The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Abuja

  • Buhari warns truck drivers against highway parking

    …..rolls-out sanction for offenders

    President Muhammadu Buhari has warned truck drivers to stay away from roadside parking on Federal highways and establish private parking lots to avoid congestion and ease vehicular mobility across the country.

    The President gave the warning at a public enlightenment forum, organized by the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing (FMPWH), on Monday in Abuja.

    The event was organized by the ministry to orientate the public and other stakeholders on recent developments in the road sector such as weigh bridges, road signage and return of the toll gates among others.

    Buhari said this became imperative to ensure huge investments in the road sector; especially capital projects raised from 15 per cent to 30 per cent achieve desired impacts as well as prevent overloading of heavy duty vehicles.

    He acknowledged the importance of good roads to achieving the economic recovery growth plan.

    His words: “The eradication of overloading on our highways will promote competitiveness in business and reduce high maintenance cost of heavy duty vehicles. I implore all vehicle fleet operators and tanker drivers to stop parking their vehicles on the federal highways, as these often causes roads to be congested and gridlocks.

    “The highways should be free at all times for safe and confortable movement of vehicles. Fleet owners should endeavor to create private parking lots for their fleets at designated locations.”

    The President emphasized that the federal government is increasing investments and resuscitating the rail sector to reduce stress on the federal road networks.

    Speaking on the restriction on weights and axle load of heavy duty goods vehicles, the President noted that the approval was to increase lifespan of the federal road networks. He noted that the new regulation is also applicable within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) sub-region.

    The President, who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Alhaji Boss Mustapha, urged the stakeholders to contribute meaningfully to enhance implementation of the existing policies and complement of other sectors.

    Earlier, the Minister, FMPWH, Babatunde Fashola lauded importance of the road projects to improving socio-economic development of the people and optimizing inherent opportunities.

    He cited instance of the Trans-Sahara highway project connecting Nigeria to Chad, Niger Republic, Tunisia, Mali and Algeria; the Lagos-Abidjan highway which runs through the Benin Republic, Togo and Ghana and the road project connecting the country to Cameroun, from Enugu through Abakaliki, Ogoja, Ikot and Ifun.

    He said the existing treaty obligations on permitted weights and axle load of heavy duty goods is such that should be obeyed.

    According to him, the treaty within the West African sub region regulates, “the amount of loads any goods vehicle can put on an axle and by extension, the amount of loads that is put on road pavement within ECOWAS region and beyond.”

    “Our compliance with this regulation will open a massive door of opportunity and prosperity of cross border trade to Nigerians who are engaged in road transport business.”

    The Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige, in his remarks expressed excitements over the road projects stressing that it would reduce the rate of strike actions from labour unions. He decried poor inclusive planning by previous administrations.

    Director of Highway, FMPWH, Engr. Chukwunike Uzor, explained need for truck drivers to maintain the permissible axle load for their vehicles.

    “The maximum tons for six axles vehicle is 51 tons. For the normal six axles is 18 tons. So we are not only worried about the total weight of what you are carrying but you have ensure you distribute it well,” he said.

    At the weigh bridges station, he explained that the excess goods will be offloaded while the offender pays fine of 1 million above the legal limit.

    “It graduates like that to the maximum fine of about 10 million. So I don’t know what you are carrying that if they fine you 10 million, you will still make a profit. We are not doing it to make revenue for government but to make the infrastructure last,” he added.

  • Nigerian Pensioners set to establish own hospital, TV and radio station

    The Nigeria Union of Pensioners is to establish an hospital to take care of the health need of pensioners and their family in the country, National President of the Union, Dr. Abel Afolayan has said.

    Dr. Afolayan spoke just as the Executive Secretary of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), Barrsiter Sharon Ikeazor announced that the Directorate was in talks with the National Health Insurance Scheme to capture pensioners in the health insurance scheme.

    Retired workers are automatically removed from the health insurance scheme, but PTAD is of the view that the pensioners need the Scheme more when they retire in view of their fray nature.

    The NUP President who spoke in Abuja said when established, the hospital will provide comprehensive health coverage for members of the union and their families as well as other unions and Nigerians.

    He said the union is also planning to establish a radio and television station to serve as a tool of easily reaching out to its members and serve as a pressure tool to constantly engage the government and enlighten members if the public on pension matters.

    He sought the assistance of development partners and other stakeholders in actualizing the projects which he said will be of immense benefit to members of the union and their families.

    He appeal to the government and security agents in the country to do everything humanly possible to ensure the safe return of the school girls adopted by insurgents from the Government Science School, Dapchi, Yobe state.

    Executive Secretary of PTAD, Barrister Sharon Ikeazor said one of her priority in the agency is to ensure that pensioners get the desired attention, especially in the area of health coverage, pointing out that it was out place for retirees to be removed from the National Health Insurance Scheme.

    She also disclosed that the agency is working hard to clear the balance of the 33 percent pension arrears before the end of the year, while computing the data of pensioners who have so far been verified for inclusion into the pension data base.

    She said plans are under way to establish an office in Damaturu, the Yobe state capital to take care of the need of pensioners  in the north east in line with the current administration’s determine to ensure the welfare of pensioners across the country.

  • Phone thief bags 3 months in Abuja

    A phone thief, Passat Okike, is to spend the next 90 days in prison, a Karmo Grade 1 Area Court ruled in Abuja on Thursday.

    The judge, Alhaji Abubakar Sadi, who gave the verdict, said he hoped the sentence would serve as a deterrent to others.

    He, however, gave the convict an option of N5,000 fine.

    Okike, who resides at CBN Quarters, Utako, Abuja, was arraigned on a charge of theft to which he pleaded guilty.

    Read Also: Man jailed two years for stealing phones

    In his plea before the court, he urged the court to temper justice with mercy.

    Prosecutor Zannan Dalhatu had told the court that the complainant, Mr Ozuneigbo Goodness, reported the case at Utako Police Station on March 11.

    He said the accused stole a Techno phone valued at N10,000.

    He said during police investigation, the accused had confessed to the crime, but that efforts to recover the phone from him were unsuccessful.

    The offence contravened Section 288 of the Penal Code.

    NAN

  • Ablaze FC wins Bayern youth cup tournament

    Ablaze FC of Lagos over the weekend emerged winners of the FC Bayern Youth Cup Tournament after a 1-0 victory over Sporting Dreams of Abuja in a tightly contested final played in Abuja.

    The game took place at Aduvie international school and witnessed a large turnout by participating teams and spectators alike who came out in their numbers to support the youngsters.

    At the end of the competition, 10 players were selected from 6 teams to form the team who would represent Nigeria in the world finals in Munich, Germany come May 2018.

    Speaking on the development, the Chief Executive Officer of StarTimes Nigeria, Justin Zhang hailed the tenacity of the boys who defied the blazing heat of the day to battle for the top spot in the keenly contested competition. According to Zhang, “StarTimes is proud to be a part of the competition and it makes us pleased to be supporting the dreams and aspirations of these players to play international football.”

    Also speaking, the Country Director, VOE Foundation, Victor Edeh commended all contesting teams in the competition noting that it had been a rewarding experience for the teams and it was now time to buckle up and prepare to face other winners from various parts of the world.

    The next phase of the competition will be hosted in Germany this May, where teams from 7 countries drawn from Asia, Europe and America would all converge at Bayern Munich to battle it out for the world finals.

  • JAMB directs UTME candidates to check results online

    The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board ( JAMB ) has directed candidates who have taken the 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations ( UTME ) to visit the board’s website for their results.

    The Head of Media of the Board, Dr Fabian Benjamin, gave the directive at a news conference on Tuesday in Bwari, Abuja.

    Benjamin said that the results had been scrutinised and released on its website, www.jamb.org.ng, adding that such candidates were free to visit the Board’s website for their results.

    He also explained that the results would be released in batches to enable candidates who have already taken the examination to check them.

    Read Also: Biometrics compulsory for UTME candidates, says JAMB

    Our reporter,  reports that JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is’haq Oloyede, recently said that unlike the 2017 exercise, the Board would not release the results of the 2018 examinations immediately until after two or three days.

    This, he stated, was not because the Board was incapable of releasing them immediately but that results must undergo review and total scrutiny to avoid multiple cancellation of candidates’ results. The 2018 UTME began on Friday and is scheduled to finish on Saturday.

    NAN

  • Proposed Army University in Borno to reduce youth restiveness – Minister

    Proposed Army University in Borno to reduce youth restiveness – Minister

    The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Hajiya Khadijat Abba-Ibrahim, said on Friday that the  proposed Nigerian Army University in Borno State would  go a long way in reducing  youth restiveness in the region.

    The minister spoke when she received the proposed university’s implementation committee led by Maj- Gen. Lawal Faskari in Abuja.

    The institution, according to her, university would provide more opportunities for young people to acquire tertiary education in the region.

    She commended army for the initiative and promised to give necessary support for the actualisation of the university.

    The leader of the university implementation committee told the minister that the team’s visit was to solicit her support and cooperation of the Federal Executive Council.

    Faskari said that the proposed university to be located in Biu, Borno, would offer admission to both military and civilians.

    He stressed the need for the host community to provide an enabling environment for its take off.

  • Kudos for Rosemary’s 2018 Fusion Showcase in Abuja

    Stakeholders in the furnishing and interior décor industry, such as facility managers, hoteliers and estate developers, have commended Rosemary’s – the soft furnishing company, for successfully holding its 2018 Fusion Showcase in Abuja.

    Rosemary’s Group MD/CEO Ezinne Kufre-Ekanem said, “it has been two amazing days of fun and connection with Abuja. Abuja has really made us happy with the connection and open mindedness. It is very rewarding to see that so many ideas resonate with so many people despite the diversity of visitors we had at the 2018 Fusion Showcase”.

    She explained that the decision to adopt a flexible open day approach for the 2018 Fusion Showcase was rooted in the vision and house style of the 15-year-old company. According to her, “our vision at Rosemary’s is to create and provide furnishing that’s perfect for living spaces.

    “We believe in offering soft, simple and beautiful furnishing, so the event had to tick all three boxes so that our customers could attend at any time in the day and not miss any action. We are happy it worked out at the end. We had hoteliers, estate developers, facility managers and families join us in Gwarimpa as we showcased a fusion of items in ultra violet,”she said.

    Doosuur Okorie, the Abuja Operations Manager of Rosemary’s, said: “We are very grateful to all our visitors, clients and friends for joining us at the Fusion Showcase. This was a real privilege for my team and myself.”

    Rosemary’s is a niche-focused, passion-driven home comfort company specialising in soft furnishing and interior designs.

     

  • Aisha Buhari to Boko Haram, others: Leave our Daughters Alone

    Aisha Buhari to Boko Haram, others: Leave our Daughters Alone

    Wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Buhari has charged perpetrators of abductions and various harmful practices against women and girls to stop forthwith.

    She was speaking during an event to mark the 2018 International Women’s Day, on Thursday, March 8, 2018 at the National Center for Women Development, Abuja.

    Mrs. Buhari, in a statement by her Director of Information, Suilaman Haruna, observed that for Nigeria, the day must be marked with a difference considering the sad incidence of the abduction of girls, especially the case of Chibok and Dapchi, which must take the national spotlight.

    “As a mother, I share the sorrow and agony of the parents at this time, it is my sincere hope that efforts by government will soon lead to their release.” She said.

    She introduced a local theme tagged “Leave our daughters alone” which she said, is a strong call for the end of abductions, charging the media to own the campaign and spread the message.

    She also charged wives of the Governors to propagate the campaign in their various states, stating that the message must echo through all corners of Nigeria and be on everyone’s lips.

    “Leave our daughters alone, leave our daughters alone, leave our daughters alone” she charged.

    Speaking earlier, wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo, while congratulating women as they celebrate the special day, said it is sad that Nigerian women were witnessing the worst of times because of many negative things that are happening.

    She however noted that at the same time they are also witnessing the best of times in many respects.

    This, she said, is because there are many good stories happening around women.

    Director-General of the National Center for Women Development, Barrister Mary Ekpere-Eta, said this year, there was an unprecedented global movement for women’s rights, equality and justice.

    She said sexual harassment, violence and discrimination against women has captured public discourse, propelled by a rising determination for change, which she noted were instrumental to the declaration by the Wife of the President on the harmful practices affecting women and girls in Nigeria.

    She drew attention to the plight of rural women, who despite their hard work lack basic infrastructure and services, decent work and social protection, and are left more vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

    She called for urgent action to reverse this trend and ensure better life for the rural women.

    Goodwill messages were delivered by UNICEF, UN Women, UNFPA and a host of others.

    Highlight of the event was an exhibition of women’s business products.

     

  • SDGs: Buhari’s Aide calls for improved women empowerment

    SDGs: Buhari’s Aide calls for improved women empowerment

    Nigeria can only attain Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), if  women are empowered, it was learnt on Thursday.

    This is contained in a statement in Abuja by the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on SDGs, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire as part of ways to celebrate International Women’s Day.

    She also noted that the goals would be achieved faster if gender perspective is mainstreamed into the national development plan.

    She called on all stakeholders to show more commitment in supporting the course of women and shun all forms of violence against women to engender an equitable society.

    Read Also: Int’l Women’s Day: Obaseki harps on inclusive policies

    Orelope-Adefulire also stated that the importance of women empowerment led to the decision of global leaders to recognise gender equality as a stand-alone goal in the post-2015 development agenda.

    According to her: “Nigeria is a signatory to many international conventions targeted at improving gender equality.”

    Some of the declarations the country is a signatory to are: “Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Addis Ababa Declaration on the Elimination and Prevention of all forms of Violence Against Women and Girls, Millennium Declaration, and Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.”

  • Kachikwu: Harmonized PIGB to be ready next month

    Kachikwu: Harmonized PIGB to be ready next month

    …Nigeria loses $275b to non passage of PIB – CSO

    The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Dr. Ibe Kachikwu on Thursday said following the commitment and disposition of the National Assembly, it has become obvious that the harmonized Petroleum Industry Governance Bill will be ready by next month.

    The Consultant to the National Assembly Committee on Petroleum Resources Upstream, Dr. Francis Adigwe had revealed to the Roundtable on the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill organized by the Nigeria Natural Resource Charter (NNRC) and the Media Initiative for Transparency in Extractive Industries (MITEI) in Abuja that “there is little to harmonize. It is not going to be a complex job except that the budget is taking time now.”

    Responding, the representative of the minister, Mr. Adegbite Adeniji expressed hope that the bill would see the light of the day earlier than the August that the ministry had expected.

    His words: “At the point of harmonization, we have heard from him (Adigwe), a member of the committee that almost certainly by the end of this month that work will be completed. I even said June but from what I am hearing, which means the bill is done.

    “This means by next month perhaps the bill will be ready. The harmonized bill will be ready. I think we are getting to the dying minute of this whole process.”

    He had earlier noted that when in force, the law will insulate the regulator from interference, stressing that there is need for independence of the regulator.

    Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) , Waziri Adio noted that the battle for the enactment of the PIGB has reached a stage that the stakeholders cannot afford to allow it elapse.

    The consultant to the organization, Dr. Garuba Dauda, who represented him pointed out that NEITI, is committed to making sure that “we are able to get a law before they pack up the 8th National Assembly.”

    Read Also: Kachikwu: Nigeria needs $100b oil investments

    The NNRC Program Coordinator, Tengi George-Ikoli disclosed that Nigeria has lost $275 billion as a result of the non-passage of the bill into law.

    “Let me just say that Nigeria has lost over $275billion to the inability to passage Petroleum Industry Bill into law since it was proposed 20 years ago,” she said.

    She urged President Muhammadu Buhari to assent the bill upon the passage of the harmonized version as it would aid the passage of the Oil Company part of Petroleum Industry Bill.

    On the essence of the Roundtable, the METEI National Coordinator, Comrade Collins Olayinka explained that “we thought that as journalists we cannot be passive reporters. We think that the PIGB will witness challenges that is why we put this forum together. Time to develop our capacity is now.”

    In his presentation titled, “Critical Petroleum Sector Reforms Proposed by the PIGB Transition Process Process Post-PIGB” Prof. Wumi Iledare, said that the nation depends on oil and gas for 90% of its revenue yet it contributes less than 10% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a result of bad governance, lack of rule of law, transparency and participation.

    He said to change the situation, there is a need for policy but a policy is useless if there is no legislative backing.

    The summary of the key changes in the bill are roles, accountability, governance and transparency and meritocracy for appointment.

    He submitted that “there is going to be competition. Whether you are going to become the GMD, they will send names that are competed; they will send names that will be interviewed as to how you are going to meet these key challenges.”

    He submitted that the President may not have any excuse to withhold assent to the bill, which contents are in line with the document already ratified by the Federal Executive Council.