Day: March 26, 2023

Sen. Philip Aduda (PDP-FCT) has unveiled constituency projects worth N2.8 billion across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Aduda, also Senate Minority Leader, inspected the projects across various wards of Bwari and Abuja Municipal Area Council ( AMAC) aimed at improving the living condition of the people at the weekend.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the projects included the 6 kilometres N1.4 billion Global Suite Road in Sabon Gari Area of Bwari

Others were the N1.4 billion road in Nyanya which passed through the Divisional Police Headquarters, Area F among others.

He also the 1.5 kilometres Government Secondary School Kuduru Road with street light, and expansive multipurpose Ttwn hall in Kuduru ward in Bwari Area Council.

Aduda also inspected the 2.2 Kilometres internal road project in Gbazango , Kubwa ward and the Byhazin Across Road in Kubwa.

Speaking shortly after, the senator said that he decided to unveil the projects even after losing election for posterity.

“I did it for posterity and to knock off the argument or remarks by some people that I didn’t do anything within the last 20 years as a representative of FCT residents at the National Assembly.

“I want to be remembered for been very modest about some of my achievements which is infrastructural development.

” I have also realised that sometimes, if you don’t say what you are doing people will wonder what you have done and people will wonder and people will not know except the immediate benefiting communities.

“What I have done is to take you round the projects I have done within the past few years and some people will wonder that within the past 20 years what have you been able to do,” Aduda said.

He added: “The more you stay as a legislator the more you have opportunities to be able to attract so many things that are developmental to your people.

” For me, the more a person gets reelected into the National Assembly, the more he or she garners experience and needed contacts for facilitation of development – driven projects to his or her constituency as I have done for the people of FCT within the last 20years.”

Some residents interviewed expressed sadness over the failure of the Senator to secure his reelection bid at the Feb. 25 general election, as he lost to the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Ireti Kingibe.

Mr Dauda Babalola, a resident, said that the infrastructure development brought about by the Senator was unequalled especially in Jikwoyi.

Similarly, Chief Imam of Pipeline Mosque in Gbazango , Kubwa Ward , Kassim Abdallah urged the senator not to despair over the outcome of the election saying that the Almighty God would continue to grant him the grace to serve the people and communities alike.

” For us in this area, you are a worthy ambassador of the masses and downtrodden in government.

“The relief brought to us by the construction of Gbazango Pipeline Road is so enormous and we pray that it will manifest in success for you in all your endeavors,” he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Banks across Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, opened their doors to customers to withdraw cash and transact other financial transactions in line with the directives of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that long queues were witnessed within the banking premises as customers besieged the financial institutions for transactions.

It was also observed that old notes were issued to customers, as new Naira notes was still being rationed to them.

NAN also reports that most banks operated between 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with customers taking turns accessing the banking hall to collect mostly old notes.

In several locations, long queues of customers trying to make withdrawals were recorded, with some of them expressing relief of getting their money after months of scarcity.

Bankers told NAN that the Naira supply situation was expected to gradually ease out within the week and beyond as the CBN had matched its word with action.

Some of the customers told NAN that with the withdrawal limits on both old and new Naira notes, they may be forced to face more hard times ahead.

Mr Olaniyi Olawuyi, expressed joy that banks operated during the weekend as he was able to withdraw cash, after long months.

“I was at my bank for financial transactions, although, there were old notes that I withdrew from the Automated Teller Machines, (ATM) but the most joyful thing is that there was no queue at all, while the cash limit remains N10,000.

“But in other places, long queues were visible as customers lined up in front of the banking hall and ATM,” Olawuyi said.

Mrs Adurayemi Ojeyemi said there were queues where she had gone to withdraw, but expressed optimism that the hardship would reduce after sometimes.

“I saw long queues in some other banks, but I thought things would be better than what they had been some months back.

“I have been coping at this time by collecting cash from market sellers and so far that has been my way out of this present predicament,” Ojeyemi said.

Mr Mayowa Olayinka said that long queues were experienced in the morning, but gradually eased out towards evening as fewer people were seen on queue at most ATM points.

Olayinka said that many people preferred to queue than pay a certain amount on every withdrawal for PoS agents.

“Different banks have different withdrawal limits from N2,000 up to N20,000, but they are old notes. I still wonder why the new notes are scarce.

“But it is a thing of joy that the CBN has decided to make more cash available for Nigerians,” he said.

Ms Lizzy Adelaide decried situation that many banks stopped attending to customers before 4:00 pm, which was the closing hours set by the banks.

She, however, commended the innovations and ingenuity of some banks that have provided other means of attending to their customers’ complaints.

NAN reports that the CBN directives on weekend banking came a few weeks after the Supreme Court ruling on the case of the redesign of the notes.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Stakeholders have called for collaboration among the governments, academia and industry for revolution in the Nigeria’s industrialisation through research and development of commercialisation of raw materials and local production.

The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that the Executive Secretary, of Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Dr Bello Gusau; Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan (UI), Prof. Kayode Adebowale and Chief Executive Officer, Jola Global Industry Ltd. and Dr Moses Omojola, were among the stakeholders who spoke in Ibadan.

They made the call at the Knowledge Sharing Workshop, organised by the University of Ibadan, in collaboration with PTDF.

The theme was: “Nigerian Petroleum Industry and Energy Transition: Opportunities for Research, Innovation and Development.”

Gusau, represented by Mr Olayinka Agboola of Strategic Planning and Documentation (SP&D) Department, PTDF, said that the fund, as agent of government for building capacity in the oil and gas industry, used avenues like human capacity building, institutional support and funding research and development.

He said the organisation has eight endowment funding in various institutions in Nigeria, adding that in UI, PTDF has endowed chairs funded to conduct research in topical areas in Oil and Gas Industry.

According to him, the event is one of the outcomes of all the researches that the chair of the fund had conducted over the years.

We tried to expand the frontiers of knowledge based on the outcome of research and developmental efforts, which we have funded.

“You don’t do research in isolation; you have to work with stakeholders because at the end of the day researches are supposed to translate into products in the market.

“So, you need to have an industry, the institution and the government and the triple elites need to be applied to ensure that the researches are effective and you will be able to generate value.

“We don’t want to be funding theoretical researches that would just end up on the shelf in the laboratories in the institutions.

“We have to make sure that researches are adopted and applied in the industry, you have to collaborate with all the relevant stakeholders.”

Adebowale, in his remarks as Chairman of the occasion, said that knowledge sharing had been the direction of building the triple-elite model, desirable in the university, which would strengthen the link between academia and the industry.

He lamented that there were so many researches lacking impact, saying that they were just research for theoretical purposes or advancement in the career ladder.

Adebowale underscored researches that focussed on solving challenges in the industry and sourcing local raw materials that would replace the expensive ones being imported.

“This would solve so many of our problems and halt wasting of our meagre foreign exchange.

“The Oil and Gas Industry needs considerable research and we know that if town and gown do not collaborate, it will be difficult for us to solve specific challenges,” he said.

According to him, this is to prevent all our research and development centres from just relocating outside the country.

“Because, only when we have an effective handshake between the academia and industry, that we can develop our research and development to compete favourably and then industries would not relocate their research and development centres outside the country,” Adebowale said.

One of the lead presenters, Omojola, identified industrialisation as the way out from the present economic challenges facing the country.

He urged the Federal Government to encourage industrialisation by addressing the nation’s energy challenge.

“So much money is spent on energy and if it is not addressed, there is no way our products can compete with the imported goods. We can produce so many SMEs, but they cannot survive without energy,” Omojola said.

Also, a Professor of Petroleum Engineering in UI, Sunday Isehunwa, said Nigeria could address its carbon targets, if it could look inward through research, innovation and development.

Isehunwa, also one of the speakers at the event, said that energy demand would keep rising, saying this was because “energy is linked to development” .

Earlier, Prof Olugbenga Falode, Head of the Department of Petroleum Engineering in UI, said there were various challenges bedeviling the Nigerian Oil and Gas industry based on environmental issues and the rising cost of operations.

Falode said that optimising the “golden egg” was critical for the industry to survive.

“So, there are big chances for oil and gas in navigating the energy transition as it responds to the challenges it is currently confronted with, it must address the issue of human capital development,” he said.

Falode however, highlighted the roles of PTDF in developing indigenous manpower and technology transfer in the petroleum industry as well as to make the country “a no-man-resource-centre for the West African sub-region”.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Nigerians on pilgrimage in Israel on Sunday urged their compatriots to remain positive in their hope for a better nation.

A cross-section of the 9th batch of the 2022 pilgrims gave the advice in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), while touring the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem.

The Pool of Bethesda is the place where Jesus Christ miraculously healed a paralyzed, according to Christian tradition.

The Nigerians prayed at the pool — where Jesus healed the 38-year-old paralytic man, who never saw his miracle coming — asking God to intervene in Nigeria’s economic woes.

They also committed the challenges faced by their fatherland to God for a turnaround, believing that with God all things are possible.

Mrs Caroline Adepoju, Deputy Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, said she believed strongly that Nigeria’s glory would be restored.

“Faith, hope and love abide. I believe Nigeria will be better. Nigeria will overcome its challenges. Nigeria is a developing country and we will get there someday.

“Let’s be patient and stop the comparison with developed nations, they did not get there in one day.

“The paralytic was patiently waiting for his turn. It even came in a way he did not expect. So let us be patient in our prayers for our country.

According to Adepoju, through prayers and proper guide, children with various exposures will also contribute their quota in Nigeria’s sustainable development.

Also speaking, a cleric, Rev. Simeon Aderibigbe, admonished Nigerians to stop their constant fears of failure.

According to him, people should drop their failure where they failed and move on: “dare to forget about yesterday’s failure.

“Cultivate the habit of praying every morning and night, cultivate the habit of thanking God for everything.

Aderibigbe advised Nigerians to show mercy to people in distress, saying that Nigerians needed to appreciate God for everything.

“Do not be lazy. God will bless the work of your hand. Do not put the horse before the cart, find something doing. Take steps and move on.”

The clergyman also expressed his optimism that Nigeria would encounter breakthroughs and make impacts on the global arena.

The highpoint of the tour was prayers at the home of Mary, the Mother of Christ, who hailed from Bethesda, according to biblical records.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria