The Nation Newspaper

Tag: GOVT

  • Govt urged to invest more in education

    The federal government has been urged to invest more in the educational system.

    Executive Director, Academic Excellence Initiative (AEI), Faheed Olajide, said education is the biggest and most important investment to build a new Nigeria.

    Education, he said, is the way to build human capacity and the nation as a whole.

    Olajide spoke in Lagos, during a ‘Spelling Bee champ’ organised by Karagold Educonsult in conjunction with AEI and Cutting Edge Experience Initiative.

    The ‘Spelling bee champ’, he said, aimed to enlightened and encouraged young ones to face their studies and gain scholarship.

    “A lot of money is going into entertainment and sporting industry; we want money to go into education. We are doing our best to inculcate learning skills into the young ones, so that they would grow up imbibed with the culture of excellence and we would have a better generation of Nigerians in the future.”

    He added that the competition would also contribute to the development of the educational, saying that such exposure would challenge the pupils to put in more efforts to learning.

    He called for government and other stakeholder’s partnership on the ‘spelling bee champ’.

    Karagold Educonsul Chief Executive Officer Karamah Shogbuyi, said the event was to make the pupils become better in spellings, improve their vocabulary and use of English.

    “The competition would make the pupils better, they would present words carefully and write well.”

    The competition, she said, is basically for private primary and secondary schools and it has no government funding. “The competitors are into three categories. In the first category, the tiny tots, we have 35 contestants; second category, kiddies, we have 60; and the third category, young stars, we have 25. All the contestants would go back home with gifts but the first, second and third position, from each category would get something more, including, a trophy, books, educational materials and spellers game . It would get better as the year goes by”

    She urged the pupils to keep working hard and not allow the internet and social media language affect them. “Once the pupils can spell well, it would influence them in all other areas of life,” she said.

    Chief Executive Officer, Cutting edge experience initiative, Mrs Habeeba Alagbe, said the pupils, through the event, would become eloquent in speech.

    This, she said would enable them to be effective and efficient in all they do, either in business or other spheres of life.

    She urged the pupils to get educated in the midst of having fun. “Take your education serious, have fun, get educated and apply your education wisely,” she said.

  • Democracy is best form of govt, says Dogara

    Democracy is best form of govt, says Dogara

    The place of democracy in stimulating development is central to the thoughts expressed by top government officials to mark today’s Democracy Day.

    House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara said lawmakers were committed to strengthening institutions in the fight against corruption.

    “We have a president who is determined and who has an uncompromising stance against corruption, and we are building strong institutions that will deal with the hydra-headed monster,” the speaker said in a statement.

    Calling for unity, he said “Nigeria represents the best hope of the Black man and that hope cannot be realised in a factionalised state with no unity and with every one trying to fight for self-determination.

    “If there’ll be any black nation that will fulfill the destiny of a black man, which is that of greatness, it’s going to come out of a unified Nigeria. I don’t think there’s anything each of these pockets will achieve that will be greater than what a unified Nigeria can achieve.”

    “I know there are challenges but these challenges are not peculiar to us. So many countries have had to face these kinds of challenges in their developmental strides.”

    He said the government had achieved a lot: “We know that within the two years of this administration, the government has achieved a lot in the area of security. In transportation, we are talking about railways, in agriculture and in diverse fields of our endeavours, a lot has been achieved and a lot need to be done, but we are committed to bringing succour to the common man.”

    Senate President Bukola Saraki called for concerted and united effort by all Nigerians to build a strong economy as a means of sustaining the nation’s democracy.

    In a statement, Saraki said the real challenge to the sustenance of democracy was the need for a solid economy that would ensure that the citizens enjoy high standard of living and that there was even development across the country.

    He urged Nigerians to support the government’s policies aimed at involving the private sector in key sectors of the economy, focusing on locally manufactured goods, encouraging small and medium scale entrepreneurs, developing alternative sources of foreign exchange other than oil, directing attention to commercial agriculture and mining of mineral resources, eliminating smuggling and other activities which can sabotage the economy.

    Saraki noted that if the people could rally behind government policies to develop the economy and create a vibrant private sector by eschewing all activities which threaten the stability of the country, then “many of the problems which bedevil the nation’s politics will be eliminated and our democracy will grow from strength to strength”.

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson challenged anti-democratic forces working to truncate democracy to have a rethink, because democracy had come to stay.

    According to him, it is no longer fashionable to have a non-democratic society, because democracy remains the best system of government.

    Dickson’s comments, according to a statement by Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, added that as a form of government, democracy had evolved to the point that it is checkmating some of the country’s  challenges.

    He urged critical stakeholders, such as members of the National Assembly, civil society organisations and the media not to abdicate their role of defending and promoting the noble ideals of democracy even in the face of threats.

    The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Garba Abari, said: “This year’s Democracy Day is symbolic, based on the fact that young Nigerians who were only born when we returned to democratic governance have now turned 18 and have therefore come of age to participate fully in the democratic processes of our nation.

    “Therefore, our concern at this time should be to deepen such acceptable societal values and advance such principles of governance that will not only enable our great nation further assert itself as the leader of a free African continent where rights and freedoms are sacrosanct but also ensure that we bequeath to our future generations the best form of governance. Only democracy can guarantee that.”

    He urged Nigerians of 18 years and above who do not yet possess a Permanent Voters Card (PVC) to take advantage of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration to register.

    Senator Solomon Adeola (Lagos West) urged Nigerians to continue to actively participate in our democratic practice to grow, nurture and strengthen all the institutions of government.

    In a message, he said: “We can only continue to grow our democracy to greater heights like other advanced democracies.”

    Adeola said the seeming frictions between the executive and the legislature “is not an aberration” but what is important is that “the two arms must work in the national interest and not for selfish gain”.

  • Govt urged to include road safety into school syllabus

    A member of governing council, Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Mr Erogbogbo Lukman, has called on Federal Government to include road safety education into its syllabus.

    He said is the high time for the government to add road safety education into school curriculum, saying if children are taught from a young age about road traffic rules it will further minimise the number of fatalities on the road on daily basis.

    Mr Erogbogbo, an engineer, spoke at Children’s Day celebration held at Ikorodu and Ikeja Unit Commands of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Lagos State.

    He said the country’s roads would be safer if pupils were taught and allowed to have adequate knowledge of using roads from the elementary schools, adding that it would enable them correct their parents whenever they are going contrary to safety rules of using road.

    He said road safety has its own principles and values and we have to know how to impart the rules to our children and inculcate good habits at a very young age.

    He urged the children to imbibe good culture that would make their destiny fulfilled.

    Ikorodu Unit Commander Babatope Agbaje and Emma E. Fekoya of Ikeja Unit Command said the event, themed: ‘Improving safety of the Nigerian child through FRSC Youth Safety Education”, was to commemorate children’s Day and to educate children on the vital roles they can play in road safety from them homes.

    He noted that FRSC had introduced youth safety education when it identified that children are important in the campaign for safer roads, saying young people would find it easier to obey road rules and regulation.

  • Synod advises govt on poverty alleviation

    The Anglican Diocese of Lagos Mainland has advised  the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to use the occasion of its second anniversary to introduce policies that will address the plight of the citizens.

    At the end of its four-day Synod from May 25 to 28 in Lagos yesterday, the diocese said in appointing people to implement the policies, competence and the country’s diversity should be considered, to give the citizenry a  sense of belonging.

    In a communiqué signed by the Diocesan Bishop, Rt. Rev. Akinpelu Johnson and the Synod Secretary, Venerable Emmanuel Adekoya, the diocese hailed the success made by the Federal Government in the war against Boko Haram insurgents in the Northeast, but called for more efforts to secure the release of the remaining Chibok girls and other Nigerians abducted by the insurgents, to restore normalcy to the zone.

    Speaking          about agitations in the Niger Delta and Southeast, the diocese said while militancy had abated, efforts should be intensified to address the causes of conflicts, to ensure peace.

    It decried the reports of  nefarious activities of herdsmen, such as invasion of farms, kidnapping for ransom and other crimes in  parts of the country and enjoined the government to address the problem so that “while honest labour is rewarded, impunity and criminality must be punished.”

    The diocese praised the anti-corruption war of the Federal Government, saying it was necessary to contain the  effects of corruption on national development.

    It called for a more even-handed approach to ensure that it was not wrongly perceived as being selectively targeted at only critics of the administration or members of a particular political persuasion.

    The synod advised the citizens to shun corruption and other crimes,  since any meaningful ethical reorientation must begin with the individual.

    The diocese hailed the message of its synod theme, “But even with many the net did not break” (John 21: 11B),  noting that “even as the country undergoes painful readjustment in the midst of recession, a unity of purpose anchored on the sovereignty of God Almighty and the willingness of the people to obey His directives will result in bounteous blessings for the people and the development of Nigeria.”

    The diocese congratulated the people and government of Lagos State on the 50th anniversary of the creation of the state and urged the government to extend its urban renewal efforts to such areas as Ebute Meta, Yaba, Orile Iganmu/Coker to rid them of decrepit surrounding and create space for recreational facilities.

  • Look beyond oil, Indian military chief urges govt

    The Senior Directing Staff (SDS) at the National Defence College of India, Maj.-Gen. Vinaya Chandran, has urged the Federal Government to focus on other sectors of the economy, particularly agriculture, to move the country forward.

    He spoke yesterday when his team visited the Western Naval Command (WNC) of the Navy in Apapa.

    He said the 14-man delegation, comprising India’s senior policy makers and security chiefs, was in the country to practicalise international relations and diplomacy, which is one of the courses at the NDC.

    Gen. Chandran said he was impressed that the Nigeria he has seen contradicted the one he reads about.

    “But Nigeria is peaceful, except for some isolated issues. It is like India. It is not crisis-ridden as we were made to believe by western newspapers.

    “Most of the things we read in newspapers and magazines are based on what the Western media published; there are very few Nigerian newspapers or magazines for us to read there (Indian).

    “We thought there was so much lawlessness and insurgency going on in Nigeria, but it is not so. Rather, it is peaceful and we feel Nigeria has a great future.

    “The moment the Nigerian government finds something to do other than oil, like agriculture and education, this country will become more economically developed. Nigeria has a lot of resources.”

    Gen. Chandran, who congratulated the Navy on its 61st anniversary, said that an Indian Navy Ship will visit next week and partake in the celebration.

  • NUPENG warns govt over PH refinery

    NUPENG warns govt over PH refinery

    The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has expressed worry over the recent Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) entered into by the Federal Government and Oando Plc management. The government agreed to allow the oil firm manage Port Harcourt refinery, which is under repair, operate and maintain (ROM) it.

    Speaking with The Nation, NUPENG’s General-Secretary, Comrade Joseph Ogbebor said the arrangement is faulty, not transparent and did not involve the other stakeholders, especially the two oil workers’ unions – NUPENG and PENGASSAN.

    He  cautioned the Federal Government on the takeover bid by Oando, saying that the union will resist it, if it leads to job losses.

    Oando Plc., he said, was not a worker-friendly organisation as it detests unionisation in all its subsidiaries and companies.

    “It is not against the Federal Government’s reforms to overhaul the Oil and Gas sector, but it should not be to the detriment of the oil and gas workers.

    “We vowed to resist with full force the arrangement by Oando, if the oil workers who have put the refinery working with poor funding and obsolete equipment are thrown into the unemployment market by Oando,”  he said.

    Ogbebor said the change promised by the present administration is to generate more jobs and not kill jobs and that Oando, he alleged, is known for outsourcing and contracting jobs where such workers have no conditions of service and are not allowed to unionise.

    He, therefore, called on the Federal Government to involve the two unions, NUPENG and PENGASSAN in the arrangement before it is signed by the end of July, 2017, in order to avert a major industrial crisis in the Oil and Gas sector of the economy.

    Last week, the Federal Government  entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nigeria’s largest indigenous energy group, Oando Plc to manage the Port Harcourt Refinery under a repair, operate and maintain (ROM) arrangement.

    Oando’s Chief Executive Officer,  Mr. Wale Tinubu, who at a presentation on the underlying facts of the group’s operations at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) in Lagos, said the group has received approval of the government to oversee the Port Harcourt Refinery.

    He noted that the group has deleveraged its balance sheet through the divestment of its upstream services company, Oando Energy Services, and embarked on the expansion of its retail and gas footprint through a strategic partnership with Helios Investment Partners and Vitol Group to re-capitalise its downstream business for $210 million, and the $115.8 equity buy-in of its Gas and Power business by Helios Investment Partners.

  • Emergency on education timely, says Sokoto govt

    Sokoto State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Dr. Muhammadu Jabbi Kilgori, says a state of emergency declared on the state education sector is to rapidly address infrastructural challenges, enrolment, retention of school age children and the girl-child education.

    Briefing reporters in Sokoto, Kilgori noted that government is fast tracking modalities for sustaining standards in the state education system.

    Kilgori also identified learning achievements, teacher quality and motivation, community and private sector participation as areas the state of emergency aims to reposition.

    According to Kiglori, the government had embarked on an aggressive enrolment drive, campaigning with rewards for outstanding achievement,

    Kilgori stated that the projected enrolment statistics between early childhood care education  and senior secondary schools in the state was at 1,908,099, but with a net figure of 738,034 as actual enrolment for the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons.

    “Given this statistics, a total of 1,170,065 are out of school,” he pointed out.

    To further encourage enrolment and  retention, Kiglori said the government has approved the establishment of a primary and junior school each across the 244 wards in the state.

    “Each ward will have a primary school and JSS totaling 488. We have so far constructed and renovated over 60 of such,” he said.

  • Jonathan govt’s bad spending habit caused recession,says ex-CBN boss Soludo

    ‘Huge spending by government was one of the ways of solving the economic problem, but two wrong steps by the  government ruined that opportunity. They brought in the TSA and channelled funds into one account that did not allow spending’

    A former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof Chukwuma Soludo, has attributed the prevailing economic woes facing Nigeria to the wrong choice of economic policies by the government.

    Soludo disclosed this while speaking at an international conference organised by the Department of Business Administration of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) in Awka, Anambra State.

    The theme was: Managing a recessionary economy: Options for Nigeria.

    The major cause of the recession the country is facing, Soludo said, is as a result of what he called “bad habit of borrowing” at a period the country was in boom.

    He blamed the past administration for plunging the economy into a glitch, saying the government did not act on time to save the situation.

    Soludo, a professor of Econometrics, criticised the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy, which, he said, stifled the economy further because it channelled public sector funds to the CBN.

    He expressed optimism on the possibility of the country coming out of the recession. He said managing a recessionary economy did not require rocket science, noting that Nigeria could overcome the current economic setback faster if the government put in place appropriate policies.

    He said: “Huge spending by government was one of the ways of solving the economic problem, but two wrong steps by the current government ruined that opportunity. They brought in the TSA and channelled funds into one account that did not allow spending. They also fixed the price of foreign exchange. These are things you do not do when a country is in economic crisis.”

    The former CBN boss stressed that the recession was sown by the last administration but became obvious one year into the tenure of the present government. He said it would not have degenerated but for the inability of policymakers to rise to the challenge.

    He said the recession happened because the Goodluck Jonathan administration failed to save earnings from crude oil sale when there was unprecedented boom in oil prices.

    He said: “Poor ideas transcended over superior ideas, and we went into recession which was slightly avoidable. That is why academics must be alive to their responsibility of nudging us to reality. If you borrow at a time of boom, what will you do in a time of lack? Even my grandmother in the village knows this.

    “At the same time, when we had boom, we had unprecedented unemployment. The problem with Nigeria’s policymakers is that once oil goes up, we take it that it will remain so, and we continue to spend. But once there is a shock and oil prices go down, we just think it is temporary and we start borrowing. Nigeria can be fixed, and what it takes to fix Nigeria is not rocket science.”

    Soludo hailed the government’s diversification policy, saying it would save the economy beyond oil and also save it from shocks induced by vagaries of the international oil market.

    He also called for fiscal federalism to help the states and local governments live beyond “running to the centre for their sustainability”.

    The Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Joseph Ahaneku, said the theme captured the economic challenges confronting the country, which, he said, built up through decades of sub-optimal management of the material and human resources.

    The VC said the conference was incisive in analysing the country’s economic woes and formulating the possible ways forward. He praised the department for organising the event in line with the school’s tradition of generating academic discourses to proffer solutions to issues of national and international concern.

  • Govt, cattle traders battle over abattoir

    The National Cattle and Foodstuff Dealers Association of Nigeria yesterday threatened to relocate from Lagos over last Sunday’s alleged destruction of their mosque, toilets and houses at Oko-Oba Abbatoir, Agege.

    In a swift reaction, the government promised to look into the traders’ concerns, but cautioned that people should not take the law into their hands.

    Commissioner for Agriculture Oluwatoyin Suarau said: “We would look into their concerns. But the masterplan of the area must be adhered to. We are not designed to please a particular group, but to work in the public.”

    The traders described the demolition as callous and reckless, alleging that structures worth over N1.2billion were demolished, including 24 toilets.

    They noted that approvals were obtained for the construction of the property and N10,000 paid to the government before the buildings were erected.

    According to them, the demolition by the Ministry of Agriculture was an indication they were no longer wanted in the state.

    Rising from a meeting, the Sarikin Fulani of Agege Abattoir, Alhaji Bello Dan-Mubaffa, said the demolition of their toilets could lead to an epidemic in the area.

    Dan-Mubaffa said they agreed with the government that all shanties inside the abattoir be demolished, adding that they marked some structures for demolition.

    He said the toilets, bathrooms and mosque were not among the said structures, adding that they agreed at the meeting for them to be renovated and painted.

    “So, we were surprised on Saturday night, when we saw dozens of task force officials moving into the abattoir with bulldozers. Our thinking was that they were only going to pull down the shanties that were already marked. But we were shocked when they headed towards the toilets and bathrooms and before we knew what was going on, they started demolishing them.

    “We have sent the government our position, as well as the House of Assembly. We are still waiting to hear from them. But we say that those whose properties were destroyed must be compensated.  Properties worth over N1.2 billion were destroyed. I think the government should look into it.”

    Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association Assistant Secretary Bashir Al-Amin said plans were underway to relocate members from Lagos for fear of alleged victimisation.

    According to him, owners of the toilets got approvals from the government.

    “None of those who built toilets and bathrooms did so on their own. They wrote officially to government, an approval was given and required fees paid. Where then did we run foul of the law?

  • Edo’s debt profile: Dynamics of govt finance

    Statistics have a deft way of creating one impression or the other, sometimes for good, and at other unwelcome times, for bad.

    The latest Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) Quarterly Review shows

    Nigeria’s debt profile and indicates a drastic drop in the revenue profile of most states of the federation. In the Southsouth, the report ominously avers that the debt profile of the state governments is on the increase, consisting of domestic and external debts between December 2015 and June 30th, 2016.

    For instance, Lagos state has the highest cumulative debt of N603.25 billion as against the state’s revenue of N410.5bn for 2016. The second on the debt table is Delta State with N331.95 billion growing debt as against N142.78 of the state revenue. Akwa Ibom State occupied the fourth place on rising debt profiles with N161.23 billion.

    What cannot be ignored in the NEITI report is that it clearly vindicates Edo State on both domestic and foreign debts. The World Bank loan Edo State took is cheaper to service and attracts about 1% interest rate compared to domestic borrowing that attracts 18% interest

    rate. The report maintained that “considering that most states already have a high debt burden,

    the possibility of even higher debts for the states remain quite high.”

    Among the subnational governments, Lagos, Kaduna, Edo, Cross River and Ogun states retained the top spots on the list of foreign debtors. If Nigerian external debt accounts for 20% of Nigeria’s debt profile, how does Edo’s debt constitute one of the highest? Is 20% more than 80%? Is the external debt stock of $11.41 billion (N3.48trillion) which accounted for 20%

    more than the domestic debt stock of $45.98 billion (N13.88trillion), which accounted for 80%?

    A clarification is necessary here. The total debt profile of $57.39bn is made up of external debt stock of $11.41 billion (N3.48trillion) which accounts for 20% and domestic debt stock of $45.98 billion (N13.88 trillion) which accounts for 80%. The external debt of 20% cannot amount to the highest.

    Analysts should stop categorising Edo State as the most indebted states in Nigeria. The rate of the rise in foreign debt has been slower than that of domestic debt. In recent times, the Federal Government has been making attempts to increase the proportion of foreign debt, because of the higher interest rate charged on domestic debts.

    Edo State is just as privileged as Lagos state in Sub-Saharan Africa to access World Bank loans at less than 1% for 20 years, and in some cases, 10-year moratorium.

    For a shared understanding of Nigeria’s domestic debt, a major source of concern is that Nigeria’s public domestic debt has experienced rapid growth over the past 10 years and that debt service outlay is quite high. The domestic debt-GDP ratio is only about 10%; the total public debt-GDP ratio is 12.25%, and compares favourably with the peer group threshold of 56%.

    Although the debt service-revenue ratio is high, the problem needs to be unbundled so we can all agree on the appropriate solution path. Indeed, following the rebasing of Nigeria’s GDP in 2010, the DMO observed that the increase in the GDP did not enhance the country’s ability to service its debts.

    Nigeria’s tax revenue-GDP ratio is still below 6% compared to the average for the country’s peer group, which is 18%. Essentially, therefore, from this perspective, what is being experienced is a revenue problem which impacts the debt service-revenue ratio.

    Already the Federal Government is set to raise its domestic and foreign borrowing ratio under the new Debt Management Strategy (DMS) unveiled by the DMO for the next four years. The DMS is about how funds are borrowed, internally and externally. It is a medium term project from 2016 to 2019 setting out the broad guidelines for four years. A review of the new debt strategy shows that it would slant significantly in favour of external borrowing than domestic borrowing.

    As Mr. Nwankwo said domestic and external borrowings would now be in the ratio of 60:40 per cent as against the previous ration of 84:16 per cent respectively. The new borrowing strategy, he explained further, would progressively increase the percentage share of external financing, taking into account the need to moderate foreign exchange risk in the short to medium term.

    He said the reason for the shift towards more external borrowing was because external borrowing was cheaper, apart from the advantage of lower cost of fund to avoid the risk of crowding out the private sector.

    Only Edo, Lagos, Delta, Ebonyi, Anambra, Cross River, Akwa Ibom,  Kano and Enugu states have paid their workers’ salaries and allowances up to April and are therefore not owing their workers.

    From the foregoing, there can be no doubt that Edo State is on the right path with its borrowing for the development of the state. It is one borrowing ideal that does not commit the state to punitive debt burden that generation unborn will have to bear.

    • Cephas sent this piece from Benin City