Governor Douye Diri, made the call at the grand finale of a school quiz competition tagged “First Tech-Girl Champ Science Competition” at the Dappa Biriye Conference Centre in Yenagoa.
The Governor, who was represented by his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, noted that investing meaningfully in education as part of the IOCs’ corporate social responsibility would not only provide quality manpower but also help in safeguarding their own investments.
He specifically pointed out that if the youths are well educated they would hardly involve themselves in criminal activities such as pipeline vandalism, which is causing colossal economic and environmental damage to the country.
While emphasizing the need for girls to take science and tech education seriously, the Governor urged them not to be intimidated by their male counterparts, adding that with capacity the sky would be their limit.
Governor Diri expressed delight at the impressive performance of the students and thanked the organizers and sponsors of the school quiz programme, including Zenith Bank, United Nations Consulate General, Lagos and IGNITE, a non governmental organizations.
The Governor, who doled out cash awards to the schools that clinched the first, second, third and fourth positions, urged them not to rest on their oars but rather prepare seriously for the next edition of the programme, which will be expanded to include male students.
His words: “I want to encourage Shell, Aiteo and other IOCs to join our government and other sponsors to improve on what we are doing in education.
“If you don’t train the children and youth to be involved in creative and productive ventures, you will be training them to be involved in crime and criminality because nature does not allow vacuum.
“And so, the oil companies must be happy and flamboyant about taking our crude oil without making contributions towards the welfare and development of our students and youths.
“The more they put their money in this kind of positive ventures, the more they will spare the breaking of their pipelines because those who fail to make positive and innovative change possible, make disastrous change inevitable”, he warned.
Speaking earlier, the Commissioner for Education, Dr Gentle Emelah, underscored the importance of the programme, saying it would promote healthy competition among students and catalyze the growth of science and technology in the state.
According to Dr Emelah, his ministry has introduced technology as a subject into primary schools curriculum as well as using it to monitor what is happening in schools across the state.
While calling for more sponsors, the Education Commissioner informed that the ministry “is currently working on a partnership deal with Microsoft” to revolutionize the education system of the state, especially in terms of technology.
In their separate remarks, the Manager of Zenith Bank, Amarata Branch, Mr Kenneth Iroakazi, and the Executive Director, Inspiring Girls Now in Technology Evolution, IGNITE, Chichi Okafor, expressed determination to work with the state government to promote education in the state.
Okafor noted that unless proactive measures were taken, many girls would be unable to get jobs in the future, as most of them will be technology and engineering based.
For over two weeks, female students from twenty selected secondary schools engaged their counterparts in the Tech-Champ’ Science Quiz competition which was organised by Ignite Nigeria in conjunction with the Bayelsa State ministry of education.
The competition which ended on Monday saw the emergence of the state-owned model secondary school, Ijaw National Academy, Kaiama as the overall winner.
A private secondary school, Best Breed International School, Yenagoa and the Federal Government Girls College, Odi emerged first and second runners up.
Highpoint of the ceremony was the presentation of prizes to winners in various categories of the female competition.
Bayelsa Govt Urges FG To Stop Paying Lip Service
story by Elizabeth Vincent yenagoa
Bayelsa State Government has urged the federal government to stop paying lip service to the issue of flood mitigation and control in states that would be adversely affected by the menace this year as forecast by the Nigeria Hydrological Agency.
The State Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, made the appeal on Monday when a joint delegation from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), United States Agencies for International Development (USAID) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) paid him a courtesy call in Government House, Yenagoa.
His Media aide, Mr Doubara Atasi, the Deputy Governor expressed concern that the federal government and its agencies seem not to be bothered about the sufferings of the people living in flood prone states.
Describing the lackadaisical approach of the Federal Government as worrisome, he maintained that the country appears not to have learnt any lessons from the 2012 and 2022 devastating floods but only good at issuing flood alerts.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo said depending on international agencies for foreign aids at all times is not only demeaning but also anti-development, and therefore, called on all relevant stakeholders to proffer sustainable homegrown solutions to the problem of flooding, which is fast assuming a perennial dimension.
The State Number Two Man, used the opportunity to inform his visitors, that the state government is currently carrying out massive construction works particularly on roads that were badly damaged by last year’s flood.
He appealed to the federal government to quickly partner the Bayelsa State Government in its mitigation efforts and take steps to avoid a recurrence of the 2022 flood experience.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo, however, thanked the United Nations partners for their show of concern towards the state during last year’s flood.
His words “The response from the federal government as far as we are concerned has not risen to the level that will convince us that they took what happened in Bayelsa State seriously.
“We are aware that immediately after the flood, about N800bn was requested from the National Assembly for emergency maintenance of roads, infrastructure and other facilities that were badly affected.
“Until now, the Port Harcourt to Warri section of the East West road, which I traveled on recently, is still very bad and the same federal government, as usual, is only predicting that this year’s flood would be worst than last year.
“We are not persuaded at all by the reaction of the federal government and I am directing this to NEMA; we do not think that your fire brigade approach has changed anything.
“We must make concerted effort. The President gave ninety days ultimatum to the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to come out with plans to see how we can mitigate and avoid a repeat of what happened in 2012. But as far as I know, that issue is still in the pipeline.â€
Earlier, the Field Coordination Officer of the International Organization for Migration, Mr Tsegaye Asrat, said they were in the state to monitor projects being embarked by their agency towards flood mitigation in the state.
Mr. Asrat, added that the IOM would be working closely with the State Emergency Management Agency (BYSEMA) to achieve maximum results before the 2023 floods.
The Field Coordination Officer was accompanied on the visit by a NEMA representative, Mr Chidiebere Ogundu and officials of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), including Jacqueline Straeme and Adesina Stella.
