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OVH Energy Partners Oando Foundation on CSR Initiative in Onne
OVH Energy, Nigeria’s leading downstream marketing Company and licensee of the Oando retail brand has partnered with the Oando Foundation in the global push for quality education.
These organizations recently embarked on the upgrade of a Model Primary School in Onne, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, which is a beneficiary school under the Oando Adopt-A-School Program and is within OVH Energy’s host community.
The strategic partnership comes on the heels of OVH Energy’s efforts to foster the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal Four (4) on Basic Education, aimed at holistic improvement of public primary schools to improve access to qualitative education and impact positively on learning outcomes while reinforcing the Company’s commitment to improving access to basic education.
Speaking about the initiative, Huub Stokman, Chief Executive Officer, OVH Energy Marketing Ltd., reiterated OVH Energy’s commitment to enabling a serene and conducive learning environment in its host communities.
He said, “Education is a basic requirement for every child and the primary level is especially important as it lays the foundation for growth that is why we decided to embark on this project alongside Oando Foundation. This initiative brings us closer to our aim of delivering social value, building cordial and sustainable relationships within our areas of business operations.
“We are thankful to Oando Foundation for the opportunity to leverage its platform and pedigree as an independent charity with a mission to improve the quality of teaching and learning in Nigerian public primary schools. We hope to continue more of these initiatives, confident that together with the government and other corporates, quality education will be achievable in Nigeria”, Stokman added.
Mrs. Adegoke, Head of Oando Foundation, said the Foundation leverages strategic partnerships with various local/international organizations to mobilize resources to its adopted school communities.
She reiterated the Foundation’s commitment to providing a conducive learning environment for every child. “Model Primary School, Onne is a beneficiary of the Foundation’s Adopt-a-school initiative which is ultimately aimed at improving learning outcomes.
Since adoption in 2008, we have renovated of a block of six classrooms, supplied teaching and learning materials, strengthened capacity of 15 in-school teachers on innovative teaching methods, awarded scholarship to 16 pupils, 7 of which have graduated from secondary school, and strengthened the capacity of Education Management Information System (EMIS) officials from Rivers State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and Ekara Onne Local Government on data management for quality education delivery.
We utilize an integrated approach to school improvement which is exactly what we have done with this school”. She said that Oando Foundation partnered with OVH Energy to upgrade the school and has been equipped with several new units of furniture for pupils and teachers, provision of teaching and learning materials, renovation of a block of classroom and general repairs”.
She further stated that to provide infrastructural upgrade and donate furniture for both pupils and teachers is a testament of the Foundation’s obligation as an SDG 4 (Basic Education) champion. “OVH Energy had supported our work through the years and we believe that partnership is key to scaling education in Nigeria and we request all stakeholders – Government, businesses, communities and innovators to join us to transform lives through education”, she added.
Beyond its primary mandate to support the Nigerian Government in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 4 through its Adopt-A-School Initiative (AASI) – aimed at holistic improvement of public primary schools, Oando Foundation is also committed to building strategic partnerships that will address critical barriers to basic education attainment in its adopted school communities; thus deepening the scale and impact of our interventions at the community level.
The upgrade of the primary school commenced following a needs assessment conducted by OVH Energy in June 2019 in conjunction with other critical stakeholders including the school’s management, Onne Community Development Committee, Onne Council of Chiefs and representatives of the Rivers State Ministry of Education Primary School Board Inspectorate. OVH Energy has in the past as part of its educational corporate social responsibility initiatives awarded scholarship to 14 under graduate students in 5 host communities in Lagos and Rivers States.
Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) has awarded a total of N13 million in grants to three standout tech startups at the 2025 Techpreneur Summit held in Lagos, reinforcing its commitment to innovation and inclusive growth among Nigeria’s micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
The winners include: BuyScrap, a digital marketplace for recyclable materials – N6 million; Qiqi Farms, which connects local farmers to hospitality and export markets – N4 million; Eco-Cyclers, a youth-led recycling initiative based in Enugu – N3 million
Alongside the grant awards, DBN also launched a new digital data asset, a first-of-its-kind platform aimed at enabling data-driven decisions within the MSME ecosystem.
The platform offers deep insights into business trends, sector-specific challenges, and growth opportunities—supporting smarter policymaking and targeted investments.
In his keynote address in Lagos, Tony Okpanachi, managing director/ CEO, DBN, described the event’s theme, “CTRL + SHIFT: Tech Empowered Movement for Naija,” as a strategic call to reimagine enterprise development in Nigeria.
“This isn’t just a keyboard shortcut,” he said. “It’s a mindset reset—powered by technology—to build a more inclusive, innovative, and resilient business landscape. From financing to innovation, DBN remains committed to enabling MSMEs to thrive.”
Okpanachi emphasized that the Summit aligns with DBN’s AMPLIFI Strategy, which integrates digital transformation, sustainability, and scalability into its core programs.
He highlighted initiatives such as the Digital Shift Workshops and the Eco-Innovation Challenge as key steps toward embedding innovation in Nigeria’s MSME sector.
Encouraging young innovators, he added: “The future belongs to those bold enough to imagine and build it. DBN is proud to support the ideas that will shape tomorrow.”
A major highlight was the unveiling of the DBN Data Asset—a digital platform designed to provide real-time, evidence-based insights into Nigeria’s MSME landscape.
The platform combines DBN’s proprietary data with external sources like the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to offer a comprehensive view of MSME performance by region and sector.
Jeremy Dan Okayi, DBN’s Head of Strategy, Policy & Innovation, described the platform as: “A reservoir of insight, potential, and direction—built on two years of collaboration and shared vision. This tool will support informed decision-making across the public and private sectors.”
News
FCCPC Shuts France, Belgium, and Italy Visa Centres in Abuja Over Alleged Consumer Rights Violations
In a bold enforcement action, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), supported by the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), has sealed off the visa application centres of France, Belgium, and Italy in Abuja over alleged consumer protection breaches and obstruction of regulatory investigations.
The affected centres—located at Mukhtar El-Yakub House in the Central Business District and operated by TLS Contact, a Teleperformance Company—were shut down following reports that they refused to accept formal correspondence from the FCCPC regarding a consumer complaint. The Commission cited further infractions, including obstruction of investigation and alleged assault of its officers during lawful duties.
Speaking to journalists at the scene, Mrs. Boladale Adeyinka, Director of Surveillance and Investigations at the FCCPC, explained: “This is an enforcement operation against TLS. On March 25, 2025, we served them a letter to address a consumer complaint, which they refused to accept. Instead, TLS officers assaulted our team, and in a subsequent visit on June 17, they also allegedly assaulted uniformed police officers.”
Citing Section 33 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA), Mrs. Adeyinka emphasized that failure to comply with Commission directives constitutes a criminal offense, punishable by imprisonment, fines of up to ₦20 million, or both.
TLS has been ordered to appear before the Commission on June 20, 2025, to provide testimony, submit evidence, and make formal depositions. The company may be held liable for any financial losses suffered by applicants due to the disruption of visa services.
Despite multiple requests for comment, management at TLS Contact declined to respond as of press time.
Adedapo Segun, chief financial officer (CFO), Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), has explained why there is a missing sum of N210 trillion in the company’s audited financial statement spanning from 2017 to 2023.
According to Segun, the missing funds are cash calls requested by joint venture (JV) partners and settlement to the JVs.
He spokeat a session of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts chaired by Aliyu Wadada.
Segun was responding to an alarm raised by the committee over missing N210 trillion in NNPCL’s audited financial statement.
Recall that Wadada issued a one-week ultimatum to NNPCL to account for the missing N210 trillion.
Reacting, Segun said, “The N103 trillion and N107 trillion are made up of joint venture cash calls that have been requested by the JV operators and JV cash call payments made by NNPCL, which are yet to be reconciled because governance procedures were not done at that time.
“That is why you see the description reflecting those two items would be washed out because they are two sides of the same transaction, which is the cash calls by JV partners and the settlement by NNPCL.”
However, Habu Sadeik, a financial analyst, in a post on X on Thursday, said Segun’s response was unsatisfactory.
Saidik faulted NNPCL’s response about the fund discrepancies, noting that something is not right with the audited financial statement.
“Forget about the senators’ lack of knowledge.
“The CFO’s response is not satisfactory. Are you saying that cash calls worth hundreds of trillions are just appearing on your FS only in 2024 without 31 disclosure?
“If it’s a cash call, why hasn’t the disclosure said so?
“Which cash call is over 100 trillion?
“Something is definitely not right, and I hope they retrospectively correct that FS.
“Someone somewhere did a chef’s work,” he wrote on X.
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