The Nation Newspaper

Category: Northern Report

  • ‘We’ll make agric attractive to women’

    ‘We’ll make agric attractive to women’

    The Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, has given a clear indication of the FCT administration’s desire to transform agriculture in the territory.

    She said the administration is not just concerned about producing more food, although that is a prime target, but that in doing so, it will make agriculture more lucrative, sustainable and attractive to women.

    She stated this in Abuja at the signing of a performance contract agreement by the Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat (ARDS) in the FCT, Mrs. Bema Olvadi Madayi and Director of Administration & Finance (ARDS), Mr John Obiahu.

    The minister and the new Permanent Secretary, FCT, Mr. John Obinna Chukwu, an engineer, signed the agreement on behalf of the FCT Administration.

    Akinjide stated that the FCTA would ensure that agriculture was practiced as lucrative commercial enterprise that is not only sustainable but attractive to the women and youths.

    She explained that the performance contract agreement was one of the major achievements of the Administration to enable it deliver on its mandate to Nigerians.

    ”Nigerians expect government to be more proactive and effective in its actions by providing the enabling environment and the requisite concrete deliverables that will enable them function more effectively.

    “The Performance Contract Agreement is meant to gauge the performance of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government in line with established Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The MDAs are required to develop detailed documents to guide implementation of the KPIs,” she stated.

    The minister commended the secretary and her team for their sterling performance in the last 12 months and urged them to accomplish more in 2013.

    In her response after signing the agreement, Madayi assured that the Secretariat would will assiduously to ensure sustainable food security and poverty eradication in the FCT.

    ”We will work to transform the agriculture sector in the FCT into a vibrant sector. The Year 2013 will be a year of great transformation in the agriculture sector in FCT,” she added.

    The secretary applauded the FCT Minister of State for her support and encouragement towards ensuring that the Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat realised its goals.

     

  • NSCDC arrests suspected oil thieves

    NSCDC arrests suspected oil thieves

    The FCT command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has confirmed the arrest of three suspected oil thieves at Berger Junction in Abuja.

    The FCT command spokesman, Mr David Akinbinu, who made this known, alleged that the suspects were caught in possession of the product after a tip-off.

    He said civil defence officers rushed to the roundabout and made the arrest.

    According to him, the officers turned down the offer of N40,000 bribe allegedly offered to them by the suspects.

    “The commandant has always drummed it into our ears that any officer who collects bribe in the discharge of his or her duties will be arrested and prosecuted. So our watchword here is “collect bribe and die,” he said.

    He added that the suspects are in custody and will soon be charged to court after the conclusion of investigations.

     

  • Farmers urged to register for GES project

    Farmers urged to register for GES project

    The Secretary, Federal Capital Territory Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat, Mrs. Olvadi Bema Madayi, has urged farmers in the Federal Capital Territory to come out en masse and register in the ongoing Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme data capturing exercise for farmers.

    Mrs. Madayi said the essence of the exercise is to ensure that real farmers both subsistence and commercial farmers have direct access to farming inputs like fertilisers, improved seeds and seedlings, implements and modern farming information techniques.

    She emphasised that the exercise will equally help the secretariat to adequately come out with effective, comprehensive and workable plans for the distribution of these farming inputs for the benefit of the farmers.

    “To key into the drive by the Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda to transform agriculture into a commercial venture which will lead to economic empowerment of the farmers, there is need to capture a comprehensive data of farmers and farming families residing in the territory so as to take adequate care of them,” Madayi stressed.

    The secretary called on the traditional rulers and chiefs across the territory to sensitise their subjects to turn out in large numbers and register in their various wards as those not captured may find it difficult accessing farm inputs during farming season.

    She, however, expressed her satisfaction on the level of cooperation so far received from FCT farmers ever since she became the Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat.

    The secretary also used the occasion to thank the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed and FCT Minister of State, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, as well as the members of the National Assembly and staff of Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat for their support and presence during her recent installation as the Tikulti Bachama Kingdom by His Majesty, Hama Bachama, Homum Honest Stephen (Kwire Mana Kpafrato11) in Lamurde in Adamawa State.

    Recall that the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme registration exercise is targeted at capturing data of about 80,000 to 100,000 farmers before the closing date. So far, about 53,400 farmers have been registered in various wards across the six area councils.

  • Suspected car thief nabbed

    Suspected car thief nabbed

    The police at Wuse division have arrested a suspected car snatcher at Kayes Street, Wuse Zone 1, Abuja.

    The Divisional Police Officer of the station, Chief Superintendent Joshua Bakyi, said the man was arrested by his men on patrol who noticed him struggling to remove a Toyota Camry car where it was parked.

    “My men on routine patrol saw a man struggling to remove a Toyota Camry car from where it was parked at around 4am at Kayes Street, Wuse Zone 1 on Easter morning.

    “Immediately they saw his suspicious moves, he was arrested and a handset and laptop computer were found on him,” he said.

    The police officer hinted that the mobile phone was later discovered to be one of the items earlier reported stolen by a lady at the division last week, adding that they were able to make such discoveries based on the text messages found on the phone.

    A resident of Wuse  Zone 1, Mr. Taiwo Oyerinde, told our reporter that such incidents are rampant in the area, adding that armed robbers attack residents of the area frequently.

    “I was recently robbed of my handsets and money in my street but the police are now aware of the level of armed robbery attacks here and they have intensified patrol. I hope that it would be sustained,” he said.

    When contacted, FCT police spokesperson, Deputy Superintendent Hyelhira Altine Daniel, said the police at Wuse were able to arrest the suspect because of the command’s determination to rid the territory of any form of criminality, assuring that the commissioner is working harder to ensure that Abuja is safe for all.

    ”Residents of FCT should endeavour to call [police] emergency numbers at any particular time whenever they suspect any criminal activities within their areas.”

     

  • Councils’ revenue increases

    The six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory recorded an increase of N281, 174,986.71 (13.4 per cent) in their revenue allocation for February.

    Abaji, Abuja Municipal, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje and Kwali councils received revenue allocation of N2, 380,208,667.17 from the Federation Account for February compared with the sum of N2, 099,033,680.46 received for January.

    The acting Permanent Secretary, FCT, Alhaji Nuhu Ahmed who disclosed this during the monthly FCT Area Councils Joint Account Allocation Committee meeting, attributed the increment to the improved inflow from Value Added Tax (VAT) and the arrears of January Budget augmentation.

    Ahmed, who represented the chairperson of the FCT Area Councils Joint Account Allocation Committee and the FCT Minister of State, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, disclosed that N1.041 billion was received for the five per cent VAT in February as against N1.007 billion in the preceding month.

    He gave the breakdown of the allocations from the Federation Account as: N731.26 million from Statutory Revenue Allocation, N56.77 million from Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) and N23.10 million being refund by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

    Other allocations from the Federation Account were: N250.35 million being arrears of January 2013 Budget Augmentation and N277.09 million being differential between budget and actual.

    Of the N2.38 billion revenue allocation, Ahmed stated that the JAAC transferred N894.43 million to the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) for payment of the primary school teachers’ salaries in the area councils; N95.04 million to FCT Area Councils Pension Board (ACPB) being 15 per cent pension fund as statutorily required, and N23.80 million to FCT Area Councils Service Commission being one per cent training fund, also statutorily required.

    According to him, the net revenue allocation of N1.366 billion was distributed to the six area councils, with Abuja Municipal Area Council receiving the lion share of N319.58 million, as against N242.75 it received in January, 2013.

    The FCT Area Councils Joint Account Allocation Committee also distributed N233.77 million to Gwagwalada Area Council, N218.94 million to Bwari Area Council, N205.91 million to Kuje Area Council, N194.79 million to Kwali Area Council and N193.92 million to Abaji Area Council.

    Gwagwalada, Bwari, Kuje, Kwali and Abaji got net revenue allocations of N190.38 million, N198.28 million, N167.92 million, N155.29 million and N157.94 million, respectively.

    On SURE-P funds, Abuja Municipal Area Council received the highest allocation of N16.77 million, followed by Bwari (N9.28 million), Gwagwalada (N8.50 million), Kwali (N7.79 million), Kuje (N7.45 million) and Abaji (N6.96 million).

  • US NGO trains biomedical engineers, technicians

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) in collaboration with a non-profit organisation in the United States of America, Medshare, is providing free training for biomedical engineers and technicians.

    A statement issued  in Abuja by the Special Assistant (Media & Publicity) to the Minister of State for FCT, Oluyinka Akintunde, said the training was being funded with a grant obtained by Medshare from generous partners in the United States.

    Akintunde disclosed that the choice of the FCT as recipient of the grant was facilitated by the Honourable Minister of State for FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide.

    He added that the Health and Human Services Secretariat in the FCT would host the training of over 50 participants from various states of the federation from April 2 to 5.

    He quoted the FCT Minister of State, Akinjide, as saying that the Administration was committed to ensuring a sustainable quality and affordable healthcare delivery system in the Federal Capital City, Area councils and satellite towns.

    ”This training is coming at a time when the FCT administration is focused on a health transformation agenda poised at ensuring a sustainable quality and affordable healthcare delivery system comparable to those of developed cities around the world.

    ”It is anticipated that this specialized training in the repair, servicing and maintenance of biomedical equipment will go a long way in allowing the FCTA achieve these laudable objectives,” Akinjide stated.

    Medshare, a registered as a non-profit organisation in the USA, works in the Health sector to bridge the gap between demand and surplus through the collection of surplus medical equipment and supplies from manufacturers, distributors and hospitals, and the redistribution to qualified healthcare facilities in developing countries.

    Since its inception in 1998, Medshare has donated over $93million worth of medical supplies and equipment in more than 700 forty-foot containers to hospitals and clinics in the economically developing world.

     

  • Abuja partners Khartoum

    Abuja partners Khartoum

    For the love of the nation’s capital, a cosy relationship is shaping up between its leadership and that of Khartoum, the Sudanese capital.

    The FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, said his administration would soon establish a relationship with Khartoum which will enhance sharing experiences, expertise in metropolitan management.

    He also said such sister-city partnership will promote African brotherhood that has existed between Nigeria and Sudan.

    Mohammed disclosed this in Abuja while receiving the Sudanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Tagelsir Mahgoub Ali.

    Senator Mohammed noted that apart from being African nations, the two countries have other things in common as they are both Third World countries as well as oil producers.

    The Minister called for closer collaboration by establishing a student-exchange programme in which Sudanese students will study in Nigeria’s institutions and vice-versa.

    He said that with this relationship, the millions of Nigerians in Sudan will have a better sense of belonging.

    The new Sudanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Tagelsir Mahgoub Ali remarked that there are about 8 million Nigerians living in Sudan and 1,400 students studying in various institutions in the country.

    He revealed that Nigerians in Sudan helped him win election into the Sudanese parliament when he contested.

    It would be recalled that Senator Bala Mohammed in 2012 facilitated the establishment of such a relationship with Caracas, capital of Venezuela.

  • Easter pilgrimage ends

    The last batch of the 2013 Easter Christian pilgrims has arrived in Abuja, bringing to an end the second Easter pilgrimage which began in February.

    The exercise was conducted by the National Christian Pilgrimage Commission (NCPC).

    The first Easter pilgrimage was introduced in 2012 to give states that could not meet up with the deadline for payment of the October-December pilgrimage the opportunity to benefit from the exercise.

    President Goodluck Jonathan, represented by the Minister of Police Affairs, Captain Caleb Olubolade, urged the pilgrims to continue to pray for the success of the present administration.

    Minister of State 1 Foreign Affairs Prof. Viola Onwuliri thanked God for the safe return of the pilgrims and assured that government would continue to embark on policies that would make its people happy.

    Prof. Onwuliri also commended the Executive Secretary of NCPC, Mr. John Kennedy Opara and his workforce for their commitment.

    In his remarks, Mr. Opara described pilgrimage as a tool for moral transformation and spiritual rebirth.

    He said the Easter pilgrimage exercise would continue to grow in leaps and bounds, even as he urged the pilgrims to live a transformed life by impacting positively on their immediate communities.

    A total of 18 states with a combined total number of 3,130 pilgrims were airlifted during the Easter Pilgrimage exercise.

    Out of this number, 83 Christians sponsored themselves to the Holy Land.

  • HIV prevalence on the increase

    Surveys have indicated that the HIV prevalence in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) since the pandemic was first discovered in the territory in 1991 has been very high and doubles that of the National prevalence, the FCT Agency for the Control of AIDS (FACA), has revealed.

    Project Manager of the agency, Dr. Uche Okoro, who disclosed this in a presentation on FCT HIV Situation during the FCT HIV/AIDS Expanded Partners Forum organised by FACA at Alexis Hotel  and  Conference Centre,  Jabi, Abuja said the fact emerged from the 2010 National HIV Sero-prevalence Sentinel Survey Report . The first case of HIV was reported in the FCT in 1991.

    “Since then, the HIV prevalence in FCT over years has been very high and most times doubles that of the National. Also, the HIV prevalence in FCT at site shows that the five sites surveyed have high HIV prevalence relatively,” he said.

    Data presented by the manager in his presentation indicated that, in 1999, the national HIV prevalence was 5.4 per cent, while that of the FCT was put at 7.2 per cent.

    In the following year of the survey, which is 2001, national prevalence was 5.8 per cent and FCT was 10.2 per cent.

    For 2003 and 2005, the national and FCT prevalence were five per cent against 8.4 per cent and 4.4 per cent and 6.3 per cent respectively.

    Similarly, in 2008, the national prevalence was put at 4.6 per cent, FCT prevalence put at 9.9 per cent while in 2010; it was put at 4.1 per cent and 8.6 per cent respectively.

    It was gathered that the sentinel survey is usually carried out within an interval of two years.

    Earlier, Dr. Okoro had emphasised the importance of operationalising coordination meeting in FCT for an expanded and comprehensive response among development partners in delivery of HIV/AIDS services to vulnerable groups.

    This, he said, was “given its significance for the achievement of one of FACA objectives which is to increase programme implementation through improved coordination and effective mobilisation and utilisation of resources.”

    He said this would give partners strategic direction to increase synergy between their programmes; thus avoiding duplication of efforts and wastage of critical resource.

    In his remark, the Secretary, FCT Health and Human Services Secretariat, Dr. Demola Onakomaiya pointed out that, to provide a comprehensive and expanded response to HIV/AIDS epidemics in Nigeria, donor agencies and other external partners have a major role in ensuring that their funding and support policies enable a state-owned and led HIV/AIDS response.

    He thanked the implementing partners and donor agencies working in FCT for their commitment in the fight against HIV epidemic.

    On his part, the FCT Coordinator of the Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPHWAN), Mr. John Okene, said the association would monitor partners to ensure that funds are used so that from 2013 to 2015, the prevalence in FCT would drop.

    He campaigned against the diversion of 2013 HIV/AIDS intervention funds.

  • ‘Fed Govt may not attain MDGs in 2015’

    ‘Fed Govt may not attain MDGs in 2015’

    The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Hon. Alhassan Doguwa has warned that Nigeria is at the risk of missing its target on the MDGs by 2015.

    He identified diversion of core MDGs to other programmes by state and local governments.

    This is in addition to the Federal Government’s decision not to release funds on time to Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDA) as it was the case with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).

    Doguwa gave the warning during an exclusive interview with The Nation in Abuja.

    He observed that most MDG programmes approved for execution are not key projects that could fast track attainment of the set goals.

    However, he noted that the Federal Government does not have any excuse to miss the target by 2015.

    The United Nations Country Representative, Dr. Dawoudu Toure had earlier gave a warning on the risk of Nigeria missing the target on in Abuja.

    He attributed the significant role the country plays in the African continent, stressing that its failure may prevent other African nations from realizing the set target.

    Doguwa said: “The problem of partnering stakeholders. I am not indicting anybody and I have not found any case yet that may indict any stakeholder that might be diverting or derailing on the course of the MDGs or misusing MDGs funds. I am quite confident that some of the projects being embarked upon being at the State or Local government level are not very relevant.

    “They are not core MDGs projects. Let us call on all stakeholders be it Local or State governments that are partners to the attainment of these goals so that they must have to look at core MDGs projects that will improve our lot in actualising the MDGs goals.”

    On funding, the lawmaker stated that the MDGs Office has more windows to source for funds and execute its programmes aside from the conventional $1 million. He said the National Assembly have agreed to spend their constituency funds in order to boost the MDGs ahead of its deadline.

    Identifying the Conditional Grant Scheme (CGS) and Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) as few of the best approaches adopted by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President (SSAP) on MDGs, Dr. Precious Gbeneol to fight hunger and poverty, he noted that there was need to create awareness for communities benefiting the MDGs, to claim ownership and maintain MDGs projects after execution.

    He said: “The NPHCDA is enjoying a big chunk of money from the MDGs because most of the monies we give to them have to do with issues of campaign, immunization among others. If you go through the budget performance, it is the only agency in this country that receives 100 per cent release of funds at the same time because of the implication of programmes they embarked upon. Because of what they are doing to the achievement of the MDGs 4,5 and 6, government is giving them that priority.

    “I must thank Federal Government for doing this. When we conducted our oversight, we discovered that government released 100 per cent fund accruable to the agency. It’s a welcome development but government should realize that since we are dealing with intervention fund, a fund that has international implication, government should have make same thing available to all agencies enjoying MDGs funds because it’s a special fund, and we have made international commitment with world leaders that will help us fast track the MDGs by 2015.”

    However, he allayed fear of the country not achieving its goal on gender equality and global partnership for international development.

    The lawmaker attributed the nation’s unique cultural belief and its technical know-how.

    “Irrespective of the person, state or local governments, the moment you embark on pro-poor projects via MDGs, it doesn’t matter where you get the funds from but what we believe is if the commitment is there, if the level of sincerity is improved, if the seriousness is also entrenched in the mind of our leaders, certainly, we have all that it takes to succeed by 2015 with exception to gender equality and global partnership. As for the other six, I believe Nigeria can perform and we still have some time to make it up,” he said.

    Doguwa advised the Federal Government to ensure complete release of funds for MDAs responsible for executing MDGs programmes. This step, according to him will contribute to the goal attainment.

    “If you look at the trend of things in Africa, whether you like it or not, it’s not about resources, we have to tell ourselves the bitter truth. It has to do with the commitment and sincerity of our leaders. They have to be sincere; they have to stand to their responsibilities so that we can be able to maintain the leading status of Nigeria in the continent of Africa,” Doguwa added.