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Tag: Delta

  • NANS gives PTI 24 hours ultimatum to reverse tuition fee increase

    NANS gives PTI 24 hours ultimatum to reverse tuition fee increase

    The National Association of Nigerian Students ( NANS ) has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the management, Petroleum Training Institute ( PTI ), Effurun, Delta, to reverse the increase in the school’s tuition fee.

    NANS’ President, Mr Chinonso Obasi, in a statement on Monday in Abuja, said that new tuition fee as officially released by the school management was adverse; hence it would be resisted by Nigerian students.

    PTI recently released its approved schedule of charges for 2017/2018 academic year with tuition fee of old students increased from N26, 000 to N81, 000 and that of new students from N43, 000 to N91, 000.

    Obasi said that though the Nigerian economy was not at its best times, students should not be exploited.

    “Four years ago when I graduated in the same institute, the tuition fee was N14, 000 and it is so embarrassing to see a new official fee of N81,000 and N91,000 respectively for old and new students.

    “We understand that times are hard and the Nigerian economy is not stable, that notwithstanding, Nigerian students must not be used as a means of increasing internal generated revenue (IGR).

    “The Act establishing PTI is exceptionally different from other conventional tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

    “ PTI is a special institution whose mandate is to train specialised technicians to meet global competition in the oil and gas industry.’’

    He said that foreign training which the Petroleum Technology Development Fund ( PTDF ) and Tertiary Education Trust Fund ( TETFund ), sponsor with millions of dollars could be done by PTI.

    Obasi said that NANS would partner with PTI’s management to take advantage of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption strides and tackle the problem of abandoned projects in the institution.

    He said that the factors that led to infrastructural decay, lack of adequate training of teachers and poor funding of the institute should be exposed instead of exploiting students.

    “NANS urges President Muhammadu Buhari, as the Minister of Petroleum, who supervises PTI to advice the institution’s management to unconditionally reverse the tuition fee schedule within 24hrs or face mass action from NANS,’’ Obasi said.

    NAN

  • Lagos, Delta lead competitiveness report

    Lagos State topped the first National Competitiveness Council of Nigeria (NCCN) report unveiled in Lagos at the weekend. It was followed by Delta and River states. Borno and Gombe states, however, were at the bottom with 36th and 37th positions respectively.

    NCCN Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Matthias Chika Mordi, said the report, which include the sub-National Index (SNI), ranked all the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in four key areas:HumanCapital, Infrastructure, Economy and Institutions.

    Lagos was best in infrastructure and economy, but Borno and Zamfara were  poor in human capital, no thanks to healthcare and education issues.

    According to the report, all the states performed very well, in at least, one of the four themes, and 23 sub-themes.

    Mordi said the new SNI is a platform for research and discussion to boost the discourse on how to move the country from oil dependency, and embrace a diversified economy.

    ‘’The report also emphasises the importance of competitiveness at the state level, highlighting local and state governance, and the vital role each state plays in the overall path to job-rich growth.

    “In aggregate, Nigeria remains challenged in its competitiveness. We expect the SNI to have a catalytic effect in competitive state policies, which will ultimately lead to greater business productivity, resulting in job creation and poverty reduction,” he said.

    The NCCN said it collected data for the report in collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and research groups while a total of 8,147 households were sampled.

    They also collected information randomly from 2000 private businesses and used probability proportional to size (PPS) within each sector. Of this number, 1820 businesses responded to the survey, representing a 91 per cent response rate.

    “The index is a culmination of 20 months of intense work. We’ve worked rigorously to ensure objectivity and transparency in our methodology, data collection, analysis and interpretation.

    “Where possible, we applied effective tools for cross-validation, and ease of replicability. It is by no means perfect, but we envisage improvements with subsequent iterations of the index,’’ Mordi added.

    Former Cross River State governor, Donald Duke praised the report, urging the states to be more productive.

  • Delta coastal communities get new roads

    Delta coastal communities get new roads

    Many coastal communities in Olero Creek, Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State, came alive at the weekend as the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) inaugurated seven sections of rigid pavement roads covering almost eight kilometres.

    The roads are Tebu-Gbokoda Road, Tebu-Gbokoda-Udo Road and the Udo-Ajamita Road, all in Olero Creek community. The NDDC also inaugurated the 3.1-kilometre Irete Road in Sapele and Uloho Avenue Road with drainage in Ughelli.

    The ceremonies were performed by an NDDC team, which included the Managing Director, Mr. Nsima Ekere; Executive Director Projects Samuel Adjogbe; government’s representative on the NDDC Board Ogaga Ifowodo, and others.

    Ekere, who noted that developing communities that could not be accessed by road posed enormous challenges, especially with funding and logistics.

    He said: “I share in your joy; when you spoke, I felt your positive emotions. Some of you have not seen vehicular traffic before today. Now, by the special grace of God, it is possible for cars to drive round your communities.

    “We came from Koko, travelling almost one hour by water to get here. On our way, I enjoyed seeing the vegetation and mangrove, but I wondered what life would be like for the people without the necessary facilities and infrastructure.

    “Bringing construction materials and equipment to site is a logistic nightmare; the terrain is so difficult that in some areas, the contractor had to excavate for as deep as four metres to remove unsuitable materials before refilling with sharp sand.

    “A very serious engineering work has been done here because of the difficult terrain. That is why we feel sad when people don’t factor in the difficult challenges of terrain while talking about the cost of construction in the Niger Delta region.

    “What we spend in building one kilometre of road in this type of community could be used to construct 10 kilometres of road in other parts of the country.”

    Ekere praised the Federal Government and oil companies funding the commission, and urged them to continue to release funds to enable the agency live up to its mandate of fast-tracking development in Nigeria’s oil-rich region.

    “We appeal to the oil companies to please release the outstanding funds owed NDDC,” Ekere added.

    A representative of the Olero Creek Community, Mr. Eyde Michael, said they were excited with the project. “We have not seen much from the oil companies; that is why we remain very grateful to the NDDC,” he said.

    At the opening of the Ireto Road in Sapele, Ifowodo stressed that the Commission was focusing on completing all ongoing projects. “That is why we are devoting 70 per cent of the NDDC budget to the execution of projects,” he said.

    Ogaga urged the Kogoro and Ojolu communities to be patient and support the Federal Government and its development agencies to develop the Niger Delta.

  • 2019: Vote APC for a clean state, Utomi tells Deltans

    2019: Vote APC for a clean state, Utomi tells Deltans

    Gubernatorial hopeful on the platform of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC) in Delta state, Professor. Pat Utomi, has charged Deltans to vote for the party come 2019, in order to have a “clean state”.

    Speaking at a ‘Pat Utomi Support Hub’ (PUSH), meeting held in Ughelli, with party leaders and members of the APC in Delta Central senatorial district, he lamented the high rate of poverty, poor state of roads, education and dwindling industrialization across the state.

    Emphasizing that the right party, with the right people in government are the instrument to effect the much needed development that will erase the “peculiar mess”, he posited that doing things differently will produce better results.

    “When you want a job done, you go for the right equipment. If you need your state cleaned, you will vote for APC. The time of change is now. One of my biggest criticisms is that we wait to get to office before we can start changing things. I believe we should start a movement, to know what the people like, get our young political activists who will become part of government when in place, to discharge the change.”

    He further unveiled plans to reduce poverty through education, skill acquisition, as he is doing through his CVL programme where 400 Deltans drawn from the three senatorial districts, are currently undergoing diverse trainings, and also, take cybernetics to villages. This he said will ensure a match with global competitiveness in this part of the country.

    Asked his disposition on running for eight years and returning power to the district in 2023, Utomi said “I believe in just showing example and leaving. I think it will setback the many plans I have for my life if I will continue,” describing anyone who stays in government, whether elected or appointed for more than 10 years, as a social parasite.

    Prof. Utomi further mentioned the late Ibru brothers, late Gamaliel Onosode, as well as Olorogun O’tega Emerhor as resourceful sons of Urhobo extraction, who have mentored him, just as he commended the latter for his unwavering support for the party from the onset.

    Present at the event were the state APC deputy chairman, Olorogun, among other party leaders and members in the district.

  • Police arrest burglar of Sen. Nwaoboshi’s residence in Asaba

    Police arrest burglar of Sen. Nwaoboshi’s residence in Asaba

    The Police in Delta said they  had arrested  one Emeka Ezeonyi who allegedly broke into the residence of Sen. Peter Nwaoboshi in Asaba and carted  away cash and other valuables.

    The Police Public Relations Officer ( PPRO ) in the state, DSP Andrew Aniamaka, said this in a statement on  Tuesday in Asaba.

    According to Aniamaka, the suspect  stole cell phones, laptop computers and cash from the residence of Sen.Nwaoboshi..

    He said the suspect, who hailed from Umuchu village in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra, had confessed to have burgled Sen. Nwaoboshi’s residence.

    Aniamaka said the suspect had also  confessed to partaking in  many  other robberies and burglaries in Asaba, Owerri, Makurdi and Enugu.

    “The Delta Police Command, with effective collaboration of the IGP’s Intelligence Response Team on Oct. 24, 2017 arrested one Emeka Ezeonyi for his involvement in series of burglaries and stealing.

    “Upon his arrest, the suspect confessed to have burgled the residences of many identified prominent personalities in Asaba, Owerri, Makurdi and Enugu metropolis,” he said.

    The PPRO said the Commissioner of Police, Mr  Zanna Ibrahim, had commended the officers who arrested the suspect as result of  the effective deployment of tactical intelligence.

    NAN

  • Monkeypox hit Abuja as FG confirms six fresh cases

    Monkeypox hit Abuja as FG confirms six fresh cases

    The Federal Government has confirmed six new cases of the MonekyPox virus in the country, with one case recorded in the Federal Capital Territory.

    Dr. Osagie Ehanire, the Minister of State for Health, made this known in a statement by Mrs Boade Akinola, Director of Media and Public Relations, Ministry of Heath.

    Akinola said apart from the one recorded in Abuja, two cases were confirmed each in Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom while Enugu State had one case.

    Ehanire also said investigations were ongoing to see if any of the new cases has a link with the Bayelsa cluster, where the outbreak started.

    He further called for calm among members of the public, adding that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is working with all affected states to ensure case finding and adequate management.

    He added that as frightening as the manifestation of the ailment might seem, no fatality has been recorded to date. As of Oct. 25, a total of 94 suspected cases have been reported from 11 states, (Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Rivers and Abuja).

    He said patients of the newly confirmed cases were already being managed by public health authorities and have been receiving appropriate clinical care.

    He said Ministry, through NCDC, was in close contact with all State Epidemiology Teams, and the health facilities providing clinical care to both suspected and confirmed cases.

    He added that State Commissioners of Health have been advised to place all health care facilities and Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers on alert, to ensure early case detection, reporting and effective treatment.

    Read also: Monkey Pox victim commits suicide in Bayelsa hospital

    The minister said a National-level Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) led by the NCDC with support from our development partners, was coordinating outbreak investigation and response across affected states.

    He added the EOC included the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, as well as experts from partner agencies.

     

  •  Military not involved in vaccination – FG

     Military not involved in vaccination – FG

    Federal Government on Wednesday said  the military is not involved in any monkey pox vaccination as presently rumoured.

    The rumors had spread like wildfire that the military was injecting monkey pox virus to people in their medical outreach across the country.

    The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole said this when he briefed State House correspondences at the end of the Federal Executive Council meeting presided by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He was with the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu and the Special Adviser to the President on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina.

    According to him, the eleven states are Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Lagos, Nasarawa and Rivers.

    While stressing that outbreak was confirmed in Bayelsa, he said that out of the 19 samples tested, 3 tested positive from Bayelsa 12 tested negative from Bayelsa, and 4 tested negative from Lagos.

    He explained that the military  medical outreach has never harm anyone and in some cases involved in road construction and other services.

    He said “Council also received an update of the public health of the nation.  We informed Council about the latest development with respect to the Monkey Pox virus outbreak. So far, as of today, there are 74 suspected cases in 11 states of the country. We have confirmed three in Bayelsa state, We are still expecting the results of other ones.

    “We are also doing advance test in NEDE,  that is the African Centre of Excellence for Genomes and Infections Disease to really understand the genomes of this virus.  Even when they are negative, the laboratory attendance should be able to tell us what exactly they are. We will also be able to locate and identify the origin so that we can take adequate precaution.” he said

    On the military vaccination rumors, he said  “It is also important to use this opportunity to dispel the rumour circulating in the country that the military is vaccinating people and trying to spread monkey pox across the country. The military is not involved in any vaccination exercise and I must also really educate the Nigeria people about how vaccination campaigns are done.

    “Federal will take the lead but we do not conduct campaign without involving states.  So, there is no way we will do campaign for vaccination without working with the states and it is the state that will be in front and we provide support.

    “The rumour that federal is involved in monkey pox vaccination campaign is not true. And as of today, we are only doing vaccination campaign in three states against other diseases.

    “We are doing vaccination campaign against yellow fever in Kwara and Kogi because of yellow fever outbreak in some parts of the country. We are also doing cholera vaccination in Borno state and so anybody carrying the rumour,  please help us educate Nigerians that it is not true. We are not vaccinating anybody, we plan to do missiles campaign very soon and we will also do yellow fever before the end of the year and we will let you know.

    “You will never find Federal staff conducting vaccination campaign without the support and active participation of the state ministry of health, this is just to correct the misconception.” he stated

    Asked whether he was disowning the  military over the issue, he said “With respect to what the military is doing, I spoke about vaccination and not about military campaign. The military as part of a campaign of winning over the heart and soul of the people havel got engaged in several things. In the past,  the military was noted of even constructed roads, the military will do outreaches, measure blood pressure, talk to people. These are normal things,  I referred only to vaccination.

    “We had to request for the assistance of the military in Borno state to reach inaccessible area with respect to the polio campaign so we have worked with the military in the past and we will continue to work with them.

    “There are doctors in the military, there are nurses and when you go abroad, some of the best institutions abroad are those ones managed by the military. So we cannot disown the military. But what I want to put across is that the military is not involved in any vaccination.” he said

    On the report of illegal traffickers of kidney,  he said “With respect to the harvest of organs we received advice periodically from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, from National Security Adviser about goings on around the world. One of which is the harvest of organ illegally and it is our duty to alert Nigerians that this is ongoing, they should be careful, they should seek advice, they should patronize only accredited institution.

    “And as we rebuild our health infrastructure there will be less need for anybody to travel out and so we spare Nigerians the agony of falling victims of some of these illegal practices.”

    Speaking on the growing drug abuse among the youth,  he said “We are quite aware of this.  Abuse will take several forms.  Abuse of substances that are smuggled into the country in higher doses than normal. For example we have metadol and tramadol and even Viagra being smuggled into the country. Look at the dosage, the Viagra dosage is three times normal and when you look at the tramadol it is three to four times normal and once NAFDAC officials come in contact, they are impounded and destroyed.

    “We are also working with the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria to educate people about the abuses.  We are aware of the abuse of cough mixture because of the content and we are working hard in respect to this.”

    Stressing that Nigeria is part of the campaign against tobacco, he said that the country is implementing the framework convention in tobacco control.

    “As of Monday we were part of the  ECOWAS meeting to look at how do we raise taxes on tobacco. That meeting we really worked to prevent smuggling on tobacco products, we looked at how we can raise taxes on tobacco products. It is known that Nigeria has one of cheapest tobacco prices in the world and that will contribute to the abuse.  That convention and recommendations coming from there will really contribute to raising taxes on tobacco and also generating resources that will go into health.

    The Minister of Water Resources disclosed that the Council also approved the sum of N236 million for the completion of Sabke dam in Katsina state.

    He said “One Memo from my ministry was considered today as part of our efforts to improve the hethrege for irrigation, we have been committing ourselves to completing many of the irrigation projects we inherited in the past two years. One of such is the Sabke irrigation project. This is a project that started as far back as 1997 during the PTF days but was abandoned and then reawarded in 2009, completed 95 percent by 2012 and again abandoned.

    “When we came into office, I commissioned a technical audit of all the ongoing project and n the ministry and because of the status of that project having attained 95 percent completion,  it became a priority project because it was a low hanging fruit for us to complete.

    “Unfortunately, when the contractor was mobilised to site,  we found out that a lot of component of the irrigation project had been vandalized and for us to be able to put that project into effective use,  we now have to do a lot of rehabilitation works and we therefore brought a memo seeking Council to give us an augmentation of about N280m for us to be able to complete the work 100 percent and make it fit for the purpose and Council considered and approved this memo.”

     

     

  • Buhari signs University of Petroleum Resources Bill

    Buhari signs University of Petroleum Resources Bill

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday signed University of Petroleum Resources Bill with a pledge to continue to support the socio-economic development of the Niger Delta region.

    The President made the pledge while signing bill to establish University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, Delta into law at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Read: Igbo not marginalised in cabinet appointments —Buhari

    He said Federal Government was committed to supporting Niger Delta region to achieve socio-economic development.

    Buhari, therefore, appealed to communities in the region to strive for peace through dialogue in resolving all conflicts not only among them, but also with business entities and authorities.

    It was reported that with the signing of the bill into law, the path has now been cleared for establishment of the specialised university in the Niger Delta.

    The institution will be charged with training and research in petroleum technologies. (NAN)

    Read Also: Buhari worried over unpaid workers’ salaries in states

     

  • Army lunches operation crocodile smile II in C/River

    Army lunches operation crocodile smile II in C/River

    The Nigerian Army has lunched the second phase of its operation code name `Crocodile Smile II’ in Cross River.

    Maj.-Gen. Adamu Abubakar, General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu lunched the operation on Wednesday in Calabar.

    He said the operation was meant to complement the ongoing `Operation Python Dance in the South-East.

    He said the operation was in line with the Army’s efforts to curb militancy, kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism and other forms of illegality in the state and beyond.

    The Commander, 13 Brigade, Nigerian Army Calabar, Brig.-Gen. Ismaila Isa, conducted the GOC round the creeks of Ikang in Bakassi LGA to the Amphibious Training School fleet yard in Calabar by speed boat.

    Abubakar said: “from Ikang in Bakassi local government to the Calabar channel, I can say that the soldiers have been doing well in protecting the coastal areas along with the navy.

    “I am happy that the Director of the State Security Service also went with us throughout the sea patrol.

    “It shows that we are united in providing security to the people of the state and beyond.

    “I am very certain that this exercise will help in securing our nation just as we recorded tremendous success in exercise Egwu Eke.

    “Crocodile smile cut across four divisions; they include 81, 2, 6 and 82 divisions respectively.

    “We hope to record successful outcome at the end of the operation on the 28 of Oct.

    “What we are doing here right now is exactly what is going on in Lagos, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa Rivers and Cross River states respectively.’’

    The GOC said the operation would also help in enhancing civil-military relationship, teach the troops general administration, operational logistics, equipment maintenance, arms handling and others.

    He called on the public to support the operation by availing the Army and other security agencies with useful and timely information that would enable them respond on time to cases of emergencies.

    NAN

  • PDP members defect to APC in Delta

    PDP members defect to APC in Delta

    About 4,000 members of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri Southwest Local Government of Delta State, at the weekend, defected to All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Gbaramatu Kingdom is a PDP stronghold.

    An APC chieftain and indigene of the kingdom, Chief Michael Johnny, who is deputy chair of the Mainstream Delta APC (MDA), a pressure group in the party, received the defectors, urging them to inform others that the salvation of the Ijaw would be realised through the APC.

    Addressing reporters, Vice Chairman of the state APC, Olorogun Cyril Ogodo, said hailed the ‘’submission’’ of Gbaramatu, describing it as key to winning Delta.

    He enjoined people to pray for the state to successfully go through the process of escaping the hold of PDP in 2019.

    “You should be in no doubt that Gbaramatu Kingdom is the backbone of the Ijaw. What you are witnessing here today is the final burial ceremony of PDP in Delta State because one area APC had not been able to crack in Delta State, since 2015, is this kingdom. But God has made it possible for us today. It’s a big plus for APC in Delta State.

    “My advice to Deltans is that they should be steadfast; be prayerful because to remove the Goliath in Delta State, you need the wisdom of God. That giant that has held Deltans hostage for more than 18 years. Prayers can remove them. APC and PDP are going to fight in 2019 and the war is going to bring freedom to the people. APC government is going to be in charge of this state from 2019.

    “The population you are seeing here is more than 3,000; you can see the hall here and you can see the people outside. You can see the brother of the deputy governor, Kingsley Otuaro, he spoke last. He’s among those who have just defected  to APC. We are harvesting them, we will not leave any stone unturned, we will go to the nooks and crannies of Ijaw to ensure they support APC,” Ogodo said.

    Johnny said the kingdom had been in turmoil since it fell into the hands of PDP, adding that the exclusion the majority of the people in Gbaramatu suffered under PDP would soon end.

    His words: “PDP has failed us. In Gbaramatu, you cannot point to one project they have executed, none in Burutu, none in Patani, none in Bomadi, none in Egbema, not even in parts of Warri South. It is because we are not united.”

    Dignitaries at the event include the state Secretary of the party, Comrade Chidi Okonji; Financial Secretary, Ebiakpo Ezebiri; an elder from Oporoza, traditional headquarters of Gbaramatu, Chief Joel Gbanale and others.