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Tag: Fed Govt

  • Activist urges Fed Govt to end gas flaring

    An activist, Jonah Gbemre, has urged the Federal Government to enforce a 2005 Federal High Court judgment, which ordered oil and gas companies to end gas flaring.

    Gbemre, who is the Convener of the Host Communities Network of Nigeria (HOCON), spoke at the weekend at a workshop on the impact of gas flare/Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and energy transition in Iwhrekan community, Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State.

    The event was attended by representatives of the Federal Ministry of Environment as well as environmental activists.

    The activist noted that the continued flaring of gas would endanger the lives of the residents and the environment.

    He regretted that government’s alleged disregard for the safety of the residents in oil and gas exploration areas had been taking place in the last 10 years the judgment was given.

    Gbemre said: “Oil corporations, such as Shell and NPDC, should stop further pollution and gas flaring in Nigeria and at the flare sites in Niger Delta. Government should enforce the court orders of November 14, 2005, delivered by Justice Nwokorie on the need to stop gas flaring in Nigeria without delay.

    “The learned judge held that gas flaring is illegal and it constitutes serious environmental health hazards as well as gross violation of the people’s fundamental human rights as enshrined in the Africa Charter. So, it should be stopped.

    “Gas flare by oil companies in Niger Delta constitutes one of the worst forms of environmental degradation and contributes highly to climate change. The practice has continued primarily because of the unwillingness of government, which acts as the regulator and partner to the oil companies.”

    The activist said he organised the workshop in partnership with the Friends of the Earth to enlighten the residents on the impact of gas flare on their lives.

    He advised the host communities, policy makers, civil society groups and relevant government agencies to end gas flaring.

  • Fed Govt warns MDAS against rejecting corps members

    The Federal Government has directed Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to accept corps members posted to them.

    Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal, conveyed the directive in a circular to MDAs.

    The circular reads: “Government’s attention has been drawn to the growing incidence of rejection of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members posted to government establishments.

    “To put an end to this undesirable development, it has become necessary to reiterate that the directive that Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) should not reject youth corps members posted to them for their primary assignment is still in force.”

    Lawal said the government’s directive was imperative to maintain the objective of the NYSC Scheme, which includes the involvement of graduates of specific age category in national development and integration.

    He said government establishments should ensure corps members were actively engaged during their primary assignment just as the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports through the National Youth Service Corps is expected to monitor the level of compliance and give periodic reports to the government.

  • Fed Govt backs Umahi’s ban on sale of imported rice

    Fed Govt backs Umahi’s ban on sale of imported rice

    The Federal Government has said it is supporting Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi’s ban on the sale of foreign rice in the state.

    The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audi Ogbe, spoke of Federal Government’s support for the governor’s action when he visited Ettem Amagu Rice Farm in Ikwo Local Government Area during his assessment of agricultural potential of   the state.

    Ogbeh, who was in company with the Chairman of Presidential Committee on Rice Production, Abubakar Bagudu and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele, hailed Umahi for his agricultural policy, particularly ensuring massive rice production in the state.

    He said: “Mr Governor, I hear you banned the sale of foreign rice in your state. God bless you for it. I also hear you invited young men to return from Lagos and work here. God bless you also for it. They will be happier here in this state than living under the bridge or substandard accommodation in Lagos, Abuja or elsewhere.”

    A statement at the weekend by Umahi’s Chief Press Secretary, Emma Anya, said the minister advised youths to key into agriculture to diversify the economy and see it as a way out of the current recession.

    He promised to bring agricultural equipment, such as rice harvesters, threshers, par-boiling drums, to Ebonyi State.

    Ogbe said: “By the middle of last week, I had some machines ready for you (Ebonyi State). These include threshers and even new par-boiling drums, which operate differently from what women are using. When those machines come, young men will be thought how to enter a farm and harvest rice for farmers. These young men and farmers will make so much money to the extent that they will become millionaires in the villages. So, wealth is here (in farming).”

    The minister, who also announced Federal Government’s plan to plant 1,500 hectares of cashew nuts and set up two cashew roasting plants in Ebonyi State early next year, expressed satisfaction with what he saw at Ettem Amagu and Akueze Rice farms.

    The minister described Ebonyi farmers as the real heroes of President Muhammadu Buhari’s push to diversify the economy, especially through agriculture.

    He said: “Mr Governor, next year, we shall plant for you 1,500 hectares of cashew nuts at 500 hectares in each of the three senatorial districts in your state. We shall also build for you two factories here for roasting cashew.”

    Ogbe also promised that the Federal Government would rehabilitate the Ettem Amagu Ikwo Dam to encourage dry season rice cultivation in the state.

    The minister noted that under Operation 1,037 of the Federal Government, a minimum of 10 dams per state and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) would be built.

    Emefiele said the apex bank’s Anchor Borrowers Programme would begin next year to boost farming   and tackle the challenges confronting farmers.

    The CBN also pledged the bank’s readiness to participate in the clearing and re-dredging of the Ettem Amagu Dam.

    The Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Rice Production and Kebbi State Governor Bagudu said what he saw in rice-producing states showed that the country had achieved self-sufficiency in rice production and should plan rice export.

    He said: “The success recorded in the last one year is phenomenal. What we have seen in terms of rice output seems to suggest that the goal of self-sufficiency, which we hitherto thought would be achieved in 2017, might have already been achieved.”

    Umahi hailed President Buhari for reviving agriculture across the country.

    The governor expressed the readiness of his administration to partner the Federal Government in all-season farming.

    He said: “There are over 30 dams in this state. They are recharged by very near streams. So, we want assistance from the Federal Government in irrigation. We want assistance for the money to farmers. We want assistance in biomass plants. The cost of buying diesel and maintenance is too high. We also need harvesters to assist our farmers.”

  • Fed Govt, ASUU get two-week deadline to resolve issues

    Fed Govt, ASUU get two-week deadline to resolve issues

    Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki yesterday brokered a two-week deadline for the Federal Government and Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to settle three outstanding issues.

    The three issues out eight are said to be outstanding.

    The resolution of the issues would avert a nationwide strike planned by ASUU.

    Saraki personally participated in resumed negotiation between the Federal Ministry of Education and the leadership of ASUU held at the National Assembly yesterday.

    Minister of Education Adamu Adamu took part in the negotiation.

    The three outstanding issues yet to be resolved include “Earned Allowances”, which ASUU is asking to be paid to its members.

    The Federal Government said N30 billion had already been paid for the purpose.

    The government delegation to the meeting was said to have insisted that the audit of the usage of N30 billion should be made before further fund are released.

    At their last meeting, the Senate Education Committee suggested that the government should give universities N1.5 billion monthly, which ASUU rejected on the basis that the amount was too meagre.

    Another issue the meeting failed to resolve was payment of the salaries and allowances of the staff of university primary schools.

    The payment of 15 per cent of the education budget for each year to the University Education Committees was another issue in contention.

     ASUU President Biodun Ogunyemi thanked Saraki and the Senate Committee on Education for their intervention.

    He assured that the three outstanding issues would be resolved within three days.

  • NGO partners Osun, Fed. Govt. on cancer education

    NGO partners Osun, Fed. Govt. on cancer education

    In its bid to stem the rate of prevalence of cancer in the country, the Glorious Youth Empowerment Centre (GYEC), a non-governmental  organisation (NGO), in partnership with Marie Stopes International, Nigeria, the Osun State and the Federal Ministry of Health, has held a cancer sensitisation and screening programme in Osun State for women.

    No fewer than 23 nurses were trained by a team of specialists from Marie Stopes International, Nigeria at a week-long workshop entitled “Who Shall Deliver us From This Plague?” held in Osogbo, Osun State capital city.

    Out of the 23 nurses, 15 were from Osun Hospital Management Board, seven from Osun Ministry of Health and one from the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hopital (LAUTECHTH).

    Subsequent to the workshop, a capacity building training was carried out for health personnel at the General Hospital Asubiaro in Osogbo.

    According to the team leader of the cancer project, Glorious Youth Empowerment Centre, Dr. Samuel Ekundayo, 200 women were screened for cancer during the week-long programme.

    Ekundayo, who revealed that 80 women were screened for cervical cancer, said at the end of the exercise, no case of cervical cancer was recorded, adding that medical advice was offered to the participants.

    Explaining the mission of the programme, the founder of the NGO, Mrs. Remi Ajibewa, noted that the GYEC had vast interest and experience in the provision of support and necessities for the vulnerable youth, women and widows in the society, saying “our mission is to promote quality life for women, children, young people and other vulnerable population through skill development, enlightenment, advocacy engagements and direct support services.”

    Continuing, she said: “We have specifically focused the attention of this workshop on cancer in order to enlighten our people, especially at this time when our current lifestyles predispose us to different kinds of diseases.

    “Our interest in cancer is because the disease is one of the toughest fights anyone can face. Or even one of the greatest challenges difficult to come to terms with when it is diagnosed. The disease is growing rapidly in our community like a raged fire and the entire world at large, with several lives lost and dreams shattered.

    “The World Health Organisation (WHO) says cancer accounts for 13 per cent of all deaths registered globally. Seventy per cent of that figure occurs in middle and low income countries. In Nigeria, about 10,000 cancer deaths are recorded annually while 250,000 new cases are recorded yearly, with breast and cervical cancers being the commonest among women.

    “Prostate cancer is more prevalent in men. Unfortunately, many Nigerians are still poorly educated on this growing disease. Many Nigerians still see cancer as a disease of the wealthy, the elderly and even restricted to the developed countries. While many sufferers of the disease in the country, on the other hand, still regard it as their fate and, as such, a death sentence.

    “Cancer is not just a health issue; it has far-reaching social and economic implications. It also does not discriminate. It is a global epidemic that affects all ages. Its consequences are alarming, challenging and very demanding; even as it has been noted to kill more than HIV and AIDS.

    “Although persistent research is still ongoing towards finding a permanent cure for this most puzzled disease, we at GYEC believe that massive awareness of the general populace is critical to stemming the tide of cancer in Nigeria and indeed globally.”

  • Fed Govt hires 200,000 graduates 

    Fed Govt hires 200,000 graduates 

    Two hundred thousand graduates have been hired by the Federal Government as part of the N-Power Volunteer Corps which will ultimately engage 500,000 graduates.

    Those engaged will resume on December 1 in the states where they will be deployed.

    The new employees are distributed as follows: 150,000 as teachers, 30,000 to work in the agriculture sector and 20,000 in healthcare delivery. They will cover three specific programme assignments, according to the Presidency.

    According to Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity Laolu Akande, they were employed two weeks ago and their names have been sent to states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where they will be deployed to their specific assignments.

    The names will be published this week on the N-Power internet portal. They are expected to start receiving SMS messages informing them of their selection as from today.

    Akande said: “State governments and the FCT are also encouraged to post the names of the successful first batch applicants in their local government areas while there would be further public announcements.

    “Between now and the end of the month, the states and the FCT would be engaged in deploying the graduates who would formally start working and earning their stipends on December 1, 2016.”

    According to him, the N-Power Volunteer Corps is an expression of President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to invest in the human capital development of Nigerian citizens, particularly the young people.

    The N-Power programmme, Akande said, is also an innovative means to enhance ailing public services in the area of basic education and primary healthcare.

    “Also in the agric sector, it is aimed at achieving self-sufficiency by giving our farmers relevant advisory services.”

    Akande said the Federal Government was encouraging the successful applicants to take the opportunity serious by learning the skills that will brighten their future.

    He added: “They are also implored to serve their communities with commitment and dedication.

    “For those who have not been selected at this time, there is a waiting list based on the total number of applicants, and subsequent batches will absorb more of the qualified applicants.

    “All together, the N-Power will engage and train 500,000 young unemployed graduates. It is a paid volunteering programme of a two-year duration that engages graduates in their immediate communities, where they will assist in improving the inadequacies in the education, health, and agriculture sectors.

    “The 500,000 graduates under the N-Power Corps programme will be trained in skills that will enable them exit after two years to economically viable jobs and business opportunities.

    “As part of the programme, the participnts would own tablets that will contain information necessary for their specific engagements, as well as information for their continuous training and developments.

    “Participants will be provided teaching, instructional, and advisory solutions in four main focus areas, and will be paid a monthly stipend of N30,000 during the programme.

    “The four main focus areas are in basic education, agriculture extension services, public health and community education (civic and adult education).”

    Besides the N-Power programme for undergraduates, Akande said there are other schemes for non-graduates, including N-Power Knowledge, which would select 25,000 young Nigerians and N-Power Build 75,000, all of whom shall be trained and paid during the duration of the scheme.

  • Fed Govt records over $20b FDI in one year

    Twenty billion dollars’ worth of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) have been attracted into the country since the President Muhammadu Buhari administration came into office, Minister of Industries, Trade and Investment Okechukwu Enelamah has said.

    Enelamah spoke in Abuja at the weekend when he met with reporters on the activities of his ministry in the last one year.

    A significant amount of that investment, he said, came in for major infrastructure projects “because the one we call an inflow is not just when the money physically just comes here, but also the commitments that have come”.

    According to Enelamah, “there is a $20 billion or more infrastructure project with the China EXIM Bank. It’s been signed and it’s now implemented around railways and related infrastructure.

    “There is agreement with General Electric, which is about $2 billion they have committed in the last one year.

    “There are the private sector investments like that of Chellarams, which sold a major part of their business to Kellogg’s of the United States. That deal may be a $400 million. There was a deal that was done by Chi with Coca Cola. That deal is also worth hundreds of millions of dollars,” the minister said.

    Other investments that have come into the country in the life of this administration, he added, included that of BUA, which “sold something to an international player for a substantial sum”.

    The Federal Government, the minister said, wants to increase the steady inflow of foreign direct investment across all levels because there were many more people waiting “on the sidelines apart from the big people who are doing multi-year infrastructure projects”.

    To facilitate the smooth entry of this investment into Nigeria, Enelamah stated that the “Nigeria Investment Promotion Council (NIPC) has appointed a new hand for the private sector”.

    “As a government, we want to partner with the private sector; government doesn’t have all the money it needs to develop the country. Therefore, government is willing and committed to partnering with the private sector players and also development capital to develop the country by making sure the capital goes into the right places,” the minister said.

    Enelamah was enthusiastic that “there is a significant uptick in investment, even though some of it has to do with fixed income investment but it’s still capital that we need”.

    The minister added that the oil companies have reached an agreement that is now being finalised to bring in more money into the oil sector.

    “You will hear more about it from this week. We are just going through the process. You know in oil, everybody has a stake in it. There was a meeting on Thursday with the National Economic Council and other stakeholders will be briefed. But it’s a very important programme to bring in billions of dollars into the country. They say you need oil to get out of oil and this will improve the oil sector significantly,” he said.

    With regards to exports from Nigeria, Enelamah noted that exporting from Nigeria was very difficult “and not competitive and the Federal Executive Council has actually asked us – myself and the minister of finance – to come and address the council on practical steps to make it easier to export from Nigeria and trading across our borders. We are working on it as we speak.”

    He identified the bottlenecks to exports from Nigeria to including: “administrative, bureaucracy, red tape and all the approvals you have to get and all the inspections and all the waiting at the ports that needs to be addressed. People that are serious about export make that a competitive advantage by doing it”.

    The second thing, he said: “Is to give more incentives to those that are exporting so that they will prefer exporting, particularly value added export.

    “We have met with the exporters to look at Export Expansion Grants and we have told them that we will find a mechanism for making sure they get paid what they are owed. We clearly want to do it not in cash but in kind. It’s just that we want to de-emphasise imports and emphasise tax because they have to pay tax to the country.”

  • Fed Govt plans cancer control agency

    The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, has said the Federal Government plans setting up the National Agency for Cancer Control (NACC).

    He made this known at a meeting with Head of Eastern Europe, Middle East, African (EEMEA) region, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Pharmaceuticals Division, Dr. Peter Hug, in Abuja.

    Adewole said the institution would be responsible for research, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and palliative care for cancer patients. It would also provide leadership and technical direction for cancer control across the country, integrating services provided by the National Cancer Centre and a cluster of public and private tertiary hospitals.

    Other functions expected to be performed by the agency include policy formulation, advocacy and mobilisation, adopt best practices in the Global Non-Communicable Diseases Framework to make the NACC a centre of excellence for cancer prevention and care.

    It is also believed that the agency would develop the national plan for cancer prevention and care, measure burden and impact of cancer and establish registries for routine monitoring.

    He said the ministry and other stakeholders in cancer control was working hard to create awareness in the rural areas on the early detection of cancer.

    Adewole expressed the government’s determination to work with Hug.

    “If you ask me what do I want from Dr. Hug, I will say how we can build a strong  partnership and move from talking to action, what can you bring to the table in terms of partnership that would bring reliable service to Nigerians?”  he said.

    The minister and Dr. Peter Hug agreed that the deal would focus more on Human Papiloma Virus (HPV) and breast cancer.

    Hug said his company was interested in partnering the government on cancer prevention and treatment.

    He said they have the facilities to support Nigeria in the fight against cancer.

  • Fed Govt invites World Bank, others for power supply

    To boost power supply, the Federal Government has invited World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), African Development Bank (AfDB), United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and others, which have huge portfolios and interests, to invest in energy.

    The government is seeking investment in power generation, distribution and transmission.

    The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, made this known during a panel discussion at the 5th European Union- Nigeria Business Forum at the Eko Hotel, Lagos.

    He said the funding gap in the sector was wide and required investments to improve electricity supply and the economy.

    In his keynote address entitled Financing the power sector, Fashola said the sector has huge investible propositions, which only bigger corporations have the capacity to meet, adding that the sector has the capacity to provide returns on investment for any company that invests in it.

    He said the government was striving to provide an enabling environment through its policies to guarantee adequate returns on investment.

    Fashola said: “Without doubt, bad environment is a problem, which the government is trying to address. It is obvious that the power sector has huge potential, which can only be realised with the right environment.

    “When one considers that the sector is broken into 11 power distribution companies (DisCos) and six power generation companies (GenCos), one would see that there is huge potential in the industry. This is the reason the Federal Government is asking investors, especially global financial institutions, to invest in the sector.”

    The Head, Economic Cooperation and Energy Section, European Union, Mr. Juan Casla, said power sector was crucial to the growth of any nation, urging the Federal Government to put in place measures that would foster its growth.

     

  • Fed Govt launches 2017 Armed Forces emblem fund with N10m

    Fed Govt launches 2017 Armed Forces emblem fund with N10m

    President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday launched the 2017 Armed Forces Remembrance Emblem and Appeal Fund with N10 million.

    He was represented at the function held in the Council Chamber of the State House by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

    The President said the event was a worthy tradition of acknowledging and appreciating the gallantry and sacrifices of veterans in the first and second world wars, peace-keeping operations around the world and internal security operations, including the ongoing campaign against terrorism.

    He said: “It is indeed fitting and worthwhile and even noble to honour our distinguished veterans, some who paid the highest price and many others who devoted significant part of their lives to the service of our country and the world at large.

    “Since independence 56 years ago, our nation has witnessed a number of internal strife, survived a civil war but we have remained united. Our people have through all consistently showed a commitment to remaining as one people. This in itself honours the sacrifices of our fallen heroes, heroines and veterans, who rose up and continue to rise up to confront the security challenges of the day.

    “We are here today to demonstrate our appreciation for their service and to value their devotion and honour their memory. This is why the armed forces Remembrance Day celebration is observed annually as we do today to commemorate the selfless service of our gallant troops.

    “The theme of this year’s celebration: “Appreciating the resilience of the Nigerian Armed Forces” is aptly. It speaks to the perseverance and dedication of our serving and departed men in the uniform. Those great attributes are particularly on display in this trying times in our national life as our men and women of the armed forces make genuine efforts to bring down the insurgents.”

    He said that the administration would keep honouring the military forces in their ongoing arduous fight against terrorists and would do all to remember their sacrifices and appreciate their families, who bear the brunt of pains and loss.

    Minister of Defence Mansur Dan-Ali described the event as a unique one because it came at a time when Nigeria has achieved milestone in its anti-insurgency war with territories recovered despite economic hardship.

    According to him, the armed forces had played significant roles to maintain peace and the nation is grateful to all those who have paid the supreme price.

    The Chairman of the Nigerian Legion, Col. Micah Gaya (rtd), told the gathering that the group gave food items to 50 widows, bursaries to 50 children and assisted 50 veterans at an event held in Makurdi, Benue State.

    He later decorated Osinbajo; representative of the President of the Senate, Ali Ndume; acting Chief Justice of Nigeria Justice Walter Onnoghen; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal; Dan-Ali and service chiefs with the emblem.

    Other ministers and heads of government agencies would be decorated in their various ministries at later dates.