Business
Return East-West Road Project To IDF, Reps Tell Minister Assure HYPREP Of Support On Clean-Up
Miffed by the poor state of the Ogoni axis of the East-West Road in Rivers State, the House of Representatives Committee on Host Communities, has lent its voice to the need for the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio to return the construction of the road project to the Infrastructure Development Fund (IDF) where it was originally placed by the Federal Government to facilitate its timely execution and completion.
This is even as the committee has promised to support the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) on the ongoing Ogoni clean-up project and other interventionist activities embarked upon by the agency to improve the wellbeing of the people.
The committee, which gave this indication during an oversight visit to some project sites in Eleme and Gokana Local Government Areas on Wednesday, strongly condemned the deplorable condition of the Ogoni axis of the East-West Road, and directed Senator Akpabio to return the road project to the IDF without further delay.
Speaking to newsmen on behalf of the committee members in Eleme, Chairman of the committee and member representing Khana/Gokana Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Dumnamene Dekor said the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs does not have the capacity to handle the road project, and therefore, directed the Minister to return it to the IDF forthwith.
He wondered why the road project was in the first place removed from the IDF by the Minister, stressing that the people of the Niger Delta deserve some measure of respect from the Federal Government, particularly in terms of giving them what rightly belongs to them and ameliorating their sufferings.
Dekor decried the poor state of the Ogoni axis of the East-West Road, irrespective of the fact that huge revenue resources are coming from the area, going by the calibre of companies and federal agencies and instructions located within the area.
The lawmaker noted that he had personally led protest over the deplorable state of the road, and regretted that nothing concrete was still being done by the Federal Government to change the trend, contending that the situation, as observed by the committee members during the oversight tour, wherein trailers and other heavy duty trucks were frequently falling on the road, was indicative of the number of lives being lost on the road on a daily basis.
Consequent upon this, Dekor affirmed that the East-West Road as it is today is terribly bad, and urged the Federal Government to do something urgently to ameliorate the sufferings of the people.
He placed on record that the road is an important carriageway leading to several states and communities within the Niger Delta region and even beyond, and therefore, contended that it deserves priority attention from the Federal Government.
Dekor, however, commended the new HYPREP team led by Prof. Philip Shekwolo for the good works it is doing in Ogoniland, and expressed delight that the committee members were able to visit some ongoing water project sites as well as clean-up sites in the area.
He assured that the committee would do what is right legislatively to ensure that the remediation project succeeds.
Dekor particularly praised the Rivers State Government and HYPREP for the massive water project in Eleme, and expressed the hope that the facility would be made functional soonest in order to provide potable drinking water to Ogoni people.
On his part, HYPREP’s Director of Operations, who is also overseeing the Coordinating Office in Port Harcourt, Prof. Philip Shekwolo thanked members of the committee for the oversight visit, and assured that the agency would continue to discharge its core mandate of improving the wellbeing including the health and other needs of the Ogoni people.
He said HYPREP had embarked on several interventionist activities and projects, geared towards improving the living conditions of the people, and listed the Centre of Excellence project, provision of training to the people, among other initiatives as some of the bold steps taken by the agency to better the lot of the people.
The committee members also paid a courtesy visit to the Chairman of Gokana Local Government Area,Hon Confidence Deko who assured that the council would work with the lawmakers to ensure that Ogoni people are given the best in the clean-up project, asserting that the local government was the worst hit by environmental degradation.
He, however, appealed to HYPREP to make its presence felt more in the local government, and assured of his administration’s readiness to work with it to give Ogoni people all that they deserve in the remediation project.
The committee visit ongoing clean-up sites in Kpor and B-Dere Communities in Gokana Local Government Area and the water project site in Eleme Local Government Area.
By: Donatus Ebi
For officers and men of the Western Marine Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the battle is not over until smuggling is over.
In the wake of Wednesday May, 8, 2024, the ever vigilant officers, acting on a tip-off, intercepted 177 sacks and 61 kegs of 25 litres containing petroleum products, valued at about N8.750,000million.
The items were intercepted along Isalu Creek, Badagry Waterway en-route Benin Republic.
While briefing newsmen, the Command’s Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Paul Bamisaiye, said: “This seizure is most economically significant to the Command at this period of scarcity of Petroleum Products, especially Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) in our cities, and shows the anticipatory posture in our response to economic saboteurs.
“At about 2:330hrs on Wednesday 8th May 2024, while on joint patrol by teams in the Command, credible intelligence was received of the movement of 2 boats laden with what was suspected to be petroleum products concealed in sacks. Upon receipt of the information, the team moved into Isalu creeks, Badagry waterway.
“On sighting the approach of the Officers, the smugglers took to their heels through the shore of the Creek. The loaded boats were then towed to the station at Badagry where preliminary examination was conducted and transferred to Western Marine Command Headquarters, Ibafon, Apapa, Lagos.
“Careful examination at the Command Headquarters revealed that the arrest was found to contain One Hundred and Seventy Seven (177) Sacks and Sixty One (61) Kegs of 25 Litres Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) containing Twelve Thousand Five Hundred (12,500) Liters with a total Duty Paid Value standing at Eight Million Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N8,750,000) only”.
Bamisaiye noted that the action of the smugglers is a contravention of Section 245 & 254 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 which the service, through Western Marine Command, is responsible for enforcing.
“The Command, under the leadership of Compt. PK Bamisaiye, is poised more than ever to rid the waterways of all acts of smuggling and economy sabotage for the benefit of the growth of economy of Nigeria”, he said
Bamisaiye said so far, no suspect was arrested in the Command’s anti-smuggling operations.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
Petroleum products being sought by motorists have disappeared from virtually all filling stations within Lagos and its environs, but are now booming in business in retail outlets.
Investigations by our correspondent revealed that while the product could not be got at some of the petrol service stations, activities are in top gear in the local retail outlets where the price has gone beyond the reach of users.
It was also gathered that in some filling stations supplied with the products, preference are often given to retail outlet operators by petrol attendants against the consuming public.
A source, directly involved in the business, said some petrol dealers are cashing on the irregular supply to divert the products to retail outlets where they could easily make their gains.
It was also gathered that some sales representatives in the service of major oil marketing firms indulged in the diversion exercise because of their personal interest.
At the retail outlets a liter goes for N950,00 against the normal N760,to N800 at some stations.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
The Nigeria Customs Service Board (NCSB) has confirmed the appointment of five Deputy Comptroller-Generals (DCGs) and eight Assistant Comptrollers-General (ACGs) of Customs during its 59th regular meeting.
The meeting, chaired by the Honorable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, was held at the Nigeria Customs Service Headquarters in Abuja last Tuesday.
National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Chief Superintendent of Customs, Abdullahi Maiwada, who disclosed this in a statement yesterday, gave details of the confirmed appointments as: O.O. Peters (DCG /Commander, Training and Doctrine Command (rtd); B.M. Jibo (DCG Enforcement Inspection & Investigation); and B.U. Nwanfor (DCG Excise, Free Trade Zone & Industrial Incentives).
Others are: S.A. Bomia (DCG, Commander Training and Doctrine Command); and C.K. Niagwan (DCG, Tariff & Trade).
The Assistant Comptrollers General (ACGs) are: B. Imam (ACG Board); A.A.S. Oloyede (ACG, Trade & Tariff); S.K. Dangaldima (ACG/Zonal Coordinator, Zone ‘B’); A. Abdul Azeez (ACG/Zonal Coordinator, Zone ‘D’); S.A. Yusuf (ACG, Human Resource Development); N.P. Umoh (ACG, Training and Doctrine Command); C.O. Obih (ACG/Zonal Coordinator, Zone ‘C’); and S. Chiroma (ACG, Strategic Research and Policy).
The new appointments, according to the statement, were made to fill the vacancies created by some senior officers who recently retired from the Service, noting that the principles of federal character, seniority and merit guided the appointments approved by the board.
“These appointments are a testament to the officers’ exemplary services and dedication to the Nigeria Customs Service. The NCSB remains committed to providing strategic leadership to ensure effective and efficient service delivery for optimum performance”, he said.
While thanking the retired members of the management for their meritorious services, the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, congratulated the newly confirmed officers and charged them to redouble their efforts to ensure the service attains greater heights in its mandates of revenue generation, suppression of smuggling, and trade facilitation amongst others.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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