Ngozi Deborah Atalor, a Shell Nigeria LiveWIRE entrepreneur, has emerged winner of the pitching competition for young Nigerian entrepreneurs in alternative energy business as part of the #makethefuture Accelerator event held in Port Harcourt, taking home N1million prize money to boost her business. This is coming barely a month after she won a $5,000 merit category prize in the Shell LiveWIRE top 10 innovators competition, a global contest open to beneficiaries of Shell LiveWIRE, and aimed at rewarding shining cases of innovation in businesses supported by the programme.

Judges at the event assessed Atalor’s presentation on how to light up all homes in Nigeria as the most convincing and realisable, to place the young Managing Director of De-Rahbs Energy Services, a firm that specialises in solar panel construction, installation and maintenance ahead of the first and second runners-up, Prince Ledee Basi and Ibiere Gilbert David respectively. The two runners up received N500,000 each for their efforts.

All three of them are startups from the LiveWIRE entrepreneurial programme for Niger Delta youths. They all set up businesses that deliver energy solutions to customers in the Niger Delta and beyond. While Basi’s Basiled Energy Ventures offers renewable energy, safety wears, and sensitisation services on the use of solar products, David’s Ibdav Resources firm provides bio-fuel clean cook stoves.

In addition to the cash prizes, the 3 entrepreneurs would also receive coaching support from Co-creation Hub, a leading innovation hub in Nigeria.

“There is energy transition as we speak and things are changing towards cleaner energy. Nigeria should be part of those solutions that would sustain the globe going forward. What we have done with the #makethefuture campaign Accelerator event here in Port Harcourt is to provide the platform for young Nigerian energy entrepreneurs to share their ideas on how they can be part of providing power solutions,” said Igo Weli, the General Manager External Relations of the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).

He said that the event was remarkable as the first initiative of its kind in energy solution initiative in Nigeria, with the fusion of strengths of telling Shell’s energy story and the flagship entrepreneurial programme, LiveWIRE, which has produced 6,580 Niger Delta entrepreneurs since 2003.

Chief Executive Officer All-on Partnership for Energy Access, a firm supporting and investing in energy solutions providers, Dr. Wiebe Boer, and other alternative energy experts led discussion sessions with the young entrepreneurs.#

•Photo shows, L-R; overall winner of the pitching competition at the Shell LiveWIRE #makethefuture Accelerator event, Ngozi Atolor; first runner-up, Ledee Basi; and second runner-up, Ibiere Gilbert David, displaying their certificates at the awards ceremony held in Port Harcourt… last Friday.

Rights groups launch new anti-corruption campaign

Notable civil right groups in Nigeria have launched a new anti-corruption campaign with the hope of reaching the elite and locals through an intensive media outreach programme.

The groups, Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) and Journalists for Democratic Rights (JODER) renewed the vigorous campaign early this week when Information, Education and Communication materials, (IEC) were distributed across the 36 states of the federation using the print media.

In a statement on Wednesday, HEDA Executive Director, Mr Olanrewaju Suraj, and JODER’s official, Mr Adewale Adeoye, said the programme was aimed at deepening democracy and discourages corruption and other social ills that hinder the livelihood of millions of vulnerable Nigerians.

“Corruption is like a cancer. The earlier it is removed the better. Corruption is linked to poverty, violent crimes and extremism which are major threats to individuals no matter the social or economic status. We are glad about the understanding of the media that we need to work together to bring an end to the scourge,” the groups said in the statement.

Under the initiative supported by TRUSTAFRICA, 100,000 pamphlets were distributed across the country through the mainstream media. The newspapers selected were The Guardian and Vanguard on Saturday and the Sunday editions of Vanguard, The Nation, LEADERSHIP, Daily Trust, Daily Independent. The groups praised the private print media for their long standing support for democracy and justice in Nigeria. In the new initiative, 15,000 fliers, in each of the newspaper, covering between 20 to 35 percent of the entire newspaper print run were insertions promoting good governance and democracy in the selected newspapers for effective outreach to Nigerians across all ethnic, religious and social strata in the country’s geo-political zones.

HEDA and JODER noted in the fliers that fighting corruption is the obligation of men and women, herdsmen of the plain fields, fishermen on the high seas, farmers on the hills and the valleys, teachers, students and children. Every one’s future is tied in one way or the other to how we deal with the scourge of corruption.

The groups said: “It is in your own interest. It is in the interest of our children and generations unborn. This is the only way Nigeria can be saved from ridicule and contempt by the international community. It is the best way to safe desperate women and children dying in hundreds on the high seas and being exploited, raped, dehumanised and famished in what has now become the new slave trade.

“For sustainable livelihood, corruption must be tackled headlong. This serves as a clarions call to all democratic institutions, the courts, the law enforcement agencies, the judiciary and the mass of the people to see corruption as an unnecessary evil that must be fought. The groups aid in recent months, fresh vistas have been opened that must be explored to the brim. The Special Corruption Court is a welcome development that must be nurtured and promoted. It is a strategic and worthy intervention to ensure cases of corruption draw the full attention of law and spur speedy trials. It is a demonstration of commitment to fight corruption in a unique way.”

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