As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility to its host communities, an agro-allied company located in Rivers State, Siat Nigeria Limited, has assured that it would continue to cater for the wellbeing and needs of the indigenes of the communities where it is doing business even as it has offered undergraduate scholarship awards to 15 students from the areas.
The company, which gave the assurance during the presentation of scholarship awards to the students at its corporate headquarters in Ubima Community in Ikwerre Local Government Area recently, said it would continue to promote a harmonious working relationship with its host communities and strive as much as possible to contribute to their growth and development.
The Managing Director of the company, Mr Felix Nwabuko, who gave the indication in an address during the company’s this year’s undergraduate scholarship programme, said the scholarship initiative is just one of the corporate social responsibility lined up by the company for its host communities.
According to him, the university scholarship award is intended to assist and encourage students of the host communities in the areas of Agriculture, Agricultural Economics, Accounting and Engineering.
While congratulating the beneficiary students on their success during the scholarship examination, Nwabuko noted that they are by this award, ambassadors of not only their communities but Siat Nigeria Limited, and urged them to exhibit good behaviour throughout the duration of their university education.
“It is our fervent belief that the beneficiaries will avail themselves of this singular opportunity and study hard to become good citizens of not only the communities they came from but the society at large”, he said.
Nwabuko commended the government at both the state and local levels for providing the enabling environment for the company’s operations as well as the peace the firm has enjoyed from the host communities.
He noted with delight that despite the Covid-19 pandemic, and its associated harsh economic effects, Siat Nigeria Limited did not lay off its workers like other companies including banks, stressing that it was because the company took into consideration the excellent relationship and goodwill it has with the host communities.
The beneficiaries of the scholarship were drawn from the company’s Ubima and Elele estates.
The first round of the scholarship programme took place in 2016 and the beneficiaries, according to the company, have all graduated.

By: Donatus Ebi

President Muhammadu Buhari says successful completion of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano, AKK Project in 2023 would enhance domestic gas utilisation as the mainstay for national industrialisation.
Buhari stated this at the opening ceremony of the 2021 Gas Sector Stakeholders (AKK) Forum organised by the Gas Aggregation Company Nigeria (GACN) yesterday in Kano.
He was represented by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva.
“Today’s event reinforces our commitments to realizing the inherent potentials of gas usage as a national catalyst for achieving economic diversification from crude oil and as transition period to the renewable energy,” he said.
He revealed that the project would also increase government revenue and create more jobs opportunities for the unemployed Nigerians.
The President said that many companies had been shut down due to power supply problem across the country.
He explained that it would take two to three years to reactivate those industries to their optimal performance.
Buhari also said that the Federal Government has reduced the price of gas from 2 dollars 50 cents to 2 dollars 18 Cents.
“Let me use this medium to announce that following successful negotiations between Federal Government of Nigeria and organized unions, the price of gas has been reduced from $2.50 Cents to $2.18 Cents, with immediate effects,” he said.
He said that all the relevant stakeholders had been communicated on the issue.
Also speaking, the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mr Mele Kyari, said that the AKK project had been on the drawing board for the past 30 years.
Kyari said when completed, it would provide enough gas for both domestic and export purposes.
“Nigeria has huge gas resources, gas means prosperity and delivering gas is an opportunity creation,” he said.
He pointed out that the project would revive about 232 industries along AKK corridor.
In his remarks, the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado-Bayero, commended the Federal Government for the project, which he said, would also assist to enhance socioeconomic activities in the state.

The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), has unveiled the theme for the 27th edition of its annual summit scheduled for later this year, according to a statement by Yinka Iyinolakan, Head, Corporate Communications of the NESG.
The statement issued on Wednesday, in Abuja, cited  “Securing our future: the fierce urgency of now”, as the theme of the National Economic Summit (NES).
Iyinolakan stated that the summit was a collaboration between the public sector,  represented by the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning and the organised private sector represented by the NESG.
While welcoming participants to the unveiling event, the chairman of the NESG, Mr Asue Ighodalo said  the annual summits had been sustained by the public-private dialogue between the NESG and the Finance ministry of finance.
“The summit is the foremost platform through which the Federal and state governments engage with corporate leaders and discuss Nigeria’s national and sub-national economic realities.
“It helps to co-create reform strategies that are critical for the advancement and reform of the Nigerian economy,” he said.
Ighodalo stated that given the present state of Nigeria’s economy, increasing unemployment, pervasive insecurity and dwindling investments in critical sectors, the time was ripe to question the path for securing a long-term future for Nigeria.
He added that governments at all levels must intensify efforts at addressing the challenges of insecurity, kidnappings, theft and other social vices.
“A secure environment is a pre-condition for economic growth, job creation and poverty reduction.
“With the current state of the Nigerian economy, it has become critical for the country to adopt a different approach with a profound sense of urgency; in finding workable measures and taking concerted actions towards achieving economic growth and national security.
“This 27th NES will present a platform for stakeholders to highlight Nigeria’s core socio-economic vulnerabilities and associated risks,to come up with solutions.
“Such solutions should alleviate these vulnerabilities while exploring potential opportunities and priorities that will accelerate economic development,” the NESG chairman said.
He revealed that the private sector-driven NESG, was currently collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning to develop the long-term National Economic Development Plan, the Nigeria Agenda 2050.
He said it was imperative that the 27th NES deepened the trust and collaboration between the public and private sector to enhance the growth of the Nigerian economy.
Meanwhile, the Minister of state, Budget and National Planning, Mr Clem Agba, in his remarks, assured that Nigeria’s inflation rate was showing a downward trajectory despite global economic challenges.
Agba stated that the Summit provided a platform for effective partnership and strengthened relationships.
He added that the conclusions and recommendations of the 26th NES, held in 2020, had been forwarded to the cabinet office and would soon be deliberated upon by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).