**identifies project abandonment causes in Nigeria

Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, Thursday, inaugurated multi-billion naira projects at the Dennis Osadebe University, Anwai-Asaba, as part of activities to mark his first 100 days in office.

The Governor who also also commissioned 29 network of roads with 31.45 line drains around Madonna College road in Asaba and Okpanam areas of Oshimili South and Oshimili North Local Government Council areas of the state, blamed the abandonment of projects across the country on failure or refusal of political leaders to continue with projects started by their predecessors.

The projects inaugurated at the Dennis Osadebay University, Anwai-Asaba, include; 500 and double 250 seater auditoriums, faculty building and furnishing of Faculty of Agriculture, Administrative building; Vice-Chancellors lodge; gate entrance and main entrance access road at the University.

Speaking separately during the inauguration of the projects, initiated by the previous administration at the University, Governor Oborevwori noted that government was a continuum and it was the duty of successive administrations to continue and complete projects initiated by their predecessors for the collective good of the people.

He commended his predecessors in the state for continuing with projects they met while also executing new projects and particularly lauded the immediate past administration of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for initiating the projects.

Oborevwori said: “My joy knows no bounds as we commission this 500-seater Auditorium, two 250-seater Auditorium, building and furnishing of the Faculty of Agriculture, administrative building, main gate building, and internal roads in this citadel of learning.

“There are two reasons for my happiness today, first is that I promised Deltans in my inaugural speech that I will ensure that all ongoing projects embarked upon by the previous administration would be completed alongside new initiatives.

“Government is a continuum and it is the duty of successive administrations to put the resources of the state to good use by ensuring that projects are completed in a timely and prudent manner”.

He explained that “One of the reasons for abandoned projects in our country is because of the failure or refusal of political leaders to continue with projects started by their predecessors.

“And this is usually informed by the fear that their predecessors will get the credit. However, this should not be the case if the focus of the leader is on the collective good of all.

“I am proud to say that in Delta State, we have had a history of successive governors building on the legacies of their predecessors. It is my honour and privilege to continue with that noble tradition as I give credit to the immediate past Governor of the state, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, for his vision and foresight in initiating these projects.”

While underscoring the importance of education to the growth, development and advancement of modern society, Governor Oborevwori assured that his administration would continue to give moral and institutional support for the development of the three new universities.

“The second reason for my joy is that the completion of these projects underscores our commitment to the educational advancement of our people.

“Education and knowledge are two cornerstones of progress in any modern society. The emplacement of skilled and professional competencies for all the citizens and residents of the state is one of the priorities of this administration.

“It is also gratifying to note that enrollment into the university has continued to grow. This is undeniable proof that the decision to establish this university and two others in Ozoro and Agbor is justified.

“Our people are eager for quality education and we are glad that we have provided more opportunities for them to actualize their dreams.

“This administration shall continue to give the necessary moral and institutional support necessary to transform these institutions to centres of excellence in terms of their overall outlook and scholarship potentials”, he said.

The elated Governor, challenged the University authority to prioritise curriculum development and innovation to make graduates meet up with challenging technological trends.

Governor Oborevwori said: “I implore the Governing Council and the Board of the university to prioritise curriculum development and innovation.

“In a time of rapid economic and technological change, the challenge is to develop courses and programmes that will enable the graduates to forge the strongest career paths, learn new skills, solve real world business problems, and develop the abilities and expertise to be in tune with global trends.

“This calls for hands-on and work-integrated learning as a direct response to the demand for professionals with market-relevant skills.

“Graduates from our universities must be well equipped with business knowledge and competencies in critical thinking, interpersonal skills, communication, ability to work in teams, entrepreneurial skills, as well as self, social, and ethical awareness”.

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Higher Education, Professor Nyerhovwo Tonukari commended the Governor for transforming a bush into a citadel of learning with seven faculties and 40 programmes to cater for the growing population of the state.

Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Benjamin Oghojafor in his welcome address, said the establishment of the three new Universities was born out of the need to grant more access to higher education for Deltans, adding that the university was already filling the gap by providing excellent skills in various areas of learning to curb the high rate of unemployment in the country.

He said the university’s academic programmes were one of the most sought after in the state, pointing out that they were in talks with the NUC to increase the school’s admission quota.

Earlier at the road and erosion control inauguration, Commissioner for Works (Highways and Urban Roads), Comrade Reuben Izeze said that the completion of the project was a great relief to people of the area who had been plagued by massive flooding and erosion challenges.

Chairman Oshimili South Local Government Council, Dr Kelvin Ezenyili and his Oshimili North counterpart, Hon. Innocent Eseweze commended Governor Sheriff Oborevwori for consolidating on the achievements of the past administration in completing ongoing projects across the two local government areas.

They pledged the support and cooperation of the people of Oshimili South and North to the administration’s M.O.R.E Agenda.

The State Deputy Governor, Sir Monday Onyeme, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Emomotimi Guwor, his deputy, Rt. Hon. Arthur Akpowowo, Secretary to the Government, Dr Kingsley Emu, Commissioners, traditional rulers and other top government functionaries attended the ceremonies.

By: Celestine 

College of Commerce Old Students Association, COCOSA, Warri will be holding its monthly General meeting in the month of September in Warri, Delta State.

The general meeting which is to hold at Hillview Hotel along Giwa-Amu Road off Airport road, Warri on Sunday September 10 is slated at 2:30Pm prompt.

According to the notice of meeting circular released by the Secretary General of College of Commerce Old Students Association, Mrs. Violet Elum, urged members to attend as vital issues will discussed.

College of Commerce Old Students Association National Public Relations Officer, Journalist Celestine Ukah, hinted that the National President of COCOSA, Mr. Victor Kolawole Enijuni and the executive shall be welcoming new members into the association as new intending members are encouraged to take advantage to join.

He enjoined members to be punctual to the meeting as issues bordering on their alma mater, members Welfare and other pertinent matters will be deliberated upon.

College of Commerce Old Students Association monthly General meeting is held every second Sunday of the month, therefore members are advised to always create time for it and make sure they attend as attendance and punctuality is greatly appreciated

In order To stimulate economic growth, enhance job creation, and reduce poverty in Rivers State, Governor Siminalayi Fubara has promised to part­ner the Bank of Industry in providing a N4bn enterprise fund to facilitate the develop­ment of micro, small, and me­dium enterprises (MSMEs) in the State.

Fubara, who spoke in a state-wide broadcast to mark his 100 days in office on Wednesday September 6, 2023, morning, said with the initiative, both owners of MSMEs and intending entrepreneurs would easily access needed credit to fund or start their enterprises at single-digit interest rates with a max­imum of a five-year repay­ment period.

He stated that besides the provision of the earmarked fund, his administration would establish a State In­vestment Promotion Agency to advance local and foreign investments that would en­gender the industrialisation of the State.

“With this Fund, owners and intending MSME entre­preneurs will have ready ac­cess to credit to fund or start their enterprises at single-dig­it interest rates with a maxi­mum of a five-year repayment period.”

Fubara further explained that he was making efforts to establish a Youth Entre­preneurship Development Trust Fund to help create an enterprise culture and stim­ulate sustainable interest in entrepreneurial activities among youths to promote job creation and self-employ­ment.

Hundreds of Nigerians on Wednesday staged an advocacy walk around the immediate perimeters of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, declaring their acceptance of the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Court PEPC which affirmed the victory of President Bola Tinubu in the February 25 Presidential Election.

The peaceful protesters, under the aegis of Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative CGGCI said the tribunal’s verdict also validates Nigerian’s rejection of the plaintiffs, especially the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Atiku Abubakar; and, Labour Party LP, Peter Obi.

Vanguard reports that the peaceful protesters, under the aegis of Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative CGGCI said the tribunal’s verdict also validates Nigerian’s rejection of the plaintiffs, especially the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Atiku Abubakar; and, Labour Party LP, Peter Obi.

National Coordinator of the coalition, Comrade Okpokwu Udenyi, who led the peaceful walk also urged Atiku and others to join hands with Tinubu to move Nigeria forward.

He said; “We want to thank the Justices of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal who have sat as the Justices of the tribunal for delivering a sound judgment today.

“It is not a mistake that we are Nigerians by providence and God Almighty has brought President Tinubu to liberate the sufferings of the Nigerian people. Asiwaju has come with so many promises and he is fulfilling them.

“Within 100 days in office, he was able to sign the students loans Act into law. Within 100 days in office, he has initiated measures to cushion the effects of the subsidy removal that was done by the previous administration. Within 100 days in office, he was able to diversify the Nigerian economy recreating ministries and assigning them appropriately. Within 100 days in office, Asiwaju has continued to take giant strides. The world has come to reckon with Nigeria. And the United States of America has invited him for a side talk at the on-going NUGA games in Portugal. And being the only African leader invited for the meeting, it is a great indication that the world has agreed with the mandate of the Nigerian people that Asiwaju still remains the choice of the people”.

On Atiku and others who took the matter to the tribunal, Ogenyi said; “They are Nigerians. We, Nigerians rejected them with the mandate to lead us through the ballot. They should accept the verdict of the Court and move on with the President.

“The President is a welcoming President as you can see from Chief Olabode George who was called out for criticizing the President. Chief George said before the general elections that if Bola Tinubu becomes the President he will relocate to Ghana. Today, he is still in Nigeria enjoying the dividends of democracy under the same President Bola Tinubu.

“We are saying that Atiku, Peter Obi and Kwankwaso are all welcome to be part of the administration as all what we want is to ensure the success and progress of the Nigerian system which we believe is going to be obtainable under the President Tinubu administration”.

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) says no fewer than 35,000 people have been killed since the inception of the insurgency in the North-East in 2009 to August 2023.

Mrs Elsie Mills-Tetty, UNHCR’s Head of the Adamawa Office, disclosed this at a training for military personnel on human rights, humanitarian principles, and civilian protection in Yola on Wednesday September 6, 2023.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training was organized by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in collaboration with UNHCR.

Mills-Tetty, who was represented by Umar Abdullahi, Assistant Protection Officer, said this was according to the “Global Center for Responsibility to Protect” report of August 2023.

According to her, the implication of these acts to the economic and social development of Borno, Adamawa, Yobe and Nigeria at large can never be overemphasized.

She added that in 2022, the NHRC reported that it investigated complaints on human rights as well as assisted victims in seeking redress.

Mills-Tetty said: “Cumulatively, the commission received 2314000 complaints. Adamawa had 65,456 complaints, which is approximately three per cent of the total complaints from the 36 states of the federation.

“The 2022 NHRC report also indicated that incidences of insurgency, banditry, kidnappings, farmers/herders clashes and attacks by gunmen continued to increase with the attendant number of internally displaced persons who face enormous human rights violations.”
She further called on the participants to take advantage of the training to boost their knowledge on human rights in the course of their duties.

In his address, Mr Tony Ojukwu, Executive Secretary, NHRC said the training was aimed at mainstreaming human rights into the counter-insurgency efforts of the Nigerian troops in the North-East.

Ojukwu, who was represented by his Special Assistant, Mr Benedict Agu, commended the Nigerian military and other law enforcement agencies for performing exceedingly well in containing insurgency.

He added: “To further sustain the gains made so far, the commission, in partnership with UNHCR is here to train key Military officers and men who are directly involved in the counter-insurgency operations in the North-East.

“The justification for this training cannot be overemphasized as the war against insurgency is complicated by the asymmetric nature of the conflict.

“The insurgents live within us and there is hardly a clearly drawn battle line between the insurgents and the civilian population,” he said.

Ojukwu urged the participants to ensure the implementation of the knowledge acquired while discharging their professional and private mandates.

NAN

**SAYS OLU OF WARRI IS A PRODUCT OF IMPOSITION, ENGAGES IN DOUBLE STANDARDS

The Forum of concerned indigenes of oil producing communities has called for an end by the incitement in Warri Kingdom, noting that the Olu of Warri is a product of imposition and said enough was enough.

While setting the record straight in Warri Kingdom particularly, the group said that; “We have watched with keen interest as the Palace of the Olu of Warri make futile attempts and laboured fruitlessly to justify the illegality of setting up the Iwere Host Community Development Trust, which contravenes and of course, completely negates the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), that was signed into law in 2021”.

Signed for and on behalf of FORUM OF CONCERNED INDIGENES OF OIL PRODUCING COMMUNITIES, ORITSEJOLOMI EDEMA – (CHAIRMAN) and Amorighoye Ezekiel ( Secretary) , the Forum also said that; “The Act only made provisions for the establishment of Host Community Development Trusts (HCDTs) for oil producing communities. The Iwere Host Community Trust is illegitimate as it is a creation of the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse 111. He also singlehandedly compiled its membership”.

According to the Forum; “After this unwholesome autocracy, the Palace has tried to ram the illegality down the throat of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).This should be validated by the authorities concerned.

The unacceptable charade of the Palace is being resisted by the host communities to the Otumara Oil Fields and Flow Station.
They are demanding that the illegality being perpetrated by the Olu should not be given official recognition by NUPRC”,.

They added that; “That instead the host communities, namely Ugborodo, Deghele and Ugboegungun, legitimately demand for the establishment of Otumara Host Community Development Trust and Ikpere Host Community Development Trust, respectively, for a joint implementation of the PIA, with Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) and NUPRC as incorporated in the PIA”.

“The host communities in this regard want NUPRC to strictly adhere to the provisions of the law.
And that NUPRC should act only based on extant laws, which is the PIA and its accompanying regulations. That anything outside the PIA breaches the ACT.
The Olu Palace is either displaying arrant ignorance or being deliberately mischievous.
They must therefore be guided in their attempt to forage in illegalities. They know what is meant by host community, it is not synonymous with the Itsekiri Ethnic nation’, they stated.

They stated that the host communities in this regard want NUPRC to strictly adhere And that NUPRC should act only based on extant laws,
which is the PIA and its accompanying regulations.

“After this unwholesome autocracy, the Palace has tried to ram the illegality down the throat of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

This should be validated by the authorities concerned.

The unacceptable charade of the Palace is being resisted by the host communities to the Otumara Oil Fields and Flow Station.

They are demanding that the illegality being perpetrated by the Olu should not be given official recognition by NUPRC.

That instead the host communities, namely Ugborodo, Deghele and Ugboegungun, legitimately demand for the establishment of Otumara Host Community Development Trust and Ikpere Host Community Development Trust, respectively, for a joint implementation of the PIA, with Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) and NUPRC as incorporated in the PIA”, they wrote.

According to the forum also; “The host communities in this regard want NUPRC to strictly adhere to the provisions of the law.

And that NUPRC should act only based on extant laws, which is the PIA and its accompanying regulations.

That anything outside the PIA breaches the ACT.

The Olu Palace is either displaying arrant ignorance or being deliberately mischievous.

They must therefore be guided in their attempt to forage in illegalities. They know what is meant by host community, it is not synonymous with the Itsekiri Ethnic nation.

Perhaps the Palace needs to be educated that the two groups recognised and referred to as settlors, in the Act are the IOC and the host communities, which are expected to meet and bring people together to constitute the Trust’.

“What the Olu and his Palace have done is the establishment of a Trust that agglomerates the entire Itsekiri nation as one host community, which is fraudulent and of course, usurpes the rights of oil bearing communities.

This was not envisaged nor did it form part of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021.

It means any Itsekiri Community, that is not a host to oil facilities, can lay claim and be illegally recognised by NUPRC.

A blanket umbrella for the entire Itsekiri ethnic nation. There is more to this than meets the eyes.

The PIA only recognises host communities and not ethnic group, as done in the case of the general board of trustees constituted by the Olu of Warri, code-named Iwere Host Community Development Trust.

This action is absolutely wrong and represents reckless digression from the law.

As an imposition, it denies host communities of their legitimate rights”.

They said also that; “The issue in contention is the demand that only host communities should determine their trustees and not the Palace of Olu. The PIA law has nothing to do with any kingdom. The word Iwere infact encompasses every Itsekiri Community of Warri. The PIA does not authorize an ominibus inclusion of communities that are not host to oil facilities of the Federal Government”.

‘Besides, the aforesaid, The Palace is engaged in double standards. It did not interfere in the arrangement between Abigborodo and NPDC. That arrangement was allowed to fly in accordance with the PIA, apparently because some prominent supporters and backers of the Palace are from that area. A clear case of different rules for different folks. Nonetheless, what is a sauce for the goose should have been a sauce for the gander.

In the case of Abigborodo, NPDC did not go to the Palace. Both parties had their agreement signed and sealed independently. Is Abigborodo not part of the Itsekiri kingdom? Why was the proper procedure adopted in the case of that community?, they said.

Hear them also; “With the preferential treatment given to Abigborodo, it has become very clear that the action of the Palace is purely targeted at some individuals in other host communities, especially in the case of Ugborodo, Deghele and Ugboegungun.

This is the kernel of the argument by those opposed to the illegality of the Palace of the Olu.

It is very sad to note that the Palace has been instigating.and inciting uninformed chiefs and other willing tools of Itsekiri land against some prominent Itsekiri citizens, in the communities of Ugborodo, Deghele and Ugboegungun, who had insisted that the right thing should be done in line with the PIA ( 2021)”.

“The Palace has lately sponsored protests and campaign of calumny, as well as blackmail against these well-meaning Itsekiri personalities, who mean well for their communities and their inhabitants.

The hirelings of the Palace have engaged in reckless propaganda, mudslinging, name calling and character assassination, of persons opposed to the Olu unacceptable and oppressive actions.

In this regard, the conduct of the Palace which borders on impunity, can be explained in simple terms. The Olu of Warri is a product of imposition, his ascension to the throne received protests in good measures. Simply put, the Olu is a product of illegalities in his ascension to the ancient throne” the Forum noted.

They added; “In this regard, illegality has become a norm, and it is gradually creeping into every cranny of Iwere kingdom. It is the new normal! Hence illegalities are being extended to the PIA.

This has to stop. The Olu and his Chiefs should be desirous of peace in the kingdom.

In conclusion, we make bold to state that the Olu and his retinue of tearful praise singers cannot decide for host communities. His action in the PIA issue is abhorrent and won’t fly. The wrong decision and steps he has taken cannot be final on the matter.

It is the law that is final. The Palace and its occupant are advised to operate within ambits of the law”.