The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Director-General

  • ‘Why FG needs to reconsider signing African Free Trade Agreement’

    Mr Emeka Okereke, Director General, Enugu  Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA), has called on the Federal Government to reconsider the signing of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

    Okereke said this in Abuja when the chamber officials visited the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    The visit was to create publicity for the forthcoming 30th Enugu International Trade Fair.

    The Fair is slated to hold between April 5 and 15 with the theme: “Promoting and Enhancing Value in Addition in the Oil and Non-Oil Sector for Robust Economic Growth And Development.’’

    He said that the agreement was meant for free enterprise and building block economy.

    According to him, many African countries have signed the agreement and so such can discourage bringing goods through the illegal ways.

    AfCFTA was adopted on March 21, 2018 to create a single continental market for goods and services, with free movement of goods and ensure block African economy.

    Okereke said that the country had even signed the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS).

    He said that the ETLS was established  to encourage entrepreneurship development in the region and increase intra-regional trade and boost economic activity.

    Okereke added that the  ETLS and Free Movement Protocol are the most promising tolls for enhancing regional integration in West Africa.

    ” For AfCFTA, Nigeria consciousness is good but we cannot run away from reality; we cannot be an island on to ourselves, even in ECOWAS, we have signed for free movement of goods, persons and services.

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    ” I tell you those goods can still come into our country except we are not obeying the ECOWAS protocol we  have signed into,”  he said.

    Okereke said that challenge was that the country has an open border, adding that even if the country did not sign goods, it would still come into the country through the back door.

    He said that the agreement would  create a single market for goods and services, with free movement of people and investments across 55 countries.

    According to him, the government should try and develop the country’s infrastructure as the main challenge for manufacturers is the high cost of doing business.

    He also urged the government to address the multiplicity of taxes and levies.

    He complained that most companies left the country due to cost of doing business.

    ” The government needs to address issues affecting the business environment in order to boost the country’s economy.”  (NAN)

  • Agency to enforce consumer rights

    The Director-General, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) Tunde Irukere said there is need to ensure the enforcement of consumers rights as most consumers still do not know how to go about demanding for their rights.

    He said most constitutions across the world do not capture consumerism as a fundamental human right even as the nature of business practised is mainly centered at making profit.

    Irukere stated this at the stakeholders forum organised by FCCPC to commemorate the World Consumer Rights Day 2019, with : Trusted Smart Products as theme  in Abuja. He said it was important to know what consumer rights are, to respect those rights and ensure its enforcement and consumer satisfaction.

    He said the biggest problem in the world today is whether consumers truly recognise their rights and whether companies do enough to respect their obligation to regard those rights.

    He added that, to dedicate a specific day to the rights of consumers, I think it is appropriate, with the number of years this has happened, I think consumers are more aware of their rights.

  • Runsewe urges monarchs to preserve culture for unity

    National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) Director-General Otunba Segun Runsewe has urged monarchs to  support and preserve cultures across the country in a bid to promote national unity and development.

    He spoke in Abuja during the flag-off of the campaign for National Festival of Arts and Culture tagged EDO NAFEST 2019.

    He said this year’s festival holding in Benin, the Edo State capital  will be done in collaboration with the Oba of Benin’s palace.

    He noted that this is ‘’in furtherance of the centrality of Benin Monarchy to the socio-cultural activities of the state’’.

    He said: “As the custodians of our culture, the traditional institution has the responsibility to preserve our rich cultural heritage and propagate our cherished values, such as love, respect for elders, constituted authorities and for the sanity of the human life, honesty, discipline, work ethics, neighbourliness, community spirit among others. It is our conviction that the progressive deterioration of these values over the years is partly responsible for the crisis of national unity and the under-development our nation is currently facing.

    “It is in the light of the above that we have incorporated Royalty Day as one of the components of this year’s edition of the festival. Accordingly, representatives of the contingents from all the participating states shall be paying homage to His Royal Majesty in the course of the festival. In addition to this, a special royal exhibition depicting the grandeur of Benin Royalty will be mounted throughout the period of the festival to reflect the richness and glamour of the Benin traditional institution.”

    Runsewe said the mandate of NCAC is to preserve, promote and market the country’s arts and culture, stressing: “We cannot effectively do this without active and sustained engagement with our royal fathers who are the custodians of our culture. It stands to reason, therefore, that we must begin to work in close collaboration with the traditional institutions in Nigeria.’’

    He pleaded with monarchs to collaborate with the council in the task of “reviving the nation’s cherished cultural heritage and using our culture as a springboard for driving the process of national development. It was Marcus Garvey who once said that a people without the knowledge of their culture are like a tree without roots. Our culture is inevitably the building blocks for our national development”.

    Reviewing the success of past events, Runsewe said: “Since my assumption of office at the council, I have made concerted efforts in repositioning NAFEST, not only as a platform for propagating peace and national cohesion, but also as a means of impacting on the life of the people. This, I have done by expanding the scope, content and reach of the festival. For example, Free Skill Acquisition training, Waste to Wealth and Free Medical Screening are some of the new components I have introduced to the festival to add value to NAFEST and empower the people, while fulfilling our corporate social responsibility.

    “The popularity and patronage of the festival have also significantly improved. In the 2017 edition held in Kaduna, Kaduna State, a spectacular Durbar Show was staged at the instance of the Emir of Zauzzau, who was present at the opening ceremony along with a retinue of chiefs from the Zauzzau Emirate Council. Rivers 2018 NAFEST witnessed unprecedented participation of three sitting governors. These were the host governor, the governor of Abia State as well as the governor of Ebonyi State.”

    He expressed the confidence that Edo NAFEST 2019 won’t be an exception. “I am confident and happy to remark that we are determined to build on the gains of the last two years.

    Edo State Governor Mr. Godwin Obaseki has affirmed his commitment towards making EDO NAFEST 2019 a most historic moment.

    He said: “Indeed, Edo NAFEST 2019 promises to be unique in all respect. Edo State has a very rich and diverse cultural heritage dating back to several centuries. As one of the most celebrated destinations for arts and culture, Edo State is reputed to be the cultural hub of Nigeria and Africa at large. The ancient Benin kingdom, with its distinctive arts and crafts products, rich festivals rendered in songs, poetry, incantations, royal dances and so on, has remained a cultural base and reference point of culture all over the world.”

  • RMRDC pledges support to economic diversification

    Raw Material Research & Development Council (RMRDC), Director-General Dr. Hussaini Ibrahim Dikko has pledged the Council’s readiness to contribute its quota to the growth and development of the economy.

    He made the promise at the opening of the Fourth Annual Nigeria Raw Materials and Equipment Manufacturing (NIRAM) expo in Lagos. It was themed: “Optimising value chain towards growth and competitiveness in the manufacturing sector”.

    At the event, which was in collaboration with the RMRDC, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and Clarion Event Managers, Dikko said the Council had on display raw materials that, if tapped by manufacturers, would aid in diversifying the economy and reversing the nation’s over-dependence on oil.

    He said RMRDC was set to add higher capacity to the manufacturing sector, especially in the cement sector with added value to limestone and gypsum used in cement manufacturing.

    Power, Works & Housing Minister Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) said the Federal Government was poised to provide transportation infrastructure to encourage wider markets for manufactured goods.

    Fashola, who was represented by Highways Director in the Ministry, Mr. Terna Ibe, said the manufacturing sector has the potential of reinvigorating the economy by avoiding over reliance on oil.

    The government, he said, was committed to improving the main artillery road networks across the nation and opening up new roads for men and materials required to build the economy, noting that his ministry has also constructed 3,000 housing units across the country, using local building materials.

    Minister of State for Mines & Steel Abubakar Bawa Bwari said the nation’s climate encourages agriculture and pledged his ministry’s preparedness to add value to the materials before exportation.

    He said his ministry has the mandate to exploit raw minerals and add value to them to enable manufacturers apply them in their manufacturing processes.

    According to Bwari, the ministry has expended N30 million in mineral explorations, and geo-sciences data have been made available to investors to enable them make investment decisions.

    He praised the World Bank for the $150million grant, which he said has helped the ministry to showcase the abundant mineral deposits in the country for the manufacturing sector.

    Earlier, MAN President, Mansur Ahmed, explained that the expo was aimed at creating a platform where stakeholders in the raw materials value chain will come together to synergise, display and trade in available resources and raw materials with users of the products.

    He said the organisers intended to close the information gap and encourage local sourcing of available raw materials by manufacturing industries, in line with the Federal Government’s Backward Integration Programme (BIP).

    Ahmed recalled that the third edition of the expo impacted greatly on the economy. He confirmed that this year’s edition was a continuation of the success story recorded last year.

    He said MAN has been given a leading role in the establishment of the African Manufacturer’s Association (AMA), stating that this was a fallout of the recent Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF).

    According to MAN chief, AMA would provide the platform for African manufacturers to address the challenges confronting sustainable industrialisation  of Africa and trade among them.

    He commended the  administration’s commitment to engage the organised private sector through the Industrial Policy and Competitiveness Council and the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.

    Clarion Event Managers representative, Mr. Runsel Hills, said they were at the fair to provide and encourage technology solutions and value added raw materials to manufacturers.

    He said with their experience of holding 200 conferences and expos yearly with 2,500 employees, they were strategically placed to deliver services to exhibitors, manufacturers and visitors to the fair.

    He added that this year’s expo hosted 300 exhibitors and more than 600 equipment vendors.

  • ILO: decent work vital to development

    DEcent work is key to achieving sustainable development, social justice and foundation for lasting peace, International Labour Organisations (ILO) Director-General, Guy Ryder has said.

    Ryder, who stated this in his message  to governments across the world at the United Nations (UN)  “World Day of Social Justice”, re-echoed ILO’s mission to the world.

    He said: “If you want peace and development, work for social justice,” adding that for a century, ILO has pursued its mandate to promote social justice through the world of work.

    He reminded world leaders and policy makers of the avoidable economic depression that may befall the society should the world continue to turn deaf ear to ILO calls and warnings. He said: “Undoubtedly, there has been much economic and social progress. Yet the fruits are often unevenly distributed.”

    He continued: “Many people have been lifted out of poverty but many are in danger of falling back. Technology has generated jobs, opened up opportunities and alleviated drudgery, yet billions are still barely surviving in the informal economy. Many societies are scarred by deep social and economic divides; populations are torn apart by war and conflict.”

    The ILO, he said, will continue to be an advocate for the rights and standards that underpin decent work as well as the policies that foster decent work world over, noting that for 100 years the ILO has pursued its mandate to promote social justice through the world of work.

    “Undoubtedly, there has been much economic and social progress. Yet the fruits are often unevenly distributed. Many people have been lifted out of poverty, but many are in danger of falling back. Technology has generated jobs, opened up opportunities and alleviated drudgery, yet billions are still barely surviving in the informal economy.

    “Many societies are scarred by deep social and economic divides; populations are torn apart by war and conflict. And in a changing world of work, established relationships, norms and standards are being called into question and fundamental rights at work are still to be fully realised,” Ryder said.

    He said it is no less certain today than in 1919 that lasting peace and stability must be built on a foundation of sustainable development and social justice.

  • Ex-NIMASA chief’s trial resumes March 11

    The Federal High Court in Lagos has adjourned the trial of former Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Director-General Dr Patrick Akpobolokemi to March 11 and 12.

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged him along with Ezekiel Agaba, Ekene Nwakuche, Felix Bob-Nabena, Captain Warredi Enisouh and a firm, Al-kenzo Ltd, on a 22-count charge of converting N3.4 billion belonging to NIMASA for personal use.

    The defendants were said to have committed the alleged offence between December 2013 and July 2015.

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said they breached Sections 15 (1), (3), and 18 (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibitions) Amendment Act, 2012.

    They pleaded not guilty.

    At the trial last week before Justice Ayokunle Faji, the court heard that NIMASA under Akpobolokemi allegedly paid N138.5 million to a company in 2014 despite not executing any contract.

    Fredrick Ugor, an engineer at NIMASA, told the court that he worked in the company before joining the agency.

    He testified in the trial of former and five others.

    They were charged with N3.4 billion fraud.

    Ugor said the funds were lodged in the company’s account by NIMASA’s Committee on Intelligence (COI) at different times in 2014.

    He said used Peniel Engineering Ltd for his services while also working as the Special Assistant to the Rivers State House of Assembly Speaker before he joined NIMASA.

    “I know Peniel Engineering Ltd. It is owned by my friend, Engineer Jolly James, while I was in Port-Harcourt.

    “It was the platform I was using for my business. The company is into maritime logistics, construction of roads and schools, etc.

    “It was not into intelligence gathering activities,” the witness said.

    He confirmed that N20 million, N35 million, N13 million, N35 million, N6 million, N22 million and N7.5 million were paid into the company’s account at different times in 2014 by COI.

    He told the court that the committee was set up by NIMASA’s management to gather intelligence aimed at stopping nefarious activities in the country.

    Ugor said he was not a member of the committee.

    “I did not know COI is in existence. I also know in the course of interrogation that the company’s account details was made available to the Committee by my Director, Captain Warredi Enisouh (fifth defendant). I gave it to him.

    “Peniel Engineering Ltd did not indulge in any intelligence gathering for NIMASA to warrant any payment into the company’s account,” he said.

  • Director-General to enforce CPC law

    Consumer Protection Council (CPC) Director-General Mr. Babatunde Irukera has vowed to enforce the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Bill recently signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    In a statement, he disclosed that President Buhari had assented to the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Bill, which makes it the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2019.

    He said: “By this, Nigeria has promulgated, perhaps, the most prolific legislation for promoting consumer confidence, choice and fair pricing.

    “By the same token, the law deepens the framework for encouraging and supporting small and medium scale businesses by ensuring a playing field that eliminates entry barriers and operational obstacles which prevent sustainability and profitability.

    “By this law, the Federal Government has cemented the most needed efficient and transparent framework for meaningful and credible disposition of public enterprises, expanding economic growth and assuring shared prosperity.

    “As a leading market in Africa, a vibrant competition framework is a key tool in reducing poverty, increasing value for money and ensuring consumer satisfaction.

    “This demonstration of fidelity to consumers and citizens while continuing to promote Nigeria as a leading destination for investment is an outstanding achievement, and a historic milestone in the development of Nigeria and prioritisation of her people both from consumer protection and economic competitiveness standpoints.

    “We, at the CPC, will engage every tool and provision in this new law, and any other enactment for the protection of consumers to ensure fair treatment and respect for Nigerian consumers,” Irukera  said.

     

     

  • ‘There is no crack in the ranks of Benue APC’

    The Director-General of Jime – Ode campaign Organisation, Chief Tilley Gyado on Monday said there is no crack in the Benue state chapter of the All Progressive Congress ( APC).

    Speaking to journalists in his Makurdi residence Chief Gyado said APC is one big family and are going into Saturday polls as a united force.

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    He dismissed report by The National Newspaper that there was a crack in APC, saying the key APC chieftain who made the allegations of division at the meeting failed to provide evidence.

    He called on APC supporters in Benue state to disregard the reports and vote massively for APC in all elections.

    Chief Gyado said Benue is going to vote massively for APC on Saturday.

  • You’ll go to jail if you break electoral laws – DG warns Corps members

    The Director General of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Maj. Gen. Suleiman Kazaure, has warned corps members participating as INEC ad-hoc staff in the general election that they would be jailed if they break any electoral law in the course of their assignment.

    Kazaure gave the warning Thursday in Yola while addressing corps members trained to participate in the exercise.

    Represented by Mr Sadiq Ipaku, Chief Inspector of NYSC, Abuja, Kazaure said it was mandatory for corps members to know the Electoral Act and discharge their assignment in line with the law, and the training provided to avoid falling into trouble.

    Kazaure said over the years, corps members have distinguished themselves during elections and should continue to do so.

    “Your predecessors, right from year 2008 when the collaboration started, have proven their mettle and made each succeeding election more credible and acceptable than the proceeding one.

    “It is against this background that the nation is once again calling on you for this very important assignment,” Kazaure said.

    In his remarks, the Adamawa Coordinator of NYSC, Mallam Abubakar Mohammed tasked the corps members to be confident and take full responsibility during the assignment so as not to be messed up by any politician.

    Mohammed tasked also tasked them to be security conscious, adding that there was an agreement with INEC not to post corps member to crisis areas.

    He also said that special numbers would be provided them to make quick contact in the case of any difficulty or emergency.

    In his speech, the Adamawa Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr Kassim Gaidam, who described corps members as “the core of INEC ad-hoc staff”, said the commission has confidence full confidence in their ability to deliver.

    Gaidam assured them of adequate security and welfare, adding that their training allowances would be paid on Friday, while other allowances would be paid as at when due.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that highlights of the interactive session was the distribution of relevant pamphlets on election guidelines, and lecture on security tips by officials from Department of State Security.

  • How construction is contributing to growth, by group

    The Federation of Construction Industry (FOCI), Director-General, Mrs. Olubunmi Adekoje, has said the construction industry is a strong partner of the government.

    Mrs. Adejoke stated this when the association visited the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola in Abuja

    She said the industry has brought  empowerment and development, but noted that, the industry was in a prostrate state due to the adverse effect caused by accumulated delays in paying for contracts executed, which she advised must be looked into to find a solution.

    She said: “We recall that as at 2015, many FOCI members were distressed as a result of huge debts of over N600billion owed by the government. We appreciate the effort of the  government in payment of a substantial amount of this debt. We also acknowledge the creative provision of funds for capital projects, the Sukuk Bond to finance infrastructure. The above initiatives have brought immerse relief to our members. Also, worthy of appreciation are the results obtained in a number of fields like the ease of doing business, the business confidence in Nigeria and the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) which are all proof of a slow but systematic improvement and change in the way the system works now,” she said.

    She further said FOCI  has the capacity to employ a large number of professionals: technicians and tradesmen, adding that after the government the Group is  the largest employer of labour.