The Nation Newspaper

Category: Abuja Review

  • Abuja Garki International Market shut

    The Garki International Market has been closed by its management following a breakdown of law and order caused by tailors. The fracas started after staff of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) disconnected electricity supply from their blocks.

    According to a statement jointly signed by the Senior Facility Manager, Urban Shelter Facility Management Co. Ltd, Abdullahi Idris and the General Manage, Hamisu Jumare, It took the support of additional: “Police personnel, DSS and Military to bring the chaos under control; after which the market was evacuated and shut down pending full investigation, resolutions and measures taken to avert future reoccurrence.”

    It reads in part: “The general public and all operators of Garki International Market are hereby informed that the market has been shut down following the breakdown of law and order on March 25, 2017 as perpetuated predominantly by tailors who preceded the disconnection of electricity from their blocks by staff of AEDC Garki Business Unit on March 24, 2017.

    “The market management upon getting the report of the disconnection approached the AEDC Garki Business Unit who refused to heed the advice of the management to connect the power and follow later however agreed to come and meet with the management on Monday 27, 2017 on the matter and ways to collect their money from the shop operators who are owing.

    “Means to get them to be patient failed after the officials of the market management and Police personnel from Garki Division intervened for several hours but the tailors decided to take matters into their own hands by insisting to shut off power in the entire market; and were met by their fellow operators in the market asking them not to do such. This continued in spite of all interventions by the Market Management, the Police and members of the Market Association.

    “The situation degenerated into violence resulting in fighting, vandalism of transformers, throwing of missiles and injury to security personnel and innocent bystanders.

    “As part of the investigations, the facts as to why operators who were observing prayers were attached with missiles are also being investigated as it could have resulted into a deadly fracas.

    “In view of the occurrence, the market will remain closed.”

  • Pacifying the Senate

    It is no longer news that the relationship between the Executive and the Legislative arms of government has hit the rocks in the last few weeks. A major concern is how the development can quickly be checked for harmony and development of the country.

    The relationship, which is experiencing unprecedented friction between the two arms under the present dispensation, is already posing threats to some critical state matters.

    The National Assembly is angry that the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, has carried on in office despite the Senate’s rejection of his nomination, twice.

    It also felt slighted that the Executive arm has continued to allow the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service, Hameed Ali, to remain in office despite disobeying its directives.

    The Senate had asked Ali to appear before it in the uniform of the Nigerian Customs Service.

    But Ali had refused to dance to the tune of the lawmakers all the times he was invited to appear before the Senate.

    Those backing Ali’s actions had argued that some past leaders in such paramilitary organizations had spent their tenures without wearing the uniform of the organization.

    Ali, who was a retired Army officer, prefers to wear traditional clothes to the office, and had claimed that his mode of dressing is not adversely stopping him from performing his roles.

    Those who have seen nothing wrong with Ali’s style of dressing have even pointed out that many past heads of the paramilitary outfit who had decked themselves in the official uniform of the organization have ended up using the uniform to carrying out many atrocities including embezzling the funds of the outfit.

    The final straw that broke the camel’s back was Ali’s declaration that he will not honour the Senate’s invitation again based on court order arising from an individual who approached the court over the matter.

    Despite the Senate’s claims that the courts have no control over its proceedings, Ali had refused to honour the Senate’s invitation.

    Another area which the Senate is also grossed with the Executive arm of government has to do with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal.

    The Upper legislative Chamber is not happy that Lawal had not appeared before its committee investigating the spendings of the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE) towards ascertaining how the funds have been utilised from inception to date and also investigate alleged diversions of funds and food meant for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

    The Senate is also angry that the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Professor Itse Sagay had declared that the Senate has no power to summon him when the red carpet chamber invited him to come and point out irresponsible childish senators he had referred to in his recent remarks.

    All these have greatly contributed to the present tension between the two arms of government and immensely angered the lawmakers.

    Worried that the Presidency was not respecting its resolutions on the top government officials,  the National Assembly last week decided to pay back in the same coin.

    The Senate last Tuesday refused to continue screening of 27 resident electoral commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The Presidency had earlier forwarded the list of nominees, among other requests, for screening and confirmation.

    The fear now is that the government may be shut down if the National Assembly fails to pass the 2017 Budget proposal before it including other important requests from the Executive arm of government.

    How the two arms of government can quickly come out of the present crises and focus on state matters that will bring Nigeria out of its economic recession and place it on the path of growth, have continued to worry some well-meaning Nigerians.

    It was however a cheering news last Wednesday when President Muhammadu Buhari put in place a committee to smoothen the relationship between the two arms of government.

    The panel, headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo with membership comprising ex-lawmakers in the cabinet, definitely has a huge task to accomplish.

    Its major and immediate task now is how to calm frayed nerves in the legislature and settle down dusts already raised.

    To achieve this, it is very important for the panel to go straight to the root causes of the friction between the two arms of government and find lasting solution.

    It should look at the issues critically and determine whether the Senate was acting purely based on its constitutional roles or acting grudgingly.

    If the Senate was performing its duties judiciously, the Presidency should not shy away from owning up for the frictions so that peace can reign.

    Possible solutions to the crises have however continued to raise some questions on the lips of some Nigerians.

    They have wondered if Mr. President will bow to the demands of the lawmakers and replace the nomination of Magu as a way forward.

    Some of them have found it difficult to understand what is so special about Magu that the Presidency had stucked solidly behind him.

    Many have also been asking if Magu is the only Nigerian that can fight corruption the way the government wants it done.

    Those who believed that Magu is the messiah in the anti-graft battle however have interpreted what happened to Magu in the Senate as corruption fighting back.

    Some Nigerians also have been asking if the President will be willing to sacrifice the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service, Hameed Ali, for peace to reign between the two arms of government.

    On the other hand, they want to see if the President will rather prevail on Ali to start wearing the uniform for the sake of peace.

    Whichever way the crises will be resolved, it is better to be done as quickly as possible to prevent shut down of the government.

    Many Nigerians are already suffering from the economic recession and shouldn’t be subjected to more pains that will arise from the Presidency/Senate face-off. The time to act well is now.

  • Actionaid, NAPTIP tackle violence against kids

    A United Kingdom (UK) charity organisation, Actionaid has entered into partnership with National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP) and other government agencies in a bid to end violence against children in Nigeria.

    Speaking at a media sensitisation meeting, Maryann Obidike, the presentative of Actionaid explained the importance of protecting the children. As Assets of the country.

    She reaffirmed the organization’s efforts in the. Success of the strategy put in place which cut across five states, Edo, Benue, Nasarawa, FCT and Kuduna in order to take the message to the grassroots.

    Obidike explained that the strategy known as Sustainable Mechanism for Improving Livelihood and house Empowerment (SMILE) is design to strengthened institutional and technical capacity of states and local government to provide, manage, and monitor integrated comprehensiveness of children and their families.

    She noted also that SMILE as a strategy will strengthen organizational and technical capacity of civil society organizations.

    Maryann said, “SMILE is using a bottom-up approach to ensure sustainability of whatever project that is carried out by the organisation, we ensure that the people whom this projects are for, benefit and own the projects.

    “The people getting help must own the programme as a way of allowing the contributions of the people make the decision of what project Actionaid will carry out in a particular location” she stated.

    Also at the meeting, Adekoye Vincent, a representative from the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP) charged the media to create more awareness of the dangers of child abuse through their reporting.

    On his part, the Deputy Director in the department of Social Development Service (SDS) in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Adeyemi Ajayi explained that national survey conducted in 2014 by National Population Commission shows that one in four girls and one in 10 boys experience sexual violence.

  • A transportation relief for workers

    For workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, (FCTA), the commissioning of the 25 high capacity buses was long overdue.

    The scheme was conceived as a palliative to cushion the effect of economic hardship and difficulty in vehicular transportation of members of staff to and from the office.

    Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), Malam Muhammad Bello who commissioned the buses said it will boost the welfare of the staff of the FCT Administration adding that they are the first tranche of the FCTA Staff Bus Scheme.

    Bello reiterated that the FCTA Staff Bus Scheme is very important to his Administration because the welfare of staff remains topmost for increased productivity and quality service delivery to the residents of the Territory.

    The minister recalled that that a Committee headed by the Director of Establishment and Training was constituted to work out modality for a short and long term strategy on the operation of Staff Bus Scheme.

    He explained that the initial number in the Staff Bus Scheme comprise of 25 large capacity buses which monetary value would be deducted as part of liquidation of the FCTA loans to the Abuja Urban Mass Transport Company (AUMTCO).

    According to him, the FCT Administration intends to boost the operation of the Scheme and to make it more vibrant, by collaborating with development partners in getting more buses as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to expand the scope of its operation to cover staff of other Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) across the Federal Capital Territory.

    Bello stated that at the early stage of his Administration, the Scheme was conceived as a palliative to cushion the effect of economic hardship and difficulty in vehicular transportation of members of staff to and from the office.

    He announced that members of staff would be conveyed on subsidized fares from all the routes within the Federal Capital Territory including Keffi in Nasarawa State and Suleja in Niger State to reduce the cost and stress being faced by staff.

    The minister however, called for regular maintenance to ensure that the vehicles last long; adding, “high maintenance culture remains the watchword of the current FCT Administration”.

    He paid tribute to the FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye and the FCT Department of Establishment and Training that worked very hard to make the programme a reality.

    The FCT Director of Establishment and Training, Salihu Hawat Mohammed said that the commissioning of these buses has demonstrated the unwavering commitment of the FCT Administration to the welfare of the members of staff.

    According to him, the scheme has also added to the Minister’s achievements in promoting industrial harmony by ensuring regular payments of salaries to staff even at the critical time of recession.

    He emphasised that the scheme would boost the morale of the staff and reduce stress of their transportation needs, to and from their respective offices.

    Mohammed said: “Their punctuality will be assured as the buses are expected to ply 11 routes within the FCT and contiguous states to arrive FCTA secretariat by 7:30am and depart offices by 4:30pm to their various destinations to ensure accountability.”

    The Chairman, Joint Union Action Committee, (JUAC), FCTA/FCDA, Comrade Titus Okoro was optimistic that the development will go a long way to alleviate the hardship of workers in terms of getting to work as early as possible for those who are not mobile.

    Okoro promised the administration that the drivers will maintain the buses with every sense of duty and responsibility.

    FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye and other top officials of the FCT Administration also attended the commissioning ceremony.

  • Relief as fertiliser cost crashes

    Relief as fertiliser cost crashes

    Farmers heave a sigh of relief as a Federal Government’s intervention slashes the price of fertiliser, making it readily available, GBENGA ADANIKIN reports

    LAST year, fertiliser cost as much as N11,000. Farmers were hurt. Food prices shot up. People complained across the country. Now things are different, with fertiliser going for about half of last year’s price, thanks to the Federal Government’s efforts.

    Since the news broke about plans by the Federal Government to slash the price of fertiliser NPK 20:10:10, a major agricultural input to N5, 500, farmers across the country waited patiently to witness implementation of the policy.

    Stakeholders in the sector such as agro-dealers, Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN), the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), prior to the initiative strived to design a simple but implementable model that will ensure affordability and easy access to the input. Often, farmers are confronted with the challenges of adulterated fertilisers aside from the problem of affordability; the farm input is also mixed with sand and other contaminants.

    In 2016, price of fertiliser especially NPK, rose to as high as N11,000 contributing largely to hike in price of staple foods in the market. Urea which is an additional input after the application of the NPK sold at about N7, 500. Local farmers clearly were not finding it funny until the presidency intervened.

    As a result of the several bottlenecks, the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative came into existence having FEPSAN as the implementing partner. It was an outcome of President Muhammadu Buhari’s meeting with the King of Morocco. The deliberation among others was to facilitate the export of Diammonium Phosphate (DAP), through OCP Group, Morocco to ensure steady supply of the raw material for local production of fertiliser. The other raw materials include the Muriate of Potash (MOP), sourced from Europe and Russia while Limestone Granules (LSG) was locally sourced from the West African Fertilizer Company limited, Okpella, Edo State. These deliberate efforts was to meet fertiliser deficit in the country and ensure the nation locally blend the material.

    “From that 14th December, 2016 to 14th February, 2017, we gave farmers free gift. They started to receive fertiliser at N5,500. Agro-dealers also got theirs, when they come to a plant like this, they will pay N5,000, and sell for N5,500,” said FEPSAN President, Mr. Thomas Etuh.

    The initiative was simply put together by FEPSAN alongside other partners to produce One Million Metric tons of fertiliser for local farmers across the country for 2017 wet season and 500, 000 Metric tons for dry season farming. Remarkably, the fertilisers are blended in about 11 blending plants which were initially working at lower capacity across the country. Local fertiliser blending plants took ownership of the project, engaged labour and produced the farm input at a reasonable cost of N5,000.

    To sustain the project, the federal government entered into a Public Private Partnership (PPP) with the private sector, (FEPSAN), an association of fertiliser producers. It set up a presidential committee chaired by the Jigawa State Governor, Muhammed ?Abubakar and other stakeholders. They include FEPSAN President and representatives from the Office of Chief of Staff to the President, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Agriculture, the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA).

    Since it is largely private sector driven initiative, it is believed that there are chances the initiative will surpass the present administration. The chairman shared same view, stressing that the call for legislation to sustain the initiative was unnecessary.

    “It is always good if there is need for legislation. But this is purely a business venture. I don’t believe it requires any bill,” said Abubakar.

    Recorded and Anticipated Benefits

    Interestingly, implementing the initiative is such that encourages private sector partnerships. With the cost of NPK 20:10:10 trimmed down to N5,500, farmers can now procure as many bags necessary to support their cultivation. This translates to a possible increase in food production. Already the Kano state government through the State Assembly has procured 50, 000 metric tons worth N5 billion to be distributed to the farmers across the state.

    The Jigawa state government has also purchased about 4, 000 bags of the farm input for its farmers. Other northern state governors and interested public office holders are expected to follow suit. Incidentally, the foreign exchange for the entire purchase of fertiliser across the country would have amounted to about $200 million. However, with the initiative, government has the opportunity of saving the huge sum.

    In terms of 2017 budgetary allocation for fertiliser subsidy, the federal government is expected to save another N60 billion. To a large extent, the procedures seem transparent and less cumbersome. Etuh narrated some benefits of the intervention stressing that, “We only import 37 per cent of inputs we don’t have in Nigeria, which is Urea and Limestone to get fertiliser to the farmers.”

    This is PPP arrangement; there is no subsidy at all. We will save N60 billion for government in six months and save another $200 million in foreign exchange.” He added that, “Thousands of jobs have been created within two months and more jobs will be created. There is a movement of trucks bringing raw materials from Lagos, Port Harcourt and other places to the blending plants.

    “There are two drivers and two motor boys, multiply it by 5,000. Again, we have a loader and off-loader of 15 persons. So, if you multiply it, we will arrive at 1.4 million jobs already created. This is the direct job being created and others that will be created outside the factory.”

    During an inspection of the project, a study of the initiative revealed its multiplier impact on the entire sector. For instance, almost moribund fertiliser processing plants across the country are being revived with continuous supply of raw materials worth N20 billion to the facilities for the next six months. Currently, about 11 processing plants are under optimum function in the country. Some of them include the Ebonyi State Fertiliser Company, Golden Fertiliser Company, Lagos, Superphosphate Fertiliser and Chemicals, Kaduna, Bejafta Fertiliser Company, Plateau among others. In the first batch of the programme, the 11 plants are expected to be fully engaged. They included three in Kaduna, two in Kano state, one in Funtua, Katsina state, one in Bauchistate, one in Plateau state, one in Niger state, one in Lagos state and one in Ebonyi state. Aside, the railway system is being developed to transport phosphate from Lagos through the rail to Funtua, Katsina state and other parts of the country. About 100 trucks load raw materials are being transported daily to the various plants nationwide.

    In Kano State for instance, the State Agricultural Supply Company (KASCO), established in 1981 by the World Bank was grappling to survive its operations, as a result downsized some workforce. It was working below production capacity until the recent intervention. According to its Managing Director, Bala Inuwa the facility had to increase its workforce to 600 staffs, working on three shifts to blend the input for the farmers and agro-dealers in the state. He explained that the presidential initiative has created more jobs and raw materials for ?the fertiliser processing plant. ?”In Kano State, we have about 44 local governments and there are 60 shops that are ready to sale the commodity. We load about 60 trailers daily and we are serious about improving our capacity,” he added.

    As a result, the Kano State government is to take delivery of new processing line due to its confidence on the supply of raw materials. “In this programme, the price is stable and is much better. Farmers already know the price. So the initiative is a good one and as a result, we are expecting a new line worth N250m in the next two weeks,” said the Kano State Governor, ?Abdullahi Ganduje. According to him, the initiative has reduced corruption in the system, created about 200 jobs and encouraged farmers to increase their productivity. “The issue of subsidy was what killed fertiliser production in Nigeria. You sit down in the house instead of going to the farm,” Ganduje said.

  • Magu: Civil Society to occupy National Assembly

    Some Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have threatened to occupy the National Assembly next week, accusing the lawmakers of frustrating the anti-corruption efforts of the present administration.

    Addressing a rally in Abuja attended by the organisations and the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANTS), Retson Thedeke who spoke on behalf of others accused the National Assembly of reversing the gains of the Change Agenda of President Buhari.

    Thedeke demanded that the appointment of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, (EFCC), chairman, Ibrahim Magu, three nominees for the National Communication Commission, and all those whose appointments were rejected on: “frivolous unsubstantiated allegations be confirmed by the Senate.”

    “Corruption is at the root of the many Nigeria Problems. And while the President is dedicated to fighting for Nigeria, political insanity exemplified by the selfishness and greed of the leadership of the National Assembly has become major clog in the wheel of progress not just of the government but also for Nigerians.

    “Instead of keying into the anti-corruption war of the President, the leadership of National Assembly is bent on scuttling it. This is not surprising to Nigerians as there are high profile corruption cases against members especially the Senators presently in various courts across the country,” Tedheke said.

    He also urged Nigerians to mobilise themselves and demand real change from those he said should ordinarily be the closest to the people.

    He lamented that anti-corruption bills sent to the lawmakers to facilitate prosecution of corruption and bring corrupt person to justice have been abandoned by the National Assembly.

    He said all known persons that spoke against the leadership of National Assembly’s alleged corruption and appointed by the President for national assignments requiring their approvals were always rejected.

    He therefore urged lawmakers with high profile corruption cases in courts to relinquish their positions in the National Assembly due to integrity challenges and to also pass all anti-corruption bills sent to them by Mr. President.

  • A security tweak

    The security of one of the most secured arena in Nigeria, the Presidential Villa was further stepped up last week.

    Gaining entrance to the seat of power is no longer business as usual under the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    New security gadgets, Sagem MorphoAccess security gateways which electronically screen staff and visitors, became operational last week Monday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The machine’s rapidity and networking capabilities have been deployed to address security applications from one-door control to protection of buildings, vast infrastructures and government agencies across the globe.

    Many seats of governments across the globe have similar gadgets in place to keep away unauthorized and unwanted visitors.

    The gadget, which controls opening and closing of glass auto-gateways and steel doors, are placed at various locations in the Villa.

    The projects, which started under former President Goodluck Jonathan and stayed too long on the drawing board, have finally seen the light of day.

    The doors now only open to authorized staff and visitors who want to gain access to the President’s and Vice President’s offices’ wings and other key offices and facilities in the State House.

    The global identification system has fingerprint access control, time and attendance terminal.

    The glass gateway is expected to open only when a duly authorized staff’s finger print is scanned and identified by the machine. The gateway will not open if the machine could not identify the person’s biometrics in its database.

    The system, which has been installed with accurate fingerprint sensor, is expected to be very fast and hitch-free.

    It is expected to be as fast as between 0.7 and 0.9 seconds in the identification mode, carrying out detection, coding and matching at the same time.

    When a duly accredited staff places his or her finger on the fingerprint panel, the machine’s monitor instantly displays ‘Remove finger analyzing…’, it then shows ‘Welcome’ and the ‘staff’s name’ followed by ‘Identified’ before the glass gateway is momentarily flung open for the staff to pass through.

    When the index finger is not properly placed on the panel, the monitor displays ‘Move up’ asking the staff to properly place the finger.

    With its multifactor authentication capacity, it can also encode badges and identity tags apart from capturing fingerprints.

    This means that beside the fingerprints scanning, access can also be granted by simply swiping an authorized staff’s identity tag closed to the machine.

    The new system have opsonic sensor installed that detects false fingerprints and immediately bar unauthorized staff or visitors from gaining access to the Villa.

    With the capacity to have up to 50,000 users, at any given time, its integration into existing systems is supposed to be easy with in-built Power-Over-Ethernet (POE) and optional wireless LAN communication.

    As the machines are already installed at the pilot gate and many points before the President’s and Vice President’s office doors, a new order is certainly settling in at the seat of power.

    While the machines will now carry out independent and proper screening of staff and visitors to the Villa, the security personnel on duty may now have less to do by just concentrating more on monitoring usage of the machines by staff and visitors.

    The security personnel are expected to act appropriately whenever any unauthorised person tries to beat the system.

    Apart from identifying anyone carrying a fake identity card, the machines will also restrict movement of some staff not authorized to go beyond a certain point.

    Movements of visitors without proper clearance from the authority will also be checked.

    There is however a way out for security personnel on duty to allow visitors with proper authorization to have access whenever the machine fails to grant such persons access.

    The security personnel at the point of entry can also press a button for the glass gateway to open for state governors and high profile visitors that don’t normally get visitor’s tag at the pilot gate.

    But the machine is going to pose a new challenge to governors’ aides that normally accompany their bosses inside the Villa without visitors’ tags.

    Not only unauthorized persons are expected to face challenges in gaining entrance to the Villa, the first week of the machines’ operation also posed some challenges to some authorised staff and visitors.

    Unlike before, the staffs sort of experience some delays before gaining entrance, as the doors only swing open when the person has been screened and cleared by information already stored in the database.

    Cabinet members and high profile visitors are not exempted in the new order.

    One of the first cabinet members who went through the new system was the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, and the Minister of Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah.

    They experienced slight delays with the machines last week Monday morning when going to the Vice President’s office for the Economic Management Team meeting.

    Excited with the new system, Adeosun asked one of the security personnel on duty, “How are we going to get the card?

    The security personnel told her to see the Chief of Staff.

    The machine, the following day, also continued to screen staff and visitors unhindered.

    They were however put to maximum use on Wednesday as almost all the Ministers and other cabinet members turned up for the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by President Buhari.

    While staff and authorised visitors will soon get used to the new order, the full operation of the machines are clear message to those who have no business with the seat of power and unwanted guests to stay away.

  • Sanitising the civil service

    It is no longer news that federal civil servants are largey seen in many quarters as a set of rotten and corrupt  people. They are believed to be the brain behind, and facilitators of, most corrupt practices carried out by politicians in the country over the years. More than 70 per cent of the landed property in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), for instance, are believed to be owned by the civil servants.

    Several moves in the past to sanitise the sector were not very successful as they were resisted underground. While the Treasury Single Account (TSA) has gone a long way to putting things in order in the system, many believe that there is more that can be done to make the Federal Civil Service a better place, towards effectively performing its statutory role.

    To this end, the Head of Service of the Federation, Winifred Oyo-Ita has unveiled four cardinal objectives launched by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the old Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja.

    In a lecture titled “The Role of Civil Service in a Change Environment: The Change is now!” she said: “The country, due to a variety of factors, especially since the coming on board of the new government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari has entered a new era. It is an era where much of the old ways of serving the Nigerian state and its citizens is undergoing a major review. Flowing from this, much of the structures and values of our national institutions are experiencing internally organized or externally directed reforms.

    “The challenge of socioeconomic and infrastructural development in Nigeria has become a matter that requires fresh ideas to tackle. Thus, the drive for the diversification of the economy has assumed a new urgency and the reality of the current situation is such that a renewed drive for enhanced revenue generation will greatly contribute to bridging the resource deficits for the finance of the national budget.

    “Due to an increasingly connected society, urbanization and sophistication of citizens leveraged by the new and fast-evolving ICTs and social media, public expectations of government has reached an all-time high.

    “The Federal Public Service needs to change its narrative when interacting with Nigerians who are demanding more accountability at all levels of government especially as regards the quality of public service delivery.

    “Trust in government by the people is enhanced by closing the widening gap with the citizenry, it is a fact that improvements in public services and delivery capabilities have direct effect on the living standards of citizens and the competitiveness of the private sector.

    “The deriving agenda therefore is efficiency, effectiveness and integrity in the delivery of services by public sector institutions for the good and progress of the country and services to its citizens.

    “The civil service is at the core of this reform and service expectations. The civil service, as a key national platform for actualization of the aspirations of the nation has over the years witnessed varieties of reforms to capture the mood of the moment, but more importantly to provide a more lasting trajectory for the progressive development of our country.

    “It has to be a dynamic institution striving to meet the reasons for its very existence. It is for these and many more others that we have taken up the task and responsibility to reposition the service.” she added

    To change the orientation in the service, she maintained that the envisaged new direction is captured in the 2017-2019 Strategy of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, which is anchored on four strategic goals.

    The strategy, she noted, is in consonance with Pillar Four of the National Strategy for Public Service Reforms which is focused on Civil Service Administration Reforms.

    Highlighting the four cardinal goals of her tenure towards a new roadmap for the service, she said: “The four goals are: Develop and Institutionalize an Efficient, Productive, Incorruptible and Citizen-Centered (EPIC) Culture in the Civil Service.

    The EPIC culture, she said, is an inevitable response to the challenges that the service face today and the perception of the service by the public.

    “This new culture is intended to restore hope and dignity to the service by reversing the current perceived reputation for inefficiency, low productivity, corruption and insensitivity to the needs of the citizen.” she said

    The second goal, she said, is designed and Implement an Enterprise Content Management System (ECM).

    She said “This goal will ignite a digital service delivery revolution in the management of our records and development of digital service strategy to facilitate online and real-time delivery of service to the citizenry. This will ensure full automation of records and civil service content such that systems are robust, up to date, and fit for purpose, thus eliminating duplications and harmonizing staff records across the service.

    “It shall provide structures, standards and processes on data capture, retention and use and eliminate multiple data repositories, especially manual processes. The upgrade of relevant systems to current standards will be achieved and integrate all systems across the service to achieve interoperability.

    “We shall achieve a status where content management policy is consistent with the ethos of the service and is strictly implemented across board by all stakeholders.”

    The third goal she said is Develop Entrepreneurial Culture and Commercial Orientation in the Civil Service.

    “The service must be a facilitating partner to the economy diversification drive of government. This goal is aimed at transforming the civil service from being perceived as cost centers to revenue earners.

    “Most Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) have latent capacity to create wealth and generate revenue. The current dwindling government revenue calls for innovative ways of generating income.”

    The fourth goal, which she termed: Improve Welfare and Benefit Packages for Civil Servants, she said is seeking ways to improve the welfare and benefit packages for Civil Servants and the entire public service by extension.

    It is really hoped that the reforms will in the long run reposition the service to efficiently perform its roles to the nation.

     

  • Housing loan for 60 Immigration officers

    The Nigeria Immigration Service, (NIS) in collaboration with the Federal Mortgage Bank, has secured a housing loan facility for 60 officers and men of the service.

    The facility is worth N60 million.

    Comptroller General, (CG) of NIS, Muhammad Babandede, disclosed this at the official presentation of a dummy cheque to beneficiaries.

    Babandede said the development is part of efforts to enhance the welfare package of the workforce for improved productivity and efficient service delivery.

    He also noted that it will help curb corruption in the service, adding that owing a house for officers and men is one thing that government should encourage through loans.

    The immigration boss told the beneficiaries that deduction will start immediately during the payment of their salaries urging that to spend wisely.

    He said, “I have been talking to my staff on discipline and I have been telling them that they should not be corrupt. You can’t achieve that without giving them something. Safety of lives is very important. For my officers and men I like to put them in a safe place. When corruption becomes high, so people do not know what to do, you spend 35 years in service and you do not have where to put your head.

    “Retiring in a rented house is the worst thing that could happen to anyone. So when this opportunity came I considered it good for the service. So far sixty (60) officers and men have benefited from the scheme. The scheme is a partnership between the NIS and our National Housing Fund managers, the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria. It is designed to leverage on the National Housing Fund contributory package to ensure that all participants get decent commitment and dedication from the workforce.”

    The Executive Director of Federal Mortgage Bank, Charles Ajiba told the service that it will not regret partnering with the bank adding that its goal is to provide long time plan for people especially civil servants that want to own their houses.

  • School holds maiden sport feast

    Studying hard is great but some extra-curricular activities enhance the result. That was the import of the Executive Director of Lela Blossom School, Mrs. Abiola Oduwusi at the school’s maiden inter-house sports competition held in Abuja.

    She noted that while it is necessary for schools to drill and impart pupils on academic excellence, children should be given the opportunity to showcase not only their physical and athletic skills, but also that intrinsic drive to compete and excel in sporting activities.

    Mrs. Oduwusi said that the school had at various time organised academic competitions for the pupils but thought it wise to introduce sporting activities.

    “We have held spelling bee and quiz competitions, conducted debates, acted dramas and even taught the children life coping financial skills, but never have we held a sports fiesta like the present one.” She said.

    Speaking on the gains of engaging children in sporting activities, Oduwusi said that sports bring out the God given desire to win and to excel. She described the pupils as champions waiting to be made.

    At the event, the Chairman of the Parent Teachers Association of the School, Dr. Wale Funsho who described the event as successful, encouraged parents to support their children in sports as it brings out the best in them.

    ”It is necessary we encourage our children in sports, it will definitely bring out the best in them and improve their academic performance.” He said.

    Four houses participated in the competition, Rudy (red), Topaz (yellow), Sapphire (blue) and Emerald (green). At the end Rudy carried the day. Medals were given to participating pupils while trophies were also presented to the best sporting houses.