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Tag: Executive Chairman

  • EDPA to recertify estate residents, embarks on rent recovery

    EDPA to recertify estate residents, embarks on rent recovery

    The Edo Development and Property Authority (EDPA) will from November 27 to January 22, 2018, embark on recertification and rent recovery exercise for residents in its estates spread across the state.

    In a statement, the Executive Chairman, EDPA, Isoken Omo, on Thursday, said that the exercise, which is expected to last for eight weeks, will target homeowners and estate residents.

    The affected estates include Andrew Wilson, Evboriaria; Oregbeni, Federal Housing Estates I, II & III, Workers Village, C130 Estates, Ikpoba Hill. Others are Iguosa Housing Estate, BDPA Housing Estate, Ugbowo; Iyekogba and Ogbe-Ibya Estates.

    According to her, “It has been observed that over time, a lot of issues such as illegal occupation, illegal construction, severe property neglect, huge arrears of ground rent, service charge and shop rent and squatters have been prevalent in the estates. There is an urgent need to curb this trend and set the pace for the future of our estates.”

    Noting that the exercise will enable her team collect relevant data that would guide EDPA’s forthcoming programmes in the estates, she said, “We have engaged the Residents Associations, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Edo State Geographic Information System (EDOGIS), Security Services and other stakeholders to sensitise them about the proposed exercise. It is hoped that at the end of the exercise, we would have a complete database of the genuine owners/occupants and be able to issue Deeds of Sublease to the qualifying residents.”

    She said the exercise will cost each resident N5,000, to facilitate the agency’s work, noting “Each resident is expected to pay the amount to EDPA Service Charge Account in GT bank: 0128778701. They should clearly state their name, using recertification as reference.  They are to produce the Teller of payment to be issued a receipt. All EDPA staff will have proof of ID to show to residents during the exercise. Residents are expected to co-operate with EDPA staff carrying out the exercise.”

    She enjoined residents to provide means of identification, which include any of Driver’s Licence, Voter’s Card, International Passport or National ID Card, proof of purchase/ownership, proof of payment of mortgage, ground rent or monthly salary deductions, evidence of approval for alterations and developments as the case maybe.

  • Zamfara SUBEB gives cash to boost enrolment

    The Zamfara State Government has embarked on a massive enrolment campaign to reduce the number of out-of-school children (OOSC) in the state.

    Murtala Adamu Jangebe, Executive Chairman, ZSUBEB, said the state was implementing a programme that provides money to families to send their wards to school.

    He said the ‘Cash Transfer Programe” was designed as a “Cash Support Programme” for indigent parents and households to encourage enrolment.

    According to him, about N200 million has been earmarked for the programme in partnership with UNICEF.

    “It is an initiative aimed at supporting parents to purchase uniforms, writing materials and other aids for their wards to boost enrolment level in primary schools,” he said.

    “We have engaged all stakeholders in our mass enrolment drive campaigns by using the traditional and opinion leaders.

    “We set machinery in motion to assess the general and remote situation of pupils, classrooms, teachers and utilities in our schools when we discovered in 2012 that only 283,000 were enroled against the 500,000 or 600,000 previously. But now, we are fast improving on the figures,” he added.

    The ZSUBEB boss also noted that in the past, the state had no presence of donor agencies, but with relentless efforts, the presence of the likes of UNICEF, DFID, MC Arthur Foundation were being felt.

    “Today, we have no fewer than five development partners, with the World Bank coming soon to articulate the issue of OOSC in the state,” he said.

    Janegbe said the state was not stopping at that. To improve the quality of basic education across the state, he said funds accessed from the 2014/2015 funding year from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) in Abuja has been used to build and rehabilitate schools.

    He said no fewer than 114 schools had been earmarked for the intervention project, which include the provision of 11,887 chairs and desks for pupils and 1,456 tables and chairs for teachers.

    “This will also include the provision of utilities as water? and toilet facilities to make the environment more habitable”, he added.

    Janegbe, a one-time Deputy Speaker in the state House of Assembly, said the projects would boost local economy as they are being handled locally.

    “We want to sustain the tempo and passion for improved education standards at the basic level across the state.

    “The contract have been awarded to 326 indigenous contractors to also boost the state’s socio-economic activities and promote positive empowerment. We are glad it paid off as we have made some of them millionaires, increased their skills and collective participation by carrying them along in the execution of the purposeful project.

    “We selected people for the contracts from the areas where the schools earmarked for the renovations are located across the state. It will further support a lot of professional artisans like furniture craftsmen, welders, carpenters, among others, in earning a living because money has been injected into the communities and the grassroots across the state,” he said.

    Jangebe, the longest serving SUBEB chairman in the federation, having been appointed since 2011 by the Governor Abdul’aziz Yari administration, said the intervention projects would reposition schools.

    “The baseline intention is to expand the schools by building more classrooms with the objective of decongesting the schools that may be over-populated with pupils,” he explained.

    Also, Janegbe said the board planned to build at least 10 befitting offices for Education Secretaries in each of the 10 councils in the state.

    He said: “Each one will be equipped with an ICT facility and fully connected to a 24-hours internet service for efficient and effective office activities.”

    On the state government commitment to teachers’ welfare, the Board chairman said it had kept faith with the prompt payment of teachers’ salaries and other entitlements, as well as the training of teachers.

    “We also realised that welfare is beyond taking money home. The state government is driving its focus towards sustaining capacity building templates for teachers by exposing them to training workshops, seminars and learning excursions within and outside the country. Only recently, we sponsored 10 of our teachers to the UK for a learning programme. Besides,  we are into responsive partnership understanding with reputable donor agencies and institutions as the DFID, UNICEF, Jolly Phonics, JAKA which is being funded by NTI to improve the quality of teaching and learning in our schools”, he said.

     

  • Discipline: Osun set to deploy 600 education marshalls

    Discipline: Osun set to deploy 600 education marshalls

    In its bid to restore sanity to the education system and enhance teaching and learning process in all the public schools across the state, the Government of the State of Osun is set to deploy 600 Education Marshalls to all public schools in the state.

    The scheme, when fully constituted, will help curb all forms of indiscipline and moral decadence among pupils and staff of public schools.

    The Bureau of Communication and Strategy in the office of the governor, in a statement on Monday, quoted the Executive Chairman, Osun Education Quality Assurance and Morality Enforcement Agency, Dr. Isiaka Owoade as saying that the state would launch the discipline team as part of efforts to eliminate the human factors that always hamper the smooth process of teaching and learning in the schools.

    The statement signed by the Director of the Bureau, Semiu Okanlawon, quoted Owoade as stating the decision was taken to ensure quality assurance for all in the education system so as to complement the huge investment made by the state in education sector.

    Owoade, who identified gross indiscipline, moral decadence and nonchalant attitude among students and teachers as factors militating against educational growth and development, said no effort would be spared to achieve high sense of discipline and bring out the best in every pupil and student of public schools in the state.

    He attributed an act of indiscipline between and among staff, pupils and students as one major factor that has been proven to affect educational outcomes negatively in the state.

    According to him, it is crystal clear that the present administration in the state has invested huge sums of money in education infrastructure, teacher recruitment and training.

    “But one major factor that has been proven to affect educational outcomes negatively is indiscipline among both the staff and students.

    Related Post: Meet new Osun education marshalls

    “So, it is however very important that the human factors that affect learning and teaching be attended to in order for the investment in education to yield positive results.

    “In order to accomplish this, our agency which is being saddled with the task of ensuring that the teachers perform maximally and that the standard of teaching is high resolved to take this decisive action to return our schools to the path of greatness.

    “We have a core of trained Education Quality Assurance officers that will see to it that the students imbibe the right kind of attitude to maximise educational accomplishment,” he stressed.

    The Chairman of the agency said the Marshals will be organised as foot patrol teams to monitor the streets to discourage truancy, loitering and other forms of anti-social behaviours by public school students when they are supposed to be in their schools.

    “The Marshals will follow up on any accosted pupils to his/her homes and/or schools. The Marshals will also patrol individual schools to assess and report on the disciplinary tone of the environment.

    “Points to monitor and report on in schools include unattended classrooms, students loitering and whether meaningful teaching and learning are taking place.

    “The overall objective of the scheme is to help government and the school authorities maintain discipline and enhance teaching and learning,” he added.

    Owoade disclosed that the Marshals would be trained with relevant sections of The Child Rights Act; basic children psychology (how to deal with difficult children), the various manifestation of indiscipline, ethical issues in dealing with children as well as how to relate with the other law enforcement agencies.

  • Fine: MTN clarifies accounting provision

    Fine: MTN clarifies accounting provision

    South African telco firm, MTN Group on Friday made clarifications about R9287 million set aside in the recently released MTN Nigeria Group Financial results.

    According to the telco company in a press statement made available to Journalist, it is in accordance with the Principle of Prudence in generally accepted accounting standards.

    “This requires that reasonable provisions be made for contingent liabilities. Discussions with the Nigerian authorities are still ongoing and stakeholders will be advised accordingly when a settlement is reached,” it noted.

    MTN executive, Amina Oyagbola, speaking to the same point made by the Executive Chairman, Phuthuma Nhleko in the 2015 results announcement published earlier today said: “MTN’s auditors have required that the company make a provision in line with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).”