Education
Firm Awards Scholarship To Rivers Students
As part of its corporate social responsibility, ,the Green Energy International Limited, an oil and gas company operating in Ikuru Town in Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State says it has awarded scholarship to over 300 students in the area with a view to developing the human capacity of its host communities.
The Director in charge of Sustainability of the company, Mr Ayo Olojede stated this in an interview with newsmen at a stakeholders capacity workshop on Corporate Social responsibility (CSR)and Sustainability organised by the company at Golden Tulip Hotel in Port Harcourt.
Mr Olojede, who represented the Chairman of the company at the workshop, said the scholarship scheme tagged” Green Energy Leaders Of Tomorrow School” which kicked off last year seeks to provide financial support to beneficiaries at both under-graduates and post graduate levels across the local government area.
He disclosed that the scholarship has been extended to pupils in primary and students in secondary schools from Ikuru Town and four other communities of Agama Ekede, Ayama Ekede, Asuk Oyet and Asukama as well as the rest of the local government area with a target of over 200 beneficiaries.
According to him, the scholarship scheme was in addition to the already funded post graduate and under graduate schemes in the area.
“In addition, we funded 24 post graduates,154 under graduates, 59 polytechnic students ,18 school of nursing students and training of two Boeing 737 pilots under the Ikuru Town bursary awards program” he stated.
Mr Olojede averred that the thrust of the company’s CSR and sustainability work is clearly capacity building empowerment of communities ,socio economic growth, environmental protection, promotion of green energy and energy efficient technologies and upliftment of the marginalized and under privileged sections of the society, adding, the capacity of their host communities were being strengthened through the provision of scholarship , learning infrastructure and development of community utilities among others.
A professor of Highway Engineering at the Rivers State University (RSU), Prof. Emmanuel Osilemme Ekwulo, has identified poor designs, inadequate materials, insufficient testing, and lack of accountability as major obstacles to the success of highway construction projects in the country.
Ekwulo made this remark in Port Harcourt last Wednesday during the 128th inaugural lecture series of the university, where he presented a lecture titled “Removing Roadblocks: Rebuilding a Foundation for Reliable Highway Pavement Infrastructure.”
The university don lamented the consistent premature failures of road construction projects nationwide, despite huge investments by the government at all levels, attributing the problem to neglected basics and systemic principles in the industry.
According to him, rebuilding the foundation technically, institutionally, and ethically is crucial to building strong and lasting pavements.
Ekwulo emphasized the need for political will, professional integrity, and commitment to engineering excellence to overcome the challenges.
“The metaphoric roadblocks are those challenges causing premature failures,” Ekwulo said, adding that identifying and addressing these roadblocks is key to rebuilding the nation’s highways.
He recommended that institutions involved in road design and construction adopt a mechanistic-empirical design approach, and develop a comprehensive framework for implementing the Nigerian Imperial and Mechanistic Pavement Design System (NEMPADS) approach.
Ekwulo also advocated for mandatory traffic load analysis, strengthened university-industry collaboration, and funding for applied pavement research.
Corruption, he noted, is a major challenge in the profession, saying severe punitive measures are needed to curb shabby practices leading to premature road failures.
The Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Isaac Zeb-Obipi, described Ekwulo’s lecture as interesting and intriguing, highlighting the importance of implementing solutions to Nigeria’s highway challenges.
The Vice Chancellor also described Ekwulo’s proposals as practical and applicable to government and industry stakeholders.
He said the university is committed to research aligned with national development goals, referencing its NDV-12 responsive consortium production framework.
Zeb-Obipi noted that Ekwulo’s recommendations are timely and solution-driven, and will contribute to addressing Nigeria’s highway challenges.
Akujobi Amadi
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