Senate Urges NLNG to Allocate $43 Million for Human Capital Development

The Senate has directed the Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited to allocate $43 million from the $4.3 billion Train-7 project towards human capital development initiatives. This directive came during an interactive session held at the National Assembly on Tuesday, involving representatives from NLNG, NCDMB, Saipem Contracting Limited, and Daewoo Engineering & Construction. Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the chairman of the committee, emphasized the importance of compliance with the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act. According to a statement released by her chief press secretary, Arogbonlo Israel, in Abuja, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan stressed the significance of transparent and effective utilization of the allocated funds to benefit Nigerians and enhance the country’s human capital development and institutional strengthening. Of the $43 million designated for human capital development, $25.8 million, constituting 60 percent of the total, is earmarked for learning institutions from public primary to tertiary levels nationwide. Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan highlighted the infrastructure deficits in Nigeria’s primary and secondary schools, citing a report by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), which identified approximately 40,000 classrooms in deplorable conditions. She suggested that NLNG’s human capital development initiatives should support UBEC’s efforts to provide adequate educational facilities. Moreover, the senator pointed out discrepancies in reported figures for the NLNG Train-7 project. Depending on the project’s valuation, she outlined different allocations for institutional strengthening and various training programs. For projects in the oil and gas sector valued over $500 million, 1 percent of the project value is allocated to human capacity development and institutional strengthening. The Senate committee, in collaboration with NLNG and NCDMB, aims to establish a framework and select public institutions across the country to benefit from the strategic program. This initiative is geared towards enhancing the capacity of learning institutions, addressing the issue of out-of-school children, and improving learning structures in public institutions. The effective utilization of these funds is expected to have a positive impact on the country’s human capacity development and institutional strengthening.

ASUU Donates Food Items To 320 IDPs In Katsina

The Academic Staff of Universities Union (ASUU) has donated food items to about 320 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Katsina State on Sunday. Dr Lawalli Alkali, the association’s national resource person represented its National President, Prof. Victor Emmanuel, at the distribution of the relief materials. He said the gesture was not the first of its kind by the association as it had been a long-standing programme. He said also that the foodstuffs included rice, cooking oil, spaghetti, noodles and seasoning cubes. “ASUU has always identified with vulnerable groups and the most seriously vulnerable Nigerians like the Internally Displaced Persons IDPs. “ASUU regards IDPs as manifestation of a serious problem. “When you see IDPs across the country, it shows that we still have a lot to do on security matters,’’ he said. Alkali appealed to President Bola Tinubu to adopt necessary measures to tackle security challenges in the country to enable IDPs to return to their homes. According to him, ASUU has been monitoring events in Katsina State, and appreciates the commitment of Gov. Dikko Radda on security issues. “We pray that he remains focused to do the needful to ensure that IDPs returned to their homes. And resume their farming and other business activities,’’ he said. Some of the IDPs, mostly women, expressed appreciation of ASUU’s gesture and appealed to the state government and wealthy individuals to also assist. Those who spoke said they were in need of serious assistance, adding that staying in uncompleted buildings was not their desire. They also called on governments at all levels to redouble efforts at tackling security challenges in their communities. 

Flood: NEMA Distributes Relief Materials To 8,757 Households In Kaduna

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) at the weekend, commenced the distribution of relief materials to 8,757 households affected by the 2022 flood disaster in Kaduna State. The Director-General of the agency, Mr Mustapha Ahmed, said during the distribution in Kaduna, that the gesture was under the Special National Economic and Livelihood Emergency Intervention (SNELEI). Ahmed, who was represented by Ms Ngozi Echeazu, State Team supervisor, SNELEI, said that the distribution was aimed at bringing succour to the affected households in the state. He identified the items as food and non-food items, such as rice, beans, sorghum, blankets, mats, mosquito nets and detergents. Other non-food items include sewing machines, grinding machines, water pumps for dry-season farmers, sprayers, fertilizers, herbicides and seedlings. He explained that the agricultural inputs were given to take farmers back to the farms, stimulate crop production and safeguard national food security in the middle of economic downturn. The DG added that the livelihood support was to help artisans to improve their businesses and grow the economy. He called on the beneficiaries to avoid selling the items and destroy the good intention of the Federal Government. In her remarks, the Deputy Governor of the state, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, commended the Federal Government for the gesture. Balarabe, who was represented by Mr James Kanyip, Deputy Chief of Staff to Gov. Uba Sani, Office of the Deputy Governor, said that the items would assist the beneficiaries in rebuilding their lives. She also advised the beneficiaries against selling the items, which she said was to alleviate poverty and empower them economically. The deputy governor also called on the distributors of the relief materials to ensure that only the targeted persons and the vulnerable were given the items. Also, Mr Usman Mazabu, Executive Secretary, Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency, thanked the Federal Government for approving the relief assistance to the victims. Muazu assured that the relief materials would be transparently and jointly distributed to the affected persons by officials of NEMA, SEMA and representatives of the community and other relevant stakeholders.