The Nation Newspaper

Tag: boards

  • New Lagos power law to give autonomy to agencies, boards

    •Assembly holds public hearing on bill

    THE proposed amendment of the Lagos State electricity power law will grant some measure of autonomy or independence to agencies and boards concerned with power from the supervising power ministry, it was learnt yesterday.

    This is one of the major provisions of the bill to amend the power sector law for which a public hearing was held yesterday at the Lateef Jakande Auditorium, Assembly complex, Alausa, Ikeja.

    The title of the bill is: ‘A Bill for a Law to Amend the Lagos State Electric Power Sector Reform Law, 2018’.

    Section 3 (2) of the new bill states: “The agencies and boards under the ministry are independent of the ministry”.

    For now only Ibile Oil and Gas Corporation and Lagos State Electricity Board will enjoy this independence though it is not limited to them.

    The amendment also states that: “For the purpose of the Embedded Power Scheme, any ministry, department or agency of the state may provide indemnities to the Embedded Power Provider and Feedstock Merchants subject to the approval of the House”.

    The law also establishes a Power Fund Management Company and “all applicable sum shall be paid into a designated bank account” to be managed by the company.

    A new Section 50(2) has also been created, which states that any distribution company that contravenes the provisions of the law commits an offence “and its managing director shall be liable to imprisonment for two (2) years and the company shall be liable to a fine of N100,000,000.00 only”.

    In his welcome address, Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, who was represented by his deputy, Wasiu Eshilokun-Sanni, said there was need to address the challenges of electricity.

    He said: “Almost all the industries at Oba Akran have all gone due to high cost of production.

    “It is to make the law more elegant and more potent. It is to free the energy from bureaucratic bottlenecks so that the board does not rely on Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources so that it can move with high speed.”

    Answering questions from reporters after the public hearing, Chairman, House Committee on Energy and Mineral Resources, Folajinmi Mohammed, said the essence of the public hearing is to engage stakeholders on the proposed amendment.

    “The essence is to make sure there are no bureaucracies in respect to how MDAs under the Power Ministry function; it is our bid to allow for the independent to certain extent for the MDAs to function without having several recourses to the ministry supervising them.”

     

  • Calls for return of marketing boards heighten

    Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai and the Emir of Zazzau,  Dr. Shehu Idris, have advocated the return of produce marketing boards.

    To them, it will  assist farmers to have value for their products andn the proper evaluation of crop prices.

    They made the call at the inuaguration of the Sunseed Feed Mills, Oil Mills and the G. K. Chanrai Memorial Hospitals Complex, Zaria, Kaduna State.

    In a statement made available to The Nation, they lamented the absence of produce marketing boards, saying that the situation had left  farmers at the mercy of middlemen. They also stressed the need for the  boards to enable farmers make profit.

    According to el-Rufai, the mill will not only add value to the diversification agenda of his administration, but also assist in creating jobs for the teaming youth.

    He  urged foreign and local investors to take advantage of the huge incentives, including favourable business environment in the state.

    He charged them to invest in areas that will complement the employment generation initiative of the state.

    Sunseeds Feed Mills and Oil Mills Ltd Managing Director Mr. Tarun Das commended the state for creating an enabling environment for investors. He extolled el-Rufai’s virtues, describing him as very amiable and a man with “listening ears, and a motivator for excellent results.

    Kewalram Chanrai Group Deputy Managing Director Mr. Victor Eburajolo reiterated the group’s commitment to using its  projects to  help Nigerians secure a more prosperous future by increasing household incomes and employment.

    According to him, Sunseed Feed Mills and Oil Mills will create a network  that  will  nurture competitive small and medium enterprises, expand trade and promote a vibrant agricultural sector.

    Eburajolo said the group, which was established 110 years ago, has   grown from assembling Chevrolet cars, trucks, motor bikes and tricycles at its Apapa-Oshodi Express Way, Lagos headquaters to other ventures.

    The Group, according to him, has interests in textiles, automobiles, agriculture and oil milling, among others.

    He said  Sunseed Nigeria, Zaria is one of the companies under the Group. Sunseed Feed Mill ,  multi billion Naira investment  on  25 acres, specialises in the manufacturing of various animal feed products. It employs  about  500 people.

  • NAAT calls for dissolution of tertiary institutions’ boards

    The National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) has called for the dissolution of boards of governing councils of universities and other tertiary institutions.

    In a communiqué at the end of its 30th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, NAAT urged President Muhammadu Buhari to dissolve the governing boards of the federal tertiary institutions whose tenures had expired as well as those boards that are incompetent and corrupt.

    The communiqué, by its General Secretary, Comrade Iyoyo Hamilton, NAAT said the President should dissolve the boards and replace them with competent members who are conversant with such institutions.

    The association also advised the Federal Government to be more proactive in tackling recession in the country so that Nigeria can quickly come out of it.

    “Government may do so by providing the enabling environment for stable economy, and encourage more investment in the agricultural and solid mineral sectors,” the communiqué said.

    NAAT also reinstated its full support for the implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) in the university system, saying that those university managements who are vehemently opposing its implementation within the system are doing so because of corruption.

    Comrade Suleiman said the association supports the TSA because the policy will curb corruption, saying that was why some corruptly inclined officers within the system kicked against its implementation.

  • Kogi: Bello dissolves boards, parastatals

    Kogi: Bello dissolves boards, parastatals

    Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello on Friday ordered the dissolution of government boards and parastatals.

    The governor who issued the directive through his Chief of Staff, Mr. Edward Onoja, ordered all political appointees, members of boards and parastatals to handover to the immediate most senior officers in their offices with immediate effect in their respective offices.

    This he said has become imperative to enable the new government commence the restructuring of the boards and parastatals where necessary, as well as take stock of the state of the boards with a view to commence the process of repositioning them through new hands for efficiency and service to the people.

    The directive however does not affect three statutory boards and the state Accountant General.

    The boards not affected are: Judicial Service Commission, Civil Service Commission and the, State Independent Electoral Commission.

  • Agencies, boards dissolved

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has dissolved all its agencies and boards of parastatals in accordance with directive from the Federal Government.

    The directive was contained in a circularý signed by the Head of Service of the Federation and dispatched to all the affected agencies and parastatals.

    This was disclosed in a press statement signed by Assistant Director/ Chief Press Secretary to the FCT, Muhammad Sule.

    It read in part: “In compliance with the directive of the Federal Government on the dissolution of Boards, Agencies, Institutions and Government owned Companies, all Boards of the FCT Parastatals and Agencies stand dissolved.

    “It may be recalled that the FCT Administration had earlier conveyed the content of the Dissolution Circular signed by the Head of Service of the Federation to the affected FCT Parastatals and Agencies on Friday, July 24, 2015 with a reminder on Monday, August 3, 2015 to hand over all Government properties and documents in their disposal.

    “Accordingly, the Permanent Secretary, Engr. John Obinna Chukwu, FNSE, has further directed that the Directors of Administrations and Finance (DAF) in all the Mandate Secretariats should ensure strict compliance with the directive of Mr. President.

    “The FCT Administration will take appropriate measures against any official who flout the Federal Government’s directives.”

     

     

  • Ambode dissolves boards

    Ambode dissolves boards

    •Appoints Accountant-General

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday approved the dissolution of all boards of parastatals and agencies of government.

    A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Habib Aruna, said the dissolution is to take immediate effect.

    However, the Civil Service Commission, Judicial Service Commission and the State Independent Electoral Commission were exempted.

    The governor praised the modest contributions of the members of the dissolved boards, just as he wished them well in their future endeavours.

    Ambode has approved the appointment of Mrs. Abimbola Shukrat Umar as the Accountant General and the Permanent Secretary, State Treasury Office.

    Mrs. Umar was the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

    A holder of a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Economics (1983) from the University of Ibadan and Masters of Science in Corporate Governance (2013) from Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, United Kingdom, Mrs Umar is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria and Nigeria Economic Society.

    She spent over 15 years in the private sector, particularly with the renowned KPMG (International) before joining the Lagos State Civil Service as Chief Accountant in 2002.

  • NBA faults ‘secret’ composition of govt boards, parastatals

    The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has criticised the secrecy applied in the composition of some boards of parastals, saying sometimes due process is not followed.

    It said most Federal Government boards and agencies are statutorily mandated to have various stakeholders represented to always ensure compliance with the law, rules and regulations.

    The NBA said rather than follow the requirements, some boards, commissions and parastatals remain shrouded in secrecy.

    The association said for instance, certain statutes require the NBA as an institution to send nominees to such boards, but it has not been receiving such invitations.

    NBA President Augustine Alegeh (SAN), while inaugurating a committee on boards and parastatals to determine which ones the association is statutorily entitled to a representation, said some of the agencies “have turned NBA positions to their personal estates.”

    Alegeh also set up a committee to review NBA’s Constitution to address the rancor associate with its election.

    “The amendments to our constitution to introduce e-voting and other changes would be given priority and dealt with speedily with the hope that the system would be operational and members made conversant with its working long before the 2016 national elections.

    “In the light of the approval of uniform Bye Laws for NBA Branches, it would be advisable for the provision of e-voting to be contained in the Uniform Bye Laws to afford Branches the opportunity to implement e-voting and be conversant with its operations before the national elections,’’ Alegeh said.

     

  • Censors Board raids markets for illegal films

    Censors Board raids markets for illegal films

    THOUSANDS of allegedly unclassified movies have been forcefully ejected from the shelves of erring marketers. The National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), who carried out the raid in various parts of Lagos were on hand with members of the Nigeria Police Force. The raids which were meant to enforce the Board’s classification decisions took the group to areas such as Obalende, Lekki, Victoria Island, Marina, Oke Aarin, Broad Street, Ikoyi, TBS, Oke-Sunna, Adeniji and Ebute Ero.

    Movies seized and confiscated were mainly multiple-in-one local and foreign titles which were neither censored nor classified by the Board before being sold by the filmmakers. Most of them were found to be pornographic and indecent exposure films. Some of the titles include: Calabar Girl, Calabar Connection, Club Girls Parts 1 & 2, Woman to Woman Parts 1&2, Thanks for Coming Parts 1&2, Efia, The School Girl 1&2, College Girl 1&2, Girls on Fire 1&2.

    Investigations carried out by the Board’s surveillance team trace the major source of the unclassified and uncensored pornographic films to the popular Alaba International Market. Some of the sellers arrested confessed that the producers of some of the movies have their offices within Alaba market.

    NFVCB’s Head of Operations for South West Zone, Mrs. Bola Athar, who led the team, noted that there is no hiding place for those engaged in selling of unclassified and pornographic movies, as the Board is out to get rid of them. According to her, the Acting Director General, Ms. Patricia Bala has zero-tolerance for illegal movies, and she has pledged to rid the market of them all. Bala, it would be recalled recently visited the censorship agency and other authorities in Ghana on the need to rid both countries of unauthorized movies.

  • Jonathan constitutes boards of 15 fed teaching hospitals

    Jonathan constitutes boards of 15 fed teaching hospitals

    President Goodluck Jonathan has approved the constitution of the boards of the 15 Federal Government-owned university teaching hospitals:

    The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim said the date for the inauguration of the boards will be announced soon.

    Alhaji Shuaibu Oyedokun, heads the board of the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria,while the members are:Dr. (Mrs.) Mary Paninga,Makanjuola Ogundipe, Dr. Princewill Chike, Dr. Ishiaka Salman, and Dr. Mairo Mandara Member

    The board of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano is headed by Dr. Samaila Saidu Sambawa, Chairman with Col. David Imauze (Rtd), Dr. Dennis Ekumaninkama, Ali Tukur Gantsa, Dr. Shah Azuh Okorie and Mr. Adindu Alex Eze as members.

    The other boards are:Otubor Okhae Teaching Hospital, Irrua- Bobolayefa Debekeme (Chairman), Dr.( Mrs) Esugie Abebe, M. Zakariya Lagu and Dr. Mrs. Dorcas Onuminya, Mr. Ann Alu and Dr. Fidelis Babep;Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile Ife-Mathew Urhoghide (Chairman), Dr. Basir Sule, Mrs. Funke Victoria Emmanuel, Alhaji Zubairu Abdul-Hamid, Dr. George Okpagu, and Mrs Patricia O. Aina

    University of Calabar Teaching Hospital – Dr. Steve Oru (Chairman);Senator Umar Tafida, Engr. Umar Mohammed Goni, Alh. S. Ola Apena, Prof Stanley Okolo, and Dr. Ekuma Orji-Uzor;University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital-Dr. Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosumu (Chairman), Mrs. Joyce Bozimo, .Hon. Ishola Balogun Fulani, Chief Henry Ikechukwu Ikoh, Dr. Marksen Amaegbe, and Pharm. Dan Onwu;University Teaching Hospital, Benin-Has Major General A.B. Mamman,(Chairman) Zakariya’u Galadima, Hon. Ayobami G. Ola-Oluwa, Gabriel Oyaderrekumo Yabaka, Dr. Ifeanyi Nwobodo, Mrs Comfort Otera Chigbue;University Teaching Hospital, Enugu- Dr. Udeogu Chudi Job (Chairman), Dr. Ade Dosunmu, Mr. Ibe Ejiogu, Charles Nwigbo, Prof. S.K. Gyoh, and Mr. Ekpeyong Oku Ita;University Teaching Hospital, Ibadan-Col. Austin Okwudiri Akobundu (Rtd) (Chairman), Alh. Bello Dange, Alh. Ladi Hassan, Prof. Simon Ogamdi, and Prof O.A. Ashiru;University College Teaching Hospital, Lagos- Dr. Segun Ogundimu ( Chairman), Dr. Valentine Attah, Dr. L.M. Soni, Pharm. Samaila Burga, Dr. Mike Ileka and Dr. N.D. Ukaegbu.

    Others includeUniversity Teaching Hospital, Jos- Prof. Emmanuel Ameh (Chairman), Prof. Margaret Lodam, Elder Joju Fadairo, Lyndia Ikiomoton, Elder V.V. Mowoe and Prof. Emmanuel Adekeye;University Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri- Dr. Willy Inoma Ogbeide (Chairman), Sen. Hassan Nasiha, Dr. Michael Jimeta, Dr. Vincent Ushie, Prof. Isa Hussanini, and Mr. A. C.Adiele;Usman Dan Fodio University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto- Hon. Simon Yunusa Dogari (Chairman), Nuru Mohammed Dankadai, Mr. Bode Obanla, Chief Obinna Ogba, Prof. Sadiq Wali and Dr. Lawal Jato Zarami;Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital, Nnewi- Professor Ivara Esu (Chairman), Barr. Laila Buhari, Mallam Yunus Abdulrahman, Barr. Frank Ejike Oranusi, Dr. Hassana Darma and Dr. S. O. Ebigwei;University Teaching Hospital, Ilorin- Mrs Olajumoke Anifowoshe (Chairman),Alh. Sani Saidu Fago, Muh’d H. Envulanza, Anthony O. Vewham, Dr. Mike Ogbalu and Otunba Solomon Oladunni.

    Each of the boards also has the following institutional representatives:The Chief Medical Director of the Hospital, Federal Ministry of Health, Senate of the AssociateUniversity ,Dean of the Medical School or the Provost,College of Medicine of the associate University, Ministry of Health of the State in which the Teaching Hospital is situated, Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee of the Hospital concerned, Vice- Chancellor of the associate University.

    Also constituted was the board of theNational Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC) which is headed by Prof John Ibru.

    The members are: Paul Enebeli,Tukur Sarki Fada,Dr. Mrs. Bolanle Njoku, Permanent Secretary ,Federal Ministry

    of Health, Director General/Chief Executive of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development,Director General , Standards Organisation of Nigeria,Chairman , Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Pharmaceutical Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria,Chairman of the Pharmacist Board of Nigeria, Food Beverages Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria,Director General , National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control.

  • Govt names boards for NPA, CAC, NIMASA, TCN

    Govt names boards for NPA, CAC, NIMASA, TCN

    President Goodluck Jonathan has approved boards of directors for three agencies of the Federal Government.

    They are the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). Members of a supervisory board for the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) were also named

    According to a statement by Secretary to the Government of Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Chief Tony Anenih returns as chairman of the NPA

    Other members of the NPA board are Mrs. Florence Ita-Giwa, Hon. Hamza Dan Mahawi, Sen. Lekan Mustapha, Alhaji Aminu Baba Danagundi, Mr. Austin Enyonnia Cosmos and a representative of the Ministry of Transport.

    Lt. Col Agbu Kefas (rtd) is chair of NIMASA board with Ibrahim Mark,

    Alhaji Hassan Baba, Alhaji Aliyu Usman, a representative of the Ministry of Transport, a representative of the Ministry of Labour, and a representative of the Navy, as members.

    Mr. Funsho Lawal is Chairman of the board of CAC. Members are Alhaji Sanusi Maijama’a, (Representative of NACCIMA), Mr. Okoro Osita Franklin (Representative of. NBA), Chief Mrs. Elizabeth Omereson, (Representative of ICAN), and Dr. Ausbeth. Ajagu, (Representative of .MAN)

    Edosa Aigbekeen, (Representative of SEC), N. Salma-Mann, (Representative of Ministry of Trade and Investment), Prof. Adedeji Adekunle (Rep. Min of Justice) and Representative of the Federal Ministry of Finance.

    Mr. Hamman Tukur is the chair of the TCN Supervisory Board while former Skye Bank Managing Director Akinsola Akinfemiwa, (Vice-Chairman). Members are: Director of Human Resources Management, Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE), Representative of the Coordinating Minister for the Economy/ Minister of Finance, Director of Power, Federal Ministry of Power, A Commissioner from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Representative of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Representative of the Generation

    Companies (GENCOS), Representative of the Distribution Companies (DISCOS).