The Nation Newspaper

Tag: GOVT

  • Govt, UNIDO partner on Investment Technology Promotion Office

    The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is to launch its Investment and Technology Promotion Office (ITPO) in Nigeria.

    Set up at the request of the Federal Government, the ITPO Nigeria would provide a platform for public and private stakeholders, entrepreneurs and development partners, to establish collaborative links in support of an increased competitiveness and diversification of the  economy.

    A statement by the Head of UNIDO ITPO in Nigeria, Mrs. Adebisi Olumodimu, said the launch would allow for several additional events, including the ITPO workshop, sensitisation workshops on the Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion Programme (EDIP); the Computer Model for Feasibility Analysis and Reporting (COMFAR) as well as on gender inclusiveness in technology promotion.

    It said: “The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment will chair the event, which will also include sensitisation workshops on key UNIDO-ITPO systems to attract investment, identify and deploy technologies, and develop industrial cooperation with relevant international initiatives.

    ITPO Nigeria will be the first office in Africa, and will join global ITPO network that covers Bahrain, China (Beijing and Shanghai), Italy, Japan, South Korea and the Russian Federation.

    “Current UNIDO initiatives in Nigeria include new technologies to enhance clusters for the production of industrial goods such as finished leather products, agricultural value chains to support food and beverage processing, and creative fashion and craft industries in Nigeria.

  • Lassa fever: Govt to fumigate Abuja

    The FCT Administration has concluded plans to fumigate Abuja.

    FCT Minister Malam Muhammad Bello, who spoke through his media team at an interactive session with members of the FCT Press Corps in Abuja, said the action would improve the environment and reduce Lassa fever.

    He said the FCT Administration had cleared outstanding debt of over N250 million owed cleaning and security contractors working in the FCT district and general hospitals, adding that the debt cleared was for the services rendered till last December.

    According to him, the administration extended the contractors’ services to December this year to allow plan for new engagement from the 2017 fiscal year.

    On Avian Influenza (Bird Flu), Bello said the FCT Administration has eradicated it, as no new case has been reported since February 9.

    The minister, in a statement by the Deputy Director/Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Sule, said the FCT Administration would give bailout funds to financially-handicapped FCT area councils to pay two months salary arrears.  “The area councils have been mandated to clear the remaining one month debt.”

    He said the FCT Administration has structured the repayment plan for the bailout to be from the 10 per cent statutory payment to the area councils from the FCTA’s Internally Generated Revenue.

     

  • Govt removes 23,846 ghost workers from payroll

    Govt removes 23,846 ghost workers from payroll

    Security to take over probe

    N2.293b now saved monthly

    No fewer than 23,846 non-existent workers’ names have been removed from the Federal Government payroll as a result of which the wage bill has reduced by N2.293 billion monthly, the Federal Ministry of Finance said yesterday.

    This is as a result of the BVN process which was carried out.

    A Federal Ministry of Finance statement said: “this figure represents a percentage of the number of non-existent workers who had hitherto been receiving salary from various ministries, departments and agencies”.

    The BVN audit has also reduced the list of military pensioners by 19,203. “The Military Pension Board has revised the amount payable for its due pension contributions on a monthly basis by N575million, following its annual verification exercise for military retirees.

    “This reduced the number of pensioners by 19,203 as a result of deaths since the last verification exercise in 2012,” the statement by Festus Akanbi, the spokesman for Finance Minister Mrs Kemi Adeosun, said.

    The statement added that further investigation of other suspected cases will continue in conjunction with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    The removal of non- existent workers from federal payroll and the attendant savings on salaries was made possible “because of the ongoing BVN-based staff audit and enrolment to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS)”, the statement added

    The Federal Government is also making efforts to recover “salary balances in bank accounts as well as any pension contributions in respect of the deleted workers. This involves active collaboration with the concerned banks and the National Pension Commission (Pencom).”

    The Federal Government, the ministry said, is determined to continue the verification programme on a regular periodic basis in its efforts to reduce personnel cost.

    Since personnel costs represent over 40 per cent of total government expenditure, the Federal Government has vowed to continue to strengthen its payroll controls.

    “It plans to undertake periodic checks and to utilise Computer Assisted Audit Techniques under its new Continuous Audit Programme. This will ensure that all payments are accurate and valid. Requirements for new entrants joining the Federal Civil Service have also been enhanced to prevent the introduction  of fictitious employees in future” the statement said.

    Reacting to recent calls by the leadership of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) that the panel members investigating the cases of indicted civil servants be drawn from both government and labour, the Ministry explained that “the request could not be acceded to, as the investigations were of a criminal nature and would therefore be handled by the appropriate  investigative agencies”.

    The ongoing exercise, which is part of the cost-saving and anti-corruption agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, is key to funding the deficit in the 2016 budget, as savings made will ultimately reduce the amount to be borrowed.

    The strategy of using BVNs, rather than requiring the physical presence of each member of staff for biometric capture at the initial stage of verification, the finance ministry said, has significantly simplified and accelerated the progress of the payroll audit process and reduced the cost of implementation.

    With the adoption of the BVN platform to audit and sanitise the salary payment system, the Ministry has so far checked the details of about 312,000 civil servants currently enrolled on IPPIS.

    In some instances, the exercise showed that the names of some civil servants whose salaries are being processed are not consistent with the names linked to the accounts into which their salaries are paid.

    Individuals in this category are therefore either receiving salary payments from multiple sources (which could be different parastatals for example), or they are non-existent workers.

  • Abia govt orders firm to pay workers

    The government of Abia State has ordered the management of the rubber company operating in Ameke and Ndi Oji Abam in Arochukwu Local Government Area to pay up its workers salaries within two days.

    Commissioner for Agriculture Uzor Azubuike gave the order at the weekend when he visited the rubber estates. He gave the company managing the Abia Rubber Company till Tuesday to clear the salary arrears or have themselves to blame.

    Azubuike also ordered that new rubber lumps should not be carried out of the premises until all outstanding debts are cleared, stressing that the company should not be making money while their workers suffered.

    He expressed disappointment that for more than a year, the investor had not remitted its dues to the state government, even failing to keep to the terms of the agreement, including replacing the ageing rubber trees.

    The commissioner said the government would not allow anyone frustrate its effort of using agriculture to revive the economy, pointing out that the era when government depends of federation account is over.

    Traditional ruler of Ovukwu Abam, Eze Oji Ojembe expressed dissatisfaction with the operations of the investor, Imoniyame, saying the investor has not lived up to expectation since it took over the management of the rubber estates.

     

  • Why Rivers govt must move against violence, by Peterside

    Why Rivers govt must move against violence, by Peterside

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Rivers State, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has urged Governor Nyesom Wike to curb violence in the state.

    Peterside, in an article, titled ‘Politics and resurgence of violence in Rivers State’, bemoaned the resurgence of violence in the build-up to the re-run National Assembly and House of Assembly elections.

    The article said: “In the last two weeks, four events have occurred in the state to raise red flags relating to insecurity and electoral violence. The first was the slaughter of 24 persons in one day at Omoku in Ogba Egbema Ndoni LGA. The second was the attack on the military at Yeghe town in Gokana LGA by militant youths. The third was the burning down of the campaign office of Senator Magnus Abe at Bori, Khana LGA, by suspected political thugs. The last and perhaps most frightening was the attack on a bank and the engagement of citizens and the Police by robbers at the new GRA axis of Port Harcourt, crisscrossing all the way to Ikwerre Road.

    “That robbery and the shootout lasted for several hours on Wednesday, February 24, 2016. This renewed wave of violence is unprecedented in our history.

    “Like most states in Nigeria, Rivers State has always had some history of political violence since the 2003 general election. Nevertheless, what we are witnessing today is a dimension taken too far, especially before, during, and after the 2015 general election. It would appear that support for political violence as a means to win elections in Rivers State became the official policy of the party at the centre then. It has become worse with the judgment of the Supreme Court on the Rivers State Governorship Election Petition. That judgment seems to have inadvertently but tacitly given approval to a credo of get victory at all cost.

    “A number of reasons may be advanced why the state is now a hot bed of political violence. However, two rank highest in the equation. The first reason is the socio-economic outlook of the state traceable to and sustained by the activities of oil exploration companies and the peculiar geographical terrain of the delta. The perception that government and the oil companies have been unfair to the people and the environment of the host communities inevitably drew a battle line of ‘them versus us’.  Second, and more recently, violence in the state has been provoked mainly by the quest for power. Among politicians, there is a group, which obviously sees power as the only means of livelihood through access to the commonwealth.  It is obvious that some of the political actors of the 2015 electoral era in the state have actively sponsored, promoted and supported violence as a means to an end. The union of political violence and criminality has now gone full cycle in the state.

    “It is regrettable but true that in many communities in today cult gangs hold sway. They control the social and economic souls of the people, including traditional structures which have been rendered impotent. The cult gangs were armed by politicians in the build up to 2015 general election. Like Frankenstein monsters, they are now too powerful to those who armed them and had enjoyed pyrrhic benefits from their activities. The situation has so degenerated that nobody, including those who created the monsters, feels safe anymore. The physical landscape of the communities is painted with boys armed to the teeth and walking freely to the discomfort of citizens.

    “We are yet to feel the effect of any concrete action taken by the Nyesom Wike-led government to stem this worsening insecurity. A town hall meeting he held in Omoku on the urging of Andrew Uchendu degenerated into a display of power by way of suspending three local government Caretaker Committee chairmen and a strange order to security agents to kill suspected cultists . The aloofness of the government has promoted the view that it is behind the insecurity and reign of criminals in the state. Nothing challenges a government more than to lose the moral right to fight criminality. When a government fails in securing life and property, and does not show it is committed to fighting against those who threaten peace, the despair of the citizenry can best be imagined.

    “Today, the people are groaning under kidnapping, assassinations, robbery, political violence, gunrunning, harassment, and others. The question is how long are we going to live like this? It is most likely going to get worse with the re-run elections on 19 March. The warning signs are obvious.  Every day, stories of security breach dominate conversation. In such a situation, how might creative people generate business and other socio-economic ideas, or have the energy and will to see such ideas through?

    “The security agencies have their hands full. It is time for the government to make its commitment.”

  • ‘Allow govt find solution to clashes’

    Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has urged the people to allow the government find a solution to the clashes between herdsmen and farmers.

    Ortom, who addressed the people of Nongov at Saghev, in Guma Local Government, said his meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo yielded result, as the Presidency sent a delegation to ascertain the level of crises at Agatu.

    He said the government would enact a law to stop kidnap and other crimes, stressing that this could only thrive in a peaceful atmosphere.

    The governor, who thanked the Nongov people for their support, restated his administration’s commitment to build roads, primary health centres and put in place projects.

    Tyoor Uwouku Abanka hailed Ortom for the efforts his administration made in security and education.

    He assured him of the people’s support, enjoining him to address bad roads and insecurity.

    The Special Adviser to the Governor on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Dr. Magdalene Dura, described Ortom as a leader, who matched his words with action.

    Others who spoke at the event included ex-Head of Service Mike Iordye and the Caretaker Chairman, Guma Local Government, Mr. Samuel Aga.

  • Govt extends port concession agreements

    The Federal Government has extended its agreements with some of the terminal operators due to their satisfactory performance and their improved level of investments, The Nation has learnt.

    One of the affected concessionaires, it was gathered, is at Tin-Can Island Port, Apapa, Lagos.

    The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Mallam Habib Abdullahi confirmed the extension granted some of the terminal operators.

    Abdulalahi, who spoke while receiving the Director-General,  Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Aminu Diko in his office, last week did not name the beneficiary firms

    He, however, praised the Commission for being alive to its responsibility, saying  he would give it the opportunity to get first-hand information on the challenges of port concession and listen to observations from concessionaires.

    While assuring the ICRC of cooperation, he directed the Monitoring and Compliance Division of NPA to  submit a copy of its quarterly reports to the ICRC.

    Abdullahi announced that a Public-Private-Partnership department would be established in NPA to cater for investors’ interests at the seaports.

  • ‘Govt should care for people living with autism’

    Patrick Speech and Languages Centre, a group in charge of people living with autism, has called on the government to ensure  care for such people.

    The group also urged government to pass into law, a bill that will protect and care for them.

    Its founder, Mrs Dotun Akande, said government should help this category of people in the area of capacity building by assisting organisations in care of them and supporting families of such persons.

    Speaking in Lagos during  a press briefing to mark the Centre’s 10th anniversary, Mrs Akande said  autism is not a death sentence, rather such children need to be cared for,  integrated into the society and be mainstreamed into the education system.

    She said the centre has being of help to lots of children living in autism in various ways.

    “Over 42 autism children have been integrated and mainstreamed into the education system. We have cared for over 250 children out of which 160 have been enrolled into our programme at the centre,” she said.

    Mrs Akande noted that her centre has partnered with the Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) in carrying out advocacy and awareness campaigns on autism.

    “The centre has also been at the forefront of creating awareness for Autism and other related developmental disabilities in the country, we were also at the forefront of providing training and educational services for parents. We have regularly brought in foreign facilitators to train and share their experiences worldwide and how these experiences can be adopted to a Nigerian model,” she said.

    The representative of the GTB’s Cooperate Social Representative Unit, Mrs Tolulope Onipede, said the organisation is on an advocacy and awareness campaign programme for parents who have children living in autism to be able to know what actions to take.

    “We are on advocacy and awareness campaign to let everyone know that autism is not a death sentence; people living in autism can be properly integrated into the society if they are cared for and given adequate training,” she said.

     

  • ‘Govt can reap economic benefits from medicinal plants’  

    The Natural Integrative Medicine Practitioners Association (NIMPA) has told the Federal Government to tap into the country’s rich herbal plants as a measure to revamp the economy.

    Its President, Dr. Isaac Ayodele, said Nigeria was capable of realising over $100 billion yearly from the cultivation, production, commercialisation and exportation of its rich medicinal plants.

    Moreover, they are the basic materials for traditional, alternative medicine and some synthetic drugs.

    He said some potent drugs such as morphine, quinine, digoxin, atrophine, ephedrine, emetine and artemisinin were extracted from medicinal plants and later synthesised by pharmaceutical companies.

    He pointed out that the days of bastardising made in Nigeria medicine and importing foreign made herbs should stop so as to save Nigeria’s foreign reserves.

    He said no nation can progress if medicinal items whose equivalents remain untapped within her domain are imported.

    He said plants with tested and confirmed therapeutic actions and safety should be cultivated in the six geo-political zones of the country to provide raw materials for the production of herbal medicine for local use and exports.

    He said this would also help to confront global climate change that has collapsed the price of oil from $200 to a benchmark of about $30 per barrel.

    “In view of the adverse effect of the oil on greenhouse gas emission, which is blamed for the sea level rise and global health and poverty crisis, the global community is at war with crude oil and its by products, a scenario that has wrecked the mono economy of Nigeria in crude oil, impoverishing the country should be addressed,” he said.

  • Govt gives 9 cars to ABSU

    The Abia State governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, has donated nine new Hyundai cars to the management of the Abia State University (ABSU), Uturu with the charge that the vehicles should be used to enhance its work.

    Speaking while handing over the keys to the Vice Chancellor (VC), Prof Uche Ikonne, Ikpeazu said that the state government decided to give the vehicles despite the financial challenges of the administration.

    He assured him that the government would empower the university to take care of the students.

    “It is not easy to take care of students.  This is the reason behind our ensuring that necessary materials are given to the management of the university ease their movement to and from classes,” he said.

    Praising the gesture, Ikonne said that the university had never had it so good since inception.  He promised the vehicles would be put to judicious use.