Payment Cards: Stakeholders Chart Way To Progress

11:57 PM Business No Comments

AHEAD of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) final implementation of the cashless policy, stakeholders have begun discussion on market structures, competitions, market imbalances and the pains it could inflict on card users.
At a workshop organized by Initiative For Public Policy Analysis (IPPA), the stakeholders bore their mind on the response of card users in Nigeria and how it affects the nation’s economy especially in the wake of the cashless policy.
At inception of payment cards, Nigerians embraced the invention believing it was going to be a preferred solution to diverse challenges that confront account owners in accessing their funds.
Though, with the advent of payment cards, the pressure of accessing funds in bank accounts eased a bit, the relief was however momentary as challenges associated with the card usage soon followed.
It has really helped jumped the barrier of time limitation in accessing funds.
Except for the cases of card theft, illegal transfer of people’s funds without authorization, internet fraud and other mistrust set in; the population of card users would have continue to be on the increase instead of this unusual downturn of the development its witnessing.
Just as the nation’s card market started experiencing development, certain distortions and imbalances set in.  Ranging from card theft, mistrust to internet fraud that characterised its atmosphere, it was evident that Nigeria is just learning the rope in payment cards usage.
Unfortunately cases of card theft, illegal funds transfer, dispensing error by the Automobile Teller Machines (ATM) amongst others, made the very few percentage that are using the cards dropped drastically.
Regardless of the banks campaign on cards usage, coupled with the apex bank directives on cashless policy, the response graph is still nose-diving.
These and other issues were the salient points discussed at the workshop, themed, ‘Engaging Stakeholders in The Economic Regulation of Payment Cards in Nigeria,’ which took place in Lagos recently.
Speaking on this development, Dr Damilola Olajide of University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom argued that the initial high adoption of payment cards in Nigeria has not been sustained overtime and that the usage and adoption rates have been significantly low due to insufficient information and the largely unbanked segment of the population.
Pondering on what sort of public intervention in form of economic regulation could improve adoption of cards usage by consumers and merchants, Olajide who was represented by Dr Oluwafemi Obembe noted that cardholders (consumers) and merchants (POS) represent the different demand structures to be satisfied at the same time, saying one side of the market consists of cardholders and issuers, while the other side consists of merchant acquirers.
According to him, the relationship between the two markets is interdependent and so the demand from one side is dependent on the demand of the other side.
He opined that the card networks (card schemes/switches) play an important intermediate role of balancing the two sides of the market, through which each side have access to each other’s market.
To him, this balancing act will create economic value by providing incentive to facilitate and encourage participation of both sides of the market.
In his paper titled, ‘Evolution of Payment Card in Nigeria: analysis of Transaction at Channels,’ Olusegun Sotola said the Automobile Teller Machine (ATM) has remained the dominant channel of card transaction in Nigeria. This according to him has resulted in the little headway the nation has with credit card channel, whereas credit card has the highest benefit compared to other channels.
Beaming light on what sort of public intervention in form of regulation could improve adoption of card usage by consumers and card adoption by merchants, Sotola surmised that awareness campaign by both the apex bank and other banks would foster progress.
Other stakeholders present at the workshop include representatives from the CBN, banks, merchants, regulators, card holders, Green Economics Nigeria, VISA card, the media and others admitted that the literacy level in the country is a challenge to card usage. They unanimously agreed on a consensus that there should be more awareness on card usage before the new deadline of CBN on cashless policy expires.
A representative of the CBN, Musa Jimoh, who is attached to the Banking and Payment System section of the apex bank, said CBN has made it mandatory for any bank to resolve issues relating to card payment brought by any card user within a maximum period of five days.
Olajide further argued that there should be compensation for the loss of resources as a result of technology failure or the bank itself.
Disclosing that CBN has created another unit called Consumers Protecting Unit to handle all grievances in respect of card usage, Musa noted that the apex bank is aware of the nation’s low literacy level on card usage, which was part of the reason for the shift in the deadline of cashless policy compliance.
Speaking from personal experience outside the country’s shore, Chris Ekeji said Nigerian cards rarely works abroad. He specifically narrated his ordeals in New Jersey, United States of America saying he has to cut down his stay because of his inability to access his fund over there.
Reacting to this, the Country Manager VISA card, Mr. Ade Ashaye explained that the problem could be from the person’s bank. He urged all card users to always ensure they inform their banks before engaging in any journey with their card. This, he explained, is because some cards are usually secured to prevent foreigners from accessing the funds except if authorised by card owner.
Ashaye noted that his company has only shutdown their system for 15 seconds in the last 50 years of operation.
Participants at the workshop also maintained that laws should be made by stakeholders so that it could fast-track good policy making to foster development in the usage of payment cards in Nigeria.

By Laolu Adeyemi

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How Well Do You Know Your Newborn?

11:55 PM Health No Comments

KNOWING something about the newborn definitely helps you to make more of the time you spend with it and share those one-off events in its live.
On arrival on our planet, the newborn tends to spend its first few moments coping with this environment by sleeping a lot. It could go as much as 15 to 16 hours in a day, which is absolutely normal.
The newborn usually sees when objects are brought very close. In the first few minutes after birth, the little one is put to the breast and comes in very close contact with the mom. The new mom’s is probably the first and most common face that the newborn would see.
At around two months, the mom begins to try other things when bathing, feeding or caring for the baby. They begin to talk or sing to it.
This period also corresponds to when the little one starts to show increased awareness of its environment and respond to the surroundings. So expect that your baby smiles back at you now when you smile.
Breastfeeding begins to pay off around four months. Mothers should expect to notice an obvious increase in the baby’s weight as it usually doubles around this time. Babies tend to start to get accustomed to their new environment at around four months. Parents don’t get to stay awake to take turns in caring for the newborn as often anymore.
The baby begins to operate normal sleep time and could sleep all through the night bringing some relieve to the parents. Your baby would also want to hold and feel every object in its their environment making them at risk of falls and other harm. Parents should ensure that the child is not left in its cot without any proofing.
Expect to hear the little one’s first laughter around four months. The little one breaks into giggles or squeals, they tend to be very ticklish. Remember how your face lit up the last time you heard a baby laugh, it is one of the purest expressions of human emotion that we ever get to see.
As early as five months, the baby begins to sit with support. After about two months of practice, they achieve sitting alone. We are all at our best when we are in a familiar environment.
Likewise, children around seven months old become anxious whenever they sense separation, especially from their moms.
So, don’t feel unwanted when the baby reaches out for the mom very often or even refuses to let anyone else come close.
It could be so much fun watching some babies laze around wiggling or creeping or scooting instead of crawling. Children start to crawl somewhere around eight months old. If your baby doesn’t want to crawl, don’t get too worried, remember that not all babies crawl.
When the dad is about to go off to work and gestures goodbye using a peck or a kiss, your baby can now link these activities and respond by waving goodbye. This happens somewhere around nine months.
Somewhere around this time, babies begin to think that they have come of age. They are eager to toss the spoon aside and feed themselves. The little one gets busy feeding themselves by sticking all their fingers in their mouth at the same time.
Parents should be very vigilant about items left that lie around, including toys, as the child could attempt to swallow them.
Babies start to cruise around 12months. Now they take small steps, hold objects and push themselves forward. Before long, they start to walk. The first bold step of a newborn could occur anytime around nine to 17 months.
Some babies tend to achieve this milestone faster than others, especially girls. So, be a bit patient with your baby boy.
Around one year, your baby should start to speak words that can be understood.

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Prince Nnagozie Ochi: In Pursuit Of New Ethical Culture For Fatherland

11:48 PM Entertainment, News No Comments

THE Good Character Development Initiative (GCDI) is a social enterprise focused on delivering on observed social needs and targets within Nigerian and African societies with a private sector approach. Succinctly, it is an initiative conceived to develop human infrastructure, good character and also raise the bar on literacy level within societies. And Prince Nnagozie Ochi is the Chief Social Architect driving the initiative.
A trip to his hometown, Ogugu in Awgu local council area of Enugu state a few years ago was what kickstarted the project idea. Before then, he visited home regularly though; but on that particular occasion, through a chance meet, the abysmally low literacy level of young wards in his village caught his attention. And he decided to do something about.
He organized and undertook a literacy programme in the community. Pupils aged between five to 18 years were in attendance. A few hands volunteered to join him in teaching the kids the basics. And they sat at the feet of the masters and learnt delightfully.
Having put in place structures to follow-up on the kids, Ochi returned weeks later to meet amazing results across the age range. For instance, young lads who hitherto could not pronounce a word of English were now making attempts at constructing sentences. Tears of joy welled up his eyes. It was the birth of an initiative that had since expanded in scope and which now seeks not only to increase literacy level across the country, but also to develop the nation’s human infrastructure and restore lost values of good character.
According to Ochi, the under-development of Nigeria is an embarrassment and sore spot in the hearts of well-meaning countrymen. This worrisome situation, he believes, is directly related to the underdevelopment of the human potentials and infrastructure.
Ochi identifies the nation’s biggest problem as its underdeveloped human infrastructure. “We have educated illiterates. We have a huge character deficit in the country. We must understand that the most valuable asset of any nation is its people and the most important attribute of any person is his character. It is only when you develop the people that they can, in turn, develop their community and the nation.”
He believes that the requirements for developing the youth are literacy and character development because the character deficit in the nation at the moment is alarming.
“There is what we call ‘the replacement generation crisis’ and this is as a result of not taking cognizance of human infrastructural development. Today, a bleak reality confronts us as a people! Our lip service approach to people development as a country over the last five decades have resulted in where we find ourselves today - an under-developed nation. This also explains why the biggest problem confronting Nigeria is that of human infrastructure under-development.
“Our public school system has literarily collapsed. Academic performance at all levels is dismal. Majority of our children and youth aged eight years and above in the system cannot read and write. Character building education has been absent for over two decades in our curriculum. We now have a replacement generation crisis in our hands – a rapidly emerging younger generation with lesser capacity for leadership and service than the older generation. Yet, everyday we sit back and do nothing about it, and that generation is inching closer to becoming corporate executives, public administrators, politicians, doctors, engineers and the like.
“The socio-economic and political implication is scary and unimaginable. We are all already getting a taste of what is to come with the rude wave of youth restiveness, clueless teachers, governments with broken social contracts, physical-combat legislators, doctors without conscience, collapsed-building engineers, rampant kidnappers, gruesome armed robbers and so on. No sector of our socio-economic and political system is safe.
“There is a great urgency to act now because the prevailing trend is unacceptable. We cannot continue to wait for government to solve this crisis alone - individuals, families, businesses, the state and the nation suffer if nothing is done. It is now time to take our destiny into our own hands, because our tomorrow is what we make of our today. By molding the character of the emerging upstream generation of Nigerians, we can safely rest assured the African renaissance and rebirth is at hand,” he says.
Ochi is also disturbed that parents and religious institutions are not playing their part well. “If you take the wrong course, it will always come back to you. We need to make our children learn this. There seem to be too much God and too little good in the society. In my opinion, the first place to begin to put things right is with the children.
“People and character development is at the heart and soul of human infrastructure, and it should be the main agenda in the education system from nursery, primary to secondary schools. To have a better Nigeria, the young and upcoming citizens at their formative stage should possess good character and attitude required for nation building,” he adds.
To create a climate of new culture and engender a renaissance, Ochi, through his GCDI project, is now helping the nation’s emerging generation of youths to develop new values and abilities for good moral character and conduct.
First, the feedback from the literacy programme in his community steered the interest of UNICEF’s A-Field office, comprising 10 states in the Southeast, to partner with GCDI to expand the pilot project. With further acceptance on other fronts, GCDI has since gone into partnerships with various groups and organisations with a view to entrenching the ideals for which it was founded.
Currently, GCDI is partnering with UNICEF and Pearson Learning Inc./Pearson Foundation for the acquisition of reading skills by young learners in rural communities across the 10 southeastern states of Enugu, Ebonyi, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Abia, Imo, Bayelsa, Rivers, Anambra and Benue. It has secured Enugu state government’s mandate to partner with the state to conduct a statewide implementation of its Accelerated Human Infrastructure Development pilot.
GCDI has built a partnership with Josephson Institute of Ethics, USA and have had the institute’s president visit Nigeria. It is also in partnership with the office of the Special Adviser to the President on Ethics and Values, Dr (Mrs.) Sarah Jibril. In addition to high-level meetings with government and some stakeholders in the private sector, it now has a growing list Ivy league private schools in Lagos and some southwest and southeastern states embracing the initiative.
The implementation of Character Counts! programme is well underway in several public and private schools in Lagos and other Southwest states through collaborations with the Association of Private Educators in Nigeria (APEN), National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) and other stakeholders.
“We have conducted training for about 40 character educators and it is the first time this is happening in Africa. This training is to prepare them to go back and implement the training in their various schools. So as I speak to you right now, over 20,000 Nigerian youths are being impacted by this programme.
“Our Good Character Development Initiative is partnering with Alliance Publishing and Marketing Inc. USA, the publishers of Character Counts! Schools Agenda. This partnership is geared towards providing professional support services for implementing sustainable strategy to embed character development goals within schools, organisations and communities in Nigeria,” Ochi explains.
GCDI has launched a journal – Agenda for Character Development, which is now being used in many schools across the nation. It is the African edition of the Character Counts! School Agenda intended to help young people develop the ability to make better choices about their lives based on the six pillars of character - trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. “The whole framework is a copyright and a framework owned by the Josephson Institute of Ethics. We proceed are in direct partnership with them. We are going to have regular interactions where members of the institute will come to Nigeria often to train Nigerians, who will later on become educators.”
The Character Counts!, Ochi says, would help the critical mass of young Africans emerge with a new sense of personal leadership.
“Great effort has gone into putting together persons of character of African descent so as to bring this concept nearer home and inspire the moral ambition of our emerging young generation. Such persons include Akintola Williams, Christopher Kolade, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Philip EmeagwaliEmeka Anyaoku, Nelson Mandela and Kofi Annan, to mention a few.
“The main purpose of the Character Counts! is to celebrate these persons of character so as to pervade our young ones’ minds with the activities of inspirational role models, who, in spite of all odds, have become shining examples to many.
On the long run, Ochi is confident that GCDI’s effort would help in building a mass of young people who are conscious of, committed to and who want to implement the Character Count! “By extension, we would be molding the character of a new generation of Africans, then we all could rest, assured that the African renaissance and rebirth is at hand,” Ochi says.

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Princess Elegbede... The Spirit Of Dynamic Elegance

11:38 PM Entertainment, Fashion/Lifestyle No Comments

PRINCESS Adesola Areago-Elegbede, the Chief Executive Officer, Macbel Groups of Companies and AT SIZZLES Limited, is unarguably, an epitome of beauty, humility, hardwork and success. Born into riches, her passion for work is evident in her entrepreneurial success and social activism. In this interview, the wife of the then Military Governor of Rivers State and Chief of Naval Staff, late Admiral MAB Elegbede spoke on her life and other issues bordering on empowerment, parenting, and family values among others. She spoke to BANKOLE SHAKIRUDEEN ADESHINA
PRINCESS Sola Areago-Elegbede’s style of social activism for a just and equitable society is quiet but strategic.
Often, she uses her life story to inspire younger fellows, who seek how best to pursue a career and make a success of it.
Her admonitions and recommendations can be blunt but they are always practicable and result-oriented. “It is better to learn from the mistakes of the past,” she would advise, reiterating to her listeners that there is no short cut to success.
The easiest and sustainable way to break away from obscurity into fame,  she believes, is to solidly and painstakingly prepare the foundation.
According to her, parents are one of the problems of the country. In their needless social competition, they have misled many children and killed, from birth, many hopes and chances of future prosperity, by imposing on them professions that are not related to their interests and natural capabilities.
Princess Adesola, a graduate of Law with other degrees in Public Policy and Administration, Management and Business and Security Management, noted that many children “reluctantly went to university to study Law, Engineering and or Medicine, among others, just to please their parents. This trend is rampart and too dangerous for the future of the country.
“It is pathetic! There are many ‘unemployable’ graduates: lawyers, engineers, doctors …They are not employed.  They are working as cab drivers or bus conductor as a lifeline, or have taken to criminal activities for survival. This is possible because their ambitions have been thwarted. Their parents have murdered their dreams. Instead of consulting them on their future ambitions, their parents have imposed their own wishes on them.”
To address this anomaly, Princess Adesola has taken, upon herself, the task of enlightening young mothers on how to help their children choose careers. As a follow- up, she is guiding and mentoring youths on smooth and legitimate route to prosperous and fulfilling future.
She said: “I was speaking to a group of youths in Lagos recently. And one of them was lamenting the imposition on her of a course of study at the university by her parents. I simply asked her of her hobby, she said she likes sewing. I told her to stop pursuing a needless bachelor’s degree in Law at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) for a Diploma at the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH). That is practical and it would bring her prosperity and fulfillment rather than regret.”
“Interestingly, among this group, about 10 of them called me a month later that they have gone to obtain different forms at YABATECH for a course tailored towards their interests,” she added.
Determined to reverse this trend, she said she had put in place certain measures, including the establishment of Areago Memorial Technical Institute, where technical education and skills are acquired to create manpower and promote self-reliance.
The inspiration to establish the empowerment centre, she said, came from the teachings and qualities instilled in her during childhood.
Born with a silver spoon in her mouth, having been born to a notable industrialist, Chief Ajani Areago and married to a one-time Military Governor of Rivers State and Nigeria’s Chief of Naval Staff, the  late Admiral M.A.B Elegbede, Princess Adesola, as she is fondly called, is surrounded with wealth. Yet, her passion revolves around work and diligence.
Princess Adesola is a workaholic and her passion for work is fuelled by her flair for perfection. To her, nothing brings more confidence and promotes  self-esteem  better than being perfectly acceptable in every standard. “Sincerely speaking, I love perfection and strive hard to be the best at all times. During my primary school days, I washed and ironed my school uniform every day; arranged my hair and ensured I maintained a gorgeous look every time. It’s my daily routine. And when I became an adult too, I continued with the principle. I strive hard to be the best and get the best out of every given situation. There is hardly any problem for which  I would not have an idea on a possible remedy, ” she said.
These virtues haveblossomed into the establishment of successful companies with interests in, textile, hospitality, fast foods, education, bakery and beauty management, among others.
She is the Chief Executive Officer, McBel Group, a company dealing in importation/exportation of building materials and household goods. Under this group, exists McBel Security Services Limited, a security-consulting agency with affiliation in the United States of America, Europe, Middle East and Asia. Mabaka Designs is an African Textile Collection concept, transforming the making of Ankara, Adire and Batik, her hobby, into a money-making venture.
AT SIZZLES Limited is an indigenous company with interest in hospitality business, food processing, bakery and beauty care. She also founded Areago Memorial Technical Institute and Daycare, Nursery and Primary Schools.
Physically, Princess Adesola is a beautiful woman. Her gorgeousness attracted her to her husband. But when they got married, she recalled, her husband was surprised to find out that her wife prefers being soaked in work than enjoying a night out.
“My hobby was and still is work. I have passion for work and I can go for a longer period of time without fatigue. I am not the romantic type, my husband was. He was always having issues with me because I overwork. He believed and always made reference to me that I work 48 hours a day. But I strongly believe that work doesn’t kill. It makes one strong, agile and relevant in problem- solving situations,” she said.
Her other hobby is reading. Right from childhood, she recalled that while her friends and colleagues, revelled in social activities, she stayed at home reading.
“I love reading and read a lot of adventure books,” she said, “ adding that, one of the attributes that distinguishes her from her peers and siblings, was her continuous affection for knowledge acquisition. “At least, I read 10 different books a week. I read a novel a day, no matter how hectic my day was or voluminous the book.
Her favourite books are historical materials, science fiction and other materials relating to general knowledge. “Also, I love cultural anthropology because I want to know about culture all over the world and when I am reading a novel, I travel with the book to where the scene is happening and interestingly, I have been to most places, it’s just like I am back there.”
As a responsible wife and a mother, Princess Adesola advised that besides positive mentoring, paying attention to children while growing up helps them in choosing a noble path in life.
She warns  that many homes have been shattered because of needless intrusion of house maids.
She revealed that as a wife and mother, her secret to successful marriage was her submission to her husband and being self-reliant as a woman. “As a wife, I would never allow anybody to cook for my husband. I cook and do every other thing expected of a good woman in her matrimonial home. Also, I nurtured and passed on the principle of hardwork and self-reliance to my children, ensuring that they are shown the pathway to a descent and honourable life.
“Therefore, my advice to Nigerian women is that they shouldn’t keep house helps—- either a male or female. No matter how tasking their job, they should create time for the children. A good woman should create sufficient time to nurture her child. The social upheavals we have today are because parents don’t have time for training of their children. Everything is now left to the house help, who is not well-trained in his or her house either.
“Also, I will not advise any married woman to take up banking job because of the longer hours required to get the job done. Such jobs are meant for single ladies and when they are married, they should leave. If there is no job, then we should start promoting entrepreneurial spirit. People should be self-reliant. A lot of them should go and start their own businesses. I started mine own while in the university. As an undergraduate, I was into import and export. I was bringing things, like gift items and books from the United States of America to Nigeria and the money realised from the business, I put in my adire business, which I supply to major boutiques abroad. I learnt the skill from my great aunt and mother because we’re from Ogun State.

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Water Wonder…

11:36 PM Health No Comments

ACCORDING to the United Nations (UN) statistics on World Water Day, seven billion people feed on the planet today and another two billion are expected to join by 2050.
Statistics also say that each of us drinks from two to four litres of water everyday making everyone of us highly reliant on this substance. Humans comprise around 60 per cent to 85 per cent water. Any ailment that causes us to lose our water volume can be fatal.
It is not surprising that travelers are particularly concerned about good sources of potable water when they arrive at their destination, especially where sanitation is a challenge. At these times, the safest sources of water remain bottled or canned drinks.
Drinking directly from the can or bottle might be wiser than pouring the contents out into any other container.  It is important not to forget to wipe the top of the bottle, container wash your own hands before eating or drinking. Even brushing with tap water can be a major issue. Water helps in weight loss contrary to the notion that this substance helps in weight gain.
Rather it speeds up metabolism and helps an individual get the sensation of fullness more quickly. Water exercises, such as  swimming provides a super form of exercise, increases circulation and relaxation.
Relaxation at work can also be achieved by sipping off a glass of water kept on your desk. It can help combat dehydration and the stress you feel, especially if it’s chilly as this moderates heat sensations, cools off your body and calm nerves.
Even during your morning or weekend routine of exercise, this substance would prevent muscle cramps, lubricate joints and help you carry on for much longer periods than normal.
You can say water is your own natural body cream as it helps to keep your skin nourished, supple, and lightens crease lines thereby making you look younger. Drinking water can be likened to a medication that keeps you in top form as it affects all your body organs positively.
Digestion is incomplete without water. Water helps to transport essential nutrients all around the body and to aid the excretion of unwanted products.
Finding out if you are properly hydrated is easy. Check your urine. Dark coloured urine, especially when there is an ongoing feverish condition, is   indicative of poor hydration. The color of your urine tells a lot about the adequacy of hydration.
The deeper it is, the more water needs to be consumed to improve its color to light amber or near colourless. In fact, for the kidneys to function properly, your body must be properly hydrated. Eight ounces of water is usually recommended for a normal adult and should be increased if one exercises.
To make water suitable for drinking, it can be boiled at 100 degrees centigrade for at least one minute. That makes it by far the most reliable for drinking.
Bacteria, viruses and protozoa can also be removed by filtering water with one of these portable filters sold nowadays. Iodine has found its use in the treatment of water to make it safe for drinking.
Chemical-treated water must be consumed only for a short while, as it is not suitable for long-term use.
With its many uses, it would be a difficult task today and even tomorrow to find an alternative to water.

By Dr. Nneamaka Obanor 

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Rivers To Commission 250 model Primary Schools

11:32 PM Education, News No Comments

EASTER holidaymakers have praised the Osun Free Easter Train Service initiative of  the state government, describing it as a far-reaching palliative transportation programme for the masses.
The government said the gesture was to alleviate the people’s sufferings which is one of the six-point cardinal agenda of Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
Majority of passengers who boarded the train from Iddo Terminus, Lagos yesterday said it was their first time travelling by rail. They radiated joy, enthusiasm and excitement all through the journey,
promising to return to Lagos through the same means.
Speaking on the initiative, the Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperative and Empowerment,  Mr. Jayeoba Alagbada, said:“During the festive period, we normally have traffic gridlock along our roads most especially along Lagos-Ibadan-Osogbo axis. We discovered that we could alleviate the suffering of our people by introducing this welfare train by taking people from Lagos down to Osogbo.
“This will reduce the pressure on the road and guarantee the security of lives of our people, which is very important to Osun State government. Moreso, the welfare of the people is very essential to this administration and you can see that a lot of people followed the train. And you can see form the way the commuters were talking, they were happy. Some of them never entered train in their lives until yesterday.”

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Warri, P/ Harcourt, Kaduna Refineries Back On Stream, Says NNPC

11:31 PM Business, News No Comments

OFFICIALS of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) have ruled out any shortage of fuel supply across the country, with the coming on stream of the three major refineries in Warri, Port Harcourt and Kaduna.
The NNPC team, led by the Group Executive Director (GED) Refining and Petrochemical, who embarked on a facility tour of the Kaduna Refining and Petrolchemical Company (KRPC), Mr. Philip Chukwu said: “I am excited that something close to a miracle has happened” in the country with the full functioning of the three refineries… we have seen the Kaduna refinery increase production from very low level to what we have now, about three million litres of petrol daily.”
Chukwu stated: “As we speak today all the three Fluid Catalytic Cracking Units (FCCUs) are working in the refineries. And this is the first time this has happened after about 14 years.
“The management of NNPC commends the efforts of all these refineries managements and the staff. In terms of moving forward, the rehabilitation programme is progressing. The phase we are in now is the light-on phase whereby we will embark on very small repairs, very small intervention at low cost, to fix those things that we can fix and then increase production further.”
He added: “Beyond that, we will now embark on the revamping and refurbishing phase and then finally, the upgrade where we will change those facilities that are obsolete, or where technology has improved, we will improve the technology and ensure that the refinery produces at very high capacity,” while adding that “our target is 90 percent of installed capacity.
The Managing Director of KRPC, Mr. Bolanle Ayodele, while commended the visit said: “The Catalytic Reforming Unit (CRU), which was shut down end of November, 2011 for re-tubing of the combined feed/reactor effluent heat exchangers 12E01A/B was re-streamed on 31st of March, 2012.”
He stressed: “With the two units- FCCU and CRU in operation, our Gasoline production has improved from 1.5 ml/B to above 2.5 million litres per day.”

From Saxone Akhaine, Kaduna

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