Business
Belemaoil Trains 33 Fire Fighters …Acquires State-Of-The-Art Fire Fighting Equipment
In a bid to reduce the effect of fire disaster and safeguard lives and property in Rivers State, indigenous oil giant, Belemaoil Producing Ltd has acquired a state-of-the-art fire fighting facility. This is as the company trained and certified 30 personnel, drawn from its host communities on various fire fighting skills to render rescue services to the public.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony of the fire fighters at the company’s corporate headquarters in Port Harcourt the Executive Vice President, Admin/HR/Corporate Affairs, Belemaoil Producing Ltd, Mrs Rosemary C. Asiegbu, stated that the company was the first indigenous oil company that was ensuring the full implementation of its HSE campaign.
She said with the successive conclusion of the training and the setting up of the world-class fire fighting facility, Belemaoil was set to support efforts by the government in combating fire outbreak in the state.
Asiegbu said the initiative was part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility to the people of the state where it operates.
She said: “We are an indigenous company. If you check out, we are the first indigenous oil company that is going head on to ensuring that we implement our HSE not only to make sure that our immediate environment and our staff are safe, we are ensuring that our neighbouring environment, beyond our immediate environment will also benefit from our strives.
“What informed this, is our social responsibility and our HR Drive and HSE campaign. We wanted to step up our HSE campaign to make sure that our environment will be safe. Just as our Belemaoil Model is inclusive of the host communities in making sure that their social and economic wellbeing will be improved. If you check all our environs, there is no firefighting equipment around, even beyond up to the Government House. And our President in his vision makes sure that everybody will be happy and benefit from what they should.”
The EVP, who congratulated the Founder/President of Belemaoil Producing Ltd, Mr Jack-Rich Tein Jr., for his strive in developing host communities, she pointed out that fire fighting is a noble profession though challenging. She said the training will be a continuous process to ensure that the trainees acquire more skills in fire fighting and rescue.
She advised the fire fighters, saying, “ Fire fighting is a serious job, serious because you will always be prepared. You will always be expected to train and be fit all the time. If you are on duty or you are not on duty you are supposed to be prepared because something might come up and the people on duty, might not be able to cope with it. Automatically, you will be drafted to be in charge.
“Again, to be a fire fighter is a multi-faceted job in the sense that your job will not just concentrate on saving the human and material assets. Fighters, are bold, fire fighters must have the sanity when it comes to taking decisions because if you are not careful on the decision you take, that might even cause more disaster. So fire fighters are looked upon as potential heroes because they are supposed to do what normal people are not supposed to do under normal circumstances.”
In his closing remarks, the Director, Production and Engineering, Belemaoil Producing Ltd, Mr. Mufaa Welsh, described the event as successful. He pointed out that the training is a show of confidence and the love that the Founder/President of Belemaoil, Mr. Jackrich Tein Jr. has for the people.
He said the training will be a continuous process for the fire fighters even when they are on the job, adding that they were being trained by TDI, a company from the United States of America.
Speaking earlier during the demonstration of skills by the graduands, the Chief Fire Trainer, Gary Eve said the graduands had been adequately trained and certified to provide rescue and fire fighting services
He said they were trained in the area of fire attack skills, changing hose pattern, among others. He informed that all the graduands have acquired basic fire fighting skills and are certified to be deployed to undertake such task.
Some of the trained fire fighters expressed gratitude to the Founder and President of Belemaoil Producing Ltd, Jack-Rich Tein Jur for empowering them to save life and property in the state.
One of the graduands, Gibson Okuroma, in his vote of thanks said “I never dreamt of it and no member of my crew dreamt of it. Other multinationals never go down to the grassroots to ask persons who have not dreamt of been in the city or being a fire fighter to come out and be trained. I thank Belemaoil for going to the local communities to pick people to give them a noble profession”, he stated.
Highpoint of the event was the presentation of certificates to the graduands for successfully completing one month training on fire fighting and rescue skills.
Business in Nigeria remain under pressure as a result of insecurity and erratic power supply which continue to stifle productivity in the country.
This is even as new data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) indicate sustained improvements in economic activity.
This was the response of businesses in the CBN’s October 2025 Business Expectations Survey (BES) and the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) report.
While the PMI showed that economic activity expanded for the 11th consecutive month, the BES revealed that businesses are still grappling with crippling operational constraints that threaten to reverse recent macroeconomic gains.
According to the BES conducted between October 6 and 10, firms identified insecurity (71.8 points) as the most critical challenge affecting operations nationwide. This was closely followed by insufficient power supply (70.9 points), multiple taxation (70.2 points), high interest rates (68.4 points) and financial constraints (65.6 points). Analysts say these constraints underscore the depth of structural weaknesses confronting Nigeria’s private sector.
Despite these challenges, the survey reported a rise in business optimism. The Business Confidence Index increased to 38.5 points in October from 31.5 in September. Firms also projected confidence levels to reach 45.6 points in November, with expectations of further improvement over the next three to six months.
However, sector analysts warn that the optimism remains fragile due to the lack of significant improvements in the operating environment.
The BES further showed a modest rise in capacity utilisation from 60.4% in September to 62.0% in October, suggesting that businesses have yet to deploy their productive capacity amid ongoing disruptions fully.
In contrast to the structural constraints highlighted in the BES, the PMI report indicated strengthening economic momentum. The composite PMI rose to 55.4 points, reflecting expansion across major components such as output, new orders, employment, inventories, and supplier delivery times.
A sectoral breakdown showed that the agriculture sector recorded the most substantial improvement, with its PMI climbing to 57.5 points, marking 15 consecutive months of expansion. The services sector also expanded for the ninth straight month to 55.6 points, while the industry sector rose to 54.2 points, the highest in more than a year.
The CBN attributed the positive trends to improvements in the broader macroeconomic landscape, including declining inflation, which eased from 24.5% in January to 18.0% in September, and the year-to-date appreciation of the naira across both official and parallel markets.
The BES showed that the North-East posted the highest business confidence at 56.1 points, while the South-South recorded the lowest at 23.3 points, a trend linked to declining activity in oil-producing communities.
The Federal Government will on Tuesday, November 25, officially unveil a strategic programme for a free nationwide training of over 100,000 youth on financial literacy.
The Federal Ministry of Youth Development will launch the programme in collaboration with Investonaire Academy. Tagged, the “Financial Literacy, Investment, and Wealth Creation programme.”
The flagship initiative is designed to equip young Nigerians with essential financial skills, investment knowledge, and digital competencies for sustainable wealth creation.
A statement signed by the Director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Youth Development, Omolara Esan, and made available to newsmen, confirmed that the launch of the programme, to be held in Abuja, would promote nationwide participation.
It added that the launch would bring together senior government officials, development partners, private sector leaders, and youth representatives to explore innovative approaches for improving financial capability and strengthening the economic prospects of young Nigerians.
Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, would serve as the chief host, while the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, would grace the event as the Special Guest of Honour.
Also expected are representatives of key government institutions and private sector partners, including Dr Enefola Odiba, International Programme Director, Investonaire Academy, and Mr. Bashir Nurmohamed, Chief Executive Officer, Hantec Markets
The statement reads, “A major highlight of the event will be the unveiling of a free national financial literacy training programme targeting over 100,000 youths annually. The programme will be powered by a state-of-the-art Learning Management System (LMS) designed to enhance financial intelligence, investment capacity, and entrepreneurial readiness among Nigerian youth.
Lady Godknows Ogbulu
The chairman of the United Bank for Africa, Tony Elumelu, says Nigeria’s economic transformation will be driven by entrepreneurs, not government handouts or foreign assistance.
Elumelu, who spoke at the Grow Nigeria Conference 2.0 and themed ‘Empowering Nigeria’s Entrepreneurs: Building Institutions That Last’, in Lagos, Monday, said the nation’s future is already being shaped by business owners who refuse to settle for mediocrity.
Elumelu, who is also the founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, described Nigeria as an entrepreneurial nation but stressed the need to build institutions that can stand the test of time.
“Starting businesses is good. Sustaining them is critical, and that’s how we transform this economy,” he said.
He noted that many promising ideas fail because the systems and support structures necessary for growth are absent.
According to him, Nigeria’s renewal must come from the private sector, backed by strong governance frameworks and proper succession planning.
“Nigeria will not be built by government handouts or foreign aid. Government’s role is critical, but Nigeria will be built by entrepreneurs — by you, building businesses that create jobs, hope, and prosperity from the ground up,” he said.
Elumelu, however, emphasized that entrepreneurs cannot succeed in isolation.
“You need frameworks — clear governance, succession planning, and relentless focus on value. We need the right environment. We need a Nigeria where policies are predictable, infrastructure works, and financing is truly accessible,” he said.
He called for stronger alignment between public and private sector efforts, warning that progress would remain limited if institutions work independently rather than collaboratively.
Elumelu commended the Director-General of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Charles Odii, for ongoing reforms within the agency.
He further lauded President Bola Tinubu for appointing young Nigerians to lead key institutions and for prioritizing youth entrepreneurship.
“Let us cut the bureaucracy. Make finance and opportunity real, not theoretical. Let’s help Nigeria’s entrepreneurs move from surviving to winning.
“Every job we create fights insecurity. Every thriving business increases our tax base and accelerates prosperity for all,” Elumelu added.
-
Politics2 days ago
Makarfi Resigns As PDP BoT Secretary
-
Niger Delta2 days ago
FRSC Begins Free Vehicle Safety Checks In A’Ibom
-
News3 days ago
Libya Deports 80 Nigerian Migrants Over Illegal Stay
-
Business2 days ago
Insecurity, Poor Power Supply Hamper Business Activities – Survey
-
Niger Delta2 days ago
Monarch Lauds Fubara Over Speedy Execution Of Projects In Rivers
-
Ict/Telecom2 days ago
Scientists Advocate Shared Responsibility To Boost Food Security
-
Business2 days ago
VivaJets CEO Urges Unified Aviation Reforms Across Africa
-
Niger Delta2 days ago
Sexual Harassment: Court Sentences UNICAL Prof To 5yrs Imprisonment