The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Development

  • SPAR partners BoI, MAN on SMEs development

    SPAR partners BoI, MAN on SMEs development

    SPAR Nigeria, the Bank of Industry (BoI), Manufacturers Resource Centre (MRC) of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and the Retail Council of Nigeria (RCN), have organised a workshop for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Lagos.

    The workshop offered over 70 SMEs comprising consumer goods, clothing and merchandise, cosmetics, and others  extensive insight into the dynamics of modern day retail business. The five-part series was facilitated by leading members of industrial and retail associations in the country.

    BoI Regional Head, SME Division, Mr. Adetokunbo Akinsola, who facilitated the session entitled: “Small businesses and the Bank of Industry,” unfolded several financing opportunities and options for small businesses some of which were yet to be explored by businesses due to lack of information on BoI’s fund offerings.

    MRC Managing Director, Ms Doris Onwugamba, addressed the topic: “Growth and sustainability of the manufacturing business’’, said small businesses needed to take advantage of the pool of resources the association had to offer.

    According to her, “trends are changing rapidly”. “Many things we used to travel out to China and other parts of the world to produce can now be done effectively and efficiently here in Nigeria, from quality and affordable printing to labelling and other complex production processes,” she said.

    Onwugamba said factories are beginning to work and if Nigeria must grow, “we must begin to patronise Nigeria.”

    Participants were delighted by the testimonials of two business owners, who have been supplying their locally produced goods to SPAR Nigeria for years. They were Executive Director, Amel International Services Limited, Akan Peter Nsek and Executive Director, Ashley and Michaels, Emmanuel Obiorah Anyaralu, whose businesses have grown from ‘trading’ to ‘manufacturing’ and their products have had the opportunity to compete favourably with foreign products in stores nationwide.

    On the various benefits of embracing standardisation, SPAR Nigeria Group Managing Director,  Mr. Haresh Keswani, said SMEs workshops would continue to give small businesses the opportunity to rebrand and target a larger market.

    The workshop, he said, was expected to encourage participants to undergo the test to qualify to exhibit their products in a bazaar to be held at SPAR in Ilupeju, Lagos, where shoppers can see and buy their products.

    Makers of products that are highly favoured and bought by shoppers will qualify to have their products displayed and distributed across SPAR stores nationwide.

    Michael Edemayibo of SPAR said the company would continue to support SMEs through free retail workshops, products bazaar and exhibitions to encourage patronage of locally produced goods in all its stores.

    Former Director, National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mrs. Ogochukwu N. Mainasara, presented  a paper on “Requirements for compliance with requisite standards of the NAFDAC CODEX.”

  • RMD: Entertainment has helped in Nigeria’s development

    RMD: Entertainment has helped in Nigeria’s development

    Veteran actor and former Commissioner for Tourism, Delta State, Mr. Richard Mofe-Damijo, has said that it is only because of entertainment that Nigeria is still respected in the comity of nations.

    He spoke at the Voice of Women (VOW) conference organised by WFM 97.1, a radio station for women, on Friday.

    He said: “We are the last frontier in Nigeria today. In Nigeria the only reason why there can be an increase in radio stations is because of what we have done. President Barack Obama said entertainment is the engine upon which the economy of America operates. “In the past Nigeria got 70 percent of her income from oil but trust me today, entertainment is the engine upon which a lot of things operates, even technology. It is driven mostly on the entertainment value that we can build around it.”

    Speaking on what they expect from the government, he said, “ government needs to realize that they owe us; you cannot subsidize agriculture and not subsidize culture because at the end of the day it is what defines us. Government must make deliberate policies that will affect entertainment; we don’t want interventions but policies that are not dependent on PDP or APC,” he said.

    He further emphasised that they don’t need government to invest in the entertainment industry. “What we need is just for the government to play its part. Don’t give us 100 percent light. Just give us for 12 hours in a day. If we do not continue to discuss entertainment the way agriculture and other things are discussed, my grandchildren will sit here discussing entertainment in growing the Nigerian economy.”

  • Aregbesola: Redefining development

    in a paper presented at a colloquium to mark his six years in office as governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola reiterated his administration’s commitment to laying a solid foundation for the state in every area such that tampering with its progress in the future would be difficult, if not impossible. While describing “rising expenditure, especially wage bill, within the contrast of falling revenue” as the  biggest challenge  facing  his  government, Aregbesola promised that his administration would do all within its powers to ensure that no one was left behind in the distribution of  the  dividends of democracy  to the  good  people  of  Osun. “We are grappling with the challenge of finance and we are doing all within our power to complete all the projects we started. We are not going to leave any project uncompleted”, the governor stated.

    Democracy hath no fury than a people abandoned! So, what is Raufnomics? In my considered opinion, the promoter has given a clue:    it is about “getting as much from little and using the resources of the state to maximally benefit the people”.  It is about “strategic planning and intervention in society; making governance mass-based and people-centric”; and “guaranteeing the maximum good for the maximum number of people.” With a special reference to Osun,  Raufnomics has proved to be a popular solution  to   the  state’s socio-economic problems created as a result of years of Nigeria’s  sole  dependence on proceeds from crude oil. It has helped sustain the state even as it continues to encourage innovative interventions within the framework of the administration’s Six Point Integral Action Plan in such a way as to help put the economy of the state back on track.

    In addition to some of this administration’s laudable achievements which  have  already  been  captured in Aregbesola’s speech at the event, the establishment of Osun Job Centre, designed principally  to serve as an interface between  jobseekers and employers of labour;  the  procurement of no fewer than 125 Patrol Vans, 20 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) and one helicopter which has  helped   in drastically reducing incidences of crime in the state;   and  the creation and successful take-off of 61 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), three Area Offices and two Administrative Offices from the former 31 Local Government Areas  are also some of the ways this government  has positively affected the rule of the game.

    A strong advocate of regional integration, he was a major force in the establishment of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission, an institutional and programmed body saddled with the responsibility of midwifing the regional integration agenda of the Southwest states.  And, with the creation of Osun Education Quality Assurance and Morality Enforcement Agency, I doubt if any misguided pupil or student will ever attempt to task the tolerance of the good people of Osun or insult their collective intelligence again.

    Aregbesola’s approval of the immediate commencement of a unified Public Service in the state is worth mentioning here. Apart from repositioning “the State Public Service for efficient and effective service delivery at all levels of governance”, the step is also aimed at removing “all restrictions to seamless movement of personnel from one spectrum of the Public Service to the other”. Needless to repeat that it is in a bid to ensure transparency in the state’s financial dealings that he recently inaugurated the Hassan Sunmonu-led committee on allocation of revenues to “oversee allocation of state’s revenue to prompt payment of salaries as well as adequate running of government.”

    The price of fame, it is often said, goes beyond brooding or bargaining around the frustration of some mischievous parallelisms! But when will Nigeria’s vine overcome the antics of her “foxes, the little foxes” and who will raise the hands of her Moses as an assurance of permanent victory? Coming closer home, if we have an avatar at the helm of affairs in Osun, how come the state is such in dire straits that it now seems as if delayed salaries have come to stay with us? Assuming without conceding that we are in this pass because of the level of our debt and its management, as a result of which dear state has allegedly become slave to Irrevocable Payment Standing Orders (IPSOs) and other debt recovery instruments, how do we situate the fate of richer and resource-endowed states like Ondo and Bayelsa which are also behind schedule in terms of salary obligations to their workers?

    Well, the tragedy of our Nigerianness is that we deceive ourselves a lot and that has been our greatest undoing! Here, we play politics like an interest-driven game, unrepentantly   notorious for its art of the impossible and personal manipulations. That is why, despite  efforts by this dogged fighter at positively impacting lives   through his numerous programmes, policies and schemes, there still exists some unrefined, less-informed  detractors who derisively consider it fit and proper to constitute themselves into an opposition of the government of the day, however well-meaning and good-intentioned. Because of the way they  are fated,  they  always allow their personal and selfish desire for certain specialities to run wild thereby straying away from unprejudiced realities. They lust for what they do not have and that which is of no use to them and, despite the fact that they do not get that which they do not have and that which they neither need nor deserve, they delude themselves with it to spoil that which they are supposed to have but unfortunately they do not have.

    In their world, there is neither economic focus nor political direction that is practically aimed at alleviating the people’s poverty and pains. Instead, they revel in the virulence of insouciant leaders and the proliferation of unprincipled politicians. For no just cause, these individualists and spoilers culpably hate leaders for doing good, categorize a government which runs a most transparent allocation of scarce resources to tackle underdevelopment as ‘reckless’; and  tag  one which strives to  confront problems engendered by socio-political transformation as  ‘insensitive’! Since they are experts at spreading beliefs that reject persuasion, they tar every developmental stride with the mark of corruption. In their myopic view, Opon Imo is a scam; O-YES, money-sapping; O-MEALS,  unnecessary; and policies and programmes aimed  at  shoring up the state’s revenue generation capacity are ‘too draconian and unfriendly’.

    In any case, “minds differ as rivers differ”, says Baron Thomas Macaulay.  While some might liken Aregbesola to a “controversial politician who doesn’t listen to advice, however novel or useful”, to others, he’s one astute administrator who would not “want to enrich himself at the expense of the poor masses”. While some might unfairly consider his style of governance as one “built only on propaganda”, others see it – and, rightly, too – as “a source of hope in the face of the weak and bleak future that the Yoruba race and Nigeria face.” In all  of  these  however;  and  political persuasions notwithstanding,  what critics of Raufnomics  cannot deny is  Aregbesola’s  gentleness, straightforwardness and uncanny sense of direction which he has dispassionately deployed in  transforming the state into  an emerging market with a lot of potentials. Unlike others whose portion is in making promises at the drop of a hat with no real intention of keeping them, it is unRauf to allow people who delight in whirling by their dark clouds to be the limit of his success.

    Need I say more on why Osun has continued to wax stronger, in spite of  the  biting economic slowdown currently troubling Nigeria’s Israel?

    • Komolafe writes in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State.
  • Culture, development dominate at Ajodun Ido Oganganmodu Day

    Culture, development dominate at Ajodun Ido Oganganmodu Day

    Indigenes of Ido-Ekiti, one of the major towns in Ekiti State, gathered to celebrate their annual get-together known as Ajodun Ido Oganganmodu amid pomp and ceremony. The week-long festivities culminated in fund-raising to carry out capital projects. ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA reports.

    Ado-Ekiti, headquarters of Ido/Osi Local Government Area of Ekiti State, was throbbing for several hours on Saturday, November 26, as gaily dressed personalities stormed the town from far and near to celebrate this year’s Ajodun Ido Oganganmodu.

    The people began trooping to Oganganmodu Grammar School sports field, venue of the celebration, as early as 10.00 a.m. amid drumming, dancing and trumpeting under the watchful eyes of law enforcement agents mobilised to ensure that all went well.

    The town had been in celebration mood since Monday, November 21, when the Ajodun was started with community prayers held at the Palace of the Olojudo, which was followed with environmental sanitation exercise.

    On Tuesday, an inter-school debate was held to stimulate competition among the major secondary schools in the community while a Widows Outreach, which featured presentation of financial and material gifts to widows, was held.

    There was Ajodun Ido Marathon Race, Cultural Competition featuring local games such as draught and ayo olopon on Wednesday, while on Thursday, there was a Medical Outreach in which residents enjoyed free medical tests facilitated by health professionals drawn from the Federal Teaching Hospital located in the community.

    Friday featured cultural competition for the aged, Jumat Service at the Ido Central Mosque, Award Night for deserving indigenes and non-indigenes who had contributed to the development of the community.

    It was also the day the anniversary’s beauty pageant otherwise known as Arewa Ogangan was held in which the competitors showcased native dresses. General family re-union was also held same day.

    Ido played a prominent role in the Ekiti Parapo War in the 19th Century as one of the prominent warriors, Faboro, was an indigene of the town. Ido was the location where Ekiti people came together and signed a treaty to build a school (Ekiti Parapo College) sited in the town in honour of Faboro.

    The town is divided into 10 quarters namely Imila, Idofin, Inisaloro, Inisa, Odo-Iro, Iyedi, Isolo, Ijemu, Isape Odo Agbe and Ijana.

    Saturday was the climax for the Ajodun Ido Oganganmodu. Various interest groups in the community, age groups such as the elderly men known as Agba Ido, the Iwole, the Elegbe, the Jogun, women, youths, members of community development association and social clubs in the town danced enthusiastically on their way to the venue of the celebration.

    Some notable personalities who attended the event included Chairman of Ido/Osi Local Government Area, Hon. Ayodele Arogbodo; Commissioner 1 in Ekiti State Civil Service Commission, Chief Idowu Faleye; former member of House of Assembly, Hon. Femi Fakorede; former Registrar, Obafemi Awolowo University, Mr. Ayo Ogunruku; Ibadan-based school proprietor, Mr. James Obasa; retired United Bank for Africa (UBA) top executive, Mr. David Omoniyi; National President, Ido Development Association, Chief Jomo Olofinlade, among others.

    The festival did not leave out non-indigenes such as the Igbo Community, Urhobo Community, Idoma Community and Ebira Community who participated in the celebration and were resplendent in their traditional dresses.

    The traditional ruler of the town, the Olojudo of Ido-Ekiti, Oba Ayorinde Ilori-Faboro, Ajiboyede III, received homage from various interest groups in the town. The women were outstanding as they chanted the monarch’s panegyrics (oriki) to which he responded by waving his horsetail (irukere).

    The wife of the king, the Eyesorun, Olori Ngozi Ilori Faboro led the women in paying homage to the Olojudo to the admiration of the guests who watched the show with keen interest.

    Delivering his welcome address, the Chairman of Ajodun Ido 2016 Planning Committee, Comrade Sola Ogunsina, said the purpose of the festival was to reunite all sons and daughters of the town at home and in the Diaspora with the aim of celebrating their cultural heritage.

    He explained that the occasion also stimulates engagement in development programmes that foster peace, prosperity and unity in the community through fundraising and communal activities considered germane to the growth and development of their birthplace.

    Ogunsina expressed his satisfaction that this year’s edition of the festival was a considerable improvement on the previous ones, considering the massive participation and turnout of both the old and the young at every event held. He expressed optimism that the subsequent ones will be better than this year’s.

    Reeling off what the Ajodun Ido had accomplished in the town, Ogunsina identified security, completion of the Olojudo Palace, re-unification of the sons and daughters and identifying and rewarding indigenes who had distinguished themselves in community development efforts.

    Ogunsina said: “Our town is growing at an impressive rate, making security a major challenge in the last few years. This cannot be left in the hands of government alone, hence the town has been drawing from its coffers to support security needs so as to make our town a safe haven.

    “The early completion of Olojudo Palace was facilitated by the annual proceeds realised at this event. This annual event offers us great opportunity to meet with one another, exchange pleasantries and promote ways of helping those in need.”

    On recommendations for future Ajodun Ido, Ogunsina said: “I commend early setting up of the planning committee this year and I hope it will be sustained. The committee should be well funded through provision of take-off grants.

    “I call for sponsorship of various programmes; it is heart-warming seeing people coming to show their interest in the sponsorship of one event or the other in this year’s edition. It is a significant improvement over past events. I sincerely plead with all to sustain the tempo of sponsorship of any of the events in subsequent editions.”

    Chairman of the day, High Chief Agboola Akomolafe stressed the need for brotherly love, peace and co-operation among indigenes to lift up one another, saying they should work together for Ido to produce governors, ministers, senators, ambassadors that will accelerate its development.

    Akomolafe, a Lagos-based senior lawyer advocated investment on commercial agriculture by indigenes to generate employment opportunities and banish poverty in the land. He also suggested an agriculture exhibition as part of next year’s Ajodun Ido.

    He said: “Our ancestors were able to buy horses through the sale of maize which required accurate timing of planting. But these days, nobody plants maize at commercial degree for buying a car.

    “It is my view that both the employed and the unemployed citizens of Ido-Ekiti can plant maize at a commercially competitive level for tangible property.

    Ido citizens can also make money from rice, cotton, melon, watermelon, pepper, tomatoes which take few months to ripe for harvest. I suggest an agricultural exhibition for Ajodun Ido 2017.”

    The Olojudo, Oba Ilori-Faboro, said the Ajodun Ido is an avenue to review activities in his kingdom in the last one year and chart a new course for communal development in the next year.

    The Kabiyesi said: “This is an opportunity for us to review what we have achieved in the past and what we hope to achieve before we celebrate the next Ajodun Ido. We have built a palace already and we want to build a city hall, a civic centre and other things with the money realised from this year’s edition.”

    The Olojudo explained that being one of the largest towns in Ekiti State, Ido is an investor’s delight, urging wealthy indigenes who had prospered elsewhere to bring their investments home to stimulate its growth.

    The monarch said: “Some of our indigenes have seen developmental strides we have made in this town. Now, people are building houses here, the Federal Teaching Hospital is here and it is helping to bring decent people into the town.

    “So, I want to appeal to our sons and daughters to come home and be part of the development. If they don’t buy their land now, the longer they wait, the more they will spend to buy land in the future.

    “We are working hard to reach out to them and you know communication is very essential in achieving this goal. We are on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and other digital platforms to reach those in the Diaspora.

    “Apart from Ajodun Ido, in August every year, I celebrate the Owanuro Festival and it is also an opportunity to bring people home. I bring my friends around to contribute to the development of Ido.

    “Ido is an investor’s delight and we also aim to attract more investments to our land. Banks know that the population is rising and more people need their services here.

    “We will continue to provide for them incentives such as land, communal support, security and enabling environment to facilitate their investment in our community. Ido is no longer a village; it is now a prosperous town.

    “There are activities every day; we are expanding. Security is improving, economy is improving. So, we invite indigenes and non-indigenes alike to join us to develop Ido because it is when we join hands together that we can achieve.”

     

     

     

     

  • N/East and Sustainable development

    SIR: As part of measures to restructure the north east region, the Senate recently passed the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) Bill into law. The bill empowers the federal government to set up an independent commission to fast-track the rehabilitation and development of the states in the North-east devastated by insurgency. The states to benefit are Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba, Kano and Plateau states. The fund to restructure the region is expected to come from a 3% allocation of the country’s Value Added Tax (VAT) for a 10-year period.

    This determination by the federal government and the National Assembly (NASS) to initiate laws to support the restructuring of the devastated north east region, and bring succour to the IDPs in the region, should be seen as a welcome development. In the last six years, the region has witnessed heavy economic devastation following the activities of insurgency. Several thousands of lives have been lost and displaced from their homes, while properties worth billions of dollars have been damaged in the region. The kidnap of over 200 school girls in Chibok since two years, some of whom have been released, was one of several incidents that took the sail off the winds of the ship of the Goodluck Jonathan administration.

    For us to understand the critical issues to be addressed in the North-east, let us juxtapose the situation there with that of the Niger Delta.  In the case of the Niger Delta region, there are still indications of rising tension despite the creation of the Ministry of Niger Delta (MND) and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). These institutions have yielded little contributions to the growth of the region, since their creation over a decade ago. The region has gulped about $40billion which came from oil companies, Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, 13% derivation and other intervention funds. The region has struggled to annex its potential and liberate the people from poverty, unemployment, insecurity-borne out of increasing militancy, and humanitarian crisis. Leaders in the region have continued to enrich themselves at the detriment of the ordinary people. The lack of accountability and transparency, politicization, poor implementation of projects, has worsened the environment and deepened poverty rather than bring peace in the host communities. Consequently, the people in the Niger Delta region have become poorer than they were even before the commissions were established. A critical example is the state of oil pollution in Ogoni land, which has crippled the economic sources in the region, bringing untold hardship to the people.

    To avert such malicious experience of the Niger Delta from repeating itself, the NEDC must do everything it can to dismantle the obnoxious Almajiri caste system. Rather than blame the plight of children in the North-east to the insurgency, let us look inwards and tell ourselves the truth: that years before the Boko Haram insurgency the Almajiri caste system had already confined the life of the boy-child to one of uncertainty. On a good day, the boy-child in the North East is usually left to the battle with the elements. Left without food and decent clothing and recreation, he easily becomes prey to powerful religious predators lurking in the wings that will use him to foment trouble. Therefore, if the recent bill passed into law for the North East will be expected to deliver on the quality of life of the people especially of the children, that caste system should be tossed out of the window.

    Furthermore, the NEDC must be fully committed and focused on establishing infrastructure such as good roads, housing, information technology centres, building of schools, primary health care centres, address ecological challenges, support agriculture and technology industries, among other issues Germaine to rebuilding the region.

    Also, the newly established Presidential Committee on the Northeast Initiative (PCNI) – must be ready to provide effective coordination and support, towards addressing the humanitarian crisis. There must be plans to resettle and reconstruct the region, as well as the installation of social and public services due to the massive destruction of public and private infrastructure. Both agencies must work hand-in-hand to sustain the effective management of resources within their jurisdiction and avoid duplication of roles.

     

    • Charles Iyare,

    Benin City.

  • Delta blames development lull on dwindling revenue

    The Delta State Government has attributed its failure to deliver satisfactory developmental projects to its dwindling financial fortunes.

    Deputy Governor Kingsley Otuaro, a deacon, spoke on Wednesday on government’s financial constraints at the inauguration of a community market built and donated by an individual at Kokodiagbene community in Warri South-West Local Government Area.

    Otuaro said the effects of renewed militancy in the state had slowed down the pace of progress.

    The deputy governor, who was represented by the commissioner representing the Ijaw on the board of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), Chief Favour Izoukumor, said several projects were planned for the area.

    He said they would be executed as soon as funds were available.

    Otuaro said: “Before now, we had a number of projects earmarked for this community. I think Comrade Sheriff Mulade can attest to this because of their peaceful disposition, which the commission will soon embark on. Like I said in my brief speech, the challenge we are having is about resources.

    “As you well know, the commission is tied to derivation: the higher the derivation we get, the more money we get to spend. However, the current economic challenges the countries faces and the agitation within the Niger Delta region, have almost crippled the Oil sector in Delta state. All these have contributed to the financial challenge we now face at the commission.”

    Addressing reporters, the financier of the market project and chairman of Kokodiagbene community, Comrade Sheriff Mulade said the market cost over N20 million.

    He said: “Our call will continue to be to government to do the needful for peace to reign. They can’t continue to ask for peace when they continue to fail in their responsibilities. This is the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy and you can’t be telling us to create for you the atmosphere to exploit oil while you refuse to develop us.”

  • Research and development take centre stage in Senate

    Research and development take centre stage in Senate

    Senators described it as one of the finest bills on the floor of the Senate. A bill whose sponsor believes will move the country away from resource based economy solely dependent on commodities to a knowledge based economy through research and innovation.

    A bill for an Act to establish the National Research and Innovation Council, National Research and Innovation Foundation and related matters, 2016 scaled the decisive second reading in the upper chamber seamlessly.

    Over 70 senators are co-sponsors of the bill. The Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, is passionate about it.  The Federal Executive Council endorsed it in 2013.

    Perhaps the massive support for the bill is a product of the recognition that research and innovation is the way to go if the country is to witness any meaningful breakthrough in development.

    The chief sponsor of the bill, Senator David Umaru (Niger East) introduced the bill as a desirable and important legislative intervention aimed at not only reversing the country’s economic predicament but also to entrench a framework that will ensure the use of research and innovation as a tool to fast track sustainable development in the country.

    The lawmaker recalled with nostalgia, the acclaimed economic potentials of the country at independence which could not be fully harnessed to place the country in its rightful position in the comity of nations as a result of certain economic misfortunes, including military coup d’etats, the civil war and the discovery of crude oil.

    Particularly, the discovery of crude oil instead of being a springboard for development became the economic albatross of the country.

    For him, “Nigerians stopped using their brain when oil was discovered in commercial quantity in the country. But the reality has dawned on all of us now that we are unable to feed ourselves because we are import dependent nation,” he lamented.

    He submitted that the country could only reverse the absurd situation by evolving into a knowledge  based economy by creating an effective national research and innovation system that would address the shortcomings inherent in existing framework such as the absence of sectoral collaboration between research and development institutions, absence of a national research agenda, lack of incentives for researchers, lack of adequate protection for intellectual property and the huge disconnect  between research policies and economic policies. In most countries, business activities drive research.

    Umaru took a cursory look at policies and arrangement put in place by previous administrations to promote research and development in the country.

    The re-establishment of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology as an autonomous entity, he said, underscored the appreciation of the role of research and development to national socio-economic development.

    He specifically referred to the flagship programmes of the 2003 Biotechnology Research Information and Communication Technology, Space Science and Technology, Energy and Engineering materials.

    In 2005, he said the 2003 Science and Technology policy was criticised as being more of voluminous compendium of sub-sectoral policies without proper harmonisation of such policies with the economic policies which necessitated a rigorous review process that culminated in the adoption of the Science and Technology Innovation (STI) policy of 2012 which has now been woven into a bill for implementation.

    The lawmaker informed his colleagues that the subsisting STI represented a major paradigm shift in terms of policies on research and development in many aspects.

    For the first time, he said, the new national policy on STI was designed in tandem with the country’s economic policy, the 20:2020 so as to resolve the long standing disconnect between economic policies and research and development. He pointed that there are also adequate proposals in the STI policy to bridge the gap between research and industrialization in the country.

    To demonstrate the commitment of the Federal Government to the implementation of the STI policy, President Muhammadu Buhari has taken the driver’s seat with the launch in 2014 of the National Research and Innovative Council as the apex policy body on national research and Innovation.

    Talking about global trend on STI, the Niger East lawmaker informed that an overview policy in environment of selected African countries, including Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya and the 15 member states of the Southern African Development Community, shows that there are existing policies and legislations in place to promote research and innovation in most African countries.

    The International Telecommunication Union, he said, reported that about 60 per cent of STI institutions were autonomous and independent of government interference.

    Besides, Umaru told his colleagues that the United Nations System Task Team on post 2015 UN development agenda also recommended that countries desirous of steady improvement in human development indices such as life expectancy, standard of living and others should pay more attention to research and innovation.

    There is therefore a convergence of global opinion on research and innovation as a tool for fast-tracking sustainable development hence the need for Nigeria to key in through the passage of the bill,” Umaru said.

    With the public hearing on the bill at the corner, the All Progressives Congress lawmaker informed that the bill, when passed, will streamline funding of research and innovation activities in the country to accord priority to issues identified in the national research agenda.

    Senators who contributed to the general principles of the bill agreed that if passed and implemented, the National Research and Innovation Council, National Research and Innovation Foundation, will boost research endeavour in the country. They also agreed that the bill will create the missing link between research, innovation and policies, while also engendering the needed marketability of research works.

    Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki described the bill as one of the development intervention proposed legislations that would go a long way in retooling development initiatives in the country.

    There is no doubt that if passed, the Act will ensure greater recognition of researchers and provide protection of patented research findings in the country.

  • Alaafin seeks cultural rebirth for economic development

    Alaafin seeks cultural rebirth for economic development

    Modern lifestyles and technological advancement have combined to undermine the sense of identity that people had in the past. The need to be identified with one form of culture or the other has continued to propel many who feel “lost” or “rootless” to engage in a search for their ancestral heritage. BODE DUROJAIYE reports that the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111, at this year’s Aje Festival in Badagry, Lagos State, stressed the need for government to evolve policies that would enhance cultural rebirth for economic development.

    Culture gatekeepers have said that if individuals and communities are to flourish, they must have a sense of identity and of their history. These are what their culture could give them.

    But sadly, it seems that the way the world is developing deprives individuals and nations of their culture, their roots.

    In the industrialised countries, modern lifestyle has continued to undermine the sense of identity that people had in the past. More and more people are feeling lost or rootless. The search for cultural and historical roots has recently become something of a trend in some developed and developing countries; but the need is a genuine one.

    It was on the basis of this that the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111, has called on the three tiers of government to evolve policies and programmes that would enhance cultural rebirth to enable it to play fundamental role in the country’s economic development.

    Describing culture as a way of life or total behavioural patterns and beliefs of a people which are communicated from generation to generation, the monarch also stressed the need for people to identify with their respective cultures. He urged government to recognise specific contributions that culture could make towards the nation’s overall development, saying that contributions of culture as a sub-sector of the economy could be either tangible or intangible; which comprises heritage, cultural and creative industries as well as cultural infrastructure. These, Oba Adeyemi 111, said, have helped in achieving sustainable economic developments such as poverty alleviation, social inclusion and environmental sustainability.

    Oba Adeyemi spoke at this year’s Aje Festival held in Badagry, Lagos State.

    This year’s festival was in commemoration of the International Day for the Remembrance of the Infamous Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and its Abolition.

    He said: “The tourism sector has become one of the world’s fastest growing economic sectors. Gross worldwide tourism receipts grew at an average rate of 7 per cent from 1998 to 2008, with 12 per cent for the least developed countries for the same period.

    “Cultural tourism-that relies on tangible and intangible cultural assets-accounts for 40 per cent of world’s tourism revenues. Investment in culture and creativity has proven an excellent means of revitalising the economy of cities.

    “Today, many cities use cultural heritage and cultural events and institutions to improve their image, stimulate urban development and attract visitors as well as investments.”

    “Most middle-income countries,” Alaafin continued, “are developing vibrant culture sectors and initiatives and request assistance in this area. Culture-led development also includes a range of non-monetised benefits, such as greater social inclusiveness and rootedness, resilience, innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship for individuals and communities and the use of local resources, skills, and knowledge.

    “Respecting and supporting cultural expressions contribute to strengthening the social capital of a community and fosters trust in public institutions. Cultural factors also influence lifestyles, individual behaviour, consumption patterns, values related to environmental stewardship and our interaction with the natural environment.

    “Local and indigenous knowledge systems and environmental management practices provide valuable insight and tools for tackling ecological challenges, preventing biodiversity loss, reducing land degradation and mitigating the effects of climate change.”

    Alaafin further said that cultural and creative industries represent one of the most rapidly expanding sectors in the global economy with a growth rate of 17.6 per cent in the Middle East, 13.9 per cent in Africa, 11.9 per cent in South America, 9.7 per cent in Asia, 6.9 per cent in Oceania and 4.3 per cent in North and Central America.

    “Promoting this sector requires limited capital investment, involves low entry barriers and can have a direct impact on vulnerable populations, including women.

  • CHI reiterates commitment to youth development

    Chi Limited has said its partnership with King Jaja Hall of Residence at the University of Lagos for its Hall Week was to engage a critical segment of its consumers and support youth development initiatives.

    The partnership is coming a few weeks after the company  supported the university‘s Marine Football Club and the Lagos State Principal’s Cup, one of the biggest grassroot football competitions in Nigeria.

    Inuagurated in 1974, King Jaja Hall is said to be the most famous and prestigious hall in the university and home to over 1,000 students. Its Hall Week activities are annual events that round up the session, which ease academic stress and give opportunities to residents to showcase their talents and socialise with one another.

    Chi Limited, through this partnership, seeks to sustain the brand equity of its Chivita 100 per cent.

    The Chairman, King Jaja Hall, Taiwo Ibrahim Abiola, thanked the management of Chi Limited for coming on board to add excitement to the Hall Week.

    He said: “For a company with a reputation for supporting youth development initiatives across Nigeria, the partnership with King Jaja Hall by Chi Limited to celebrate our weeklong activities comes as no surprise.”

    Also, the Chi Limited’s Managing Director, Deepanjan Roy, said, “our youths are key to our future and we need to do everything we can to help them achieve their full potential so that they in turn can do their own bit to help shape and share in our future success”.

    “For us at Chi Limited, we shall continue to offer the best there is in fruit juices, dairy products and snacks for their wellbeing whilst supporting positive initiatives to ensure an all-round development for the youths,” he said.

  • ‘Implement sustainable development goals’

    ‘Implement sustainable development goals’

    A social activist and politician, Ms. Yemisi Ransome-Kuti has said that the three tiers of government should implement sustainable goals that will end all forms of poverty, fight inequality and tackle climate change.

    She spoke at a programme organised by the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Lagos in commemoration of this year’s International Democracy Day.

    Delivering a keynote speech with the theme “Democracy and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Building Blocks of Peace,” she said the theme seeks to provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

    She noted that from the local to the global levels, participation of women in leadership and political spheres are restricted.

    Her words: “Women are under-represented as voters as well as in leading positions; whether in elective or appointive positions. Education is a positive weapon that drives away poverty and violence, among other social ills. Stakeholders should train women and young girls in order to become educationally and economically independent.”

    Shedding light on steps taken in this direction, the Executive Director, Women in Politics and Government (WINPOGOV), Mrs. Obiageli Obi, a lawyer, said WINPOGOV is training young professional women who are well-informed and positioned to contribute positively to their environment.

    She said: “WINPOGOV is currently training, assisting and building capacities of women who wish to run for elective positions or are involved in government on advocacy and action in the promotion, protection and advancement of women’s rights.”

    On how UNIC is encouraging women’s participation in politics in Nigeria, the Public Relations Officer, UNIC, Mr. Oluseyi Soremekun, said UN is partnering with all stakeholders within the democratic institutions such as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Civil Societies and various agencies of government to ensure that there is equity and equality to encourage more women to participate in active politics.

    An Environmental Scientist and representative of the youth, Ugo Ibe-Ejiogu, who spoke on “Economic Empowerment and Professionalism as a Pathway to Success” said society as a whole has a role to play in women’s development. She, therefore, urged policy makers to implement policies that are targeted towards overcoming financial obstacles among women.

    The programme, according to Soremekun, was aimed at drawing public attention to the importance of democracy and the nexus between democracy and development.

    “People should be at the centre of development and governance”, Soremekun said.

    In his message, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, said implementation of the goals must be strengthened by a strong and active civil society that includes the weak and the marginalised.

    “We must defend Civil Society’s freedom to operate and do the needful. On this International Day of Democracy, let us rededicate ourselves to democracy and dignity for all,” Ban Ki-Moon said.

    Speaking on the challenges experienced by women in politics, former Director-General, Nigerian Chamber of Shipping, Mrs. Ify Akerele, pointed out that women who are interested in joining politics could only make positive impacts if they work from the grassroots as well as from their areas of strength.

    According to Akerele, education as well as experience will also help women in participating actively in politics.

    She added that men can be very supportive once they discover that a woman is serious. She therefore enjoined women to lobby effectively to establish a fair quota ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    The programme was organised by UNIC in collaboration with Women in Politics and Government (WINPOGOV) and supported by Strategy to Achieve Gender Equality for Women (STAGE).