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Tag: FG

  • 152 Universities: FG urged to reduce number of varsities

    Rivers state Head of Service, Rufus Godwins, has urged Federal Government to reduce the number of universities in the country to enhance quality and performance.

    Godwins made the call at a public lecture organised by the ‘Claude Ake Chair of Political Economy’, in collaboration with the University of Port Harcourt on Wednesday.

    The theme of the discourse was ‘Shattered Towers and Tattered Gowns: Redefining the Nigeria University System.’

    Godwins said the nation’s universities lagged behind when compared to its counterparts in other parts of the world due to poor funding; poor policy implementation and quality of teaching.

    “If we are determined as a nation to tackle the menace of secret cults, sexual scandals and other vices prevalent in our university system, then we will be good for it.

    “Also, why have 152 universities and none of them is ranked within the top 600 universities in the world or ranked among the best 10 universities in Africa,’’ he said.

    The HoS said the nation would compete favourable with its counterparts if it reduced the number of universities to a more manageable figure while improve funding.

    “The quality of the university system of any nation determines the product of that university. It is this product that feeds into the larger society and the leadership cadre.

    “So, if we have a university system that cannot be trusted in producing the right caliber manpower who can lead the nation, then the society will be worst for it.

    “We need to fix our university system and get the universities involved in dreaming dreams about our country,” he said.

    Godwin said the nation’s universities had long secluded itself from current realities in the nation and was no longer contributing to development of the society.

    He attributed the decline to poor management of the universities by authorities.

    Read Also: Why impeachment of President Buhari may be difficult

    Also speaking, the Chair Occupant of the Claude Ake Chair of Political Economy, Prof. Eme Ekekwe, said that lack of proper policies affected growth of the educational sector.

    He said the lecture was organised to stimulate thinking on ways to improve systems and processes in the nation’s system of learning.

    “We want to discuss how we can make the products of our educational system reach and serve the community. This is because education in isolation does not benefit society.

    “So, our work, products and ideas should be such that they can be translated into things that the community, society and country can use,” he said.

    Nigeria currently has 152 public and private universities according to figures released by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

  • FG to settle inherited debts to contractors

    The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, yesterday disclosed that the Federal Government would settle the inherited debts and contractual obligations to local contractors between 2006 and 2015.

    A statement issued and signed by Oluyinka Akintunde Special Adviser, Media and Communications to the Minister of Finance said Kemi Adeosun made this known while appearing before the Ad-Hoc Committee of the Senate on “Promissory Note Programme and Bond Issuances.”

    According Akintunde, “she explained that the debts owed to various classes of contractors, including the terminal benefits of ex-Nigerian Airways workers, would repaid through promissory notes and bonds issuance.”

    The Minister also stated that the unpaid Federal Government obligations constituted a drag on economic activity across many sectors, adding that the present Administration was determined to address the problem.

    She listed the unpaid obligations to include obligations to pensioners and salary and promotion arrears to civil servants.

    With regards to obligations to contractors and suppliers the minister lamented that they in turn, owe banks, thus increasing the quantum of non-performing loans. The federal government is also burdened by backlogs of unpaid electricity bills by the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

    Others are: exporters owed funds under the Export Expansion Grant Scheme and unpaid refunds due to State Governments in respect of projects undertaken on behalf of the Federal Government.

    “The Federal Government is working towards settling these inherited debts. The Small and Medium scaled Enterprises are the lifeline of our nation. The Federal Government will be stimulating the economy by paying these legacy debts,” Adeosun told members of the Ad-Hoc Committee.

    The Federal Government, according to her, has approved the issuance of promissory notes and bonds to settle its contractual obligations subject to the approval of the National Assembly.

    On the ex-Nigerian Airways workers, the Minister explained that their terminal benefits have been reconciled and agreed upon at N45 billion following verification.

    She debunked claims by the ex-workers that there was a presidential approval for the payment of terminal benefits of N45 billion to the workers.

    “There has been a misconception in the media that the President had approved the payment of N45 billion terminal benefits to the workers. There is no presidential approval and no appropriation yet for the payment of N45 billion to the ex-workers,” she said.

    Akintunde noted that earlier, the representative of the Accountant General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Usman, told members of the Senate’s Ad-Hoc Committee that the Government has paid N34.2 billion to clear the promotion arrears to workers in the MDAs.

    Usman, who is the Director of Funds in the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, added that the payment process was still ongoing.

    According to him, “these payments were made to the accounts of the beneficiaries in the MDAs after detailed verification of all documents attached as proof of promotion,” he said.

  • FG destroys 5,870 recovered illegal arms in Zamfara

    The Presidential Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons in Gusau on Monday destroyed 5,870 illegal arms and ammunition recovered by the Zamfara Government.

    The exercise marked the launch of the pilot stage of the destruction of arms and weapons recovered from persons who illegally held them.

    The recovery in Zamfara was made from repentant bandits who surrendered their weapons to the state government Committee for Peace, Reconciliation and Disarmament, headed by the Deputy Governor, Malam Ibrahim Wakkala.

    The exercise which took place at Zamfara Trade Fair Complex in Gusau, was chaired by the Chairman of the Presidential Committee, Amb. Emmanuel Imohe.

    The event was attended by Zamfara Governor, Alhaji Abdul’aziz Yari and his deputy, Wakkala, representatives of international agencies such as the EU, ECOWAS and UNDP as well as security agencies and traditional rulers.

    In his remark, Imohe said the exercise was aimed at destroying a total of 5,870 arms and ammunition received under Zamfara state disarmament initiative.

    Read Also: Army kill 8 bandits in Zamfara

    “Apart from the destruction of illegal and recovered arms, one of the mandates of this presidential committee is also to improve livelihood of the people and communities that surrendered their weapons.

    “Zamfara is one of the seven states in the country selected by the Federal Government for a pilot programme.

    “This programme is also a flat form for raising awareness of dangers associated with the circulation of illegal weapons that have killed, injured and terrorised people all over the world,” he said.

    Imohe commended Zamfara for initiating the disarmament programme which resulted to the recovery of over 5,000 small arms, ammunition, grenades, automatic and semi-automatic weapons.

    “I am happy to be associated with this laudable efforts made by Zamfara State Government.

    “I consider this as one of great achievements recorded by this committee, I thank the state disarmament committee led by the state Deputy Governor, Malam Ibrahim Wakkala, and all stakeholders who contributed to the success recorded.

    “You know, this committee was inaugurated in April 2013 by the Federal Government with the mandate to be the focal point in the efforts of the country to address the movement of illicit illegal arms and light weapons.

    “We are working with international organisations to conduct practical disarmament at border communities in the country and provide a support for repentant bandits,’’ he said.

    In his remark, Yari thanked the Federal Government for setting up the presidential committee and international organisations for their efforts for peace and stability in the state and country.

    Yari said the state had recorded many deaths, casualties and huge losses in economic activities as result of cattle rustling and banditry.

    He said such losses necessitated the setting up the Peace, Reconciliation and Disarmament Committee by the state government.

    “The Committee since inception has recorded great successes of recovering over 5,000 illegal arms and large number of repentant bandits across the state.

    “We are witnessing the destruction of these illegal weapons today, we are going to continue to give all the necessary support to Federal Government and all stakeholders as regard to improvement of security in the state and country at large.

    “We are going to provide authentic lists of repentant bandits and those who surrendered their arms and submit it to the Federal Government for assistance with the aim of changing their livelihood,” he said.

    The Zamfara Government in an effort to address security challenges in the state in 2016 set up the Peace, Reconciliation and Disarmaments Committee.

    Similarly, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, in March ordered the recovery of all illegal arms across the country to check the deteriorating security situation.

    NAN

     

  • Methodist Bishops to FG: declare herdsmen terrorists

    The Council of Methodist Bishops has appealed to the federal government to declare Fulani herdsmen responsible for killing of farmers across the nation as terrorists.

    This, according to them, will not only neutralise the killers but also stop the killings in rural communities of the nation.

    This was contained in a communiqué at the end of the 36th Council of Methodist Bishops last week in Lagos.

    The 17-point communiqué signed by Prelate of the church, Dr Samuel Uche and Secretary of Conference, Rt Rev Dr Michael Akinwale, said: “The Council sympathises deeply with the families of all those that have

    lost their lives in the spate of killings carried out by the armed Fulani herdsmen’ especially in Benue, Southern-Kaduna, Taraba, Yobe, Nasarawa, Zamfara, Plateau, Adamawa and Bauchi and calls on the federal government to unmask their sponsors and declare all of them a terrorist organisation.

    “This call is clearly based on their ideologies and established links to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s Branch in Libya (ISIL-Libya) which was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in 2016, ISIS-West Africa which was proscribed a terrorist organisation in 2018 and Boko Haram, which was proscribed a terrorist organisation in 2013.”

    The Bishops also commended the federal government for its anti-corruption war, stating it must not be seen to be selective or unfair.

    It however expressed reservations over the nation’s security architecture, declaring it as lopsided because “it is largely occupied by people from the North.

    “The Council urges the President to immediately correct this anomaly so as to reflect the principles of Federal Character and the need to be seen as being fair to all.”

  • Synod tells FG to tackle insecurity

    The Archbishop of Lagos Methodist Church Nigeria, Most Rev. Luke Odubanjo, has called on the federal government to halt the killings in Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa and other parts of the country by suspected herdsmen.

    He also called on security agencies to arrest the high rate of kidnapping among Nigerians.

    Odubanjo, in his address at the 56th synod opening ceremony of the Lagos Diocese at Igbogila Ota, said government must stop at nothing to defend the defenceless.

    He said: “Our leaders should stand up to defend the helpless citizens that are being kidnapped in their schools in Dapchi, Yobe State, and as well being killed in Benue State, Kaduna, Adamawa State, Plateau State, and Kogi State respectively.”

    He said peace and security remained top priorities that government must ensure for Nigerians, saying the current insecurity in the nation was worrisome.

    Odubanjo also commended Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for “brilliant performance in the area of commerce, infrastructure, salary payment, religious harmony, investment of N25billion for employment purpose, provision of trucks and van for the police, leadership that fears God, Love and dedication to service of humanity.”

    He however appealed to the Governor to clear the embarrassing reappearing wastes across the state as soon as possible.

    The Archbishop tasked Christians to work toward peace everywhere they find themselves as well as pursue holiness at all times.

  • FG canvasses private sector support in tackling malaria

    Minister of State for Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, has called on organised private sector to join the fight in combating malaria, stating the sector plays an integral role in eliminating the terrible disease.

    Ehanire gave the charge at the weekend in Lagos at a forum organised by Corporate Alliance on Malaria in Africa (CAMA) as part of activities to mark the world malaria day.

    He highlighted four key areas where the private sector can be influential to include innovation, policy, implementation and financing.

    According to him, 2019 would offer great opportunity for businesses to contribute to rapid acceleration of rate of progress in the global war against malaria.

    Success, he stated, will require transparency from all partners, concerted efforts to address system challenges and a continued effort in eliminating the scourge.

    Speaking on incentives for private sector involvement in funding malaria, he said: “We promised them that we are going to make use of their expertise, efficiency, management skills and their experience on distribution and giving them full partnership in the management of all programmes private sector is working with government.

    CAMA also demanded for more funding at the forum with the theme ‘Accelerating investment to bring malaria to zero’.

    Head, Sustainability Access Bank Plc, Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan, said substantial malaria control investments have been made in Nigeria within the last decade.

    However she said there remained considerable challenges in addressing the burden of disease and key performance indices are still below expectations.

    She said accelerating investment in malaria in Nigeria and Africa will prevent more than 80 million illnesses and more than 300,000 related deaths annually.

    According to her, ending malaria will increase school attendance, boost worker productivity and significantly lower out-of-pocket cost for treatment.

    “This is why malaria prevention and control remain a collective energy of the private sector and commitment of the global malaria community in uniting the common goal of a world free of malaria,” she stressed.

    President GBC Health, Nancy Wildfeir-Field, said funding for malaria globally is only at 41 per cent of its 2020 target of $6.5 billion yet almost half of the world’s population is at risk of contracting it.

    She said Nigeria accounts for the highest number of cases and deaths from malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, pointing out the economy loses $1.1 billion each year due to malaria-related absenteeism in the workplace and treatment costs.

    Wildfeir-Field said there is strong rationale for the private sector to play a role in shaping health markets in Africa and in particular in malaria with direct impact on the workforce, stating that investment is vital.

     

     

     

  • FG moves to end child labour, ensure safety in work place

    Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Prof Stephen Ocheni, has said that the government was putting in place concrete measures to eliminate child Labour and promote the culture of sound occupational safety and health in the work place.

    Speaking at the 2018 World Day for Safety and Health at Work, the Minister said the measures which include efforts at ensuring safe, healthy, and decent work, as well as the curbing of unnecessary wastages in the economy, as well as promote the culture of sound occupational safety and health through various workplace interventions that include the vigorous conduct of labour and factory inspection of workplaces nationwide.

    He disclosed that the Ministry of Labour and Employment has been involved in the development and subsequent review of policies, legislative and regulatory frameworks that are critical to achieving sustainable improvement in safety and health standard in work places, adding that the Ministry was recently involved in the development of three subsidiary regulations under the Factories Act, which had received the approval of the Federal Executive Council.

    He said Nigerian children have the right to freedom from all forms of Child Labour and the right to some level of education, while all workers have the right to safe and healthy work places, and emphasised that ‘’It is, therefore, my hope that this World Day for Safety and Health at Workplaces will advance the required cultural change, which will put safety and health on the top agenda of every organization in this country’’.

    In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Bolaji Adebiyi, said the focus of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work is on the improvement of the Safety and Health of young workers and the elimination of child labour in the country.

    In his good-will messages, the Regional Director for the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Dr. Dennis Zulu and the representative of the Director-General of the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), Mrs. Adenike Adebayo Ajala, agreed that the combating of Child Labour can only be through  a joint  effort for all stakeholders, adding that, there was need to launch a world campaign to improve the health of young people and also secure a suitable and healthy environment for all workers.

     

  • Ogoni cleanup: FG, IOCs, Ogoni leaders sign trust fund agreement

    The Ogoni Trust Fund escrow agreement was signed yesterday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The agreement was signed by the Federal Government, the international oil companies, IOCs and representatives of the Ogoni people at a meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. The agreement signing signalled a major landmark in the Ogoni clean-up exercise.

    It puts in place all the financial arrangements to start drawdown of the first tranche of the funding for the Ogoni Trust Fund. The total sum expected to be paid by the Nigerian government and IOCs into the fund in the next five years is one billion dollars. Speaking during the short ceremony, Vice President Osinbajo, said that the signing of the escrow agreement “is one that shows clearly that not only are we committed to ensuring that the clean-up is done, but also that we are committed to ensuring that it is done transparently.”

    He said the presence of representatives of the international oil companies and the Ogoni leaders at the signing of the agreement “shows that the government wants everyone to be carried along in the process as well as to ensure that the process is one that can be audited”. The Vice President said there had been expressions of interest by companies to be involved in the clean-up of Ogoniland, noting that some of them had been identified as likely parties.

    “We are certainly looking forward to doing something quickly and seeing that this exercise not only begins but is concluded as expeditiously as possible,” he said. He explained that the clean-up exercise would be expensive while the complete clean-up would take between 25 and 30 years, adding that it showed the “extent of the damage that has been done over decades in Ogoniland.” He spoke on consultations between the government and Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, which began in 2017 and had seen him visit oil-producing communities in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s new vision for the Niger Delta.

    He said the new vision “is one that we intend to stick with and one that we intend to execute as faithfully as is humanly possible, and had resulted in the establishment of the Maritime University in Okorinkoko, Delta State”. He said the clean-up of Ogoniland is part of the new vision. Also speaking, Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Jubril, said a complete list of activities had been lined up from now to the end of the year for the actual remediation exercise in Ogoniland to begin. The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ogoni Trust Fund, Olawale Edun, had earlier in his address, said they were “set for the full roll out of the Ogoniland clean-up project.” He said the sum of US$170 million had already been put in process as the first tranche to begin the drawdown of money into the Ogoni Trust Fund.

  • FG accuses banks of shielding owners of accounts without BVN

    The Federal Government on Friday accused commercial banks in the country of shielding owners of accounts without Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) in a bid to frustrate the intention of the policy which is to curb the flow of illicit funds and corruption.

    The federal government stated this at the hearing of the suit filed through the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, against the 19 commercial banks and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

    Lawyer to the federal government, Ade Okeaya-Inneh (SAN), said “our contention is that the banks do not have the locus (legal right) to defend this action (suit).

    “Our contention is that the plaintiff has a public duty to ensure that a law made by the federal government through the CBN is obeyed. The problem is if the directive to have BVN is not complied with, what is the implication? What is before the court is the implementation of a regulation.

    “If the defendants say they did not know who own the money in the accounts without BVN, how can they then come to defend the case?

    “What locus do they have if they did not disclose the owners of the money despite the order of the court to that effect? If they are to be heard, on whose behalf?

    “They (the lawyers representing the respondents) are defending the suit on behalf of the bank, but the action and the order of the court is not against the banks per se, it is against the supposed owners of the funds.

    “The court’s order was for them to verify the owners of the accounts. They have not done that and did not disclose any body as the owners of the accounts.

    “So, we are arguing that they cannot act for unknown persons, whose identities they have not disclosed. If they do not know who their customers are, then they cannot defend the suit.”

    He urged the court to reject all the processes filed by the defendants in the case.

     

     

  • Assets recovery: FG asks court to stop Ekweremadu from further selling off properties 

    A Federal High Court, Abuja, has been asked to stop the Deputy senate president, Senator Ike Ekweremadu from further selling off his properties, which are already subject of litigation.

    The Federal government in a counter affidavit in reply. to the Deputy Senate President’s motion on notice told the court that Ekweremadu in a desperate bid to avoid forfeiting the properties to the Federal government has already sold two of his three alleged undeclared properties in Kissimmee, Florida, United States of America.

    The counter affidavit dated and filed on 26 March 2018 was deposed to by Yohanna Shankuk, a clerk in the Chambers of Festus Keyamo,SAN.

    The FG accused Ekweremadu of employing delay tactics to frustrate the suit and also said the properties were bought in 2008 for $200,000 each and have been put on the market in January and sold for $150,000 to the same buyer on February 20 2018.

    The Federal government also further prayed the court to grant the application to enable the Special Presidential Investigation panel for the Recovery of Public Property, SPIP,  chaired by Okoi Obono-Obla to also investigate the alleged buyers.

     

    Also, it was revealed that the petition that nailed the Deputy Senate President was written by a retired Chief Judge of Federal High Court, Justice Innocent Umezulike.

    In the petition dated March 23,2018 the retired CJ said that he was impelled by civic responsibility to lodge a complain to the SPIP to the effect that the life style of Ekweremadu and the massive property he had acquired are not justified by his source of income.

    He therefore called on the panel to investigate him (Ekweremadu).

    The retired CJ said in the petition that,” In sum,  from 1999 till date,  he has been in the realms of public office without any break to engage in any personal business. Thus, his emoluments in the past 18 years is easily ascertainable from revenue mobilisation allocation and fiscal commission.

    “prior to his entry into public office in 1999, he was not a successful lawyer,  he lived in the dirt of high density suburb of Enugu at No:17 ,Mike Ejeagha street,  Abakpa -Nike,  Enugu.

    “Curiously, in a space of 18 years, the suspect has amassed and stashed billions of naira in cash and choice properties strewn in major cities in four continents of the world. The cash is locked up in the vault of sterling bank PLC and UBA”  the CJ stated.

    Justice Binta Nyako has however adjourned the matter  to June 5, 2018 for hearing.