agency’s Director of Administration, Mr. Ian Abraham Gobo, told members of the victim’s family that even though the late road cleaner had passed on, her services to RIWAMA were very well appreciated.

    In the delegation with Gobo on the visit to the family of the late James, who lived in a shanty with five children, included the Personal Assistant to the Sole Administrator, Mr. Ike Anslem Chukwu.

    Obuah described as heinous, the act of killing a human being and running away, while calling for amendment of the laws to give stiffer punishment against offenders, even as he prayed that God would continually protect and provide for the children the deceased left behind.

    He wondered why incidents of hit-and-run driving would still occur in Port Harcourt, when Governor Nyesom Wike had graciously provided street lights in all major streets in the city, noting that the development accounted for the reduction in incident of accidents against road sweepers at wee hours.

    The RIWAMA chief admonished drivers to always be cautious, particularly in the early hours of the day, urging them to look out for road sweepers, who usually put on reflective vests, while on duty.

    He also pleaded with the members of the public to continually assist the police in their investigations by obliging information that could lead to the arrest of the runaway driver.

    Obuah added that even though the killing happened around 5 a.m., it was possible that someone might have witnessed the tragic incident.

  • Waiting for Benin specialist hospital

    Waiting for Benin specialist hospital

    A legacy project of the Adams Oshiomhole administration in Edo State, the Bénin Central Hospital, is generating a row between forces in the state, OSAGIE OTABOR

    The Bénin Central Hospital came out of the ruins of a hospital built by the colonial masters in 1902. The hospital was conceptualised in 2010 after the death of Clara, ex-Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s wife. It was planned to bea well-equipped hospital to end medical tourism in Nigeria. It was also intended to be the place where diseases, such as cancer, could be screened and diagnosed early.

    The hospital is a beauty to behold on Sapele Road in Benin City. Anybody not aware that it is a hospital will liken it to a five star hotel. The hospital is a 200-bed space hospital said to be fitted with the latest technology in health care delivery.

    President Mohammadu Buhari, who inaugurated the project, said: “It takes a lot of courage for the Governor to do what he did.

    “I am impressed with the work. This is the best thing Oshiomhole can do for the people. When I was coming, I asked the governor, ‘Whose edifice is this?’”

    Oshiomhole said the hospital was the only way to show equality among men by providing facilities for both the rich and the poor, adding that the hospital was built following his conviction that public health care facilities should not be inferior to private health facilities.

    “I almost wept when I first visited this hospital. What I found here was shocking and I concluded that even if a healthy man visited the hospital, the healthy would be admitted the next day.”

    “This hospital is fitted with the latest technology in health care delivery. This hospital will not be run as a public service.

    “The whole idea is that when a typical Edo person comes from a village like mine, if he gets in here and realises that even the environment psychologically impacts on him and he begins to appreciate that he is important, he is in the hands of professional healthcare providers, that way, that forgotten rural man, for once, will have access to modern facilities. You don’t need to board an airline to London, to India, to Europe to be told how hospitals look there. I am sure that those of you who may have for one reason or another travelled, there are many hospitals in Europe and in India that are not as beautiful as this,” Oshiomhole said.

    However, eight months after inauguration of the hospital, the hospital is still under lock and key. Edo people are yet to get the benefits of the new hospital as no date is in sight for the opening of the hospital to the general public.

    In December last year, chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by their chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, caused a stir at the hospital by pretending to rush one of their members in need of medical attention to the hospital.

    They were told by security men that there were no doctors or nurses on duty. The PDP chieftains, who later walked round the hospital, expressed displeasure at the absence of medical personnel even when facilities were in place.

    The following encounter ensued at the hospital when the supposed patient was rushed to the hospital.

    Orbih: Where is the receptionist?

    Security man: Nobody is around sir.

    Orbih: We have a sick man here and there is no doctor, no nurse?

    Security man: No doctor here sir.

    Sick man groans: My belle, my belle

    Orbih: This man is dying and no doctor.

    After walking round the hospital, Orbih told reporters that the hospital’s inauguration was fraudulent.

    His words: “The process of awarding, executing and commissioning showed that this place ought to be a functional hospital. Even with adequate facilities, there are no doctors or nurses to attend to patients.”

    Speaking at the annual public lecture series of the Correspondents Chapel, Governor Godwin Obaseki said the government lacked the capacity to run the new hospital.

    Obaseki explained that his policy on health care delivery was to domesticate the National Health Act. He said his focus was to retool all primary health care centres.

    He said: “My concern is that given what we have designed, the equipment we have purchased, we do not have the capacity to run the new five star hospital. If we run it the way we run our other hospitals, that thing will not be there in the next two years.

    “Our plan is to look for private partner who understands how to run hospital, who has done it in other parts of the world to come and run that hospital. They will ensure they maintain it and provide the kind of care we want.

    “When we conceived the hospital after the death of Clara Oshiomhole, it was supposed to take care of some diseases like cancers, renal failure, cardiac failure and all the kind of challenges people go to India for. It does make sense to make people who go abroad get cured here with same quality. Key to that is nursing care. We don’t have a nursing school. We are working with our partners to re establish our Nursing and Midwifery school not on local standard but on international standards. By the time you finish there, you can work in any hospital in the world.”

    Orbih said Obaseki’s comments confirmed their investigations that a company registered abroad with the name of children of some APC chieftains as directors has been lined down to bid for the running of the five star hospital.

    Orbih, who urged Edo people to reject the planned privatisation of the hospital, said the APC-government would not escape from its many sins against Edo people.

    His words: “At the commissioning ceremony, Oshiomhole said it was a five star Hospital fully equipped to meet the health need of the people. He said Nigerians will no longer have cause to go abroad to medical treatment.

    “I am happy that Obaseki has admitted that the hospital built by Oshiomhole was a fraud. They used state money to build an empty hall.  I am ready to defend that it is fraud. They have concluded plans to register a company with some of their children as directors to come and bid to be partners to run the hospital. There is going to be punishment for the sins against Edo.”

    Certainly, the last has not been heard of this magnificent hospital, whose goodness is yet to be felt by the people for whom it was built.

  • Neconde Energy denies violating Gbaramatu people’s rights

    Neconde Energy Limited, the exploration and production (E&) arm of the Obijackson Group, has denied violating the rights of the people of Gbaramatu Kingdom.

    The firm, which said it aims to increase its current oil production of between 15,000 and 17,000 barrels per day (bpd) from its oil mining lease (OML) 42 in Delta State of the Niger Delta to 60,000bpd by the end of the year, said it has the interest of the people at heart.

    Neconde operates the oil field in joint venture (JV) with the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), the E&P arm of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). OML 42 is one of the oil fields divested by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and co-venturers – Total, and Eni/Agip in joint venture with the NNPC.

    The oil firm also debunked allegations of violation of the rights of the indigenous people of Gbaramatu Kingdom leveled against it the Gbaramatu Traditional Council. The allegations include displacement of indigenes employed at the flow stations and hijacking of contracts from local contractors. The Council also alleged that the management of Neconde Energy Limited (NEL) refused to honour an agreement to transfer five per cent of its 45 per cent equity in OML 42 to the host communities and that there has not been any community reentry project since recommencement of oil exploration activities in the oil filed since 2012. The claim was made by Jones Creek, Egwa, Odidi and Batan host communities These are the four fields that host OML 42 operation.

    The Managing Director of Neconde Energy, Frank Edozie, stated this during a media parley in Lagos. According to Edozie, the company had taken some strategic steps such as the rehabilitation of the Batan and Odidi flow stations to enable it achieve improved output.

    Edozie craved the understanding of the communities, noting that since the acquisition of the asset, the firm has been battling one issue to the other, from operatorship of the asset, which was only resolved in February this year, pipeline vandalisation and community issues.

    In order to remain afloat, he said the company adopted transporting its crude though the use of barges to the terminal where the oil is transferred to ocean moving vessels. He said expected production from the asset on acquisition was at least 100,000bpd but production currently is between 15,000 and 17,000bpd.

    Edozie also noted that before Shell divested the asset, it was producing 230,000 to 250,000bpd, therefore, he hopes to see more understanding from the communities in the next series of meetings the Neconde management will have with the communities.

    He said: “The allegation bordering on hijacking contracts from local contractors is untrue. Local contractors have been providing and continue to provide many services that are key to the operations of the NEL and its Joint Venture (JV) partner NPDC. However, it is common knowledge that operations have been epileptic due to frequent and sometimes prolonged outages of both the Trans-Forcados Pipeline and the Forcados export terminal. These frequent outages have made it difficult for the JV to effectively manage some of the contracts it employs in its operation. One of such contracts is the Operate and Maintain (O&M) contract through which the JV manages its field activities. To reduce significant losses to the JV due to wasteful contractual exposures, a decision was made by the JV to manage these O&M activities directly using JV personnel. Consequently, O&M contracts which expired at the end of 2016 were not renewed.

    “The most absurd of the allegations by the Gbaramatu Traditional Council is the claim that the management of Neconde Energy Limited refused to honour an agreement to remit five per cent of its 45 per cent equity to OML 42 host communities. Over the years, we have established an enviable track record through implementation of high-impact pro-social initiatives and activities. Our community development programmes, which cover health, education, infrastructure development, economic empowerment and sports, have contributed significantly to higher quality of life and standard of living in our host communities, and we remain committed to dialogue to resolving any genuine disputes with them.”

  • DELSU ignores Fed Govt, charges N5, 000 for post-UTME screening

    Contrary to Federal Government’s policy, Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, has announced its readiness to conduct “computer-based aptitude tests” in place of post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for the 2017/2018 academic session.

    Besides, the university is charging each candidate N5, 000, in addition to N1, 000 bank commission, bringing the total cost to N6, 000 against the maximum N2, 500 allowed by the government’s order for the screening.

    In an official bulletin dated June 13, the institution directed candidates to visit its admission portal to “generate a virtual pin with N5, 000’’.

    Candidates were directed to make the payment at Ecobank, Unity Bank, Zenith Bank, UBA or Fidelity Bank.

    According to it, the payment is for centre-screening and covers honoraria for centre-facilitation, logistics for producing screening materials and security.

    Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, in a statement on June 28, 2016, warned tertiary institutions against charging candidates for post-UTME screening.

    The warning followed reports that some institutions had ignored the earlier abolition of post-UTME test and devised other means to screen students with certain fees imposed on them.

    “Any screening which tertiary institutions choose to conduct should only be for the purpose of verification of certificates of the candidates, JAMB scores, and any other physical examination to ensure that such candidates are not cultists.

    “After this, the candidates are qualified for matriculation. Such screening should be at no cost to the parents or students and should be done upon resumption in order to avoid unnecessary travels in search of admission,” Adamu said.

    The Registrar of DELSU, Mr Daniel Urhibo, confirmed the authenticity of the school’s bulletin and defended the N5, 000 screening charge per candidate.

    “It is aptitude test. We are not setting another kind of examination for them the way JAMB sets for them, and it is going to be computer-based,’’ Urhibo said.

    Asked to differentiate the “computer-based aptitude test’’ from the post-UTME test abolished by the government, he told NAN that the Federal Government did not scrap post-UTME test.

    “It is the same agency of the government that said `you can select your students.’

    “Twenty-six thousand candidates applied to DELSU; how do you select, may be 5,000 or 6,000? There must be some kind of uniform test to assess them.

    “Last year, we asked them to submit their secondary school results and we graded them. Do you know that people claiming to have `A’s in their results could not write their names?

    “Some of them had forged results. We went to the internet and discovered that somebody who claimed to have scored 300 in UTME had just 120.

    “So, if you use that type you won’t get the best; that is why there is some kind of a little aptitude test for them,’’ he said.

    Urhibo explained that the N5, 000 charge was needed to conduct the exercise as the university was not in good financial position to bear the cost.

    “We need materials to do this test; we will pay the people who are going to administer the test and those who will mark it.

    “We need money to service our computers and to develop the software for the test. So, from where do you expect us to get the money to do these?’’

    The minister of education or spokesman of the ministry could not be reached for reaction to this in spite of several attempts in more than two weeks.

    However, a top official of the ministry, who craved anonymity, said what the university was trying to do was illegal. The National Universities Commission (NUC), tasked with enforcement of the abolition of the post-UTME test and screening charges, was also not forthcoming on the matter.

    Its Executive Secretary, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, neither answered several calls to his mobile telephone nor replied NAN enquiry sent to him via SMS and Whatsapp.

    The commission’s spokesman, Mr Ibrahim Yakasai, also did not respond when contacted through the three channels.