Dickson commends FG on Ogbia Water Project

…Says Bayelsa should be carried along in budget process

Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon Seriake Dickson on Thursday commended the efforts of the Federal Government, that culminated in the completion and commissioning of the Central Ogbia Water Project at Otuoke in Ogbia Local Government Area of the state.

Governor Dickson, who gave the commendation when the Minister of Water Resources, Engr Suleiman Adamu, paid him a courtesy call in Yenagoa, expressed delight that the project would meet the water needs of several communities in the area.

He stressed the need for those, who occupy positions of public trust to show true commitment to the completion of projects they inherited, pointing out that, the infrastructural deficit confronting most states and the Federal Government is as a result of reckless abandonment of government policies and programmes.

Dickson said, “This is the type of cross-party collaboration and continuity that should inform government policies. So, I like to thank the Federal Government for establishing this water project and the present administration for seeing to its completion for the beneficiary communities and people of this state to benefit.”

Highlighting the importance of water for both domestic and industrial use, the Governor said his administration would spare no effort to ensure the provision of potable water for the people of the state, despite the environmental challenges posed by the terrain and oil spills over the years.

He, however, called for more collaboration between the state, Federal Government and other development partners within and outside the country, noting that, the magnitude of work and financial resources required to meet the potable water requirements of the people was beyond the reach of the state government.

Governor Dickson, who also solicited the support of international organisations with the requisite financial and technical expertise, appealed to the National Assembly and the executive arm to carry Bayelsa along in their annual budgetary allocations for water projects across the country.

His words, “If you look at Bayelsa from the outside, you will think there is so much water to drink. But the sort of water we have here, has its challenges because of the prolonged environmental issues that have arisen as a result of our being host to most of the oil producing companies.

“In the past four years that we’ve been here, we’ve tried a number of initiatives in terms of getting the right technology. So, we want to work closely with the Federal Government, its agencies and all partners across the globe, who have the capacity both in terms of financial muscle and technical expertise to ensure that we make potable water available to our people.”

Earlier in his remarks, the Minister of Water Resources, Engr Suleiman Adamu, said his team was in the state to commission the Central Ogbia Water Project, which was initiated by the former President Goodluck Jonathan administration.

Engr Adamu, who was accompanied on the visit by the House Committee Chairman on Water Resources, Hon Aliyu Pategi, the Managing Director, Niger Delta Basin Development Authority, Hon. Onoye Beredugo among other top officials of the ministry, noted that, the project would be handed over to the state after the commissioning for beneficiary communities to use.

Access Bank wins CIBN’s Best Bank Academy award

Access Bank School of Banking Excellence has won the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) award for the Best Bank Academy in the year 2016.

The award was in recognition of the quality of the curriculum of the school and quality of the graduates as well as the consistency in their production of fresh graduates.

Presenting the award to the Bank at the 10th Annual Banking and Finance Conference 2016, Dr. Uju Ogubunka, former Registrar of the CIBN, commended Access Bank for training its workforce and by extension building capacity for the banking and finance industry in Nigeria.

The School of Banking Excellence which takes fresh graduates through an intensive five-month pre-career course was the first of such institutions to be accredited by the CIBN in March 2015. Founded in 2002, the school was conceptualized to groom the youth, educate them and prepare future leaders for the banking industry.

During the programme students of the school are mentored by high level resource persons both internal and external including the Chairman and Group Chief Executive of the Bank.

Receiving the award, Pattison Boleigha, Chief Conduct and Compliance Officer, Access Bank Plc said the five months entry level training at the Banking School of Excellence, has acquired an enviable reputation as a learning centre of excellence.

“Our approach to employee development is a mix of different learning methods ranging from self-study, on-the-job training to e-learning programmes. Employees on a continuous basis are exposed to various capacity building programmes both locally and internationally,” he noted.

According to him, the Access Bank School of Banking Excellence empowers the trainees to compete internationally, build confidence and improve their sense of belief.