Just as a widespread disaster unfolded early Monday morning in the Houston metropolitan dumping tons of water on roadways, an interesting live scene of a rare rescue by a TV reporter made it to the newsroom. ABC News Eyewitness News reporter Steve Campion abandoned a breaking news live coverage and jumped into a high water to save a man struggling for his life.
The man had crawled out of his vehicle in the high water on Katy and Studemont Street, almost submerged, and struggling in the water as he attempted swimming to safety. Campion already positioned on a live coverage of the extraordinary flooding across the Houston area immediately leaped into the waters to provide a live-saving rescue. Steve who joined the ABC13 news family in April 2014 has been known for his versatile approach to news coverage.
Houston have been threatened with severe weather, with streets being waterlogged with as high as four inches an hour, leaving motorists stranded and residents stuck in their homes. As of 6:30 a.m. CDT, rainwater totaling10 to 20 inches have reported by the Harris County Flood Control District with at least 650 residential calls for assistance.
Houston’s Mayor Sylvester Turner held a briefing at the Houston Emergency Center earlier putting the city on alert against the situation. The mayor’s State of the City address scheduled for today was cancelled whereas all non-essential City employees were instructed to stay home. Municipal courts operations are also closed. According to Mayor Turner, “This is a dangerous situation and I do not want our employees trying to get to work.”
Severe Weather Updates And Closures For The Houston Area
The storm dropped 7 to 10 inches of rain and up to 16 inches of rainfall in certain areas. There are multiple reports of firefighters rescuing people from vehicles in high-water and flooded homes.
A strong storm moved through northwest Harris County and Waller County overnight, leading to flooding and street closures. The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Emergency now in effect for parts of Austin, Colorado, Grimes, Harris, Montgomery and Waller counties until 9:00 a.m.
The storm dropped 7 to 10 inches of rain and up to 16 inches of rainfall in certain areas. There are multiple reports of firefighters rescuing people from vehicles in high-water and flooded homes. Check here for current rainfall totals.
TranStar is reporting flooding on several major roads across Greater Houston. City of Houston officials are asking Houston residents to avoid travel if possible. They urge drivers not to test flood waters or try to drive around barricades, instead to turn around and find an alternative route.
News 88.7’s Al Ortiz reports that Houston firefighters are rescuing residents from an apartment complex in North Houston. Water has entered units.
The National Weather Service in League City issued a Flash Flood Warning for: North Central Wharton County in southeastern Texas. Read more.
Dozens of firefighters are staged at Greenspoint Mall located at the corner of the Sam Houston Tollway and I-45. They are expecting to be deployed to rescue people from other high-water areas.
Harris County and City of Houston offices are closed today, with the exception of essential personnel.
“This is a dangerous situation and I do not want our employees trying to get to work,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner in an emailed statement. “All Houstonians need to stay off the roads. Do not go out until conditions improve.”
There is a full ground stop at Houston Bush Airport currently. Hobby Airport has delays. There is reported street flooding around both airports. If you had a scheduled flight today it is recommended to contact your airline carrier.
■ Centerpoint is reporting more than 21,000 people without power in its service area right now.
■ Houston Metro has stopped all services, visit Metro’s homepage for more information.
■ There are 62 reports of high water locations from TranStar.
Flooding on creeks:
•All of Cypress Creek
•Little Cypress @ Becker Rd
•Spring Creek
•Willow Creek
•Little Mound Creek @ Mathis Rd
•Horesepen Creek @ Trailside Dr
•Langham Creek @ West Little York
•Bear Creek @ FM 529
•South Mayde @ Peek
•Greens @ Knobcrest
•Upper White Oak
•Briar Branch @ Campbell
•South Mayde Creek @ Greenhouse Rd
School has also been canceled for the following school districts:
•Houston ISD
•Katy ISD
•Cy-Fair ISD
•Humble ISD
•Aldine ISD
• Alief ISD
•Waller ISD
•Spring ISD
•Spring Branch ISD (was scheduled for a student/staff holiday today)
•Hempstead ISD
•Royal ISD
•Crosby ISD
•Galena Park ISD
•KIPP Houston Public Schools
•Conroe ISD
•Tomball ISD
•Episcopal High School
•Houston Community College
•Lone Star College
•TWU Houston campus
•University of Houston
•University of St. Thomas
•Brightwood College North Campus
•All Neighborhood Centers Promise Community Schools, Early Head Start, Head Start and Senior Centers
Red Cross Shelters
•Royal High School, 2550 Durkin Road in Pattison
•Pine Island Baptist Church, 36573 Brumlow Road Hempstead Texas 77445
•KC Hall on 1390 US-90, Sealy, TX 77477
•Those with flood-related needs are urged to call the American Red Cross at 1-866-526-8300.
The following bayous are creeks are close to bankfull: •Lower Cypress Creek
Ansar-ud-Deen Society inaugurates North American branch in Houston
Photo from left, His Eminence, the National Missioner, Sheikh Imam Abdur-Rahman Olanrewaju , Ahmad; National President, Alhajj Lateef Olufemi Okunnu SAN, CON., and the National Secretary, Alhaji Lateef Seinde Karim. Ansar-ud-Deen Society remains the oldest, largest, most famous, and most respected Muslim organizations in Nigeria; living up to its mission to enhance the status of the populace through unwavering pursuit of knowledge.
GuardianNewsUSA – Houston, TX – Guests are beginning to arrive in Houston for the long anticipated inauguration of the Ansar-ud-Deen Society North America (ADSNA). The event will take place on April 23rd, 2016, 9:00 am at Phoenix Events Center on 15152 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77083. Hosts of the events are North American-based Ansar-ud-Deen societies in the Southwest Houston, Washington DC, Chicago & South Florida Branches. ADSNA is an association of all Ansar-ud-Deen Mosques, educational alumni & affiliates in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the other countries in the continent, aimed at promoting spiritual & educational excellence of Islamic & Western knowledge in the society.
Ansar-Ud Deen Society was founded in Lagos for the purpose of the educational development of Muslims and also as a body to enhance the moral and social development of the Muslim community. The group was formed in December 21, 1923 by a group of young men – forty two in number to be precise – who wanted to promote the cause of education and ensure the nobility of the practice of their faith.
Today, the organization has remained the oldest, largest, most famous, and most respected Muslim organizations in Nigeria; living up to its mission to enhance the status of the populace through unwavering pursuit of knowledge; maintaining good relationship with the traditional and religious leaders of the time, and enjoying the support of the political establishments and general population.
Houston’s event would reflect these values through lectures and speaking engagements by prominent clerics who would serve as special guests. For instance, His Eminence, the National Missioner, Sheikh Imam Abdur-Rahman Olanrewaju Ahmad will deliver the event’s major lecture, while the National Secretary, Alhaji Lateef Seinde Karim would deliver the keynote address. The Theme of the event is “Founding of the first Ansar-ud-Deen school in the Diaspora.” Other prominent guests, including the group’s global president, Alhaji Femi Okunnu (SAN) are also expected at the event.
Houston is described as the nation’s demographic future with 2.2 million residents in a predominantly racial and ethnic composition.
Hosting this event in Houston, the fourth most populous city in the nation, is a better choice and reflects the city’s diverse outlook. Houston is described as the nation’s demographic future with 2.2 million residents and 145 different languages spoken in a predominantly racial and ethnic composition. Houston’s international status also makes it a perfect hub for various businesses and organizations worldwide. For example, Ninety-two foreign governments have official representation in the city through consulates or trade offices, ranking Houston’s consular corps third in the nation.
Ansar-ud-Deen Society’s North American inauguration in Houston will attract guests from major other cities of the United States and Canada. Enthusiasts including students, scholars and other categories of guests are expected at the event’s lecture segment; a goodwill message by Missioner, Imam Ahmad. Sheik Ahmad holds membership in the National Executive Committee of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Nigeria Inter-Religious Council, National Interfaith Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (NACA), Interfaith Advisory Committee against Corruption to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission – EFCC; the chairmanship of the Movement Against Corruption (MAC), and many others.
The Ansar-ud-Deen Society North America (ADSNA)’s Inauguration Ceremony holds on April 23rd, 2016, by 9:00 am at Phoenix Events Center, 15152 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77083. For more information, please call 708-822-9554.
Energy XXI launched a joint venture in 2012 with ExxonMobil to explore for oil and gas in shallow waters on the Gulf of Mexico shelf.
Energy XXI Ltd. filed for bankruptcy protection today after spending $5 billion on acquisitions in the years leading up to the crude slump.
The oil and gas explorer sought Chapter 11 protection in Houston, listing $1.8 billion in assets and $3.6 billion in debt and saying it has reached a restructuring agreement with noteholders.
“Energy XXI will eliminate more than $2.8 billion in debt from its balance sheet, substantially deleverage its capital structure and position the company for long-term success,” the company said in a statement.
Energy XXI bills itself as the largest publicly traded independent producer on the Gulf of Mexico shelf. Since its initial public offering more than 10 years ago, the Houston-based company bought MitEnergy, picked up $1.01 billion of properties from Exxon Mobil Corp. and spent $2.3 billion on EPL Oil & Gas, according to its website.
As recently as three years ago, Chief Executive Officer John Schiller was planning to expand as far afield as Southeast Asia, where he said the geology is similar to the Gulf’s.
With oil hovering around $30 a barrel, Energy XXI wound up buying back more than $1.7 billion in debt over seven months to trim its interest expense. In a February regulatory filing, the company said it doubted it could meet financial commitments over the coming year and continue operating. Crude’s recovery to about $40 since then hasn’t been enough.
Schiller, a protege of wildcatter James “Jim Bob” Moffett, had also steered the company into costly exploration projects with Moffett’s Freeport-McMoRan Inc. several miles beneath the Gulf of Mexico. Energy XXI said Schiller will continue as CEO.
The company, which plans to operate as normal during the restructuring, has about $180 million in cash and said it expects to pay suppliers and vendors in full. It asked the court for a freeze on stock transfers in order to preserve tax benefits. Energy XXI has $1 billion in “net operating losses” which help it save on federal and state taxes, according to court papers.
Oil began its slide in mid-2014 when crude was at about $100 a barrel. A glut has driven dozens of energy explorers into Chapter 11, including Magnum Hunter Resources Corp., Samson Resources Corp. and Sabine Oil & Gas Corp. Rig operators such as Paragon Offshore Plc and Hercules Offshore Inc. also declared bankruptcy as demand for their services dropped.
About 35 percent of exploration and production companies worldwide — some 175 firms — are at risk of bankruptcy this year, according to a Deloitte LLP study published in February. Together, these companies have around $150 billion in debt on their balance sheets, according to the report.
Money manager Franklin Resources Inc. was the biggest owner of the company’s second-lien bonds as of Feb. 29, with a 32.4 percent holding.
An Energy XXI subsidiary that leases subsea pipelines off the Louisiana coast remained outside Chapter 11 case and those leases remain intact, according to CorEnergy Infrastructure Trust Inc., which owns the pipe network.
HCC Health Sciences Center of Excellence grand opening: A pillar of the Texas Medical Center
Committed to educational excellence in Houston’s medical industry, HCC officials and industry partners proudly support the formation of future doctors, nurses and other vital personnel in health care.
“Excellence is not a title. Excellence is an attitude, a decision to thrive and succeed.“ With those words Teddy Tovar, director of the Respiratory Therapy Program, described the atmosphere that students, faculty, and administrators breathe at the HCC Coleman College for Health Sciences, the only institution of its kind located in the heart of the Texas Medical Center. For many, the grand opening of the Houston Community College Health Sciences Center of Excellence signifies the beginning of a new era.
“The common Latin phrase ‘de novo’ means ‘anew,” said Dean of the Center of Excellence, Dr. Gary Kesling. “Today, the Coleman College for Health Sciences is the ‘de novo’ transformation into the Center of Excellence. This grand opening means that we are here to facilitate our students’ understanding of the purpose of a health science education that promotes intellectual and personal success.”
Coleman College, which opened its doors in 1999, offers twenty different disciplines in health sciences including nursing, diagnostics, therapeutic, and dental services, among others.
“This is an opportunity to remind us not only of the economic impact of our programs, but also of the personal one,” reflected HCC Chancellor Cesar Maldonado, Ph.D., P.E., as he shared a recent experience in which his mother underwent treatment in a hospital located in the Texas Medical Center.
“The nurses helped me communicate with my mother and with the doctors,” said Dr. Maldonado. “They took wonderful care of her. I was humbled when some of them told me they were HCC graduates.”
On an average, the 43-member institutions of the Texas Medical Center receive eight million of patients a year. In Houston, the healthcare industry accounts for one in every ten jobs.
According to Adriana Tamez, Ed.D, chair, HCC Board of Trustees, District III, these jobs are not positions suited for everyone.
“I have always considered the healthcare field as a vocation first and then a profession,” said Dr. Tamez. “Your passion and dedication continue to inspire us administrators to work harder and never loose sight that what we do, is about people.”
Nursing student Rachel Ibanez, whose father’s diabetes was treated through the help of nurses, describes the nursing program at HCC Coleman College as a stepping ladder.
HCC Chancellor Cesar Maldonado. HCC is one of the country’s largest singly-accredited, open-admission, community colleges offering associate degrees, certificates, workforce training, and lifelong learning opportunities.
She said, “I’m proud to be a student here. I hope that one day I can provide hope and bring people the help that healed my dad so many times.”
The event was attended by representatives from various health care organizations in the Houston area including Edward Hugetz, Provost at the University of Houston-Downtown.
“We are proud to have a long partnership with HCC,” said Hugetz. “Two thirds of our students are transfer and of those, 40% come from Houston Community College. We are at a moment of renewal in establishing what we need to do together for the future of the students and the community. We congratulate HCC on their vision. I am so proud to see HCC succeed like that.”
Currently, construction is under way for a 10-story building across the street, which will more than double the size of Coleman College. The facility, which will offer 248,000 additional square feet of classrooms, is projected to open Summer 2017.
To learn more about the programs offered at the HCC Health Sciences Center of Excellence, visit: hccs.edu/centers.
HCC breaks ground for future of North Forest Community
Houston Community College Board of Trustees, Chancellor Cesar Maldonado, Ph.D., P.E., and The Honorable U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18) joined community leaders and residents for the groundbreaking of the new Automotive Technology Center and Workforce Training facility at the existing HCC North Forest campus.
“Finally, we are getting what we deserve. Finally, we are getting what we voted for,” said a thrilled Ernestine Jones, North Forest resident and Houston Community College (HCC) student, who has been looking forward to the day HCC would break ground on a new facility at the North Forest campus.
That day has arrived.
“To have HCC come into our community means hope for a better future,” said Linda Arceneaux, Blue Ribbon Committee member. “For so long our community has been neglected and overlooked. Now, we have a chance to shine.”
Arceneaux and Jones were among the nearly 200 people, including The Honorable Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), fellow elected officials, community leaders, residents, and current and future students, who joined HCC Trustees and administrators for a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Automotive Technology Center and Workforce Building.
“We are building character and opening doors for a surging pathway for our students and families in the North Forest community,” said Congresswoman Jackson Lee.
The U.S. Representative led that surging pathway which involves constructing an additional 20,691 square-foot academic building and a new 35,000 square foot Automotive Technology Building. An existing building at the campus will also be renovated to provide an additional 25,615 square foot workforce facility with dedicated labs for welding, HVAC, electrical, and plumbing trades. The campus will be the home of the HCC Automotive Technology Center of Excellence.
At the age of 16, HCC Chancellor Cesar Maldonado, Ph.D., P.E., took apart the engine of a 1964 Chevy Malibu. That fueled his passion for learning about mechanics and engineering.
“We need to provide our students the ability to be able to tinker and learn how things work,” said Dr. Maldonado. “Transportation drives many elements in the economy and it drives our country. Here at this location, we are going to have the nexus of the world’s best automotive learning institution.”
That means developing more partnerships with global companies that do business in America. HCC was honored to have Consul-General of Japan, Tetsuro Amano share remarks about future possibilities.
Consul-General Amano mentioned Japanese companies are growing in Texas and said, “I hope this new automotive technology center will succeed in providing more excellent career program offerings.”
Adrienne Trimble, general manager, Diversity and Inclusion at Toyota Motor North America, spoke to the crowd about the importance of training and attracting new talent to the assembly lines and dealerships.
“This industry today has created a great demand for workers with a variety of skill sets,” said Trimble. “We are thrilled that HCC will be revamping its automotive training program and help contribute the much needed talent.”
Daniel Ybarra is a Certified Lube Technician who is currently pursuing a GED at the North Forest campus. He plans to continue his education at HCC.
“This new facility means a lot to me. I would love to learn more about pipefitting and welding,” added Ybarra.
“It takes a village to create these kinds of opportunities for a community,” said Adriana Tamez, Ed.D., chair, HCC Board of Trustees. “We owe it to the future of our communities to collaborate and to understand that they deserve pathways and options.”
The current HCC North Forest campus on East Little York Road was previously the North Forest Independent School District (NFISD) administration building. Former NFISD Board Members, among them, Maxine Seals, played an integral role in getting this project going.
“The district wanted a community college and we wanted HCC within this community,” said Seals. “Today is the beginning. We are ready to get started.”
Northeast College President Margaret Ford-Fisher, Ed.D., was also there from the beginning and said, “This is going to be a renaissance in North Forest. We can all move forward by recognizing that we are playing a role in transforming lives.”
To learn more about the North Forest campus project and other projects in the HCC $425M Groundbreaker Bond Program, visit hccs.edu/bond.
Houston’s All Saints Anglican: Don’t you think The Guardian deserves an apology?
By Anthony Obi Ogbo
All Saints Anglican Church, the largest Anglican Church built by a Nigerian congregation in North America has been cobwebbed with internal conflicts since 2010, costing tens of thousands in legal fees and causing the Parish to split at least twice into other factions now operating as different Anglican churches.
Today, the issues at the All Saints get worse by the hour, with different cliques and factions fighting each other to the extreme. Just a few weeks ago, the Parish was on the local TV news showing an angry faction demonstrating their concerns with the church management.
But this is really not the reason for this piece. Here is my reason for revisiting matters of the All Saints Anglican. Since August 2015 till date, calls about the present issues at the All Saints have bombarded our newsroom, with individuals asking for a media coverage of their persisting internal squabbles.
These calls were normal. For instance, International Guardianhas always championed investigative stories on crucial community matters. Furthermore, the establishment of the All Saints Anglican Church had a compelling story that resonated with the Nigerian immigrants, their struggle for identity, and their survival in a society where immigration is often a taboo topic. These were why The Guardian took the bull by the horn in its previous coverages of the All Saints.
These media coverages however attracted so much resentment by those not favored by our reports. They declared war against the newspaper and went as far as making an announcement during a church service; asking members to visit local stores and destroy every Guardian publication. Also, advertising clients were persuaded to cut off ties with the paper. But this was around 2012.
Surprisingly today, these same individuals who vowed to destroy the Guardian (but could not) are the same folks calling our news room to again request a coverage of their latest ordeal – exactly the same ordeal revealed by the Guardian almost four years ago.
Sounds strange, but those who actually went to the stores destroying copies of the Guardian years ago are the same folks seen on the TV demonstrating what our reports warned them about back then.
Organizational challenges might be paramount to progress because good leadership evaluates issues and iniquities of the past as the parameter in managing the present and the future. In the apostolic fraternity however, Christians clear their guilty consciences through genuine repentance and confession to seek God’s compassionate forgiveness and salvation.
These are facts about spirituality; thus, Christian often fall from issues to issues when they conceal their transgressions with some nonchalant forgive-and-forget “let’s move on” lyrics; or when they seek resolution through a complicated court process rather than a Bible-based mediation forum or consensus. No wonder, the book of Proverbs (28:13) specifically hinted that whoever that conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
The questions thus arise on whether the warring members of the All Saints would seek ways other than a shameful street fighting; legal wrangling; verbal and physical abuses; destructive gossips and individual unforgiving spirits to solve their internal concerns? Would these warring members settle for a spiritual retreat and kneel before the Holy Ghost for a spiritual intervention; over uncontrolled broiling anger of congregants in a Parish that has turned the alter of God into a damaging wrestling and boxing ring?
While we all join hands and pray for this miracle, one more thing may be appropriate. I think that The Guardiandeserves a little apology from the Houston All Saints community – or what do you think? I can take those calls anytime, and I’m never on long distance.
■ Dr. Ogbo is the publisher of International Guardian based in Houston, Texas: anthony@guardiannews.us
Houston prepares for Zika’s potential arrival this summer
“What we’re doing here today is having an intense briefing on the Zika virus with health professionals, working with the mayor and the city of Houston, the state and the country, to formulate the kind of partnership that can respond immediately,” said Jackson Lee, a Democrat.
Then she stepped aside, as the mayor, the assembled health officials and civic minded clergy all delivered a version of the same message: The Zika virus is coming to Houston, and we’d better get ready.
Hotez says there are three elements that put Houston at risk for a Zika outbreak. The first is the steady influx of people from other countries.
“Houston is a gateway city,” says Hotez. “We’re on the coast; we’re not far from the Panama Canal. We’re an immigrant hub.”
There’s also a major international airport. “Every day there are hundreds and thousands of people coming from all over the world to Houston,” he says. At least some of those people are likely carrying Zika, according to Hotez, whether they know it or not.
The second element is mosquitoes. In the summer, Houston is awash in Aedes aegypti. That’s the mosquito that can transmit Zika.
The third element is economic. “I think one of the missing narratives that we’ve not heard about Zika is that this is a disease of poverty,” says Hotez.
To show me what he means, we drive to a neighborhood called the Fifth Ward, just a few miles from the gleaming skyscrapers of downtown Houston. The area near the corner of Worms and New Orleans Streets is dotted with small, dilapidated wooden homes. There are few, if any, grocery stores or restaurants nearby.
Hotez says there are often piles of trash here, trash where water can pool and provide breeding grounds for Aedes aegypti.
Hotez points to a pile of tires. “What happens, the water pools inside the tire well,” he says. “But the other thing that happens is that as the water sits for a time, some of the leaves get into that, and it kind of creates an organic soup that the mosquito larvae absolutely love. So as we move into the spring and summer months, these will be teeming with thousands of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.”
If these mosquito should happen to bite someone infected with Zika, and then bite someone else nearby, that second person will become infected. This is how the virus can spread through a neighborhood.
Now if you’re in a home with window screens and air conditioning, that’s one thing. But there aren’t many homes like that around here.
“We’re only a few feet from a house which has no window screens,” says Hotez, “So it’s the proximity of a house with no window screens, next to the discarded tires, next to the standing water that creates the perfect mix” for spreading the virus.
Hotez says the point is American cities like Houston have quite a high concentration of poverty. He says it’s the poor who are the most exposed to mosquitoes, and therefore most vulnerable to mosquito-borne diseases.
City, county and state officials say they’ll do all they can to pick up trash where mosquitoes can breed. They say federal health officials are keeping watch at Houston’s international airport to make sure travelers who do show up with Zika are identified and treated.
But they’ll need residents’ help, both in clearing trash and seeking medical attention if they think they’ve been exposed to the virus.
Hotez says these efforts may not stop Zika from hitting Houston, but he hopes they will at least minimize its impact.
First FosterCare Foundation’s hosts prospective members in Houston
The event will be held April 16, at the Hilton Houston West Chase, 9999 Westheimer Road.
Founders’ Membership Drive (FMD) of First FosterCare Foundation, Inc. (FFCF) has been scheduled for April 16, 2016 at the Hilton Houston West Chase, 9999 Westheimer Road, Houston. The event will start 2:00pm till 8:00pm. FFCF is a non-for-profit entity founded by Nigerian members of the Diaspora. The theme of the Event is “Unveiling Agro-Cell™: An Economic Development Solution to Diversify Nigeria.”
Board Chairman, Chief Sir Okey-Oba Okafor: “It would be a beneficial event for all guests, especially the prospective members”
“It would be a beneficial event for all guests, especially the prospective members” said Chief Sir Okey-Oba Okafor, the Chairman of the Board and President of the foundation. As a Founding Member, said Chief Okafor, “individuals will receive peer recognition through a published list of donors; have exclusive access to special guests; granted photo shoots with special guests; accorded prominent seating at FFCF events; and would be automatically considered for leadership positions on the FFCF Board of Directors, and Standing/Special Committees.”
The goal of FFCF is to give hope to the hopeless of Nigeria. The group’s three primary objectives are to create a public awareness of the plight of Nigerians; promote and establish an Agro-Cell™ Network throughout rural Nigeria; and provide socio-economic goods and services.
Each Agro-Cell™ is a Greenfield project that integrates modern agricultural technology with finished-good processing to create an economic engine capable of sustaining a community of 5,000 Nigerians. Using applied sustainability based on the principles of a circular economy, each Agro-Cell™ converts local/regional waste into energy to create the local infrastructure that provides the community with water, waste management, housing, a balance diet, healthcare, education, industry, etc.
Based on a system of cooperatives, each Agro-Cell will also offer a safe haven to 500 vulnerable Nigerians, viz. orphans, widows with children, the disabled, child workers, veterans, the elderly, the trafficked, ex-convicts returning to society, etc.
Based on a system of cooperatives, each Agro-Cell will also offer a safe haven to 500 vulnerable Nigerians, viz. orphans, widows with children, the disabled, child workers, veterans, the elderly, the trafficked, ex-convicts returning to society, etc. With an integrated healthcare facility with heliport and telemedicine, each Agro-Cell™ will strategically serve the extended community as an outpost for Emergency Medical Services (“EMS”), vaccination and immunization, regional anti/pre/post-natal training and care, breast cancer awareness, tropical disease management, data collection, etc. Fully implemented, the Agro-Cell™ Network is a mobilizer for at 50+ million Nigerians, including millions of orphans, vulnerable children, the disabled, and unemployed/underemployed Nigerian youths.
During this event, a special guest of honor from the Nigerian Embassy will present Nigeria’s state of affairs, and discuss the vision of the President Buhari’s Administration in inspiring a needed development. The event will also showcase the Agro-Cell™ Network by the FFCF leadership. Chief Okafor assured that this event will provide an extraordinary forum for conveying solidarity, participation, ideas and solutions to the Nigerian people for a better country.
Chevron cutting 655 Houston jobs amid oil bust
HOUSTON – Chevron Corp. is planning to shed 655 jobs in Houston soon as part of a broader payroll cut across its upstream division announced last October, the latest round of industry layoffs amid a two-thirds drop in crude prices since mid-2014.
The No. 2 U.S. oil company confirmed the cuts Thursday and has previously said it would cut its workforce by 4,000 this year, on top of last year’s reduction of 3,000. Those 7,000 jobs made up about 10 percent of the oil major’s workforce at the end of 2014.
“In light of the current market environment, Chevron continues to take action by revising organizational structures, increasing efficiencies and reducing expenses,” Chevron spokesman Cam Van Ast said in an emailed statement, confirming the 655 local job cuts.
Chevron said it would pay laid-off employees at least six weeks transition pay, severance and provide them career transition services. The job cuts coincide with a 24-percent reduction in Chevron’s investment budget this year to $26.6 billion, as it copes with cheap oil.
In the United States, the oil industry lost some 70,000 jobs last year, according to the Federal Reserve. Globally, companies have cut more than 320,000 positions since the downturn began, according to Houston consultancy Graves & Co., which has tracked the industry reductions.
