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Total Energies, OML130 Partners Commission 11 CSR Projects

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As part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) and in fulfillment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), TotalEnergies and its OML130 partners have commissioned 11 projects across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria in 2021.
The projects were initiated, executed and commissioned under Batch 3 projects to mitigate the gaps in qualitative and technical education, maternal and child health, access to clean water and women and youth empowerment.
The projects scattered across the country, range from Information Communications Technology (ICT) centres, to borehole and water treatment plants, mammography centres, state-of-the-art secondary school structures, solar-powered water projects, and solar hybrid power plants.
TotalEnergies’ OML130 partners include state oil firm, the NNPC, CNOOC, Prime 130 formerly Petrobras and Sapetro.
While the Esan Model Boys Grammar School, at Uromi, Edo State, and the Comprehensive High School, Aiyetoro, Ogun State each got an ICT centre; the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yenogoa, Bayelsa, and the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, Bayelsa State became beneficiaries of mammography centres.
On the 16th and 23rd of November, respectively, the Community Secondary School, Ufuma, Orumba North LGA, Anambra State; and Government Girls Secondary School, Maiduguri, Borno; played host to dignitaries, as fully-equipped state-of-the-art secondary school structures were commissioned within their school premises.
Solar-powered water projects made up of two borehole units and water treatment plants were commissioned at Ndibe community, Afikpo, Ebonyi State; the Hassan Usman Katsina Polytechnic, Katsina State; and at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Tundun Wada Zaria, Kaduna; respectively, thus ending perennial outbreak of waterborne diseases in the communities who mostly depended on streams and rain as sources of water.
Also completed and commissioned is a 60KW solar hybrid power plant was delivered to the Faculty of Science, University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) on November 24.
Lastly, TotalEnergies and its OML 130 partners also completed the design, supply and installation of solar power system at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, Enugu State.
Speaking during handing over ceremonies of the projects, Managing Director, TotalEnergies Upstream Companies in Nigeria, Mike Sangster, said the completion and commissioning of the project were in furtherance of the Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives of its deepwater operations.
“On behalf of the management and staff of TotalEnergies Upstream Nigeria Limited, our senior partners, NNPC, and our OML 130 partners: PRIME 130, SAPETRO & CNOOC, I warmly welcome you all to the commissioning and handover of this project. The completion and commissioning of this project is in furtherance of the Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives of our Deepwater Operations. These projects were borne out of the need to mitigate the gaps in Qualitative and Technical Education, Maternal & Child Health, Access to Clean Water, and Women & Youth Empowerment. They are in congruence with the related United Nations Sustainable Development Goals”, adding that locations of these projects were carefully chosen for maximum impact, coming from needs assessment carried out before the deployment.
In 2016, TotalEnergies commenced its robust plan to deploy CSR Infrastructure developments across the country.
In its 1 Phase, a total of 33 projects were launched in 2017 in the areas of Education, Health, Capacity Building and Access to Water across the country.
Twenty-Eight projects have since been completed. In its 2nd Phase another 24 projects were launched in 2018 and yet another 27 projects were launched in 2019 in the 3rd Phase.
Out of these 56 ongoing projects in the 1st, 2nd & 3rd Phases, 10 were commissioned in November, while 45 are still under construction, to be commissioned on completion.
Group General Manager, National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), Bala Wunti, said, NNPC will continue to consistently champion the implementation of Sustainable Community Development projects that will positively impact the lives of the citizens of this country.
“The completion and commissioning of this project in 2021, Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives of the Nigerian Government through its Oil and Gas sector is in furtherance of the In NNPC, our vision for social intervention is to continue to operate in an ethical and sustainable manner and deal with the environment and social impacts occasioned by our activities.
“We pride ourselves in our slogan ‘we touch your lives in many positive ways’ hence the approval for the deployment of various CSR projects by our operators across the country for maximum impact.
“NNPC along with its Partners have implemented various projects in the areas of education (building and equipping of schools/ classrooms, laboratories, donation of books, scholarships, Quiz competitions, etc.) skill acquisitions and economic empowerment, healthcare, solar power and other infrastructural intervention projects.
“These projects were borne out of the need to mitigate the gaps in Health Care, Quality Education, Water, and Women & Youth Empowerment in line with the relevant Millennium Development Goals (MDG). NNPC and its Partners are socially responsible organizations committed to improving the livelihood of the citizens of our great country, Nigeria”.
On behalf of the partners, General Manager, Prime 130, Luc Vanson, said the partners were proud to be part of such laudable initiatives.

By: Taneh Beemene

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Learn How To Form Coalition Party From Tinubu, Sowunmi Tells Atiku 

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Spokesman to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Segun Sowunmi, has advised his principal, Atiku, to learn from President Bola Tinubu on how to form a coalition.

The Tide reports that in a bid to wrest power from President Tinubu in 2027, Atiku has been leading the movement by opposition politicians to form a coalition of political parties ahead of the next general election.

Last month, opposition politicians set up a team comprising former Minister of Transpiration, Rotimi Amaechi, and former Governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke, to decide whether to float a new party or fuse into an existing platform.

While the main opposition party, PDP, struggles with a perennial leadership crisis, the former Vice President is bent on establishing another political force to take power from the ruling party in 2027.

But Sowunmi, who has been Atiku’s ally for many years, disagrees with his move, saying instead of forming a coalition with another political platform, he should coalesce opposition politicians into the PDP.

Speaking during an interview on TVC on Tuesday, Sowunmi, who was Atiku’s campaign spokesperson in the last election, asked his principal to learn from President Tinubu on how to form a coalition.

Sowunmi believes Atiku, having benefitted from the PDP as a former Vice President and getting the party’s presidential ticket twice, should not seek to form a coalition that will not have the PDP as its base.

He said, “I’ve always said to people, people love with their hearts. I love atiku with my bones. But I can’t help him against himself. You can’t run vice presidency on PDP two times with Obasanjo, get presidential candidate on that same party two times. I don’t agree with him that the next best thing is to be shopping for…(a platform) If you want a coalition, why are you not coalescing them into your party?” he asked.

The former PDP governorship candidate in Ogun State advised the ex-VP to learn from Tinubu on how to build a coalition without dumping his political party.

“Look at your rival, your friend. You guys started together. At best, even if you want to say he’s building a coalition is he not coalescing opponents into his place”? Sowunmi asked again.

The PDP chieftain, who recently showered praises on Tinubu after he visited him, said the President has an “uncanny ability to make everybody individually feel special” regardless of political affiliations.

His words: “That guy (Tinubu) is something oh, he has this uncanny ability to make everybody individually feel special. It doesn’t matter whether you are a former foe or a president’s friend, every moment you share with him, I don’t know how he does it, though you’re going to leave the place feeling that you matter, feeling that he gets it, feeling that what you guys are talking about is important. And there’s something about him, when he gives you his word, he will say something like ‘ko le ye’, meaning that to the best of human ability, it will stand.”

Meanwhile, there have been conversations about Sowunmi’s political stance as many questioned his relationship with Atiku, with whom he shares a longstanding political relationship.

Asked about his relationship with Atiku following his meeting with Tinubu, Sowunmi said he doesn’t know if the former Vice President is upset.

“I don’t know whether Atiku is upset or not upset, but I know a lot of our followers are talking a lot of nonsense, and I’m wondering how I became attached to Atiku when I’ve been in PDP since 1999 never leaving,” he responded.

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FIRS Introduces New SOP To End Tax Confusion Nationwide 

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The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has introduced a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to fix inconsistencies in tax services across its over 300 offices nationwide.

The move aims to make tax processes clearer, more transparent, and easier for Nigerians.

In a statement, Special Adviser on Communications and Advocacy to the FIRS Executive Chairman, Mr. Collins Omokaro, said the updated SOP is a key part of the agency’s plan to improve taxpayer experience.

He explained that, in the past, different FIRS offices used different methods, which often confused taxpayers.

“This is about people, experience, and impact. It’s a step towards a tax system that supports voluntary compliance and national development,” Omokaro said.

The new SOP provides a single guide for key processes like registration, payment, audit, and enforcement. This will ensure all FIRS offices follow the same steps, making the system fairer and more predictable.

FIRS Executive Chairman, Dr. Zacch Adedeji, described the SOP as more than just a set of rules.

“This SOP is not just a technical document; it is a declaration of who we are becoming as a service. It reflects our commitment to transparency and service to the Nigerian people,” he said.

The SOP also supports FIRS’s digital transformation, combining human and technological systems to deliver faster and more reliable services. It will also improve internal efficiency by providing clear guidance and better training for staff.

“With this rollout, every FIRS staff member has a clear mandate: study it, apply it, and embody it. That’s how we’ll earn the trust of Nigerians,” Omokaro added.

The reform is part of FIRS’s efforts to become a more service-driven organisation, focused on clarity, consistency, and national growth. The agency hopes the new SOP will make tax services better for Nigerians and increase public trust in the system.

 

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FG Working Towards World-Class Public Service -Walson-Jack 

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The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, says the Federal Government is committed to building a world-class public service in Nigeria.

Walson-Jack made this known in  Abuja, on Wednesday, at a World Press Conference ahead of the International Civil Service Conference and the African Public Service Week scheduled for June 25 to 26 in Abuja.

She said a recent study tour to Singapore was part of preparatory activities aimed at positioning Nigeria’s civil service for excellence and attracting global participation in the upcoming events.

“The study tour to Singapore was the first major activity we undertook under the collaboration between the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation and the Heads of Service of the 36 states and the FCT,” she said.

According to her, the visit, supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), involved 20 State Heads of Service and was designed to benchmark best global practices and enhance Nigeria’s public service delivery.

“The idea was born out of our ongoing collaboration, where we share ideas and knowledge across federal and state levels.

“Singapore was chosen because it is globally recognised for excellence in public service,” she explained.

Walson-Jack noted that the second phase of the tour will involve the remaining 17 heads of service later this year.

She said the tour provided participants with the opportunity to engage with both public and private sector institutions in Singapore, compare administrative practices, and gain insights into global standards.

“It was an eye-opener and a capacity-building opportunity.

“Since our return, several state civil services have begun implementing reforms in collaboration with the federal service, particularly in areas such as capability development and digital transformation,” she added.

Walson-Jack further disclosed that Nigeria would host a reciprocal study tour during the upcoming African Public Service Week, where foreign delegates will engage with various federal institutions.

“They will see firsthand our digitalisation efforts, performance management systems, and other reform initiatives aimed at transforming our civil service.

“We hope the experience will inspire similar actions in their home countries,” she said.

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