The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Experts

  • Experts seek inclusion of renewable energy development in agric

    The Provost, Federal College of Agriculture (FCA), Akure Dr. Samson Adeola Odedina, has  said a robust national plan to encourage renewable energy projects in the agricultural  sector will open up the rural economies and reduce the cost of doing business.

    Odedina said  sustainable energy is needed for agricultural transformation. According to him, energy is needed in all aspects of agricultural and food production, processing, service provision and livelihoods improvement.

    Sustainable energy solutions, he said,  provides the key to improving energy poverty among the rural poor. These include sustainable interventions such as biomass for cooking, drying and heating and food processing.

    To this end, he said the college  is  ready to implement projects through collaboration with partners to provide sustainable energy solutions for the agricultural industry.

    He said the college has a blue print to help accelerate the rollout of renewable energy projects, adding  that  the  school  can  help  farmers  identify areas that may be suitable for energy development.

    For instance, Odedina said the  school has developed a successful  biogas project that can help farmers to run biomass power generation system.

    He explained that the biomass energy project, championed  by the college is produced from cow and poultry wastes and that the system  requires less maintenance and fewer inputs and is cheaper and more sustainable.

    The college promotes biogas digesters for cooking and lighting. He said the college envisages a transformed agricultural industry that meets the needs of the rural and urban poor, small holder farmers and provides transition to modernising agriculture.

    The potential of land-based renewable energy to support profitable farming, while contributing to energy security, he noted, cannot be emphasised.

    Odedina stressed the need to support renewable energy projects to help farmers not connected  to the  national  grid reduce the cost of electricity production and diversify  sources of power generation. He also encouraged the youth to take farming seriously and added that it is important for the youth to take training courses as ones offered at the college  in order to get the required technical skill to excell in the farming business.

    He  said FCA  is  good   because of its provision of quality human resource for the agricultural sector, integrated community development programmes.

    He said the college  efforts is contibuting immensely to improving food security, poverty reduction and environmental conservation.

    Vice-President(Agriculture), Association of Small Business Owners of Nigeria(ASBON),Mr Stephen Oladipupo said the  government  needs  to   boost the private sector and support to tap new energy sources to ease power shortages.

    He  said  tackling  power supply   issue help companies unlock their potential and create the economic opportunities that Nigerians  are eager for.

    He  said  Nigeria  has an opportunity to improve the quality and quantity of agriculture growth by  developing renewable energy.

    He  said the  government  can  harness  the enormous potential of the nation  by investing in agricultural innovation.

    According to him,  improving  renewable energy,  will  support profitable farming and underpins traditional agricultural production.

    Renewable energy,  he   added,   makes  farm businesses more resilient and better able to manage volatility in both the weather and in farm prices.

    According to him, the  nation’s   economic prospects hinge on its ability to meet fast rising demand for energy and securing access to  millions of  people who currently lack it.

    He highlighted the importance of reforms to land use and agriculture, adding that the sector faces significant risks but it also has enormous potential to become part of the solution. Innovation in the sector, Oladipupo said has the potential to change the lives of millions of people.

  • Experts make case for inclusive education

    Teachers have been urged to adopt inclusive education as a model in the teaching of challenged children.

    Some experts made the call at a forum by The Learning Craft, a consultancy at The Westwood, at Ikoyi, Lagos.

    Co-founder/Coordinator of Learning Craft, Rhoda Odigboh, said there was the need to make education available to all children irrespective of their physical abilities.

    She decried a situation where physically and other challenged children attend schools that are different from their normal peers. She said it was wrong for teachers, school owners and the government to allow children to be segregated, no matter their conditions.

    Odigboh, who is a member, World Forum of Early Care and Education, said: “It is the right of the child to get inclusive education and this must be given them. Inclusive education recognises all children as the valued members of the community. A lot of teachers ignore the differences in children. Inclusive education addresses the obstacles to children’s participation in education, resulting from the majority of attitudes.”

    She however explained that inclusive education does not mean that the challenged pupils and their normal colleagues should be in the same classroom; rather, she said they should study in the same environment. She said all pupils could learn if given equal opportunities.

    Odigboh continued: “Inclusive education is a system of education that accepts a child, regardless of illness, religion or tribe. It emphasises that a child be in a school system.” She said the model helps to develop children’s talents so that they do not create problems for society because of rejection. “It is not a new concept, but it is alien to many parts of the world.”

    She criticised the exclusive type of education, saying as the name implies, it excludes children with problems from accessing education.

    To promote inclusive education, she advised schools to engage special needs children consultant. The educationist urged the government not to pay lip service to the model, noting that the United Nations says education is a right of a child. She also said to checkmate segregation in schools, corporate bodies and individuals should offer scholarships to disadvantaged pupils and adopt schools in some areas, such as Ajegunle  in Lagos State.

    Education Administrator, Corona Schools’ Trust Council, Maureen Ihonor, who spoke on Inclusive education in 21st Century contemporary Classroom, agreed that with the inclusive education model, pupils learn better despite their challenges. She said: “Inclusive education is not the alternative. It is the choice.”

    Founder/Chief Executive Officer, Ajapa World Akinwunmi Braithwaite, who spoke on financial literacy for special needs children, said since pupils need financial literacy to survive, they should be taught how to spend within their income. He also said pupils should be taught how to earn money, operate bank accounts and effectively manage their cash.

  • Experts advocate effective credit management for economy

    The best way to rescue the country from the prevailing economic downturn is to have an effective credit system in place.

    The foregoing suggestion was the summary of the interface and discussion sessions by financial and economic experts at a public forum in Lagos.

    The event was at the Credit professionals and networking luncheon of the Institute of Credit Administration (ICA).

    In his opening remarks, Prof. Chris Onalo, Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of institute, who set the tone for the discussion, said credit management should be given a more practical approach by the government to enhance profitability among

    Credit management, Onalo stressed, can help focus on the nation’s economy which over the years has been lacking of qualitative and qualified professionals in the financial institutions.

    The ICA boss urged established financial institutions to make SMEs payment invoice on timely basis as prompt payment paves way for opportunities in the market place.

    The guest speaker, Mr. Godfrey Ozulumba, underscored the need for effective credit management in financial institutions, said regulatory aspect is a major key point in credit management as policy summersault has remained the bane of the credit sub-sector.

    “To make credit decisions, an independent-minded person based on qualitative and quantitative ideology should be available to train and work with others just as integrity should not be underestimated.”

    Echoing similar sentiments, Mr. Omotayo Ajani, who spoke about credit markets in emerging and developing markets like Nigeria, said a good credit administrator must broker deals and understand pricing mechanism just as he should get familiar with the environment to know what drives the market at every given time.

    Financial institutions in Nigeria, Ajani maintained, “Should to take a cue from the global financial system and global integration of newly industrialised countries because the industry is very important in credit management that brings about productivity and seriousness in a country.”

    In his own remarks, Mr. Felix Aremo spoke on the need for credit managers to harness every opportunity inherent in the credit management profession and to further try to utilise ideas for attaining a better structured credit management portfolio so as to compete extensively in the global financial markets.

    The highlight of the occasion was the induction of 73 new members of the Institute, including fellows and associates.

  • Experts: hypertension cases rising

    Hypertension, a killer disease, is rising, says a pharmaceutical company, Sanofi Nigeria. The company said Nigeria has the highest hypertension case in Africa because of its population.

    Its General Manager (GM), Abderrahmane Chakibi said the firm has produced a drug for better management of the condition, adding that hypertensives would get better if they use it.

    He said: “Hypertension is a burden in Nigeria and Sanofi is committed to strengthen the hope of hypertensive patients.”

    The company’s Medical and Regulatory Director, Dr Inoussa Fifen, described hypertension as a ‘silent killer’, which has led to the untimely death of many.

    He said most of the hypertensive patients die due to lack of awareness on what steps to take to curtail it.

    Fifen urged everybody to go for hypertension screening to know their health status.

    The company, he said, is committed to leading the way in integrated hypertension care, adding: “Sanofi worked tirelessly on a research case to effectively curb this silent killer.

    “We want to make sure everybody is able to afford our drugs on the field.”

    Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Chief Medical Director (CMD), Prof Wale Oke pointed out that hypertension appears to be unstoppable, stressing: “We must prevent hypertensive patients from dying. We are fighting the damage caused by this condition.”

    President, Nigerian Cardiac Society (NCS), Dr Amam Mbakwem said more than 80 per cent of hypertensive patients have additional co-morbidities, adding: “Thorough investigation must be done while treating hypertensive patients.”

    Mbakwem, who spoke on the management of hypertension beyond blood pressure control, said a diabetic patient whose blood pressure (BP) is 140/90, may have higher risk than a patient with a BP of 180/100 without any co-morbidity.

    “Individualise treatment based on the information you gather. Two patients of 130/ 80 are not the same,” she said.

    The United Kingdom (UK), she said, has 50 per cent hypertension control while United States (US) has 55 per cent control.

    “We think we have controlled hypertension, yet people have stroke, heart failure and kidney failure. BP vulnerability also needs to be controlled,” he said.

    The cardiologist urged doctors to commence treatment from the first day patients report to the hospital.

    “Treatment should start immediately, not specifically with drugs. Doctors should advise their patients to change their lifestyle, eating habits and exercise regularly.

    Doctors, she said, should be considerate in the way they approach patients.

    “The change in prevalence is already being seen in Nigeria. We need to make the patients feel like stakeholders”, she said.

    She advised patients to buy and use their medications because non-adherence is expensive.

    Head, Renal unit, Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof. Adewale Akinsola, represented by Dr. Ademola Aderibigbe, said hypertension prevalence is higher in urban areas compared to rural areas.

    He enjoined doctors to be detailed while evaluating patients with high blood pressure (HBP).

    “The problem is we do not know if we are treating hypertension. Besides, causes of hypertension are secondary.”

    Combination of therapy, he said, is very helpful in managing hypertension especially when the therapies complement each other, adding: “Combination therapy is more effective, particularly in the high risk of hypertensives.”

    People, he said, should check their BP constantly so as to know the best time to visit a doctor. “Those who have BP are not mostly those who break stones or drill holes,” he added.

    Aderibigbe advised people to be wary of their salt consumption, saying “it triggers high BP. Moreover, there is almost a direct line between salt intake and BP.

    “Six grammes of salt a day is okay for the kidney” he said.

    According to the Medical Officer, Igando-Ikotun Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Dr Sunday Orebiyi, people in this age category hardly screen for hypertension, which is a precursor to stroke and other diseases. Orebiyi spoke during a free hypertension screening organised by Tyonex Healthcare Limited in Igando. It was tagged Health Awareness Programme for You (HAPY).

    Dr Orebiyi said such intervention was necessary as it helps to fill the gaps for those who do not have access to healthcare due to distance, heavy schedule and lack of personnel, among others.

    The public health physician said most 40 years and above have poor health attitude, adding that bringing the screening closer to them would ensure they know their health status and address any problem that might arise.

    Orebiyi said hypertension is related to stroke among other conditions.

    “It is hypertension that triggers diabetes while the later causes high blood cholesterol,” he said.

    He charged them to avoid red meat, adding that scaly fish would do them a lot of good. “If they are going to eat meat at all then it should be lean meat, which is almost white. They should also avoid congealed vegetable oil,” Orebiyi added.

    Managing Director, Tyonex, Mr Emmanuel Agba said many adults shied away from knowing their health status. This, he said, should not be for a stitch in time saves nine.

    Agba, represented by National Sales Manager of the company, Ifenyiwa Maduka, said: “The screening is part of the company’s corporate social responsibilities (CSR) to add value to life. We intend to extend the programme to 25 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and LCDAs in Lagos State and 15 LGA in other geo-political zones in the country.”

    He said the screening is a yearly programme, adding that drugs are distributed free to beneficiaries. “The screening is for hypertension and high blood sugar but we intend to screen for other problems too in the future,” Agba said.

    Odofin/ Babaloja of Igando Market, Chief Nasiru Gbadamosi praised the company for bringing healthcare closer to the grassroots.

    He said: “Some people do not know they are sick. It is when they carry out this kind of screening that they discover their health is waning. “

    Screening, he said, should be done regularly, adding: “I have screened and I want others to do theirs too.”

    He said the exercise should not be a one-off thing, stressing that other organizations should come in to complement what the government is doing.

  • Experts seek alternative construction solution

    For the country to achieve a speedy progress in the quest to solving its estimated 17 million housing deficit, there is a need to consider alternative sources and techniques in building construction. One of the techniques being propagated is dry construction.

    The technology, also known as pre-fabricated construction, involves the use of factory-built building parts which are later assembled on-site to build houses, offices, and other apartments. The building parts are usually manufactured off-site in advance, in standard sections that can be easily transported and assembled on-site.

    It was, therefore, instructive when, last week, roofing and building solutions provider, Nigerite Limited, launched into the local building and construction market the Kalsi building solution.

    Stakeholders in the built environment reckon that the introduction of the Kalsi product is a major technological accomplishment for Nigeria. This is because, it simply puts Nigeria in a comfortable position as a reckoning force in the committee of developed and developing countries in the world by promoting a product that is at the peak of innovative building trend in America, Europe and some part of Asia.

    According to Nigerite’s Managing Director, Mr. Frank Le Bris, his firmowes it a duty to the industry and the country in general to champion economic and technological innovations that obtains in the developed world and bring same to Nigeria.

    Le Bris explained that while the introduction of the Kalsi building solution technology has cost the company huge amount of money in terms of investment in new factory lines and equipment as well as additional personnel, yet he sees it as “just one of the few things we can do to contribute to the economic and technological upgrade of Nigeria.”

    Furthermore, he explained, with dry construction gaining the ground globally, the Kalsi dry construction system now comes in handy as one of the fasted means of bridging the housing deficit gap in the country since it takes few weeks to construct from start to finish.

    Other benefits of using the kalsi building solution, Le Bris listed to include reducing cost of construction significantly over the use of brick and mortar system in the long run; it is all encompassing as it offers products cutting across all parts of a building except the roofing; it ensures cleaner environment at construction sites; it is easy to move and construct; absolutely safe in its applications and use.

    Le Bris, however, noted thatthe Kalsi building solution is not a replacement for the wet construction system, but rather an alternative to it as it provides quicker, effective and cheaper means of renovation.

    An estate developer, Mr. Adeyeye Ogunnusi, corroborated the cost-saving advantage of the Kalsi building solution. He explained that having used the solution in some of his building projects before the formal introduction, he was able to save up to 40 per cent on cost of construction.

    Marketing Manager, Nigerite, Mr. Abayomi Lawal, said with the introduction of the Kalsi, Nigerians and prospective home owners were guaranteed quality and affordable products for their dry construction building systems.

    He expressed optimism about the quality and standard of all products on Nigerite’s stable, noting that the new dry construction solutions would showcase another system to the built professionals and contractors as a worthwhile alternative to the conventional method of building with bricks, blocks and concrete.

    This method can also be used to complement structures built with the conventional system where there is need for renovations and face-lifts.

    Developer, Northern Foreshore Estate, Yemi Idowu, contends that it was time the country moved from building houses to manufacturing houses, adding that the dry construction technology is a ready avenue to achieving this.

    “So if we seeasolution that makes this easy, we should support it,” Ogunniran said. More support for the Kalsi dry construction solution came from the President, Mortgage Bank Association of Nigeria (MBAN), Mr. Femi Johnson, who assured that if developers can potential house owners, then MBAN will be willing to finance the project.

    Kalsi building boards come in sizes of 1.22m x 2.44m and 1.22m x 3.00m and thicknesses from 6mm to 20mm. The 6mm is for application in interior/exterior ceilings; 8mm and 10mm for application in internal partitions; 8mm for sidings cladding (with a wood textured finish); 12mm for application in cladding and exterior walls, and 20mm for application in suspended floor framed base.

  • Experts proffer solution to socio-politico challenges

    Imbibing right values and change in attitude of Nigerians have been identified as some of the solutions to the various socio- political and economic problems facing the country.

    Prof Tomola Obamuyi of the Federal University of Technology, Akure and Dr. Adebayo Ajayi, the Provost of Federal College of Education, Osiele, Abeokuta both spoke at the seventh national conference held at the college.

    Obamuyi, a professor of Banking and Finance, said the Nigerian economy had been significantly affected by the socio political challenges of corruption, poverty, unemployment, insecurity, and resource mismanagement.

    Delivering the lead paper in the conference  with the theme: ‘The Nigerian economy and the socio–political challenges,  Obamuyi said that there is a relationship between corruption, poverty, insecurity and economic development, noting that high level of corruption and insecurity are associated with high level of poverty, thereby causing a decline in the level of economic development.

  • Experts: master plan crucial to aviation’s growth

    Experts: master plan crucial to aviation’s growth

    To aviation experts a master plan is what the industry requires to grow. Such a master plan, they argue, will drive policies, attract investments and create robust carriers, KELVIN OSA OKUNBOR, reports.

    IN the last few years, aviation has come under criticism – scandals and controversies over uncompleted airport projects. This is an indication that managers of the sector have been acting without a clear master plan.

    Former Minister of Aviation Chief Osita Chidoka last week observed that the growth of the aviation sector is stunted due absence of a robust master plan.

    Chidoka said putting in place such plan would form the architecture on which aviation policies would be driven for industry development.

    The former minister stated this while giving a scorecard of his tenure.

    He challenged industry players and operators to push for a road map that would give an indication of what to expect in the sector in terms of planning and investments in the short, medium and long terms.

    Chidoka’s observation has attracted comments from some industry players. Experts say a master plan is long overdue for aviation.

    The necessity of such plan it was learnt encouraged the former minister a few months ago to organize a forum tagged Aviation Business Forum in Lagos.

    Stakeholders utilized the forum to examine ways and means of moving the industry forward by recommending policies that would attract investments into the sector.

    The absence of such a master plan, some experts including, Mr Olu Ohunayo, head of strategy Zenith Travels and Sheri Kyari executive director Centre for Aviation Research and Safety argue, is responsible for the inconsistency in policy direction on some projects that have been designed for implementation since 1999 till date.

    The experts aligned their thoughts with Chidoka who said government should work hard to ensure such a working document is put in place.

    Other experts, including Captain Edward Boyo, managing director Landover Aviation Company and former Nigeria Airways spokesman, Mr. Chris Aligbe say the absence of a solid aviation master plan has impacted negatively on the growth of the aviation sector especially the airline sub sector.

    They said if a solid master plan is in place, issues affecting criteria for robust domestic carriers that could compete with foreign carriers and retain huge capital flight at home could easily be sorted out.

    With the high turnover of Aviation Ministers, in the last 16 years, they are worried that if there existed a sector master plan properly articulated, it would have driven the development of the industry.

    According to the national president of National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), Isaac Balami until a solid master plan is put in place the anticipated development and growth of the aviation sector may not be achieved.

    Balami said such a master plan will bring about policies that will drive the growth and sustenance of domestic carriers.

    Also speaking an airline operator said the aviation industry would have recorded more achievement if there is a master plan that would draw up on how to attract investment in the sector in a manner that would drive job creation.

    He cited absence of a master plan that guides how the airport authority for instance encourage domestic carriers secure land leases around airports nationwide to set up aircraft maintenance hangars.

    Such high turnover he said has occasioned inconsistency in policy and its implementation.

    Since 1999 till date, no fewer than 10 persons have been appointed as Aviation Ministers.

    This high turnover in the strategic sector, experts say, is the reason for its stunted growth.

    Speaking last week in Lagos while giving his scorecard, former Minister of Aviation Chief Osita Chidoka agreed with the experts affirming that  the slow development of aviation is due largely to  lack of a vibrant master plan and absence of institutional memory.

    He said the sector is beset with a myriad of challenges, including absence of a master plan which ought to provide a template upon which all issues bordering on airport development should revolve.

    Chidoka said the absence of a working document has brought about frequent changes and transfer of personnel, thus rendering the relevant units of the ministry ineffective.

    As an intervention, Chidoka said a procurement process for the development of a master plan for Nigerian airports has commenced.

    He said: “The ministry has moved from its policy and supervisory role to an implementing agency under the guise of airport remodelling,” adding that the staff pooling system of the Federal Civil Service, limits the ministry ‘s ability to build and maintain a group of  technical experts to manage the affairs of the civil aviation industry.

    Chidoka said the pooling system should be modified to accommodate technical expertise in critical areas, pointing out that the ministry’s staff strength Is skewed towards service areas as against technical aviation related areas.

    He said staffing needs to be readjusted to enable the ministry beef up the staff numbers in the technical aviation areas, stating that it is the organisation’s core focus.

    Chidoka said government should conclude on-going procurement of consultants for the master plan to address weak policy leadership.

    “‘Government should divest the ministry of all airport projects and return same to the implementing agencies.”

     

    Aviation Business  Forum

     

    Only a few months ago, the ministry organized a forum where top executives of aviation and allied services organizations met in Lagos to design industry led initiatives to stimulate sustainable growth for the sector.

    Experts at the forum observed that beyond world class airline operations and infrastructure, Nigeria needs to play a leading role in the West African economic integration that aims to remove the barriers to the movement of traffic, such as visa requirements and the rigorous Customs clearance.

    The forum according to Chidoka also resolved that: “Government should not run a national flag carrier airline and that private owned airlines should not run as a national flag carrier airline. The objective is to ensure that ownership structure that engenders corporate governance; accountability and transparency are adhered to.

    That a diversified ownership that reflects a combination of institutional investors, public investors and private ownership that has an interest in going public is a major requirement in becoming a national flag carrier.

    That there can be as many national flag carriers that meet the set criteria.

    That the national flag carrier will espouse certain inherent national values that align with the Nigerian brand. That national flag carrier must operate an effective model.

    That an economic stimulus for aviation will involve a package of financial incentives and support across the value chain.

    It will involve having a robust national aviation industry strategy framework that will impact on key areas.”

    The former minister said if the sector must move forward, there is need to implement the strategic master plan that will address issues bordering on aerodrome infrastructure and operation, airline operations and safety, airspace management as well as manpower development.

     

    Policy interventions

     

    Chidoka lamented the failure by previous ministers to address the recommendations of the 2006 Air Marshal Paul Dike’s Report, which highlighted the challenges of the aviation industry.

    The minister said if the Buhari administration implements the recommendations of the Dike Report, the aviation sector will be on the path to recovery.

    He listed other interventions: “There is need for broader policy intervention that should bring about the setting up of aviation corporate governance and enterprise risk framework to reduce the likelihood of aviation corporate failures arising from moral hazard.

    Additionally, Chidoka called for the creation of a more robust and conventional national/ flag carrier policy framework to develop a national aviation fleet that can rival the huge consolidated global players, as well a review of current intervention models and facilitate a more robust aviation financing framework.

    He urged the creation of a robust regional hub/ aviation city model that drives commercialization, stimulate volume of funding required to leapfrog the aviation industry into the future.

    Revenue Automation                  Project

    As a way of enhancing the revenue streams of aviation agencies and blocking leakages, a committee was set up by the ministry to monitor, data capturing, invoicing, payment settlement and reporting of all agencies.

    The aviation revenue automation project has been implemented in many airports including Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano , Enugu and Calabar.

    Benin, Owerri, Kaduna, Maiduguri, Jos, Sokoto, Ilorin, Minna , Akure , Katsina, Ibadan airports are scheduled for the next phase of the project roll out.

    He said issues around project scope, fees and compliance were variously reviewed and mutually agreed among relevant stakeholders .”

    ICAO Audit / Security

    Though Nigeria has come under intense global scrutiny on account of the recurring incidents of stowaways at major airports efforts the former minister said are ongoing to improve on airport safety and security.

    He said preparations for the ICAO a Nigerian Aviation Security audit have witnessed remarkable improvements.

    He said:” We have identified gaps from the United States Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) and ICAO Needs Assessment Reviews were constituted into a gap analysis checklist and sent to the NCAA in April 2015.

    The tracking team has completed its first gap closure assessment visit to NCAA and FAAN over a month ago.

    After the assessment, 68 per cent of the identified gaps were closed.

    However, in the gaps closure review last month remarkable improvement was indicated, which might drive the gaps closure assessment percentage to over 90 per cent.”

     

    Customer Service

    Enhancement

     

    In the last few months several initiatives were executed to enhance passengers’ experience in the sector. Towards this end, aviation. Passengers’ service portal was deployed this year to provide prospective users with up to date information on flights operated within the Nigerian airspace.

    Only last week, Glo telecommunications installed wifi services at the Abuja and Lagos airports.

    Other airports are billed for installation with wifi in the next few months.

    FAAN

    The minister also spared a thought for failings by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN), which currently manages 21 out of the 25 airports in the country with a lopsided personnel of over 21 per cent technical staff as opposed to 78 per cent non technical personnel .

    Such lopsidedness he said is skewed against the mandate of the authority in providing adequate facilities and personnel for effective security at all airports.

    Chidoka said some interventions were put in place to whip the airport authority in line through the introduction of performance management, posting of airport managers, tracking of staff on customer service as well as refocusing of the Aerotropolis project by injecting greater transparency.

    Chidoka said: “Some steps have been taken to redress the situation through review of airport remodelling projects by independent quantity surveyors, provision of navigation and air field lighting facilities as well as setting up a committee on airport charges to align charges with competition.”

    On the key issues confronting FAAN, Chidoka said the authority has over N30 billion pension liability which is unfunded

    This he said arose on account of switch over to the new contributory pension scheme.

    He said the indebtedness of airlines to FAAN has impacted negatively on its finances thereby limiting its capacity to be self sustaining.

    Chidoka said: “There are staffing inefficiencies in Nigerian airports when compared with other airports of similar size around the world. There are ageing staff with very little competitive drive. There is no evidence of systematic personnel evaluation and absence of ling term staff planning at FAAN due to absence of a long term business plan.”

    He said FAAN should be corporatized into airport management companies in clusters of airports with a view to privatizing the companies.

    ‘If the sector must move forward, there is need to implement the strategic master plan that will address issues bordering on aerodrome infrastructure and operation, airline operations and safety, airspace management as well as manpower development’

     

     

  • Experts list obstacles to achieving Vision 20:2020

    FOR the nation to achieve its dream of joining the league of the 20 largest economies by 2020, it must among others double its productivity, embrace high quality workforce and overcome epileptic power supply.

    Public service experts, academics and top civil servants said this yesterday at a research seminar organised by the Nigerian Institute of Economic and Social Research (NISER), Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    They listed over-bloated civil service, poor motivation in regular payment of salaries, gratuity and pension and lack of reward for outstanding performance as parts of major threats to achieving higher productivity, particularly in the public sector – the largest employer of labour in the country.

    A public administration expert, Dr. Tunji Olaopa, who chaired the seminar, emphasised the need to form a partnership between research institutes and the government to ensure input of research findings in policy formulation.

    Dr. Olaopa, who is the permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Communication Technology, insisted that planning without productivity measures complicated the country’s governance predicament.

    He said: “Good governance is premised on the capacity of the Nigerian state to efficiently and effectively provide adequate goods and services that will constitute the dividends of democracy for Nigerians.”

    Consequently, Dr. Olaopa and other experts recommended that experts should develop a national productivity policy paper for the incoming Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    The permanent secretary also listed intervention required in rescuing the situation as including “getting the critical sectors of the economy to articulate their productivity plans based on agreed national benchmark and launch of productivity metrics and tools to be deployed to enable employers and employees to begin to sign in to productivity bargaining”.

    He recommended value system reorientation, national waste reduction strategy as well as research, development and innovation.

    The Director, Productivity Measurement and Statistics Unit of the National Productivity Centre, Alhaji Jibril Yelwa, who delivered a lecture on the topic: “Computing Productivity in the Nigerian Economy: Issues and Challenges,” said the nation would need to double its productivity within the remaining five years to be among the 20 largest economies in the world by 2020.

    His words: “The result of data analysis shows that Nigerians, based on 173.6 million population, achieved labour productivity level of $2,760 per head in 2013, which stood at N430,560 per head.

    “By normal distribution, 60 per cent of the total population was supposed to be the expected working population and the expected productivity levels would have been $5,017 per head or N782,572 per head. The gap was $2,610 or N352,082 per head.

    “The real implication of this is that each Nigerian should double his or her contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to reach the expected level of productivity.”

    The Director-General of NISER, Prof. Olufemi Taiwo, emphasised that people now live in a competitive world.

    But he noted that the reality was yet to fully dawn on leaders on the African continent.

     

  • Asthma affects seven million Nigerians, say experts

    Asthma affects seven million Nigerians, say experts

    No fewer than seven million Nigerians are living with asthma, a chronic disease, which affects the airways, the Medical Science, Liaison, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Dr Omolabake Okunubi, has said.

    This, she said, is because the severity of asthma is under-estimated in the country. Mrs Okunubi spoke at the World Asthma Day (WAD) in Lagos organised by GSK and Eias Nelson Oyedokun Foundation (ENOF) with the theme: You can control your asthma.

    Asthma, she said, is a killer disease, which affects no fewer than 300 million people across the world.

    The good news, Mrs Okunubi said, is that people can control their asthma, adding: “There is a class of medication known as controller drugs for asthma. These are taken on a daily basis to put the symptoms under control.”

    Besides, with correct treatment, support and advice, asthmatics can lead full and active lives.

    Asthma, she said, does not have to limit people’s life because it can be controlled.

    She said people can stop asthma attacks by taking their preventer treatment regularly. They should know the things, which trigger their asthma and avoid them where possible, she added.

    Okunubi said: “Using a peak flow metre and a diary will help them to know how well their asthma is controlled. This will ensure there is advance warning of worsening asthma symptoms.”

    In the event of asthma attacks, she said, the asthmatics should take one or two puffs of their reliever inhaler (usually blue), sit up and take slow steady breaths.

    “If the asthmatics do not start to feel better, they should take two puffs of their reliever inhaler. This should be one puff at a time. They can take up to 10 puffs. If they do not feel better after taking the inhaler, the asthmatic can visit a hospital,” she said.

    A consultant paediatrician, Massey Street Children Hospital, Lagos, Dr Abimbola Mabogunje, said people, especially students can have a productive and physically active life if their asthma is controlled.

    She said the law, which says students should not be given more than paraceutamol when they are sick in school, should be looked into.

    “Ideally, there should be a nebulizer in the school. This helps to relieve an asthmatic attack before they are taken to the hospital. There should be steroid tablets, injection and aspirin in the school,” she said.

    Most asthmatics, she said, need two kinds of drugs. They are a quick-acting reliever or rescue medication, which they take when needed to stop asthma symptoms; and a controller medication taking daily to prevent asthma symptoms.

    The paediatrician said schools should be empowered and caregivers and teachers educated to be able to deal with asthma in students. Teachers should be able to recognise asthma symptoms so that they can give first aid and refer them promptly.

    Also, there should be a plan with the parents and doctors to care for an asthmatic child.

    “Many Nigerian children are suffering from asthma. The figure is a lot more than what we see in the hospitals. This is because a lot of people are living with it silently and are not living optimally because they are not well,” she said.

    Mabogunje said: “Chronic cough, especially at night and early in the morning, difficulty in breathing, particularly during exercises and shortness of breath, mainly when children are not keeping up with their peers when they are running, people should look out for these in their children. Those sorts of children are likely to have something wrong with their lungs’ function, especially asthma.”

     

  • Experts fault Nigeria’s gas reserves estimates

    The claims by the Fed-eral Government that Nigeria has 187 trillion cubit feet (Tcf) of gas reserves and 600 cubit feet of unproven gas reserves are faulty and cannot stand the test of time, experts have said.

    The Chief Executive Officer, Frontier Oil Limited, Thomas Dada and former Managing Director, Shell Petroleum Development Corporation (SPDC), Basil Omiyi, who spoke in separate interviews, said the figures were not to be trusted because they have not taken into account the gas used over the years and the possibility of more discoveries through the application of modern technology.

    Dada said the figures had been static despite the production activities in the oil and gas sector over the years.

    He said gas reserves had not changed since the 60s, despite the fact that the country has been releasing gas for both domestic and foreign consumption.

    “Gas reserves have been static over the years. Since 70s, the reserves have been hovering around 187trillon and 600trilion cubit feet. “Does that mean Nigeria is not explore gas again? Perhaps there is no proper book keeping on the quantity of gas reserves owned by Nigeria.  I have been hearing the same thing since I left Shell decades ago. Nothing has really changed in that regard,” he said.

    He said geologists, marine engineers, and other professionals have come with conflicting figures on the gas reserves.

    Dada, whose firm partnered Seven Energy (a gas infrastructure provider) to develop and build Que Iboe marginal oil field which turned out to contain huge gas deposit) said there are marginal oil fields that have gas, but have not been explored.

    He said: “When idle marginal fields are activated in line with the directives of the Federal Government that all marginal fields must be put to productive use, we would see that many of them contain gas. When you factor all these, one would see that the gas reserves are under-stated.”

    Omiyi said he found it difficult to come to terms with the fact that the country has 600 cubic feet of gas reserves.

    He said when infrastructure were provided there would be stunning revelations on the potentials of gas owned by the country.

    He said the nation’s gas potential could best be utilised when the necessary infrastructure were in place for operators to work with.