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Kerosine Subsidy Probe Report Ready – Peterside
The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources, Downstream, Hon. Dakuku Peterside has said the report of investigation into the expenditure and subsidy on kerosene is ready for submission.
Peterside said the report will be tabled before the House in the next two weeks.
It would be recalled that on Wednesday, 27 November, 2013, the House of Representatives mandated its committee on Petroleum Resources, Downstream to investigate issues surrounding the expenditure and subsidy on kerosene.
The committee had eight public hearings between February and April 2014 where Ministry of Finance, NNPC, PPPRA, DPR and the Budget Office, among others, appeared.
On the findings of the committee, the chairman enjoined all to wait until the report is laid at plenary.
He posited that it is unparliamentary for reports to be made public before its consideration by the House. The Chairman assured all Nigerians that the report will meet their expectations and help solve problems in the oil and gas supply and distribution chain.
Meanwhile, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources, Downstream, Hon. Dakuku Peterside has commended stakeholders in the oil and gas sector for their commitment towards finding a lasting solution to the myriad of challenges facing the industry.
He made the statement at the recently concluded 3rd Downstream Stakeholders Conference which held in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Peterside, who was in attendance with members of the committee, also lauded the resource persons and everyone in the organising chain for doing justice to the summit’s theme: Achieving Domestic and Regional Capacity Requirements for Refined Petroleum Products”.
“I am encouraged by the determination of our people towards addressing the multitude of challenges in our oil and gas sector. Honestly, nothing would have been more patriotic. If we must rebuild Nigeria and return our country to where it rightly belongs, then we must be ready to make sacrifices, no matter how painful, and I am happy that we are all concerned”, he said.
However, Peterside asked Nigerians to join hands and to redouble their efforts in their search for answers in the sector. “Solutions to the challenges in the downstream sector require all hands to be on deck as the impact of the sector has spiral effects on all sectors of the economy. All of us admit that there are challenges and inhibitions that have made it impossible for Nigeria to realise its objectives of being the petroleum hub in West Africa”, he stated.
The two-day conference, which drew speakers both from within and outside the industry, brought new perspectives to topics like: Establishing Nigeria as the Refining Hub for West Africa; Towards Effective Management of Nigeria’s Petroleum Products Pipeline; The Challenges of Maintaining an Effective Security against Vandalism; Regulation or Deregulation: How sustainable is the present Economic Reality?; Challenges of Petroleum Products Transportation/Distribution: Strategies for Enhancement and Highlighting Strategic Investment and Partnership Potentials for Investors in the Downstream Sector, among others.
The conference, participants agreed, could not have come at a better time as the Petroleum Downstream Committee was praised for providing the platform.
On his part, Peterside assured that the committee will continue to explore avenues that would radically improve the way Nigerians do oil and gas business.
Like most of the participants, he agreed that conferences such as this is a step in the right direction.
“We are all leaving here fulfilled and confident that a great future awaits us if we do the right things. And we can actually become the hub of petroleum activities in our sub-region and even beyond if we keep the present pace”, Peterside said.
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Our Legacy’ll Leave Lasting Impression On Rivers People -Fubara
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has assured that his administration will collaborate and continue to consult widely in delivering a liberated State experiencing enduring peace.
Fubara said, in doing so, he would not operate as a dictator but as a member of a team that has the best interest of the State at heart and determined to leave a lasting legacy that can be celebrated.
The governor spoke during the formal presentation of Certificate of Recognition and Staff of Office to the Amanyanabo of Okochiri Kingdom, King Ateke Michael Tom, as first class tradition ruler, at Government House in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
Fubara stated that, during the Sixth State Executive Council meeting, N80.8billion was approved with 50 percent contract value paid already as the Government awarded the construction of the Elele-Egbeda-Omoku Road.
He said the project will be funded from the savings from Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to underscore his administration’s prudence without also borrowing to complete the project.
“We are at a crossroad in our State where we all need to stand for what is right. It happens once in a life time. So, for now, be one of those people that will be in the course to liberate and free our dear State.
“And I know strongly that having the support of a peace-loving Amanyanabo of Okochiri Kingdom, having the support of the wonderful Council of Chiefs, having the support of the great people of Rivers State, we will bring peace in our State. We will do those things that are right to develop our State.
“We will continue to consult. We will not act as dictators. We will act as people who know that one day, we will leave, and when we leave, the way we have acted will speak for us. We will not force people to talk good about us. Our legacy will be a signature for how we led”, the governor said.
Fubara explained that he acted within the ambit of the law to upgrade the traditional stool upon which King Ateke Tom sits in recognition of his efforts in promoting peace in Okrika, and indeed, the State, and urged him to continue to do justice to everyone.
In his speech, Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Hon Charles Amadi, congratulated King Ateke Tom for being formally presented with the Certificate of Recognition and Staff of Office as first class traditional ruler.
Also speaking, former Transport Minister, Chief Abiye Sekibo, thanked the governor for fulfilling his promise of upgrading the traditional stool of Okochiri Kingdom, and pledged the support of Kirike Se people to his administration.
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We’re Determined To Leave Legacy Of Quality Education -Fubara
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has promised to give the best attention to the education sector so that standard and quality learning will never be compromised in the State.
The governor emphasised that in achieving such legacy, schools in the State will be driven with a curriculum that will equip school-aged children to become competitive, innovative and self-reliant.
Governor Fubara made the assertion while inaugurating the Governing Council of Rivers State University at Government House in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
He said: “There is a lot of noise everywhere: people asking what we are doing; that we are not focused, and that we don’t have direction.
”But I want to tell the world that we are focused and aware that we cannot grow if our energies are not channeled to education. Not just education, but purposeful education.
”Education that is creative. Education that gives you independence. We have left the era in the world when you speak too much grammar. We are in such times when it is what you can do with your hands.
”Our purpose for education is that we should bring back our academic programmes to where, at the end of your studies, you don’t need a job but you create jobs. When one creates a job, you automatically employ others. That is what I want this council to see as their task.”
Governor Fubara noted the non-existence of public secondary schools for the male child in the Diobu axis of Port Harcourt.
He said such negligence leaves children in that area who have completed primary education, and whose parents cannot afford sending them to far away secondary schools, to roam the streets, and therefore becoming willing tools for criminality.
Governor Fubara assured that such fundamental problem will be addressed by his administration as a measure to curb the negative impression associated with Diobu axis of Port Harcourt.
The governor said he trusts in the capacity of the members of the Governing Council of Rivers State University to bring about positive change in the institution while also contributing their quota to improving the general education standard in the State.
”I charge you, not just in terms of administering the affairs of the university, but let us add something different from the normal things that we already have to see new things.”
In her response, on behalf of the other members, the Pro-Chancellor of the Governing Council of Rivers State University, Justice Mary Odili (rtd), thanked the governor for finding them worthy to serve in such capacity.
Justice Odili assured they will work assiduously as a team to solve the problems that agitate the mind of the governor and ensure their contributions form part of the legacy that will be bequeathed by his administration.
The members included Justice Mary Odili (rtd) as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council with Barrister Mela Oforibika and Chukwuma Chinwo, Esq.
Others were Adata Bio-Briggs, Esq., Dr. Jonathan Nimi Hart, Ngo Martins-Yellowe, Dr. Nancy Nwankwo, Dr. Igoni William-Park, and Mr. Ogbugbu Barisua.
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Fubara, Others Eulogise Rivers First Lady’s Mother
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, his Deputy, Prof Ngozi Odu, and key stakeholders of the State on Wednesday paid glowing tributes at the Service of Songs held in honour of late Mrs Adeline Jaja, mother of the wife of the Governor, Lady Valerie Fubara, at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, Mile 1, Diobu, Port Harcourt.
Speaking at the event, Governor Fubara described his late mother-in-law as a great and visionary woman who lived on truth and conviction in what she believes.
“Mama was a great woman. She wasn’t a materialistic person. When she believes in you, she’ll be all out for you. She stood for me. I feel pained that, like my own mother, she left at this moment.
”Mama believed so much in God, and the wonders of God. I thank everyone, particularly the Church. On behalf of the bereaved family, we will support the Church to immortalise her name,” the Governor said.
In his homily, Vicar of the Church, Ven. A. A. Ijon-Ama, who spoke on the gains of death, said physical departure from earth was not an ultimate end but an opening for higher and permanent gain and perfection.
He pointed out that when a man has a good relationship with God, he stands to gain more in death.
Ven. Ijon-Ama described late Mrs. Adeline Jaja as a devout Christian, who exuded deep sense of hospitality, and endowed with accommodating spirit, noting that she will be greatly missed by all.
The Vicar, who prayed for the repose of the soul of Mrs Adeline Jaja, also solicited for Divine fortitude for the family to bear the great loss, and called for the immortalisation of the deceased to keep her good legacies alive.
Some family members, who spoke at the Service of Songs, extolled the virtues of the deceased, describing her as “a great community leader, counsellor, peace maker, and caring mother, who provided for the needy, and participated actively in Church activities.
Highlights of the event were special prayers for the bereaved family, conducted by the Anglican Bishop of Evo Diocese, Rt. Rev. Innocent Ordu; remarks by key family members, choir ministration, among others.
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