Business
RSSDA: 300 Rivers Indigenes Get Overseas Scholarships
About 300 indigenes of Rivers State have so far qualified for the 2009/2010 Rivers State Governor’s Special Overseas and Nigerian scholarship programme.
The Executive Director of the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA), Mr Bola Ogunseye who said this in an interview in Port Harcourt said the selection was done through a fair and transparent process.
Mr Ogunseye said that the agency received 30,000 applications for the scholarship programme, while 5000 applications were received online.
He explained that out of the 30,000 applicants, 19,000 were invited for aptitude test which accounts for 80 per cent score line, after which 586 applicants were invited for oral interview which comprised physically challenged persons and these accounted for 20 per cent score-line.
RSSDA Director however said that 10 per cent of those selected were based on absolute merit, while eight candidates were selected per local government area.
He also said that 15 persons with physical disabilities who were successful at the interview would either be trained in the best private universities in the country or sent abroad.
Mr Ogunseye said that the agency this time around placed emphasis on some key areas such as medicine, technology, engineering and other science related courses because of the dearth of manpower in these areas in the state.
He explained the philosophy behind the scheme in the following words, Rt Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, our governor having looked at the rather weak current situation of manpower development in the state has chosen this option as a form of accelerated intervention to help fill the yawning gap in high level and middle level professional manpower in the state”.
Mr Ogunseye said that the state chief executive is concerned that more Rivers indigenes should qualify for jobs in major oil establishments across the world.
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The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Port Harcourt Unit, is urging petroleum marketers in Rivers State and its surrounding areas to patronize the Port Harcourt Refinery.
The Chairman of IPMAN in Rivers State, Tekena Ikpaki, made this appeal during a joint stakeholders’ meeting at the IPMAN Secretariat in Alesa, Ehleme, in Eleme Local Government Area of the State.
He said the Port Harcourt depot has enough products that can serve the entire nation, adding that time has come for marketers to patronize the Port Harcourt Refinery.
“I want to encourage marketers to come and patronize the Port Harcourt Refinery depot.
“This depot has the capacity to serve the entire nation and if the depot is not patronized, then the effort of the Federal Government is wasted, and what the NNPCL is tirelessly putting in here will also be wasted.
“So my appeal to the public is that they should come and patronize the depot. We have so much products to serve the nation”, he said.
Ikpaki emphasized that supporting the refinery would improve product availability for the public and assured marketers that all concerns related to loading and pricing would be addressed.
Also speaking, the Chairman of Independent Marketers Board (IMB) in Rivers State, Udunwo Uche, stated that stakeholders have put forward recommendations to help the refinery operate at full capacity.
“We have been able to talk to ourselves and some persons concerned and we are hopeful that there will be positive response”, he said.
According to him, the board expects more marketers to come to Port Harcourt Refinery to lift products, adding that once that is done the place will be lively again.
He said the refinery has buildings that provide accomodations to thousands of people, adding that the place needs to be encouraged to come back to life.
The meeting was attended by some key stakeholders, including IPMAN, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), the Independent Marketers Board (IMB), and representatives of the community.
John Bibor
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it’s targeting to facilitate more trade and also generate more revenue at its Industrial Command in Lagos State.
Comptroller-General of the NCS, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this following his approval for the appointment of Compt. Sarah Wadinda as the Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Lagos Industrial Command.
According to the Command’s Public Relations Officer, J.D Tomo, the newly appointed CAC took over from Compt. Rebecca Chokor, who retired in December 2024.
Tomo said the CAC affirmed its commitment to facilitate trade and increase the command’s revenue in line with the CGC’s policy thrust.
“The NCS, Lagos Industrial Area Command (LIAC), received a transformative Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller Sarah Wadinda, who is the successor of Comptroller Rebecca Chokor (rtd.)
“Comptroller Wadinda assumed the Office of Customs Area Controller of the LIAC on Thursday, 6 February 2025. She affirmed her commitment to facilitating trade with an open door to both officers and stakeholders.
“She said the focus of the Nigeria Customs Service and the Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, is trade facilitation and revenue collection. Therefore, the activities of LIAC shall be in line with the CGC’s policy thrust which are collaboration, consolidation and innovation.
“The CAC, on Thursday, 13 February 2025, had a maiden meeting with all Heads of the Unit of the Command and stakeholders. The meeting was held to strengthen collaboration with excise stakeholders for a better revenue drive in LIAC.
“She reiterated that she would work towards achieving an enhanced effective cooperation between the LIAC and excise traders on trade facilitation and excise regulation compliance”, Tomo stated.
Tomo, in her statement, also stated that the CAC engaged stakeholders of the command where she reiterated her desire to facilitate legitimate trade.
She stated that the CAC reminded stakeholders that LIAC’s responsibility is to supervise, collect and account for Excise duty from factories producing alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages produced within Lagos State.
“During the maiden meeting at the LIAC conference hall, the CAC pledged her allegiance to the Comptroller General of Customs’ policy thrust, which is consolidation, collaboration and innovation.
“She enjoined all officers and men of the Command to be committed and dedicated in their various schedules towards achieving the policy thrust for an enhanced Excise duty collection.
“The CAC reminded the attendees of the meeting that LIAC’s responsibility is to supervise, collect and account for Excise duty from factories producing alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages produced within Lagos State.
“The Lagos Industrial Area Command monitors the production processes, ensures compliance with Excise regulations, and facilitates trade by providing necessary support and guidance to Excise traders.
“She further encouraged stakeholders to acquire knowledge of the established NCS laws for a seamless excise trade and a stronger trade relationship with the command.
“The CAC reaffirmed that she will use the leadership position to build and improve on the legacy left by her predecessor as well as upholding the core values of the Nigeria Customs Service professionally”, the Command’s spokesperson stated.
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has said trucks with a capacity in excess of 60,000 litres will not be allowed to load in any depot for petroleum products beginning from March.
The Executive Director of Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure at the NMDPRA, Ogbugo Ukoha, disclosed this while speaking to journalists in Abuja, midweek.
Ukoha explained that the decision was made to mitigate the high level of trucks and transit accidents in the country.
He said, “Beginning 1st March, trucks with a capacity in excess of 60,000 litres will not be allowed to load in any loading depot for petroleum products. By the fourth quarter of 2025, we will also preclude the loading or transportation of petroleum products on any truck in excess of 45,000 litres.
“And this is just one out of 10 measures that stakeholders have agreed that needs to be addressed if we want to mitigate the high level of trucks and transit accidents.”
According to him, this was the first time consensus was built amongst all stakeholders.
“We are continuing to encourage that we’ll work together cohesively to deliver a safe transportation of petroleum products across the country”, he stated.
He continued that the stakeholders that held the consensus decision at the meeting were the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), among others.
He added that investors, especially truck owners, need time to redesign the trucks and redirect their funding.
According to him, the country experienced a significant reduction in petrol demand from 66 million litres per day to around 50 million litres per day.
This decline, he said, follows the withdrawal of petrol subsidies by President Bola Tinubu in 2023.
“All of us have experienced a Yuletide free of any scarcity. And let me just reconfirm that from year to year, we saw an increase in the demand for petrol by 2021, 2022, up to 2023, just before the current administration came in. The daily petrol supply sufficiency was always more than 60 million.
“In fact, averaging about 66 million a day for petrol. And following Mr President’s withdrawal of subsidy, the announcement of 29 May 2023, we immediately saw a steep decline in consumption. And between then and as we speak, we’ve continued to do plus or minus 50 million.
“That’s a considerable reduction in volumes. Of these 50 million litres averaging for each day, less than 50 per cent of that is contributed by domestic refineries. And so the shortfall in accordance with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) is sourced by way of imports”, he said.
