The Federal Government through the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs (MNDA) has empowered 415 youths and women drawn from states in the Niger Delta with N500, 000 each, as start-up package for Small and Medium Enterprises.

The beneficiaries were handed over the financial support after five days training in agriculture and its value chains, Information Communication Technology (ICT) and entrepreneurship.

The Minister of Niger Delta, Mr. Umana Umana, spoke at the weekend in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, at the graduation of participants in an empowerment programme.

Umana, represented by the Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Mr. Alfred Alber, said the initiative was one of the many considerations by the Federal Government targeted at the diversification of the nation’s economy.

Describing the empowerment as a timely and laudable project, Umanah said it was to generate employment for women, youths and other vulnerable people in the Niger Delta.

He said the training was expected to prepare the participants for the tasks ahead, adding that the money would be credited by the training consultant, into the bank account details provided by the participants.

Honour at the weekend came the way of Dr. Uwem Effing Ite, Lead, Government and Community Relations, Oriental Energy Resources Limited.

A leading indigenous oil giant, the   Nigerian Optometric  Association, Àkwa Ibom  State chapter bestowed a humanitarian service award to him in recognition of his impactful services to humanity.

The well attended dinner and award night was filled  with glitz and glamour and it had as its theme, 2023: Extending the frontiers – The exceptional eyecare providers, while a consultant ophthalmic surgeon at University of Uyo Teaching Hospital , Dr. Elijah Chinawa presented the keynote address.

The state chapter’s Chairman, Dr. Idongesit Paul, in a welcome address applauded members of the association for contributing significantly to the “progress, unity, and promote our Noble profession”,  even as he also thumbed up the awardees for their  “ outstanding contributions to the growth and progress of the state.”

Replying, Dr. Ite lavished praises on the association for the gesture, which he said came as a pleasant surprise to him.

“I feel a little bit surprised because I didn’t see it coming. I am humbled in the sense that they thought it is important to recognise and appreciate the works I have been doing”, he said.

In the trajectory of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the name of Dr. Ite can easily be located as his pioneering efforts in CSR have earned him several accolades across the globe.

Blessed with an infectious smiles and a subtle carriage, Dr. Ite comes across like a the mythical genie. Never a boisterous person, he is cool , calm and organised , with characteristics geniality and attitude of fellow feeling.

A man of prodigious intellect, deep thinking , pragmatism, and enviable modesty, an encounter with him strengthen and reassures.

Asked what really spur him to do what he is doing, he said: “ It is  driven by what I see as the significant lack of development and more importantly, poverty. The reason I am driven by this is because of my post graduate training at the University of Cambridge where we were exposed to the reason for poverty especially in the developing countries.

“And it became clear that there is always a gap which government needs to fill. Some of them don’t live up their social responsibility and that is why I became interested in Corporate Social Responsibility with the vision that government has failed he people in this country.

“So, if a company needs to support the Society , somebody has to champion it, because without a champion, companies would not be able to achieve what they want to do within the context of CSR.

‘ So, that is where the motivation comes from , to be able to champion the tool that the companies can use to reach those who may be disadvantaged in the scheme of things.”

On his achievement in CSR,  I have achieved a lot in that regard both in theory and practice. From the  theoretical point of view, I have written quite a number of academic and technical papers in CSR and most of the papers are widely cited by a lot of academics and scholars in the subjects.

“On that basis,  I was given an award in 2015 as the CSR Practitioner of the Year.

“As I am speaking, óne of my students is a Professor and Dean of Faculty in Canada. He was my PhD student and he did CSR research when I was at Lancaster University.

“ From the practical point if view, my 11 years in Shell and five in Oriental Energy have given me creative programs and projects that are benefiting the communities in which these companies are operating. So, there are quite significant achievements.”

Do you derive Joy from championing CSR, he was asked , he responded in the affirmative saying, “ Yes, when I see the smiles on the faces of f beneficiaries.”

Dr Ite , an indigene of Ikot Obio Odongo, Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State,  graduated from the University of Cross River State (now University of Uyo), Uyo in 1989 with a First Class (Honours) degree in Geography and Regional Planning. He undertook his postgraduate studies (MPhil and PhD) at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom on the subject of Environment and Sustainable Development, based on a full scholarship award by the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust from 1991 to 1995.

On completion of his studies in Cambridge, he was appointed as Lecturer in Human Geography at Lancaster University, United Kingdom, where he made significant contributions to teaching, research, administration as well as international visibility of Lancaster University from 1995 to 2006. For example, he successfully developed and became the Director of Studies of an innovative postgraduate programme – the MRes in Environment and Development (Overseas Placement). He was also instrumental to the establishment and became the UK Coordinator of the 3-year academic research and development link programme between Lancaster University and University of Uyo, Nigeria on the theme ‘Governance, Environment and Development in the Niger Delta, Nigeria’. The British Council administered the link, with funding provided by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). Several staff and students at the University of Uyo are beneficiaries of these and other academic initiatives, which included staff and student exchange, research placement, as well as other forms of human capital development.

Outside the academic environment, Dr Uwem Ite is an internationally recognized

sustainability and external relations professional in the oil and gas industry. The journey started in 2006 when he was head-hunted and appointed as Sustainable Development

Coordinator by the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC).

His other roles in Shell Nigeria include Team Leader, Audit Compliance, Monitoring and Evaluation; Team Lead, Information, Education, Communication and Capacity Building as well as External Relations Adviser (Non-Technical Risks Integration). Between 2006 and 2017, Dr Ite made significant contributions to the success of Shell business in many spheres.

Dr  Ite joined Oriental Energy Resources Limited in 2017 as Head, Community and Government Relations. During the last five years at Oriental Energy, he has worked assiduously to ensure that Oriental Energy’s social investments and stakeholder relations are in line with international best practices. This is evident in the outcome of various projects and programs implemented by Oriental Energy in Akwa Ibom State from 2018 till date.

He is a recipient of several awards and recognitions. For example, during the 2015 edition of the Social Enterprise Report and Awards ceremony held in Lagos, the panelists recognized Dr Ite’s pioneering contributions to corporate social responsibility in Nigeria and he was named Nigeria’s Corporate Social Responsibility Practitioner of the year. Furthermore, in early 2022, Dr Ite was nominated and inducted as a Fellow of the Sustainability Professionals Institute of Nigeria, which is affiliated with the Institute of Corporate and Social Responsibility in the United Kingdom.

A group, Global Association of Concerned Imo Youths (GACIY), has hailed security agencies for foiling Monday morning’s attack on the state headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission on Port Harcourt Road, Owerri.

It slammed former Minister of State for Education Prof. Anthony Anwuka for blaming Governor Hope Uzodimma for the insecurity in some parts of the state, particularly in Orlu.

The body in a statement by its Chairman, Collins Ugbala, said the feat by the police and other sister security agencies in foiling the attack on INEC office had destroyed the myth of invincibility around gunmen.

The statement said: “We praise our gallant officers of the Nigeria Police and sister agencies for foiling Monday morning’s attack on the state headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission along Port Harcourt Road, Owerri.

“This feat destroys the myth of invincibility around gunmen, who put their trust in voodoo, amulets and cannibalism. We believe that had this attack succeeded, citizens’, not to mention voters’ confidence would have been badly tempered. Thanks to our heroic officers, it did not.

While we expect bandits and their collaborators to continue to pay a heavy price for their recalcitrance, we ask our youths to resist negative peer pressure and gang culture, no matter the temptation.”

The group also chided the former minister for trying to blame Governor Uzodimma over the killings in Orlu Local Government.

Anwuka had in an interview granted a national newspaper (not The Nation), accused the governor of depopulating “Orlu by inviting soldiers to allegedly come and shoot people there.”

He wondered how a professor could attribute killings in a state to the governor, who swore on oath to protect his people.

“Anwuka should know better that it is impossible for any governor to invite soldiers against his people to depopulate his state or zone. All the talk about his son being shot and how he was flown to the U.S were just conjectures meant to incite hatred against the governor and thereby curry unmerited sympathy for himself.”

He noted that several people including monarchs had been killed and houses burnt by the hoodlums, who paraded themselves as gunmen, yet Prof. Anwuka could not condemn such ugly acts even those that took place in his council area.

“Countless people from Orlu have been sent to the early grave by the hoodlums. Some people were beheaded and human heads displayed at market places. There were reports and evidence of cannibalism by the hoodlums, but Anwuka sees nothing, says nothing.”

He recalled that “On Easter Monday, April 5, 2021, the custodial centre in Owerri and the State Police Command were attacked and set ablaze by hoodlums in daredevil operation, setting loose about 1,844 inmates against the society.

In a short while the country home of the Governor, that of the President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo – a real Professor – George Obiozor; that of the Commissioner for Information & Strategy,  Declan Emelumba, that of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, C.O.C Akaolisa, that of the Commissioner for Labour, Employment and Productivity, Prince Ford Ozumba, among others, were attacked by hoodlums

“Recently, a prominent traditional ruler, HRH Eze Dr. I.O. Asor, and others in Anwuka’s Oguta Local Government – where he reigned as a fief for years – were gunned down right in the palace. Izombe and other communities in Anwuka’s Oguta Local Government are almost being overcome by hoodlums as police stations and markets have been attacked and police officers killed in their prime, yet Anwuka is not perturbed and has no word for the hoodlums. Is it not time we asked Anwuka to explain his true intentions?”

Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi yesterday presented to the House of Assembly, the 2023 budget estimate of N166.62 billion for consideration and approval.

Presenting the budget proposal tagged: “Budget of Consolidation and Transition”, Ugwuanyi said the budget is 10.73 per cent (N20.02 billion) lower than the 2022 budget, which was N183.64 billion.

He said of the total budget size, N81.9 billion representing 49 per cent of the total budget was for recurrent expenditure, while N84.6 billion was for capital expenditure, representing 51 per cent of the budget size.

The governor said the key deliverables of the 2023 Budget included construction of projects, completion of ongoing rural and urban projects, rehabilitation of Oji Water Scheme as well as urban reform water project.

Other key deliveries of budget, he added, included procurement of learning materials in basic education, among other projects.

Ugwuanyi described the budget as a relay budget in the sense that it would be operated by two administrations, his government and the incoming administration.

Speaker Edward Ubosi hailed Governor Ugwuanyi for providing developmental projects since he assumed office.

The Controller of Corrections, Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS), Edo State Command, Mr. Charles Ogwude, has said better days are ahead, with the Service moving forward with giant strides.

He spoke yesterday in Benin while carrying out the last quarterly inspection of the custodial facilities in Edo command, including four medium security custodial centres, a female custodial facility and two farm centres, among others.

Ogwude hailed officers and men of the command for maintaining peace and order.

He informed the workers of the giant strides made by the Service, led by the Controller-General of Corrections, Haliru Nababa, which he noted were geared towards the implementation of the NCoS Act, 2019.

Edo controller of corrections said the achievements included the inauguration of the new Service uniforms, provision of more operational vehicles and activation of the correctional officers reward fund, in which 25 officers were duly rewarded by Nababa.

He said with the laudable efforts by the controller-general of corrections, officers and men should rest assured of better days ahead and must be ready to continue to contribute their quota.

Edo Deputy Controller of Corrections in charge of Medium Security Custodial Centre in Benin, Ahmed Ejekhine, responding on behalf of the officers and men of the command, said they would put in their best, thereby justifying the confidence reposed in them.

The Bola Tinubu Presidential Campaign Council has criticised former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Malam Usman Yusuf, for saying that some politicians have continued to struggle for space in the forthcoming 2023 general elections.

The Campaign Council said it was a comedy or error for the likes of Yusuf to reduce important statecraft such as the Asiwaju Presidential campaign with the false ethnic sentiment that cannot be equated with any reality.

It countered as a false narrative, the interview granted by Yusuf, where he said that Tinubu will not campaign in the southeast zone.

The spokesman of PCC in South East, Dr. Josef Onoh, who responded to Yusuf’s statement stated that the former NHIS boss was finding it difficult to drop his habit of going to the media with false information.

He said that it was for a similar reason that Yusuf was relieved of his previous appointment by President Muhammadu Buhari.

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He said that Yusuf has a penchant for misplacing facts, saying the former NHIS boss has not learned any lesson from his known gaffes.

Onoh said that Yusuf lacked knowledge when he quoted an old statement made long ago before Tinubu made southeast his presidential campaign base and recalled Imo and Ebonyi were southeast States where Tinubu commenced his presidential campaign.

He pointed out Tinubu has held town hall meetings and rallies in Imo and Ebonyi States that witnessed tremendous gatherings.

He added that Yusuf was among the few politicians in the country who lacked the knowledge of Tinubu’s nationalist character, stating that the presidential candidate has tremendous respect for the southeast in the manner he regards other zones in high esteems.

According to Onoh, Tinubu had utilized several opportunities to demonstrate his recognition of the southeast, even before his emergence as Lagos Governor in 1999, recalling that in the days of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Tinubu worked with many South East Progressives such as his late father, Chief C.C Onoh, and others who staked their lives to ensure that democracy thrived in Nigeria.

Onoh urged Tinubu’s supporters in the southeast to ignore the words of Yusuf, which he described as words of a lost political adventurer operating and guided by the aid of a damaged compass on a ship sailing towards a Bermuda triangle.