#WalterSmith

[hardynwa]

Obitti Ohaji decries social neglect by govt, oil companies, calls for urgent intervention

By Ikenna Orioha The people of Obitti autonomous community in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State, have decried continued sheer social neglect by government and oil exploring companies operating at their area. They regretted that from time immemorial, the community, which housed Imo Rubber Estate for over 80 years, have not seen nor used social amenities such as electricity, solid road network, pipe born water, functional and affordable hospital, including secondary school. The people who spoke to our reporter on Thursday through one of their youth leaders, Mazi Amadi Ifeanyi, said that Obitti community contributes hugely to the revenue generation of Imo State, frowning that their resources are rather used to develop other communities that contribute nothing to the economy of the state, whereas they wobble in darkness, abject penury and social abandonment. Amadi, who described the people of Obitti as peace loving, resourceful, friendly, accommodating and sociable, called on government and oil exploring companies operating at their area to urgently intervene by doing the needful to avert restiveness by host community who he said are running out of patience over their shortchanging and obvious social and economic marginalization. According to the community leader, "Obitti autonomous community as part of Imo State has from inception suffered social and educational neglect from government and on the other hand since petroleum resources was discovered in Obitti Multi National Oil Companies had also toed the path of the government by not doing the needful in line with Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)/Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) reached with the community. They have also undermined Oil Act". He added that "presently, there is no government presence in Obitti. For instance, there is no public secondary school, hospital, electricity, good road. Basic social amenities are totally  lacking there. Due to the activities of these oil companies, there are health implications on residents of the area". "there are countless number of trucks or tankers conveying petroleum products that have been sold to independent marketers. Besides, there is a Modula Refinery built by Waltersmith Petroleum located at the boundary of Awarra and Obitti and yet the road that leads to the Modula Refinery is deplorable, posing danger to users and residents". "Residents of the community are the ones suffering the outcome of the oil activities there because the Modula Refinery is closer to Obitti and Waltersmith Petroleum and others are using Obitti Road for all their activities" He also said that both the government and the oil companies should as a matter of urgency declare state of emergency on infrastructure/social amenities in Obitti community. Read the full article

[reportafrique]

Shell to Divest Nigerian Onshore Oil Assets in $1.3 Billion Deal

Shell Plc has officially announced an agreement to sell its onshore oil assets in Nigeria to a local consortium for a sum exceeding $1.3 billion, pending government approval. Zoe Yujnovich, Shell’s Integrated Gas and Upstream Director, confirmed the deal's significance in a statement on Tuesday, highlighting the company's strategic focus on optimizing its portfolio and directing disciplined investments toward deepwater and integrated gas ventures in Nigeria. This move is in line with Shell's broader objective to exit the challenging operating environment in the Niger Delta region. Alongside the initial sum, Shell expects to receive additional payments of up to $1.1 billion. The purchasing consortium, named Renaissance, includes ND Western, Aradel Energy, First E&P, Waltersmith, and Petrolin. The decision to divest the Nigerian onshore assets was announced by Shell in 2021, citing the incompatibility of its long-term energy transition strategy with the operational challenges in Nigeria, including issues like theft and oil spills. Former CEO Ben van Beurden mentioned a surge in sabotage, leading to near-lawlessness beyond the company's control. Local producers such as ND Western, Heirs Oil and Gas Ltd, Seplat Energy Plc, and Sahara Group Ltd showed interest in acquiring the stake. After a temporary halt in the divestment process in 2022 due to a lawsuit at Nigeria’s Supreme Court, Shell resumed talks in June 2023 to sell its 30% interest in the joint venture known as SPDC, operating onshore and in shallow-water oil and gas fields. The venture involved Eni SpA, TotalEnergies SE, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Co. Ltd. The pause was prompted by a lower court instructing Shell not to sell assets before resolving a dispute with a Niger Delta community over alleged pollution. The recent decision to resume and conclude the divestment aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s new administration, which began in May. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KNLWcg73M4 Advisers recommended closing outstanding divestments sought by international oil producers to enhance petroleum output, in line with the government’s strategy to address challenges in the oil sector and foster increased production. Read the full article

[biztellersng]

The outstanding performance by Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote as the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) is set to be recognised and celebrated again as he has been nominated for the “Distinguished Capacity Development Award” at the forthcoming Nigeria Excellence in Public Service Awards, to be conferred by President Muhammadu Buhari. According to a letter signed by Dr. Nnamdi Maurice Mbaeri, Permanent Secretary, General Services Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the award will be bestowed on Engr. Wabote and other deserving Nigerians in different categories at a ceremony scheduled for the State House Conference Centre, Abuja on October 21. According to feelers from the Presidency, the Executive Secretary is getting the award for the outstanding strides he accomplished, particularly in human and infrastructural capacity development since he was appointed as the helmsman of NCDMB in September 2016 and got reappointed in 2020. Read also>>>National Honours: Wabote Lauds Sylva For Transforming Oil & Gas Industry  The accomplishments are in furtherance of the mandate of NCDMB, as enshrined in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act. They include providing capacity-building opportunities for over 13,000 Nigerians in various skill areas resulting in over 12 million training manhours and championing the construction and commissioning of NCDMB 17-Storey Headquarters with a 1000-seater conference auditorium and multi-level car park in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. The edifice was constructed in five years by an indigenous contractor and provided opportunities for artisanal skills development and capacity-building for Nigerians as well as creating over 250 employment positions for the host community. Other notable achievements recorded by Wabote in the past six years include the successful partnership with Waltersmith Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited to develop and commission a 5000 barrels per day (bpd) modular refinery in Ibigwe, Imo State, and investments in modular refineries like Azikel Group12,000 bpd hydro-skimming modular refinery in Polaku, Bayelsa State; Atlantic International Refinery’s 2000 barrels plant in Brass, Bayelsa State, and Duport Midstream’s 2,500bpd modular refinery in Edo State. These investments created over 3000 jobs in the refining value chain and ensured value addition to Nigeria’s crude oil, grew our domestic refining capacity and curbed pipeline vandalism. The successes in capacity development also extend to the construction of two oil and gas parks in Bayelsa and Cross River States - designed to spur the manufacturing of critical oil and gas equipment, tools and spare parts in Nigeria. The parks are due for completion in Q1 2023 and would create over 2000 jobs each. He also championed the construction and donation of an ultra-modern vocational school to the University of Ibadan and renovated and equipped the Government Technical College Abak, Akwa Ibom and Technical College Amoli, Awgu Local Government Area, Enugu State. The Executive Secretary also championed the donation of over 35 ICT centres and science labouratories to secondary schools across the country to enhance the quality of Information, Communication Technology (ICT) and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. Under his leadership, NCDMB grew the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund to a US$500m Fund and disbursed it effectively as credit to Nigerian oil and gas service companies and community contractors, with single-digit interest. This enabled local oil and gas service companies to build human and technical capacities to provide hi-tech services in the oil and gas industry, compete effectively with their international counterpart and create thousands of jobs for Nigerians. Other standout achievements include the partnership with investors to catalyse critical projects in the gas value-chain,

in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s declaration of the year 2021 – 2030 as Nigeria’s Decade of Gas. Some of the NCDMB’s third party investments under his leadership include LPG Composite cylinders manufacturing facilities; Gas Processing Plants; Gas Gathering hub and LPG Storage and Loading Terminal Facilities. The Board is also partnering with investors to establish gas processing plants, Inland LPG terminal and Smart Gas/Smoke Detector Alarm devices and a Base Oil Production plant. Prior to this award, the Executive Secretary has been conferred with several international and national awards, including a global award conferred by the organizers of African Oil Week (AOW) in November 2018 for his outstanding contributions to sustainable local content development in Nigeria and across the African oil and gas industry. He was also honoured in August 2019 as the Transformational Business Leader in Public Sector by the Business Leadership Awards, organised by the BusinessDay Newspapers and bagged the Local Content Development Achievement Award from the Oil and Gas Trainers Association (OGTAN) in April 2018 in recognition of the remarkable achievements he led the Board to record in less than two years of his assumption of duty. He was equally recognised as the Regulator of the Year at the 2021 Vanguard Personality of the Year Award and received the African Local Content Icon Award by the 2021 African Business Leadership Awards (ABLA) organized by the African Leadership Magazine.            

[rangersfc-1872]

Happy 73rd birthday to former Rangers manager, Sir Walter Smith! 🎉

[99quotes]

I don't like the idea of busing children all over the country. It's not safe. And there doesn't seem to be that much of an urgent need for it to be done. —Walter Smith

[ornoirafrica]

Nigéria : Les partenaires de la raffinerie Waltersmith planifient un parc industriel à Imo

Nigéria : Les partenaires de la raffinerie Waltersmith planifient un parc industriel à Imo

Waltersmith Petroleum and Refinery Company, une raffinerie modulaire de la communauté Ohaji/Egbema dans l’État d’Imo, a déclaré qu’elle travaillait avec des partenaires pour construire un parc industriel. Le directeur général de la raffinerie, M. Chikezie Nwosu, lors de la cérémonie de clôture d’un programme d’acquisition de compétences techniques pour certains diplômés, a déclaré que le projet…

[michaelrmoore616]

BE STILL MY BEATING HEART

Thank You, Ron DuWayne of Noral Apparel, for your Belief, Trust and Love. Sending me your Graffiti briefs to Create Magic✨

Thank You, my dear Walter, for your Inspiration, Trust, and Love. Coming through on a chilly downtown night to hang out and Create Magic✨

Thank You, Miki Ali, for painting the

Sacred Heart of my Dream.

Talent: Walter Smith

Designer: Ron Duwayne of noralapparel.com

I Love You All

I Love! my Life! ....... ~;-)

.

© Michael R Moore

.

#michaelrmoore616 @michaelrmoore616 @mrmoore_studios #mrmoore_studios #iammoore #photographicartist #iammoore.com #noralapparel @noralapparel.com #ronduwayne @ruduwayne @waltersmith #waltersmith #grafittibriefs #nightshoot #fashionphotoshoot

#blackmagic #blackness #blackmen #sacredheart

[monalisaliveshere]

“Drawing depends upon two faculties – understanding and taste; skill being the result of practice or experience. It is of the utmost consequence that the first faculty should be developed in harmony with the second.” – Walter Smith

Massachusetts Drawing Act of 1870

This May we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Massachusetts Drawing Act. On May 16, 1870 legislators in Massachusetts signed into law “An Act Relating to Free Instruction in Drawing”, also know as Massachusetts Drawing Act of 1870.

The Massachusetts Drawing Act of 1870 is regarded as a benchmark in the history of American education. With ratification of this legislation, Massachusetts became the first state to mandate drawing education in its public schools, thus placing drawing alongside eight other subjects required in Massachusetts public schools during the late-nineteenth century. These subjects were orthography (the study of spelling and word structure), reading, writing, English grammar, geography, arithmetic, the history of the United States, and good behavior.* (Richardson & Sanger, 1860, p.215)

Drawing Act 150 Celebration

The Representative’s Conference Room at the MA State House

In my position as Advocacy Liaison for the Massachusetts Art Education Association, I was invited to a meeting at the Massachusetts State House on February 13 to discuss a possible statewide celebration for the anniversary of the Drawing Act. State Representative Mary Keefe (Worcester) and Massachusetts College of Art Chief of Staff, Susana Segat, worked together with their staff to pull together a group of collaborators from various arts affiliates to be known as The Drawing Act Coalition*. Together we developed a celebration called Drawing Act 150, to be celebrated at the State House in May*. All of the information can be found here:

  A PDF of this flyer can be found here: Drawing Act 150 call for art 2020

Please note: Keeping in mind that schools have recently been closed throughout Massachusetts until at least April 7, our plans for the Drawing Act 150 celebration may change. I will update this post when that happens.

MAEA Drawing At School 1870-2020 Exhibit

In conjunction with the State House observation and celebration of the anniversary of the Drawing Act, the Massachusetts Art Education Association is hosting an exhibit at the State Transportation Building in Boston at the end of April. All details and registration for this exhibit can be found here:

Note: Again, should exhibit plans be altered by current school closings, I will update the information.

Walter Smith, Art Master

In order to facilitate implementation of programming for the then new Drawing Act, Massachusetts hired Walter Smith of England to serve as the State Director of Art Education. Smith was also named General Supervisor of Drawing in the Boston Public Schools. The first order of business was for Smith to develop a program of study in drawing and to create resources for classroom teachers to use as they instructed students in drawing.

“What we are trying to do in our lessons is to make the children know how to draw, not how to make drawings, and I hope you see the distinction. And the great reason for them to draw is, that the process of drawing make ignorance visible; it is a criticism made by ourselves on our perceptions, and give physical evidence that we either think rightly or wrongly, or even do not think at all.”* – Walter Smith

Walter Smith authored several books about drawing instruction, and over the past few months, I have acquired a few of them through eBay and abebooks. I am especially pleased to have acquired an original 1872 edition of The Teachers’ Companion to the American Drawing-Slates and Cards by Smith.

  Original 1872 edition

To add to the excitement, the book is inscribed by J.W.C. Gilman to Lucas Baker on November 17, 1872.

It also includes these notes on the otherwise blank first page of the text:

And there are margin sketches throughout the book presumably made by Lucas Baker. I love that!

Margin sketches presumably by Lucas Baker

I was able to find the book through the digitizing of library books by Google. I downloaded the book, cleaned up the digitizing by discarding sloppy scans, added a copy of the cover, and uploaded it to my drive. you can see the book and download it in its entirety here.

In researching J.W.C Gilman, I learned that he is a co-author of Manual of Freehand Penmanship published in 1877. I was also able to find this book through the digitizing of library books by Google. You can see and download the book in its entirety here.

  Drawing Cards

I have an especially keen interest in the Drawing Cards (see more about the Drawing Cards below). I am curious how my fifth and sixth grade students would respond to learning to draw this way. With that in mind, I isolated the Drawing Card images throughout the book and compiled them in a new document to share with my students. The collection of Drawing Cards can be found here.

Drawing card

As the Drawing Act was instrumental in establishing art education in public schools, it is understood that teachers of the lower grades taught all subjects, spending the full day with their students. Therefore, whether or not the teachers possessed an ability of their own, they had to learn how to draw well enough to demonstrate for their students.

Teachers carefully made the drawings on a blackboard, and students imitated them using chalk on slates. Walter Smith’s recommendation was for drawing instruction four times per week of a half an hour each or six of twenty minutes each for children under 10 years of age. Older students could have longer, less frequent lessons.

From The Teachers’ Companion to the American Drawing-Slates and Cards

Drawing Slates 2020

Because I now have the document containing all of Walter Smith’s Drawing Slates from The Teachers’ Companion to the American Drawing-Slates and Cards, I will be sharing it with my students through Google Classroom. Imagine how Walter Smith would react to that! I am going to encourage my students to follow the sequence of the cards and to draw in their handmade sketchbooks using pencil. I am excited to hear how they respond to the challenge and to see their drawings. here are some more of the Drawing Card images:

A selection of the Drawing Cards

Passion Project

When I first heard about a celebration of the Drawing Act, I was immediately interested. It wasn’t until I started researching the act and those who implemented instruction that I realized I had included a paragraph about the Drawing Act in my Master’s thesis back in 2002! No wonder it was so familiar to me!

  Master of Education in Art Thesis

For the past few months I have been busy searching out resources and reading the books I’ve acquired. This has become a bit of a passion project for me. Along with the digital books with links included in this post, I have physical copies of a few others:

At this point in the process I am ready to attempt the drawings along with my students. I am looking forward to starting my own sketchbook of drawings and promise to share as I go. I’ll be posting on social media with the hashtag #DrawingAct150 Please join me!

* Notes courtesy of Billy Claire

*The Drawing Act Coalition affiliates include Massachusetts House of Representatives, MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, MA Department of Higher Education, Mass Creative, Mass Cultural Council, Massachusetts Art Education Association

*See notes above about possible changes due to state mandated school closings

Drawing Act 150: Let’s Celebrate "Drawing depends upon two faculties - understanding and taste; skill being the result of practice or experience.

[harrystormauthor]

ME TOO MOVEMENT SHAKES JUDICIARY

ME TOO MOVEMENT SHAKES JUDICIARY

[hardynwa]

Imo monarch gets probed for alleged misappropriation of contract fund for community development

The Imo State Police Command has resolved to probe the traditional ruler of Assa autonomous community, HRH Eze Emmanuel Assor over alleged embezzlement of about N76m appropriated by Waltersmith Petroman Oil Company Ltd for community development projects The monarch is also currently undergoing investigation over his alleged failure to execute a road contract awarded to him by Seplat, one of the oil companies operating in the oil-rich community. The community alleged that the traditional ruler became negligent in the execution of the road contract after he reportedly frittered away the first paid milestone contract sum of about N120m for the construction of parts of the only major access road to the area. Former Police PRO, CSP, Micheal Abattam, now commander of the Scorpion unit investigating the matter has directed the monarch to make additional statements covering the weighty allegations. While fielding questions, the petitioners, Mr. Moses Ogbuji and David Egbula dismissed the monarch’s succession to the traditional stool by a cast of lots as anti-cultural and anti-traditional. They alleged that former state governor, Rochas Okorocha devised the alien succession process as part of his political contraptions to favour some of his allies to help him garner grassroots support for his political ambitions. When grilled, the monarch admitted he was not among the Ezeship stool contenders who played the game of luck but his late half-brother, Obinna Assor whom the petitioners said the monarch exploited through the backdoor to ascend the throne. The monarch said while the cast of lots exercise lasted, he was away pursuing a hereditary succession plan to the throne occupied by his predecessor and late father, Eze Alexander Utiti Assor. However, the monarch vowed to resign from the throne if found culpable of the allegations stacked against him. Specifically asked whether the contentious game of luck was the community’s cultural or constitutional means of succession to the traditional stool, the monarch tersely responded, “it was by circumstance”. Yet, the petitioners are demanding the monarch’s resignation from the throne to enable the community foster peaceful co-existence for unity and development. They also insisted that issues of embezzlement are factual and verifiable. And that succession by a cast of lots to their traditional stool was, hitherto, an alien system built on quick sand that can never survive either cultural or legal adjudication. “By our extant culture and traditions, succession to our traditional stool was never through the instrument of a cast of lots, heredity or rotation but by indication of interest by worthy individuals”. the petitioners averre Read the full article

[reportafrique]

Shell to Divest Nigerian Onshore Oil Assets in $1.3 Billion Deal

Shell Plc has officially announced an agreement to sell its onshore oil assets in Nigeria to a local consortium for a sum exceeding $1.3 billion, pending government approval. Zoe Yujnovich, Shell’s Integrated Gas and Upstream Director, confirmed the deal's significance in a statement on Tuesday, highlighting the company's strategic focus on optimizing its portfolio and directing disciplined investments toward deepwater and integrated gas ventures in Nigeria. This move is in line with Shell's broader objective to exit the challenging operating environment in the Niger Delta region. Alongside the initial sum, Shell expects to receive additional payments of up to $1.1 billion. The purchasing consortium, named Renaissance, includes ND Western, Aradel Energy, First E&P, Waltersmith, and Petrolin. The decision to divest the Nigerian onshore assets was announced by Shell in 2021, citing the incompatibility of its long-term energy transition strategy with the operational challenges in Nigeria, including issues like theft and oil spills. Former CEO Ben van Beurden mentioned a surge in sabotage, leading to near-lawlessness beyond the company's control. Local producers such as ND Western, Heirs Oil and Gas Ltd, Seplat Energy Plc, and Sahara Group Ltd showed interest in acquiring the stake. After a temporary halt in the divestment process in 2022 due to a lawsuit at Nigeria’s Supreme Court, Shell resumed talks in June 2023 to sell its 30% interest in the joint venture known as SPDC, operating onshore and in shallow-water oil and gas fields. The venture involved Eni SpA, TotalEnergies SE, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Co. Ltd. The pause was prompted by a lower court instructing Shell not to sell assets before resolving a dispute with a Niger Delta community over alleged pollution. The recent decision to resume and conclude the divestment aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s new administration, which began in May. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KNLWcg73M4 Advisers recommended closing outstanding divestments sought by international oil producers to enhance petroleum output, in line with the government’s strategy to address challenges in the oil sector and foster increased production. Read the full article

[fantasticradiouk]

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@jazz_kaleidoscope with Musical interests are always shaped by what we were listening to growing up. For me, Davis, Coltrane, Mingus or Evans combined with Corea, Zawinul, McLaughlin and Hancock have opened my ears to the music I love today. My joy is not only to keep on listening to the stars of my youth but to keep on looking for and discovering the artists who will shape the musical taste of the newer generations. If I feel fortunate to have been rocked with “Kind of Blue” and “Giant Step”, today’s jazz is just as exciting. Saxophonist Walter Smith III is part of that excitement. At 37, Walter belong to a generation rich of talented artists who are shinning a bright light on today’s jazz, the likes of Gerald Clayton, Eldar, Christian Scott, Matthew Stevens and so many others who are currently writing their own page in musical history. Walter Smith studied music at the Berklee College of music then got a master at the Monk Institute of Jazz. With this strong music foundation, Smith can let his imagination flourish to amazing recordings such as the 2010 release of “III” with Ambrose Akinmusire on trumpet, Jason Moran on piano, Joe Sanders on bass, Eric Harland on drums and Logan Richardson on additional sax. From this album, the cut is “Working Title” #waltersmith #waltersmith3 #ambroseakinmusire #jasonmoran #joesanders #ericharland #loganrichardson #crisscrossjazz @wsmiththree @ambroseire @thejasonmoran @ericharland @brainchildworld

[worldnewsinpictures]

Walter Smith 1948-2021. Thanks for the memories Walter Doubt well see youre like again NS.... Want to see more about this and see what people are saying? -> https://worldnewsinpictures.com/walter-smith #Walter #WalterSmith #WalterSmithThanks #Doubt #DoubtWant #memories

[scarletnews]

PIA: No more exclusive petrol importation rights for Dangote, BUA, says FG

PIA: No more exclusive petrol importation rights for Dangote, BUA, says FG

The Federal Government appears to have reversed the exclusive petrol importation rights for holders of local refining licence to import petroleum products, following the signing into law of the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA. Current holders of crude oil refining licences in Nigeria include Dangote Oil Refinery Company, Waltersmith Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited, OPAC Refineries, Niger…

[ornoirafrica]

Nigéria : 4 raffineries modulaires commenceront bientôt leurs opérations

Nigéria : 4 raffineries modulaires commenceront bientôt leurs opérations

Le ministre d’État aux ressources pétrolières, le chef Timipre Sylva, a déclaré que le programme de raffinerie modulaire visant à stimuler la production locale de pétrole brut dans le pays est en cours. Certaines des raffineries sont Waltersmith Refining & Petrochemical Company Limited avec 5 000 barils par jour (BPD), les raffineries OPAC, Niger Delta Petroleum Resources (train 3), Edo Refinery…

[wushigod]

$1.48 billion for rehabilitation of Kaduna, Warri refineries, FG

Waltersmith Petroman Oil to expand output by 600%, as it opens mini-refinery soon, NNPC boss blames failure of refineries on negligence, says there are no excusesThe Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the sum of $1.4 billion for the rehabilitation of Warri and Kaduna refineries at a cost of $1.48 billion.The decision was taken at the weekly meeting of the council with the breakdown…