All Posts in "Day: November 8, 2022"

ASUU’s Salary Slash: Gbajabiamila Waves Olive Branch

The House of Representatives’ Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila has appealed to the members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to remain calm in view of their latest outcry over the reported half payment of their salaries by the Federal Government.

In a statement he signed in Abuja on Monday, the speaker noted that efforts to find lasting solutions to the concerns frequently raised by ASUU were on, noting that President Muhammadu Buhari has indicated interest to wade into the latest concerns raised by the union.

“When the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) called off their industrial action three weeks ago, it meant that academic activities could resume in our nation’s public universities, and students could return to their academic pursuits after the prolonged interruption. This decision was rightly heralded nationwide as the correct decision.

“Since then, the executive and the House of Representatives have worked to address the issues that led to the strike. We are currently working on the 2023 Appropriations Bill, which includes N170 billion to provide a level of increment in the welfare package of university lecturers. The Bill also includes additional N300 billion revitalisation funds to improve the infrastructure and operations of federal universities.

“Furthermore, the House of Representatives has convened the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other stakeholders to facilitate the adoption of elements of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) into the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS). This effort is being supervised by the Chairman of the House Committee on Tertiary Education, Rep. Aminu Suleiman,” Gbajabiamila said.

He noted that the position taken by the Executive that it was not obligated to pay salaries to lecturers for the time spent on strike is premised on the law and the government’s legitimate interest in preventing moral hazard and discouraging disruptive industrial actions.

“Nonetheless, interventions have been made to explore the possibility of partial payments to the lecturers. We look forward to a favourable consideration by His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR who has manifested his desire to what is prudent and necessary to resolve all outstanding issues.

“Implementing meaningful change takes time, especially when appropriations and modifications to systems such as IPPIS are required. Therefore, I urge all parties to be patient and grant each other the presumption of goodwill to the extent necessary to achieve our shared objectives. This is not a time for political brinkmanship.

“There is no more pressing objective than to preclude the possibility of further disruptions to the academic calendar of the universities. We must prevent this possibility by all means, as these disruptions risk the promise and potential of our nation’s youth,” the Speaker appealed.

He also restated his commitment to provide sustainable reforms to the Nigerian tertiary education system.

According to him, the challenges facing Nigerian tertiary education are multifaceted hence the need for all stakeholders to come together and proffer solutions.

The Speaker is convening a national tertiary education summit during which stakeholders would come up with ways to make things better in the sector.

Gbajabiamila said three weeks ago, he called for a national conversation on the substantive reforms required to address the underlying issues bedevilling public tertiary education in Nigeria.

He added:”To that end, the House of Representatives is convening a National Summit on Tertiary Education Reform. We have called for papers and memoranda from members of the public. The submissions we receive and expert presentations at the Summit will inform our policy recommendations and actions.I urge all citizens and stakeholders to participate in this crucial effort to reinvent our public tertiary institutions into respected citadels of learning.”

admin by — November 8, 2022 in Education 0
Flood: FIPL Donates Relief Materials To Rivers Communities

First independent power limited (FIPL), a member of the Sahara Power Group, has donated relief materials to help reduce the plight of flood victims within Omoku, Obrikom and Ebogoro communities in Rivers State.

Items donated include bags of rice, garri, noodles, potable water, toiletries, mattresses, sugar, cooking oil, bottled drinking water, beverages, and mosquito nets, amongst others.

Handing over the donations to the communities in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA over the weekend, Mrs. Elfridah Asak, Head, HR and Corporate Services at FIPL, said the company was devasted by the hardship the flood has caused people in the community. She commended the community leaders for their guidance and commitment to rallying the people to stand strong in the face of the flood crisis.

She said, “FIPL is a member of the affected communities, we share in your pain and stand with you at this time of need. Serving, sharing, and giving back to the communities where we operate is paramount to us as an integral part of our corporate citizenship commitment. You can always count on our support as we have always done, and we hope this token will go a long way in providing succor to displaced families.”

Asak also commended the Rivers State Government for its emergency response activities, adding that FIPL will continue to work with the RSG towards “ensuring sustainable development and enhancing access to energy in Rivers State.”

Receiving the items on behalf of the three host communities, High Chief Maduagwu Nkweke from Ebogoro community lauded FIPL for the gesture. “Reaching out to us at this moment of hardship is a clear demonstration of the love your company has for us. We want to say a very big thank you to FIPL for consistently leading the way in terms of good corporate responsibility, and we reassure you of our commitment to partnering with and supporting FIPL,” he said.

Over the years, FIPL has contributed immensely to the growth and development of its host communities through scholarships, skill acquisition projects, and health interventions aimed at caring for the most vulnerable, with over 500 beneficiaries.

admin by — November 8, 2022 in Power 0
Glencore: Group Seeks Prosecution Of NNPC Collaborators

The Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) has implored the United Kingdom and United States of America Governments to ensure that the £281million an equivalent of $314million fine which the UK subsidiary of Swiss mining giant, Glencore was ordered to pay by Southwark Crown Court for bribes in Nigeria and six other African countries was paid to the countries which are the victims of corruption.

This should be done in line with the provisions of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, saying it is immoral to keep or spend the fine money in the UK,the group said.

Executive Director of ANEEJ,Rev. David Ugolor in a swift reaction to the Southwark Crown Court verdict,also berated the Nigerian government for not instituting action in Nigeria against Glencore and the NNPC officials who collected over £12,111,889 to undermine Nigeria’s national interest as there was nowhere in the ten (10) page Victim Claim support document filed by Nigeria in the Southwark Crown Court that showed any action taken against the perpetrators neither did the country join in the suit to prosecute Glencore.

He implored President Muhammadu Buhari and the anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria to swing into action to ensure that all officials of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), now NNPC Ltd who received the bribe money of £12,111,889 are fished out, prosecuted and jailed to serve as a deterrence to others.

Commending UK anti-graft agencies for tracking the thieving Glencore officials and for the diligent prosecution of the case which has given the anti-corruption community the victory, Ugolor,however, advised the UK and US governments to send the fine money to Nigeria and other victim nations to demonstrate their commitment to act against international criminal gangs.

He also maintained that Nigerian and other African governments must ensure that officials of their National Oil Companies that colluded with staff of the UK and US subsidiaries of Glencore to commit economic crime against their nations are made to pay for their crimes.

“We welcome the landmark judgement against Glencore Energy (UK) which is the largest corporate penalty ever imposed by a UK Court and we believe that more of such effort by European and US Countries would help fight corruption in the global energy sector. However, we are disappointed that the court threw away the Victim’s Claim by Nigeria as every effort to fight bribery and corruption must ensure that proceeds, in this case fines, are made to benefit the victims of bribery, particularly in Africa where resource-rich countries are currently reeling under poverty as a result of activities of companies like Glencore. It is immoral to keep the fine money in UK,” Ugolor asserted.

“The whole world knows today that Oil theft is a big organized crime in Nigeria and other countries of the Gulf of Guinea. Since it takes two to tango, the UK and US must recognize the various international laws, treaties and agreements that provide for victims having to be the beneficiary of corruption cases. Nigeria and other African countries involved in this case have enough anti-corruption laws to prosecute officials of the NNPC who were the bribe takers. Our officials must not be silent on this case. They have to take it further and immediately too. This case has been on since 2012 and there was no much mention of it in Nigeria. Our government must swing into action because justice delayed is justice denied,” Ugolor demanded.

Glencore Energy (UK) had pleaded guilty in June to five counts of bribery and two counts of failure to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act 2010.

admin by — November 8, 2022 in Oil&Gas 0
Senior Civil Servants: Court Dismisses Bola Audu’s Stay Of Execution Order

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos and presided over by Hon Justice D. E. Osiagor, has dismissed the stay of execution suit filed by Bola-Audu Innocent and his group in respect of his order issued recently in which he restored Comrade Tommy Etim Okon and Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal as the National President and Secretary-General of Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) respectively and emphasized that both officers remain the authentic and legal signatories to the bank accounts of the Union.

Justice Osiagor faulted the refusal of Bola-Audu and his group to obey his final order of 26th October 2022 and lambasted one Gamaliel Acho who, in a press statement described his order as “judicial advice.”

He also frowned at the attitude of Bola-Audu and his group for jumping from one court to another in an attempt to get a favourable ruling on the same matter.

The judge described as “wicked” the court processes filed by Bola-Audu and his group on 6th September 2022 which shut off the real parties to the dispute namely Comrade Tommy Etim Okon and Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal,. National President and Secretary-General of the Association respectively and presented the police authorities and the Banks of the Union as Respondents.

He said that the police and Banks have no business with the matter as they were not the organs of the Association that removed him from office.

Justice Osiagor viewed the entire stay of execution motion as baseless and hollow and accordingly dismissed it.

admin by — November 8, 2022 in Law/Human Rights 0
GE Gas Power,Shell Sign Pact On LNG Decarbonization

General Electric Gas Power and Shell Global Solutions, a pioneer in liquefied natural gas (LNG) for more than 50 years, Monday announced the signing of a development agreement to pursue potential pathways aiming to reduce the carbon intensity of Shell’s LNG supply projects around the world.

With global LNG demand projected to almost double by 2040, decarbonization is crucial in helping the company meet the world’s growing energy needs.

The largest source of emissions in an LNG facility stems from firing natural gas in the power generation and mechanical drive gas turbines.

One of the possible paths to decarbonize LNG production is to use hydrogen as a low carbon fuel in these engines,a statement said.

But,the source and nature of this fuel matters as well, and Shell’s Blue Hydrogen Process is a leading technology that can deliver the lowest carbon intensity fuel of its kind, with technologies and building blocks tested and commercially proven at a large scale, that have been used in various industries for many decades.

John Intile, Vice President, Engineering at GE Gas Power said:“Having worked on hydrogen combustion technologies for many years, we are conscious that progress in this area will be the result of careful, dedicated research and collaboration by industry leaders and today’s announcement is a model of this approach”

“We look forward to working in cooperation with Shell to advance this crucial body of work. Together, we’re confident our combined strengths of Shell, GE, and Baker Hughes, who is exclusive distributor of certain heavy duty gas turbines and services in the oil & gas segment, can accelerate the deployment of pragmatic and impactful solutions towards high-hydrogen capabilities in these gas turbines fleets resulting in a significant reduction of carbon emissions and water utilization globally.”The deep decarbonization of LNG export facilities presents both technical and economic challenges, which need to be addressed to realize such ambition. “Becoming a net-zero emissions energy business means we need to explore a range of avenues that have the potential to help us, our partners and customers reduce emissions” said Alexander Boekhorst, VP Gas Processing and Conversion Technology at Shell.

“We have continued to innovate and improve the value proposition of LNG using technology, and we look forward to collaborating with GE on this important initiative”. GE’s B&E class heavy-duty gas turbines can already operate today on 100% hydrogen emitting up to 25ppm NOx with the use of water in diffusion combustors. As part of this development agreement, GE is targeting gas turbine technology with the capability to operate on 100% hydrogen without the use of water while still maintaining NOx emissions.

“The new DLN combustor technology is intended to become the backbone of new retrofittable system solutions for low-carbon operation of gas turbine while providing the reliability and availability required for LNG facilities. Dry operation also represents significant savings in water use and conservation: up 32,000 liters of water per hour are saved using DLN systems versus comparable alternatives. DLN combustors are more efficient and do not use water as a diluent, thus offering LNG operators the ability to lower carbon and conserve water in their operations. In future, the developments to the DLN combustion technology could be installed on either new or existing 6B or 7E gas turbines”

admin by — November 8, 2022 in Oil&Gas 0