Rivers
Registration Opens For 2025 ECL Quiz Competition In Rivers
The highly-anticipated 2025 edition of the Education Champions League Quiz Competition is now open for registration.
The organisers of the prestigious annual event, known for promoting academic excellence, critical thinking, and teamwork, made this known in their August Meeting, in a statement over the weekend.
The statement invites secondary schools across Rivers State to participate in the thrilling intellectual contest.
As a follow-up to the remarkable success of the 2024 edition, where the Federal Government Girls College, Abuloma, emerged champions, the organisers said the 2025 edition of the competition promises to be more exciting, with bigger challenges, new opportunities, and attractive prizes for top-performing schools.
The statement explained that interested participating schools can register their teams on the official ECL website at https://educationchamp.org/registration
The registration for the 2025 ECL quick competition will run from February 1 through February 21, 2025.
The statement reads in part, “As part of the process, schools must submit the names and recent photographs of their student representatives.
“Participating schools can make substitutions later if there are verifiable and compelling reasons”.
Explaining the rationale behind participating in the annual ECL quiz competition, the organisers said, “The ECL Quiz Competition is an avenue to showcase academic excellence – a platform for students to demonstrate their knowledge and analytical skills.
“It also encourages teamwork – providing students with the opportunity to develop leadership, collaboration, and problem-solving abilities.
“Provides recognition for participating schools and gives opportunity to win prizes and establish themselves as centres of academic excellence”.
The organisers said prizes for the 2024 edition include OB Lulu-Briggs Prize – ?10 million, sponsored by High Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, and won by the Federal Government Girls College, Abuloma, Rivers State, the winner of the maiden edition.
The Claude Ake Prize – ?5 million, was won by Seacrest Preparatory School, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the first runner-up and sponsored by Engr Adokiye Tombomieye.
Other prizes were the Boma Erekosima Prize – ?2.5 million, won by Aladumo International School, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, as the second runner-up, sponsored by Torlowei Nigeria Limited; and third runner-up prize of ?1.5 million, which was won by Enitonna High School, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and sponsored by High Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs and Engr Adokiye Tombomieye.
They further added that participating schools can get more information from Mrs. Nkechi Amadi at +234 803 931 2400 and Dr. Lynn Ujiagbe at +234 810 854 2288.
The Education Champions League is a premier academic initiative designed to inspire young minds, promote literacy, and foster intellectual competition among secondary school students.
Since its inception, the competition has grown into one of the most recognized academic contests in Nigeria, empowering students and schools to strive for excellence.
The organisers concluded by inviting secondary schools in Rivers State and stakeholders in the education sector to “join us in making 2025 another unforgettable year for education and intellectual engagement. Don’t miss out – register your school today”.
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Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and the people of Bille Kingdom in Degema Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State have called for government’s urgent intervention to end the suspected underwater gas eruption in the community.
The groups, under the aegis of the Environmental Rights Action and Social Action, made the call during their advocacy visit to the Port Harcourt Zonal Head of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), in Port Harcourt.
The Programme Manager of Environmental Rights Action, Mr. Kentebe Ebiaridor, said the visit was to seek clarity on the response efforts of the regulators to the development in the community.
Ebiaridor expressed concern over what he described as “inadequate response from regulatory agencies and the government concerning the incident”.
He said discussions with some officials revealed that there was still no clear timeline for action to address the situation.
According to him, in the absence of clear ownership of the facility linked to the incident, companies operating within Oil Mining Lease (OML) 18 should be held accountable.
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) had in a statement issued on March 20 by its Chief Executive, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, said the commission had commenced an investigation into a gas bubbling incident in Bille Community.
Eyesan said the commission expressed concern over the development and assured residents of its ongoing efforts to address the situation.
Also, the Resource Justice Manager of Social Action, Dr. Prince Edegbuo, warned that the situation could escalate into a public health emergency, if urgent steps were not taken.
Edegbuo called on relevant authorities to release the results of the tests reportedly conducted in the area, stressing that residents had the right to know the condition of their environment.
He also said CSOs were prepared to intensify advocacy on the matter, urging the development of emergency response measures, including possible evacuation plans.
A legal practitioner and community stakeholder, Mr. Commission Deinbo, had, on March 20, said residents had continued to witness unusual signs on the waterways in the area.
Deinbo said the signs included boiling and bubbling from the ground and river, sometimes within residential areas, as well as fire outbreaks, which the residents had always managed to contain.
He appealed to relevant authorities to come to their aid and find a lasting solution to the problem.
In a response, the Port Harcourt Zonal Head of NOSDRA, Mr. Bello Augustin, assured the community that he would relate its concerns to the appropriate quarters.
Augustin also commended the CSOs for their advocacy and concerns to community development in the state.
By: Wokoma Emmanuel & Theresa Frederick
The Rivers State Deputy Governor, Prof. Ngozi Nma Odu, has called for renewed commitment, transparency, and stronger collaboration among stakeholders in the health sector, particularly between the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP) and the Primary Health Care Management Board.
She made the call today, during the First Quarter Review Meeting of the Task Force on Primary Health Care, held at Government House, Port Harcourt.
She emphasized the importance of honesty in addressing challenges within the healthcare system, urging all parties to remain open and truthful in their engagements.
According to her, transparency is critical to identifying and resolving underlying issues affecting service delivery.
“If we are not truthful, we will not cure the disease, but merely cover it up,” she stated.
The Deputy Governor recounted a personal experience at a primary health centre, where a patient, despite being duly registered under the RIVCHPP scheme with completed biometric capture, was still asked to pay for services.
She explained that intervention by relevant authorities later confirmed the patient’s eligibility, thereby exposing a communication gap between the scheme and healthcare providers.
Prof. Odu warned that such incidents could discourage community members from enrolling in the scheme and ultimately undermine its objectives.
“When this happens, we are disenfranchising our people. The message that goes back to the community is that even when you register, you are still made to pay,” she stated.
While commending the leadership and staff of the Primary Health Care Management Board, the Ministry of Health, development partners, and other supporting units for their efforts, Prof. Odu cautioned against complacency.
She urged stakeholders to continuously strive for improvement, raise standards, and ensure lasting positive impact within the healthcare system.
As part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s economy, about 600 experts are billed to converge in Port Harcourt in a business conference to uplift middle-class businesses in the Niger Delta region.
The convener of the convergence, Lanre Oluseye, who disclosed this during a press briefing in Port Harcourt, said the conference, scheduled to hold in Port Harcourt for the first time, would equip middle-class businesses with the knowledge required to overcome challenges and scale up their businesses.
He explained that the convergence was conceived in response to challenges stalling business growth, particularly at the mid-level.
Oluseye noted that while Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) benefited from various interventions, middle-class businesses were often neglected despite facing significant constraints.
He added that the conference would bring together accomplished professionals and business leaders to mentor mid-level entrepreneurs on how to overcome barriers and attain greater heights.
“Convergence is a conference where thoughts, ideas and strategies come together to create a catalyst that enables business people to move to the next level.
“It is a platform that accelerates growth by bringing great minds together to chart a course for others to follow.
“Our objective is to move the Port Harcourt-based middle-class businesses to cross the barriers that are holding them down”, he said.
Oluseye continued that the conference, slated for April 18, would attract about 600 Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and middle-level managers to address business challenges in the Niger Delta through innovative ideas and strategies.
He emphasised that the event would not be a mere social gathering, but a knowledge-driven platform designed to transform participants and provide networking opportunities to enhance their businesses.
He assured that participants would gain new insights, build valuable networks and engage with like-minded professionals.
Oluseye further said that top industry leaders expected at the conference included the Managing Director/CEO of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), Leye Falade; former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun; and the MD/CEO of Aradel Holdings Plc., Gbite Falade.
Others are Tope Aladenusi of Deloitte Africa; the Partner, Chief Economist and Lead, Strategy and West Africa, Segun Zaccheaus; and a global thinker and futurist, Olakunle Soriyan.
Theresa Frederick & Charity Amiso
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