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B N W: Biafra Nigeria World News |
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Obasanjo canvasses recruitment of Nigerians into oil firm�s top positionsABIODUN OBIMUYIWA, AbujaPRESIDENT Olusegun Obasanjo on Tuesday commended the country�s progress in technological development, even as he argued that government�s insistence that there must be increase in local content in the oil and gas industry should take cognisance of the recruitment of indigenes into the top echelon of the oil companies. Obasanjo, made the assertions at an audience with a delegation of Exxon Mobil Corporation, led by its chairman, Mr. Lee Raymond during the corporate presentation of e-Tranzact at the State house, Abuja. The President said he was proud and encouraged about the progress the nation was making in the technological sector, noting that with the breakthrough achieved by the novel electronic payment method, the bad name which fraud, drug and human trafficking had created for the country would begin to gradually change. While congratulating the brain behind the e-Tranzact, Mr. Valentine Obi, for his achievement, the President observed that the country could not afford to be left behind in the areas of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and biotechnology. On the need to increase the local content in the oil and gas sector, he argued that despite the country�s limited industrial base, �we can have more local content in the oil/gas industry.� Obasanjo contended that local capacity development would be cost-effective with qualified Nigerians working in the higher echelons of oil companies, rather than expatriates. He urged Exxon Mobil to contribute to the nation�s desire to increase the input into the national power grid by executing Independent Power Projects. Raymond had earlier told the President that his company was sensitive to the issue of local content in the industry and that the organisation�s Independent Power Plant would soon come on stream. Chairman of e-Tranzact International, Mr. Felix Ohiwerei, had, during the presentation, said that the product which was wholly conceived in the country by a Nigerian and acknowledged internationally, would enable the user to pay for goods and services without going to the banks and using the internet, land or mobile phones. Obi, elaborating on the advantages of the product, said that it was the first of its type in the world, claiming that it has been designed to eliminate fraud and reduce the use of cash in business transactions. He pointed out that government could also use the product to collect revenue, monitor budget implementation and transparently transact business with other governments. Obasanjo later decorated Obi with the Gold Medal e-Tranzact won in April last year in San Francisco as the �first African Information Technology (IT) product to receive such honour and for �the visionary use of IT to produce and promote social, economic and educational change in the society.�
Wednesday, July 14, 2004 |
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