NNPC, TOTAL, Partners Commission Women & Youth Development Centre in Umuahia

In continuation of their social corporate responsibility programme targeted at empowering vulnerable women and youths across the country, NNPC, Total and partners have officially handed over a women and youth development centre in Umuahia, to Abia State government.

The state-of-the-art facility consists of four fully equipped halls for the training of fashion designing and tailoring with 34 industrial sewing machines, industrial weaving machine and embroidery machine as well as catering and hotel management.

Others include, computer training and mixed training facility, a sick bay, 400 sitter auditorium and lounge and, there’s is also an accommodation for 16 persons, 40KVA generator and 12KVA inverter for solar panels.

In an address the General Manager, CSR, on behalf of the Managing Director/Chief Executive, Total Upstream Nigeria Limited, Mike Sangster noted that Total commenced its robust plan to deploy CSR infrastructure developments across the country, adding that 33 project were launched in 2017 covering education, health, capacity building and access to water across the country, including the woman and youth development centre Umuahia,

Also speaking, the Group General Manager (NAPIMS), Bala Wunti represented by Bumi Lawson said the completion and inauguration of the women and youth development centre is in furtherance of the corporate social responsibility initiative through the Oil and Gas Sector across Nigeria

He said in NNPC, the vision for social intervention is to continue to operate in an ethical and sustainable manner.

The Abia State governor who was represented by

the Secretary to the State Government, Christian Exem thanked the NNPC and Total Upstream for their unique display of corporate social responsibility adding the facility provided will help the women and youths of Umuahia become empowered, create employment and make them entrepreneurs

His Royal Majesty Joseph Ndubusi Nwabeeke thanked the NNPC and Total Upstream and partners for the facility saying that Abia is blessed to receive what he called a precious gift from the oil industry.

The Abia State commissioner for Women and Youth Development Affairs, Ukachi Constance Amaka who added her voice to the encomium like Oliver Twist, called for the empowering of women and youths after the training.

Nigeria to Take Steps in Undoing Biodiversity Loss By Jerome Onoja

President Muhammadu Buhari has listed a number of steps towards reversing some biodiversity loss of flora and fauna that are peculiar with Nigeria and already on the brink of going extinct.

According to the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, this was made known by the President to a virtual audience at the 2020 Biodiversity Summit, held on the margins of the 75th UN General Assembly, in New York.

Buhari said: “Regrettably, most of the indigenous flora and fauna commonly found within the country are becoming endangered and facing extinction.

‘’To reverse this situation, we have developed the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan as an enabler for integrating biodiversity considerations into sectoral and cross-sectoral policies, plans and programmes at all levels of government.

‘’We are reviewing our biodiversityrelated laws and developing shelter belts across 11 states in the country. In addressing biodiversity loss, we are implementing the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Programme in Ogoniland.

‘’The on-going clean-up is another landmark in the ecosystem restoration initiative of our administration. It is aimed at improving livelihoods of communities in the South-South Region of the country,’’ he said.

Also, he noted that tackling illegal wildlife activities is helping to prevent extinction, while establishing a nature-based tourism sector.

He affirmed the nation’s commitment to the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources, the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilisation, as well as the Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.

The president said: “Concerning ocean governance and marine biodiversity protection, Nigeria is among the first twelve countries to sign onto the 30 by 30 Global Ocean Alliance. ‘’Accordingly, we have identified two viable sites for the establishment of Marine Protected Areas to help in the protection, conservation and management of both marine and coastal biodiversity resources.

‘’Leveraging on the Strategic Action Plan of the Lake Chad Basin, Nigeria is spearheading sub-regional biodiversity action to mitigate insecurity, provide jobs, boost agricultural output, food security and reduce poverty.

‘’Towards the delivery of our biodiversity aspiration, Nigeria has concentrated on the provision of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Protocols adopted under the Convention and other relevant multilateral environmental agreements into national environmental policies and programmes,’’ he said.

Highlighting benefits of Nigeria’s national forest policy introduced earlier in the year, he noted that it would spur socio-economic growth and development.

‘’Furthermore, we are currently implementing a national programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, a mechanism developed by Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

‘’This programme is aimed at discouraging deforestation, conserving already existing forests, enhancing carbon stock and mitigating climate change impact.

‘’We have also facilitated the designation of Finima Nature Park in Bonny Island, Rivers State as the 12th Ramsar Site of international importance.

‘’The government is equally incorporating biodiversity into tourism sector through a national programme targeted at combating illegal wildlife trade and trafficking in two pilot protected area sites, namely: Gashaka-Gumti National Park; and Yankari Games Reserve,’’ Buhari added.

The summit availed the President an opportunity to restate Nigeria’s commitment to a Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, building on the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, adding that Nigeria’s national mangrove restoration project would ensure multiple benefits to its Niger Delta region.

He also canvassed for the international community’s support of the sub-regional efforts to raise $50 billion towards recharging the Lake Chad.

‘’In order to ensure that no country is left behind in meeting the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity, Nigeria enjoins advanced economies to support developing nations with capacity building, technology transfer and technical assistance.

‘’I firmly believe that traditional knowledge, innovation and the application of nature-based solutions are plausible steps to drive the biodiversity agenda,’’ he said.

NCF Calls for Concerted Effort to Preserve Environment

The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), on Wednesday, called for a concerted effort toward the protection of the environment and the conservation of nature.

The foundation made the call at its 31st Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Lagos. Welcome participants, Chief Philip Asiodu, President, Board of Trustees of NCF, said that the foundation had identified the need to partner with religious organisations and groups in this direction.

“This metamorphosed into the creation of a Nigerian faith-based initiative on the environment.

“Also, during the year, NCF partnered with the West African Forest Plantations Limited (WAFP) to conduct a field assessment of the Oluwa Forest Reserve in Ondo State,’’ Asiodu said.

According to him, the partnership is aimed to evaluate the potential for the rehabilitation and sustained management of a 32,000 hectares forest plantation in the reserve and

its surroundings.

“This is to support the ongoing conservation efforts around a proposed wildlife sanctuary within the reserve. He said Nigeria was among the five countries with the highest rate of deforestation in the world.

The country, he said, is at the risk of losing its biodiversity-rich rainforest landscapes which are among key hotspots in Sub-Saharan Africa. He noted that the remnant forest landscapes in South-Western Nigeria were now highly degraded and fragmented.

“But the forest still harbour flagship species of high conservation value such as the African forest elephant, Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee and white-throated monkey, all of which are critically endangered. Chairman of NCF, Chief Ede Dafinone, in his presentation, remarked that the establishment of the NCF SouthWest Zonal Office in 2019 was timely. Dafinone said that NCF was rallying support, building partnerships and catalysing actions in aid of reversing forest landscape degradation.

“We are quite excited that NCF and Total E&P Ltd have built on contacts initiated last year and signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which is set to result in the promotion of habitat restoration, nature and conservation.

He said that environmental education, ecotourism, research, policy advocacy, public engagement, preservation of cultural heritage and integration as well as the provision of other tangible and intangible benefits to the environment and people of Nigeria were being promoted through this partnership.

The chairman also said that the foundation is also “jointly working with Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to implement a four-year Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) project at the SPDC’s Integrated Oil and Gas Project Site bordering Taylor Creek Forest Reserve and some portions of Upper Orashi Forest Reserve at GbaranUbie in Bayelsa’’.

Dafinone explained that NCF has to 60,000 bpd. The project, which is being developed by two Chinese firms; AIPCC Energy Limited and the Peiyang Chemical Equipment Company Limited, is expected to commence operations in October. The first phase will produce 1,000 bpd, while the second phase will produce 6,000 bpd; with a long-term goal of producing 60,000 bpd. Phase one – which is almost complete – will target a production ratio comprising 55 percent diesel, 38 percent fuel oil and less than 10 remained a strong voice in the advocacy campaign and awareness creation for the conservation of endangered species like vultures, illegal wildlife trade, like the pangolin, adjudged most trafficked mammal in the world.

In his contributions, D-G NCF, Dr Muntari Aminu-Kano said that eradicating the ongoing loss of nature globally and in Nigeria was a herculean task.

Aminu-Kano said that the enormity “is graphically illustrated by a report of UN experts from more than 50 countries that was released in March 2019’’.

He said that the assessment by the Inter-governmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) shows that more than a million species are on the brink of extinction due to human activity.

“It also highlights that we are in the middle of the sixth mass extinction. “Habitat change, especially from

Nigeria’s Edo Modular Refinery to Increase Production to 60,000bpd

Nigeria’s Edo Modular Energy refinery is set to increase crude oil production from 6,000 barrels per day (bpd)

deforestation as a consequence of percent naphtha.

According to AIPCC Energy Limited Head of Quality, Health and Safety/ Community Relations, Segun Okeni.,“Some of the products will be exported to boost foreign exchange earnings and by the time we extend it into different phases. We would be able to take care of more than 80 percent of diesel requirement in Nigeria. That is the vision we have for the next five years.”

The investment will benefit the Edo people through job creation, increased revenue and ease of pressure on other refineries. agricultural expansion, is the major driver.

“This is true in Nigeria as well as across the globe,’’ the DG said. In view of this erosion of nature and the environment, he said that NCF would continue to focus on its Green Recovery Nigeria (GRN) programme to tackle the loss of nature crisis in our country.

He said that during this past year, NCF has perfected plans and assembled all the key human, financial and technical resources with one ambition of planting at least 2.5 million trees across Nigeria in 2020.

“This will form 10 per cent of President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to the United Nations in September 2019 that Nigeria will plant 25 million trees in 2020.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the AGM was held virtually in compliance with the COVID-19 pandemic protocol.

INFRASTRUCTURE

In a recent statement, the Chairman of ERPC, Michael Osime, said the refinery is set to earn about $125m foreign exchange from the exportation of naphtha.

The refinery, which benefits from the Federal Government’s ease of doing business programme through which it granted fiscal incentives such as duty waiver on importation of equipment, has reached 90 per cent mechanical completion and efforts are in top gear to beat commissioning deadline, with a team of over 250 locally-recruited engineers, fabricators and other workers engaged on the project.