The Nation Newspaper

Category: Special Report

  • Expectations, tasks before Transportation Minister Alkali

    Expectations, tasks before Transportation Minister Alkali

    The transportation sector is regarded as one of the cash cows through which the country’s economy could be boosted up. ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE examines the potential inherent in the sector and urges the Minister of Transportation, Alhaji Seidu Alkali to go for low-hanging fruits and sustain the landmarks set by the Buhari administration in the industry. One other area Alkali should encourage is cycling as a commuting alternative for Nigerians

    One ministry in which Nigerians would never bargain that the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration should drop the ball is transportation. The reason is that the Tinubu administration is standing on a rich pedigree of performance.

    When the All Progressives Congress (APC) took over the reigns of power in 2015, transportation was contributing less than four per cent year-on-year to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Not with a derelict sector that was at best too burdened by the sheer size of the demand on a poorly resourced infrastructure and the “planlessness” of successive leaders.

     But, notwithstanding where it met the country, the Buhari administration ran with the only compass with which it had to work, which was the roadmap for the development of the bankrupt railway sector, otherwise called the Nigerian Railway Corporation Masterplan, a 25-year-old document put together in 2002 and would serve out its term in 2025.

     The Buhari administration sustained the rehabilitation of the two narrow gauges which were the country’s assets in railway development, all totalling about 1,500 kilometres.

    Read Also: Subsidy removal: Transport Minister Alkali announces plan to acquire electric vehicles

     Within its eight years tenure, the Buhari government pushed Nigeria’s total rail assets by networks to five, adding three standard gauges to the two old fixed stock known as the Western and Eastern Rail Lines, which stretched from Lagos to Kano, on the Western Line, and from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, on the Eastern Line.

     While the Lagos-Kano line has been rehabilitated, the Eastern Line, which was begun in 2021, is yet to fully gather momentum as a result of the growing insecurity in the Northeast, which had been forcing the train to stop at Gombe, as reaching Maiduguri had become impossible.

     The government delivered on the Abuja to Kaduna Standard Gauge Train Service (AKTS), which, as of 2016, had dragged for 12 years, altered the country’s and Africa’s first standard gauge line Itakpe –Ajaokuta-Warri from its initial industrial, to a commercial line, now known as Warri-Itakpe Train Service (WITS) which had dragged for 35 years and the Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge, which is LOT II of the Lagos-Kano Standard Gauge Railway, (now known as the Lagos-Ibadan Train Service (LITS)), which commenced in 2016 and began commercial operation in June 2021, adding a total of close to 4,000 kms of rail tracks to the country’s fixed rail assets.

     This is what Saidu Alkali is inheriting and must continue to push.

     Alkali, on whose laps the masterplan expires in two years, must quickly set machinery in motion to actualise a new railway masterplan.

      Alkali must ensure that the third and final Lot of the Lagos-Kano Standard Gauge, which currently terminates at Ibadan be taken to Kano. It is by so doing that the Port access which was added to the initial project would make any meaning as cargoes could get to the Kano Dry Port, the final destination. That would put a final seal on the port congestion being experienced at the Apapa Port.

    He must ensure that the country continues to grow its rail networks, which the Buhari administration had proposed to reach all the state capitals, from where the states that are so willing, could link for an intra-city train network.

     He must, as quickly as possible, begin the process of unbundling the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), a process aborted in 2022, when the Abuja-Kaduna rail was attacked by terrorists and over 198 passengers, including crew members, were abducted.

     Still on the railway, Alkali must see to the workability of the amended Nigerian Railway Corporation Act, accented to by former President Buhari on March 17, this year.

     By moving the railway from the exclusive to the concurrent list, the government expected more investments in the railway sub-sector, especially either as regional rail development or the state governments. Nigerians are waiting to see how much success the Tinubu administration can mine from the amended law. Already, Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have raised the bar, upon which the minister would consolidate.

     Beyond that, Alkali must ensure that the healthy relationship with Nigeria’s railway creditor–ChinaExim Bank continues to exist, even as he should ensure that the loan repayment commitments are promptly met.

    He must also ensure the completion of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects as offshoots of the current rail constructions, such as the University of Transportation, Daura, Katsina State, which is almost completed and ready to open its doors to first admission in the 2023/24 academic session.

     Expected to be nurtured to profitability under Alkali, is also the Kajola Wagon Assembly Plant, located in Kajola, near Papalanto, Ogun State, which is meant to be grown into a major railway assembly hub to supply the African Continent with rail parts, accessories and wagons.

     There is also a multi-disciplinary university proposed by Pota Engil Nigeria, in Port Harcourt, which is yet to take off largely because the Kano-Katsina-Maradi line had been suspended since 2021 due to the raging insecurity in the Northwest.

    As the Minister of Transportation, Alkali would go into the history books if he bequeaths to Nigeria a Transportation Policy.

     Despite a very healthy and largely youthful population put at over 200 million, Nigeria’s transportation is still essentially dominated by land transportation.

     Of the three major modes of transportation, land remained the most unregulated, the least developed and the most burdened. Despite accounting for over 180 million travel counts daily with huge potential in terms of revenue, land transportation remained a huge spinner if properly harnessed. That is what experts believed a transportation policy would help achieve.

     Happily, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr Magdalene Ajani has pledged the commitment of the ministry to move in that regard and deliver on the policy.

     Largely, Nigeria’s transportation policy has remained in draft form since 1995. Where successive administrations had failed, transportation experts would love to see the Tinubu administration succeed by giving the country a proper policy for transportation that would regulate the sector for efficiency, professionally and with zest.

     As the Chairman of the National Council on Transportation, which is Nigeria’s highest advisory body on transportation, and is constituted by state commissioners of transportation, Alkali must ensure that all resolutions of the NCT are fully implemented.

     One of the resolutions still dragging is to ensure that all 36 states of the federation have a ministry of transportation to coordinate all transportation issues of respective states.

    He must ensure that all states establish a ministry of transportation and employ workers with requisite experience and exposure as transportation experts.

    Alkali is expected to coordinate the transportation element of the N500 billion palliative, which his principal planned to inject into the economy to lift the people from the misery occasioned by the removal of subsidy on fuel.

     The government also proposes to establish Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) conversion companies across the six geo-political zones for the conversion of vehicles to gas and the establishment of gas fuel stations across the country.

     Tinubu’s administration has 45 more months to leave an impression in the minds of Nigerians. What it does on transportation, which is the catalyst of the country’s economic development, is in the hands of Alkali.

  • Resuscitating bicycle riding for transportation

    Resuscitating bicycle riding for transportation

    Attempt to get Nigerians to re-enlist by using bicycles as a means of intra-city commuting is one that has been intractable.

     At the turn of the millennium, way back in 2001, the late Minister of Transportation (as he then was) Chief Ojo Maduekwe, had reignited the advocacy for the use of bicycles by Nigerians, especially for intra-city commuting. He caused a stir when he started riding a bicycle from his home in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

     Despite acerbic criticisms that riding bicycles on unmotorable roads was suicidal, Maduekwe wouldn’t bulge. He thought leading by example was the way to go and stayed on until he was pushed into a ditch by a bus in the FCT as he cycled to work. That near-fatal incident ended Maduekwe’s dream.

     Some years after, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) took up the gauntlet and continued to ‘push’ for the mainstreaming of bicycles in the road transportation mix.

     For the Corps, apart from its numerous health benefits, the bicycle, man’s oldest ally as a means of transportation remains the way to go if Nigeria’s cities and urban centres must be rid of hydra-headed transportation gridlock that often sends road users to nightmarish spasm.

    Read Also: ‘Adopt bicycles to promote healthy environment’

     Similar sentiments have been shared by the agency in recent times as their country joined the rest of the world to mark World Bicycle Day, celebrated globally on July 15 yearly.

     Bayelsa Sector Commander of the FRSC, Mr. Usman Ibrahim said it is time for Nigerians to go back to the very basics and to bicycles which has been of tremendous benefit to man over the ages. For him, bicycle transport is cheaper, and healthier for the physical wellbeing of the human body.

     Many European and Asian countries among them Denmark, China, Poland, Germany, and the United Kingdom, among others, are very fond of bicycles and for the FRSC, it is time for Nigeria to make a switch from over-dependence on motorized vehicular means of transportation to the non-motorized alternative.

     Like the FRSC, some transportation experts have argued that a return to bicycles, which was prevalent in Nigeria from the 1940s until the early ’80s, is becoming inevitable with the soaring pump price of fuel as a result of the removal of subsidy by the Federal Government.

    Though they argued that many of the nation’s roads are largely unsafe for bike riding, yet, they contend that it may be the best for short-distance routes.

     Mr. Ibrahim Abdullateef said perhaps, more Nigerians should begin to reconsider learning how to ride bicycles which was a pastime for teenagers in the early ’50s, right up to the mid-80s.

     Abdullateef further explained that a combination of factors among them the oil boom and the many wage reviews which civil servants as well as the new crop of “political elites,” forced the “golden era” of the bicycle to an early eclipse as the motorised alternative took over.

     Like Ibrahim, he explained that apart from being cheaper to acquire, compared to vehicles, bicycles are cheaper to maintain and healthier for the owner and the environment.

     He said it would be nice if all tiers of government joined in the campaign to revive the culture of using bicycles as a means of transportation.

     A member of the Association of Bicycle Riders, in Bayelsa State, Mr. Gift Owei said cycling helps in blood circulation as it helps the free flow of blood to the heart strengthens the lungs and helps build strong muscles.

     Owei equally said cycling helps stamina in the body, as it reduces arthritis in various joints and all parts of the body.

     Last week, the Federal Ministry of Transportation lent its voice to the call for Nigerians to consider bicycles as an alternative means of transportation for intra-city shuttles.

     The Director of Road Transport and Mass Transit Administration, Mr Musa Ibrahim, said the adoption of cycling would help reduce vehicular traffic and road traffic crashes (RTC).

     The Chief Executive Officer of Non-motorised Transportation (NMT) Ochenuell Mobility, Emmanuel John said re-injecting bicycle riding in the country at a time like this goes beyond reducing carbon footprints.

     According to him, countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) waste three per cent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) yearly to traffic congestion.

     One state that has been at the forefront of the advocacy and Non-motorised Transport (NMT) initiative is Lagos, which tried in 2021 to designate a corridor on the Lagos Island axis for the pilot phase of the NMT initiative. It intended to roll out the NMT across 19 safe corridors in the various Central Business Districts (CBDs) in the state.

     Developing a more robust NMT Policy for the state has been part of the Strategic Transport Masterplan (STMP) developed by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA). Though some roads on the Mainland had been designated safe for NMT use, the initiative was buoyed by the German Government agency; Deutsche Gessellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) which, in 2018, gave Lagos State a grant on behalf of Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Co-operation and Development, to improve mobility as one of 10 cities selected as winners of the inaugural Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI) Global Urban Mobility Challenge.

     For the project, 19 destinations around the Lagos CBD as well as the Ikeja Bus Terminal, which encompasses the Red Rail line had been surveyed for compliance. The areas in which traffic counts are surveyed are the National Museum, Old Parliament Building, Race Course, Independence Building, Lagos High Court, Kings College, City Hall, Freedom Park and the Old Legislative Building at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS).

     Others are the Police Magistrate’s Court, Tinubu Square, Old Pierpoint Marina, Glover Memorial Hall, The Cathedral, the General Hospital, Wesley House, State House, Yacht Club and the Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON) Centre.

     The scope of the work was the construction of new walkway kerbs and pavement, provision of new traffic and pedestrian crossing signals at King’s College/Old Defence Road intersection, provision of traffic signs and installation of bollards.

     Two years after its pilot launch, nothing concrete seemed to have been heard of the TUMI.

     According to LAMATA, when fully delivered, the initiative is to promote increased mode share for sustainable transport initiatives, improved infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, reduction in the use of personal motor vehicles, improved reach of public transport, improved reach of mass rapid transit, improved public safety, improved public transport, improved air quality as a result of a reduction in carbon emission, and increased access to the roads by all users.

     Director of the Centre for Intermodal Transportation, University of Lagos (UNILAG) Prof. Iyiola Oni, lauded the state government for the policy which attempts to shift from motorised to non-motorised forms of transportation.

     Prof. Samuel Odewunmi argued that notwithstanding the attraction of bicycles for intra-city commuting, state governments should continue to work on improving the road networks and deploy public sector-controlled means of transportation that would increase their share of transportation means across the 36 states and the FCT. 

  • Human Development Index: Bill Gates points way forward for Nigeria

    Human Development Index: Bill Gates points way forward for Nigeria

    Nigeria consistently features in the lower rungs of the global ladder of human development index (HDI) including maternal and child health and access to education, among others. But Co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) Mr. Bill Gates, believes progress in the country is possible, though not inevitable. Gates, who spoke in Lagos with select journalists including ROBERT EGBE on the sidelines of the Pan-African Youth Innovation Forum 2023 themed ‘Advancing Africa: Unleashing the Power of Youth in Science and Innovation’, points the way forward.

    Nigeria’s development challenges are no secret. Some of the country’s 36 states have health and socioeconomic data that resemble that of an active warzone. For instance, in May 2022, a World Health Organisation (WHO) publication showed that the country accounts for the second-highest number of maternal and child deaths globally. The report, titled ‘Improving maternal and newborn health and survival and reducing stillbirth: Progress Report 2023’, put Nigeria behind India in the ranking of the lowest performers.

    It noted that in 2020, 788 women and children died ‘per thousand’ in India and 540 women and children ‘per thousand’ died in Nigeria.

    While India accounted for 17 per cent of global maternal and neonatal deaths and stillbirths, Nigeria, Africa’s biggest economy and the world’s most populous black country, accounted for 12 per cent.

    Eight other countries with high maternal, neonatal, and stillbirths are Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Afghanistan, and the United Republic of Tanzania.

    The latest United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Index (HDI) published last September, ranked Nigeria very low – 163rd out of 191 countries– for the second consecutive year.

    The HDI, published annually by the UNDP since 1990, measures the long and healthy life, access to knowledge, and a decent standard of living of all countries.

    Reason to hope

    But depressing as the data may seem, there is a silver lining. Co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) Mr. Bill Gates, pointed out a few of them in June at the Pan-African Youth Innovation Forum 2023 in Lagos themed ‘Advancing Africa: Unleashing the Power of Youth in Science and Innovation’.

    One of them, he reasoned, can be found in the country’s youth population.

    According to the United Nations Population Fund’s State of World Population Report, which was released in April 2023, Nigeria’s population was estimated to rise to 223.8 million by mid-2023 from 216 million in 2022. 60 per cent of that figure is believed to be under the age of 25, making Nigeria the youngest country in Africa.

    Gates identified young, talented, innovative Nigerians as representing potential skills and passion to solve big problems.

    The BMGF boss, who spoke with students and young innovators from Nigeria and across Africa, discussed how science and innovation can accelerate positive change and contribute to a brighter future for Nigeria and Africa.

    The hybrid in-person and online event was co-hosted by the Lagos Business School and Co-Creation Hub (CcHub), in partnership with Africa.com and Channels Television.

    Gates, who was visiting Nigeria for the first time since 2018, praised Nigeria’s youth and many Nigerian partners whom the Gates Foundation has worked with for more than a decade.

    These include scientists who are scaling up new interventions that save mothers and babies, researchers who are helping smallholder farmers thrive in the face of climate change and grow more nutritious foods, and companies that are expanding access to digital financial tools.

    “When it comes to making the world a better place talented young people are the world’s most important asset,” Gates said.

    “Nigeria has one of the biggest youth populations in the world, and it’s growing fast. That represents a lot of potential skills and passion to solve big problems.”

    Read Also: Oyebanji at 90: What lessons for younger generation?

    Gates also stressed that progress had not been equally distributed, highlighting poor digital access for many Nigerians and inconsistent availability of health services, education, and employment – especially for women.

    In Nigeria, the gender gap in employment has increased by 25 per cent in the last five years. Men are twice as likely as women to have mobile money accounts.

    “I’m a huge believer in the power of science and innovation to help people lead long, healthy lives,” Gates said.

    “But one of the big lessons I’ve learned is that the benefits don’t automatically reach everyone. To do that, the people creating breakthroughs, the people funding them, and the people getting them into the world all need to prioritize equity.”

    Gates’ remarks were followed by a Q&A session with the audience. In his answers, Gates emphasized ways he sees Nigeria’s youth collaborating across sectors and encouraging the country’s leaders to follow through on commitments to make life in Nigeria better for everyone.

    ‘How Nigeria can minimise climate change challenges’

    Responding to a question from The Nation, Gates shared his thoughts on how the country can rise above the burning issue of climate change challenges.

    He said: “We (the BMGF) certainly have a strong message: cultural innovation is the only way to minimise the climate impact. It seems that even in the face of climate challenges, we need to be more creative. “

    Gates also acknowledged funding challenges but challenged Nigeria to find creative solutions.

    “The overall funding situation is currently very tricky. The big donors, including Europe and the US, are spending massive amounts of money on things related to the Ukrainian war, such as civilian aid, military aid, and building resources for refugees.

    “Nevertheless, we must focus on applying our finite resources to high-impact areas.

    “For example, even if funding for malaria doesn’t increase, we can still reduce its prevalence through innovation in malaria tools. Although it would be great to see funding go up, domestically we need to see how the government reallocates resources from one area to another, taking into account headwinds such as interest costs. However, this situation also presents an opportunity to prioritize health and education,” he said.

    ‘Nigeria must up investment and execution in health and education’

    He noted that in many parts of Nigeria, investment and execution in health and education require significant attention, but expressed faith that progress will continue despite setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which interrupted the measles campaigns and also affected some health services.

    Gates added: “However, we believe we can resume these efforts and make further strides. Collaboration with the government will be crucial, and we plan to implement more programs and closely monitor the work being done and the locations where it takes place. Vaccine coverage levels are one of the key indicators we are monitoring closely, and we have multiple partners who share our dedication to vaccines.”

    Recommendations for Nigeria’s healthcare spending

    Gates also offered tips on how Nigeria can improve healthcare through health budgets.

    He reasoned that to ensure effective utilisation of funds, “it is important to establish a basic level of funding, around $30 per person, and ensure proper allocation based on actual work performed.

    “This includes aligning payroll with employees and tracking locations and supply chains. This approach has proven successful in countries like Nigeria, where 90 per cent vaccine coverage has led to a significantly lower death rate compared to the northern regions.”

    Gates emphasised the need for well-run primary health systems.

    He noted that even economically disadvantaged countries like Niger “have better vaccination coverage than certain Nigerian states in that area. Therefore, both financial allocation and execution are crucial factors in achieving successful healthcare outcomes.

    “During our meetings with governors, we have observed positive reforms in places like Kaduna. While some states may spend more on health due to increased healthcare expenditure, it is important to track data and implement effective personnel policies at the local government area (LGA) level. Through reforms, states have been able to monitor healthcare centres, ensuring that the right people are present and vaccines are delivered on time. This level of scrutiny provides valuable and timely data on the functioning of the healthcare system.

    “Ultimately, the goal is to establish a highly functional healthcare system, which would require moving towards the $30 per person funding target. For comparison, the United States spends $8,000 per person on healthcare, and the spending in Lagos is likely higher than $30. The impact of such investments can be seen in indicators like maternal survival and long-term outcomes such as nutrition. Therefore, it is crucial for domestic stakeholders to support the ongoing plan, as it directly affects the well-being of Nigerian children and the effectiveness of the primary healthcare system.”

    BMGF facts

    Number of employees: 1,818

    Total grant payments since inception (through Q4 2022): $71.4 billion

    Total 2022 Charitable Support: $7.0 billion

    Total 2021 Charitable Support: $6.7 billion

    Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates’ total giving to the foundation from inception through 2022: $59.1 billion

    Warren Buffett’s total giving to the foundation from 2006 through 2022: $35.7 billion

    Foundation Trust Endowment as of December 31, 2022: $67.3 billion

  • Ministers lay out plans for nation’s development

    Ministers lay out plans for nation’s development

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu inaugurated the 45 ministers who will help him to implement his Renewed Hope Agenda yesterday in Abuja. The ministers promised to put in their best in order to help the President implement his agenda for the good of all Nigerians

    Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Mr Wale Edun has assured Nigerians that President Tinubu will not turn his back on the Nigerian masses who are suffering the pains of the President’s reforms.

     He assured Nigerians that the current discomfort being experienced across the country will become a thing of the past in short order.

     Addressing the Directors of the ministry after he arrived from the inauguration as a minister, Edun urged all members of staff of the ministry “to perform and deliver as expected of you.”

    “The expectations of Nigerians are high; President Tinubu has taken key macro, monetary and fiscal measures that will change the economy. It is our duty to minimise the pains that will come with the reforms. We have a job to do to ensure that Nigerians are not left behind,” he said.

    Read Also: Hope, expectations as Alake, Edu, Tijani, others unveil agenda as new ministers

     The minister praised his immediate predecessor, Zainab Ahmed for what she did with the economy and promised to build on her achievements in order to take “the country to greater heights.”

     Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of Special Duties of the ministry, Mr Udo Okokon Ekanem pledged the total commitment and loyalty of every member of staff of the ministry to the minister.

     He said the member of staff of the ministry “are receptive to change and innovation and pledge to work with the minister.

    Health Minister Pate to prioritise health security, cut medical tourism

      The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate has stated that under his leadership, the ministry will improve governance processes, prioritise health security and reduce medical tourism.

     He also stated that in line with the renewed hope mandate and vision of President Ahmed Tinubu, himself and his team will place Nigerians at the centre of policies and implementation to ensure that the health indices of the country are improved.

    At a briefing at the Federal Ministry of Health in Abuja after the swearing-in ceremony at the Presidential Villa, Prof. Pate called for better synergy among the federal, state and local governments, including the private sector and all critical stakeholders.

     He said: “President Tinubu signalled intent for his administration in selecting who he assigned to the health sector. We are very excited about that, and the fact that he also included social welfare with health, means he considers the people as the foundational element of what his administration tries to do.

     “While we try to grow our economy, we will also try to attend to the people, and health is an important component of that.

      “About what we do in the Ministry of Health, we save lives; we reduce pain whether physical pain or financial protection, and we produce health; that is all we do.

     “We will work as a team, with my brother, the Minister of State, and also with the Permanent Secretary, and also with the Directors of the ministry. We hope that the team spirit will come together to move the country forward.

     Dr Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State, Health and Social Development, added: “This is a very good time in the history of our country. President Tinubu has been very deliberate in the way he has chosen his cabinet, more so for the healthcare sector. This is the first time in the country that we now have a round peg in a round hole.

     “If we should be honest with ourselves, we are still far behind.”

     Wike: I have presidential mandate to restore Abuja master plan

    The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike has vowed to restore Abuja’s Master Plan following the backing of President Tinubu.

     He vowed to prioritise and improve the sanitary outlook of Abuja and curb the security challenges in the city within the next six months.

     Wike cautioned all those who are distorting the master plan of Abuja to desist from such, as the new administration will not hesitate to step on toes, in order to turn around Abuja to be competing with other cities of the world.

     Wike, who was in high spirits yesterday said President Tinubu expects positive changes in the FCT, adding that he will demolish all illegal buildings and structures in the FCT without fear or favour.

     He expressed displeasure over what he described as a high level of insecurity in the country’s capital.

     The minister, who spoke during a press conference at the FCTA after the swearing-in ceremony at the Presidential Villa said: “We have the mandate of Mr President and Vice-President to give a different narrative as far as FCT is concerned. They have given us the matching order that we must bring FCT back to what it is supposed to be. And we have the capacity to do that.

     “It is not going to be business as usual. Those distorting Abuja Master Plan: if you build where you are not supposed to, the building will go down.”

     He said that motorcycle and tricycle operators would be banned from the city, even as he vowed to end to open grazing within the capital city.

     On security, Wike promised to work with all security agencies in the FCT and provide them with the necessary tools and logistics to rid the city of criminals.

    Wike also promised to consider the natives in political appointments with a view to carrying everyone along.

    I’m pan-Nigeria minister, a field officer, says Umahi

    The Minister of Works, David Umahi has stressed that he is not a regional or Ebonyi State Minister but the Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

     He stated that under his leadership, bureaucratic processes will be a thing of the past, as no file will be expected to be left unattended for two hours without genuine explanations.

     He further stressed that with his background, he is not an office person but a field person. Hence, he and the ministry’s team of experts will be touring the six geopolitical zones of the country to see the state of road infrastructures and work around ways to make the lives of Nigerians better.

     At a press conference at the Federal Ministry of Works in Abuja after the swearing-in ceremony at the Presidential Villa, Umahi said: “I’m going to be training tomorrow. I will offer my address to you tomorrow. I have indicated to see the contractors, and after taking a briefing from the Heads of Departments, we will meet with the contractors because I am not an office person. I am a field person. God giving us life, with some of you in that department, I will be inspecting the Lokojo-Benin Road and Lokoja-Abuja Road.

     Solid minerals are economy’s growth factors, says Alake

    The Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake has explained why his portfolio was the upset of the entire cabinet.

     He said although a lot of people expected Mr President to make him the Minister of Information given his antecedents, exposure and experience in the area of perception and information management, the administration decided to shock everyone.

     The minister said this yesterday in Abuja at his assumption to office as the Minister of Solid Minerals.

     Alake said the nature of the sector to the country’s economic growth and vitality is dear to the heart of Mr President.

    President Tinubu considered it apt and proper to send him to the solid minerals ministry because he knows and trusts that he has a demonstrable sense of responsibility and courage to drive the agenda.

     His words: “My portfolio has been the upset of the entire cabinet portfolio because, given my antecedents, exposure and experience in the area of perception, information management and the likes, people have pigeon hole me for information and so we decided to shock everybody.

     “Now, if you all can sit down to analyse the global trend of economic development, you would note that hydrocarbon, that is oil, is fading out and the world is moving towards alternatives such as gas, electric cars and the rest. So, what is the next economic growth factor? It is solid mineral.

     “Given the nature of this sector to our economic growth and vitality, which is dear to the heart of Mr President, it’s just very apt and proper for him to send me here because he knows and trusts that I have a demonstrable sense of responsibility and courage to drive the agenda that is why I am here. We are going to drive that agenda with the full cooperation of everyone.

    “I am going to set an agenda with focus and objectives. We would get the results. Now, we are not going to be allowing civil service structures and scriptures to stifle us from creativity and flourishing. What we need is attitudinal change.

     “Now, when a memo reaches your table, regardless of what the subject matter is, that memo must leave your table within an hour; that is the way I work and whoever doesn’t shape in, ships out.”

    Oyetola vows to ensure safe, sustainable marine

     The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola yesterday assumed duty at the ministry in Abuja after he was sworn in by President Tinubu.

     Oyetola arrived at the ministry’s conference room around 2:15 p.m. in the company of his wife, Kafayat Oyetola, his son; Femi Oyetola and some of his aides.

     He was received by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Magdalene Ajani, the Managing Director of NIWA, Dr George Moghalu, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council, Emmanuel Jime and some Directors of the ministry.

     Oyetola urged the members of staff of the ministry to join hands with him to find innovative solutions to the challenges in the sector and ensure that the oceans and marine are safe, reliable, and sustainable.

    He also said that the blue economy is estimated globally to be worth more than $1.5 trillion annually.

     He said considering the size of the country’s blue economy, Nigeria should be a significant player in the sector to contribute to the country’s revenue and also provide jobs for the unemployed.

     He promised to come up with practicable ways of ensuring that the inland rivers, lakes, and waterways are utilised for cargo shipment and passenger transportation.

     He also said he would promote better inter-agency cooperation and coordination among the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, the Nigerian Ports Authority, and the Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority.

     “We must seize this opportunity to create positive change, leaving a lasting legacy for generations to come. These are my thoughts as I join you today. I believe that when we are able to do all these and more, we would have contributed our quota towards realising Mr President’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the Marine and Blue Economy sector.”

    Stable, accessible power are priorities, says Adelabu

    The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu yesterday pledged to tackle the challenges that the national grid is facing.

     He also vowed to meet the universal metering of households.

     He spoke on the assumption of office at the ministry headquarters in Abuja.

     The minister said, under his watch, the sector will pay attention to renewable and alternative energies.

     Adelabu said: “A significant goal is the universal metering of households and addressing challenges faced by our national power grid.

     “We will equally pay critical attention to the options of renewable and alternative energies. The world is indeed going in that direction and Nigeria must not be left behind.”

     According to him, Nigeria’s success is a collective one.

     Challenging the ministry to the task ahead, he said: “Let us move from political discussions to action; each of us contributing our talents and energies towards a brighter future.”

    Plan to lift 133m out of poverty on course, says Edu

    The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu has expressed the Federal Government’s commitment to lift 133 million Nigerians out of poverty.

     Edu said this when she assumed office yesterday in Abuja and held a maiden meeting with the Chief Executive Officers of the agencies under her ministry.

    She assured Nigerians of her determination to ensure transparency and accountability during her tenure as minister.

    She explained that the ministry will achieve the target through different interventions and initiatives aimed at lifting millions of Nigerians out of poverty.

    “What is most important is that we will keep our focus on lifting 133 million Nigerians out of poverty.

     “We can do it in phases, a step at a time, because with determination and strong will nothing is impossible.

    ”We will play down on politics; we are here to face the real business of governance,” she said.

     The minister, who described as unacceptable the alarming rate of poverty in the country, said all hands must be on deck to address the situation.

     The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Nasir Sani-Gwarzo expressed commitment and loyalty to the minister in her quest to deliver on the mandate of the ministry.

    We ‘II achieve self-sufficiency in food production, boost export, says Kyari

     The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari has said the target of his team is to make Nigeria self-sufficient in food production and unlock the potential in food export so as to stimulate economic growth.

     Kyari, who stated this yesterday in Abuja at the ministry after the swearing-in ceremony at the Presidential Villa, said he is ready and willing to commit 100 per cent to the service of the country.

    While noting that the challenges associated with food production are insecurity, flooding, and pests, among others, he said that the political will of President Tinubu to revive agriculture is the biggest hope towards achieving self-sufficiency.

    Also, the Minister of State for Agriculture, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi said the task before this ministry is a daunting one, which all hands must be on deck to make Nigeria self-sufficient.

    AGF Fagbemi: I’m open to criticism’

     The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) has said he is open to criticisms.

     Fagbemi, who met with senior officials of the Federal Ministry of Justice upon his assumption of duty yesterday, however, cautioned that such criticisms must be constructive.

     “You cannot just criticise. Your criticism must be constructive. You should be able to proffer solution and suggest better options,” Fagbemi said.

     He noted that his ministry was critical to the success of the administration and the achievement of its objectives. He sought the cooperation of all and assured them of a harmonious relationship.

     Fagbemi cautioned against acts of insubordination, urging officials of the ministry to be guided by their conscience and their oath of office.

     He urged the ministry’s officials to redouble their efforts in the discharge of their duties, adding that, the office of the AGF in the country is strategic as it services all government Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs).

    The Solicitor-General of the Federation and the Permanent Secretary, FMJ,  Mrs Beatrice Jedy-Agba assured the AGF of the support of the ministry’s officials.

     She added: “We will deploy all the human and material resources of the ministry and its parastatals to support and assist you in realizing your set objectives, and more importantly, in achieving the enormous constitutional and statutory mandates and responsibilities vested in the Federal Ministry of Justice.”

    Keyamo: ‘I will build on the aviation roadmap’

     The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN) has said his appointment to head the aviation ministry was not a mistake.

    He said he will continue to build on the aviation roadmap developed by the immediate past administration.

     Keyamo stated this while assuming office yesterday in Abuja.

     He said:  “My appointment by President Tinubu was not by mistake. The President would have thought it well before appointing me.”

     On his plans for the sector, he said: “I have read the roadmap developed in 2016. I read it thoroughly and our intention is not to disrupt things that have been done so well.

    He also stated that he has noted some items in the roadmap that need to be improved upon.

     Keyamo said: “For me, my watchword is transparency. At every point, Nigerians must understand what we are doing and we must carry everyone along,” he stated.

     The Permanent Secretary, Dr Emmanuel Meribole described the minister as somebody who is well grounded and result-oriented.

     He said the ministry is set to reposition the aviation sector through the aviation roadmap, assuring that the members of staff of the ministry are committed to give the minister the needed support.

    He also urged the minister to use his in-depth knowledge to address some litigation issues in the ministry.

    Stakeholders’ cooperation needed for desired change in education , says Mammam

    Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mammam and the Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu have assumed duty after their swearing-in by President Tinubu yesterday.

      They were received by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, David Adejo, Directors and Heads of agencies and parastatals under the ministry.  Mammam solicited support from Nigerians in order to bring about the “desired change in the education sector.”

     He called for teamwork to build the education sector.

     He said: “If the education sector is fixed, every other thing will work perfectly in the country since the ministry is the foundation of all.

     Minister of State, Sununu sought for the cooperation and understanding of Nigerians, especially members of staff of the ministry to improve the standard of education.

    He said the time was now to surmount the challenges in the sector.

    Sununu said that working together as a formidable force would help to overcome the challenges.

    The Permanent Secretary pledged to cooperate with the ministers for a successful operation.

    Adejo called on the ministers to help deliver the service the education sector would want to deliver to the citizens.

    It’s henceforth business unusual, Tunji-Ojo warns paramilitary agencies against infraction

    Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has assumed duty yesterday. He promised to change the narratives of the ministry for the better. He enjoined para-military institutions under the ministry to do their jobs in accordance with the law.

     He said he would hold the leadership of the Agencies accountable for any infraction within and outside the Services.

     The minister said he would like to lead from the front to enable him to meet the targets set by the President.

     At the old Federal Secretariat, Tunji-Ojo said:”I am here to work but in working, we must have a good environment. The work of this ministry affects everyone; whether you are rich or poor.

    “I don’t lead from the back, I lead from the front. We will try; we will do our best to provide leadership, built on the foundation of your support.

     The Heads of the four paramilitary Agencies under the ministry, namely the Nigerian Correctional Service, the Federal Fire Service, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Nigeria Immigration Service also attended the maiden meeting with the minister.

    I’ll disseminate truth to engender people’s trust, says  Idris

    Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris has said that his ministry will drive President Tinubu’s `Renewed Hope Agenda’ with the dissemination of honest and sincere information.

    The minister stated this yesterday when he assumed office and held a maiden meeting with heads and management staff of the agencies and departments under the ministry at the Radio House, Abuja.

    The minister, who said he was familiar with the information industry, pledged that dissemination of credible information would be his watchword.

    “Mr President did not tell me to come and lie and this is a covenant I am going to have with you and Nigerians.

    “National orientation will also be at the core of this ministry, in addition to the job of information dissemination that we know of it,” he said.

    Idris, who assured the ministry would unveil its agenda, in the next few days, sought the support of the media and other stakeholders in the discharge of his assignment.

    The Permanent Secretary, Dr Ngozi Onwudiwe pledged the collaboration of the management, members of staff of the ministry and its agencies to work with Idris to achieve his mandates.

    The Managing Director, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Buki Ponle, expressed her confidence that Idris, as a round peg in a round hole, would record excellent performance in his new assignment.

    Enoh promises to reposition  sports sector

    Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Enoh has pledged to provide transparent leadership in repositioning the Nigerian sports sector.

    Enoh made the pledge yesterday shortly after assuming office as the 36th Minister of Sports Development.

    He said in spite that he was not an active sports personality, he was ready to hit the ground running by working as a team player with all sports stakeholders to transform the sector.

    “I don’t think you need to be an active sports participant for you to be minister of sports.

    “I think what is required is who can provide leadership, direction, someone who is transparent, understand the sector and reposition it and that is what I am bringing on board,” he said.

    The minister stressed the importance of sports as a unifying factor. He called for all hands to be on deck to develop the sector in line with international best practices.

    “There is no other endeavour in this country that is as uniting as the sports endeavour,” he said.

    Enoh also encouraged Nigerian athletes to represent the country at the ongoing 2023 World Athletics Championship in Budapest, Hungary.

    “Let me assure you that President Tinubu is standing behind you with the entire country, united in our support and admiration,” the minister said.

    He said the Federal Government will continue to ensure that Nigerian athletes get their due recognition and the right atmosphere is created for them to excel.

    Uzoka-Anite promises to attract more investments

     Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite yesterday assumed duty as the Minister of Industry Trade and Investment shortly after she was sworn in by President Tinubu.

    Uzoka-Anite was received by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Evelyn Ngige and the Directors in the ministry.

    While promising to attract more investments into the country, the minister assured of her determination to promote business-friendly environment for indigenous businesses to grow.

    According to her, our work here is to ensure that we create more jobs, more employment, lift people above the poverty line and ensure that small and middle enterprises and industries that already exist expand and grow better.

    “Our job is to attract investments. There is so much opportunity. One of them I have already witnessed here is human resources.

    “If we only just harnessed our human resource potential Nigeria will be great even without our mineral resources.

    “Even without our non-mineral resources only our human capital alone is enough to take us where we want to,” she said.

    The minister said that projecting Nigeria’s image positively was crucial in attracting investors and ensuring that businesses thrive in the country.

    According to her, the ministry would ensure that the image of the country out there is as investment-friendly as the investments that we have here.

    “So, I want to put that on the table and we will be doing a whole lot of branding and image-making for the country because we have to re-introduce ourselves to the world,’’ she said.

    Describing her assumption of duty as a new dawn, Uzoka-Anite emphasised the need to do business to fit into global best practices.

    While seeking the cooperation of members of staff to achieve the ministry’s mandate, the minister promised to operate an open-door policy.

    Earlier, Ngige assured the minister of her support to oversee the activities of the ministry.

    Ngige urged the minister to bring her wealth of experience to bear in the ministry’s task of developing economic growth, boosting industrialisation and promoting Micro Small and Medium Enterprises as well as facilitating trade in goods and services.

    Revival of steel companies to be a gradual process, says Audu

    The Minister of Steel Development, Shuaibu Audu has said the resuscitation of the Ajaokuta Steel plant and other steel plants in the country would be a gradual process.

    Audu said with the creation of the Ministry of Steel Development, his administration hopes the country’s steel industries would begin production soon.

    He said his ministry would ride on Vice-President Kashim Shettima’s visit to Russia in July to aggressively pursue the gains of the visit.

    He said this yesterday in Abuja after his assumption of office as the Minister of Steel Development.

    His words: “The steel industry is a new industry, which we are hoping to focus on to achieve, in line with President Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda that is our aim and objective.

    “There are many steel companies in Nigeria. You cannot tackle all problems at once.

    “Our ultimate objective would be to get the engines started; that would be a remarkable achievement. We hope to, at least, start producing even if it is a small sheet of steel. That would be a remarkable achievement, considering where we are coming from.

    “Efforts have been made to achieve this agenda with the recent visit of the Vice President to Russia in July this year, it is my intention that under my administration, the ministry would aggressively pursue the gains of that memorable visit, with the option of not only to complete Ajaokuta but to also set the pace for viable steel development in the country.

    “There is no doubt that the steel sector in Nigeria has faced and is still facing several key challenges. My main task as the Minister would be to work with all the well-experienced stakeholders to address the challenges with the view to ensuring a successful take-off of the steel plants.”

  • Widespread excitement amid high expectations in health sector

    Widespread excitement amid high expectations in health sector

    Since the announcement of the appointment of Prof Muhammad Ali Pate as the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, local and international stakeholders have expressed excitement and high hopes that the sector is set to receive the much-needed leadership boost to improve the country’s health indices. MOSES EMORINKEN writes about the daunting tasks ahead and what can be done to reshape the health and wellbeing of Nigerians.

    Since the appointment of Prof Muhammad Ali Pate as Minister of Health and Social Welfare by President Bola Tinubu, there appears to be a groundswell of excitement and jubilation from every quarter in the health sector. Many have described his appointment as a round peg in a round hole; one of the best things to have happened to Nigeria’s health sector.

     However, excitement of this magnitude is a rarity, particularly within the discerning circles of the health sector. A key example of such an occurrence materialised with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) proclamation of Nigeria as a polio-free nation in August 2020. Remarkably, Prof. Pate played a pivotal role in this achievement, notably during his tenure as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) from November 14, 2008 to July 11, 2011.

     Pate, a distinguished and internationally recognised Professor of Public Health, exhibited unwavering commitment in response to the wild poliovirus outbreak. He zealously pursued an assertive emergency plan for polio eradication and engaged with traditional leaders, particularly in the Northern region. His efforts were directed at bolstering vaccine uptake and dispelling misinformation surrounding polio vaccines. Hailing from Bauchi State and being the son of a Fulani herdsman, Pate holds the title of Chigarin Misau and was born on September 6, 1968.

      At 54 years old, the newly-appointed Minister of Health graduated from Ahmadu Bello University Medical School in Zaria. He initially practiced at the university’s teaching hospital before embarking on a journey to the British Medical Research Council Laboratories in Gambia. Pate holds medical degrees in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, complemented by an MBA from Duke University. His academic pursuits also include studies at University College London and a Master’s in Health System Management from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK.

     Pate assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer of the NPHCDA at the peak of Nigeria’s polio epidemic. Swiftly after his appointment, his strategic collaboration with traditional leaders to advocate for vaccines and primary healthcare services within their jurisdictions laid the groundwork for an assertive emergency response to eradicate polio. This approach was orchestrated through emergency operation centers (EOCs), effectively containing and ultimately eradicating polio transmission across the nation.

     As the head of NPHCDA, he introduced the Midwives Service Scheme, which recruited retired midwives to fortify underperforming antenatal clinics. This initiative led to a notable reduction of maternal deaths by 30 to 40 percent at the time. Presently, this effort has been expanded and enhanced with the introduction of the Expanded Midwives Service Scheme (eMSS) aimed at augmenting skilled attendants.

     During his tenure as Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health from 2011 to 2013, Pate spearheaded an initiative to rejuvenate routine vaccinations and primary healthcare. He chaired a presidential task force dedicated to polio eradication and introduced novel vaccines to the country. In addition, he launched the “Saving One Million Lives” (SOML) initiative in 2012 to address subpar health outcomes, particularly for mothers and children. The SOML initiative encompassed various goals, from maternal and child health improvements to HIV prevention and child nutrition enhancement.

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     He occupied the Julio Frenk Professor of Public Health Leadership position at Harvard Chan School of Public Health. Throughout his career, Pate has actively participated on boards and expert committees spanning the public, private, and non-profit sectors. From 2019 to 2022, he served as the Global Director for Health, Nutrition, and Population at the World Bank and led the Global Financing Facility.

    His involvement extended to managing the World Bank’s $18 billion COVID-19 global health response fund and representing the institution on influential boards like Gavi, Global Fund, UNAIDS, and CEPI. Notably, Pate facilitated the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s entry into Nigeria, guiding their direct engagement with State Primary Healthcare Agencies. This impressive trajectory culminated in his appointment as Nigeria’s Health Minister, followed by his subsequent transition to the position of professor at Duke University’s Global Health Institute in the United States. He also taught comparative health systems to postgraduate students at the Duke University Global Health Institute.

     In February this year, the Gavi Board sanctioned the appointment of Prof. Pate as the Chief Executive Officer of the Vaccine Alliance, following an extensive selection process. Originally set to commence his role on August this year, Prof. Pate was slated to succeed Dr. Seth Berkley, who had led the Alliance for 12 years. Nonetheless, on June 26, GAVI publicly disclosed Prof. Pate’s decision to decline the CEO position. In a remarkable display of dedication, Prof. Pate chose to forego the opportunity at GAVI – a Global Health Partnership dedicated to ensuring equitable access to vital vaccines for children in the world’s most underprivileged nations – in favour of serving his own country as the Minister of Health.

     Undoubtedly, Prof. Pate has undertaken a significant responsibility, considering the discouraging state of Nigeria’s health indicators. Despite certain advancements, Nigeria’s health sector remains entrenched in numerous challenges, including insufficient funding, inadequate utilisation of resources, scarcity of healthcare professionals, brain drain, frequent healthcare worker strikes, shortage of functional primary health care (PHC) centers, limited health insurance coverage for vulnerable populations, medical tourism, malnutrition, elevated child and maternal mortality rates, prevalent malaria cases, exclusion from malaria vaccine trials, escalating non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and more.

    Stakeholders set agenda for the new Minister

    According to Nigeria’s foremost virologist and Chairman of the Ministerial Expert Advisory Committee on COVID-19, Prof Oyewale Tomori, the new Minister needs to focus on the local production of vaccines, especially vaccines to protect children from dying from the many vaccine-preventable diseases.

     Speaking with The Nation, he said, “My only interest now is what we can do to ensure our children are protected from dying of vaccine-preventable diseases, just one issue; that all necessary steps will be taken, and all stakeholders will be on board in a united and coordinated national commitment to start local production of selected human vaccines in Nigeria before the two years in the office of this administration, that is within the next 18 to 24 months.

     “In particular, Nigeria and the Federal Government will focus on getting the joint venture company – Bio-Vaccine Nigeria Limited (BVNL) – set up by the Federal Government and May & Baker to start vaccine production locally, while we keep at bay external companies whose interest is not in local vaccine production, but in cornering and flooding the Nigerian vaccine market with imported vaccines.

     “This will require that all and each of the stakeholders lift national interest far and above self-interest on the important issue of local vaccine production in Nigeria. Our national health security depends on the government escalating the issue of local vaccine production and supply as a national emergency. It is a shame that any Nigerian child should be dying from diphtheria, utter disgrace, and we should all be ashamed.”

     In a chat with The Nation, Dr. Ejike Orji, a Public Health Advocate and the immediate Senior Special Adviser to the FCT Minister on Health and Hospital Management, said, “Prof. Pate is the best thing that could happen to the health sector, if you ask me. This is based on the fact that we have been saying that the only way anybody in health will understand health and know what to do is for that person to have been in the health development arena. Also, the person would have known that most of the indices that we have in Nigeria, that we know the causes, we know that most of them are preventable causes, and you don’t need an outsider to come and advocate to the person on the right things to do; the person is already in that field, and understands it.

     “Being a medical doctor is not enough in the present Nigeria; you have to be involved in health development, policy making, and know how to use core indicators to be able to measure whether we are doing well or not. We have a high rate of maternal mortality; know the cause, and the mitigating strategies that can be put in place to stop those deaths. Pate is not a new kid on the block; he was part of the reversal of the high infant and under-five mortality rate based on preventable vaccination stopping diseases. Therefore, he knows what will work and what won’t work in Nigeria.

     “In Nigeria, it is not enough to be a key technical person; you also have to be a social entrepreneur. That social entrepreneurship is what will help him galvanise support from all sides, and be able to utilise the skills and abilities that are available in the country. A lot of people are frustrated with what is happening in the health sector, and I am one of them. This is the time, I will say, that we have someone we can hold accountable, because he knows what to do, how to do it, and where to get the resources. I am talking with a little bit of excitement.

     “The only caveat I would add here is that if he is a social entrepreneur on a scale of one to ten before, if it was six, he needs to up it to nine, because Nigeria is not just about how to do it, but how to galvanise support from different desperate thinking people in the healthcare sector, to make sure that we get to the dream that we desire to be. I pity him; I don’t envy him. To bring Nigeria from the hole that we are in, to where we should be, is going to be an arduous task. But I know that he can do it.

     “Nigeria ranks 187 out of 189 countries in terms of healthcare ranking in the world. The only two places we are better than are the Central African Republic and Myanmar. Every other country is better than us in the health hierarchy. He has a big duty in his hands, and I must tell you that the President has made a very good pick. We must, therefore, give him all the support that he requires. I am very ready to rally the civil societies in Nigeria to support him. This means that accountability must also be run by the civil society to make sure that what we agreed that we are going to do, we do it.”

     Also, the President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr. Emeka Orji, told The Nation that he does not doubt the abilities of Prof. Pate to deliver as the Minister of Health, owing to his rich national and international experience. He, however, admonished the Minister to prioritise the welfare and working conditions of health workers to reduce the increasing rate of brain drain and medical tourism. He further urged the carry along health unions and associations on policy formulations and Implementation.

     “The truth is that history is replete with a lot of people who come with such experience, but if they don’t also condition their minds to the kind of system they are coming to, they may end up not performing to their full capacity. So, we want to encourage him and wish him well. Of course, we want to pray to work with him to see that the health sector is stable and that Nigerians take the benefits of the services that we render to take care of themselves and their loved ones.

     “Some years back, the World Health Organisation (WHO) tried to rejig the Hippocratic Oath that we have been taking. If you look at the old one, attention is based squarely on patients. So you ask, how about the doctors. Therefore, the new one we have been using for some years now shows that we are also supposed to take care of our own health and need to be in a good state of mind to render services of the highest standards.

      “We believe that urgent attention needs to be paid to the welfare of, not just of doctors but other healthcare professionals. If you consider the brain drain that we have, the most important cause of it is the inadequate welfare packages. Priority should be set for doctors, nurses and other clinical staff, in order to be able to have the good spirit and enthusiasm to remain in the country to be able to render our services.

        “Personnel is also very important. We have a severe manpower shortage. So, much as we know that we still need massive infrastructural development, if you are doing that and you are not matching it up with the personnel required to man them, it will just be considered an highfalutin project if you build something that cannot be adequately utilize, then it becomes a total waste of resources and space. That is why they need to pay attention to personnel as much as they do to infrastructure, and of course, welfare and incentives. These are the things that will make the health sector work. We hope that these are the areas that the new Minister and his team will pay attention to.

     “Also, more importantly, policies that will come out from that Ministry under his watch should have widespread consultation before they bring them out. If you are bringing out policies, and you don’t carry along the people that the policies are meant for or the people that will implement the policies, then the policy will fail before you implement it. So, we want to advise that unions and associations be carried along with the decision-making process that will affect them. It is only when you carry them along and get their buy-ins that they will be able to step it down to their members and convince them of the benefits.

     “Also, when you have an association raising an alarm, it is always good to try to nip it in the bud at the initial stage of agitation; try to meet and discuss with them. What usually happens is that when they raise an alarm and they are ignored, the people will believe that the government does not understand what they are saying, and before you know it, there will be industrial disharmony.”

     The Executive Secretary of the Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria (HERFON), Dr Celestine Okorie, said, “All of us in the health space are indeed very excited that Prof. Pate is the Minister of Health. He is a round peg in a round hole because he understands the health sector landscape, challenges and some of the solutions. He has been in the health sector for quite a while for years now. He was the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), and as a Minister of State for Health.

     “At the same time, he has a very strong international background in the international health sector; he is very well known and experienced. We are expecting a lot from him in the health sector. I actually think because of his background, he is one of the few doctors who understands population health, which is the community health of Nigeria. He understands what to do. He can attract a lot of foreign partnerships that can help to uplift the Nigerian health system.

     “If you look at his background working with the World Bank, GAVI (major player in the immunization space globally). We are excited that he turned down the GAVI opportunity to serve Nigeria; it is quite a sacrifice. So, we are expecting a lot from him, and I have no doubt that he is going to perform. The biggest challenge we have with the Nigerian population is what we call poor access to healthcare services for a huge percentage of the population. There is so much poverty in the land, as over 130 million Nigerians are poor. Poverty limits access to quality healthcare, and also fuels ignorance and literacy level. This eventually leads to a high mortality rate. They cannot afford to pay for basic healthcare needs. This is particular for the vulnerable population which includes: women and children under the age of five, people with disabilities or mentally challenged, and the elderly. They can afford access to health services.

     “Another challenge is the availability of good quality healthcare services, particularly for those in the rural areas. About 70 per cent live in the rural areas. In those places, you find poor people with poor hygiene, inadequate infrastructure like roads, lack of security, and poor access to health care. We are talking about Universal Health Coverage (UHC) where people can access good healthcare services without paying from their pockets. We are also talking about financial risk protection because when people are sick, they can afford to go to the hospital to get the care they need.

    “Prof Pate understands what to do, that is, providing basic healthcare insurance; what we call health insurance coverage. Right now, I think we are covering 5 million people, mostly civil servants. Meanwhile one of the policy objectives of this government is to cover 50 million Nigerians in the next two to three years in health insurance. Prof. Pate would expand the coverage. Medical tourism is causing Nigeria about $1 billion. But I believe the reality is double that amount; this is capital flight. It is the foreign exchange that we would have used to keep our economy strong. We have the doctors and experts here. We expect Prof. Pate to tackle this issue.

     “Many healthcare workers in Nigeria are leaving the country because of the poor conducive environment to practice the profession. The compensation for health workers is very poor. There is also no equipment to practice, and they are overworked. With a little adjustment here and there, we can remain our doctors. I am sure if we can address these, most of our doctors will be happy to come back.”

     The Registrar and Secretary-General of the West African Postgraduate College of Medical Laboratory Science, Dr Godswill Okara, added, “Prof. Pate is a refined gentleman. He is very vastly exposed and experienced, and I believe he will do a good job. My interaction with him when he was Minister of State for Health revealed that much. He is a level-headed and focused professional, and I have no doubt in my mind that he will perform excellently. For too long, our health sector has not received the type of boost that will sustain the confidence of people. Also, the craze for seeking foreign medical attention. I believe that having been out there for so long, he knows what it takes to turn around the public health sector by way of investing in state-of-the-art equipment.

     “In terms of personnel, professionals who are skilled in the health sector discipline, we have them. What we need is the provision of the enabling environment and appropriate facilities, and what people are going out there to look for will be delivered here. We are seeing this in the private sector. Many of our private facilities can hold their own, but how many people can afford the private facilities. Therefore, the need for the government to inject funds into the public health sector can never be overemphasised.

     “Often, it is not usually about the lack of funds, but proper utilisation of the little that we have. If we select a few centres and focus on those centres. For selected services, we can refer people to them. I hope the government gives Prof. Pate the free hand and allows him to appropriately apply the budgeted funds and resources. It is not rocket science, and I believe that he will be able to do it.”

       Dr. Gafar Alawode, the Country Director of Palladium, “What I can say in terms of response to the appointment of Prof. Pate is that, of course, personally, I’m excited and I believe many stakeholders are excited for a number of reasons. In terms of the type of person that we need, I believe he fits the description in terms of understanding the health system landscape. He has the experience in managing several health institutions before like the NPHCDA; he was the Minister of State for Health, and others. So, he knows how the system works.

     “He understands policy issues, and has emerged at the very high level and has been the Director of Health Population and Nutrition at the World Bank. So, he knows how to manage the donor community. He is very passionate and creative about health, and has bold ideas. That is the kind of person that we need now. According to the WHO, around 40 per cent of health resources are wasted, stemming from health system design, health commodities, Human Resources for Health (HRH), and other sources. This highlights the importance of ensuring the efficient utilization of healthcare resources which includes an increased absorptive capacity of the health sector and the ability to obtain optimal outputs from the existing level of investment.

     “There is also a need to optimise both government and donor financing for health and ensure aid effectiveness in Nigeria. Sub-optimal implementation of health policies, strategies, and legal frameworks is also one of the major obstacles that hinder progress in the health sector. Resource optimization could be achieved by moving from inefficient input-based financing to strategic purchasing, revival of the Medium-Term Strategy (MTSS), and other policy thrusts. Other areas of strategic shifts also contribute to this.

     “Nigeria’s health financing landscape is characterised by sub-optimal government investment, low coverage of financial protection mechanisms, high out-of-pocket expenditure, and heavy reliance on development assistance for health, especially public health interventions. Existing policy interventions to address this include the State Social Health Insurance Scheme and the Basic Health Care Provision Fund. The recently introduced sugar taxes, the potential removal of petroleum subsidy, and the potential introduction of communication taxes also present significant opportunities for mobilizing additional financing for health in Nigeria.

      “To achieve the desired results above, there is a need to institute policies that will mobilise additional pooled resources for health and prioritise strategic areas of investment such as health insurance subsidisation, family planning, priority disease program (HIV, TB, and Malaria), health security and immunization.”

  • Economic revival is on the horizon

    Economic revival is on the horizon

    Mr Olawale Edun is Nigeria’s second Coordinating Minister for the Economy. This makes him a powerful cabinet member with direct access to the President. By assigning that office to him, President Bola Tinubu is reposing a tremendous amount of confidence in his ability to have a firm grip on the management of the economy.

     As Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy (CME), Edun will wield enough powers to steer the economy in the direction he feels is in the best interest of the nation. Before his appointment, Edun knew what he was getting into and must have prepared himself for the job. The major issues he will be confronted with are foreign exchange challenges, mitigating inflation, managing the country’s public debt and addressing revenue inadequacy.

     The Minister of Finance could consider taking these steps to address obvious challenges waiting for his attention. Monetary Policy Coordination: he has to work closely with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to ensure coordination of monetary policy tools such as interest rates, reserve requirements, and open market operations, to contain inflationary pressures. He should pursue the implementation of prudent fiscal policies aimed at reducing government spending, avoiding fiscal deficits, and reducing the country’s debt burden. This can be achieved through better budgetary planning, reducing wasteful spending, and improving revenue collection efforts.

     Structural reforms to address supply-side constraints, such as improving infrastructure, reducing bottlenecks in the agricultural sector, and promoting investment in critical sectors are dearly needed. These reforms will increase productivity and reduce cost-push inflation. Exchange rate policy that ensures a stable and transparent exchange rate policy, promotes export competitiveness and discourages import-driven inflation should be encouraged. This could involve measures such as managing foreign exchange reserves effectively, addressing currency speculation, and adopting policies that attract foreign direct investment.

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     Edun needs to push for price stability targeting by collaborating with the CBN in implementing inflation-targeting frameworks that set clear inflation targets and adopt appropriate policies to achieve them. This could involve utilising tools such as interest rate adjustments, while also ensuring that monetary policy decisions support economic growth and employment generation. Support for social safety nets through targeted programmes to mitigate the adverse effects of inflation on vulnerable populations. This could involve direct cash transfers, subsidies for essential goods and services, and measures to improve access to education and healthcare.

     For Edun to succeed as Coordinating Minister for the Economy, he must work to improve data collection and research capacity to better understand the drivers of inflation and to inform policy decisions. Accurate and timely data is crucial for effective policymaking. He needs to build on existing collaboration and cooperation with relevant stakeholders, including private sector groups, labour unions, and consumer associations to address inflation pressures collectively. Engaging these stakeholders can help build consensus on inflation-fighting strategies and improve the effectiveness of policy measures.

     It’s important to note that tackling inflation requires a comprehensive approach involving multiple policy areas and coordination between various institutions. The Minister of Finance should work alongside other government bodies, such as the CBN and relevant ministries, to implement a holistic strategy to address inflation and promote macroeconomic stability. To address Nigeria’s high debt levels and low tax-to-GDP ratio while boosting revenue for developmental projects, the incoming Minister of Finance can consider the following strategies.

     Fiscal discipline and expenditure rationalisation through review and prioritised spending: he needs to conduct a thorough review of the budget to identify and prioritise essential expenditures while cutting down on wasteful spending and non-essential projects. Strengthen public financial management systems to enhance transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the allocation and utilisation of public funds as well as conduct a comprehensive analysis of debt sustainability to assess the country’s ability to service its debts and avoid excessive borrowing.

     He has to effectively implement tax reforms to broaden the tax base, improve tax administration, and increase tax compliance. This can include simplifying tax procedures, reducing tax evasion, and expanding the tax net to capture more individuals and businesses. Edun will also need to focus on diversifying revenue sources by promoting sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, solid minerals, and services. This can include providing incentives for investment and job creation, improving infrastructure, and facilitating ease of doing business.

     It appears he will work with Taiwo Oyedele and his team to strengthen tax collection by enhancing tax collection mechanisms, including leveraging technology for efficient tax administration, improving taxpayer education, and strengthening tax enforcement to minimise leakages. Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) are twin measures that will relieve the government of financial stress on the one hand and attract investment from outside the country’s shores to boost economic growth.

     As Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Edun has become the chief promoter of Nigeria as an attractive investment destination. He will do this through targeted marketing campaigns, investor-friendly policies, and streamlined investment procedures. Cost reduction and efficiency measures through public sector reforms are required. Basically, he needs to eliminate duplication, and enhance efficiency in service delivery. This can include measures such as rationalizing government agencies, reducing bureaucracy, and encouraging digitalization and automation.

     The CME has to find a way to address inefficiencies in the energy sector, including power generation, transmission, and distribution, to reduce operational costs and enhance productivity in both the public and private sectors. Though President Tinubu has ruled out subsidising fuel, it is battle that will be fought again in the very near future. Edun will navigate how to gradually phase out or rationalise subsidies on fuel and electricity, ensuring that vulnerable populations are protected through targeted social safety net programmes.

     Debt management: it advisable the Tinubu administration gives serious consideration to debt restructuring and refinancing, exploring options for to reduce debt servicing costs and extend debt maturities, thereby providing fiscal relief in the short term. Going forward, Edun has to adopt a cautious approach to borrowing, focusing on concessional loans, favourable interest rates, and projects with high economic returns. He has to conduct thorough cost-benefit analyses and prioritise investments that generate revenue and promote sustainable development.

     It’s important to note that addressing Nigeria’s debt burden and revenue challenges requires a combination of short-term and long-term measures. The incoming Minister of Finance should collaborate with other government agencies, engage stakeholders, and monitor the implementation of these strategies to ensure their effectiveness and sustainability. Though the Budget Office has been partially removed from his direct control, as Coordinating Minister for the Economy (CME), the fine prints of the budget must get his buy-in and approval before it goes public. What will his approach to budget preparation be? How will he manage the opaque Service Wide vote? Will he continue with the Finance Act tradition of the past administration?

     Edun will be tested if he decides to be hands-on with the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) deliberations. Will he be courageous

  • Delays, controversies over appointment of new Auditor-General

    Delays, controversies over appointment of new Auditor-General

    Almost one year after the retirement of the Auditor-General for the Federation (AGF), Adolphus Aghughu, appointing a replacement has not been possible due to acrimony among directors. The appointment of one of the directors in the interim has not gone down well with some stakeholders, who claim the process contravened public service rules, reports TONY AKOWE.

    The retirement of the immediate past Auditor-General for the Federation (AGF), Adolphus Aghughu threw up an intense competition among directors in the office for the coveted seat.

     Prior to his retirement, there have been moves to outdo one another by some of the directors with claims and counter-claims of who is senior among them who can oversee the office.

     Aghughu’s exit in September 2022 paved the way for the appointment of Andrew Onwudili to oversee the office, even though records show that he was not the most senior director; having been employed two years after three of the directors, making him the fourth in line.

     Before the emergence of Onwudili, the Federal Civil Service Commission had commenced the process for the appointment of a new Auditor-General with an in-house advertisement.

     The Nation learnt that the initial idea was to get the Auditor-General from among the directors in the agency. But one year after the process began, there appears to be a deadlock as the commission has not been able to come up with a candidate who will be appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.

     Section 86 sub-section 1 to 3 of the 1999 Constitution as amended provides modalities for the appointment of the AGF.

    The section states that “the Auditor-General for the Federation shall be appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Federal Civil Service Commission subject to confirmation by the Senate. (2) The power to appoint persons to act in the office of the Auditor-General shall vest in the President and (3) except with the sanction of a resolution of the Senate, no person shall act in the office of the Auditor-General for a period exceeding six months.”

    But the process has been bogged down by controversy regarding seniority among some of the directors in the agency. While some of them have been involved in the selection process, two others have been excluded.

     The Nation observed that the struggle for the position appeared to have started long before the occupant of the office vacated it as five of the Directors started struggling for seniority despite the provisions of Public Service on seniority in the public service.

    A letter from the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation dated February 9 2021, with reference number HCSF/PSO/152/II/150 addressed to the Director of Audit overseeing the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation tried to set the records straight about seniority among the directors.

     The letter drew attention to the provisions of the Public Service Rule 020106 which states that “seniority in any department shall be determined by the entry/the assumption of duty certified by an authorised officer as reflected in the appropriate register.”

     In line with the provision, the letter which was signed by Babura in the USA, the Director in charge of Employee Mobility in the OHCSF listed the officers in accordance with their seniority level as Isiuku Julius Michael, Mrs Ogundowo Addition Oluseyi, Mrs Ugwu Ngozi Eucharia, Onwudili Ogochukwu and Gbayan Shirts Gabriel. It also stated that “with the above clarification, this matter would be laid to rest and allow for a good and harmonious working relationship devoid of rancour among the directors and other members of staff in the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation.

      The letter from the Head of Service was prompted by a letter from the Office of Auditor-General seeking intervention on the determination of seniority among the directors.

     The letter reads: “I am directed to request your kind intervention on the resolution of the seniority challenge encountered by the under-listed directors in the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation. The Human Resources Department had received complaints that they were not placed properly on the office nominal roll. Efforts to internally address the issue seem not to be satisfactory. Accordingly, it will be appreciated if the OHCSF can intervene to resolve the matter.”

     However, in another letter reference with reference number HCSF/ALSO/ODD/E&WP/64421/166 dated July 18, 2022, and signed by the Director, Organisation, Design and Development in the OHCSF, B. O. C. Omogo, the earlier list was completely turned round. The letter reads: “I am directed to refer to your letter ref no GEN/EMAD//CORR/2020/55 dated March 28, 2022, on the above subject and convey the reviewed seniority list among the five directors in your office as follows: Andrew Ogochukwu Onwudili, Shirts Gabriel Gbayan, Adeoti Oluseyi Ogundowo, Ngozi Eucharia Ugwu and Julius Michael Isiuku.

    “In arriving at the reviewed list, the parameters outlined below were taken into consideration. (a) date of present appointment; (b) career progression; (c) date of assumption of duty and (d) date of first appointment.

     “This letter, therefore, supersedes our earlier letter ref. UCSF/PSO/152/II/15 and dated February 9 2021 on the subject.”

    A look at the Public Service Rules revealed that the only criterion for determining seniority in service is the date of employment and assumption of duty.

     However, the nominal roll of the office of the Auditor-General for April 2021 sighted by The Nation revealed that while Mrs Ogundawo was first employed in the service on September 26, 1990, and confirmed two years later, the Director overseeing the Office of the Auditor-General, Andrew Onwudili was employed on July 27, 1992, and confirmed two years later. Also, another director in the OAUGF, who was excluded from the process of appointing a new Auditor-General, Mrs Eucharia Ngozi Ugwu was employed on November 11 1990 and confirmed two years later.

     Also, Shirwa Gabriel Gbayan was captured in the nominal roll as having been employed into the service on August 24, 1992, and confirmed two years later in 1994; while Julius Isiuku (he retired from service in December 2022) was employed on January 13 1989 and confirmed two years later.

      The Nation also sighted two different memos from the Federal Civil Service Commission on the list of directors qualified to participate in the selection process for the position of Auditor-General with the names of the two women missing.

    It was also learnt that, in its last days in the 9th Assembly, the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives invited the Head of Service of the Federation, Folashade Esan to explain why it should issue two separate letters on the same issue.

      Although the meeting between the Committee and the Head of Service took place, Oke, who headed the committee, said the best thing to do was to interface with the Minister of Justice and the Attorney-General of the Federation regarding the lingering controversy surrounding the seniority of top officials on the director cadre in the OAGF. Oke had said at the meeting with the Head of Service who was represented by a Director that “there is no provision for the office of the Auditor-General of the Federation to be run by a Director. It is illegal. The Director currently occupying that office cannot fulfil the constitutional roles of the Auditor-General of the Federation.

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     “We have a backlog of audited accounts of the Federation for the years 2020, 2021 and 2022, which are yet to be laid before the National Assembly due to the absence of a substantive Auditor-General of the Federation to sign them.”

     In a petition to the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives, dated February 3, 2023, Mrs Ogundowo alerted that her name was omitted from the list of eligible directors to be considered for accreditation exercise for appointment as Auditor-General for the Federation.

     She said the omission of her name was based on an unsubstantiated report of the EFCC.

     She said: “I humbly write to draw the attention of the PAC Committee to the process undertaken by the Federal Civil Service Commission midwifing the appointment of the next Auditor-General of the Federation. Having been screened by the DSS, and ICPC, it is shocking to note that the Commission (the EFCC) made an incorrect allegation on my account of income flowing into the account from a business “Satisqua Table Water Enterprises” on which I was not invited to explain but reported upon. For this kind of screening held in high esteem, it would be fair and just for the Commission to be specific on the income inflow traced to my account and seek further clarifications before drawing conclusions.

    “It is against this background that I am here seeking clarification and clearance from the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), copy of the registered business name is attached to this application. Your prompt intervention on this would be highly appreciated, please.”

    She also wrote to the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation seeking intervention “in a case of serious misconduct levelled against me by the Auditor-General for the Federation, Adolphus Aghughu.”

     The letter was dated June 28 2022, a few weeks before Aghughu retired as Auditor-General.

    According to her, she was accused of contravention of the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation’s Communication Policy; Falsification of Records; Unauthorised disclosure of official information; and any other act unbecoming of a public officer. According to her, issues raised in the query were in respect of seniority of Directors of Audit which she said started in 2020 but laid to rest in line with Public Service Rules (PSR) 020106, vide letter no. HCSE/PSO/152/150 dated February 9 2021.

     In the petition, she said that “at an emergency top management meeting held on June 17 2022, the AGF presented a version of the seniority list different from the one approved by the OHCSF. This he had shared on the WhatsApp Platform of the Colleges of Directors and also acknowledged to have approved.

     It is on this same Platform that I shared a copy of the seniority list I came across, particularly when the AGF had become inaccessible to most of his lieutenants (we the directors).

     This is supported by the fact that he shouted at me and instructed his security personnel to walk me out of his office in March 2021. The WhatsApp Platform for the Colleges of Directors was created to disseminate information among the directors and also for interaction as is applicable in other MDAs.

     Contrary to an allegation of circulating a fake nominal roll to the National Assembly, I wish to state that I am not aware of the existence of such in the National Assembly or any other government agency. It may interest the HCSF to note that one of the ‘fake’ nominal rolls, as alleged by the AGF was placed on the official notice board by the AGF himself.

     The HCSF may also wish to note that many versions of the fake nominal roll are in circulation and that all these versions, which are at variance with what was approved by the OHCSF, placed Mr Onwudili Andrew Ogochukwu, a Director of Audit, ahead of me as my senior, even though this is far from the truth.

     I assumed duty on September 26 1990, while he assumed duty on July 27 1992.  Both of us attained our present post of Director of Audit on January 1, 2017. 

    Mrs Ogundowo alleged in the petition that “there is a plot to disenfranchise me from participating in the selection process for appointment of a new AGF, which is why I am being victimised. This, I believe, is to enable Mr Onwydili to take over after the exit of Mr Aghughu who will be exiting the service on September 7 2022 since the most senior Director of Audit, Mr Isiuku Julius Michael, will also exit the service in December, 2022.”

     She made reference to the fact that the ground for Onwudili to take over as the most senior director may have been laid for him earlier when he was placed above her during their promotion exercise.

    She said: “My claim above is further supported by the fact that, upon our promotion to the post of directors in 201 7, Mr Onwudili was placed on SGL 17 step 10 and my good self on SGL 17 Step 8. We were both on the same step (GL 16 before our promotion to the post of Director).

     I wonder why he was given accelerated incremental steps. It is on the strength of this that I am inclined to conclude that there is a conscious attempt to prevent and disqualify me from aspiring for the post of the AGF, which I am entitled to, just like any other Director of Audit in the Federal Civil Service.”

     Continuing, she claimed that “in my 32 years of active and dedicated service (now 33), I have not received any warning or query. I am a loyal and committed civil servant with a high premium on value addition in the discharge of my official duties or any responsibilities assigned to me.”

     The Association of Retired Staff of the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation have tried to intervene and ensure that justice is done to all those concerned. The association writes two separate petitions to the House of Representatives and the Federal Civil Service Commission.

      In the letters signed by the Chairman and Coordinator, Alhaji Taiwo Lawal, the association said though some of the actions taken since August 11, 2022, were found to be just, fair and acceptable, the Commission suddenly tainted the process “with the unjust removal of the two topmost Directors of Audit from the list of qualified Directors of Audit for accreditation exercise despite the fact that these female Directors of Audit met all the required conditions laid down by the commission.”

     In the letter to the House of Representatives, the Association said its desire was to see a level playing ground for all the Directors of Audit in all the processes for the appointment of the next Auditor-General for the Federation.

     It added that “Mrs Adeoti Oluseyi Ogundowo and Mrs E. N. Ugwu were both promoted Directors of Audit on January 1 2017, but the FCC dropped their names from the list of aspiring Directors of Audit for accreditation exercise that was hurriedly fixed for Friday, January 20 2023.”

     In the second petition to the Civil Service Commission, the association said that “being a critical stakeholder in the growth and development of our former office has been keenly watching and observing the process undertaken by the Federal Civil Service Commission in the appointment of Auditor-General for the Federation.”

      According to them, following the retirement of the former Auditor-General, the association supported the idea of not leaving a vacuum and having someone from within the office emerging as a replacement. It said it felt elated when the commission issued an internal advertisement and also circular requesting qualified directors to submit relevant briefs through the Human Resources Department.

     According to the Chairman, on January 13 2023, the Federal Civil Service Commission, through its circular with ref. no FCSC/CHMN/RAG/023/1I/126 and signed by Ogaba Ede (Director of Appointment and Recruitment) on behalf of the Chairman requested 10 Directors of Audit that have a minimum of one year and above before retirement to re-submit their CVs, briefs, certificates, personal and confidential files, and others to the Commission on or before January 17 2023.

    With the reduction of minimum years to retirement to one year and above, the Commission had widened the space and extended participation to earlier screened-out Directors of Audit.

    However, the Association observed that three names of suitably qualified Directors of Audit that were earlier screened and met all the requirements, including more than two years and above before retirement, were not included.

     The Directors of Audit are Mrs Adeoti Oluseyi Ocundowo FCNA. — promoted in 2017, Mrs Eucharia Ngozi Ugwu FCNA, mni. – promoted in 2017 and Mr Shakaar Chira Kantiyor FCNA promoted in 2021.

      The omission did not provide reason(s) for the non-inclusion of their names on the list. This Association was of the opinion that these three Directors of Audit must have been screened and hence there shouldn’t be a need to re-screen them for accreditation.”

     The association also said that “on January 18 2023, the Federal Civil Service Commission, through its Circular no. FCSC/CHMN/RAG/023/II/127 and signed on behalf of the Chairman by Ogaba Ede (Director of Appointment and Recruitment) released list of 11 Directors of Audit for accreditation exercise fixed then for January 20 2023.”

      It further said that “this Association was founded to protect the interest of serving and retired members of staff of Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation at all times and in all places. Consequently, the Association is not happy to confirm that, the two topmost female Directors of Audit that seem to have met all necessary requirements for accreditation were dropped.

     “Also of note was the inclusion of one of the three serving Directors of Audit (Mr Shaakaar Kantiyor Chira FCNA) —promoted to Director of Audit on January 1 2021, that was among three earlier screened but not added to the list requested for as per letter Ref. no. FCSC/CHMN/023/1/126 of January 13 2023.”

     It asked the Commission to be “gender-sensitive by bringing these two experienced female directors that were promoted in January 2017 up to the accreditation list and allow them to partake fully in the remaining exercise for the appointment of Auditor-General for the Federation.” They also want the two female Directors of Audit to be officially told the justifiable reason why their names were not included in the accreditation list.

     In a letter dated May 31 2023, the immediate past Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts, Oluwole Oke informed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the infractions existing in the agency which is supposed to audit all government assets and accounts and present reports to the National Assembly.

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    Incidentally, by the provisions of section 85 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, all audited reports are to be submitted only to the National Assembly.

      Oke, whose committee has oversight function over the agency for four years, drew the attention to developments within the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation bothering on constitutional infractions on the appointment of a substantive Auditor-General of the Federation.

     He accused the Office of the Civil Service of the Federation and the Federal Civil Service Commission of ignoring the provisions of the public service rules by appointing a junior director to oversee the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation. This decision also contravened the provisions of section 86(3) which requires a resolution of the Senate for anybody to act in the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.

     In a petition with reference no HR/ PAC/SC05/9NASS/66/206, Oke said the Head of Service contravened the provisions of the Constitution which states that no one should occupy an office in acting capacity for more than six months. As a result of the development, he said, several annual audited reports of MDAs have not been submitted to the National Assembly because the person acting as the Auditor-General lacks the power to sign the reports.

     The Nation investigation revealed that the last audited report of the government expenditure submitted to the National Assembly is the 2019 report, while the 2021 and 2022 annual reports are still pending. He said the working of the Public Accounts Committees in the National Assembly has been hampered by such delays.

     He said: “The position of the Auditor-General of the Federation became vacant on September 7 2022 after the retirement of the then substantive Auditor-General of the Federation, Mr Aghughu Adolphus.

     Contrary to the practice within the Public Service, which is that the most senior official is required to assume the role of the Head of the Institution in an acting capacity, the number three director (Mr Andrew Onwudili) with less than two years to serve was imposed on the Office and designated as the “Director Overseeing the Office” by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

     This practically upturned the seniority nominal roll of the Office and created severe animosity and apathy within the Office. In addition to the above, Section 86(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) requires that a public official heading a position can act only for six months and another person can be appointed in an acting capacity.

     However, the Director Overseeing the Office has acted beyond the required six months, which is a gross violation of the Constitution. The implication of this is that actions taken by him are both illegal and unconstitutional.

     In addition, the Annual Audit Report “for various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) which is due for “submission to the National Assembly, has not been signed and cannot be laid before the National Assembly.

      The Director Overseeing the Office lacks the constitutional capacity to sign these reports; hence, it has created a backlog, which is affecting the performance of Committees within the National Assembly.”

     Oke further said that “based on my personal inquiry and review of the situation, I noticed that one Mrs Oluseyi Ogundowo is the most senior director within the office and should have assumed the role of Acting Auditor-General.

     However, the Public Service Rule was ignored and Mr Andréw Onwudili, a junior director was appointed for perceived parochial considerations. Desperate steps were equally taken to ensure that he was appointed in a substantive capacity before the end of the last administration.

     Nevertheless, the interventions of the Public Accounts Committees of the two chambers of the National Assembly and the petition of the Association of Retired Staff of the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation halted the moves by the Head of Service and the Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission to install the Director Overseeing the Office as the substantive Auditor-General of the Federation.

     In view of the foregoing and in order to preserve the sanctity of and the amity within the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation, I wish to appeal that the provisions of the Public Service Rules recognising seniority of directors should be adopted in appointing a substantive Auditor-General of the Federation.

     Sources within the OAGF told The Nation that some of the directors in the office who have been aspiring for the position are due for retirement between now and the end of 2024.

     The source also said that there has been so much acrimony within the directorate cadre over the existing vacancy.

    The source said: “It has gotten to the level that some of them have lost interest. Many of the members of staff are now praying that the government should appoint the new Auditor-General from outside the Office just like it was done with the appointment of the Accountant-General of the Federation.”

     Also, sources close to the Public Accounts Committee of the House told The Nation that the committee wrote to the Attorney-General of the Federation asking that the process be stopped and for justice to be done to all parties involved.

  • Weird antics of desperate Nigerian migrants

    Weird antics of desperate Nigerian migrants

    • Hang on ships’ rudders to travel abroad
    • Tie themselves up to avoid falling prey to sharks, whales, other sea animals

    Following global attention and clampdown on irregular migration to Europe through the Sahara Desert, desperate migrants have been exploiting the porous Nigerian waterways to achieve their dreams. With the European Union externalising its border and doling out millions of Euro to many North African countries to prevent irregular migration through the Mediterranean Sea, more movements may be recorded along the permeable Nigerian waterways, and it may not be long before the corridor is turned into another mass burial ground the Sahara Desert was in its heyday, INNOCENT DURU reports.

    Four Nigerians, who had been eager to travel abroad, took their desperation to the extreme last month as they beat the security network at the seaport to sneak into a ship preparing to leave the shores of the country. They hung on the rudder of the ship determined to brave the odds of travelling thousands of kilometres to the ship’s destination.

    The desperadoes had apparently assumed that every ship that leaves the shores country is heading to Europe. But they were wrong as they found themselves in Brazil after journeying for 14 days in a condition that saw them hovering between life and death.

    “It was a terrible experience for me,” said one of the migrants, 38-year-old ThankGod Opemipo Matthew Yeye, in an interview at a Sao Paulo church shelter. “On board, it is not easy. I was shaking, so scared. But I am here.”

    Yeye, a Pentecostal pastor from Lagos State, said his peanut and palm oil farm was destroyed by floods this year, leaving him and his family homeless. He expressed hope that they would join him in Brazil.

    His co-traveller, Roman Ebimene Friday, a 35-year-old from Bayelsa State, said they made every effort during the journey not to be discovered by the ship’s crew, who they feared could throw them into the sea.

    “Maybe if they catch you they will throw you in the water. So we taught ourselves never to make a noise,” he said.

    To prevent themselves from falling into the water, Friday said they rigged up a net around the rudder and tied themselves to it with a rope. He said each time he looked down from the rudder, he could see “big fish like whales and sharks. Sleep, he said, was rare due to the cramped conditions and the noise of the engine.

    “I was very happy when we got rescued,” he said.

    On their tenth day at sea, the four Nigerian stowaways crossing the Atlantic in a tiny space above the rudder of a cargo ship ran out of food and drink. They survived another four days, according to their account, by drinking sea water crashing just metres below them, before they were  rescued by Brazilian federal police in the southeastern port of Vitoria.

    A priest at Sao Paulo shelter in Brazil was said to have expressed shock at the desperation of the stowaways. The priest said he had come across other cases of stowaways but never one so dangerous. Their journey paid testament to the lengths Nigerians could go in search of a new start, he said.

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    “People do unimaginable and deeply dangerous things. I have never seen such audacious stowaways,” the priest was quoted to have said.

    Friday said his journey to Brazil began on June 27, when a fisherman friend rowed him up to the stern of the Liberian-flagged Ken Wave, docked in Lagos, and left him by the rudder. To his surprise, he found three men already there, waiting for the ship to depart.

    Friday said he was terrified. He had never met his new shipmates and feared they could toss him into the sea at any moment.

    “I pray the government of Brazil will have pity on me,” said Friday.

    He had reportedly attempted to flee Nigeria by ship once but was arrested by the authorities.

    Yeye and Friday claimed that economic hardship, political instability and crime had left them with little option than abandoning Nigeria.

    The four men said they had hoped to reach Europe and were shocked to learn they had in fact landed on the other side of the Atlantic, in Brazil.

    Two of the stowaways have since been returned to Nigeria while the other two have applied for asylum in Brazil. The Brazilian Embassy in Nigeria was yet to respond to our enquiry on the fate of the stowaways, Yeye and Friday, who were seeking asylum in their country.

    Other cases of desperate migrants exploiting loopholes at seaports

    The above named migrants were, however, not the first set of Nigerians to have exploited the security lapses at the Nigerian seaports to embark on such suicidal journeys.

    The number has been steadily on the rise with the Nigerian Navy making occasional arrests. They inundate the public with. Last year, November to be precise, Aljazeerah reported about three Nigerian stowaways travelling for 11 days on a ship’s rudder before they were rescued by the Spanish coastguard and hospitalised in the Canary Islands.

    A ship-tracking website, Marine Traffic, said the large ship departed from Lagos on November 17. They were later found on the Alithini II oil tanker at the Las Palmas Port with symptoms of dehydration and hypothermia and were subsequently transferred to hospitals on the island for medical attention.

    Throughout the journey, at least three migrants and refugees had been hanging onto the narrow metallic rudder, with their feet dangling just a few feet above the Atlantic Ocean.

    In a photograph Spain’s coastguard distributed on Twitter, the three men were seen perched on the rudder of the oil tanker. The coastguard said they rescued the stowaways after the tanker had docked.

    Though extremely dangerous, it is not the first time stowaways have been found travelling on the rudder of commercial ships to the Canary Islands, which is located around 97km (60 miles) off the coast of Morocco. In late 2020, the Aljazeerah report said, Spanish authorities identified six others travelling from Nigeria on the rudders of two tankers.

    “One of those who arrived in 2020 was a 14-year-old boy who narrated his harrowing two-week journey to the Spanish daily El Pais,” the report said. He described how the stowaways had to take turns to sleep because the available space was only enough for one person at a time; how a fight broke out and he was nearly thrown off the rudder; how they got cold and wet and it would take hours to dry off and how his urine turned green after drinking seawater.

    In a tweet, migration adviser to the Canary Islands, Txema Santana, warned that the most recent arrivals “won’t be the last” and that “stowaways don’t always have the same luck”.

    In 2018, four Nigerian stowaways Samuel Jolumi, 27, Ishola Sunday, 28, Toheeb Popoola, 27, and Joberto McGee, 21, were arrested in the UK and jailed for a total of seven years. They reportedly hurled faeces at elite SBS sailors while on the ship, and vowed to infect them with HIV during a tense stand-off in the Thames Estuary.

    The stowaways also threatened to kill crew members with metal poles when they broke free from quarantine on the 78,000-tonne Italian merchant ship on 21 December 2018. They said they would steer it to the UK.

    Helicopters with specialist sailors were sent to rescue the Grande Tema’s crew and arrest the men while the ship floated off the Essex coast. They were all found guilty of affray after an eight-week trial in the Old Bailey.

    Popoola and McGee were also found guilty of making threats to kill. All were cleared of attempting to hijack the ship. Popoola was jailed for 31 months while McGee was sentenced to 32 months behind bars. Sunday and Popoola were each jailed for 16 months.

    The group had been found by the captain days after the vessel set sailed from Lagos and were placed in quarantine before they mutinied five days later. At least one member of the group made ‘throat-slitting’ gestures at the 27-strong crew and McGee mouthed the words: ‘I kill you’. Faeces was also smeared across the windows of the cabin that the crew had barricaded themselves into.

    Popoola and McGee had previously been sent back to Nigeria after stowing away on separate ships, while Sunday was a married father of two who took a ‘chance’ decision to board the ship. Popoola had stowed himself away three times previously, and had also applied for asylum, and McGee, who organised the riot, said he had dreams of becoming a footballer when he reached the UK.

    Checks showed that most stowaway cases happen at the Lagos port. It goes on to show a high level of laxity, compromise and abdication of duties by the security agencies involved in watching over the port. In the world where technology drives virtually every aspect of human endeavors, it is disturbing that stowaways can still sneak into ships and travel in them undetected. 

    Decrying the negative image the despicable practice gives the country, a migration expert, Victor Mike, said there are always unreported cases of many migrants who die in the course of such deadly adventures.

    His words: “That’s the ones we know about (referring to the survivors). How about the unsuccessful ones?  It’s a matter of if I perish, I perish.

    “It’s bigger than what you are seeing. Some die and some are pushed to die upon discovery. Who will tell their stories?”

    Sea pirates having field day in Bayelsa

    The leaky nature of the waterways in the country is not being exploited by stowaways alone. Findings showed that sea pirates have relentlessly exploited the loopholes by unleashing unimaginable terror on innocent fishermen in Bayelsa State and its environs.

    The Chairman of fishermen in Sangana area of the state, Noel Ikonikumo, told our correspondent that his men have continued to lose their engine boats to sea pirates who he said beat them mercilessly before dispossessing them of their means of livelihood.

    The sea pirates, Noel said, “are still worrying us seriously. Two weeks ago, they came to collect three engine boats on the sea from fishermen in our neighbouring community.

    “The community is very close to my place, Sangana. Apart from their engines, the pirates also collected the fuel lines of the fishermen.

    “An engine costs between N1.3 million and N1.5 million. Before then, the pirates had attacked some fishermen from my community about two to three months ago.”

    Asked if he had lost any of his members to the menace of pirates, Noel said no,” adding: “The pirates don’t kill. But they would beat their victims mercilessly and ask them useless questions.”

      Asked what the Navy does anytime the sea pirates strike, Noel said: “My brother, the gunboats of the Navy are on the sea while all this is happening. 

    “As I am talking to you, the Navy has its boats on the sea. They are not there because of sea pirates. When sea pirates are chasing you and you go to the gunboat to complain, they will say, “Na una people nah (it is your people now)”. It is only when pirates go close to oil facilities that they go after them.

    “The naval officers always see pirates on the sea whenever they are passing. They always see them just the same way we the fishermen see them, but they are not after them.

    “Their sole mission is to protect oil facilities. As fishermen, we don’t have security on the sea. We are not safe. When the pirates attack us, they just collect our engine boats and go with any challenge.

    “The simple truth is that there is no security for us on the sea.”

    Noel lamented: “Many of our fishermen are losing their means of livelihood, and when that happens, the victim would have to be looking for other fishermen that he can work with to earn a living.

    “They cannot afford over a million naira to go and buy another engine boat immediately. They have to be hustling to raise money to survive before thinking of buying another engine boat.”

    Continuing, he said: “We have complained to the authorities on many occasions with little or no help.

    “Sometimes the navy helps us with gunboats in the creeks but not on the sea. The creek is a narrow river while the sea is a massive land of water that has no end. 

    “We experience pirates’ attacks in both places but their activities are now reduced in the creeks because of the clampdown on activities of illegal oil bunkerers in the creeks.

    “The pirates are more on the sea now.”

    Navy no more at the port to assure security – Spokesman

    Reacting to our enquiry on the rising cases of stowaways, spokesperson of the Nigerian Navy, Ayo Vaughan, exonerated organisation of any blame.

    He said: “Well you know the Navy is no more at the port to assure port security or restrict access to ships.

    “That said, you also know the ‘jappa’ syndrome is high now. So port authorities will have to do much.”

    Continuing, he said: “The Nigerian sea space is about 84,000 nm². The sea space, apart from oil rigs built out there, is characterised by non-permanence.

    “Navy regularly patrols the maritime area. The stowaways ‘steal’ their way by sneaking on board. The Navy is not on each cargo ship.”

    Vaughan subsequently sent a reaction on the issue from the Lagos naval base.

    The terse message reads: “Well, the stowaway matter is being checked as patrol has intensified around the ports. It’s also a reflection of the current situation, but efforts are on to reduce the menace.”

    Vaughan went on to forward the response provided by the naval base in Bayelsa State about the menace of sea pirates.

    The response reads: “On the issue of fishermen losing their outboard engines to hoodlums in Bayelsa, we have not received any such report of late. Perhaps it happened offshore or in the border areas of Rivers/Delta State.

    “Our patrols are always on water, especially the backwaters and the areas adjoining Delta where key rivers entered the sea. So far, we’ve had no such report.”

    Efforts made to get the Nigerian Port Authorities to speak on the menace of stowaways were unsuccessful.

    The General Manager Corporate and Strategic Communications, Josephine Moltok, promised to get back with the organisation’s reaction on the matter, but she was yet to do so at the time this report was filed.

  • Inside two Borno councils that are open-defecation-free

    Inside two Borno councils that are open-defecation-free

    In 2018, former President Muhammadu Buhari declared a state of emergency on open defecation, with the launch of the National Action Plan to end open defecation by 2025. With less than two years to the target year, records show that 48 million Nigerians still defecate in open fields, bushes and water bodies. However, two local government areas in Borno State, Biu and Shani, have been declared open-defecation-free. How did they achieve this feat? MOSES EMORINKEN reports.

    For years, the putrid and offensive stench from faecal deposits troubled the residents of Biu and Shani local government areas (LGAs) in Borno State.

    The disgusting odour wasn’t the only menace the Northeastern communities had to grapple with; water-borne diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, and others launched repetitive onslaughts on the people, particularly on children; threatening to snatch their lives and vitality.

     Every week, men and women, especially children, suffer from life-threatening infections. More worrisome is that children are often rushed to nearby health facilities for treatment.

    The communities also lacked access to clean water for their domestic and environmental activities. Residents literally trekked several kilometres to access streams which they shared with animals. It is from the same nearly stagnant stream where they fetched water to drink, that they also had their bath; some even urinated and defecated in the same stream. Waterborne diseases were also rampant.

    However, with cooperation and sheer determination to better their lot and improve their health and well-being, the residents of Biu and Shani turned their story into one worthy of emulation.

    They were declared open defecation free (ODF) by the National Task Group on Sanitation in November 2022.

     The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) played a critical role in providing Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities for the communities.

    One thing that one quickly notices when one visits Biu and Shani council areas, especially as a stranger, is that one will not find a single soul defecating in the open, be it in the fields, bushes or on water bodies. It has become a ‘taboo’ to defecate in public spaces, regardless of how pressed one may be.

     However, if one urgently needs to ease oneself, there are public toilets one can easily patronise for a token. This, not only ensures that the people do not defecate in the open, but also prevents diseases from unsanitary environments. It further provides jobs and livelihood for the owners of the toilet business.

     The majority of the residents of the two councils, although averagely educated, are very cultural and religious, and pay premium attention to environmental hygiene. They care about sanitation, not because the ‘gods’ will punish them, but because of their desire to live healthy lives as a people.

     One thing that is also of interest is that virtually all the households in the two councils have toilets. In fact, The Nation learnt that while every household is encouraged to build a toilet, if for any reason, a household cannot afford it, the community makes voluntary contributions to help them to build one.

     There are also laws laid down by the Community/Village Heads against defecating in the open. Should anyone violate such laws, there are punishments.

     Emmanuel Some, a middle-aged man and a resident of Madiya, a small community with over 300 people in Biu council said he saw it all; the environmental pollution, degradation, infections and eventual salvation of his people.

     “Before now, we, both young and old, defecated in open spaces. You could hardly trek reasonable distances without stepping on faecal deposits. We also did not have water facilities in our communities; we trekked long distances to get water from streams. As a result, most of our children could hardly get to school on time or even attend school at all because the stream was several kilometres away from our homes.

     “We shared the same streams with animals. We washed our clothes in the same stream where we fetched water for drinking and cooking. The situation became worse during the dry season, as the streams would become stagnant. The situation was pitiable,” he said.

    Worrisome open defecation situation in Nigeria

    Nigeria is ranked among the top five open defecators in the world, according to a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF.

     What is worse is that Nigeria has been in the top five open defecators’ league for the past 15 years; moving from 5th place in 2003, to 2nd place in 2015, and now 1st place in 2023.

    According to the report, 48 million Nigerians defecate on open fields, bushes, and bodies of water. It is closely followed by Ethiopia with 20 million, Indonesia with 17 million, Pakistan with 16 million, and Niger Republic with 16 million open defecators.

     Also, according to the 2021 Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: National Outcome Routine Mapping (WASHNORM) reports, in Nigeria only 102 out of 774 local government areas (13 per cent) are certified as open defecation-free (ODF).

     By implication, only 13 states have, at least one council that has attained ODF status. The 13 states and the number of their ODF councils are: Jigawa 27; Katsina 24; Kano 11; Benue, nine; Bauchi, seven; Cross River, six; Kaduna, five; Zamfara, three; Anambra, three; Borno, two; Akwa Ibom, one; Yobe, one; and Osun, one.

     Sadly, 24 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are yet to have ODF-validated councils.

     Jigawa State is the first and only state that has attained ODF status in Nigeria. Katsina State, with 24 councils that are certified ODF, is poised to achieve state-wide ODF this year, with 74 per cent coverage. Borno State, with BIU and Shani councils, is the latest entry into the league of states with at least one ODF council.

     According to the WASHNORM report, 95 million people across the country are without access to basic sanitation services. Also, 70 per cent of schools, that is, seven out of 10 schools lack access to basic sanitation services such as toilets and water, among others.

    On the issue of lack of toilets, 39 per cent of schools lack toilets. Hence, young children are forced to defecate in the open.

     Furthermore, 88 per cent of health care facilities, that is, eight in 10 health facilities are without access to basic sanitation. This is paradoxical, as health facilities are supposed to be available for safe hygiene, where patients can receive care and not fall sick by visiting them.

    With regard to the availability of toilets in health facilities across the country, 18 per cent of them lack toilets. As a result, sick people have to defecate in the open or are discouraged from seeking medical aid.

     Again, 80 per cent of markets and motor parks spread across Nigeria don’t have access to basic sanitation; hence, the high prevalence of open defecation in the society.

    Read Also: UNICEF: breastfeeding lowers risk of breast, ovarian cancers

     Sadly, six states have the highest number of people defecating in the open, according to the WASHNORM report. They are Kebbi (50 per cent), Kwara (50 per cent), Oyo (54 per cent), Kogi (56 per cent), Plateau (56 per cent) and Ebonyi (73 per cent).

    Is Nigeria on track to end open defecation by 2025?

    To end the menace of open defecation in the country, President Muhammadu Buhari, in 2018, declared a state of emergency in WASH and launched the National Action Plan to end open defecation by 2025.

     However, with less than two years to the 2025 target to end open defecation, the question is: Is the country on track to end open defecation by 2025? On this, UNICEF’s view is negative.

    The UNICEF, quoting WASH Specialist, Ogochukwu Adimorah, said: “At the current rate, Nigeria is not on track to end open defecation by 2025. We only have until 2025 to achieve this, according to the National ODF Roadmap. Therefore, we need to achieve at least 224 open defecation-free councils annually between now and 2025, or 84 councils per year until 2030.

     “In 2016, only one council was open defecation-free. In 2018, it increased to seven. In 2019, it rose to 17. In 2020, the figure increased to 44. In 2021, 72 councils were open-defecation-free, while the number increased to 100 in 2022.

     “At the current rate and trend, Nigeria is not on track to end open defecation by 2025. Using a linear forecast, Nigeria is set to achieve an ODF by 2059, that is, in 36 years from now.”

    Health, economic, other costs of open defecation

    Open defecation has a number of implications for the country, especially for health and well-being, education, nutrition, dignity and increased risks for environmental contamination and degradation and economic losses.

     Concerning health and well-being, disease such as diarrhoea, according to UNICEF, is among the top five causes of death and disabilities among children.

     Other causes are hepatitis and typhoid, among others. There is also the increased risk of cholera outbreaks with high attendant mortality and morbidity.

    Open defecation is also a major cause of hospital-acquired infections, neonatal and infant deaths, and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), according to the Global Health Estimates of 2016 by the WHO. More than 60,000 deaths occur each year in Nigeria due to poor water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). It also has implications for environmental contamination and degradation.

     In terms of nutrition, the report revealed that poor WASH causes a disease cycle leading to malnutrition and underdevelopment. In education, open defecation is linked to poor educational outcomes due to absenteeism, dropout, low productivity and poor performance.

     The WHO report further revealed that, as far as the economic effects of open defecation are concerned, about 1.3 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country, which is equivalent to (N455 billion in 2012), is lost annually due to poor access to sanitation-health, healthcare savings and productivity.

     Hence, the WHO posits that every dollar invested in water and sanitation results in economic benefits ranging from $3 to $34.

    How community ownership led Biu, Shani councils to become open defecation-free.

    A local toilet in a household in Madiya Community in Biu LGA, Borno State.jpg

     Biu and Shani councils would not have been able to achieve an open defecation-free (ODF) status without the buy-in and collective ownership of the process by the residents.

     Biu and Shani councils are estimated to have populations of 175,760 and 100,989 respectively, according to the 2006 census by the National Population Commission (NPC).

     However, based on a 2.4 per cent annual population change, City Population, a population research firm, puts the projected population of Biu and Shani councils at 275,500 and 148,000.

     As the latest entrants into the ODF “Hall of Fame” in Nigeria, the Community-led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach, which was adopted by relevant stakeholders, including the government, the UNICEF, traditional and community leaders, and the people, played a significant role in achieving the new-found hygiene status.

    According to 2021 data from the WASHNORM, while the national figure for open defecation is at 23 per cent, and the Northeast records 17 per cent, Borno State is well on its way to achieving an ODF status with only two per cent of its population, that is, about 125,318 people still practising open defecation.

      Although there is still work to be done in terms of the availability of modern hygiene and sanitation infrastructure, the presence of development partners such as the UNICEF has brought succour to the people through the installation of solar-powered water pumps and modern toilets.

     What is interesting is that while the provision of water pumps has helped the community a lot in accessing clean water for their domestic and personal needs, the continued functioning of the water pumps in terms of repairs and maintenance is strictly managed by the community.

     In a chat with The Nation, Garba Julde, who is the Secretary of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Committee (WASHCOM) in the Madiya Community, explained that his people make voluntary contributions towards the maintenance of the boreholes.

    Garba Julde, Secretary of WASHCOM in Madiya community.jpg

    He said: “I take note of every spending in our book. We started contributions in the last three years. This is for the maintenance of the borehole. At the moment, we have about N30,000 in our purse from the contributions.

     “Most of our children are healthy now. Before this intervention by UNICEF, we could have 10 children taken to the hospital for treatment. Now, for two weeks, no child will fall ill. However, we need more support.”

     Also, the Chairman of WASHCOM in Shani council, Bukar Shettima said: “We have been encouraging the people to desist from open defecation. They have largely cooperated with us. We sensitise them to the dangers of open defecation; telling them that not defecating in the open is for our own good and for our health and well-being.

    “Before now, the situation wasn’t good. We did not have access to water, even during the rainy season. But now, each household has built a toilet. We also have water pumps to help with our domestic and sanitation needs.”

     Maryam Malum, who is a community volunteer in Walama, a community in Shani council, explained that she and other volunteers regularly visit households and public places in the community to ensure that they are clean, and residents have imbibed healthy lifestyles.

     “We educate our people, especially women folk on the importance of hygiene and ensuring that toilets are clean regularly. We also educate them to wash their hands and that of their children with soap and water after using the toilets. I am happy to tell you that they have all embraced the practice,” she said.

     Aside from providing water pumps for the communities, UNICEF also trained some members of the communities as Local Area Mechanics (LAMs) for the repair and maintenance of the water pumps. These LAMs, after completion of their training, were provided with tool kits for free. This initiative created employment for them.

     They, in turn, go around the communities to fix broken boreholes and water pumps for a token, as low as N1,500.

     Abubakar Ibrahim, a LAM for the water pumps in the Walama community, said: “We charge N1,500 for maintenance. This is being subsidised through community support. However, depending on the problem, the price we charge changes. For problems involving pipes, we charge N4,500. We are six in number; four specialise in hand pump repair, and two specialise in solar-powered pumps.

    “In a week, we can repair four to five pumps, and in a month, maybe 20, depending on the level of damage.

     “We are getting blessings and economic benefits from the work we do. Once the borehole breaks down, children go to fetch water in the stream which leads to school absenteeism. Now, they don’t have to be absent from school. Also, the disease burden from drinking contaminated water in the community has reduced.”

    The councils’ strategy is simple: implement CLTS and motivate households to own and use improved toilets.

     The CLTS approach builds a business model around sanitation by creating demand for sanitation business expansion by high-performing Toilet Business Owners (TBOs). These TBOs, which are run by members of the community, are supported by the government to access loans to start and expand their businesses. Also, households that want to build toilets are helped to access loans.

     As a result, these TBOs build commercial toilets across the LGAs, create wealth and livelihood for themselves and workers, and improve the overall hygiene and sanitation of the people.

     In a chat with The Nation, a resident of the Madiya Community and TBO, Mohammed Isa said: “I started this business at the arrival of the project. Before, most of us went to the outskirts or nearby bushes to ease ourselves. With the coming of the water pump project, we were mobilised and encouraged to build toilets. When my people showed interest in building toilets, I took up the job of building, cleaning and maintaining them.

    Mohammed Isa, a resident and Toilet Business Owner in Madiya Community, Biu LGA, Borno State.

     “We don’t charge the resident for the service we provide. However, the residents come together periodically on their own to make contributions to encourage us.

     “There is a law on open defecation in my community. Anyone found urinating or defecating in the open will be arrested and fined. It is good to mention that since the law was enacted, nobody (adults) has been found wanting, except for the children who sometimes urinate and sometimes defecate in public.

     “If you want to build a toilet, you will have to spend about N100,000 per household because the challenge is the ground, it is a rock-prone area. If a person cannot afford to construct the toilet, the community can come together to assist.”

    Roles of traditional leaders, village/district heads

    Traditional leaders are not left out of the success mix, as they are one of the largest singular reasons for the abolition of open defecation in the Biu and Shani councils. Their followers and subjects believe, listen to and respect them and their opinions shape the behaviour of the people.

     Also, in Nigeria, past experiences have shown that to get the people to embrace a product, service or change in behaviour, it is best to involve traditional and religious leaders. An example is the role that traditional leaders played in the eradication of wild poliovirus in 2020.

     In a chat with reporters during a field visit to the Biu council, the Emir of Biu, Alhaji Mustapha Umar Mustapha II expressed his commitment to ensuring that the other three councils under his kingdom, which are Kwaya Kusar, Hawul and Bayo are open defecation-free.

     He said: “Personal and environmental hygiene and sanitation are not only good for the health and well-being of any person, but it is also for the spiritual good of the people.

     “I will continue to give the needed support to ensure that the remaining three local governments under my kingdom achieved the open defecation-free status. I will personally visit the areas where open defecation is still being practised. I will also use my good offices to sensitise the people to embrace and accept the good practice.”

     The Acting General Manager of Borno State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), Alhaji Baba Saad said: “Some of the key factors in the achievement of the open defecation-free status by Bui and Shani local government areas, include joint funding of projects activities between the government with UNICEF/donors; the state and councils providing an enabling policy that supports the projects.

      “The role of traditional leaders in encouraging the community members in taking ownership of the WASH facilities provided, particularly the Emir of Biu.”

    The Bulama (District Head) of Madiya Community, Julde Adamu told The Nation that he had to get the buy-in of his community for them to be able to embrace the practice of sanitation and not defecating in the open.”

      “When UNICEF came and explained to me their mission, I insisted that what they are coming to my people with is a blessing; that it is for the health of my people and improves our hygiene. After the project, I mobilised every resident to ensure that they have toilets in their houses.

     “This stopped them from going outside to either defecate or urinate. This intervention was so successful that every household was able to build a toilet. This is evident, and anyone can go and verify.

     “There were challenges on our way to achieving a clean environment. Some people were uncooperative. I had to approach the Emir of Biu, who came to intervene by giving a sanction that whoever disobeys his authorisation will be dealt with according to the law.

     “The population here is about 300 people. In building the toilets, my people did not seek support from anybody. We built the toilets on our own. The sustainability of this, therefore, lies in the unity and cooperation of my people.

     “In the past, there were outbreaks of cholera and other diseases as a result of open defecation. With this project, it has reduced drastically to almost none. We appreciate UNICEF for providing us with water pumps.”

     Also, in a chat with The Nation, the Hakimin (District Head) of Walama, Alhaji Muhammad K. Walama explained that before the solar-powered borehole intervention by UNICEF, his people would trek for more than two kilometres to get water. However, the installation of water pumps brought huge relief to his people.

  • Enhancing customers’ summer experiences through digital cards

    Enhancing customers’ summer experiences through digital cards

    For many Nigerians, the summer season signifies a time for relaxation, shopping, and the forging of indelible memories. Those who utilise their digital cards, whether domestically or internationally, online or in physical stores, find that the summer encounters they have are enduring and profoundly impactful. An increasing number of customers are recognising the potential to visit captivating destinations and conveniently conduct transactions using their cards, reports Assistant Business Editor COLLINS NWEZE

    Meeting and surpassing customers’ expectations is a defining characteristic of every successful business. This often entails a blend of innovation, creativity, and investment. Alternatively, it can be as simple as a phone call that genuinely demonstrates the company’s concern. In the case of a financial institution, it might involve offering well-suited payment cards and seamlessly efficient services, particularly during special periods like the summer season.

     For instance, to provide more value for its customers and cardholders, the United Bank for Africa created a value-driven campaign on how UBA cardholders can best achieve their desires this summer season and beyond. The cardholders, who now have different choices on where to spend their summer time vacation, said UBA cards have enabled them to make payments anywhere they go.

     The bank has equally assured customers of a memorable summer treat with the recent launch of exclusive benefits and discounts tied to its cards during this period. Tagged, the #FunSummer campaign, customers are set to enjoy a wide range of privileges and savings between now and the end of August 2023, and this service is open to all customers and non-customers of UBA.

     Unveiling the campaign in Lagos, UBA’s Group Head, Retail Products and Sales, Prince Ayewoh, said the bank understands the relevance of the summer season to Nigerians who use their cards both home and abroad. He said such arms can also be used online or in-store while the bank continues to innovate on the best ways to meet customers payment needs this summertime and beyond. “We are thrilled to introduce our summer campaign, providing our esteemed customers with remarkable benefits through the UBA card. With our exclusive discounts on staycations and lifestyle services as well as subscriptions, we aim to enhance our customers’ summer experiences and contribute to their personal growth and well-being.

     “With the UBA card, customers gain access to an array of exceptional offers. For starters, customers can now enjoy a five per cent discount when booking a staycation or availing other lifestyle services through the Aura by Transcorp Hotel app,” he noted.

     Ayewoh pointed out that UBA recognises the importance of keeping children engaged and learning during the summer holidays, which is why UBA cardholders will be entitled to enjoy a special 10 per cent discount on uLesson subscriptions, an innovative and interactive online learning platform. “With uLesson, parents can provide their children with fun and educational content, enabling them to expand their knowledge and skills while enjoying their summer break, and so I urge all our customers and non-customers to take advantage of these offers and create lasting memories this summer,” he said.

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     The summer campaign will also see customers benefit from the use of the UBA Prepaid Cards – the UBA dollar and naira prepaid card or the debit card which also comprises of debit card for a naira account, gold debit MasterCard, platinum debit MasterCard and the Visa Dual Currency Debit Card (DCDC) all of which boast of an array of benefits. The UBA card is accepted in over 210 countries of the world and is protected with second-to-none technology to ensure the security of all cardholders. Cardholders are encouraged to share their summer desires on UBA’s social media pages to qualify for amazing prizes.

    Saving cost in summer time

     Director at Countryside Services, Michael Adigun, said where the right choices are made, taking a family vacation this summer doesn’t have to break the bank. “There are lots of amazing destinations that won’t leave you penniless. From beach getaways to the museum and remarkable restaurants. You don’t need to spend a fortune to have a good time. Let’s suggest the finest budget-friendly destinations for you this summer,” he said.

     He explained that “when the suns come out and the sunscreens, sunglasses and parasols are packed and ready to go, of course, we know it’s about to be a nice summer afternoon on the beach. Summer is that time of the year that a lot of people look forward to. It literally screams, ‘Get out and go have some fun!’ Some people do this somewhere close while others pick destinations that are far away. You can go solo or with family or friends. For a family looking to go for summer holidays, here are some amazing destinations around Africa to make your summer memorable,” he added while listing destinations for excellent summer outing.

     A tour guide, based in Lagos, Roseline Aku, said Sun City, South Africa is a resort packed with fun activities for the family. She said UBA cardholders and tourists can go to the thrilling water park known as the Valley of Waves.

     Michael Stevens, a professional tour guide, said Pilanesberg National Park has a play area for kids and there’s always a lifeguard in sight to ensure that everyone is safe. “You can go on a safari at the Pilanesberg National Park. Or if your family is up for the challenge, you can go on a hot air balloon to get a bird’s eye view of the Pilanesberg Game Reserve. Kamp Kwena Camp is also another amazing place if you want to experience what camping is like. It is open to kids aged 1 to 12 years.”

     Another beautiful site for summer vacations is the Casela Nature Park, Mauritius. Experts said this beautiful Indian Ocean Island country offers unique family experiences. There are so many exciting tourist attractions in Mauritius and the Casela Nature and Leisure Park happens to be one. “This location is sure to leave an unforgettable memory with your family when you visit. You can take the kids to the petting farm where they can pet animals like tortoises or other animals that you consider to be safe for them. You can watch the diverse species of birds.”

     “This can be a great learning moment for them. Feeling like having some adrenaline rush and some screams? Then you should go tobogganing or zip lining – properly protected of course. Here is another catch, there is a kids’ playground. So, rest assured your little ones are going to have loads of fun,” they said.

     Another beautiful site is the Diani Beach, Kenya. Experts said Kenya is a beautiful country majorly known for its safari adventures, but have you been to some of the beaches? If you are considering a beach getaway for your family this vacation in Kenya, then there couldn’t be a better destination than Diani Beach. Diani Beach is one of the best beaches in Africa; it has been among the top leading beach destinations in Africa. “The beach is stunning; with white sand and clear warm waters. Your family can enjoy water activities like snorkelling, scuba diving, kayaking, and kiteboarding. You can also go on a camel ride. If you feel like adding a little wildlife adventure, you can visit the nearby Shimba Hills National Reserve,” they said.

     Martins Obi, a tourist expert, said Victoria Falls, Zambia is packed with so many exciting activities for the family. Just standing and watching the thundering waterfalls alone is a breath-taking experience. “Camping, water board rafting, helicopter flight over the waterfalls and swimming in the Devil’s Pool are some of the activities you can do at Victoria Falls. Taking a swim in the Devil’s Pool isn’t for the faint-hearted though,” he said.

     Also in the list is the Erin Ijesha Waterfalls in Osun State, which offers thrilling adventures and a close connection with nature for families. Experts said one can go hiking through the lush greenery and the sounds of rushing water to discover hidden spots and capture beautiful family photos. “The natural pools provide a safe and serene environment for families to swim, splash around, and bask in the natural beauty that surrounds them. There are tour guides available to provide cultural insights about the location.

     “This enchanting waterfall is great for family picnics if you are looking to do a day’s trip. If business or pleasure takes you to Osun State and you have some time to spare during your business trip, then you should totally squeeze this into your itinerary. You know what else can make your trip more memorable? Discounts. You can get a five per cent discount on your hotel, apartment, workspace reservations or experience when you book through Aura.”

     There is a digital platform that is handy and connects people to unique accommodation, great food and memorable experiences in Africa, yet influenced by local culture. Experts said Aura by Transcorp Hotels is also worth trying out. The online platform for booking accommodation, food and experiences, is an innovation of NGX-listed Transcorp Hotels Plc, which offers users incredible experiences and stress-free bookings amid discounts. “Aura is committed to providing people with unique homes and hotels when they are away from home. The platform is also set up to help users order great food at restaurants close to them and find things to do to make every moment memorable,” they said.

     Commenting on the significance of Aura by Transcorp Hotels, Dupe Olusola, MD/CEO, Transcorp Hotels Plc, said: “Our brands are individually distinctive and collectively powerful. We have consistently delivered world-class guest experience and excellent services across all our touch points, and impressive value to stakeholders. This is what users of Aura by Transcorp Hotels will also continue to enjoy,” Olusola said.

     Other experts said: “So, when you are getting ready, #GetSummerReddy with the right UBA digital banking solutions for ease and convenience. Book your flights and make payments with ease with UBA cards while you are on vacation. The UBA mobile app and internet banking are available round the clock to ensure that you stay on top of your money and not miss any important bill payments while you are away. So, take UBA with you to take payment hassles away.”

     The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Oliver Alawuba, said the bank’s consistent investment in strengthening its digital channels has been paying off as UBA is well-positioned to meet the growing demand of its customers across Africa and beyond. “We have invested so much in digital banking. We have great digital banking capabilities and we also have a growing customer base. Today we have over 30 million customers across various platforms and these customers are transacting. Ninety per cent of our transactions are done digitally and we are looking at 95 per cent shortly. This has been helping us to ensure that we manage our cost of operations and to deliver excellent customer service to our customers over time.”

     He explained that the bank’s foray into the larger African markets continues to yield largely for the institution, as presently, activities in the African market account for over 50 per cent of the banks’ profitability, with room for even more opportunities going forward.