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Tag: FG

  • FG offers support for African Drum Festival

    The Federal Government has offered its support to the Ogun State government in its efforts to take the African Drum Festival to a higher level.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, gave the assurance at the opening of the 3rd edition of the festival in Abeokuta, Ogun State, last Thursday.

    “We will continue to support this festival by making all our media platforms available to create awareness for it,” he said.

    “We will also ensure that it is included in our national calendar of festivals, when the calendar, which we are working on now, is ready.

    “The drum festival keys into our objective of turning the creative industry into a thriving industry, one that provides jobs and boosts the economy, and that’s why we will continue to support it. I will also like to appeal to the corporate world to partner with Ogun State and to support this festival through sponsorship.”

    Alhaji Mohammed commended the Ogun State government for “this brilliant and intellectual addition” to the festival, in reference to the decision to convene a conference and an exhibition as part of the festival this year.

    He said the annual drum festival is very important because “it provides an avenue for us to showcase our rich cultural heritage and to attract global tourists to our country.”

    “The festival also plays a critical role in not just recognising the development and curation of the art  form of indigenous drum poetry but, more importantly, the preservation of drum culture for future generations,” the minister said

    He used the occasion to announce that Nigeria will be hosting the 61st meeting of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)/Commission for Africa (CAF) in Abuja from 4-6 June 2018, and that Tourism Ministers from 51 African countries, top executives of the UNWTO and tourism stakeholders are expected to attend the event.

    “We want to sincerely thank the Ogun State government for agreeing to partner with us in our quest to host a successful meeting, which will be used to showcase our rich cultural heritage and tourism destinations. As you are aware, culture and tourism are intertwined,” Alhaji Mohammed said.

    ncredible. Speaking at the opening ceremony of a two-day seminar organised by the Motion Picture Practitioners Association of Nigerian (MOPPAN) with the theme “Film Making: Opportunities & Challenges in Nigeria”, which took place in Kaduna,  on Tuesday, April 17 and Wednesday, April 18, Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, NFC’s Managing Director said that Nollywood has and remains Africa’s most prevalent movie industry with an average production of 50 movies per week and 1500 – 3000 films per year.

    Delivering a paper titled ‘Developing Quality Content for Television & Cinema in Nigeria’ Maduekwe said that the growth in film production in Nigeria can only be sustained through training and capacity building of practitioners in the film sector.

    “The film industry has continued to provide content for the cinema and television stations in the country, through the sustained activities of practitioners, who have been able to sustain the narratives as well as the expressions of the depth and breadth of not only Nigeria’s but Africa’s cultural diversity,” he said.

    Dr. Maduekwe listed measures being put in place to address the challenges of the film industry to include, the introduction of tax breaks for filmmakers; development of co-productions treaties, fast tracking of the implementation of Nigeria’s copyright law; sustenance of a robust Nigerian film industry; through the interventions of the Nigerian Film Corporation, curbing and fight against piracy and copy right infringement; promotion of effective marketing and distribution framework and most importantly, the transformation of the Nigerian Film Corporation to a Film Commission in line with Global, and Continental best practices.

    The NFC helmsman decried the dearth of skilled manpower for the industry, which has been inundated with thematic obsession and repetitive themes and storylines, poor funding windows, infrastructural deficiencies, poor marketing and distribution framework as well as lack of safety nets for investments in the sector.

    However, impressed by the objectives of the seminar and the enthusiasm exhibited by participants at the seminar, who were mainly MOPPAN members drawn from the 16 Northern States of the Federation, Dr. Maduekwe announced that the NFC will make the National Film Institute, Jos, available for the next training workshop/ seminar for members of MOPPAN.

    Earlier, the President of MOPPAN, Alhaji Abdullahi Maikano Usman explained that the objective of the seminar was to shore up the competencies of filmmakers in the pursuit of their profession. He expressed the appreciation of members of MOPPAN to the Federal Government of Nigeria and its agencies, including the NFC, BoI, NFVCB, NeximBank for the support and assistance extended to film practitioners in the country.

  • Bwacha flags off rehabilitation of Wukari-Ibi road

    Sen.  Emmanuel  Bwacha  representing Taraba South District  on Friday flagged off the rehabilitation  of  the 36.5-kilometre  Wukari -Ibi road which is expected to gulp  N1 billion.

    Speaking at the occasion, Bwacha said  the project, which was approved jointly by the Federal Ministry of  Agriculture as well as  Power, Works and Housing  as a rural road initiative,   had  funds appropriated for it  in the 2017 and 2018 budgets.

    The senator commended the Federal  Government for its commitment to  infrastructural development.

    Bwacha, who is also the Senate Deputy Minority Leader, urged  the people of the community to cooperate with  the contractor  to ensure the project was  completed in six weeks  as scheduled.

    The lawmaker  also said  work on the abandoned Akwana Mobile Police Barack which he initiated years ago as a House of Representatives member,  would soon resume as N1.3 billion  had been appropriated for it  in the 2018 budget.

    He said when completed, the barrack would help in ensuring security  on the fringes of the Taraba-Benue border.

    Also speaking at the occasion,  Gov.  Darius  Ishaku of Taraba commended Bwacha for facilitating  the road rehabilitation project for the benefit of the people.

    Represented by the Commissioner for Works, Mr Tafarki Agbadu, Ishaku also commended the Federal Government  for approving funds for the project.

    He, however,  appealed to the Federal Government  to refund the N32 billion the state government  had spent so far  on the rehabilitation  of federal roads.

    Mr Samuel  Oyafami, the  Director of Moulds Nig. Ltd, the company handling the Wukari –Ibi road project, said the road was first constructed in 1974 and had  not undergone full rehabilitation.

    Oyafami said his company would restore the road to its original state  within a record time.

    Reports from our reporter confirmed that Bwacha later proceeded to Jandeikyula village near Wukari where assailants  recently killed  32 people to commiserate with the families of the victims.

    NAN

     

     

     

     

  • FG threatens striking health workers, says return to work now

    The Federal Government said last night that the indefinite strike action embarked upon by health workers under the auspices of the Joint Health Sector Unions was unjustified, threatening to invoke the relevant labour laws in dealing with the striking workers if they fail to return to their duty post.

    In a statement signed by the Director of Press in the Ministry, Samuel Olowokore said the government was surprised that the workers embarked strike despite the government keeping faith with the terms of agreement signed between the unions and the government.

    While appealing to the workers to consider the plight of sick Nigerians and return to work, the statement said the government would not fold its hands and watch innocent Nigerians subjected to untold hardship.

    It said that the decision of the health workers to embark on strike was surprising saying “it is surprised that many of the Health Workers Unions operating under the joint group, the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) embarked on another round of nationwide strike despite government’s demonstrable commitment to the implementation of the agreement reached with it since their last strike of 20thSeptember 2017.

    ‘At a period the Federal Government is faithfully managing lean resources to ensure industrial harmony in all sectors, a measure of patriotism is expected of all labour unions to enable government have an equable social and very good labour milieu in which workers could be assured of security of employment.

    “It is on record that government has met almost all the demands of these unions on issues such as the payment of promotion arrears, salary shortfalls among others as per the agreement reached on September 30th2017.”

    “The Federal Government therefore wishes to appeal to JOHESU to reconsider its position in view of the immeasurable consequences of its action on sick patients in hospitals across the nation.”

    “While the Federal Government restates its commitment to the implementation of the Terms of Settlement reached with JOHESU, it shall not however fail in its sacred responsibility of protecting the lives of the numerous patients in all public health institutions where this group of health workers have unjustifiably withdrawn their services.

    “If this group of health workers persist on continuing this strike, Government will be forced to invoke the provisions of the relevant labour laws, especially Section 43 of the Trade Dispute Act, Cap.T8, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004 as well as the International Labour Organisation (ILO) principles concerning employers rights over strikes in essential services sector,” the statement concluded.

    Read Also: JOHESU Strike: Health workers shut down UCH

  • Bayelsa vows to sue FG over $1bn ECA funds

    Bayelsa State government yesterday vowed to sue the federal government if it refuses to deduct the 13 percent derivation component of the $1bn Excess Crude Account Funds (ECA) it plans to withdraw to tackle insecurity in the country.

    Governor Seriake Dickson had demanded the 13 percent derivation component of the funds should be deducted and deployed in the oil-producing states to address the peculiar security challenges in the region.

    The state government was said to have formally presented its position to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who is also the Chairman of the National Economic Council.

    Commissioner for Information, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, in a statement, maintained the government remains adamant on its request.

    Iworiso-Markson quoted Dickson, as explaining withdrawing the $1bn without deducting and paying the 13 percent derivation to the oil-producing states would amount to arm-twisting them to make double contributions to the security funds.

    He said: “The governor said that wholesome withdrawal of the funds inclusive of the 13 percent derivation would mean that the oil producing states would be making double contributions because they would be contributing their allocations like all other states and then the 13 percent derivation constitutionally provided for to address security and other pressing needs in the states.

    “The governor had stressed that while Bayelsa was not opposed to the withdrawal of the funds to enhance national security, the utilisation of the funds involving the armed forces, intelligence services and police must cover every part of the country”.

    He added: “The Bayelsa State Government will approach the court to enforce deduction of the 13 percent derivation component from the $1 billion ECA funds, which the federal government claims it plans to withdraw to tackle insecurity.

    “Our position remains the same: while the state government is not opposing the planned withdrawal of the funds for security and indeed the general well-being of the society, it would be unfair and unjust to pull out the funds without releasing the 13 percent to the oil- producing states.

    The commissioner went on: “An arrangement that compels a group of states to contribute twice to the fund while their counterparts contribute only part of their statutory allocation cannot be said to be just.

    “The constitution is clear on this and we shall approach the court to advocate our position.

    “Bayelsa is in support of the withdrawal of the funds to improve the capacity of the Armed Forces and Security Agencies to protect Nigeria and her citizens is not in doubt but we are insisting that the right thing must be done.

    “He said that Bayelsa like all other states of the federation would like to know what component of these security procurements would directly benefit the security architecture in the state.”

    “He had said that only such an arrangement would suffice in addressing the widespread fears already expressed by various bodies and individuals in the country”.

  • ECWA: FG should pay kidnappers ransom if…

    The Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) has asked the federal government to take up the burden of paying ransom to kidnappers since if it cannot stop the crime.

    The church said kidnapping has become a lucrative business simply because the federal government has failed in its constitutional responsibility to protect its citizens.

    It laments despite the economic hardship affecting citizens, families of victims have been forced to take huge credit facilities just to settle kidnappers for the release of their loved one in the hands of the criminals.

    These positions were contained in a communiqué at the end of the 2018 General Church Council (GCC) at its headquarters in Jos yesterday.

    Reviewing the state of the nation in areas of security, the church said: “The Council notes with dismay the continuous spate of kidnappings in Nigeria and the apparent helplessness of the security agencies to rescue the victims resulting in huge sums of money being paid as ransom to the kidnappers, thereby further exacerbating the poor financial conditions of the victims and their family members.

    “ECWA therefore calls on the federal government and all security outfits to take urgent and definite steps to tackle this heinous crime.

    “This is the responsibility of the federal government to citizens as guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    “The federal government is further called upon to take responsibility of paying the ransom or reimburse families for ransom paid for the release of kidnapped victims for failing to protect the citizens.”

     

  • FG appoints Acting DG for SEC

    Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, on Friday reassigned portfolios in the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

    A statement from the ministry of finance signed by Oluyinka Akintunde Special Adviser, Media and Communications to the Minister of finance said “Ms. Mary Uduk will assume the position of Acting Director-General of the Commission. Uduk’s appointment is governed by the provisions of the Investments and Securities Act (ISA), 2007 and the conditions of service applicable to the Director-General of the Commission.”

    Akintunde stated that “the Minister, in a letter dated 13th April, 2018, said Uduk’s appointment had become necessary to ensure effective regulation of the Capital Market. Her appointment will, subject to satisfactory performance, subsist until further notice.”

    The Minister also announced the redeployment of the former acting Director-General of the Commission, Dr. Abdul Zubair, to External Relations Department.

    She also made the following reassignment of the following persons: Reginald C. Karawusa – Acting Executive Commissioner, Legal and Enforcement; Isiyaku Tilde – Acting Executive Commissioner, Operations; and Henry Roland Adekunle – Acting Executive Commissioner, Corporate Services.

    Akintunde said “the new Acting Director-General joined the Commission in 1986 as an assistant financial analyst. Her career as a regulator has spanned many functions and departments in the Commission, from corporate finance, administration, to providing structural, policy and due diligence for capital market transactions. She has also been responsible for managing several landmark capital market projects, including the registration of Capital Market Operators, articulating rules for bonds and equities; Mergers, acquisitions and Takeovers, and managing the banking and insurance industry consolidations between 2005-2007.”

    Uduk served as the pioneer Head of the Operations Division in the Lagos Zonal Office, and has headed the following Departments in the Commission: Internal Control, Investment Management, Financial Standards and Corporate Governance and Securities, and Investment Services Department, among others.

  • FG reverses suspension of NWDC DG

    The Federal Government yesterday reversed the recent suspension of the Director General of the National Women Development Centre, Mrs. Mary Ikpere Eta by the centre’s Governing Board.

    The Permanent Secretary (General Services Office) in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation,Mr. Olusegun A. Adekunle, directed Mrs.Eta to resume work on Monday.

    He reminded  Boards of Agencies that their duty is all about   providing  ”general policy guidelines and frameworks, and not to interfere with the day to day management of the Agencies.”

    He added:”The Boards and Chief Executive Officers are all appointed by Mr. President, according to stated terms and conditions with clearly established rules and procedures for subjecting Chief Executive Officers to disciplinary measures including suspension from office.  In this respect, this process has not been followed.

    “Consequently, Government directs the reversal of the suspension of Mrs. Mary Ikpere Eta as the Director-General.  She is accordingly directed to resume her duties immediately at the National Women Development Centre.

    “Government believes in due process, and will not tolerate any arbitrary action taken by any Board of any Federal Government Agency.”

    The government also warned the boards to maintain government’s  position on sittings and  Non-Interference.

    In a separate statement,the  Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr.Boss Mustapha, urged the boards to adhere strictly to extant regulations and directives of the Federal Government on frequency of sittings and non- interference in the administrative routines and management of the agencies.

    The SGF warned that any Managing Director that flouts the directives will bear the costs,according to the Director  of Information in the Office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation,Mr. Lawrence Ojabo.

  • FG commits to assist 36 states without bias

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said government would continue to assist the 36 states irrespective of their party affiliation and also commit to the people’s welfare, especially the poor and vulnerable.

    He said the gesture was a clear departure from the primordial practice, where past administrations at the centre limited their assistance to states ruled by the party at the centre.

    Osinbajo made the commitment on Thursday in Umuahia at the inauguration of the state’s Tele-health initiative, – “Dial-a-doctor – which he described as commendable effort in the healthcare delivery system in the state.

    “At the inauguration of the National Economic Council (NEC) in 2015, the president publicly declared that our own NEC will assist every state because poverty in our nation is no respecter of ethnic group, religion or party affiliation.”

    The vice president said that in line with the decision, the federal government had so far supported states “without discrimination along party lines” to the tune of N1.91 trillion.

    “Today we are feeding 7.9million children in our own school feeding programme in 22 states.

    “We have employed over 200, 000 graduates in our N-Power scheme and 300,000 more awaiting funding.

    “We are giving loans to over 300, 000 traders and we are heading for a million traders and artisans.

    “We are giving 5,000 monthly to 300,000 of the poorest families in all the states of Nigeria without discrimination along party lines,” Osinbajo said.

    He also spoke on the Federal Government’s School Feeding Programme, saying that 125,684 pupils in 724 schools in Abia were being fed, with no fewer than 2,000 cooks, handling the contract.

    “This is one state where there is collaboration between the state government and the federal government in the school feeding programme.

    “The federal government is feeding classes one to three and the state government is feeding classes four to six.

    “This is exactly the way the federal government designed it to be,” he said.

    Osinbajo further said that the federal government had given out loans to over 7,500 small businesses in the state.

    “In the healthcare sector, we have the save-one-million lives programme, which has made available $1.5 million to each state to improve the quality of basic healthcare, especially to women and children,” he said.

    On the tele-health initiative, he said, that it has become expedient for Nigeria to embrace technology to close the healthcare gap between the urban and rural areas.

    He said Abia had blazed the trail in the utilisation of Global System of Mobile Telecommunication (GSM) in the delivery of quality healthcare to the people of the state.

    “This is an especially exciting project because it is leveraging on available technology, in this case, the mobile phone to deliver affordable healthcare to the people.”

    Osinbajo said that available records showed that Abia had about 1.5 million mobile phones.

    According to him, the state has taken “the lead in utilising the potential that mobile phone has as a means for delivering healthcare for the people”.

    “I am told that citizens can through a dedicated telephone line and affordable prepaid cards access medical care through a state-wide network of doctors and communicate.

    “The initiative would cut the time spent travelling to see a doctor or waiting in line to see a doctor in a healthcare facility.

    “It will make Abia stand out in the healthcare delivery as a people-centred state that is open to life-changing innovation.

    “This is a very commendable initiative,” Osinbajo said.

    He, however, said that the success of the programme would depend on the willingness of stakeholders to take on feedback and make the adjustments necessary to meet the evolving needs of the target beneficiaries.

    According to the Vice President, this initiative would be helpful to the state and other states that would want to copy it.

    He assured Abia government of the unwavering commitment of the federal government to continue to partner and collaborate on any programmes designed to better the lives of the people.

    In his speech, Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu described the programme as “a dream come true,” saying “the initiative is the future of healthcare delivery in Nigeria and Africa.”

    Ikpeazu said that the state government would leverage on the programme not only to improve life expectancy in Abia but surpass the average national life expectancy.

    In a goodwill message, the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, commended the state government for the initiative.

    Adewole, who was represented by the Medical Director, Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, Dr. Chuku Abali, said that the programme had the potential to make healthcare accessible to millions of Abia residents, if properly harnessed.

    The Commissioner for Health, Dr. John Ahukanna, said that the programme would make it possible for people to dial a dedicated GSM number and get medical attention from a doctor in the comfort of their homes. (NAN)

  • FG to stop medical tourism abroad

    Federal government has said that its plan to stop medical tourism will start with the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) and seven other teaching hospitals in the country.

    Chairman of UITH board of management, Olorogun O. Emerhor told reporters in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital  after the  inaugural board meeting of the board.

    Mr. Emehor said the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari was determined to end the practice of jettisoning medical facilities in the country for treatment abroad, as being witnessed among influential Nigerians,

    He said that parts of efforts being made by the government to achieve this was to significantly fund the nation’s medical facilities and build capacities of the medical personnel.

    Emerhor who said that the arrangement had been captured in this year budget with plan to also be included in the next budget disclosed that the government had selected eight hospitals including UITH as beneficiaries.

    He disclosed that when his board was inaugurated by the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, the minister instructed the board of the vision of the president about making the UITH a part of hospitals with which to achieve the objective of ending medical tourism abroad.

  • We declared one-week ceasefire to secure Dapchi girls’ freedom – FG

    The Federal Government disclosed on Sunday that a week-long ceasefire was declared from March 19 which enabled the insurgents to drop off abducted Dapchi schoolgirl without attack by military.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed disclosed this in Lagos at a media briefing to give update and clarifications on the release of the schoolgirls in Dapchi, Yobe state.

    The minister said there were no conspiracy theories as to how the insurgents were able to return the schoolgirls to Dapchi un-attacked despite troops presence,

    “Unknown to many, we have been in wider cessation-of-hostility talks with the insurgents for some time now.

    “The talks helped to secure the release of the police officers’ wives and the University of Maiduguri lecturers recently. And the talks did not stop thereafter.

    “Therefore, we were able to leverage on the wider talks when the Dapchi girls were abducted.

    “As I said earlier, the insurgents decided to return the girls to where they picked them from as a goodwill gesture.

    “All they demanded was a ceasefire that will grant them a safe corridor to drop the girls. This is not new.

    “Even in larger war situations, safe corridors are usually created for humanitarian and other purposes.

    ”Consequently, a week-long ceasefire was declared, starting from Monday, March 19. That is why the insurgents were able to drop the girls.

    “This counters the conspiracy theories being propounded in some quarters concerning why it was so easy for the insurgents to drop off the girls without being attacked by the military’’.

    The minister reiterated that the government neither paid ransom nor swapped any Boko Haram member to secure the release of the girls.

    “This is a fact, irrespective of how a section of the press has tried to spin the story.

    “The insurgents brought the girls back to the location of the kidnapping themselves as an apparent gesture of goodwill.

    “This follows relentless efforts by the Government to find long-lasting solutions to the conflict,’’ he said.

    He recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had directed all security agencies to do everything possible to bring the girls back unharmed.

    Mohammed said the President’s directive dictated the method adopted -Back-channel talks with our international friends as mediators, and the result was the release of the girls-.

    The minister said unlike the abducted Chibok girls, the Dapchi abduction ended about a month after it occurred and most of the girls were freed because of proactive action by the government.

    “As I have said time and again, there is no government that will not face tragedies. What makes the difference is how such tragedies are managed.

    “President Buhari put this in perspective when he said the response of his Administration is a marked departure from the attitude of the preceding administration in the aftermath of the kidnap of the 276 Chibok girls in 2014.

    “Whereas it took that administration 18 days to even acknowledge the kidnap of the girls, the current administration was responsive and was not in denial.

    He said that no stone was left unturned to secure the prompt release of the girls. (NAN)