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Group Wants Shell To Clean Up Spill In Five States

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12 years ago

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A pressure group, Conference of Niger Delta Youths Representatives (CNDYR), last Monday called on the Federal Government to compel Shell  Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to clean-up oil spills in five states.

The group’s Chairman, Mr Johnson Harry, made the call in an interview with our correspondent on the sideline of its 2013 annual conference in Port Harcourt.

Harry claimed that SPDC and Exxon Mobil were responsible for oil spills in five states Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Ondo and Rivers states.

Harry said that both companies had yet to commence a clean-up of the areas as well as pay compensation to victims affected by the oil spillage.

The Shcll-Bonga oil “spills, which destroyed human and economic activities in the five states is yet to be addressed despite several calls by the group.

Since December 20,2011 when the spill occurred, economic activities have been at the lowest ebb because fishermen can no longer find fishes and farmers can no longer farm or harvest their crops.

“FG should compel SPDC to clean up the environment and compensate victims as well as force Exxon Mobil to pay victims compensation for Idoho oil spillage.

“The group will issue copies of our demands to the Presidency, Federal Ministries of Petroleum, Environment and the National Assembly, to ensure that these companies remedy the situation.”

Harry said that CNDYR, in collaboration with the Civil Liberties Organisations, would seek court’s redress, if their demands were not met within two weeks.

Ulso, the Vice-Chairman of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) in Akwa Ibom, Mr David Akpakpan, told our source that oil bearing communities in the Niger Delta had yet to benefit from crude oil sales.

He claimed the region faced shortage of infrastructure, youth unemployment and empowerment, poverty and wide scale corruption.

The corruption in the region is massive because funds meant for meaningful projects that will improve the living standard of people of the region are diverted by greedy politicians.

“The Federal Government should set up a team that will be saddled with the responsibility of  monitoring utilisation of public funds, to fast track the regions development,” he said.

Akpakpan called on the National Assembly to pass the Petroleum Industry Bill into law, stressing that the passage of the bill would speed up development of the Niger Delta.

 

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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2 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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2 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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2 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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