Energy
NCDMB boosts technology-enhanced learning in Akwa Ibom, commissions three ICT Centres
In a deliberate effort to deepen Internet penetration and digital education in the country, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) on Tuesday commissioned three state-of-the-art Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Centres, with dedicated broadband Internet, in three rural secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State.
The benefiting institutions are Girls High School, Ikot Ibiok, Northern Annang Secondary Commercial School, Utu-Etim-Ekpo, and Government Technical College (GTC), Ikot Uko-Ika. For each of the schools a dedicated block, fully air-conditioned and well-secured with protectors and reinforced metal windows, serves as the ICT Centre.
Each of the Centres has 31 units of desktop computers, 31 purpose-built desks and 31 seats, two stools, 25 solar panels (already installed), two 20kVA inverters with 30 pieces of battery, a 20kVA generator, a server unit, a printer and a scanner, a router and a dish for Internet services, and a giant smart screen display board with vast teaching and learning potentials.
They represent the latest in the initiatives of the NCDMB in capacity building, with over 15 million training manhours already recorded in diverse skills acquisition and empowerment programmes since the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, 2010, came into effect. Many of the 13,000 beneficiaries so far have become successful professionals and entrepreneurs in the industry and related sectors of the economy, including the maritime.
The Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, told Management and staff of Girls High School that the mandate of the Board centres on local capacity development and that it has a deliberate policy to make students familiar with digital tools for learning as a way of enhancing their competitiveness as they progress in education. According to him, the policy is “catch them young,” which means stimulating their interest in the sciences and engineering at an early age so they could pursue careers in those disciplines as they grow up.
In pursuit of that policy, he explained, the Board is also deliberately promoting science, technology and mathematics (STEM) education in secondary schools across the country to guarantee the development of indigenous manpower to secure the future of the country’s oil and gas country.
The NCDMB boss, who was represented by the Board’s General Manager, Corporate Communication and Zonal Coordination, Mrs. Angela Okoro, said the ICT Centres would make it possible for the students to have access to the current state of knowledge in all subject areas, as the smart screen and dedicated broadband Internet provide access to the latest publications and research results. The Centres also guarantee recognition by the West African
Examinations Council (WAEC) for teaching of ICT-related subjects and the students would be able to prepare and sit for various external exams.
In his own remarks, the NCDMB Zonal Coordinator for Akwa Ibom and Cross River States, Mr. Uduak Obot, said, “It is a thing of joy to start a thing and complete it,” recounting how work on the ICT Centres began few months ago and had thus far been completed. He thanked the principal and staff of the school as well as the contractor of the project for their efforts and quality work.
He told the students that “the oil and gas industry is knowledge-based” and that they “must be ICT-savvy” to be sufficiently competitive in that sector. The ICT Centre, he emphasised, elevates the standard of the school, and children of the masses now have access to digital tools that only their counterparts in the expensive private schools have been enjoying over time.
According to him, the dedicated broadband Internet now provided “will enable students to read any book anywhere in the world,” a fact that makes the facility a library of an advanced nature. Their studies would no longer be hampered by lack of money to buy books or non-availability of required texts from local bookshops.
His charge to the Management and students of the school as well as the host community: “Take full advantage of the facilities; take ownership,” adding: “NCDMB will be checking on the Centre from time to time.” He assured the school that experts would soon be sent by NDCMB, to train all the teachers on how to use the smart screen provided.
The principal, staff and students as well as the Ikot-Ibiok community thanked the NCDMB profusely for establishing such a Centre at their school, assuring the Board that they would ensure the safety of the facilities. A spokesperson for the community, Obonganwan Ekaette Nduese Essien, wife of a former Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, said the commissioning was a historic development for the community as it had raised the standard of the school.
The octogenarian recounted how girl-children of the community had been so disadvantaged in the past, without opportunity for secondary school education, until the establishment of the Girls High School. The ICT Centre, she enthused, means young girls would be able now to get the best education without having to travel to distant places..
At Northern Annang Secondary Commercial School and the Government Technical College, NCDMB restated its history and mandate, and explained the importance of the ICT Centres donated to the schools. The Managements of the schools, students and communities were equally appreciative and wished the NCDMB success in all its endeavours. They all promised to protect the facilities.
Other Management staff of the NCDMB at the events included Engr. James Eyefigha (Zonal Coordinator, Edo/Delta), Dr. Emmanuel Ohanyere (Zonal Coordinator, Imo/Abia), Mr. Dala Asangolo (Zonal Coordinator, Rivers/Bayelsa), and Mr. Joseph Adebayo, Project Manager/Zonal Coordinator, Headquarters).
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has said that 172 Host Communities Development Trusts (HCDTs) have so far been incorporated by oil and gas companies operating across the country.
The chief executive, NUPRC, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, disclosed this while addressing the leadership of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) in Abuja.
Under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), oil and gas companies, referred to as settlors, are required to contribute three percent of their Operating Expenditure from the preceding financial year into a Host Communities Trust Fund for the benefit of communities where they operate.
Eyesan said the NUPRC had been enforcing the provisions of the Act, particularly those relating to host communities and the obligations of operating companies, and had put in place regulations and procedures to streamline the process.
“We have laid out procedures for doing things and we have put regulations in place to streamline the process. So far, we have registered 172 HCDTs and we have been able to manage contributions by settlors,” she said.
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She said the trusts had funded the construction of schools, hospitals and other infrastructure, and had contributed significantly to peace and stability in previously volatile communities, which in turn had led to an increase in oil production.
Eyesan, however, admitted that some of the HCDTs had become subjects of litigation over disagreements on the constitution of their Boards of Trustees. She said the Commission had been working to ensure the trusts run smoothly, and that its Alternative Dispute Resolution Centre had played a key role in addressing some of the grievances.
She said that while the RMAFC’s interest in host communities was appreciated, oversight of how the funds are managed remained the exclusive preserve of the NUPRC.
The NUPRC boss also promised to investigate the lingering disagreement between Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company (SEEPCO) and its host community in Anambra State.
Responding, the chairman of the RMAFC, Dr Mohammed Bello Shehu, commended the NUPRC for overseeing reforms in the oil and gas sector that had contributed to growth in production.
Shehu said the RMAFC regards the upstream oil and gas sector as important, given that it accounts for a large share of revenue accruing to the Federation Account.
He thanked the NUPRC leadership for honouring the RMAFC’s invitation and called for stronger collaboration between the two institutions in the interest of the country.
Data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) shows that crude oil imports by domestic refineries rose by 151.5 percent to 5.13 million barrels in July 2026, from 2.04 million barrels in June.
In a related development, domestic crude supply to refineries fell sharply during the month.
According to the NMDPRA’s July 2026 Midstream and Downstream Statistics, local refineries received a total of 17.88 million barrels of crude in July, comprising 12.75 million barrels supplied domestically and 5.13 million barrels imported.
Imported crude therefore accounted for 28.7 percent of total crude receipts by domestic refineries in July, while domestic supplies contributed the remaining 71.3 percent.
The 5.13 million barrels imported in July represented a significant rebound from the 2.04 million barrels recorded in June. It was also higher than the 2.08 million barrels imported in May and 0.41 million barrels in April.
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However, July’s import volume remained below the 9.43 million barrels recorded in March, the highest monthly volume so far in 2026.
The data showed that crude imports stood at 0.71 million barrels in January before rising to 4.25 million barrels in February and peaking at 9.43 million barrels in March.
Imports subsequently plunged to 0.41 million barrels in April, before recovering to 2.08 million barrels in May, 2.04 million barrels in June and 5.13 million barrels in July.
The report also disclosed that domestic crude supply to refineries declined by 25.4 percent month-on-month, falling from 17.08 million barrels in June to 12.75 million barrels in July.
In January, domestic refineries received 8.83 million barrels of domestic crude and 0.71 million barrels of imported crude, bringing total receipts to 9.54 million barrels.
The figure rose to 13.13 million barrels in February, comprising 8.88 million barrels of domestic crude and 4.25 million barrels of imports.
March recorded the highest total crude receipts at 20.92 million barrels, with domestic supply contributing 11.49 million barrels and imports 9.43 million barrels.
Total receipts stood at 18.37 million barrels in April, made up of 17.96 million barrels of domestic crude and 0.41 million barrels of imports.
In May, refineries received 17.92 million barrels, comprising 15.84 million barrels of domestic crude and 2.08 million barrels of imports, while June recorded 19.12 million barrels, made up of 17.08 million barrels of domestic crude and 2.04 million barrels of imports.
Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE has increased the gantry price of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) from N1,185 to N1,200 per litre, effective August 26, 2026.
In an official communication to customers issued on Tuesday, the refinery’s Group Commercial Operations announced revised depot prices for gantry and coastal deliveries.
The email, titled ‘PMS Price Change Communication (N1,185 per Litre To N1,200 Per Litre)’, asked customers to take note of the revised DPRP PMS gantry and coastal price, which is effective 26th August 2026.
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According to the table contained in the notice, the coastal price rose from N1,562,265 per metric tonne to N1,582,380, while the gantry price increased from N1,185 to N1,200 per litre.
The refinery further directed customers to return all Authorisation to Collect documents for repricing, adding that a new volume contract would be issued for immediate loading resumption.
“You are advised to return all ATCs for repricing, and a new volume contract will be issued for immediate loading resumption. Should you require any further clarification, please do not hesitate to contact us,” the notice said.
The latest adjustment represents a N15 per litre increase in the gantry price and comes barely days after the refinery raised the price from N1,165 to N1,185 per litre. The previous increase took effect from midnight on August 21, 2026, according to industry trackers.
However, the latest hike comes against a backdrop of falling international crude oil prices. Data from oilprice.com on Tuesday showed West Texas Intermediate crude trading at $82.13 per barrel, down $2.88 or 3.39 per cent, while Brent crude stood at $88.37 per barrel, declining by $3.80 or 4.12 per cent. Murban crude also fell to $92.71 per barrel, shedding $8.73 or 8.61 per cent.
Our correspondent gathered that marketers and depot operators who received the circular might have begun returning existing ATCs for repricing in line with the refinery’s directive.
The N15 increase could result in higher pump prices as oil marketers factor in transportation, landing and other downstream costs. Petrol is expected to return to an average of N1,250 per litre.
The Dangote Group has yet to respond to messages from our correspondent.
The price increase comes at a time of renewed volatility in the international oil market amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict. Reuters reported that oil prices fell as investors viewed the latest US sanctions against Iran as less threatening to global oil supplies than a military escalation. However, analysts warned that the decline could be an overreaction, noting that prices could rise sharply if Iran retaliates militarily.
Reuters also reported that supply disruption risks remained, with only two commodity vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, the lowest daily tally since early May. The waterway handled about one-fifth of global oil consumption before the conflict began, leaving the market vulnerable to further disruptions.
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