News

Support Staff Embark On Strike, Shutdown Warri Refinery Over Poor Condition Of Service

Published

2 days ago

May 8, 2025

Protesting support staff of the Warri Refining & Petrochemical Company (WRPC) in Delta State have embarked on an indefinite strike, shutting down the facility over what they have termed “Poor Condition of Service” by the management of the company.

The staff, who gathered in large numbers, blocked the entrance to the company.

The peaceful protesters, chanting solidarity songs while bearing placards with various inscriptions, also demanded an adjustment to their welfare, which they described as “workplace slavery.”

They vowed to remain at the gate until their demands are met.

The leader of the support staff (WRPC), Dafe Ighomiteso, who spoke on behalf of the protesters, said that the support staff make up 80% of the entire workforce of Warri Refinery. “It’s sad to note that we are here protesting against workplace slavery,” he said.

Ighomiteso mentioned that they have been protesting since 2015, pointing out, “We have a compendium, the workplace. It’s a five-page document which we promised to make available to the public after this briefing.”

According to Ighomiteso, “We’ve been agitating for a single item (good condition of service).”

He said the cleaners who work in the hazardous facility only recently started receiving thirty-four thousand, five hundred naira (#34,500) as their monthly salary.

“For the support staff, the engineers, the technicians, and every technocrat here, only recently, we started receiving ninety thousand naira (#90,000), and the highest is #165,000.”

“We don’t have insurance coverage. None of us here have medical allowance. We are not pensionable. We don’t have transport allowance, we don’t have housing allowance. We don’t have meal allowance, and we are saying here that we are not slaves.”

Ighomiteso added that some of the support staff have been working there for about eighteen (18) years.

“We are not asking that we should be paid what they’re paying their staff, but we are saying that what’s commensurate to the support staff of all the SBUs and CSUs of NNPC should be considered, especially in the oil and gas industry. We are supposed to be protesting against casualization, but it’s unfortunate that nobody wants to cry for us. Even the nation forbids casualization, but nobody is speaking for us.”

The support staff pledged their unwavering support for the mandate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration in ensuring that the refineries in the country are revived.

Another protester, Innocent Ileleji, a cleaner/gardener, corroborated Ighomiteso’s position, saying, “We are being paid thirty-four thousand, five hundred (#34,500) naira.” He added that all they wanted was a review of their salary, which they were promised in 2013.

Ileleji noted that some of them, cleaners/gardeners, are being owed their meager salaries, which cannot take care of their families. He stressed, “The amount they’re paying us is far too small. Management should look into it.”

Elohor Poko, a support staff member who also spoke with our correspondent, said their salaries are very, very poor. She called on the General Chief Officer (GCO) to look into the matter and consider their plight by taking positive actions to improve their welfare.

A source within WRPC, who wished to remain anonymous, said that all the components of the plant are down due to ongoing maintenance.

It was noted that only the Turbine Unit of the plant is working, just to keep hope alive in the facility.

He also mentioned that the refinery is 60% completed.

All efforts to get the management of WRPC to speak on the matter were unsuccessful, as they refused to comment on the issue.

(Daily Post)

News

How Blind Candidate Hired Another Visually Impaired Person For UTME – JAMB

Published

6 hours ago

May 9, 2025

Editor

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board on Friday revealed that a blind candidate hired another visually impaired person to sit the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination on his behalf.

The JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, disclosed this during a briefing in Abuja while presenting updates on the conduct and outcome of the 2025 UTME.

He noted that the impersonation was discovered during the examination of 501 blind candidates under the JAMB Equal Opportunity Group, led by Prof. Peter Okebukola. The JEOG facilitates inclusive testing for candidates with disabilities.

“Sadly, one of them was also involved in impersonation by recruiting an undergraduate student who is also blind to come and write for another blind candidate,” he said.

He added, “JAMB refunds to the blind and some categories of challenged candidates their registration fee in addition to providing transportation, lodging and feeding for them.

“For the 2025 UTME, a total of 501 candidates were successfully examined by JEOG across 11 centres nationwide. The results are also being released today.”

Despite the incident, the registrar reaffirmed the Board’s commitment to supporting persons with disabilities.

“The Board remains committed to providing the necessary support for persons with disabilities aspiring to pursue tertiary education.

“The Prof. Peter Okebukola-led JAMB Equal Opportunity Group continues to demonstrate exceptional dedication in ensuring that these candidates are able to sit examinations, regardless of their challenges,” Oloyede said.

The 2025 UTME results were officially released to the public on Friday.

Ahead of the release, JAMB provided statistics on the performance of the 1.9 million candidates who participated in the exam. The figures show a staggering outcome—over 1.5 million candidates scored below 200, which is considered the average benchmark.

The UTME, which is scored over a total of 400 marks, tests candidates across four core subjects. While the Use of English is mandatory for all, candidates are allowed to choose three other subjects relevant to their intended course of study.

Reacting to the performance data, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said the results reflect the effectiveness of government efforts to curb exam malpractice.

News

IGP Launches Safe School Initiative In Bauchi

Published

8 hours ago

May 9, 2025

Editor

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun on Thursday, launched the Safe School Initiative programme in Bauchi state.

Speaking during the launching ceremony in Bauchi, the IGP said that the initiative was important owing to the fact that Schools were not only spaces of knowledge, but nurturing ground for future leaders.

According to him, the educational Security Policy provides a detailed framework of proactive and prompt response mechanisms to counter any emerging security threat.

He added that it guaranteed the safety and security of schools, Students,Teachers, Non-Academic Staff and the host communities in order to ensure smooth implementation of teaching and learning in schools.

Represented by Abubakar Sadiq, Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Zone 12 Headquarters Bauchi, Abubakar Aliyu, the IGP said that the importance of schools to the development of the nation could not be over emphasized.

“Our gathering here today at this epoch event is a clear reminder of the responsibility that rests on our shoulders to provide a safe and conducive learning environment for our children.

“Protection of lives and properties is a core mandate of the Nigeria Police and we are working tirelessly in collaboration and active partnership with stakeholders.

“I have equally directed all Commissioners of Police in the states to also engage their various stakeholders to ensure that the safety of schools is guaranteed in line with the overall National Plan of financing safe schools Initiative across the federation.

“It is by working that we can achieve a safer, more secure and conducive environment for our children,” he said.

He called on all educational authorities and community leaders to work together with the police and other security agencies to ensure that the schools were fortified against any potential threat.

Speaking earlier, Hajiya Halima Iliya, the National Coordinator on financing Safe schools, said that strengthening security resilience and integration of host communities in the protection of education is one of the objectives of the National plan on financing safe schools.

She explained that the national plan has incorporated a mult-level approach to provide response security coverage to host communities, schools and other learning places adopting the ‘whole society approach’ in the protection of education.

She called on states that are yet to key into the Safe Schools Programme to do so in order to achieve measurable outcomes which would improve Nigeria’s rating in the Human Capital Index in the long run.

News

EFCC Arraigns MD Over $680,000 Fraud In Lagos

Published

10 hours ago

May 9, 2025

Editor

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned the Managing Director of Sunsteel, Olalekan Adewoye, on Thursday over alleged $680,622.65 fraud in Lagos.

Adewoye was arraigned by the EFCC Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 before Justice Mojisola Dada of the Lagos State High Court, sitting in Ikeja, Lagos.

This was disclosed in a statement released by the agency on X on Friday, stating that the MD was arraigned alongside his companies, Sunlek Investments Limited and Sunsteel Industries Limited, on a two-count charge, bordering on alleged stealing and obtaining property by false pretence to the tune of $680,622.65.

In the statement, one of the charges reads, “That you, Olalekan Adewoye, Sunlek Investments Limited and Sunsteel Industries Limited, sometime between 2013 and 2014 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with a dishonest intent, stole and converted, for your own use, the aggregate sum of $680,622.65 (Six Hundred and Eighty Thousand, Six Hundred and Twenty- two Dollars Sixty-five Cents), property of Hexagon Im-und Export GmbH & Co KG, a German Company, being the value of construction materials supplied to you, and you thereby committed an offence, to wit, obtaining property by false pretence, contrary to and punishable under Section 1(1), (2) and (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act No. 14 of 2006.”

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges. The prosecution counsel, Abdulhamid L. Tukur, requested a trial date and asked for the defendant to be remanded in custody.

The defence counsel, Olusegun O. Jolaawo SAN, informed the court of a pending bail application, stating that the defendant had never jumped the administrative bail granted by the EFCC.

The judge, Dada ordered that the defendant should continue to enjoy the adminstrative bail earlier granted by the EFCC, but the defendant must deposit his passport and documents for two landed properties with the court registry.

The case was adjourned to June 3 and 19, 2025, for the commencement of the trial.