Month: June 2024

President Bola Tinubu says his administration is committed to creating a robust and efficient transportation network across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and beyond.

Tinubu stated this while inaugurating the completed B6 (Constitution Avenue), B12 (Independence Avenue) and Circle Roads in the Central Area of the territory on Thursday.

The President, who was represented by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, said that the delivery of roads and other infrastructural projects was in line with his administration’s renewed hope agenda.

He said: ‘We recognise that an efficient transport network remains vital for economic growth, social integration, and overall national development.

‘As we commission these strategic roads, we are not just opening pathways of asphalt and concrete but also paving the way to enhance economic activities, improve accessibility, and a higher quality of life for our citizens.

‘We remain committed to continuing this journey of building more roads, bridges, and essential infrastruc
ture that will connect our people and drive our economy.

‘This event stands as testament to this administration’s unwavering commitment to infrastructural development and urban renewal, a cornerstone of our vision for a more prosperous and much more connected Nigeria,’ he said.

He recalled that on assumption into office a year ago, his administration set forth an ambitious agenda to transform the nation’s infrastructural landscape.

‘The completion of these roads remains a demonstration of what we can achieve through dedicated planning, unwavering commitment and elaborate collaborative efforts.

‘These roads are designed to alleviate traffic congestion, reduce travel time, and provide a more seamless connection between key areas within our Capital City,’ Tinubu said.

The President commended Wike, FCTA and all the stakeholders involved in execution of all the projects he had been inaugurating for the past seven days.

Speaking in his capacity as the Senate President, Akpabio congratulated Wike for the feat,
saying ‘you have not disappointed Nigerians.

‘As the Chairman of the National Assembly, we will continue to give the FCT Administration all the needed support for Wike to succeed in turning things around for the better.

‘Just before we left the chambers on Mr President’s directive, we passed for second reading of the Supplementary Appropriation Bill of the FCT, to enable you to do more for the people.

‘By next week we will pass the budget and I believe Mr. President will sign it and it will become an Act of parliament.

‘We will continue to support you in every way possible.’

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Management of NNPC Foundation Ltd/Gte. says it has planted 70 economic trees in the premises of Federal Government Girls College, Benin, in commemoration of the 2024 World Environment Day.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that this year’s celebration has its theme as ‘Land Restoration, Desertification and Drought Resilience’.

Speaking during the tree planting ceremony on Wednesday, the Managing Director, NNPC Foundation, Mrs Emmanuella Arukwe, said that the foundation’s mission was to support environmental sustainability through impactful initiative such as reforestation, conservation and education.

Represented by Mrs Goodnews Willie, Deputy Manager, Education and Health care Programmes, Arukwe said that NNPC Ltd. was passionate about executing positive and impactful Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes in the country.

‘The World Environment Day is a global platform to raise awareness about environmental issues and foster action for sustainable development.

‘As a recently transited
private company, NNPC Ltd. is positioned to align with global best practice in the energy industry and is committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

NNPC Foundation tree planting campaign at the FGGC, Benin

‘NNPC Foundation was established as the social arm of NNPC Ltd. to be the connect between the stakeholders, who are the more than 200 million Nigerians, and the company, through the execution of impactful CSR initiatives.

‘One of the key focus areas of NNPC Foundation is to undertake impactful initiatives on Environment, and in commemoration of the World Environment Day.

‘We have lined up strategic programmes such as tree planting campaigns in schools and quizzes competitions to sensitise the citizenry to the need for environmental preservation.

‘According to the UN Convention, more than 40 per cent of the world’s land is degraded and is directly impacting half of the global population, and threatening economies, ‘ She said.

She, therefore, called for the collective affirmative action to
take responsibility for the survival of immediate environment that would bring about positive spiral effects to the global habitat.

Officials of NNPC Foundation planting tree seedlings at the Federal Government Girls College, Benin

Earlier, Mrs Aghedo Osariemen, Principal of Federal Government Girls College, Benin, commended the management of NNPC Ltd/Gte. Foundation for chosing the school as one of its locations for the trees planting campaign initiative.

The highpoint of the event was a panel session by the students who discussed the important of trees planting in the society.

The students also engaged in drama presentation as well as cultural display depicting the cultural heritage of Edo, Igbo and Yoruba ethnic groups.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Some migration stakeholders have underscored the need for positive collaboration among actors to enhance migration governance and management in Nigeria.

They expressed this view during a two-day Technical Working Group (TWG), workshop on Migration and Development, in Abuja on Wednesday.

Alhaji Tijani Ahmed, the Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), said the aim of the meeting was to update the TWG on the progress of the National Migration Policy review.

Ahmed explained that the goal was to initiate and ensure a unified and effective National Migration Policy review.

‘This means bringing together all relevant stakeholders, aligning our efforts, and working collaboratively towards a comprehensive and forward-looking policy.

‘We therefore seek your valuable input, feedback, and recommendations.

‘By engaging with the United Nations Network on Migration country team and drawing from your collective expertise, we aim to create a well-inform
ed and inclusive review process,’ he said.

Earlier, Ms Paola Pace, Deputy Head of Mission, International Organisation for Migration (IOM), in Nigeria, said that the purpose of the TWG meeting was to advance the critical review of Nigeria’s National Migration Policy (NMP).

Pace said that the gathering represented a significant step towards enhancing migration governance and management in the country.

She said it also underscored the importance of adaptive and inclusive policy frameworks in addressing the complex dynamics of migration.

The deputy head of mission reiterated the IOM’s commitment to continue providing technical support.

‘By ensuring that our policies and actions address present-day challenges and opportunities, we can create a future where migration is safe, orderly, and beneficial,’ she added.

Also, the German Ambassador, Annett Gunther said that Germany was committed to safe, orderly and regular migration.

Gunther, said that a review of the National Migration Policy was proof of commitmen
t of the Nigerian government to capture new realities arising from the implementation of the policy in the last eight years.

The British High Commissioner, Mr Richard Montgomery, thanked all the partners for working tirelessly to combat people-trafficking and smuggling.

Montgomery said that as migratory routes continued to diversify and expand, it would not slow down any time soon.

He said that stakeholders’ joint efforts to support safe and regular migration and bring those who seek to profit illegally to task, make a difference.

‘My team and I welcome continued partnership and we look forward to continuing to see the results of much hard work and strategy as a result of this workshop,’ Montgomery said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The NNPC Foundation Ltd./Gte has planted 500 trees across the country through environmental clubs in public secondary schools, to tackle desertification and environmental degradation.

The Foundation also said that based on criticality and needs assessment, it had also commenced engagements with the Katsina State Government to plant one million trees in the state.

‘We will be embarking on the first phase of the one million tree planting in July this year,’ said Mrs Emmanuella Arukwe, Managing Director, NNPC Foundation Ltd.

Arukwe made this known on Wednesday at a Ceremonial Tree Planting at the Government Day Secondary School, Wuse 2, Abuja, to mark the 2024 World Environment Day (WED).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the World Environment Day is celebrated globally every June 5, and the 2024 edition has its theme as ‘Land Restoration, Desertification and Drought Resilience’.

NAN also reports that the NNPC Foundation Ltd. is the social arm of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (
NNPC Ltd.) and one of the key areas of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) intervention programmes is in the environment.

Its school tree planting campaign to mark the World Environment Day involved over 500 school children in selected parts of the country, who are provided with tree seedlings for planting, which was carried out simultaneously.

Arukwe, while speaking, said one of the menaces of the environment and ecosystem was desertification, hence planting trees and restoration of degraded land were necessary.

‘Today is World Environment Day, we are so excited about doing this, which is being done simultaneously across other states including Enugu, Bauchi, Lagos and Edo; we are in the forefront of advocating for this to be done.

‘The young people still have a long future ahead, and because of that it is important they get enlightened and educated on the importance of planting trees.

‘We are here in this school to plant trees; apart from its beautification and economic impact, it also reduces car
bon dioxide and balances the ecosystem.

‘We and the environment are symbiotic; whatever we do, affects us ultimately. We need to desist from cutting down trees and usage of biomass for cooking.

‘We want to ensure that we are not only encouraging the children to plant, but to set up a mechanism for monitoring the planted trees for maximum impact and sustainability in the long run,’ she said.

Arukwe further said that the Foundation would organise a prize giving event for the schools and students, for the best cared or nurtured tree in 2025.

She listed addressing land erosion, desertification and drought, climate regulation, oxygen production, wildlife preservation, air purification, noise reduction, social and economic benefits as some of the benefits of tree planting.

In a presentation, Mrs Lolade Oduwole, Manager, Fund Raising, NNPC Foundation, sensitised the pupils on global warming, adding that the increase in temperature worldwide had become alarming as human activities had affected the ecosystem.

Od
uwole called for generation restoration by planting trees to restore desert, prevent global warming, maintain healthy environment, provide shed and climate regulation as well as promote oxygen production, essential for human lives.

In her remarks, the Principal of the school, Hajiya Jammaylah Yakubu, while emphasising the need to take care of the environment, promised to sustain the campaign by nurturing the trees.

Yakubu also commended the NNPC Foundation for setting up a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Mini Science Library in various schools across the country, including the Government Day Secondary School.

The pupils, who were also allowed to plant trees by themselves, were full of excitement for participating in the environmental preservation.

They vowed to intensify the campaign against environmental degradation.

The Foundation also planted trees in some schools in Gwagwalada and Kuje Area Councils of the FCT and other states.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The NNPC Foundation Ltd. is partnering with the Ministry of Environment to promote climate resilient environment for citizens.

Mrs Emmanuella Arukwe, the Managing Director of the foundation said this at an event to mark the 2024 World Environment Day (WED) on Wednesday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the 2024 WED is’ Land Restoration, Desertification and Drought Resilience’.

The WED is celebrated globally every June 5.

Arukwe, represented by the foundation’s Executive Director, Programme Development, Dr Bala David, said the aim of the foundation was to support environmental sustainability.

According to her, one of the ways of doing this is by planting of trees which is the reason for the gathering at the Government Secondary School (GSS) Kuje.

She said: ‘today being the World Environment Day, we are running this type of programme together with three planting in Bauchi, Enugu, Benin, Lagos and three schools in FCT.

The theme of this year’s event calls for the need to
restore our environment and the importance of tree planting was to regulate climate, biodiversity support and soil protection among others.

Representing the Ministry of Environment and the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, Mr Sampraise Itomo, urged Nigerians and the World at large to treat the environment as its neighbour.

‘Environment is everything around us inclusive of living and non-living things. As humans, we need to know and interact with our environment.

‘And the environment around us is our neighbour and they contribute to our longevity, happiness, and joy so we should have regard for it and try to preserve it,” he said.

Tree planting at GSS Kuje by NNPC Foundation Ltd.

Tree planting at GSS Kuje by NNPC Foundation Ltd.

While reiterating the advantages of tree planting in our environment, Itomo said it was our responsibility to restore the environment for our safety and that of our future generation.

Also speaking, Mr Sani Adamu, the Manager Education of the foundation, restated that the e
nvironment was ours and there was the need for us to take care of it.

‘There are various ways of taking care of our environment and one of such ways is tree planting and that is the essence of why we are here today.

‘As the vice principal has rightly said, when you cut down a tree you should plant two more as a replacement

‘We must take our environment very seriously so that the eco climate can be achieved and by so doing, we will live longer,” he said.

Similarly, the Vice-Principal Administration, Government Secondary School, Kuje, Muhammad Muhammed expressed the commitment of the school to safe guard the trees planted.

‘We have gone ahead to make a protector around the plant to ensure it is protected from being eaten by animals or being destroyed

‘We will make sure that morning and evening, we water them so that we can see them grow well and serve its purpose.

‘Also, where ever we see encroachment or desertification, we should try as much as possible to grow trees in such areas, deforestation should
be afforestation,” he said.

Meanwhile, the students of the school commended the foundation for including them in the WED celebration and thanked them for the knowledge impacted on them.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, the Project Coordinator, Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), has called for intensified campaign against pipeline vandalism oil theft in the country.

Zabbey made the call in Port Harcourt on Wednesday while speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in commemoration of the 2024 World Environment Day.

He said that oil theft, pipeline vandalism and artisanal refining had become hydra-headed monsters staring the nation’s oil industry in the face.

Zabbey said that the world environment day was a wake up call on HYPREP’s mission and the ongoing clean up efforts in Ogoni land.

‘The day provides us an opportunity to reflect, design and facilitate approaches to protect our land and commonwealth.

‘It is an opportunity to restore degraded areas and discourage human activities that compromise the integrity of the environment and biodiversity,’ he said.

He said that all hands should be on deck to tackle the challenge of oil pollution occasioned by oil theft, pipeline vanda
lism, and artisanal refining.

‘We need to all stand up to protect our environment by not polluting it and taking deliberate steps to make it safe,’ he said.

The project coordinator reaffirmed HYPREP’s commitment towards the remediation and restoration of oil impacted areas in Ogoni.

‘The future of the Ogoni people and the Niger Delta region at large is hugely dependent on their land.

‘HYPREP is equipped to lead the process of protecting the land and environment. So, a holistic approach is required to address the endemic trends that negatively impact our land.

‘We are remediating degraded lands and shorelines, restoring mangroves, providing potable water and strengthening public health systems,’ he said.

Zabbey said that HYPREP’s approach to community engagement was inclusive, consultative and participatory.

‘This is because true restoration goes beyond environmental clean-up. We are actively involving local communities in our projects,’ he said.

NAN reports that the theme for this year’s World Enviro
nment Day celebration is : ‘Our land, Our future: Land Restoration, Desertification and Drought Resilience’.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria