Niger Delta Forum

The Rivers state government said that it has withdrawn and discontinued the two separate charges ( PMC/532C/2020 and PMC/533C/2020) preferred against the two pilots of Caverton Helicopters Ltd and the 10 passengers on board before the Port Harcourt Chief Magistrates’ Court.

A statement issued in Port Harcourt on Tuesday by the Rivers state Commissioner for Information and Communication , Paulinous Nsirim said the presiding Chief Magistrate in charge of the case , D. D. Ihua-Maduenyi has struck out the two charges and discharged all the defendants.

The two Pilots of Caverton Helicopters alongside ten passengers on board the aircraft were arrested in April by the state taskforce on COVID-19 restriction of movement for the violation of the state government Executive  on inter-state movement.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/breaking-rivers-withdraws-charges-against-caverton-helicopter-pilots.html

The Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), the Federal Government agency with the mandate of developing indigenous human capacity and petroleum technology to meet the needs of the oil and gas industry, invites applications from suitably qualified candidates for Overseas MSc and PhD Scholarships to institutions under its strategic partnership initiative. Successful candidates will be awarded scholarships to study in France/Germany/China/Malaysia commencing in the 2020/2021 academic session.

The Scheme

Under this scheme, applicants are invited to apply through PTDF to specific programmes at the partner institutions in any of the countries (full list of sponsored courses is available on the scholarship portal scholarship.ptdf.gov.ng). The award includes the provision of flight tickets, payment of health insurance, payment of tuition and bench fees (where applicable) as well as the provision of allowances to meet the costs of accommodation and living expenses. The programmes will also include language classes to aid scholars settle into their new environments (where applicable).

Application Process

Application Forms can be obtained on the scholarship portal (scholarship.ptdf.gov.ng).

Selection Process, Criteria & Requirements

PTDF scholarships are highly competitive and only applicants who are outstanding across board are selected. A selection committee will be constituted to assess applications using the following criteria;

Academic merit as evidenced by quality of degrees, full academic transcripts, other professional qualifications acquired, and relevant publications to be referenced by applicants

Membership of professional bodies

The viability of the study/research plan (PhD Applicants only).

Applicants are required to make a case for their scholarship by submitting a statement of purpose (maximum 500 words) stating the reason(s) they want to undertake the study, the relevance of the proposed study to the oil & gas industry and its expected impact on national development (MSc Applicants only).

Requirements

MSc

A minimum of Second Class Upper (2.1) qualification in their first degree or a Second Class Lower (2.2) with relevant industry experience

Must have completed the mandatory National Youth Service (NYSC)

Must be computer literate

Possession of 5 O/level credits including English Language.

PhD

Must have completed the mandatory National Youth Service (NYSC)

Must be computer literate

A minimum of Second Class Lower (2.2) in their first degree and a good second-degree certificate;

Must submit a research proposal relevant to the oil and gas industry (of not more than 5 pages) to include: Topic, introduction, objective, methodology and mode of data collection (sample template of the proposal is available on the scholarship portal (scholarship.ptdf.gov.ng);

Applicants must also include their master’s degree project

Required Documents

Applicants are advised to scan copies of the following documents and attach to their online application forms:

First Degree Certificate or Statement of Result

NYSC discharge certificate

WAEC/GCE/SSCE/NECO results as well as the PIN numbers on the application forms to enable PTDF view the O’level results on the relevant website).

Recent Passport Photograph

Local Government Identification Letter

Master’s Degree Certificate (PhD Applicants only)

Evidence of membership of professional associations

NOTE:

Applicants must have a National Identity Number (NIN) before applying for the scholarship. Applicants are also expected to upload a NIN Verification Report before completing the application. The report can be obtained from www.verifyme.ng (charges may apply).

Ongoing PhD Applicants could only apply provided their Universities are among the PTDF Partnership Universities as listed above;

Applicants who have benefitted from any of the PTDF scholarships in the past cannot apply for the same category of degree, except a higher degree;

Applicants who are in possession of a higher degree cannot apply for the same type of degree;

Applicants interested in German Institutions should choose Abuja as their preferred interview location;

Applicants who are beneficiaries of any other scholarship need not apply;

Applicants who successfully scale through the first round of screening will be requested to submit their transcripts; all applicants are therefore advised to prepare their transcripts for submission in anticipation of such a request.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS IS Six (6) WEEKS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION.

Signed

Management

Visit at 10 Omoku street. Dline.

https://peterbanigo.com/bole-king-now-open-after-9-months-of-hard-work-behind-the-scenes/

OFID Scholarship 2019/20

The OFID Scholarship Award supports outstanding young individuals from developing countries so that they are able to pursue graduate studies in a development-related field. The program, which is currently in its thirteenth year of operation, has to date helped over 50 young people complete their education. Last year, OFID received close to 9,000 applications. The Scholarship portal is now open to receive applications.  Please refer to the link below for application guidelines.  Candidates are strongly encouraged to read the scholarship FAQs before applying.  The deadline for submission is April 14, 2019.

Application Guidelines

STEP 1: Ensure that you fulfill the OFID Scholarship Award Eligibility Criteria and all necessary documents are ready for submission.
STEP 2: Register within the OFID Scholarship Portal by using your email address. Please note you can log onto the portal as many times as required before finally submitting the application.
STEP 3: Fill out the application form. Make sure to save data each time you update your application. Once you are logged in, if the page remains inactive for more than two hours, your session will time-out and you may lose unsaved data. Do not submit your application until you have completed the entire application process!
STEP 4: Upload necessary documents: CV, two recommendation letters, certificates/transcripts from the highest level of completed education, acceptance letter into postgraduate program, passport copy and personal essay.
STEP 5: When your application is complete, and all additional documents are uploaded, your application is ready to be submitted. Once your application is submitted, you can no longer make any changes or upload any more documents.

The application deadline is April 14th , 2019. Please do not call or email OFID to see if your application has been received or to inquire about your status. You will receive an automated confirmation once your application has been submitted. Only the winners will be notified by June  2019 and announced on our website.

Required Documents

A completed on-line application form.
A scanned copy of the applicant's passport.
A scanned copy of the transcripts/certificates from the highest level of education completed.
A scanned letter of acceptance from chosen educational institution, confirming your admission, subject of study and duration of the Master’s degree program.
A proof of meeting any prerequisites, including language proficiency.
A short essay – of about 500 words in English – giving reasons for applying for the OFID scholarship, explaining your educational goals, and clearly describing how you will use the experience gained from your Master's degree studies to help in the development of your home country.
Two letters of recommendation from professors and/or lecturers at applicant's present university (or present employer).
Curriculum Vitae (CV).


Disbursement of the Scholarship Fund


The terms and conditions of payment will be determined in coordination with the student upon his/her selection in accordance with the following guidelines:

The tuition fees, including any supplementary examination fees, as may be required by the academic institution, will be paid by OFID directly to the academic institution. Health insurance will be paid in accordance with the institution’s own standard medical scheme.

A monthly allowance to cover living expenses, books and accommodation, will be transferred to the student’s own personal bank account.

Prior to the start of his/her first year studies, the student will be paid a relocation grant. OFID will also pay for travel costs from the nearest airport to the student’s place of residence, to the nearest airport to the chosen place of study. Upon completion of the studies, the student will be paid the cost of one-way air ticket to his/her home country.

Eligibility


Must be between the ages of 23-32 at the time of submitting his/her application.
Must have obtained or be on the verge of completing their undergraduate degree with a Baccalaureate from an accredited college/university, or its equivalent.
Must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 rating system, or its equivalent.
Must be matriculated at an accredited university for the upcoming academic year starting August/September 2018, and must maintain full-time status for the duration of the Master's Degree.
Must be a national of a developing country—please refer to the list of eligible countries. Please note that nationals of OFID Member Countries (Algeria, Ecuador, Gabon, Indonesia,  Iran, Iraq, Kuwait,  Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela) are ineligible to apply.
Must select a subject of study that pertains to OFID’s core mission, such as: economics of development (poverty reduction, energy and sustainable development), environment (desertification), or other related science and technology fields.
PLEASE NOTE: Kindly read ALL of the directions below before proceeding with the application process:

Applicants are responsible for gathering and submitting all necessary information. Applications will be evaluated based on the information provided. Therefore, all questions should be answered as thoroughly as possible. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Once an application has been submitted, no changes will be allowed.

OFID will not consider applications received through a third party.

Please do not call or email OFID to ask if your application has been received, or to inquire about your status.

Please note that only the winners will be notified.

All materials submitted become the property of OFID and will not be returned to the applicant.

Applicants must complete the on-line application.

Within the on-line application, applicants must upload the required documents as listed below in Section III. All materials including the on-line application, recommendations, and other required information must be received no later than April 14th , 2019.

Experts fret over petroleum industry outlook

To douse tension in the oil-rich Niger Delta, the Federal Government plans to award to indigenes of the region marginal fields’ oil blocks abandoned by the oil majors as being not commercially viable.

The plan is in line with the government’s larger objective of reducing major incidents of restiveness to about 90 per cent by next year. Over the years, there have been agitations over oil resource ownership, which have become intense with allegations that about 90 per cent of northerners own the oil blocks awarded in the country.

If the plan is implemented, the ownership structure of the nation’s petroleum assets will not only begin to change, but also empower the host region, which has for decades suffered economic deprivation and environmental degradation on account of these resources.


The Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, who disclosed this yesterday in Lagos, said the plan was part of the larger “stability incentive scheme” under “a harmonised holistic development plan for the Niger Delta.”
Expatiating on the plan, Kachikwu said: “This will include creating stability incentive schemes – jobs, investments, contracting opportunities for the zone, and the use of marginal fields’ allocations to state governments and indigenes to help reduce tension and get -in without excluding the rest of the country.”

The minister disclosed this at the Oil and Gas Trade Group Roundtable organised by the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC), to discuss “The Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry: Confronting Realities.”

Represented by the Acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum, John Eboigbe, the minister also promised that government would sustain institutional engagements with stakeholders in the Niger Delta region to nip agitations in the bud, while promising greater transparency in the industry’s operations.

Despite the promises, industry players are concerned over the sustainability of government’s effort, stressing that the future of the sector is uncertain unless inherent challenges are tackled.

Calling for the immediate passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), to fix the challenges, the experts insisted that the sector was still confronted by inadequate private sector engagement and management, poor policy implementation, legacy issues, transparency, trust and security, political will, inadequate infrastructure among other germane issues.

These challenges, many believe, are responsible for the dearth of fresh investments in the sector, and its poor contribution to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP).
They said projected growth in the sector, particularly as regards efforts to boost the country’s crude oil production from 2.2 million barrels per day (mbpd) to 2.5 mbpd by 2020 might be threatened.

Speaking on refining capacity, the Executive Secretary, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Obafemi Olawore, insisted that efforts to repair existing oil refineries in the country would end up as a waste of time and national resources.

For such efforts to be successful, Olawore said the refineries must be privatised to give a lead share of 51 per cent to private owners, 15 per cent to the Federal Government, 10 per cent to state and local government respectively and 14 per cent to local community.

The Chairman, Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Bank-Anthony Okoroafor, who said the sector must be concerned about job creation, urged government to channel local fund to allow Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to participate in the sector. The NBCC President, Adedapo Adelegan, argued that the petroleum sector must be structured to achieve multiplier impact across sectors.


He said: “With the fall in oil prices, and inflation rate hitting above 17 per cent, and the depreciation of the naira, there is a serious need for businesses to think outside the box and devise sustainable survival strategies.”
The Chairman, Oil & Gas Sector Group, NBCC, Aisha Abdurrahman, stressed the need to patronise local contractors in project execution, adding that policy somersault, harsh operating environment, and government’s continuous delay of the PIB were not helpful to the sector.

Abdurrahman said: “There is a need to ensure a stable and predictable framework for the oil and gas industry, which in turn creates the necessary predictability that is of crucial importance for our competitiveness. When producers plan their future activities, they look at projections of future demand and future supply, and make their decisions based on market signals. However, when future policy is unclear, market signals will also be blurred. If the policy is unpredictable and/or unstable, markets signals will be unclear.”

Notwithstanding stakeholders’ fears, Kachikwu, assured that the oil and gas sector, remained critical to the nation’s economy. But he admitted that inadequate investment, lack of local capacity, limited cash call, poor economic structure, pipeline vandalism and other factors continued to hinder the sector’s contribution, particularly in the area of job creation.

Going forward, the minister promised that the oil and gas industry was adopting a sustainable and well-structured stakeholder management framework that would address its peculiar needs and circumstances.

Source: https://guardian.ng/news/niger-delta-indigenes-to-get-oil-blocks-to-douse-tension/