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Infrastructure: NNPC, BUA Group, Innoson, TETFund, Others Pledge Bailouts for FUPRE
By Evelyn Terseer, Abuja
The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) yesterday led other corporate giants to pledge multi- billion naira interventions to redress the gross infrastructure deficits at the Federal University of Petroleum Effurum (FUPRE).
Representatives of the organisations and top government functionaries were participants at Roundtable in Abuja to raise funds by the nation’s Premier Petroleum University, which is the first of its kind in Africa and one of the only six globally.
At the occasion held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja were the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr Chris Ngige, Minister of State for Education, Hon Emeka Nwajiuba, Group Managing Director of NNPC, Engr Mela Kyari, Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, among others.
In a speech, Chairman of the occasion, and President, BUA Group, Alhaji Abdul Samad Isiyaku Rabiu pledged that a substantial part of $50 million fund earmarked for development of infrastructure in Nigerian Universities would be invested in FUPRE.
The BUA Group Chairman represented by a former Minister of Health, Dr Idi Hong assured that his group would support the University to improve its facilities.
Group Managing Director, NNPC, Engr Kyari said his Corporation and partners in the oil industry, who he said were major beneficiaries of the products of the Institution would mobilise international oil companies and contractors to support development projects in the university.
Similarly, Chairman of Innoson Group, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, who was represented by a Director of the Company, Chief Jonas Ojukwu, pledged to intervene very strongly in the university after due consultation with its management.
Chairman of the Tertiary Institutions Fund( TETFund), Alhaji Kashim Imam pledged further investments into the Institution after the sum of N3billion already donated to in the last one year.
Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Sylva, his counterpart in Labour and Productivity, Dr Ngige and Minister of State for Education, Hon Nwajiuba in separate speeches hailed FUPRE for coming up with a novel idea to seek support and partnerships with the private sector to fund University rather than rely on the Federal Government as has been the tradition.
The Ministers said the government alone could no longer sufficiently finance the needs of the Universities hence the imperative for the Universities to look inwards.
Nwajiuba who was represented by his Adviser on Policy, challenged other universities in the country to explore various strategies to partner with the private sector for accomplishment of development goals.
Petroleum Varsity Patents 11 Technologies, Seeks Commercial Production
Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof Akpofure Rim-Rukeh had in his welcome speech said the Roundtable was called to showcase the enormous potentials of the university.
He disclosed that the University had patented 11 technologies in various sectors and called on industrialists to collaborate with the institution for commercial production of the patented technologies.
He mentioned some of the new patents as multi-metre system, speed boat, Fuel efficient Vehicle, Oil pipe vandalisation detection equipment and fuel adulteration detection equipment among others.
The Vice Chancellor called on the private sector to be involved in financing educational sector.
The Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurum (FUPRE), Delta State which was established by the Federal Government on March, 2007 and the Act establishing the University was signed into law on October 17, 2017 by President Muhammadu Buhari.
He has the vision to be ” the premier international institution with state-of-the-art facilities to provide for the Petroleum and allied sectors, world-class education, training, research, consultancy and extension services”.
Despite all the numerous achievements recorded by the University, Prof. Rim-Rukeh lamented over the challenges of the institution, which include, absence of power supply, insufficient infrastructure resources such as Lecture Theaters, Laboratories, Libraries, poor teaching and learning facilities, weak ICT facilities, low carrying capacity to admit students and inadequate funding for recurrent and capital expenditure in hampering the great vision.
He beckoned on individuals and corporate organisations to see this as a clarion call and invest in FUPRE in order to move the institution and by extension, the education sector to a greater height.
By David Torough, Abuja
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has revealed plans for a major political coalition involving the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Labour Party (LP) to confront what he described as the ‘incompetent and inefficient’ government of President Bola Tinubu.
Atiku made the announcement, while addressing a delegation of stakeholders from the Kogi East Senatorial Zone, led by former Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Simon Achuba, in Abuja. He said he was deeply concerned over the country’s worsening security crisis, blaming the Tinubu administration for its lack of political will to address the issue.Atiku recounted his experience as Vice President during the early days of the Boko Haram insurgency, highlighting how decisive leadership under his administration had temporarily quelled the threat.He stated, “How can leaders remain indifferent while their citizens are being killed? Such apathy is the height of irresponsibility for any political leader, anywhere.“I hold our current leadership accountable for the widespread insecurity plaguing our nation. There is a lack of political will.“Let me remind you of when Boko Haram first emerged in 2002, during our time in office. The president summoned me and asked, ‘Mr Vice President, what should we do about this?’ It began in Yobe. I advised him to call the service chiefs and set a clear deadline: if they couldn’t quell the insurgency, they should resign.“The president summoned the service chiefs, I was present, and issued firm orders. Within weeks, the insurgents in Yobe were subdued, and the threat did not resurface until after we left office.”Atiku also criticized the government’s under-policing strategy, suggesting that unemployed graduates be recruited into the police force to address the security manpower deficit.“We are under-policed. There are not enough police officers in this country, while many educated individuals remain unemployed. Why not recruit them into the police force?” he asked.He emphasized the need for a united front against the current administration, stating, “We are forming a coalition, all major political parties, including the APC, the PDP, and the Labour Party, are involved. This is the only way forward to confront such an incompetent and inefficient government. I assure you of my understanding and full support.”Simon Achuba, who led the delegation, echoed Atiku’s concerns, lamenting the rampant violence, kidnappings, and destruction of communities in the North.He accused the federal government of failing in its constitutional duty to ensure peace and security, urging northern leaders to step up and foster unity within the region.“Unfortunately, the government is doing little to alleviate this crisis, and it is their responsibility, sir. It is the government’s duty to ensure peace and order in our communities.“Yet, in a situation where the government fails to take adequate action, I believe, we believe, that northern leadership must step up,” Achuba said, calling for internal healing and brotherhood among northerners.
By Eze Okechukwu, Abuja
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio has said that Nigeria was long overdue for a national census, adding that the exercise would assist the country in national planning.Akpabio made the remarks while playing host to members and management of the National Population Commission(NPC) who visited him in his office to update him on the preparation for the next Census for the country.
Akpabio told his guests: “I don’t want to call it a national disgrace but can I say it’s a national embarrassment that even Nigerians who go outside to represent us in different fora do not know the number of Nigerians. ”Sometimes you will go to some places and they will say 250 million Nigerians. At another place, they will say you people are over 270 million. Some African countries think we are over 300 million.”If you go to places where they are holding retreat now, they are now shrinking from 250 million to 220 million. I think it’s time to bring that confusion to an end.”Any country that fails to know its population has already started to fail in its planning. You cannot truly plan for the future if you don’t know the number of mouths you want to feed. You do not know the number of children that you want to put in schools. You can’t know the number of classroom blocks you will build.”We must plan. Any country that does not plan for its future has already accepted failure. We will be failing the future generation of Nigerians if we do not begin to plan for the future and start the planning of this Census. This Census is important so that we know how many people we are planning for.”Akpabio assured members of the NPC that the National Assembly would support the Commission to succeed.”It is very important that we support you. The National Assembly will support you to succeed. I have no doubt, with the calibre of men and women that I have seen here, that the task that Mr President has given to you, once the proclamation is done, you will rise to the occasion. And I know that the National Assembly, the Senate in particular, will stand by you all the way,” he said.Earlier, the NPC chairman, Nasir Isa Kwarra who led the delegation said the visit was to keep the Senate President abreast of the stage of preparation and seek continued support of the National Assembly for the next Census.”We cannot conduct this Census without your support. So we will continue to count on your support and we want to make Nigerians proud by conducting a very thorough Census that will yield a lot of data that will assist in planning policy formulation and tracking our development,” Kwarra said.
By David Torough, Abuja
Former Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido has called on President Bola Tinubu to show courage by closing the chapter of June 12 once and for all.According to him, the payment of the N45 billion debt owed to the family of the late presumed winner of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, would serve as a symbolic and moral closure to the June 12 struggle and Abiola’s unjust treatment following the annulment of the election, widely believed to have been won by the late business mogul.
The former Minister of Foreign Affairs made the call while delivering his closing remarks at the launch of his autobiography, “Being True to Myself,” held yesterday in Abuja.“When (General) Murtala (Muhammed) died, Abiola came in with a claim that he was owed, I think, about N45bn for contracts executed by International Telephone and Telecommunication for the Ministry of Communications. The military high command at that time said no.“He went around the Emirs in the North to lobby, and the Emirs asked that they (the military) should please pay the money. They (the military) said they annulled the June 12 elections because if they made him President, he would take his money, and the country would become bankrupt. Those who were close to Abacha should know this because Abacha was then one of the big shots; they were all aware.”“Before I end my remarks, I want to appeal to President Tinubu to finally close the chapter of June 12. In his book, General Ibrahim Babangida acknowledged that Abiola won the election. When I visited him, he also confirmed that Abiola is owed N45 billion. He was doubly punished: first, denied the presidency; second, denied what is owed to him.”Lamido urged the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammad Idris Malagi, who represented President Tinubu at the event, to deliver the message to the President.“Please tell the President to pay the Abiola family the N45 billion. Once this is done, the June 12 chapter will be closed. It is very important,” he stated.
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