Presidency, Educators, HR Experts, RedStar Express, NABTEB, Others to attend the Unveiling Ceremony of the 21st Century Skills Roadmap

Leading stakeholders in Nigeria’s skills development and engagement space are set to attend the Unveiling Ceremony of the 21st Century Skills Roadmap (21st CSR), which holds at the University of Lagos on Thursday, December 5th and Friday, December 6th, 2024. Participants shall jointly seek credible and practical solution pathways to resolving the endemic problem that has spanned decades and seemingly defied solutions.

Expected participants, include special advisors from the Presidency, academic institutions/educators, human resources experts, employers of labour, development institutions, policymakers (including ministries, government executives at federal, state, and local government levels etc.). Also expected are business strategists, chief executives/managers of corporate organisations, the media, Non-Governmental Organisations and philanthropists, community leaders, learners, PTAs/parents & guardians.

Hosted by Career Digest (CD) Limited, a social business enterprise, in collaboration with leading stakeholders in the education sector, the event promises to unveil before a colourful audience, the fundamentals of the perennial wide-scale skills gaps between the institutions of learning and the workplace in Nigeria and across parts of Africa. The Epoch-making event which is planned as a hybrid occurrence, will host hundreds of onsite and offsite participants. It will feature activities including keynote addresses, goodwill messages, a Big Picture presentation, panel discussions, official endorsements, Business to Business (B2B) Sessions and, networking, among others.

Keynote address will be delivered by Emeritus Professor, Olugbemiro Jegede, Foundation Vice Chancellor, National Open University of Nigeria, former Chief Executive & Secretary General of the Association of African Universities, and theimmediate past Secretary to the Government of Kogi State.

A recent statement by the CEO of Career Digest, Mrs. Joy Chinwokwu noted that “The Career Digest initiative is designed to empower skillful and morally upright students, youth, and women to help themselves, their families, industries, and the economy.” Among the expected outcomes is an enabled mutual training environment for the classroom and workplace and a close-knit work interface among various sector stakeholders. The initiative has been applauded by leading members of both the public and private sectors as “a timely and long-awaited social business tonic for career and curriculum reforms.

Career Digest (CD) Limited, is a recently established organisation primarily focused on advocating and implementing stakeholders’ interventions to attain 21st Century Skills and ultimately create quality jobs that will help stem the wide trend of unemployment and multi-dimensional poverty. The mission is to impact the economy of individuals, families, and communities through sustainable stakeholders’ partnerships that will facilitate the development and implementation of world-class digital skills, beginning with Nigeria and dovetailing to other African countries.

DANGOTE GROUP, SUBSIDIARIES SHINE AT NECA’S 2024 VISIBLE IMPACT AWARDS

…Dangote Cement, Refinery win Sectoral, Groundbreaking investment awards 

In a blitz of honour, the Pan-Africa Conglomerate, Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), and its subsidiaries Dangote Cement Plc and Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals stole the show at the weekend in Lagos when they carted away excellence awards bestowed by the private sector employers’ body, Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) during its 2024 annual night of recognitions.

Dangote Group was recognised under the Visible Impact Award for Resilience & Entrepreneurship; Dangote Cement won the Sectoral Excellence Award in the Chemical and Non-Metallic Products category, while the 650,000bpd capacity world’s largest single train refinery, Dangote Refinery won the Groundbreaking Investment award.

Basking in the euphoria of the recognitions, Dangote Industries Limited’s Vice-President, Oil and Gas, Mr. Devakumar Edwin, who was on ground to receive the awards described them as reflecting the values of Dangote Group and its subsidiaries as top employers of labour showing resilience in the face of tough business operating environment.

He said the award would only spur the management of Dangote to continue in the trajectory of the fine best global best practices in business with more investments in the task of rejuvenating the nation’s economy.

In the same vein, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investments, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole and her counterpart in Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN) were recipients of the “Visible Impact in Public Service Award.”

This year’s awards, dubbed “Defying the odds”, NECA said, is geared towards promoting and encouraging best practices in Corporate Performance, People Management and Industrial Relations practices amongst employers in Nigeria.

This, it explained, is in a bid to celebrate outstanding contributions of enterprise to national development, noting that the award provided a platform for celebrating the resilience, doggedness and outstanding performance of employers in Nigeria.

In his welcome address, President of NECA, Dr. Ifeanyi Eric Okoye, noted that the award ceremony was to celebrate the excellence, resilience, innovation and unwavering commitment demonstrated by businesses across the various sectors of the Nigerian economy in 2024.

He said the Awards’ theme, “Defying the Odds,” reflected the indomitable spirit of the Nigerian enterprises that had consistently risen to the challenges posed by the dynamic and demanding local and global economic landscape.

Said he, “This annual ceremony is a testament to remarkable progress made by organisations that share our vision of a thriving private sector as the bedrock of national development. Over the years, the NECA’s Excellence Award has become a hallmark of prestige highlighting organisations that exemplify best practices in corporate governance, industrial relations and environmental sustainability.

“Our honours tonight do not only serve as a beacon of hope, and a reminder that in the face of adversities excellence is achievable, it is also an opportunity to increase visibility by highlighting their achievements and innovations to a wider audience.

“As we celebrate tonight, let us not only celebrate the achievements of the award recipients; let also celebrate all businesses here present and those that have left in the past few years and recommit ourselves to fostering innovation, inclusivity and resilience in all that we do. Together we can build a future where Nigerian enterprises thrive as global leaders.”

Also speaking, the Director General of NECA, Mr. Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, explained that the awards were a statement that, irrespective of the challenges the private sector employers have been facing “since January till now, there is time for all of us to sit down and just breathe and celebrate the resilience, doggedness, innovations your businesses were able to bring on-board and their contributions to national development”.

Oyerinde stated further: “So, we are gathered this evening to celebrate your businesses, contribution and support to NECA. We have broken away from the traditional issues of labour and employment that you know us with and are now dealing with all fundamental issues that affect your businesses either now or in the future like Environmental, Social and Governance in sustainability issues.

“We are also deepening our collaboration with CIPE moving into the realms of ethics with emphasis on doing business correctly. We are also deepening our engagements with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in the context of responsible business conduct for our members to operate responsibly within the context of the law.

“This strengthens our hands to advocate against unfavourable business regulations that see businesses as cash cows rather than agents of national development.”

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by Head of Service, Lagos State, Mr. Shuaheeb Agoro, commended NECA for its remarkable legacy of championing enterprise, competitiveness, responsible business practices and industrial harmony describing the award as another remarkable way of motivating employers in the private sector.

Sanwo-Olu said, “This year’s theme could not to be more apt as it speaks to the determination that Nigerian employers have continued to demonstrate in overcoming challenges to sustain businesses, create jobs and drive national development. This resilience is a reflection of enduring entrepreneurial spirit that defines our great nation.”

The governor pointed out that the award inspires the culture of   best practices in corporate governance, industrial relations, environmental sustainability and responsible business conduct.”

‘No Disparity,’ NUPRC Confirmed 1.8m bopd NNPC Ltd Oil Production Figures At NAPE Conference

‘1.54m bopd production figure (quoted by THISDAY for October) is for September, not October,’ What NUPRC boss told highest body of petroleum explorationists and stakeholders in Lagos.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) confirmed the 1.8 million barrels of per day (bopd) production figures earlier released by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Limited) at the conference organised by the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) in Lagos.

This newspaper, which reported the Commission boss, Gbenga Komolafe, to have said this to stakeholders, maintained that the development is contrary to a report making the round that the NUPRC contradicted the NNPC Ltd figures.

Speaking at the 42nd Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists Annual International Conference & Exhibition in Lagos, Komolafe said that Nigeria’s crude oil output, including condensate, increased by 16.56 per cent to 1.8 million barrels per day, bpd in October 2024, from 1.54 million bpd in September 2024.

He said that as a result of this feat, Nigeria has exceeded the 1.5 million bpd quota of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC.

“This represents an increase of 253,710,
bpd to reach 1.8 million bpd in October, up from 1.54 million bpd in September 2024, representing 16.56 per cent month-on-month rise,” he said.

Represented by Enorense Amadasu, Executive Commissioner for Development and Production at NUPRC, the NUPRC boss declared that efforts were underway to further increase oil output to two million bpd by December 2024.

Highlighting the theme of the conference, “Resolving the Nigerian Energy Trilemma: Energy Security, Sustainable Growth and Affordability”, Komolafe, said the organization is committed to expanding Nigeria’s oil production capacity.

Checks by this newspaper showed that this is the same position of the NNPC Ltd, which said it and its partners have revved up crude oil and gas production to 1.8 million barrels per day (mbpd) and 7.4billion standard cubic feet (bscf) per day.

The company announced this at a press briefing, maintaining that the feat was achieved in compliance with the mandate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

This newspaper gathered that these figures are, contrary to misconstrued report, the same with the ones announced by the NUPRC.

Disparity Where There Is None

A THISDAY review of the delayed October production figures by the NUPRC, which is the oil and gas sector upstream regulator, claimed that Nigeria produced 1.538 million bpd of crude oil and condensate.

The three-month low production data released by the NUPRC, the report claimed, contradicted the report announced by the national oil company and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources (Oil), which specifically put production at 1.808 million bpd.

Looking Beyind 1.8m bopd

Speaking on the development, the Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mele Kyari, who reiterated that the Company revved up oroduction to 1.8 m bopd, declared the target to even increase the production to 2 million bopd.

Kyari congratulated the Production War Room Team that anchored the production recovery process.

“The team has done a great job in driving this project of not just production recovery but also escalating production to expected levels that are in the short and long terms acceptable to our shareholders based on the mandates that we have from the President, the Honourable Minister, and the Board,” Kyari explained.

Giving details of the efforts of the Production War Room, the Chief War Room Coordinator, and Senior Business Adviser to the Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Lawal Musa disclosed that the feat was achieved through the collaborative efforts of Joint Venture and Production Sharing Contract partners, the Office of the National Security Adviser, as well as government and private security agencies.

He said the interventions led to the recovery of production cut across every segment of the production chain with security agencies closely monitoring the pipelines.

He stressed that when the Production War Room team was inaugurated on the 25th June 2024, production was at 1.430mbpd, but the team swung into action, culminating into it sustaining the production recovery to 1.7mbpd in August and hitting the current 1.808mbpd in November.

“We are confident that with this same momentum and with the active collaboration of all stakeholders, especially on the security front, we can see the possibility of getting to 2mbpd by the end of the year,” he stated.

Also speaking on the development, Chairman of the NNPC Ltd Board of Directors, Chief Pius Akinyelure, who also congratulated the team, said he was happy to be part of the production recovery process, adding: “today, I will leave this place with my heart full of joy”.

He charged the Company’s Management to come up with a cashflow projection based on the new production figures to facilitate planning, stressing that he was looking forward to further production increase to 3mbpd.

-END-