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FG Invites IAEA to Assess Nigeria’s Nuclear, Radiation Safety Framework

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Federal government, said it has invited the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to conduct an assessment of Nigeria’s nuclear and radiation regulatory framework and also undertake a review of the safety and preparedness of the country as regards such issues and emergencies.

Officials of the IAEA Integrated Regulatory Review Services (IRRS) are currently on a mission to Nigeria to undertake a review of the country’s regulatory framework and infrastructure as regards nuclear energy and radiation.

The IRRS team is led by Mr. Lambert Matteochi and the IRRS Coordinator, Mr. Teodros Haliu. In the course of the assessment, the team would visit three facilities of interest in the country; identify best practices that can be shared with other regulators and provide suggestions and recommendations on Nigeria’s nuclear and radiation safety. The team would conclude their assessment July 12, 2017 and is expected to present an exit report to the Federal Government at the end of the programme.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the IRRS Mission to Nigeria, hosted by the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Agency, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, minister of State for Petroleum Resources disclosed that the IAEA review team’s visit to Nigeria was at the instance of the Federal Government.

Kachikwu, who was represented by his Senior Technical Assistance on Technical Matters, Mr. Adegbite Adeniji, said the IAEA was invited to undertake a peer review evaluation of Nigeria’s regulatory infrastructure and preparedness for nuclear and radiation emergencies.

He explained that as a strong partner of IAEA in implementing its ‘Atoms for Peace and Development’ mandate, Nigeria commitment and efforts towards ensuring greater security of nuclear materials and maintaining a balance between nuclear non-proliferation obligations and balancing nuclear energy and technology for social economic development remains unwavered.

He declared that Nigeria would continue to live up to its responsibility of ensuring nuclear security whilst collaborating with international agencies such as the IAEA for the provision of tactical assistance, expert advice, with active equipments and training.

 He said “As an important and respected member of the IAEA, we have signed and implemented a number of binding international treaties, agreements and conventions. It is worthy of note that specific national regulations have been developed to domesticate these conventions and treaties while existing regulations are been reviewed and benchmarked with international standards.”

Also speaking, Mr. Lawrence Dim, director general/chief executive officer, NNRA, said nuclear regulations international and only international best practices are recognized, hence, the invitation to the IAEA for the assessment.

He said the mission to Nigeria provided an opportunity for peer review, adding that at the end of the review, the outcome, containing identification of best practices, suggestions and recommendations would be forwarded to the Federal Government for implementation.

Also speaking, Mr. Tayo Alasoadura, Senate Committee chairman on Petroleum, Upstream, said the review was timely and important to the country, in view of the need to prevent a recurrence of nuclear and radiation disasters that happened in some countries over the years.

On his own his part, Mr. Victor Nwokolo,  House Committee chairman on Petroleum, Upstream, said the review was apt in the sense that operators should be aware of the latest and best ways of moving these kinds of materials in or out of the country, to ensure they do not fall into wrong hands.

He said, “In a nutshell, we want these materials to be properly secured, especially with the issue of bomb blast in some parts of the country. The same materials used in our mining sector and quarry are still the same materials used by the terrorists in bombing.

“That is why this review is very timely, to ensure they do not go to wrong hands. As the days pass by, the criminals in our society device more sophisticated methods of getting their evil aspirations carried out.

“That is why I said they should also teach our own people here on how to safeguard these things. Particularly, with our porous borders, how do they ensure that anytime these things are coming in, that they have proper census of the number and quantity of the nuclear material, if not, our lives and that of the country would be in danger.”


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EFCC: Accusations Against Our Chairman Are Baseless and Misleading

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Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has strongly denied allegations of lack of integrity and transparency directed at its chairman, Ola Olukoyede, by columnist Steve Osuji.

In a statement issued by Dele Oyewale, spokesperson, EFCC. the commission described the claims as “worrisome and unjustifiable,” particularly criticizing the personal attacks on Olukoyede.

“More worrisome was his attack on Olukoyede for no justifiable reason. Allegations of lack of transparency, accountability and integrity deficit are wild and clearly off the mark,” Oyewale said.

He questioned the basis for the allegations and defended Olukoyede’s leadership since taking office.

“The question is: in what way has Olukoyede fallen short? Is it by insisting that the right things should always be done? By moving the nation’s anti-graft war forward radically and unprecedentedly?

“By bringing forth a preventive framework to tackle corruption and reaping bountiful gains for the nation?

“By recovering the globally-acclaimed 753 duplexes and other apartments, which are proceeds of fraudulent dealings for the nation?

“By launching the EFCC into a global map of accomplished anti-graft agencies? By handling 50,000 case files in one year?

“By embarking on a courageous internal cleansing system and other progressive initiatives to deepen and strengthen the anti-corruption fight?

“It is cowardly and uncharitable for any columnist to hide under vague and opaque cover to splash mud on Ola Olukoyede, arguably one of the finest breed of anti-graft czars around the world.”

Olukoyede, through the statement, reaffirmed that the EFCC has consistently submitted its annual reports to the National Assembly as required by law.

“Equally preposterous are claims of re-looting of assets by officers of the Commission. For the purpose of clarification, the Commission does not recover monetary assets into its covers and the non-monetary assets that are recovered are disposed of following clear pronouncements by court and proceeds paid into the Confiscated and Forfeited Properties Account account in the Central Bank in line with provisions of the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act, 2022.

“The EFCC does not operate in secrecy. All its operations are regularly communicated to the public, including public auction of assets. To deliberately cast the Commission in the mould of fraudulent engagements or criminality is not only mischievous but also untenable,” the statement concluded.


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IHS Nigeria, UNICEF Donate Oxygen Plant to Bridge Health Gap in River State

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IHS Nigeria and its implementing partner, the United Nations Child Education Fund (UNICEF) has expressed satisfaction that the Oxygen Plant recently donated to Rivers State is helping to bridge the health Gap in the state and its environs.

This observation was made recently when officials from IHS Nigeria and UNICEF, carried out a project inspection visit to the plant located at the General Hospital in Eleme, Rivers State.

During the handing over of the oxygen plant to the Rivers State Government in 2024, the facility was reported to have a production capacity of 123 oxygen cylinders and 720,000 litres of oxygen every 24 hours.

The plant was built under a Public-Private Partnership involving UNICEF, the Canadian Government, IHS Nigeria, in partnership with the Rivers State Ministry of Health through the State Hospital Management Board.

Speaking during the visit to the facility yesterday, the Director of Sustainability at IHS Nigeria, Titilope Oguntuga, noted that the oxygen plant has saved lives and is helping to bridge health gaps in the eight other states where similar plants are located.

She further explained that the visit reflects the organisation’s commitment “not only to create opportunities for impact but to also continue supporting the healthcare industry by carrying out such interventions that directly impact individuals and saves lives. This plant is one of the nine oxygen plants we have built across the federation,” she said.

“We are particularly excited that it is helping to bridge health gaps—not just in Rivers State and its environs, but in all the states where the plants are currently located.”

Oguntuga informed that in terms of sustainability “we focus our intervention sustainability on four pillars; ethics and governance, education and economic growth, environment and climate change and finally, people and communities”.

She added that “the visit to the Rivers State oxygen plant is to have an assessment of how well the plant is functioning, the impact it is currently making and to generally understand how the operation is going”.

On his part, Chief of UNICEF Field Office, Port Harcourt, Dr Anslem Audu, stated that the plant has been very functional and useful to the people of Rivers State. According to him, “During the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of patients needed oxygen and oxygen was not available. So many children will come down with pneumonia and it will become an emergency, they will need oxygen, but oxygen is not available in the hospital. But with this plant now available no child will die because of lack of oxygen in the hospital. The era of lack of oxygen is no longer there.

Audu added that “You can practically visit any of the hospitals in Port Harcourt and find out that they have oxygen and the product is from this plant all thanks to IHS Nigeria, the Canadian Government and UNICEF”.

The UNICEF field officer, who confirmed that the plant is functioning optimally, said it is producing enough oxygen for the state’s needs.

In his words, “The partnership between these three organizations and the Ministry of Health in Rivers State has really worked, and we are reaping the benefits of the partnership.

He urged the implementing partners, especially the government, to also invest in the sustainability of the facility by providing a source of electricity for the plant to be more functional.

Earlier, the Medical Director Eleme General Hospital, Dr Leechi-Okere Clarabelle, noted that since the day of the unveiling, the plant has been functioning very well. Commenting on impact he noted that “We’ve had success stories whereby oxygen is distributed to public hospitals in the state, including the two teaching hospitals in the state and then we have also extended distribution to some private hospitals within the state.

“We have two hubs that serve as storage and distribution points because of the location of the plant. We produce here and store somewhere in Port Harcourt so that people who come from a far distance can get oxygen from these hubs.

 


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JAMB Accuses Student of Securing Admission through Identity Fraud

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Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has accused a 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidate of manipulating his identity and engaging in online blackmail.

JAMB Accuses Student of Securing Admission through Identity Fraud

Fabian Benjamin, head of public affairs, JAMB, issued a statement on the matter on Thursday.

He said one Chinedu Okeke, currently a 400-level Medicine and Surgery student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), gained admission in 2021 while claiming to be from Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos state.

JAMB said Okeke’s national identification number (NIN) records from 2021 confirm his Lagos origin.

The board stated it does not alter candidate information provided through NIN.

The board, however, said the 400-level student, who is facing potential challenges for incorrect credentials, is now claiming that it retrieved the wrong details for him from the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) in 2021.

“[This] is unequivocally false, aimed at fabricating a defence for his case,” Benjamin said.

“The evidence suggests that Chinedu altered his records as filled in 2021 before registering for the 2025 UTME, a fact confirmed by even his advocates.”

The board questioned why a 400-level medical student would seek to study mechanical engineering in 2025, especially with “inconsistencies in his claims.”

JAMB alleged that Okeke “took advantage” of Lagos state’s quota in 2021, thereby obstructing the admission opportunities for other deserving candidates from the state.

It added that he then “attempted to manipulate his details with the NIMC” to unjustly claim representation from Anambra state in 2025.

The board criticised “online advocates” for “actively reaching out to Chinedu’s parents to extract emotional narratives rather than factual clarifications, neglecting to seek information directly from the university.”

JAMB affirmed its commitment to maintaining accurate records and preventing candidates from exploiting loopholes.

It warned that if UNN confirms any inconsistencies, it would notify the Medical and Dental Council to consider delisting Okeke.

“When a nation trivialises illegalities, it breeds a future fraught with potential criminality,” Benjamin’s statement concluded.


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