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RSG, Others Synergise To Add Value To Education
The Rivers State Government has said it would continue to identify with organisations that support government’s efforts in improving the education sector in the state.
Acting Chairman of the Rivers State Senior Secondary Schools Board, Ade Wisdom said this during the commissioning of four-room toilet facility and wash hand basins donated by the Rotary Club of Rumuomasi to the Community Senior Secondary School, Rumuomasi.
Wisdom said the toilet facility has added value to the education sector in the state.
“We appreciate what Rotary International is doing. Of course, Rotary over the years is known to be involved in activities/projects that have added meaning to the lives of people, especially the down trodden. What Rotary has done here will greatly compliment what government is doing. Anything that adds value to education will be appreciated, we want to assure you that this facility will be used well and sustained it,” he said.
On his part, the District 9141 Governor of Rotary International, Andy Uwejinya, represented by the District Assistant Governor Zone One, Blessing Timothy said the donation of the toilet facility has ended years of open defecation in the school.
In his remarks, President of the Rotary Club of Rumuomasi, Ofonmbuk Dicksen-Usen said the gesture was in commemoration of the World Hand Wash Day and to fulfill the Rotary area of focus WASH project for host communities.
“Upon our charter on the 9th of July, 2021, the club at its maiden meeting, set out to embark on a project that will further announce her birth into Rotary International and the community of Rumuomasi in particular. This search did not take long, as our venture to this school, and we were acquainted with the rather worrisome challenges facing the school. The problems were lack of classrooms, poor security, lack of office for the principal and other school officers, absence of toilets thereby leading to the over 1,500 students defecating recklessly within the school premises”, he said.
Charter President of the Rotary Club of Rumuomasi, Deacon Ofonmbuk Dicksen-Usen said the facility would improve the hygiene situation in the school.
“As we hand over this facility to the school authority, with cleaning materials and accessories, we hope that it will go a long way to aid the teachers and students towards improvement of the hygiene situation in the school while also preserving our environment and enhancing academic excellence amongst the students, as a result of their learning in a conducive environment.
“We sincerely appreciate our District Governor, Rtn Andy Uwejeyan, and our Assistant Governor – Rtn Blessing Michael, for her encouragement.
“We are also grateful to our Club Advisor, AG Rtn Ibiminna Amachree for her guidance. Not forgetting the Rivers State Senior Secondary School Board for permitting us to embark on this project in the school and Eze Raymond Chinda – for the protection he accorded us throughout the period of the construction”, Dicksen-Usen said.
It would be recalled that the facility has four-room toilets (water system) divided equally into two sections, for boys and girls.
Each section of the toilets also has two wash hand basins, with the floors and walls finished with ceramic tiles.
There is lighting points to illuminate the toilets, while adequate provisions have been made for ventilation.
The facility also has a constructed standard septic/soak-away pit.
President Bola Tinubu has approved the nomination of four new members to the Governing Council of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement yesterday, said the appointment is to fill existing vacancies and strengthen the board’s capacity.
The statement said the approved nominees are Mr. Olusegun Omosehin of the National Insurance Commission and Engr. Wole Ogunsanya of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria.
Tinubu also endorsed the nomination of Sam Onyechi, who represents the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum and Barrister Owei Oyanbo from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
The President encouraged the new members to leverage their expertise and dedication to enhance local content development within Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
It added, “The nominations arose from the exit of previous institutional representatives from the Governing Council.
“The NCDMB Governing Council, established under Section 69 of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act, 2010, comprises representatives from key institutions.
“These include the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria, the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum, and the National Insurance Commission.”
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has announced plans to construct additional hostels, rehabilitate roads, and enhance power supply in the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT).
NDDC’s Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, disclosed this during a visit to the commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, yesterday by a delegation from the UNIPORT’s Governing Council.
Ogbuku stated that the NDDC had committed to upgrading facilities at UNIPORT as part of efforts to foster partnership with educational institutions across the Niger Delta.
According to him, the implementation of additional projects at the university forms part of a broader strategy to improve education standards in the region.
“Aside from the construction of new hostel blocks and installation of a 300 KVA solar inverter system, the NDDC will also facilitate more projects in the university.
“The commission will also deploy its engineers to assess the condition of UNIPORT’s roads and hostels for potential rehabilitation,” he said.
Ogbuku noted that upon completion, the projects would add to various initiatives previously undertaken by the commission at the university.
“These and other projects reflect our commitment to actualising President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the Niger Delta region,” he added.
He reaffirmed the NDDC’s dedication to fostering development and strengthening partnerships across the region.
Earlier, Sen. Mao Ohuanbunwa, Chairman of UNIPORT’s Governing Council, who led the delegation commended the current leadership of the NDDC for its achievements in accelerating development in the Niger Delta.
He highlighted the university’s infrastructural challenges, noting that it lacked adequate facilities to accommodate its growing student population, and appealed for the NDDC’s support in addressing the shortfall.
“Currently, UNIPORT has a total student population of about 50,000, while its hostel accommodation capacity can only cater for 5,000 students.
“We therefore urge the NDDC to assist in the construction of additional hostels, improve transportation facilities, and facilitate the acquisition of gas turbines to enhance power supply for our students,” Ohuanbunwa pleaded.
The Vice Chancellor of UNIPORT, Prof. Owunari Georgewill, commended NDDC for its impactful projects across the Niger Delta and extended an invitation to the commission to participate in the institution’s forthcoming 50th anniversary celebrations.
The Senate has rejected a motion to rename the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters after the former chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission, late Prof Humphrey Nwosu.
Nwosu presided over the June 12, 1993, presidential election, which was truncated by the former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd).
The election which was won by the late business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola, was adjudged to be the freest and fairest in the electoral history of Nigeria.
The motion to rename INEC after Nwosu was re-sponsored by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe yesterday after lawmakers threw it out last Wednesday.
Abaribe called for posthumous national honours to be conferred on Nwosu in recognition of his role in Nigeria’s democratic evolution.
However, the proposal sparked a heated debate once again, with lawmakers deeply divided over Nwosu’s legacy.
Senator Osita Ngwu acknowledged that Nwosu operated under a military regime, which restricted his ability to announce the results.
He argued that “there was no way he would have announced the results with a gun to his head. That doesn’t change the fact that some of us see him as a hero.”
Senator Austin Akobundu, however, described it as most uncharitable for lawmakers to dismiss Nwosu’s contributions, insisting that he deserved a place in Nigeria’s hall of honour.
On the other hand, several senators like Senator Jimoh Ibrahim dismissed the idea outright, questioning why the Senate should honour someone who failed to announce the results insisting that “nothing should be named after him”.
Senator Cyril Fasuyi argued that history does not reward efforts, but only results.
“As long as he did not announce the result, whether under duress or not, I am against naming INEC headquarters after him,” he submitted.
Also, Senator Sunday Karimi criticised Nwosu for lacking the courage to speak out, while Senator Afolabi Salisu warned that immortalising him would undermine the memory of MKO Abiola, the widely accepted winner of the June 12, 1993, annulled election.
“Any attempt to do anything beyond a one-minute silence is to rubbish Abiola’s legacy,” he tendered.
After intense deliberation, most senators rejected the motion through a voice vote.
They, however, agreed to honour him with a one-minute silence and extend condolences to his family, effectively dismissing the other prayers to immortalise Nwosu.