Kogi State has won the Zonal finals of the 2022 Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) National Science Quiz Competition of Secondary Schools in the North Central zone.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that students from Kogi, Kwara, Benue, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau and the FCT Abuja, participated in the quiz competition on Monday at Baptist High School, Lokoja.

The National Coordinator, NNPC National Science Quiz Competition, Mr Tayo Sanni, who announced the results, said the students were tested in various science subjects, and Kogi emerged the winner.

According to him, Kogi emerged first position with 65 points, FCT came second with 60 points, while Plateau came third with 55 points.

”Benue emerged forth position with 50 points; Nasarawa, fifth with 45 points; while Niger and Kwara States, came sixth and seventh with 40 and 35 points respectively,” he said.

In his remarks, Mr. Garba Muhammad, the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, congratulated the schools and their students for representing their states in the zonal contest.

Muhammad, who was represented by his Technical Assistant on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Mrs. Doris Lepsen, said the NNPC had made intervention in education and capacity development areas, as a fulcrum of its approach to Corporate Social Responsibility.

He emphasised the NNPC’s commitment to encouraging science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education (STEM education), which remain the focus of NNPC National Science Quiz Competition, has become stronger than ever.

”I invite all teachers, JETS coordinators, officials of the State Ministries of Education and parents here today to join the NNPC is this journey to create the Nigeria of our dreams by nurturing the mind and building the skill of the nation’s youth.

”We have in front of us today the best of the best. These students met their peers from all the 774 LGAs of Nigeria and battled it out to emerge as the top of their states.

”Today these 28 male and 9 female students will pass the final hurdle on the road to the NNPC Towers in our nation’s capital for the national finals and grand finale of the NNPC Quiz,” he said.

He thanked the State Government and the Ministry of Education, principals and teachers of the host school for the interest, commitment and support which have made the great competition successful since its inception.

Earlier, the Kogi Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Hon. Wemi Jones, FCIB, commended the NNPC for the choice of Kogi to host the 2022 edition of the annual competition.

He said that His Excellency, Gov. Yahaya Bello, had duly promoted and elevated the status of education in the state.

He stressed that Kogi now had Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH) and upgraded higher institutions to international standard, through the governor’s benevolent and doggedness.

According to him, as a visionary and pragmatic leader, His Excellency has made education his first and second priority with 30 per cent budgetary allocation to education.

Jones, who represented by the Ministry’s Director, Science and Tech., Mr Moses Ameh, noted that Kogi came first at the zonal level of the same competition held in 2019 in Minna, Niger State.

He appreciated the NNPC for the gesture and humanitarian service to the nation epecially the education industry.

NAN reports that, Ibrahim Abdultarreq, a 14 year old SS 2 student of Champion Group of Schools, Otite, Okehi Local Government Area, represented Kogi State at the competition. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
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The removal of subsidy on the petroleum by the Federal Government has been describes as a blessing in disguise as this will being the nations refineries back to its function.

Speaking on this developments, the Sale Rep of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Kwara State branch, Aminun Sulaiman stated this during a briefed with our reporter on Friday in his office.

According to him,’the issue of subsidy on petroleum product has to be tackle once and for all hence the decision of the government will heralds a functional refineries in the country.

“We have to take a look at the long run effect of the subsidy removal as the system before now is at the detriment of the poor masses.

“The position of the government over subsidy removal is not bad in it totality. Instead of the government spending such a huge amount on subsidizing the product, the money can be channel to build refineries in Nigeria.

“This will allow for competition in the market and it will bring down the prices as the market forces would determines the price,” Aminu said.

He added that the government ought to have engages the citizens in a more robust discussion so that people would have had proper knowledge about the benefit of subsidy removal.

“What am saying is that if government haven’t removed the scourge of subsidy, the problem will still be the same. Our refineries will still remain in comatose.

“As it stand now, the market forces will decide the price as this will attract actors in the market which will automatically bring about competitions and leave the consumers to have choices, “he stressed.

Aminu however used the medium to appeal to the consumers of the product in Kwara State to be patients with the government and takes the federal government by it’s words.

You will recall that the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC), a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) last month announced an increase in petrol price of N151.56 to N162 per litre and directed all operators in the petrol retail business to comply immediately.

The development was hinged on the deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector, whereby market forces are to determine prices of petroleum products.

The new price with its cost-reflective nature is expected to help to improve product availability and attract investments to the sector as marketers now have increased margin.