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CSR in Nigeria: Shell’s intervention in community and economic development

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Yemie ADEOYE

“Business has a responsibility beyond its basic responsibility to its shareholders; a responsibility to a broader constituency that includes its key stakeholders: customers, employee, NGOs, government – the people of the communities in which it operates.”Courtney Pratt, Former CEO Toronto Hydro.

CORPORATE Social Responsibility or CSR as it’s always shortened is a phenomenon that can make or mar any operation or brand in whatever location on the globe. It is a most necessary factor for the sustainability of such operation or brand especially in the location or community that plays host to the brand and its operational service.

CSR is an essential part of most business module across the world, especially for brands that are corporately structured and very dependent on sustainability. This is so because the host countries and communities are a major factor in the survival of the brand and by extension its operations.

In Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy and most populous country, the story of CSR is almost the same as it is world over, but took different dimension years ago and major international brands and operations came under intense criticism and attacks. But a deeper dive into the waters of community development and CSR activities shows a totally different scenario from what was portrayed by agitators at the time.

The Anglo-Dutch giant Shell operates largely in Nigeria since 1937, when it started business as Shell D’Arcy, and has continued to build very strong bridges up to this day. Inspite of some of the negative news about lack of support through CSR, Shell has continued to empower people, communities and businesses across the West African nation with the commitment and focus of a brand that is very focused on sustainability and the future.

In 2019, Shell’s Nigerian businesses (SPDC, SNEPCo and SNG) made direct social investments of US$40 million in Nigeria, making the country the largest concentration of social investment spending in the Shell Group. These investments were recorded in Access to affordable healthcare, Supporting education, Enterprise support, Accelerating access to energy, Assistance and safety etc.

Shell and its subsidiaries in Nigeria have spent US$252 million on community driven programmes since 2006, with over 6000 university grants since 2011. This goes against the narrative that has always made the rounds about international oil companies’ lack of support for Nigeria, especially host communities.

Shell Companies in Nigeria have invested in healthcare and education initiatives in Nigeria for decades and has continued to support a range of programmes not just in the Niger-delta region where it operates, but also across Nigeria. This is achieved via a two-pronged social investment approach.

The first of such is tagged Direct social investment across Nigeria, which focuses on community and enterprise development, education, community health, access-to-energy, road safety and since 2018, biodiversity. The second is tagged Community-driven development programmes and initiatives in the Niger Delta, and this focuses on various themes as determined by benefiting communities and delivered through a Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU).

There are 39 active GMoUs in Abia, Bayelsa, Delta, Imo and Rivers States. In 2019,three new GMoUs were deployed and 10 GMOUs renewed. The GMoUs provide a secure five-year funding for communities to implement development projects of their choice. GMoU projects cover community health, education, enterprise development and social infrastructure, such as improved water and power supply, and sanitation. Since 2006, a total of $252 million has been disbursed to communities through these GMoUs.

TOP TEN INNOVATORS IN 2018

In 2018, Nigerian Yolo Bakumor Smith, CEO of De-Rabacon Plastics, won the first-ever Shell LiveWIRE Top Ten Innovators Awards for his business. De-Rabacon is a Nigeria-based plastic recycling and waste management solution company that recycles end-consumer plastics to viable commercial products such as pavement blocks, buckets, cans, and carpets.

“There is often a paper-thin line between success and failure in business, especially for a start-up. The training, support systems and valuable networks I have gained over the last five years courtesy of Shell LiveWIRE, have gone a long way to ensure that my business start-up, De-Rabacon Plastics is thriving,” he said.

“Shell’s approach to supporting local enterprises to grow and excel is enabling us to scale up our business and focus on designing eco-friendly, energy-efficient and affordable products. Today, my organisation employs 16 people and has recycled over 800,000 tonnes of plastic waste. We plan to achieve two million tonnes by the end of 2020.”

HEALTHCARE

The essence and importance of affordable but quality healthcare cannot be overemphasised, as it is a critical enabler to the development and sustenance any community.

It improves health indicators and outcomes and strengthens families, educational attainment and business opportunities.

Shell has consistently supported community health programmes in Nigeria since the 1980s with equipment and pharmaceutical donations, emergency care and screening services, hospital maintenance and focused interventions on HIV/AIDS, malaria, cancer and vision care. Today, Shell seeks to increase access to health services, introduce health insurance schemes and strengthen health systems.

The Anglo-Dutch oil company continues to work with key stakeholders to achieve universal health coverage by increasing access to health and the uptake of services in the communities. The SPDC Joint Venture and SNEPCo supports 20 healthcare centers and signature intervention projects throughout Nigeria.

Health-In-Motion community care programme

Health-in-Motion (HIM) is a mobile health outreach programme that takes free medical services to where People live and work. Funded by the SPDC JV and SNEPCo, it reaches an average of 50 communities annually. In 2019, HIM services benefited 27,490 individuals in Imo, Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers and Ogun States. Since its launch in 2010, more than 667,000 people have benefited from this particular programme.

Community Health Insurance Scheme

The Community Health Insurance Scheme (CHIS) is a partnership between SPDC, Rivers State Government and local communities. The programme aims to provide affordable, quality healthcare to the people of Rivers State.

CHIS was launched in 2010 at Obio Cottage Hospital, a secondary health care centre, just a short walk from the SPDC JV offices in Port Harcourt. CHIS costs individuals $30 per year and covers about 95% of people’s health care needs. Since 2010, more than 67,000 people have been enrolled. In 2019, nearly 8,500 new clients registered.

The hospital has also seen an increase in the uptake of services. For example, the average number of patients using the facility increased from about 600 at inception to about 7,700 per month in 2019, making Obio one of the most utilised health facilities in the region.

This successful pilot has now been expanded to three other locations, highlighting the possibility for extended healthcare coverage in Nigeria.

Oloibiri Health Programme (OHP)

The Oloibiri Health Programme is a Shell-sponsored local government initiative in the Ogbia area of Bayelsa State. It is designed to improve health outcomes in an innovative and holistic way. The initiative included a full refurbishment of the Kolo General Hospital, which was inaugurated in July 2019.

More broadly, the initiative focuses on improving and maintaining health, not just treating illness. It strengthens local healthcare systems by upgrading and integrating facilities, training and supporting local healthcare and community workers and ensuring a reliable supply of medicines.

The programme has seen a five-fold increase in service utilisation to 4,210 patients in 2019 from an average 833 patients in 2017.

It has also provided training for over 130 health workers at community, local and state government levels. In addition to this, it has trained 117 volunteers as facility-based extension workers in house-to-house healthcare.

To anchor the sustainability of the OHP, the initiative aims to establish the Oloibiri Health Foundation that will institute the Ogbia Health Insurance Scheme akin to the scheme in place at the Obio Cottage Hospital.

The scheme will be launched with a one-time contribution from Shell and the Bayelsa State Government. The Oloibiri Health programme included a refurbishment of the kolo General Hospital, which was inaugurated in 2019.

EDUCATION

Over 35 percent of Nigeria’s population falls within the youth demographics. Providing easy access to education for this demographic is critical to the success of the country.

Shell Companies in Nigeria have a long history of supporting education through scholarships and other initiatives. Since the 1950s, the Shell scholarship schemes have supported several thousands of students many of whom are among Nigeria’s business, political and social leaders.

In 2019, the SPDC JV and SNEPCo invested $7.8 million in scholarships. Since 2011, the schemes have awarded more than 9,400 secondary school grants and over 6,000 university grants to students.

Cradle-to-Career Scholarships

The SPDC JV and SNEPCo invest in the Cradle-to-Career scholarship programme, which pays for children from rural communities to attend some of the country’s top secondary schools. The SPDC JV has awarded a cumulative 600 Cradle-to-Career (c2c) scholarships in the Niger Delta. In 2014, SNEPCo began offering these scholarships to applicants across the country, and so far, 471 students have benefited.

Since 2010, more than 1,000 students have received scholarships. The scholarships cover the full cost of tuition, travel, accommodation, uniforms, books and laptops. Students completing the c2c secondary school scheme also receive support from Shell through the University Scholarship scheme. This support is dependent on them securing admission to a Nigerian University.

Tertiary Education

Lack of world-class research institutions and limited access to technology are key challenges in enabling Nigerians to play an even greater role in the oil and gas sector. Shell invests in advancing education through university scholarships, student exchange programmes and focused research.

Since 2011, the SPDC JV and SNEPCo have awarded more than 6,000 university scholarships. As part of the drive to motivate students and reward the high performers in the University Scholarship Scheme, the highest-achieving students are then also given the opportunity to participate in the SPDC JV Students Industrial Work Experience (SIWE) programme.

The SPDC JV also established the Shell Niger Delta Post Graduate scholarship programme which has benefitted 92 students from the region over the last decade. The programme offers one-year scholarships to three UK universities for studies related to the oil and gas industry.

To promote the emergence of industry-ready graduates at university level, Shell also invests in specific initiatives at Nigerian universities.

The SPDC JV, in collaboration with the University of Benin, funds a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Geosciences and Petroleum Engineering and has more recently (in 2017), collaborated with the Rivers State University to set up a CoE, which specialises in Marine and Offshore Engineering.

The CoEs offer specialised post-graduate degrees in Geosciences, Petroleum Engineering and Marine and Offshore Engineering respectively. Each programme lasts for 18 months and culminates in a six-month internship with an oil and gas company, some within Shell. By the end of 2019, over 75 students had graduated from the programmes and over 81percent of these graduates are currently employed.

ENTERPRISE SUPPORT

Shell works to improve the chances for Nigerians to achieve their ambitions. In addition to providing access to loans, and to small and medium businesses, which could become Shell suppliers and contractors, there is also the ‘LiveWIRE’ youth enterprise development programme.

‘LiveWIRE’ was launched in Nigeria in 2003 and provides training and finance to young people between the ages of 18-35 to start or expand their own businesses.

In 2019, 140 people benefitted from the ‘Livewire’ programme, receiving training in enterprise development and management, as well as business start-up grants. More than 7,000 Nigerian youths have so far been trained under the programme and almost 4,000 young entrepreneurs were provided with business grants.

Two Nigerian enterprises were shortlisted in 2019 for the Shell Global Top Ten Innovators Awards, A global competition that highlights and rewards businesses that demonstrate excellence in innovation as well as giving entrepreneurs a chance to shine on a global platform.

The enterprises were FarmToJuice and Foods Nigeria Ltd “FarmToJuice” and Basiled Energy Ventures. FarmToJuice produces juices, processing any waste into livestock feed and using a biogas digester to provide energy. Basiled provides solar lamps, solar installation maintenance and repair and solar battery recycling services. 

Shell “LiveWIRE”

Every year Shell ‘LiveWIRE’ supports thousands of individuals to access the knowledge, skills, networks and resources to turn their business ideas into successful enterprises, which provides sustainable income, create jobs and drive innovation.

The purpose of ‘LiveWIRE’ is to improve opportunities for young people to realise their potential through the creation and development of their own businesses.

Such businesses will contribute towards a more buoyant economy and communities with more fulfilled young people.

‘LiveWire’ in Ogoniland

In 2014,Shell extended the LiveWIRE initiative to Ogoniland despite the SPDC Joint Venture no longer producing oil and gas in the area.

The multinational oil company was only aimed at helping to raise the living standards and reduce crude oil theft in the area through the promotion of sustainable alternative livelihoods. This was in line with one of the recommendations of the 2011 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Report for the restoration of the Ogoni environment.

In 2018, 100 Ogoni youths from communities near the Trans Niger Pipeline participated in training with 80 top performing trainees receiving business start-up funding amounting to more than $90,000.

In 2019, the Ogoniland programme gave way to a livelihood programme led and executed by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), an agency established by the federal government and to which the SPDC JV contributes funds. The programme will train 1,200 Ogoni women in various skills and is another initiative appreciated and fully supported and funded by Shell.

Assistance and Safety

These are two critical areas that the company has placed high emphasis. Shell Companies in Nigeria understands their responsibility when it comes to providing support for humanitarian and safety programmes, such as those providing relief to displaced persons or training for emergency workers.

Humanitarian Assistance

For many years, Shell has sustained a culture of care by supporting humanitarian programmes in Nigeria to save lives, especially during crisis and disaster.

In 2017, a contribution of more than $3 million to the Mercy Corps and Family Health International programme benefitted over 70,000 displaced persons in North-eastern Nigeria.

Then in 2018, SPDC provided relief materials worth $1 million to communities hit by floods in the Niger Delta and two other severely impacted states in the country.

Road safety and fire fighting

In 2019, SNG continued to demonstrate its 1 commitment to road safety in Nigeria by extending existing collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Corps in Ogun State to Rivers State. The campaign has held 26 road safety awareness events and reached more than 5,000 people since its launch in 2007.

SNG also held a one-day hydrocarbon training for fire fighters from Abia and Ogun States to further strengthen their capability.

Humanitarian Relief in the North East

Since 2018, SPDC and SNEPCo have committed $6 million to the government driven strategic intervention projects for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in Yobe and Borno States. The projects focus on immediate relief and critical support development related to health, water and sanitation, education and shelter.

By the end of 2019, the SPDC JV and SNEPCo completed the distribution of food, essential hygiene kits and other relief items to over 5,500 vulnerable households in IDP camps and impacted communities. SPDC also commenced project work on school reconstruction, and teacher training, upgrading of a Primary Health Care Centre and water and toilet facilities in Yobe State.

Access to Energy

Enterprise development, opportunities for education and access to affordable healthcare hinge upon being able to have reliable and cost-effective energy.

Shell aims to provide a reliable electricity supply to 100 million people, primarily in Africa and Asia by 2030. Nigeria features in that vision.

Despite its oil and gas resources, Nigeria has one of the highest levels of energy poverty in the world7. In addition to investing in Nigeria’s gas development and distribution network, Shell has established “All On” to boost off-grid supply to homes and small businesses in the Niger Delta.

All On, an impact investing company became operational in 2017 and is an independent Nigerian company that works with partners to increase access to commercial energy products and services. In December 2019, Shell made a significant additional long-term financing commitment to All On.

Off-Grid Energy

In an Interview with Dr. Wiebe Boer, a Yale alumni and CEO, All On he observed that Nigerians deserve more reliable energy, especially with its richly endowed location. “Positive change is coming. Already All On has invested in 21 off-grid energy companies and two funds, leading to 21,000 new connections for low-income households and businesses. The journey is just beginning”.

He stated further that the approach being deployed by his company is to get energy across to Nigerians. “Today, grid electricity can be unreliable and back-up generators are expensive and noisy. We help finance businesses that use emerging clean energy technologies to support the creation and growth of sustainable off-grid energy businesses for urban and rural customers.”

Affordable and available energy does change lives, and school children can do their homework, agriculture products can be processed and preserved, businesses can thrive, hospitals and schools can also function.

Inspite of these positive possibilities there still exists enormous but very surmountable challenges to the realisation of affordable and available energy.

“About 75% of Nigerian households and small businesses are either off-grid or have poor-grid connection. The scale of the energy access gap in Nigeria is a formidable and urgent problem. My challenge is how do I execute fast enough to make a significant impact without compromising on safety, quality, or anything else” he enthused.

All On invests in off-grid energy solutions spanning solar, wind, hydro, biomass and gas technologies that complements available grid power across Nigeria.

It also aims to help create a more enabling environment for start-ups and to provide them with low-cost financing. In 2019, All On executed an innovative financing instrument with Renewvia to provide affordable access-to-energy solutions.

Through this financing, at least eight mini-grids with a target capacity of 900kW will be installed in various communities. Working with Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Norfund and ElectriFi, All On also participated in the $9 million equity-financing round in Arnergy, which has enabled Arnergy to scale operations and provide solar energy systems for 1,500 small and medium-sized enterprises.

Conclusion

It is obvious from the above that while there continues to exist a massive infrastructural deficiency in the Niger-Delta and across Nigeria, Shell as an operational brand in Nigeria since 1937, and like any other responsible organisation, has been very involved in nation building through its consistent and far reaching Corporate Social Responsibilities, CSR, not just in the Niger-delta where it operates, but as far as the North-eastern region of the country, where it has zero operations.

For organisations and brands still considering and weighing the importance and place of CSR in their modus operandi, it is instructive that they take a cue from Shell by reading up on the CSR story of the Anglo-Dutch oil giant in Nigeria.

 

 

 

Opinion/Feature

Downstream Deregulation: Between Obasanjo’s Half-measures And Tinubu’s Bold Leadership

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By Temitope Ajayi
A video of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s interview with News Central Television has been trending on social media platforms for the past week. In the interview, the former President, in a veiled reference to the current administration, said Nigeria has a President who came into office without a plan. Yet, the same ‘planless’ president is implementing a bold economic reform programme that Obasanjo initiated and abandoned mid-way.
This intervention is essentially about a tale of two leaders and how they both handled fuel subsidy removal, a very touchy issue every president of Nigeria has avoided since 1973 because of its disruptive nature and potential to precipitate a pushback that may lead to civil unrest. This serious matter in itself can make a difference between a bold and courageous leader from one that is pretentious and hesitant.
It is a fact of history that one of the things former President Obasanjo set out to do, among other reforms his administration embarked upon, was complete deregulation of the downstream oil industry. But hard as he tried, he failed to actualise it. Obasanjo faced so much opposition from organised labour and civil society groups that he abandoned a good policy that would have led to massive economic gains for the country. All he could muster the courage to do was to raise the pump price four times during his two-term tenure.
Twenty years after Obasanjo failed to implement complete downstream deregulation, President Bola Tinubu had the courage of his conviction to implement the policy, redirect the economy, and ensure efficiency in the management of public finance.
Despite his foibles and messianic complex, former President Obasanjo is no doubt a remarkable leader. His administration opened the economy and implemented essential reforms that his immediate successor should have continued with. What most critics find offensive about the former president is how he sees himself as the only saviour God created for Nigeria. As far as he is concerned, no other leader before and after him has been good enough. For context and clarity, it is essential to recall the former president’s position on deregulating the downstream oil sector when he was in charge.
In a national broadcast on October 8, 2003, President Obasanjo expressed his frustration and anger at the Nigeria Labour Congress for its opposition to the deregulation of the downstream sector to the point of accusing labour leaders of sedition thus:
“As you are aware, my government has embarked on fundamental reforms designed to depart from the waste and unproductive exercises of the past and leave lasting legacies for the prosperity and improved welfare and well-being of all Nigerians. Since 1999, we have gradually but steadily embarked on the programme of liberalisation and deregulation of the Nigerian economy to promote efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery. Most Nigerians and certainly all organised key stakeholders in the Nigerian economy, including the Nigeria Labour Congress, have endorsed the deregulation programme of government.
“It is a fitting symbol of our administration’s commitment to the welfare of workers and in an effort to cushion the effects of deregulation that the government provided 80 buses to the NLC in 2002. The transliner buses were delivered to the Congress for management without government interference. It is noteworthy that every step taken to deregulate the downstream oil sector has been dogged by, sometimes, irresponsible opposition by the Labour Congress. The result has been that we took too little steps to achieve no meaningful and satisfactory progress. We have tolerated all of these in the interest of promoting popular dialogue and informed dissent.
“Let me inform Nigerians that when government first came up with the deregulation programme, it was endorsed by the NLC and other stakeholders. In fact, the NLC had requested that we call it a “liberalisation” programme. It was thus more a matter of label than of substance. If we had been successful in implementing the deregulation or liberalisation of the downstream oil sector as earlier agreed by all stakeholders, including labour, we would not have been worrying about the periodic and unsatisfactory price-fixing which has led no where except to frustration. The failure to fully deregulate or liberalise has also cost Nigerians billions of naira which are currently wasted on millions of man-hours in queues at the petrol stations.
“The tens of billions of naira currently being lost in money that could have been used to increase capital spending in the universities, fund agriculture, repair and rehabilitate our roads, invest in education and health, improve security with extra police for security of lives and property.
“Realising that the investment of well over $400 million (excluding pipelines and depots) in the last six years mostly on Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) and repairs had not improved the performance of the refineries significantly, government had decided that it was unwise to put additional money into the repair of the Kaduna and Port Harcourt refineries before privatising them.
“What most Nigerians must know is that the contracts for the Turn Around Maintenance for the Kaduna and Port Harcourt refineries were awarded with 50% of the cost paid upfront before the advent of this administration in 1999. Allow me to add that two of the three refinery locations in the country today, were built by my administration as military head of state. This means that if for no other reason, I should be interested in keeping them working. Already, 18 private firms have been licensed to build refineries but they have been reluctant to go into the industry because of Government’s price control in the sector.
“If only 30% of these firms had been able to establish and operate private refineries, thousands of jobs would have been created and Nigeria would have been in a position to even export refined oil products. All these benefits and more have been denied to Nigerians by the stop-go approach to the deregulation or liberalisation programme, and only a few Nigerians are benefiting from the prevailing government-controlled system. In fact, the NLC’s approach has been counter-productive, and inflicted more pains on Nigerian workers. Each time there is a small increase of three naira or more, transporters have used the opportunity to jerk up transportation cost thereby making the ordinary worker poorer.
“A once-and-for-all total deregulation would have meant a once-and-for-all increase in transport cost and the pump price for petroleum products. Without a doubt, a once-and-for-all total deregulation would have resolved the problem of availability and thus bring down prices for those outside Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and their environs who have always paid much more than the official posted price. Pump prices arising from the present total deregulation would, in reality, amount to a reduction in prices of majority of Nigerians.”
Interestingly, excerpts from the 2003 national broadcast by President Obasanjo present a contrast between the former leader and President Tinubu. They also showcase two leadership visions. One leader saw the need to fight for the country’s long-term sustainability but chickened out because he lacked the courage to upset the status quo. Two decades later, another leader saw the damage the failure to make the right economic decision had caused the country. He decided to correct it to avert a looming calamity. While former President Obasanjo left the most challenging task of his presidency undone, President Tinubu tackled head-on what has become an existential threat to our collective well-being from his first day in office. He has remained focused on the bigger picture.
President Tinubu recognises the burden of leadership and responsibility he bears on behalf of Nigerians. In discharging this burden, he knew from day one that he would have to make the right but unpopular decisions that would ultimately serve the best interest of the country and her people.
It is certainly not correct to say this president came to the office without a plan. President Tinubu came into the office with a clear plan titled “Renewed Hope 2023: Action Plan for a Better Nigeria.” It was a well-thought-out programme, with which he canvassed for votes across the country and was elected by our people.
In the past 17 months, he has remained faithful to the document as he implements the distilled eight-point agenda.
At the heart of President Tinubu’s economic revitalisation is gas development and expansion of gas pipeline infrastructure to enable Nigeria to compete with Russia in the European markets. In fairness to him, former President Obasanjo himself recently lamented he did not pay adequate attention to gas during his term of office.
Expanding the pool of available talents and human capital through granting of loans to young Nigerians who are the future of the country to enable them acquire tertiary or vocational education is part of the plans that propelled Tinubu into office. Consumer credit initiative that will promote local production and further stimulate the economy is also high on Tinubu’s action plan. To the President’s credit, these two important policy initiatives among several others are being implemented through NELFUND and Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation (CrediCorp).
If there is one President of Nigeria that came prepared and well armed with a clear cut plan to reposition the country across sectors for better outcomes, that President, undoubtedly, is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
-Ajayi is Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Media and Publicity
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Opinion/Feature

UNCOMMON SCHOLAR, EXCEPTIONAL ADMINISTRATOR: MY TRIBUTE TO PROF. OLOYEDE AT 70

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By President Bola Tinubu

As Professor Ishaq Oloyede turns 70 tomorrow, October 10, I pay a special tribute to this astute administrator, educator, author, and scholar, currently the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Registrar.

As the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Oloyede’s invaluable contributions to the nation through academia and public-sector administration have significantly impacted the academic community.

ALSO READ: Tinubu Congratulates Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu On Her Election As President, UICC

His impactful tenure at the University of Ilorin, during which he introduced landmark ideas and innovations that helped the institution attain enviable heights, is on record.

Through patriotic dedication and commitment to his craft, Prof Oloyede imparted knowledge and character to thousands of students who underwent his teaching during his glorious and impactful academic career.

Indeed, the bedrock of development lies in education. Developing nations, including Nigeria, are in dire need of more scholars like Prof. Oloyede. His selfless sacrifices and innovative approaches to learning and leadership give hope for a brighter future.

Perhaps more remarkable is Prof. Oloyede’s transformative leadership at JAMB. He pioneered and sustained a series of reforms and technological innovations that have made the admission process in Nigeria transparent and credible.

In his eight years of stewardship at the board, thus far, Prof. Oloyede has demonstrated an uncommon commitment to financial integrity and accountability in public service. He has also raised the bar in administration and management.

I am proud of Prof. Oloyede’s accomplishments.

The nation owes the Professor of Islamic Jurisprudence a debt of gratitude for transforming JAMB, traditionally a non-revenue-generating government agency, into a consistent contributor to the national treasury through efficient financial management. His contributions to JAMB are invaluable and greatly appreciated.

On this occasion of his 70th birthday, I join members of the academic community, students, JAMB staff, and well-wishers in celebrating this scholar who, in words and deeds, has also done a lot to propagate the Islamic religion.

I pray that Almighty Allah will continue to honour the distinguished professor with health, wisdom and strength to serve the nation for many more years.

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Opinion/Feature

Clarification On NNPCL Refinery Operations

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By Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri PhD

My attention has been drawn to statements made by Engr. Kamoru Busari, Director of Upstream in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, who represented me at a recent conference in Lagos. I wish to categorically state that the claim that I directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to stop running its own refineries and focus solely on equity participation in other refineries is false. This does not represent my position as Minister overseeing the oil sector, nor does it reflect the stance of the Federal Government.

It is important to clarify that NNPCL is a company governed under the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), with a functional board and management. The Ministry of Petroleum Resources does not control or run NNPCL, as it operates independently like any corporate entity.

ALSO READ: NNPC/Seplat JV’s “Eye Can See” Programme Restores Vision, Hope In Imo

The oil and gas sector is fully deregulated, and the Nigerian government remains committed to promoting in-country refining. We encourage companies, including NNPCL, to operate independently, following global best practices. While we provide strategic guidance, we do not interfere directly in the operations of these companies.

I reaffirm our commitment to supporting the growth and independence of NNPCL, ensuring that its operations are in line with international standards for efficiency and transparency and profitability.

Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri PhD, Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Oil), wrote from Abuja, Nigeria

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