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Gas Leak Disrupts Academic Activities At FCE, Omoku

Academic and administrative activities have been paralysed at the Permanent Site (Campus II) of the Federal College of Education (Technical), Omoku, Rivers State following gas spillage emanating from OB/OB gas pipeline in the area belonging to Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC).
The burst NPS-18 MAOP-85 BARG gas pipeline, owned by the Indorama Eleme Fertilizer and Petrochemicals Limited, Rivers State passes through the heart of the college’s Permanent Site (Campus II) along Obrikom Road, Omoku.
The affected area, which houses the college’s Directorate of Degree Programmes in affiliation with the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and many other schools of study, departments, laboratories, units, staff offices, among others has thousands of students and staff.
The spillage, which occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, June 27, 2018 through Monday July 2, 2018, forced lecturers, staff, students, traders and visitors to desert the campus for fear of explosion.
The ugly incident, apart from disruption of regular activities and posing health and environmental hazards, has destroyed many college farms and fish ponds, students’ demonstration farms as well as degradation of college environment.
Students of the college led by the SUG President, Hon. Eze Nwaneme Emmanuel, sceptical of their safety in the institution on Friday, June 29, 2018 staged a peaceful demonstration calling on the management of Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited and Indorama Eleme Fertilizer and Petrochemicals Limited to do the needful as the college was not safe for learning due to the gas spillage which has been reoccurring.
Addressing the protesting students, Provost of the college, Dr. Emmanuel Ikenyiri, who was represented by his Deputy, Dr. Pac Ordu, thanked them for a peaceful demonstration, and disclosed that the college management had contacted the companies concerned.
Ikenyiri, however, appealed to both the federal and Rivers State governments, multinational companies, corporate bodies, philanthropic organizations and individuals to come to the aid of the college as gas spillage in an academic environment was a risk on human lives, lamenting that apart from the destruction of college valuables like farms, fish ponds and other aquatic lives, staff, students could not breathe fresh air because the gas spillage has saturated the area.
Meanwhile, after an emergency management meeting attended by the Deputy Provost, Dr. Pac Ordu, the Registrar, Dr. Liverpool Onyije, Bursar, Mr. Chris Goin, College Librarian, Mrs. Nkechi Egesimba, Director of Works, Engr. Nathan Wokocha, the Dean, Students’ Affairs (DSA), Mr. Mathew Gimba with the Chairman of the Academic Staff Union, Pastor Akpos Owesina and the PRO, Prince Charles Amadike-Otoboh, among others, to appraise the situation, staff and students in the affected area were advised to keep off the zone until normalcy was restored.
As at the time of filing this report last Monday, at 4.00pm, engineers said to be mobilized by Indorama Eleme Fertilizer and Chemical Limited were seen at the site of the incident battling to stop the leakage.
They, however, could not respond to all inquiries by this reporter.
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
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RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
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Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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