From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has embarked on a nationwide sensitisation campaign to enlighten Nigerians on the new National Anthem and National Values Charter (NVC).

The Director General of NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, disclosed this at a press conference on sensitisation on National Anthem and National Values Charter in Lokoja.

Issa-Onilu, who was represented by the Ag State Director of NOA, Patrick Edogbanya, said the initiative was in line with President Bola Tinubu’s declaration that “We Must Build Nigerians to Build Nigeria”.

He noted that the sensitisation campaign was being conducted nationwide aimed at reinforcing the significance of Nigeria’s national anthem and the national values charter.

According to him, the content of the new national anthem summarily preaches unity in diversity; though, we may have different languages, ethnicities, tribes and religion, it binds us together as one.

The NOA DG said the agency would establish citizen brigades in primary and secondary schools this year, starting 3700 members.

According to him, it will be 1000 per state and the FCT will be fashioned after the Boys scouts and Girls brigade, where members will learn leadership and moral values.

“They will be raised as model citizens who embody the national identity.

“Millions of Nigerian children will join the brigade in a few years, causing a deliberate movement of value ambassadors, model citizens, and generation of new Nigerians.

He added that the federal government would nationalize cartoon content in the next three years, saying 70 per cent of the cartoon content must be about Nigerian values.

In his Paper presentation on “Overview of the NCV”, the NOA Head of Program, Mayowa Ogbonnikan, said the NVC is a social contract between the government and citizens.

He said the NVC was aimed to promote fundamental values that will guide Nigerians’ national lifestyles, foster national identity and ensure unity and national cohesion.

According to him, the NVC has two components: the Nigerian Promise, and the Citizens Code or Commitment.

He added that the Nigerian Promise has seven pillars upon which the Nigerian state shall be held accountable by its citizens at home and in the diaspora.

From Samuel James, Ilorin

The University of Ilorinin still maintains its position for five years as the most preferred University in the country, according to Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, while producing 256 first class graduates.

The Vice Chancellor, Prof.

Prof Egbewole said the zeal and the commitment to sustain the higher level of the institution among others would not be compromised as that’s what it means by its appellate name “better by far”.

In his highlighting of the achievement so far, he said the university still rank first as the most preferred University in Nigeria by Jamb records for the following years, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2025, which based on its sustainability of academic excellence, research pursuits, smooth calendar, foreign institutions exchange programmes and partnerships with diverse opportunities available to both staff and the students.

He also disclosed that the University for this 39th Convocation has produced the numbers of 256 First class graduates, 3842 Second Class (Upper Division) graduates, 6,178 Second Class (Lower Division graduates, 1,299 Third Class graduates and 62 Pass degrees respectively.

The Vice Chancellor further, stated that  18 graduates received distinctions in Pharmacy and one achieved a distinction in Physiotherapy while there’s also 124 MB;BS graduands, 64 Nursing graduands, 35 Optometry graduands, 30 Veterinary Medicine graduands, and 18 graduands with Distinction, as well as 85 graduands with Pass in Pharmacy, one distinction and 32 Pass in Physiothera

Prof Egbewole added that there are a total number of 16 Diploma degree holders and the total number of Higher Degrees to be awarded at the 39th convocation ceremonies, as he said 1,875; out of this figure are 92 Postgraduate Diplomas, 1,280 Master’s Degree from various faculties, 179 Professional Masters, one MPhil, and 323 Ph.Ds.

While speaking on the challenges facing the administration of the university he talks on the multiplier effect of the removal of the petroleum subsidy, particularly its implications for prices of goods and services for both staff and students.

The other challenges listed by the Vice Chancellor, includes increases in electricity tariffs, the galloping inflation, and infrastructural needs to meet evolving demands of ivory tower education in a rapidly changing world.

The Vice Chancellor however stated that all these challenges have tested the resolve of the management to be brave and to pay the price through adoption of some strategies to tackle it as they are inevitable.

Egbewole also revealed that a total sum of N1,656,944,930.00bn was allocated to the university as a

TETFund intervention in the year under review. While added that the fund covered 11 areas like physical infrastructure/program upgrade, academic staff training, ICT support with the inclusion sum of N250,000,000.00 for different projects in interventions as well.

By Ubong Ukpong, Abuja

The Federal Ministry of Environment has disagreed with the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) over the approval given to an oil company, Aiteo E and P, operating in Nembe, Bayelsa State, to carry out barging activities.

Representatives of the company at a hearing by the House of Representatives Committee on Environment said it got approval from NUPRC to barge, which means transporting crude from their facility in Nembe through the Brass River out to the Atlantic Ocean.

The hearing was to probe the environmental impact of transporting crude oil by mega seagoing vessels from Nembe Creek Trunk to offshore crude oil storage in the Atlantic Ocean by Aiteo E and P, as well as the oil spillage in Olugboboro Community in Southern Ijaw Bayelsa State from Nigerian Agip Oil Company (now Oando Oil Ltd) facility.

Chief Operating Officer, Aieto, Ewarezi Useh Aieto said it was a temporary measure which started last year borne out of necessity due to the activities of vandals on the pipelines.

However, the representative of the Minister of Environment, Dr Musa Gashau, said the approval given to the company to operate did not include barging activities.

Chairman of the committee, Pondi Gbabador, queried the inconsistencies in the approvals between government agencies over the same issue.

Useh said they had no other option, otherwise they would shut down production.

On the time agreed for the barging, the Aiteo woman said the Environment Impact Assessment, which gave the approval has a lifespan of five years and it was gotten in November 2020.

She said it was still valid.

But the Ministry of Environment insisted Aieto does not have a valid approval to carry out their barging activities in Nembe.

He said, “The Eia approval did not cover barging. Records available to the Ministry indicate the approval only covered the installation of a 54km crude oil pipeline and a 14 storage platform of the capacity of 3.5 million barrels. It did not cover barging.”

Aiteek woman said for the agreement with the Ministry of Environment, barging was not part of the agreement, but the NUPRC which is also a regulator they went through all the whole hog of getting all the requirements for barging crude.

Responding to enquiries, the Manager Health Safety and Environment, Aiteo, Augustina Amaka Bisong, said their activities do not damage the environment as all considerations have been made to address such.

She said there was no spillage in the entire process.

He said they were supposed to be a 120, 000 barrels producing facility but because of the theft and even with the barging, they are struggling to do between 30, 000 and 40, 000 right now.

The Director General of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Engr Chukwuemeka, said there has been no incident of oil spillage since the operation commenced.

However the committee expressed reservations about the claim that their activities did not have adverse effects on the environment.

It resolved to embark on an oversight to have first-hand information about the true state of things for further necessary legislative actions.

Also, the Deputy Manager Environment Oando, Akuduro Philip, called for legislative support to address the issue of oil theft and vandalism which he said has far reaching consequences.

He said they operate in four states including Bayelsa and statistics show that about 90 percent of all their spill events are caused by third party interferences on their facilities.

He further said particularly in Bayelsa State 80 percent of spillage is within Southern Ijaw, where Olugboboro Community is.