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Tag: Development

  • Adebule admonishes teachers on development

    Adebule admonishes teachers on development

    No fewer than 350 teachers of the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), have been trained on service delivery and personal development.

    The training, facilitated by a nongovernmental organisation, African Child Education Right Initiatives (ACERI), held at the SUBEB Hall, Maryland.

    Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr Idiat Adebule, advised the teachers to continually improve on their skills and knowledge in order to be effective role models and nation- builders.

    Represented by Tutor-General Permanent Secretary (TGPS), Education District II, Mrs Margaret Solarin, Dr Adebule said: “You need to take cognisance of the growing trends and impact of ICT (Information Communications Technology) revolution in education. Learning is life-long. You must continue to seek new ideas by reading books and attending training programmes and workshops for capacity and personal development.”

    She noted that the present administration has “committed a huge amount of resources to expose our personnel to quality training and capacity development, knowing that it will help them perform excellently and optimally.”

    Earlier, ACERI Executive Director, Mr Yinka Olaito, who facilitated the ‘annexing new technology and internet tools’ training, stressed the importance of  basic education in the total development of a child.

    He said: “Since teachers’ quality and performance at basic level are essential, concerted efforts from varied stakeholders are required if Nigeria must produce quality and qualified workforce. In resolving this, we call on stakeholders in education sector to put in their widow’s mite.”

    During his training, Mr Olaito told the teachers to get rid of excuses. “It is the only way you can improve yourself,” Olaito said, adding: “set a goal for personal development. Let it be so big that you call yourself crazy. When you develop yourself, it is about people seeing the potential in you.”

    Mr Sam Mba, who trained the teachers on personal performance and evaluation, said: “Don’t see the children as your students, but as your people. To mentor them, you must earn their respect. Know their strengths and weaknesses so that you can guide their choice of career.”

    A participant, Mrs Caroline Iwuaoku of Metropolitan Nursery and Primary School, Apapa, said of the exercise: “It is very educative. They have trained us on how to be innovative in our teaching. I do mentor my children and I guide them morally and academically. I now know how to use the internet to browse and expand my knowledge. As a Nigerian, we are supposed to read a lot to keep abreast of things happening around us. It will help us improve our teaching and our knowledge.”

     

  • ‘Agric data vital for sustainable development’

    Nigeria must improve the quality and quantity of its data on agriculture if it is to continue meeting the demands of a growing population, a consultant to the World Bank, Prof Abel Ogunwale, has said.

    Ogunwale of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTHEC), Ogbomoso, stressed that strengthening agriculture statistics is crucial to long-term development of the sector.

    He said data was vital for effective planning and strategy as they determine the nature of agricultural and rural development policies in the region.

    According to him, the  government needs reliable baseline information on determining the implementation strategies while availability of accurate comparable agricultural data would enable farmers to make better production and marketing choices. This, in turn, will boost productivity and incomes.

    He said the industry could not provide  reliable information on crop and livestock production, trade, stock, and animal feed to estimate food availability and address food vulnerability issues.

    He stressed that  accurate  and quality statistics  would  help the  overall effort to improve the sector’s competitiveness through raising productivity, product quality and the value added to the products.

    Ogunwale noted that agriculture is still the backbone of the economy, playing an important role in stabilising the macro-economy.

    However, he said there were some shortcomings, such as poor planning, unrealistic policies and lack of speed in applying technology in production.

    Meanwhile, the Food and Agriculture Organisation Global Office (FAO GO) of the Global Strategy has  conducted a comprehensive exercise to capture all projects related to agricultural and rural statistics recorded last year .

    The results of the exercise would enable stakeholders to better understand the state of statistical capacity in agriculture, rural development and food security at global, regional, and country levels. It is envisaged that resource partners and implementers will be able to improve coordination, reduce duplication, align activities with institutional strategies and, ultimately, enhance country level activities.

    The GO compiled the list of global, regional and country-based projects from recognised sources of information on agriculture, food security, rural development, and statistical capacity-building. These sources include FAO’s Field Project Management Information System (FPMIS), the Partner Report on Support to Statistics (PRESS) produced by PARIS21, multilateral agencies, regional development banks, and bilateral government agencies. Projects encompass activities related to agriculture, food security, and rural statistics in the form of capacity development, data collection and information system projects.

    Last year , 106 active agricultural statistics projects were identified for a total amount of  $ 311,208,826. The amount reflects the entire lifecycle of a project, as long as it was active during any period last year. More than 40 per cent of the number of projects and total amount was allocated to the Africa region.

  • ‘Education key to national development’

    Child Education is the key to the future of a secure Nigeria, an expert has said.

    With Nigeria’s  youthful population,  educational security is necessary to drive societal growth, just as in developed countries where pupils are taught skills in class as well as 21st Century skills such as communication technology; music; sports; extra-curricular activities and all that will give them a sound mind.

    To ensure that every child is educationally secure, she said “we need to improve our economy and move away from being a consuming country to being a productive one.”

    This is the view of Mr Damian Oyibo, who is the National Programme Officer for the Centre for National Security, Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library. He spoke during the 3rd valedictory session of De Dynamic College, Ota, in Ogun State, where he represented the guest speaker, Prof. Peter Okebukola.

    He praised De Dynamic College and the commitment of the school management, whose outcome is seen in the students’ presentations and the way they spoke; the ambience of the school and facilities therein.

    According to him, no developing country removes its subsidy on education. Countries that adhere to these rules always have a form of support system so that those who are intelligent but cannot afford to go to school for various reasons can still get good education.

    He, however, added that people shy away from private schools because good education is costly. But then, that is why scholarships exist. It is the duty of multi-national companies making money from Nigeria and its citizens to put in place scholarship funds for a good number of students. That way, they are investing in the society they are making money from and saving the society from crumbling.

    The expert urged public schools to take a cue from the private sector, saying stakeholders in the industry should be responsible to government so that vote for government schools is increased and officials responsible for them held accountable.

    “There should be an education tax, whereby a percentage of it is voted for education. If these are adhered to, there will be a balance between public and private schools. If the system continues like this, then we are sure that the money that goes into education will be used judiciously.

    “The beauty of these policies has been tried in other parts of the world and are working. These policies are good but the operators are the ones the parents and the society should hold accountable. If we have agreed that such should be done, we have to put our feet down and ensure that tax and value added tax (VAT) to such effect is remitted and those who err in doing so should be punished,” Oyibo said.

    Executive Director of De Dynamic Group of Schools, Alhaja Aramide Bello said the graduates are prepared for the world after their six-year grooming, to respect the views and feelings of others, think for themselves and be good citizens.

    She urged them to be good ambassadors of the school and their country wherever they go, having developed their minds to be independent, confident and be able to compete with the best in other parts of the world.

    Oyibo advised school owners to see their schools as a means of social service and not for profit-making so that indigent students can still enjoy the benefits of education and parents who keep their children out of school should be imprisoned.

  • Stakeholders discuss development at forum

    Stakeholders discuss development at forum

    The Sole Administrator of Etio-Osa Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Prince Babatunde Ayo’ Ayeni, has said his administration would carry all stakeholders along to enable them to contribute their quota in the development of the council.

    He said it is his responsibility as the Sole Administrator to tow the path of Ambode in the dispensation of administration in Eti-Osa East where no one is left behind, adding that the discharge of his duties at the council will not deviate from the directives and policies of Lagos State government.

    The council chief said it was in consideration of this principle of inclusive governance that he visited all the primary health care centres (PHCs) in the LCDA few days after he assumed office. He also said he had held meetings with the Community Development Committees (CDCs) and the Peace and Security Committee.

    “All these meetings were in a bid to have an unbiased appraisal of the situations on ground. I have also consulted notable community leaders on the modalities of moving Eti-Osa East Local Council Development Area forward,” he said.

    Prince Ayeni noted that forum was convened in order to bring together all stakeholders of the council in a bid to fashion out ways of bringing progress to our immediate communities.

    “As an administration saddled with the responsibility of bringing succour to the grassroots, it is reasonable for us to allow residents have a direct input in the governance of their immediate environment.

    “This forum will be a launch-pad to highlight critical issues and challenges and also collectively proffer solutions to raging problems. As a people, we must all be committed to the state of our environment; we must be ready to co-operate with the administration on having a cleaner and safer environment. Residents must also collaborate with local government officials when they approach them for the payments of rates and taxes.

    “Our council can be self-sustaining if residents pay their rates and taxes promptly. When these payments are made, it will be easier for us as government to dispense quality administration to our people.

    “We pledge to work assiduously with organisations and institutions and also individuals who are concerned with development of our community,” Ayeni said.

    Prince Ayeni solicited the support of the residents to ensure his administration’s success. He urged the Babaloja of Eti-Osa East to ensure that all markets in the area are clean and in good condition.

    He also advised him to ensure that traders transact their businesses in their shops; warning that those who display their wares by the road side would be prosecuted, adding that the measure is for their safety and security.

    On partnership with PSP as requested by one of the stakeholders, Chief Kolaru, he assured the people of his administration’s readiness to work together with them to ensure a clean and healthy environment for residents.

    He further assured that necessary steps would be taken to make sure that drainage systems are free of garbage. This, he said, is to guarantee free flow of water and to avoid erosion.

    Prince Ayeni also promised to partner with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to enhance the well-being of the people

    Dignitaries such as Baales, political office holders, market men and women, youth leaders, representatives of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), among others attended the event.

  • I ‘ll focus on human capital development, says Obaseki

    I ‘ll focus on human capital development, says Obaseki

    The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Godwin Obaseki, yesterday commended the Oshiomhole administration for building roads and infrastructures in the last seven and half years. He said if voted in as governor his administration will focus more on human capital development.

    Addressing APC supporters at Afuze and Sabongida Ora, Owan East and Owan West Local Government Areas, Obaseki said: “The College of Physical Education is now a degree awarding institution, I will make sure we put more money into the college to make it a world class institution in terms of physical education.

    “As part of our job creation, we will create jobs even from sports. Governor Oshiomhole has done well in the last seven and half years, but we have a lot to do.

    “We focused on education, health, roads and water, but the incoming administration will now focus more on human development. We want to create 200,000 jobs for our youths. The jobs we will create in Owan is not only from agriculture, we will create jobs through mining. They are over 25 mining licenses in Owan East and we are collaborating with the Minister of Solid Minerals to make sure we invite investors here. In the next one year we will bring investors to Owan East.”

    In his remark, Oshiomhole said beating the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, will be the easy for the APC.

    Oshiomhole added, however, that the PDP may adopt a new message in the event that Matthew Iduoriyekemwen becomes its flag bearer, following the recent Federal High Court ruling that recognized, Ali Modu Sheriff as the authentic national chairman of the PDP.

    He pointed out that the founding fathers of the PDP are dumping the party every day for the APC, due to the emergence of Ize-Iyamu.

  • I ‘ll focus on human capital development, says Obaseki

    The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Godwin Obaseki, yesterday commended the Oshiomhole administration for building roads and infrastructures in the last seven and half years. He said if voted in as governor his administration will focus more on human capital development.

    Addressing APC supporters at Afuze and Sabongida Ora, Owan East and Owan West Local Government Areas, Obaseki said: “The College of Physical Education is now a degree awarding institution, I will make sure we put more money into the college to make it a world class institution in terms of physical education.

    “As part of our job creation, we will create jobs even from sports. Governor Oshiomhole has done well in the last seven and half years, but we have a lot to do.

    “We focused on education, health, roads and water, but the incoming administration will now focus more on human development. We want to create 200,000 jobs for our youths. The jobs we will create in Owan is not only from agriculture, we will create jobs through mining. They are over 25 mining licenses in Owan East and we are collaborating with the Minister of Solid Minerals to make sure we invite investors here. In the next one year we will bring investors to Owan East.”

    In his remark, Oshiomhole said beating the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, will be the easy for the APC.

    Oshiomhole added, however, that the PDP may adopt a new message in the event that Matthew Iduoriyekemwen becomes its flag bearer, following the recent Federal High Court ruling that recognized, Ali Modu Sheriff as the authentic national chairman of the PDP.

    He pointed out that the founding fathers of the PDP are dumping the party every day for the APC, due to the emergence of Ize-Iyamu.

  • Gas development key to 40,000mw attainment, says oil producers

    For the Federal Government to achieve its 40,000megawatts (mw) power generation target from the current 4,000mw, it must develop its gas resource, experts have said.

    The Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS) of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which consists of exploration and production firms stressed the need to expand domestic gas as a key enabler to power sector growth.

    In its presentation, the oil firms said OPTS is the cornerstone of the exploration, development and production of Nigeria’s petroleum resources, adding that in 2016 its 24 members accounted for 90 per cent of Nigeria’s oil and gas production – either in partnership with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) or with other local and international lease holders.

    The Managing Director of Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited (SPDC) and Country Chairman of Shell Companies in Nigerian (SCiN), Mr. Osagie Okunbor, who represented the OPTS chairman Neff Clef said gas development is key to realising the aspiration of 40mw generation and requires an approximate seven-fold increase in domestic gas supply for power generation alone and even more, if we consider industrial needs. This represents a huge development opportunity for Nigeria’s gas industry, it added.

    According to him, the important role of natural gas for the development of our economy cannot be over-emphasised in our drive to become one of the top 20 economies in the world. Identifying and implementing measures that capture the potential of the gas industry requires a deliberate collaborative effort between government and key stakeholders, he added.

    He said: “With 181 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves, and multiples of this figure in undiscovered gas resources, OPTS believes that Nigeria has the potential to be a gas super-power. These reserves place Nigeria as the largest in Africa and the ninth largest in the world.

    “However, only about 25 per cent of those reserves is being produced or under development today. The remaining 135 trillion cubic feet of proven gas is not associated with any planned development. And, there is virtually no active exploration in search of new gas reserves.

    “The total power potential of these discovered, but undeveloped reserves represent 68 years of 40,000mw compared to today’s power generation of approximately 4,000mw. With the largest proven gas reserves in Africa, Nigeria has the potential to be a gas super-power.”

    The group noted that providing enabling commercial and fiscal terms, and ensuring a conducive business environment, which includes providing a secure operations environment, will help in achievement of that level of power generation.

    It also noted that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has taken a commendable step of providing a mechanism for partial repayment of gas invoice arrears. However, since this mechanism was announced in August 2014, power sector gas invoice arrears have actually grown from a reconciled N40 billion of undisputed arrears in December 2014, to about N100 billion according to NNPC’s estimate of May 2016. The current system is simply not working. It is vitally important to settle the outstanding debts and establish bankable credit support facilities for future gas sales. Without these assurances, it is unreasonable to expect investors to commit additional investments to grow domestic gas supply, it added.

  • Solid minerals development: Beyond rhetorics of diversification

    Solid minerals development: Beyond rhetorics of diversification

    Next to agriculture, the solid minerals sector is another area being eyed by the Federal Government to diversify the economy from oil. GRACE OBIKE reports on the steps so far taken to attract investments into solid mineral and turning to the country’s pot of cash.

    It used to be a robust sector in the 60’s, 70’s and early 80’s. The sector was full of activities, creating employment opportunities. At a point, it was arguably the most formidable sector in the local economy, yielding huge revenue for the government. But the sector was relegated with the discovery of crude and the dependency of the Federal Government on earnings from oil exploration and export for foreign exchange.

    However, the Federal Government has been left with no other option to develop other sectors of the economy, following the fall in the oil prices at the international market in 2013. Besides, the unending attacks on pipeline facilities by restive youths in the Niger Delta has worsened the situation for the government which relied on oil sales for almost 80 per cent of its revenues.

    As a way out of the dwindling economic fortune, the President Buhari-led administration came with a mindset of diversifying the economy by developing other sectors. Since inception, the government has identified so many other sectors, two of which are agricultural and solid minerals.

    At his inaugural news conference, Solid Mineral Resources Minister Dr. Kayode Fayemi said his ministry had a mandate to remove all the obstacles hindering economic growth and militating against diversification of the revenue base.

    Seven out of the country’s many natural resources have been prioritised and being promoted for private sector participation and investment by the Federal Government.

    The minister has been meeting with stakeholders in the sector, seeking out ways to formulate policies that will jumpstart the sector and take it to the level of diversification desired by the country.

    Fayemi has quick been to say: “This is not a sector that will be developed overnight; the stakeholders in the sector know the challenges that confront them which we will like to discuss – be it the activities of the ministry, overall ease of doing business, in finance and every part of operations.”

    A ministerial committee that was inaugurated in March was given the task of developing a roadmap for the growth and development of the mining industry.

    The committee was also mandated to formulate a course that will stimulate growth in the sector, the roadmap which was based on identifying the current status and hindrances to the development of the mineral sector and proffering solutions to overcome them.

    The roadmap, which was eventually launched in Kaduna, created eight strategies on how to improve the ecosystem for the minerals and mining sector to thrive.

    These are: integrated strategy through proactive communication; investor-friendly regulatory environment; coordinated infrastructure investments; community partnership; investment funding; institutional reform; geo-scientific value added and mining as development catalyst.

    The ministerial think-tank also recommended a review of how other countries like Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Cameroon have used similar levers to promote competition in mining sectors.

    Other recommendations included the need for the Federal Government to work with states using a variety of mechanisms to communicate that mining will remain under the exclusive list without precluding the states from becoming legitimate equity investors in their own right by applying to the Mining Cadastral Office (MCO) for licenses alone, or in partnership with private companies.

    At the launch, the minister assured the states that the MCO would open local branches to bridge the gap between them and the Federal Government. According to Fayemi, the local MCOs will eliminate the bureaucratic bottlenecks and ease the stress associated with the issuance of licenses to potential investors, adding that such measures would encourage investment in the sector.

     

    No longer business as usual

    Demonstrating that it will henceforth be business unusual in the sector, the ministry has threatened to revoke the more than 1,500 dormant mining licenses. It said the country has been losing revenues from the non-operation of such licenses, which would have created 8,000 jobs.

    Before the expiration of the 30 day ultimatum issues to beneficiaries, the Federal Government raked in over N500 million from license renewal alone as operators rushed to reactivate their licenses and leases.

    Since more than 80 of local miners are mostly artisanal and small-scale miners, illegal mining has been a thriving business and the trend has affected revenue generation in the sector. There have been reported cases of illegal miners, including Asian and African illegal immigrants at sites in Osun and  Zamfara state.  Not a few investors have complained of purchasing licenses, only to find illegal miners reaping the fruits of their labour.

    A source at the ministry that pleaded for anonymity said that the Federal Government is careful not to create problems that might lead to militancy amongst the illegal miners if they are forced to stop trying to make ends meet.

    Ironically, the illegal miners, who mine in small quantities and without access to market, are often shortchanged by businessmen, who give them peanuts only to resell the products for huge profits.

    Already, the Federal Government is working with the unauthorised miners to organise themselves into cooperatives which will in turn agree with the government on the payment of revenues, taxes and other requirements.

    With the arrangement, the government will not only provide the miners access to a market where they can sell and make better money but also widen their access to credit facilities from financial institutions.

    It was learnt that the minister has been in talks with financial institutions like the World Bank, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Bank of Industry (BoI) and Money Deposit Banks (MDBs) on the possibility of providing intervention funds to investors in the mining sector.

    He said that the facility will serve as incentives to local miners and investors and on the long-run stimulate growth in the sector and increase local production.

    Beides, Fayemi has equally urged commercial banks to set up mining desks to enhance investors’ access to the intervention funds. Investigation showed that some banks have set up these desks and others are working towards it.

    To allay investors’ fear on insecurity at the mining sites, Fayemi has secured the Ministry of Interior’s commitment. This was demonstrated with the deployment of some 3, 000 operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) by Interior Minister Gen. Abdulrahman Danbazzau to curb illegal mining operations and ensure security in all the 774 local government areas.

    Gen Dambazzau said the NSCDC operatives will not only check illegal miners but unravel their sponsors to achieve the diversification plans of the Buhari administration.

    The interior minister also added that the ministry will deploy more personnel from the Customs and Immigration Services to effectively monitor illegal exportation of minerals at the airports and borders.

    Recently, Fayemi stated that the government was working on modalities to kit the local mining laboratories in Kaduna and Jos with Open Interconnect Consortium (OIC) standard in the nearest future.

    He said the development will enhance miners’ capacity to test minerals excavated in the country without having to take it to laboratories outside the country to confirm the quality efore export. According to Fayemi, the sector will start running in full force.

     

    Not taking chance

    On their own, local miners have been working with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) to address the quality infrastructural gap of all exportable items in the agricultural and mining sectors. They have reportedly working on the creation of a lab in the country that can certify all exports from the country and have the required OIC standard.

    The partnership which is between the Miners Association of Nigeria, Ministry of Trade & Investment and UNIDO, has been working to encourage six UNIDO-assisted companies to create laboratories that will have the OIC standard and all exports from the country can be tested without taking them outside the country.

     

    Reviving the steel sector

    Some $3 trillion would be needed to fund infrastructural needs in the solid minerals’ sector in the next three decades, Fayemi said at a business forum in London. He confirmed the projection at a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) forum in May.

    He said the Federal Government will stay action on the Ajaokuta Steel Company until all legal issues have been resolved.

    According to the minister, the company to which Ajaokuta was concessioned in 2003 has taken the Federal Government to the Arbitration Court in the United Kingdom (UK), pointing out that the government was working on how to resolve the issue.

    He, however, informed that six countries have approached the government with proposals on how to revive the steel company within 24 months.

    Besides, the minister said that the 18 companies operating out of 30 steel companies in the country have capacity to produce 2.6 million tonnes of steel annually.

    In December last year, the Federal Government promised to unveil a comprehensive blueprint for the completion and rehabilitation of Ajaokuta Steel Company and the National Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO) in Itakpe, Kogi State

    Though the minister has restated that the government would soon come up with realistic policies that will turn the steel sector into a viable sector of the economy, nothing has been heard of the promised blue print seven months into the year.

    Ajaokuta and NIOMCO are still in their sorry state.  Many stakeholders in the industry have expressed hope that mining will become the nation’s next hub of unemployment with the level of commitment already shown in the sector by the Buhari administration.

    Players’ perception of the sector

    Although divergent views often resonate from stakeholders about the state of the solid minerals’ sector. Many of them believe that the government has demonstrated enough seriousness to the development of the sector.

    They have predicted light at the end of the dark tunnel, but urged the government to be steadfast with the implementation of its policies, saying that the rush with which licensees renewed their dormant lincences was a demonstration of what could be achieved with the will power.

    But miners under the umbrella of the Nigerian Miners Association disagreed with the revocation threat. They argued that the government was insensitive to complaints that the sector was moribund and struggling to get by.

    According to them, there were no activities in the sector for years and that the revocation of licenses would further worsen the unemployment situation. They said the dominant players in the mining sector, being artisanal and small scale businessmen, should be supported by the government and not discouraged from investing in a sector in need of as many investors as possible.

    President of the association, Alhaji Sani Shehu, explained: “There is nothing wrong with the government revocation licenses but the environment is not yet matured for it as there are no activities in the sector.

    “Some people got licenses for speculation purposes; to see if they can sell it. Although speculation in the advance mining jurisdiction is acceptable so long as you do not break the law, but the kind of speculation we see in Nigeria is capable of discouraging serious players from investing in the sector because if one covers a place with no capacity to mine and for years in just sits there, no one else has the right to cover it, preventing others with the capacity from doing so.”

    On the policy of intervention funds being packaged for investors by the government, Shehu lauded the move as a welcome development but also gave solutions for a successful implementation.

    He said: “If it is done, I think we will see something different. For instance, Chinese investors get loan facilities for two to three per cent for a repayment period of 20 years but if compared to the Nigerian environment, they charge between 22 and 26 per cent for two to three years.

    “So, you see that it is not possible for a Nigerian businessman or miner to compete with his Chinese counterpart. We are happy with what the government is doing. They are funding initiatives here and there for example the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) single digits by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is encouraging but the challenge my people are having is, the funds have to be disbursed through the commercial banks and the risk components of the loan facilities are left to the commercial banks.

    “So, to them, the nine per cent interest rate may be okay but beside the nine per cent interest rate, the facility and all the criteria, risk mitigating majors are taken by the commercial banks.

    “If the government can create a risk mitigating structure for the facilities in solid minerals just like they did with agriculture, commercial banks will be at ease to fund miners and ones the funding challenge is properly addressed, we will be seeing activities in almost every part of the country.”

    In a telephone conversation with The Nation, a NIOMCO official who pleaded for anonymity explained the state of the plants in Itakpe and Ajaokuta. The official said that when his association visited the ministry in March, they were officially informed that the government was considering handing Ajaokuta and NIOMCO over to Chinese investors.

    The official told The Nation: “Presently, the statuesque of Ajaokuta and NIOMCO remain the same. When our association visited the ministry in March to discuss the state of the companies, we were officially informed that the government wants to invite the Chinese to come and take over Ajaokuta and NIOMCO.

    “They said that it is because of the ongoing crises between Russia and Ukraine that the government does not want to get involved in the crisis. We are opposed to a Chinese takeover. Ajaokuta workers prefer the Russians to return since they installed the machines and have been managing the plant before now. In NIOMCO, we prefer that the government negotiates with the German company – Koch. They have a better knowledge than the Chinese.

    “Presently NIOMCO has a new management team in place and they have started installing light around Itakpe, the management got money from cooperatives and we are presently hoping that the installation will be complete in latest a week from now and the plant will have light.”

  • FHA, FCDA to float development control agency

    The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) and the Department of Development Control (DDC), Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) are to set up an inter-agency committee to guide development control in FHA estates in Abuja.

    The FHA will develop the framework for the operation of the committee and send it to the DDC for its input and rectification.

    These were some of the decisions taken at a meeting between the FHA management and the department in Abuja.

    FHA  Managing Director Prof Mohammed Al-Amin, told the visiting DDC acting Managing Director Alhaji Hamza Tayyab, that the authority has seen some vibrancy in development control activities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    He said the FHA would support the FCT Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Bello, in his quest to bequeath, a model city to the FCT that would make all Nigerians proud. The authority, Al-Amin said, would work on attaining  excellence in its business, adding that the agency had a strong promising to meet the expectations of FHA’s partners in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA). FHA, he said, would stop any contravention brought to its notice, stating that it is important to resolve outstanding matters  amicably.

    On assumption of office, Al-Amin said, he ordered a study on the development of the authority’s Gwarinpa Estate in Abuja, adding that the exercise turned out disturbing revelations.  The report, according to him, showed that rather than the standard 20 per cent of the estate left as green area, only five per cent was. In addition, he said the report warned that with climate change on the rise, the estate stood the risk of flooding because of allocations across water channels and flood areas.

    The FHA boss said he had stopped such allocations and was exploring ways to relocate those already made. He said the authority was worried about the spate of illegal conversion of residential buildings into commercial use, its management. He said had considered converting three of the avenues in the estate into commercial boulevards, but the Urban and Regional Department of the FCDA resisted the move because it considered it a breach of the master plan of the estate.

    Tayyab said his team was at FHA because it considered it a strategic partner in the development of the FCT. He explained that the new FCT Minister had a vision of what the Territory should be and that all stakeholders owed it duty to achieve the vision.

    He said the minister was against the granting of building approvals on flood plains, green areas and on the hills of Abuja but said his agency had noticed contraventions in some FHA allocations such as on Maitama Hill where there is no access and which ought to be preserved.

    He said similar breach was noticed in Apo and Gwarinpa Estate, especially where he said residential buildings were being flagrantly converted to commercial use and approvals were granted for buildings along flood plains.

    Tayyab said his agency was aware of the FHA’s lack of capacity in equipment and manpower and promised that his department was ready to synergise with the FHA to facilitate the development of a city of everybody’s dreams.

  • Development matters

    Development matters

    His Imperial Majesty, Ooni Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, made history on June 15, 2016 as the first Yoruba monarch to visit Howard University Washington, DC. in recent memory. In his honor, a symposium on Culture, Healing and Development was organized by the Departments of Philosophy and Mathematics, with Dr. Kola Abimbola as the Chief Organizer. In a moving ceremony, Provost Anthony Wutoh and Dean Bernard Mair welcomed Kabiyesi to the University on behalf of President Wayne A. I. Frederick who was out of town. My contribution to the symposium, which was keynoted by Professor Wande Abimbola and Kabiyesi himself, is the subject of today’s column.

    The 1987 World Commission on Environment and Development, also known as the Brundtland Report, defines sustainable development as “development which meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” This definition raises five important points.

    First, the emphasis is on “sustainability” which requires consideration for the future generation. Second, this consideration for the future generation is African. A typical African will refrain from jeopardizing the future of his or her children and grandchildren.

    Third, however, sustainable development appears to have, over the years, come to represent the struggle to protect the environment on the fear that if our human actions or inactions negatively impact the environment, we are collectively endangering the future of our grandchildren.

    But Africa is in a dire shape. The resources available to her people are miniscule compared with those available to the West. The present generation of Africans in general, and Nigeria, in particular, are struggling to survive the harshness of the lottery of life that is their lot.

    Africa has mineral resources and fossil fuel deposits which others have exploited at the detriment of the owners. African land is easy target for dumping of toxic wastes from the West, which unsuspecting landowners negotiate to keep for money to feed their children and grandchildren. But what they bury on their land today will germinate in the not-too-distant future to harm those same children.

    The fourth point is no less troubling. If we shift the focus of sustainability from the future of the planet, an imperative which many in the wealthy West still resist, and concentrate instead on sustainability as preserving resources for our children and grandchildren, Africans are still in an uncomfortable position. The poverty that many who exist at starvation level endure in the present is so evident that there is little or no expectation that they are even capable of leaving anything for the future of their children. As in the case of the Widow of Zarephath, their concern is to fetch the firewood to cook their last meal.

    Finally, on the matter of sustainable development, there is always going to be outliers even in Africa, and some of these are not necessarily positive. For even in the midst of the hopeless desert of resources, there are oases of stupendous wealth, many of them acquired at the back of the poor masses. This is the group that Growth theories of development favor, the ones who benefit directly from the corrupting influence of capital and political patronage.

    How about focusing on development as meeting the basic needs of the people for, say, nutrition, health, education, and shelter? The purpose of development must be to provide the people with the opportunity to live meaningful lives. This requires moving away from abstract accounts of gross national product, rebased economy, and similar jargons, to concrete and specific issues of the needs for the survival and flourishing of human beings.

    Assume that we focus on basic needs and the sustainability of development that makes basic needs the center of its approach. We must then ask the question: What matters in the matter of achieving sustainable development goals for Nigeria? Fortunately, Nigeria is not alone. She belongs to the comity of nations, which collectively sets standards for acceptable human interaction and relationships. Since what affects one part impacts others directly or indirectly, we have to abide by the treaties that we sign and the resolutions that we adopt.

    On September 25, 2015, the United Nations Summit on Sustainable Development, in which Nigeria was an active participant, adopted seventeen goals for sustainable development, the top eight of which are significant for fulfilled life.

    The top eight goals are to end poverty in all its forms everywhere; end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture; ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages; ensure inclusive and equitable quality education, and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all; achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls; ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all; ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all; and promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

    The United Nations is as strong as its weakest member. It cannot, and it is not expected to, take over the reins of power in any of its member nations to implement the resolutions that members adopt. It relies on the ability of each of its members to do that. Therefore, when one goal expresses the imperative of ending “poverty in all its forms everywhere”, what it actually does is to express its desire that every member state must make this a goal with a timeline of 15 years, to 2030. It is the call of duty and responsibility. So, what really matters and what does it require on the part of Nigeria?

    What matters are visionary leadership, ethical consciousness, and strong institutions. I recall my observation back in August 2015 that “a strong and selfless leader with a vision will see through the cracks, rise above the fray and inspire the entire nation, young and old, men and women, of all faiths and all backgrounds, with personal example of hard work, self-discipline and transparent incorruptibility. He will not be distracted by perennial nay-sayers, or partisan critics because he has his eyes set on the prize of national advancement. He will go for the necessary restructuring of the economy and the polity, and investment in human development, as the sine qua non of transformation.” I still believe that leadership matters in the case of Nigeria.

    Ethics also matters, and the major culprit in our development-deficit circumstance is the ego which has become the be-all and end-all in all areas of our lives. Where everyone only looks out for self and no one worries about the collectivity without which the self cannot be, the result is an inadvertent annihilation of the self. More seriously, however, where the focus of the self is the greedy lust for material possession, regardless of considerations of desert, it is easy to see the inescapability of a Hobbesian anarchy of the kind that has characterized the republic thus far.

    Finally, institution matters. Strong and purposeful leaders will create institutions that will outlast them, and ensure that their legacy of discipline and moral probity is immune to destabilization by forces of retrogression. We lack strong institutions because we lack strong and visionary leaders.

    For lacking visionary leadership, ethical consciousness, and strong institutions, Nigeria has yet to make the expected impact in the matter of sustainable development. Yet we have the tools and the potentials. The sleeping giant just has to wake up from slumber.

    Among the tools are traditional ethical and value orientation, including the values of truthfulness, hard work, community and fellow-feeling. Every nationality group in Nigeria has moral resources from its pre-colonial past to dig into and deploy for sustainable development.

    We also have the National Ethics, embedded in the “The Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy” clause of the 1999 Constitution, which includes discipline, integrity, dignity of labour, social justice, religious tolerance, self-reliance, and patriotism. We only need to worker harder to activate these in our national life to secure the future.

    Ooni Ogunwusi has started well in the matter of traditional leadership with the various steps that he has taken. I pray for an abundance of perseverance, consistency, and longevity for him.