The Nation Newspaper

Tag: bureau

  • Conduct Bureau directs Fayemi, others to declare assets

    Conduct Bureau directs Fayemi, others to declare assets

    Director, Code of Conduct Bureau in Ekiti State, Mr. Akinfolarin Feyisola,  has directed Governor Kayode Fayemi to declare his “end of tenure assets” unfailingly before the expiration of his tenure.

    Feyisola, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, said the directive also affected the outgoing deputy governor and other political office-holders.

    He said all the affected public officers had been duly informed.

    The bureau chief said it was mandatory for every political office-holderto declare their assets when coming and leaving office.

    He added that defaulters would be dragged before the Code of Conduct Tribunal for contravening the law.

    According to him, some of the officers had started collecting the assets declaration forms after receiving the reminder of the constitutional provision.

    The director said the current closure of all courts in the state was a challenge for those who had filled their forms, but have nowhere to swear affidavit or do other court processes.

    Feyisola advised those who are yet to collect or complete their assets forms to do so immediately, while awaiting the re-opening of the courts.

  • BPE: Electricity fixed charge is temporary

    The Director-General (DG), Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Benjamin Ezra Dikki, said that the fixed charge paid by consumers  will be  stopped as soon as power generation increases.

    Speaking on a Radio Nigeria Live/Phone-in Programme-Radio Link,  the DG appealed to consumers to exercise patience.

    He said the country has an installed power capacity of 6,000 megawatts but was generating  only about 4,000 megawatts. He said revenues from the 3,000 megawatts were not sufficient to support power infrastructure.

    “When power generation increases, the fixed charge will go,” he maintained.

    According to him, it is the initial sacrifice consumers had to make given the huge financial investment made by the new power investors who are yet to obtain adequate returns on their investments.

    Dikki said like what obtained at the initial stages of the reform in the telecoms sector, when the cost of the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards and telephone handsets was as  high as N50,000 per SIM  but has now crashed to free SIMs with air time, “the electricity fixed charge will also crash”.

    On complaints of non-availability of meters, the BPE helmsman said the government was addressing the issue as the Presidency had approved N33 billion  low interest intervention fund to support the Distribution Companies (DISCOs) to buy meters and other electric power accessories. He pointed out that Nigeria requires three million meters yearly.

    Dikki debunked allegations of lack of transparency in the privatisation of Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KEDC) and the picture created of a conflict between Geometrics Power Group and Interstate Electrics Ltd, the core investor of Enugu Distribution Company.

    On KEDC, he said the reserved bidder could only be invited to step in if the preferred bidder failed to pay.

    He added that the preferred bidder was paid the balance of 75 per cent of the bid price after an initial payment of 25 per cent within the stipulated time. The DG said it was wrong for anybody to call for the revocation of the sale as the process had to complete before reversion to the reserved bidder would be made.

    On Geometrics, Dikki explained that it has a 20-year contract with the Enugu Distribution Company to supply power to the Aba and Ariaria districts. He said: “Both parties are aware of this but it baffles me when people go out to deliberately distort the facts. We don’t understand the hue and cry that Geometrics is short-changed in the transaction.”

    Dikki noted that the reforms  by the privatisation agency had impacted positively on the  economy. He added that the Bureau intends to focus on the transport sector in the next phase of the reforms, ading that the sector contributes about 30 per cent to the cost of doing business in Nigeria.

  • New Osun has emerged, says Bureau

    New Osun has emerged, says Bureau

    A combination of modern educational facilities, new network of roads, better structured environment and empowered citizenry have led to the emergence of a new Osun under the administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

    This was the conclusion of the Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Office of the Governor in a statement.

    The Bureau said the peoplehave seen remarkable difference in the rot inherited by the current administration on November 27, 2010 and what the state has become in terms of social amenities, motivation of the people and above all, restoration of peace.

    This was just as Architects in Nigeria under the aegis of the Nigeria Institute of Architects (NIA) described Osun’s urban renewal as a good template to cause peer-review with other states of the federation.

    During a meeting with the governor last weekend, the architects said the various restructurings taking place throughout the state showed that the administration is poised for the birth of a new society.

    The Bureau, in a statement by the Director, Semiu Okanlawon, noted that the completion of at least 39 mega schools, completion of almost 800 kilometres of roads across the state, creation of better environment for healthier living, empowerment of the various strata of the society have created a strong sense of newness in all spheres of life.

    “So, 39 schools containing over 1,700 classrooms with modern facilities have been concluded. However, more than that figure has reached near completion stages and would soon be put to use by the pupils for whom they are targeted.

    “If you place that side by side the huge network of newly built, inter-city and intra-city roads already completed, there is no doubt that this government has created a new Osun which is a source of attraction to people. Osun now offers a more conducive atmosphere for business and pleasure more than any other time in its 22 years of creation.

    “As the state with the least unemployment rating, the highest public school enrolment figures in Nigeria and as the 7th largest economy in Nigeria, Osun no doubt has transformed from its old self to a modern state with great potentials for more growth.”

    The Nigerian Institute of Architects has said it was in the state to understudy Osun’s urban renewal of the government with a view to recommending it to other parts of Nigeria.

    NIA President who was represented by the body’s 2nd Vice president, Adibe Njoku said: “The Executive members and scores of members from all parts of Nigeria and from different spheres of practice are here to see, study your urban development initiative and evolve ways to provide requisite supports to nurture pragmatic progressivism in the governance and genuine innovativeness in the Administration as epitomised by your Administration.

    “We do hope to establish some benchmark to assist other state’s in peer-review.”

    Aregbesola, while addressing the body of architects, said Nigeria must be rebuilt by professionals like architects as the responsibility for the rebirth of the society cannot be that of political leaders only.

    Aregbesola said: “Nigeria must be re-built by professionals like you who are selfless in the development of human society and humanity because political leaders cannot be generalists and therefore need all other professionals to develop the nation’s socio-economic sphere.

    “We have pandered too much on the failure of our country, but we owe it a duty nevertheless, to try our utmost best to use our expertise to solve the problems of building and bridge collapse and other sundry issues related to our individual professions.

    “It’s puzzling though that Nigeria Architects have not developed or build on the roofing sheets designed by the colonial masters, some of which are injurious to our health and other environmental hazards.

    “We don’t need university certificate to know that we are in danger of health crisis and need more environment – friendly roofing material that will support our claims to being part of a global village that preaches environmental sanity.

    “The mentality of our people is so subservient that we don’t even know that we are in danger by using the present roofing materials, and this is where the professionals come in who can distinguish between genuine building materials from fakes”, the governor said.

  • Ogun pension bureau advises retiring workers

    The Bureau of State Pensions in Ogun State wants workers retiring from the civil service to always adhere to the extant rules and regulations guiding the mode of exit from the service.

    The Permanent Secretary in the Bureau, Mr. Adesina Badmus who made the call in a statement in Abeokuta, noted that the lackadaisical attitude of some potential retirees in processing their retirement documents had been responsible for long months of accumulated arrears of pension.

    Badmus warned that henceforth, any retiree who fails to submit his documents for processing within six months of falling due would not be accommodated into the pension payroll and that such arrears would be forfeited.

    He reminded them of the provision of section 21(1) of the Pension Act, Cap 346, LFN (1990) which stated that officers retiring statutorily or voluntarily from service after serving for 10 years or more must  give his employer a three-month notice or pay three months salaries including allowances in lieu of such notice.

    The Permanent Secretary also indicated that the section directed officers who wishes to withdraw from service and has not spent up to 10 years in service, to give one month notice or pay one month salary in lieu of notice.