Niger Delta

STEM: Shell Equips 120 Students With Innovative Skills

Published

8 years ago

July 11, 2018

The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited has equipped over 120 young Nigerian students and their teachers across 12 schools in Lagos and Rivers States with a diverse range of tools and problem-solving skills to address the complex challenges affecting the food-water-energy nexus and its linkages.
The schools include, Archdeacon Brown Education Centre, Woji; Bloombreed High School, Elelenwo; Brookstone Secondary School, Rukpokwu; Bishop Crowder Memorial Secondary School, Elelenwo; Jephthah Comprehensive College, East-West Road; and Oginigba Community Comprehensive School, Oginigba; all in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Rivers State, among others.
Speaking at the NXplorers Exhibition organized to showcase the innovative projects of the students in Port Harcourt, last Monday, under its Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education initiative, Shell’s General Manager, External Relations, Igo Weli, said that the company has in the last eight months taken the smart students and their teachers through a wide spectrum of opportunities to solve local challenges with global impact.
Weli, who was represented by Manager, Social Performance, Sub-Sahara Africa, Emmanuel Anyim, said that “through the NXPlorers programme, we are inspiring young people to pursue STEM and empowering them to develop solutions through well-thought through processes”, adding that, “we are trying to strengthen the culture of innovation in Nigeria and show the youth that often times, the solution is within reach.”
He said that following a rigorous training session during which the students were put through the NXPlorers methodology, the students were able to harness the tools and use them to think through local and global issues by working on projects that aim to provide solutions, in part or in full to challenges faced in the Niger Delta.
“Increasingly, as the world population grows, there is a global challenge to food, water and energy which are tightly interlinked. Water is necessary for food production just as it is instrumental for the food supply and value chain. Energy on the other hand is required to produce and distribute water and food; and for processing and transportation of food. These challenges do not have set solutions but they look to sustainable innovations to change the narrative,” Weli explained, adding that NXPlorers provides the complex solutions through creativity and innovation.
Weli noted that, “young people have the capability to create positive movements for change,” pointing out that, “the possibilities and ever-increasing opportunities in the STEM world are endless”, and challenged parents and other corporate entities to join Shell to point the students in the right direction by using available resources judiciously to make a huge difference in their lives.
In their goodwill messages, representatives of Science Teachers Association of Nigeria (STAN) and British Council, Kpekot Atemie and Uchechi Awaraka, respectively, lauded Shell for the initiative to focus the students’ attention on developing innovative skills that would enable them find workable solutions to the complex problems facing the people of the Niger Delta, particularly in the areas of food-water-energy and value chain with a view to making life sustainable and brighter for posterity.
In his Lead Presentation exploring the issues around the theme for this year’s World Environment Day: “Beat Plastic Pollution”, as a trigger to connect the students to the missing nexus, Senior Research Adviser, Environmental Team, SPDC, Prof Arthur Esaaghah, reminded the students of the tasks ahead of them in finding effective solutions to the challenges posed by plastic pollution in the states of the coastal region.
Esaaghah drew attention of the students to the alarming death tolls in marine lives annually as a result of plastic pollution, pointing out that in the next couple of years, the quantum of plastics in the ocean would exceed the number of fishes, and warned that with the lifespan of plastics running into over a 1000 years and the poisonous consequences to humans and marine lives, it was expedient for the students to find alternative ways to drastically reduce reliance on plastics in the lives of people in the Niger Delta.
In her remarks, Shell’s Social Performance Manager, Gloria Udoh said that the exhibition provides an opportunity for credible testimonies on the capacity of the STEM students to explore their potential for creative and innovative ideas that could change the future for the better, and charged them to think and probe deeper to find efficient solutions to the people’s daunting challenges in solving the complex problems in the food-water-energy nexus.

Nelson Chukwudi

Niger Delta

Eno Recommits To Private Sector Investments

Published

3 days ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, says his administration will continue to promote private sector investments in order to enhance economic prosperity.

Eno, who stated this recently at the inauguration of a new Zenith Bank branch in Uyo, said private sector growth was critical to employment generation and the overall development of the State.

He said his long-standing business relationship with Zenith Bank exposed him to the critical roles that banks could play in supporting private sector growth.

“The bank played a laudable role in the growth of Royalty Hotels, a brand I pioneered and led until I joined public service.

“It is my hope that the bank will accord the same support to other private sector investments in the state, be it micro, small or medium-scale enterprise”, he said.

Earlier, the Group Managing Director, Zenith Bank PLC, Dr. Adaora Umeoji, described the new business office as a significant milestone in the life of the bank.

She thanked successful administrations in the state for their support to the bank over the years, saying, ”We thank the Governor for creating a conducive environment for business to thrive.

“We opened our first branch in Akwa Ibom about 25 years ago, we have enjoyed a very good relationship with the government and people of the state.

“Akwa Ibom stands out as a major business friendly state. The state is clean, accommodating, and fast developing, we commend the government for this”, she said.

The Zenith Bank chief reiterated the bank’s commitment to sustain its partnership with the government and people of Akwa Ibom in order to make mutually impactful and meaningful progress.

She urged business owners in the state, especially women, to leverage the initiatives being offered by the bank to grow their businesses.

Niger Delta

Delta Prioritises Primary Healthcare Over Flyover Projects

Published

3 days ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

The Delta Government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening primary healthcare services across the state, dismissing claims that it was focusing more on visible infrastructure projects than grassroots healthcare delivery.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Joseph Onojaeme, made the clarification while reacting to comments by health influencer, Aproko Doctor.

Aproko Doctor recently suggested on social media that political leaders often prioritised flyovers and modern hospitals while neglecting primary healthcare centres.

Onojaeme said the claim did not reflect the situation in Delta, noting that healthcare remained a central pillar of the Gov. Sheriff Oborevwori administration’s development agenda.

According to him, although road projects and flyovers are visible across the state, deliberate investments have also been made in healthcare infrastructure and services.

He said that within two years, the state government had renovated 150 primary healthcare centres across the three senatorial districts out of the 441 public health facilities in the state.

According to him, another 150 centres are already undergoing planning and preparation for renovation.

“The effort will bring the number of upgraded primary healthcare centres to 300, thereby improving access to quality healthcare at the community level and reducing pressure on secondary and tertiary hospitals,” he said.

The commissioner said that the state’s free maternal and under-five healthcare programme continued to yield positive results, including reductions in maternal and infant mortality, while easing financial burdens on families.

“Gov. Oborevwori recently approved the release of N2 billion to sustain the programme, alongside regular funding to strengthen Universal Health Coverage in the state,” he said.

Onojaeme also said that state-owned hospitals were granted autonomy to retain and utilise their internally generated revenue, enabling them to procure drugs, maintain equipment and respond more efficiently to patient needs.

“In specialised healthcare delivery, dialysis machines have been installed in state hospitals, helping to reduce waiting time for treatment while lowering dialysis costs from about N70,000 to N45,000 per session,” he said.

He said that CT scan machines installed at Warri Central Hospital and Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH), Oghara, were already improving diagnosis of conditions such as stroke and internal injuries.

“While newly procured echocardiography machines are strengthening early detection of heart-related conditions.”

The commissioner said the government had ordered three Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines for installation at Asaba Specialist Hospital, Central Hospital Warri and DELSUTH, Oghara, ensuring coverage across the three senatorial districts.

“While some states do not have a single MRI machine, Delta State is procuring three at once, with delivery expected by April as site preparations are ongoing,” he said.

Onojaeme said the government was establishing a new College of Health Sciences in Ovrode, Isoko North Local Government Area, to complement the existing institution in Ofuoma and boost the training of middle-level health manpower.

“The long-abandoned Mother and Child Hospital in Ekpan was nearing completion, while another Specialist Hospital was being developed in Osubi, Okpe Local Government Area, modelled after the Asaba Specialist Hospital.

According to him, Delta remains the only state in the country with more than 60 functional government-owned hospitals, adding that the current administration is determined to further expand healthcare access.

On health insurance, Onojaeme said enrollment under the Delta State Contributory Health Scheme had surpassed 2.78 million residents as of January 2026, making it one of the leading state-supported health insurance programmes in the country.

He explained that the scheme covered both formal and informal sector workers, while prioritising vulnerable groups, including pregnant women, children under five and the elderly, through the Equity Health Plan.

The commissioner added that the scheme recently enrolled 10,000 widows and continues to register indigent residents across the state.

He also disclosed that the Delta State Contributory Health Commission had introduced facial recognition technology at accredited facilities to improve efficiency and transparency in service delivery.

Onojaeme reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to achieving Universal Health Coverage and delivering affordable and accessible healthcare services to residents across the state.

Niger Delta

C’River Assembly Seeks Crackdown On Drug Abuse

Published

3 days ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

The Cross River State House of Assembly has urged the State Government to urgently enforce drug laws to curb the rising menace of substance abuse.

The resolution followed a matter of urgent public importance raised by Yakurr I lawmaker, Mr. Cyril Omini, during plenary in Calabar.

Omini cited a tragic incident in Ugep, Yakurr Local Government Area, involving a 23-year-old man allegedly under the influence of drugs.

He said the suspect, Ubi Bassey, allegedly beheaded his father, Bassey Okoi, on February 2.

“Drug abuse has become widespread among youths, with alcohol, cannabis, cocaine and tramadol commonly abused.

“In spite of warnings by health and government agencies, illicit drug trading and consumption persist across many communities”, Omini said.

According to him, the trend has led to early deaths and, in extreme cases, violent crimes against innocent persons.

Omini warned the incident had caused fear in Ugep, cautioning that failure to act decisively could worsen social decay.

He, however, commended the State Security Adviser, Maj.-Gen. Okoi Obono (rtd), for efforts to restore peace in the area.

Lawmakers called for sustained drug sensitisation, youth-focused campaigns, stronger partnerships with non-governmental organisations, and stricter enforcement against drug peddlers and users.

The Speaker, Elvert Ayambem, expressed sadness over the incident and urged prompt prosecution of the suspect to deter other youths.