Science & Technology
Delta varsity begins waste management programme

Technology tamfitronics

The Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, Delta State, says it would commence a programme on waste management and technology for the 2025/2026 academic session.

The Vice-Chancellor, of the university, Prof Akpofure Rim-Rukeh, disclosed this on Monday, shortly after launching the Zero Waste Campus Project sponsored by an NGO, the Community Development Advocacy Foundation at the institution.

FUPRE VC noted that the university was a bedrock of knowledge that finds solutions, especially environmental problems, stressing the effect of improper waste management.

He said, “The university through the Center for Waste Management thought it necessary to collaborate with our partners to initiate this project and to remove waste from the university and convert waste to wealth for the betterment of society.

“We are trying to contribute from our knowledge for the betterment of the university campus where we have over 15,000 students and extend it to the society.


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“Before the appeal and request, I spoke with Deputy Vice-Chancellor Admin, that we are missing knowledge gap in this country in terms of sustainability.

“We expect to see people with BSc Animal Science, that is too wide, we intend to bring in the waste to a very lower level, like Post Graduate Diploma in Waste Management and  Technology.

“The university management is in total support and will commence the program at the 2025/2026 academic session, as we teach the technology of waste management and the principles.”

Earlier, the Executive Director, CODAF, Mr. Richard Benin called on tertiary institutions to create an ecosystem where responsible consumption, waste reduction and recycling are given top priority.

He said they have started a journey that will change the world and lead to sustainability,  which empowers our university community to take meaningful action against the pressing challenges of plastic pollution, particularly the scourge of single-use plastics.

“It may interest you to know that, the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, is the first Institution in Nigeria to kick-start this project and it is imperative to put in our best, to make this institution the first Zero Waste Varsity in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

“It is our duty as a community of thinkers and researchers to set an example by demonstrating values and principles of sustainability and responsibility.

“The Zero Waste Campus Project is a comprehensive strategy to promote a sustainable culture on our campuses, not only reducing plastic waste. Our goal is to establish an ecosystem where responsible consumption, waste reduction and recycling/composting are given top priority.

“I want to personally make this request to the Vice Chancellor and the school management to establish a Post Graduate Program on Zero Waste Project by providing our students not only health and safety concerns but a critical step in diminishing our reliance on plastic waste.

“Within this ecosystem, every member of the university community will be able to actively contribute to the quest for a healthy and green planet and together we will implement innovative solutions such as the introduction of reusable containers, education on waste sorting and advocacy for sustainable alternatives” he explained.

Benin said if the Post Graduate Programme on Zero Waste is approved, the institution would have once again written its name in the sands of time. FUPRE will be the first institution on planet Earth to have such program.

Science & Technology
Delta varsity to begin waste management programme

Technology tamfitronics

The Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, Delta State, says it would commence a programme on waste management and technology for the 2025/2026 academic session.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof Akpofure Rim-Rukeh, disclosed this on Monday, shortly after launching the Zero Waste Campus Project sponsored by an NGO, the Community Development Advocacy Foundation at the institution.

FUPRE VC noted that the university was a bedrock of knowledge that finds solutions, especially environmental problems, stressing the effect of improper waste management.

He said, “The university through the Center for Waste Management thought it necessary to collaborate with our partners to initiate this project and to remove waste from the university and convert waste to wealth for the betterment of society.

“We are trying to contribute from our knowledge for the betterment of the university campus where we have over 15,000 students and extend it to the society.

“Before the appeal and request, I spoke with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Admin, that we are missing the knowledge gap in this country in terms of sustainability.

“We expect to see people with BSc Animal Science, that is too wide, we intend to bring the waste to a very low level, like a Post Graduate Diploma in Waste Management and  Technology.

“The university management is in total support and will commence the program at the 2025/2026 academic session, as we teach the technology of waste management and the principles.”

Earlier, the Executive Director, CODAF, Richard Benin called on tertiary institutions to create an ecosystem where responsible consumption, waste reduction and recycling are given top priority.

He said they have started a journey that will change the world and lead to sustainability,  which empowers our university community to take meaningful action against the pressing challenges of plastic pollution, particularly the scourge of single-use plastics.

“It may interest you to know that, the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, is the first Institution in Nigeria to kick-start this project and it is imperative to put in our best, to make this institution the first Zero Waste Varsity in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

“It is our duty as a community of thinkers and researchers to set an example by demonstrating values and principles of sustainability and responsibility.

“The Zero Waste Campus Project is a comprehensive strategy to promote a sustainable culture on our campuses, not only reducing plastic waste. Our goal is to establish an ecosystem where responsible consumption, waste reduction and recycling/composting are given top priority.

“I want to personally make this request to the Vice Chancellor and the school management to establish a Post Graduate Program on Zero Waste Project by providing our students not only health and safety concerns but a critical step in diminishing our reliance on plastic waste.

“Within this ecosystem, every member of the university community will be able to actively contribute to the quest for a healthy and green planet and together we will implement innovative solutions such as the introduction of reusable containers, education on waste sorting and advocacy for sustainable alternatives,” he explained.

Benin said if the Post Graduate Programme on Zero Waste is approved, the institution would have once again written its name in the sands of time. FUPRE will be the first institution on planet Earth to have such program.

Politics
Niger Delta communities demand over N500 billion in damages from Shell

Politics tamfitronics

Oil-rich Niger Delta communities are seeking 505 billion naira ($310 million) in damages from Shell, alleging that the oil giant breached a court order by proceeding with the sale of its onshore assets in the Niger Delta.

The legal challenge, filed on Friday, accuses Shell of violating a December 2023 court ruling that barred any asset sales until a compensation lawsuit was resolved.

Shell, which has agreed to exit Nigeria’s onshore oil and gas sector, announced in January that it would sell its business to a consortium of five largely local companies for $2.4 billion.

The move is part of Shell’s broader strategy to divest from its onshore operations in Nigeria.

However, over 1,200 representatives from the Ilaje communities in the Niger Delta have petitioned the Federal High Court in Abuja to halt the transaction.

They argued that Shell’s actions contravened the court’s directive, which suspended the sale pending the outcome of the compensation case.

The communities are suing Shell over alleged environmental damage caused by oil spills, which they claim have devastated waterways and farmland.

Shell has consistently maintained that oil spills in the region are primarily due to theft and vandalism rather than operational failures.

Despite the claims, the communities argue that Shell’s decision to press ahead with the asset sale is a direct affront to the court’s orders and an attempt to evade accountability.

In their court filings, the community representatives assert that Shell should face penalties for disregarding the court’s preservative orders.

They contended that the ongoing suffering of their members is a direct result of Shell’s failure to comply with judicial directives.

Science & Technology
Delta tells CrowdStrike not to blame the victim for its global technology outage

Technology tamfitronics

Technology tamfitronics Delta Air Lines passengers

Delta Air Lines passengers
Photo: Jessica McGowan (Getty Images)

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Delta Air Lines has issued a response to CrowdStrike’s attempt to share some of the blame for the CrowdStrike technology outage. In a letter shared with Quartz, the carrier said that the cybersecurity firm should take more responsibility for what turned out to be an extremely costly problem.

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Microsoft turns the blame back on Delta for the global IT outage

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“We were surprised and disappointed by CrowdStrike’s efforts to minimize the international disaster it caused (including by seeking to downgrade it to an ‘incident’ or an ‘outage’),” Delta said, adding that it is “still working to understand the full extent of what CrowdStrike did (and didn’t do) that resulted in the disaster that everyone in the world other than CrowdStrike seems to know occurred.”

Earlier this week, CrowdStrike said it “rejects any allegation that it was grossly negligent or committed willful misconduct” after a software update it pushed out threw airports and airlines around the world into chaos. Delta had a harder time getting back to business-as-usual than other airlines and ended up spending $500 million on compensation for workers and customers.

Both CrowdStrike and Microsoftwhich has also been a part of the fracas, say that Delta ignored offers of on-site help. But in a securities filing, Delta says that it and their high-powered lawyer David Boies are taking them to court anyway.

“We are pursuing legal claims against CrowdStrike and Microsoft to recover damages caused by the outage,” CEO Ed Bastian said in a statement in the filing.

Speaking to CNBC last week, Bastian said it wasn’t the kind of situation where an apology would suffice.

“We have no choice, between not just the lost revenue, but the tens of millions of dollars per day in compensation and hotels,” he said. “We did everything we could to take care of our customers over that period.”

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