News
CSOs, Community Leaders Reject Divestment By Oil Companies In N’Delta, Roll Out Demands
Published
9 months agoon
By
Editor
Joseph Ebi Kanjo|Benin
A coalition of civil society organisations,
community leaders, and other concerned citizens of Nigeria have urged President Bola Tinubu to halt the divestment bid by international oil corporations operating in the Niger Delta region of the country.
This followed an initial rejection by the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) of Shell’s request to sell its remaining shares in the
Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to the Renaissance
consortium.
In a statement made available to INFO DAILY by Kome Odhomor, Media/Communication Lead, Oilwatch Africa, and signed by Nnimmo Bassey, Executive Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF); Ken Henshaw, Executive Director, We the People, and other over 20 CSOs, the group warned that an approval of the sale of Shell’s and Total’s assets would be a “declaration of war with the Niger Delta.”
They added that any approval of requests by oil companies would weaken regulatory independence, ignore the interests of the Niger Delta communities, jeopardize the environmental and social well-being of the region for generations to come, and undermine Nigeria’s sovereignty.
The statement reads in part: “President Tinubu must safeguard the future of Nigeria, ensuring that all its people, especially those in the Niger Delta, are not sacrificed for the benefit of global capital and a few local profiteers.
READ ALSO: Oil Marketers Raise Alarm As NNPCL Portal Shutdown Halts Petrol Purchase
“We want to make it absolutely clear: approving Shell’s or TotalEnergies’
divestment in its current form without addressing the profound
environmental and social costs would be a grave injustice to the people of the Niger Delta and could lead to significant unrest in the region.
“It would be an affront to the generations of Niger Deltans who have
fought and died for environmental justice, their homes, and their
livelihoods.
“Approving Shell’s SPDC share sale would send a dangerous message to all multinational corporations operating in Nigeria that they can extract our resources, leave devastation behind, and walk away without consequence.
“This is not just a question of corporate accountability; it
is about Nigeria’s sovereignty, dignity, and the right of its people to
live in a clean and safe environment.”
Dangerous lessons from past asset sales
The CSO groups and concerned citizens, while recounting experience from asset sales, noted that the local communities usually suffer in such deals.
READ ALSO:HOMEF Charges Speedy Clean Up Of Ogoniland, N’Delta
They added: “The experiences from past asset sales by Shell, ENI/AGIP, and ExxonMobilo Offer grave lessons.
“In the case of Shell’s divestment in Nembe to Aiteo, for instance, the local communities were left with unresolved pollution and no proper remedy for the environmental damage caused by decades of oil extraction. Environmental destruction has worsened in the
area.
“Similarly, when ExxonMobil divested some of its assets, the
responsibility for remediation was inadequately transferred to new operators, who were ill-prepared to manage the legacy of contamination.
“In ENI/AGIP’s case, the sale of assets to Oando continued to worsen the
situation in the host communities as there were no comprehensive cleanup efforts undertaken.
“These sales not only failed to address the critical environmental
liabilities but also deepened the social tensions in the Niger Delta, as new operators took over without addressing the root causes of community unrest or the longstanding health and environmental challenges.”
READ ALSO: HOMEF To Celebrate 10 Years Of Environmental Activism, Unveiling Of Book
The CSOs, while emphasising that “this
pattern of irresponsible divestment must not be repeated, and the
Nigerian government has a responsibility to stop it,” further called for “immediately halt all divestment processes until a transparent,
comprehensive, and inclusive review is undertaken that addresses Shell’s
and TotalEnergies’ historical environmental and social liabilities.”
They, therefore , demanded “an inclusive and transparent consultation with state governments and the people of the sites of oil and gas extraction in the Niger Delta before any further divestment of IOC assets.
“Hold Shell, TotalEnergies, and all other IOCs accountable for their past and ongoing environmental damage, and ensure they fund a full cleanup and remediation program across the Niger Delta.
“Uphold the regulatory independence of NUPRC and allow it to fulfill
its statutory duties without political interference.
“Respect the resolution of the National Assembly, which has called for a halt to all divestments by international oil companies in Nigeria.
READ ALSO: Monitor, Protect Your Environment, HOMEF Charges N’Delta Communities
“Ensure that new operators are properly vetted and committed to
responsible environmental management and community welfare.
“Create an Environmental Restoration Fund that is sufficiently funded
to meet the full and complete costs of environmental cleanup and reparations based on credible estimates of independent international experts and contributed to by Shell, TotalEnergies, and other international oil companies and future operators to address the
long-term damage caused by their operations.
“Provide community profit-sharing opportunities for host communities
as part of any divestment agreement, ensuring that the local people benefit from the oil resources they have hosted for decades.
“Mandate full disclosure of all environmental liabilities before
divestment, requiring Shell, TotalEnergies, and any future operators to
publicly declare and address all damages.
“Include gas flaring cessation and decommissioning plans in any divestment agreement, with clear timelines for ending harmful practices.
“Account for carbon emissions related to the divested assets and
propose mitigation plans that align with Nigeria’s climate commitments.”
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News
SUBEB Urges LG Chairmen To Sack Absentee Teachers In Bauchi
Published
1 hour agoon
September 5, 2025By
Editor
The Bauchi State Universal Basic Education (BASUBEB) has called on all the 20 Local Government Chairmen in the state to sack absentee teachers.
Alh. Adamu Mohammed, the Executive Chairman, BASUBEB, made the call on Friday during the official flag off ceremony of the 2025/2026 state wide enrolment campaign in Kirfi Local Government Area of the state.
Mohammed, who said that the move would serve as a deterrent and make others to be up and doing, added that the chairmen only need to inform SUBEB about the decision.
He also expressed the commitment of the Board to reward teachers who are diligent, committed, punctual and dedicated to service so as to encourage them.
The SUBEB boss who lamented the lack of enrolment of school aged children in schools across the state, said the development is detrimental to the future of the children.
READ ALSO:Bauchi Govt Inaugurates Pastors, Imams Peace Building Committee
According to him, the state government was doing everything possible to improve the quality of education at the Basic level, saying that members of the communities were not supportive of the efforts by not sending their children to school.
He also stressed that Girl child education is important to the development and growth of the society, calling on parents to send their girl children to School.
“I want to call on all the Local Government Chairmen in the state to take responsibility of supervising and monitoring schools in their respective areas because SUBEB can’t be everywhere at the same time.
“The Board will not rest in its oars until Basic education becomes the envy of others in line with what UNICEF and UBEC set as guidelines,” he said.
Also speaking, Dr Mohammed Lawal, the state’s Commissioner for Education, said the aim of the enrolment campaign is to mobilise traditional institutions to support enrolment drive in the state by sensitising parents and guardians on the need to send their children to school.
READ ALSO: Bauchi One Of Most Educationally Disadvantaged States In Nigeria – Expert
He added that the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) would also support whatever the traditional institutions are doing to achieve greater enrolment as well as continuity in education.
Earlier, Dr Nuzhat Rafique, the Chief of Field Office, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Bauchi, recalled how the number of out-of-school children was reduced from 1.5 million to 500,000 through the effort of the governor with support from traditional, religious leaders, communities and parents.
“This is a huge progress but still, having 500,000 children out of school is one of the main goals for us to bring them also into schools.
“Education is the right of every child. No child should be out of school and that is my humble request that as the government is putting in policies, steps and strategies to bring these children back to school, everybody should key into it.”
While assuring UNICEF’s commitment and support to the development of basic education in the state, she called on all stakeholders to work together and ensure that every child is back to school.

The University of Lagos has completed a book project on the leadership qualities and governance style of Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri.
The Managing Director of the UNILAG Consult, Prof John Oyefara, who disclosed this on Thursday during a courtesy visit to Government House, Yenagoa, said the institution has also proposed a public lecture as well as endowing a Professorial Chair in the Department of Political Science in his honour.
UNILAG Consult was established in 1983 and incorporated under the Companies and Allied Matters Act in 2013. It serves as the consultancy arm of the institution, providing research-driven, cross-sectoral technical services via access to the university’s academic expertise and facilities.
Diri’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah, in a statement on Friday, quoted Oyefara as saying that the university had a track record of assessing the performance of various leaders in Nigeria and that the book titled “Leadership Chronicles of Governor Douye Diri” focuses on his exemplary leadership and achievements.
READ ALSO:Diri Approves Automatic Employment For UAT First Class Graduates
He said, “At the University of Lagos, we have a tradition of assessing leaders in Nigeria. We use our own templates and standards that are global to measure the leadership in Nigeria.
“We identified Your Excellency to be a leading star in Nigeria, based on leadership and governance. We decided to put together all your achievements. The purpose of our visit was to inform you about our project in three thematic areas. One, is on the publication of the book we have been able to put together about His Excellency’s achievements in the state.
“We also propose a public lecture where renowned leaders in Africa will deliver a lecture on leadership and governance to exemplify the achievements of the governor. The third one is for the Department of Political Science in the University of Lagos to see the possibility of endowing a professorial chair in the name of His Excellency.”
The Lead Editor of the project, Prof Hope Eghagha, also stated that the idea was an independent assessment of the governor’s performance in office, either in infrastructure or human capacity development, through interviews that were conducted.
READ ALSO:Diri Raises Alarm Over Alleged Threat To Peace In Bayelsa
Responding, Diri said he was pleasantly surprised by the gesture of the institution. He welcomed the idea of documenting his achievements, saying he had been nursing the idea of establishing a leadership institute to groom those with an interest in politics and political offices.
The governor said, “It is really interesting when people, without your prompting, decide to do a thing for the purpose of posterity. A lot of the time, we do not document these events and activities, as we look at them as not too important. But they are.
“I have toyed with the idea that if I had the resources, could I establish a leadership institution in Bayelsa State so that before anyone thinks of becoming a councillor, council chairman, commissioner, special adviser or even governor, he knows what he is coming to do in office?
“If you are not prepared for it, then we are bound to fail as a country and as a state. So, I have been pleasantly surprised by the University of Lagos, and I think it is a good thing. Let me also state that the success in Bayelsa is not all about me. It is actually about our team. We have a dedicated team of commissioners, special advisers, technical advisers, and everybody contributing their quota to the whole.
READ ALSO:Presidential Amnesty Programme Needs Adequate Funding, Says Bayelsa Gov, Diri
“That is why if anyone says we have done well in infrastructure, it is because down the ladder, those who have been vested with that authority have implemented our policies, projects and programmes to the best of what we expected to be.”
Diri approved the proposals from the delegation and thanked them for recognising him in the midst of others.
Serving as Bayelsa State’s helmsman since his Supreme Court-affirmed inauguration in February 2020, Diri has become noted for his inclusive leadership and development-oriented governance.
Against this backdrop, UNILAG’s decision to document Diri’s leadership style and legacy through a dedicated book, alongside a public lecture series and a named professorial chair, marks a rare scholarly honour reflecting both institutional respect for governance excellence and encouragement of lasting academic inquiry.
News
Lagos Begins Comprehensive Assessment Of Public Primary Schools
Published
2 hours agoon
September 5, 2025By
Editor
The Lagos State Government has commenced its maiden NEEDS Assessment Project for all public primary schools across the state.
According to a statement on Friday by the Deputy Director, Information, LASUBEB, Abe Adunola, the initiative, spearheaded by the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, was unveiled on Thursday during a stakeholders’ engagement session.
The NEEDS Assessment Project is an evidence-gathering exercise designed to identify gaps in infrastructure, teaching capacity, and learning resources in public schools. It provides government with data to plan targeted interventions and allocate resources more effectively.
According to the board, the project will cover 1,238 public primary schools, vocational centres, inclusive units, and Local Government Education Authorities.
READ ALSO:Diri Approves Automatic Employment For UAT First Class Graduates
Board member of LASUBEB, Owolabi Falana, said the exercise was a major step in strengthening the foundation of basic education in Lagos.
Delivering the keynote address on behalf of the Deputy Chief of Staff, the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Project Implementation and Monitoring, Mr. Olusegun Sanwo-Olu, noted that the initiative reflected the state government’s resolve to drive education reform with data-driven interventions.
“This project is about clarity and intentionality. By understanding the realities in our schools, we are laying a solid foundation for smart planning, equitable resource allocation, and sustainable reforms. It is a bold step that will ultimately improve the quality of teaching, enhance learning outcomes, and prepare Lagos children to thrive in this fast-changing world,” he said.
LASUBEB Chairman, Dr. Hakeem Shittu, described the initiative as the first in a series of continuous exercises aimed at transforming Lagos public schools.
READ ALSO:Diri Raises Alarm Over Alleged Threat To Peace In Bayelsa
“This maiden edition of the Needs Assessment Project is only the beginning. It will be sustained as a continuous initiative to ensure our schools, teachers, and learners are never left behind,” he affirmed.
Highlighting the project’s benefits, Shittu explained that the assessment would lead to safer classrooms, improved facilities, empowered teachers, and better learning outcomes for pupils.
“The future of Lagos depends on how much we invest in our children today. This initiative gives us the clarity and direction to act decisively,” he said.
He further stressed that the project was not only about identifying gaps but also about developing practical solutions that would create conducive learning environments, improve teachers’ working conditions, and strengthen administrative capacity across schools.
READ ALSO:Tinubu, Akpabio, Abbas, Diri, Makinde, Eno, Labour Leaders, Others To Grace NUJ @70 Celebration
Shittu also commended the contributions of teachers, administrators, and Local Government Education Authorities, while emphasising collaboration with the Project Implementation and Monitoring Unit for credible data collection.
He urged teachers, parents, and community leaders to support the exercise.
“The success of this project depends on our collective effort. Together, we can build a school system that empowers our children with the skills, knowledge, and confidence they need to compete globally,” he said.
The initiative comes against the backdrop of several education reforms introduced in Lagos in recent years. Through the EKOEXCEL programme launched in 2019, the state government deployed digital learning devices and retrained teachers to improve literacy and numeracy outcomes in public schools.
READ ALSO:How Someone Made Me Pay $10,000 To Marabouts To Become Governor –Diri
The state has also embarked on school rehabilitation projects, the construction of new classrooms, and the expansion of inclusive education centres to accommodate children with special needs.
Despite these efforts, public primary schools in Lagos have faced challenges of overcrowded classrooms, poor infrastructure, and uneven access to quality teaching.
Education experts have long called for systematic assessments to guide interventions, making the NEEDS project the first coordinated attempt to collect comprehensive data for policy decisions in the state’s basic education sector.
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