The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Group mulls Nigeria-Benin Permanent Joint Commission

    Group mulls Nigeria-Benin Permanent Joint Commission

    An advocacy group comprising individuals passionate about strengthening diplomatic ties has called for the establishment of a permanent joint commission between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin.

    The group aims to create a structured platform that will facilitate ongoing dialogue and cooperation between the two nations.

    During the consultative and dialogue meeting between Nigeria and Benin representatives held at FAMS Embassy Suites in Badagry, Lagos, the advocacy group cites numerous potential benefits arising from a permanent joint commission, with a primary focus on bolstering trade relations, enhancing regional security, and promoting cultural exchange.

    The chairman of the steering committee of the Nigerian advocacy group for the establishment of the Nigeria and Benin Republic Permanent Joint Commission (NBPJC), Ambassador Oguntuase Kayode, noted the benefits of the joint commission.

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    He said: “The call for the establishment of a Permanent Commission between Nigeria and Benin Republic is long over-due and there is no justification for the oversight of not establishing it all this while.

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    “However, to be late is better than “Never”. We believe the time has come for the governments of Nigeria and Benin Republic to give adequate and urgent consideration to the establishment of a Permanent Joint Commission between the two countries. Since the formation of the Nigerian advocacy group, the group has held various consultative meetings with key Nigerian Government Ministries and Agencies including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nigerian Import and Export Promotion Council and the Development Agenda for the Western Nigeria (DAWN).

    “Similarly, the Beninese Advocacy Group was equally formed in Cotonou comprising of Mayors from the Local Government Councils sharing boundary with Nigeria.

    “Other members of the Beninese Advocacy group include; retired top government officials of Benin Republic and captains of industries in the country. Today’s bilateral meeting is the first physical interface between the Nigerian and Beninese advocacy groups for the establishment of the Permanent Joint Commission.”

  • ‘Why we celebrate Olumba Obu’

    ‘Why we celebrate Olumba Obu’

    A week-long celebration of the spiritual leader of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star BCS, His Holiness Olumba Olumba Obu, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, comes to an end Monday, November 20, 2023 with the theme “Divine Manifestation 2023” in all BCS formations all over the world.

    The Spokesman of the Organisation, Patriarch Christ Shepherd Amah Williams who briefed newsmen of the celebration and the significance thereof, also gave reasons why they celebrate Leader Olumba Obu.

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    According to him, “Olumba Olumba Obu is a divine personage, His birth, leadership, Kingship and authority is divine and not of this world. He has practically demonstrated the true teachings of Christ. He shows love and compassion to anyone who comes to him. He demonstrates peace, mercy, truth, meekness, faith, patience, forgiveness and godliness. He heals the broken-hearted, feeds the hungry, clothes the wretched, comforts the weary and teaches the oneness of the human family. Through His spoken words, nations of the earth have been healed, men have been exalted, and the dead bones brought back to life. As the ultimate custodian of all powers across realms of manifest, His Holiness Olumba Olumba Obu’s power is felt everywhere in the world. His Name exudes power, authority and salvation. He has reformed sinners and reconciled men with God.”

  • Eze becomes pioneer president of SALTCCIMA in Ebonyi

    Eze becomes pioneer president of SALTCCIMA in Ebonyi

    Chukwuemeka Eze, a seasoned lawyer, tax expert and an Exco member of the NACCIMA has emerged as the pioneer President of the Salt City Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (SALTCCIMA).

    The investiture ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, November 29, 2023, at Super Nike Hotel, Opposite Federal Government College, Okposi, Ohaozara, Ebonyi State.

    Expected at the occasion is the Executive Governor of Ebonyi State, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, who will deliver the keynote message.

    The keynote address will be delivered by the National President of Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce (NACCIMA), Otunba Dele Oye, while the President, South East Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, (SECCIMA), Mr. Humphrey Ngonadi, will deliver a goodwill message. Ide John C. Udeagbala, the immediate Past President of NACCIMA, will chair the occasion.

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    Members of the organised private sector, top business leaders, community leaders, and several companies CEOs in the South East, with interest in investing in Ebonyi State,  will also grace the occasion as a mark of solidarity with the new  SALTCCIMA chief.

    Other highlights of the event include factory visit to Mmahi Ezi Salt Lake, Okposi; Ogbuoji Farm, Ogbu-Edda; Nnesco Farm, Afikpo; Focus Hotel, Afikpo,  and presentation of plaques to supportive MDAs, individuals and companies that  have contributed immensely to the establishment of SALTCCIMA and the progress of Ebonyi State.

    As a city chamber of commerce, SALTCCIMA will serve as a viable platform for advocacy and promotion of a conducive business environment and investment flows to Ebonyi State.

    SALTCCIMA will be an advocacy voice for the institution of a conducive business environment for commerce, industry, and other forms of economic activities of interest within the State.

  • Tinubu will reposition Nigeria towards progressive economy – Minister

    Tinubu will reposition Nigeria towards progressive economy – Minister

    The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha has said  that President Bola Tinubu is working towards propelling the nation towards a sustained progressive economy and job creation.

    Onyejeocha stated this at a meeting with state coordinators and officials of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) with the theme: Developing a Roadmap for the NDE within the framework of the Renewed Hope Agenda, in Abuja.

    The minister said that the current administration has weaved its employment policy around skills acquisition and entrepreneurship development for blue collar jobs and that the NDE was a catalyst in the attainment of the President’s desire to lift 50 million Nigerians out of poverty.

    She called on the NDE to strengthen strategic initiatives to create more decent jobs and to be ready to translate the articulated policies of the government into tangible realities.

    The minister also charged the NDE to focus on the youth, women, and vulnerable groups to build the core skills needed for national revival, growth, and prosperity.

    Onyejeocha stressed the need to increase the tempo of sensitisation and awareness for the skills acquisition programmes and entrepreneurship development initiatives of the Directorate.

    She expressed her gratitude and appreciation to President Tinubu for the opportunity to contribute to the uplifting of the unemployed in Nigeria and declared the meeting open.

    The minister said the call to the NDE was timely and necessary, especially at a time when Nigeria was faced with unemployment challenges, especially among the youth and women.

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    She noted that the NDE, with its mandate to create jobs and promote employment, has a critical role to play in addressing this challenge.

    She further noted that by focusing on skills acquisition and entrepreneurship development, the NDE can help to equip Nigerians with the skills they need to be self-employed or to find jobs in the growing sectors of the economy.

    Director – General, NDE, Abubakar Fikpo said a roadmap for the NDE was necessary to direct its programmes and schemes within the framework of the Renewed Hope Agenda.

    Fikpo said the NDE has produced many successful entrepreneurs who are contributing to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the nation.

  • More investment in health can save naira, generate forex – Abbas

    More investment in health can save naira, generate forex – Abbas

    Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen has said that more investment in the nation’s health sector can help generate foreign exchange and save the weak naira while checking medical tourism.

    Speaker Abbas spoke when a delegation from the First Surat Group of Companies, a Turkish conglomerate in Nigeria, visited him in his office in Abuja.

    The delegation was made up of the Group Managing Director of the organization, Yasar Ovenc; Chief Medical Director, Nizamiye Hospital, Prof Ibrahim Yanmis; Executive Director, Nizamiye Hospital, Servet Gulerman; Managing Director, Nigerian-Turkish International Schools, Feyzullah Bilgin; President, Ufuk Dialog, Emrah Ilgen, and the Public Relations Officer, Nizamiye Hospital, Muhammad Abubakar.

    The Speaker received the delegation in company of the Minority Whip of the House, Hon. Ali Isah, JC, and the Deputy Chief of Staff to  the  Speaker  (Administration), Engr. Jamil Ahmad Muhammad, among others.

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    According to him, “a significant number of the citizens of this country are going on medical tourism. If we can have or replicate what we have in the developed countries, Nigeria would be able to save a lot of foreign exchange, and we will be able to save our naira.”

    He said the National Assembly; especially the House of Representatives, was ready to welcome ideas on how to collaborate for a win-win situation for Nigeria and Turkey.

    While commending the group for its contributions and donations to Nigeria for about 27 years, the Speaker said he was “really touched by the amazing and wonderful things the First Surat Group of Companies has been doing in Nigeria. Speaker Abbas urged the conglomerate to work with the  newly  created Committee on  Corporate  Social Responsibility  of t he  House.

    He added that: “It is indeed a testimony that the Nigerian-Turkish relationship is a mutually beneficial one, and I hope other nationalities will emulate the good work that you have been doing in Nigeria.”

  • Insecurity: Deputy Speaker advocates space command in military

    Insecurity: Deputy Speaker advocates space command in military

    The Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives, Rt Hon Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has recommended the establishment of a military space command.

    He urged the Federal Government to take the surveillance and security of the country’s space seriously.

    He urged that such Command be headed by a Service Chief to be referred to as the Chief of Space Staff

    Kalu said it was time Nigeria moved from the usual mechanisms of fighting insurgencies and other forms of Insecurity and took the battle into space to achieve unusual results.

    This, he said, would go a long way to assist the existing security architecture in defending the territorial integrity of the nation.

    He spoke at the closing ceremony of a two-day post inauguration retreat organised for Members of the House Committee on Defence by the National Defence College, Abuja.

    Kalu said, “In making your work easy, we tell you, work within your scope of work. I have seen you also struggle to meet the challenges and the dynamic demands of security, all of which are issues that have gone around the space.

    “In some countries, you have Space Service Chiefs, what are we doing about that? There is a need for one to be created. We are beyond what is obvious.

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    “Some of the warfare is now taking place in space. And I can assure you, we ignore that, we will not be doing justice to the mandate of protecting the territorial borders of this country.

    “So, anytime we start looking beyond what happens here, think about what happens up there, the space”, he said.

    He stressed that appointing a Space Service Chief to head a Space Command is important, as most warfares now are done in space and cyber operations.

    He said Nigeria must be prepared to structure “our preventive operations before we are hit. It calls for deeper conversations as the Parliament will be willing to support this initiative”.

    Kalu, however, submitted that internal security of the country should be for the Nigeria Police and they should be allowed and supported to employ more hands, “To enable the military operate within their areas of competence and training which is not internal security.”

  • Reps to prioritise infrastructural development in rural communities

    Reps to prioritise infrastructural development in rural communities

    The House of Representatives said on Tuesday that it would do everything possible to ensure that rural dwellers in the country enjoy the dividends of democracy.

    Chairman of the House Committee on Rural Development, Hon. Marcus Onobun who spoke at the inaugural meeting of the committee reiterated the House commitment towards improving infrastructure in the rural areas across the country.

    Onobun who is a former Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly who spoke on the importance of the committee described it as one that directly affects the 360 members of the house “as we all represent rural communities.

    “In fact, it is important to note that it is the constituents of these rural areas that chose us to represent them in order for them to enjoy the dividends of democracy.

    “If you look closely at the composition of all the committees, you’ll discover that this Committee is one of the few that has exceeded the membership number of 40 prescribed by the House. This goes to show the importance of the committee.

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    “In discharging their functions, previous chairmen of this Committee were severely hampered and restricted to certain MDAs but I will be doing things a little differently in order for us to collectively achieve our objectives and also make meaningful impact in the lives of millions of Nigerians who reside in the rural areas.

    “Before I| proceed, I’ll like us to familiarize ourselves with the scope of this committee and areas of its oversight functions by looking at the standing orders of the House of Representatives Order 20 95(d) which clearly defines our scope and purview thus setting the tone for defining our aims and objectives.

    “I am willing to draw from your wealth of legislative, business and individual expertise in discharging my duties so we can collectively deliver on the arduous task that has been laid on our shoulders.”

  • How Nigerians fought for passage of VAPP Act, by WRAP

    How Nigerians fought for passage of VAPP Act, by WRAP

    Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA) Nigeria has said it took civil societies, government agencies and development partners 14 years to get the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act passed.

    Secretary-General, WRAPA Saudatu Mahdi recounted the struggle during a visit by female parliamentarians from Somalia to Nigeria.

    The visit of the female lawmakers to Nigeria was coordinated by Youthhub Africa.

    Mahdi urged the female lawmakers from Somalia to do all they can to ensure the passage of the VAPP in their country.

    According to her, before now, Nigeria was perceived as one of the least safe places for women in the world before the government considered the VAPP law as a legal tool that can help make the country much safer for women and girls.

    She admonished them not to relent in their struggle for women protection law in Somalia.

    Mahdi said: “It took Nigerian Civil society, government agencies and development partners 14 years to get the violence against persons Prohibition Act as you call it.

    “We want to encourage you to say it is not easy because there are many things pushing back, for you to break down those barriers, you need to put yourself in the shoes of people who are against protection of women. A lot of people think women can be treated anyhow.

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    “Well, that’s not how Allah says it should be. So you have to show the people who are interested in suffering women or abusing women that it is not acceptable by Allah. We can put our hands on our chest and say conclusively or evidently that we have built over a million people directly and indirectly.”

    Mahdi informed the young lawmakers that WRAPA has created online learning hubs and organised women and girls into cluster groups to help them get economic income and manage businesses.

    The Senior Advisor to Somalia Speaker on Gender and Human Rights, Hanifa Habsabe, said the lawmakers decided to visit Nigeria because both countries are faced with similar challenges, particularly cultural and religious challenges.

    She said: “We chose to come to Nigeria because we thought we have a lot in common such as culture and religion. And when we came here, we figured out the challenges are the same Nigeria and Somalia.

    “And what we figured out in terms of the Nigerian parliament, the House of Representatives, they have a lesser number of women than Somalia, but they have strong women who are chairmen of committees.”

    She commended Nigeria for the passage of the VAPP Act, regretting that their push in Somalia has proven unsuccessful after five years of struggle for the law.

    She added: “We are grateful to hear that Nigerians have passed this law and it took them 14years to push for this law. We have been trying to push this for the last five years and we will not give up until we get it approved.”

  • Nigerian Academy of Letters decries poor quality of varsity entrants

    Nigerian Academy of Letters decries poor quality of varsity entrants

    The Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL) has lamented the decline in the quality of entrants into the Nigerian University System, saying urgent intervention is needed to stem the decline.

    President of the academy, Prof Sola Akinrinade, stated this at a policy review workshop on ‘Strengthening the Educational System in Nigeria Through STEAM,’ organised by the Nigerian Academy of Science, Nigerian Academy of Letters and the Nigerian Young Academy (NYA) and sponsored by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board in Abuja.

    Contrary to popular belief that the decline was as a result of lowered prescribed educational standards, Prof Akinrinade argued that the standards at the basic and senior secondary levels have increased, adding that the root of the problem laid in the implementation of these standards, which have become suspect over the years.

    He said the poor performance of Nigerian university entrants spanned across disciplinary groups, making it evident that a holistic approach was required to address this multifaceted issue.

    He stressed the importance of comprehensive interventions in overcoming these challenges.

    Akinrinade said: “Our problem has to do with the implementation of the standards, capacity for which has become suspect over the years. The poor performance transcends the boundaries of disciplinary groups hence; interventions such as ours must be holistic.

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    “The importance of STEAM education as a critical factor in the sustainable and inclusive development of a country such as ours cannot be overemphasised) Properly implemented, STEAM education encourages innovation, reduces poverty, and provides beneficiaries with the appropriate tools to improve their lives and those of others. If, through this intervention, we succeed in building alliances for the proper implementation of STEAM education at the Basic and Senior Secondary levels in the country, we will have made a great investment in the lives of future generations of Nigerian youths. The ultimate beneficiary is our dear country. cannot overemphasize the importance of what we are doing here this week.

    “If we are going to achieve our objectives of building a knowledge-based economy through STEAM education, then we cannot discountenance the importance of proper policy planning. Great ideas such as this need proper planning for its implementation process to achieve its purpose. We need to focus on how to make STEAM relevant to our problems at both national and sub-national levels and it is meetings like this that we can aggregate perspectives and propose ways forward for us as a country. I am sure, the participants present are more than capable of fashioning the way forward for us.

    “I therefore challenge every stakeholder involved, not just those present at this programme, to engage with the process. Happily, most of the critical institutional stakeholders have been invited to join this programme. The Nigerian Academy of Letters and the Nigerian Academy of Science have come together to lead the process, but we are certainly not the only stakeholders required. We need to promote inclusiveness as much as possible. Bringing all those that matter together is not easy and is very expensive. That is why we owe a mountain of gratitude to the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board and its leadership for financially supporting this NAL/NAS/NYA initiative.”

    Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede emphasised the merits of adopting a holistic educational approach that combined scientific knowledge with artistic expression, ensuring a well-rounded education for the nation’s future leaders.

  • Institute honours ex-EFCC chair, Magu over role in P&ID case

    Institute honours ex-EFCC chair, Magu over role in P&ID case

    Former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, on Saturday received the highest honour of doctoral fellowship of the Institute for Governance and Leadership Studies in Africa (IGLSA).

    Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni also received the doctoral fellowship from the institute.

    According to the institute, Magu’s selection was in line with the role he played in the landmark victory at the Commercial Court of England and Wales which stopped the enforcement of an $11.5 billion P&ID Limited arbitration award against Nigeria.

    It will be recalled that the EFCC under Magu’s leadership had challenged the arbitration award against Nigeria over a failed 2010 deal to develop a gasoline processing plant within the country.

    Speaking to journalists at the investiture on Saturday in Abuja, the Director-General of the Institute, Lanre Adebayo,  explained that deserving Nigerians, including some serving governors with quality leadership styles and friends of Nigeria would be conferred with doctorate, fellowship and membership of the institute.

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    He said a major governance challenge which has undermined development in Africa was corruption which has arrested development and undermined quality service delivery. 

    “A major governance challenge which has undermined development in our Continent is the issue of corruption which has arrested development and undermined quality service delivery. In our view, corruption is a result of leadership failure and weak governance institutions. The recent P&ID case which was decided in favour of Nigeria is a classical example,” he said.

    Others who received full Fellowship are: Folu Olamiti; Dr. Aliyu Ibrahim, office of the SGF; Dr. Abdulrazaq Garba, DG. National Geological Survey Agency; Hajia Maryam Yunusa Danjaki DG Amalgamated APC Support Groups; Dr. Jerry Wohu, Special Adviser to the Speaker, House of Rep and Alhaji Nazir Song, MD, Takaful Insurance Ltd.

    The IGLSA is an independent, multi-disciplinary Think-Tank approved organisation by the Federal Ministry of Education and chartered by the Corporate Affairs Commission as a Company Limited by Guarantee (LTD/GTE).