The Nation Newspaper

Tag: GOVT

  • Govt eyes 800, 000 jobs from mechanised farming

    Govt eyes 800, 000 jobs from mechanised farming

    The Federal Government has said about 800, 000 jobs would be created through the implementation of full scale mechanised farming.

    The government also noted that 4,800,000 metric tons (mt) of food will be added to the existing 21, 000, 000 mt under the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GES).

    Also, additional 10,000,000 farmers will have access to mechanised farming equipment through the Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprise (AEHE), the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development explained in a statement yesterday.

    The government said the new mechanisation policy, which is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) will see the government providing 35 per cent of the finance while financial institutions will provide 35 per cent, Agro-machinery Vendors will provide 20 per cent while Service Providers Operator (SPOs) will make 10 per cent available.

    The statement explained that the short term projection of the scheme through the partnership is to make available a minimum of 6,000 units of tractors and power tillers each.

    It will also make available about 13,000 units of various harvest and post harvest equipment to set up a minimum of 1,200 AEHE to render Mechanization Support Services to farmers

    To drive this new scheme, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina said President Goodluck Jonathan through the ministry has approved N4.5billion to implement an intervention scheme to serve as a model for replication.

    He said the first phase of this intervention will make available 590 units of tractors, 500 power tillers, and various harvests and post harvest equipment to set up 118 AEHEs centres.

    “The on-going Mechanisation scheme will provide 1,230 units of tractors, 2000 power tillers and 3400 units of various harvest and post equipment such as rice reapers, grain threshers, cassava planters and harvesters, boom sprayer among several other equipment to set up 246 units of AEHEs in demand driven locations nationwide,” the minister said in the statement.

     

  • Govt commits to developing cotton

    The Federal Government has said it will develop the cotton value chain under its Agricultural Transformation Agenda.

    According to a document obtained by The Nation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Abuja, the government said  it has developed four improved varieties of cotton seeds, which included, Samcot eight, Samcot nine, Samcot 10 and Samcot 11 in 2012.

    Last year, six varieties of cotton seeds were also developed by the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Ahamadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.

    It included Samcot eight and 13 for Northeast, Samcot nine and 12 for Northwest, Samcot 10 for Northcentral, Samcot 11 for Southwest.

    Last year, about 2,385.38 metric tonnes of certified seeds were distributed to 110,370 farmers in Northeast, Northeest, and Northcentral under the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GES).

    The document noted that the ministry entered into an agreement with the West African Cotton Company Ltd (WACOT) on the development of expensive, production, processing and marketing of cottons in the country.

    According to the document, the agreement ensured the establishment of Seed Multiplication Scheme covering 15,625 hectares in 2012, which will be increased to 25,000 hectares in 2015.

    The document added that about 38 companies have been fully re-positioned in other to achieve better results.

  • Falling oil prices: Expert urges govt to look inwards

    Falling oil prices: Expert urges govt to look inwards

    Concerned over the unprecedented fall in global oil prices and the ripple effect this development has continued to have on the nation’s economy, Prof. Chris Onalo, Registrar/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Institute of Credit Administration (ICA), has advised the federal government to consider the diversification of the economy as a viable option to ameliorate the credit crunch occasioned by the plummeting oil prices.

    Speaking exclusively with The Nation over the weekend, Onalo, who is regarded as the doyen of credit management in Nigeria, said this suggestion becomes necessary in view of the fact that the nation earns a huge chunk of her national revenue from crude oil sales.

    “There is nothing the country can do to change the imbalance nature of our oil resources as a result of plummeting global oil prices. But that in itself is a wakeup call to the government to consider serious the need to diversify the economy,” he said.

    Of concern to Onalo is the fact that the fall in oil prices has also led to the devaluation of the nation’s legal tender, the naira, a development, he stressed, has further compounded the parlous state of the economy.

    Onalo who also doubles as President/Chief Executive Officer at Postgraduate School of Credit and Financial Management, a frontline training learning institution for credit professionals, reiterated that what the government should strive for is rapid agricultural development across the board, saying: “Since we have good advantage in this area, it is only inevitable that we should develop our agric resource. That way the economy can be revived.”

    On the devaluation of the naira, Onalo said it is high time the country weaned itself away from the dominant influence of the dollar, saying this was the only way to wade off the negative consequence of dollar domination.

    “Unfortunately, it may be difficult for Nigeria to do without the dollar almost immediately. Most countries like Russia and China, which hitherto had their economy dominated in the dollar were able to change that simply because their economy is on the right footing,” he said.

    “In our case, the country’s political ruling class has actually suffocated the economy with scant regard for public interest. As far as I’m concerned, Nigerians need to braze up. Enough of this docility.”

    The price of crude oil had a precipitous decline in the latter half of 2014 and has since fell to a current level of $53pb as at last Friday.

    The continuous fall in the price of crude oil in the international market and the recent devaluation of the nation’s currency, the naira, are putting serious pressure on the economy, with the currency experiencing a free fall.

    The continuous fall in crude oil price had forced the CBN to use an enormous chunk of the nation’s external reserves to defend the naira.

    The persistent depreciation of the naira, however, forced the CBN to on November 25th devalue the currency against the dollar by eight per cent from N155 to N168.

  • NLC to govt: cut cost of governance

    The Federal Government yesterday got a piece of advice on its planned austerity measures. It should reduce its running cost, workers said.

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is displeased with the “opulence” in government while workers’ salaries are not paid and employees are being told to tighten their belts.

    In its New Year message, which also serves as a review of the state of the nation in 2014, the NLC predicted a tough 2015, urging workers to brace for hard times but warned against imposition of selective austerity measures and rationalisation of the work force.

    It said: “We support government initiatives to tax the rich through luxury taxes.  More importantly, we are convinced that the surest way to manage the budget under austerity is to reduce the cost of governance.  Bloated prerequisites of political office holders must be cut.  Prerequisites and comfort of politicians need to reflect the reality of the times.

    “Mr President and the State House must lead in this regard.  The size of the presidential fleet (there are 11 planes in the fleet), the cost of running the State House and the retinue of political jobbers can all be reasonably cut without reducing the effectiveness of the Presidency.”

    The message signed by NLC President Abdulwaheed Omar asked workers to reject politicians with anti-workers policy in this year’s election.

    Any governor who cannot pay workers’ salaries as at when due has no moral right to take his own salaries and allowances, the NLC argued.

    The NLC President frowned at the treatment of workers by some state governments and federal agencies in 2014 and the avoidable strikes that paralysed services in the health and education sectors.

    He lamented the non payment of December salaries to workers in 11 states before Christmas and some federal ministries and asked workers in the three states that are owing salaries for between three and eight months to immediately began the process of an industrial action.

    “Government’s behaviour further undermined the fragile peace and capacities in the sectors.

    “Of the 30 states reporting as of the 30th of December, 11 subjected their workers to a Christmas/New Year celebration without the December salary.  Three of these, Benue, Plateau and Osun, owe their workers arrears of salaries ranging from three to eight months!  Some federal government employees in the ministries of education, labour and productivity, among others, are owed arrears of salaries ranging from one to three months.

    The NLC President expressed concern that little was  being done to deepen democratic culture in the polity as the government, through the institutions of the State, especially the police, has continued to demonstrate unacceptable intolerance of political opposition.

    Congress, he said, is also concerned that political debates during the year “were non-issue-based and largely centred on mundane and primordial stripes”, adding that “there were cases of gross human rights abuses, especially the cold-blooded murders in Abuja and Zaria in the name of pre-emptive strikes against Boko Haram”.

    The NLC, said: “Government, however, deserves commendation for giving the Human Rights Commission free and unfettered freedom to conduct investigations and to reach un-influenced conclusions.

    “Despite the rating of the economy in the year as the biggest in Africa, there was little by way of practical performance: lending rates remained high, making the cost of doing business unreasonable; the Naira was hugely devalued in the last quarter, jerking up the cost of living and preventing Nigerians from benefitting from falling crude oil prices; the economy remained largely import-based, in spite of the volume of the so-called foreign direct investment.

    “Not surprisingly, unemployment figures remain unacceptably high; crime rates quadrupled, poverty deepened, energy sector consistently operated at its lowest ebb ever, putting a question mark on the wisdom behind privatising the sector. Paradoxically, this poor service was marked by inexplicable high tariffs.

    “Insurgency rose to unprecedented levels, leading to loss of territories, destruction of lives and properties, refugee problems and threat to food production. On a non-physical plane, the psyche of Nigerians was thoroughly brutalized.

    ”The inability to locate and rescue the Chibok girls remains a dagger piercing the heart of the nation.  Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families of these girls as we celebrate the New Year.

    ”Insecurity came by other means in the form of kidnappings, pastoralist/farmer clashes, communal/sectarian skirmishes, etc. In spite of government’s sworn commitment and the presence of a multi-agency task force in the Niger Delta, crude oil theft assumed a phenomenon in the year, accounting for as much as 30 per cent of national output.

    “This has created loss of revenues and divestments. Closely linked to this horrendous crime is the degradation of the environment by illegal refineries, oil spills, cover-ups and related incidents.

    “It would appear that government does not have a structured response to the present volatility in the crude oil market sparked by commercial shale oil mining and deepened by crashing prices across the globe. Practically all the measures mooted or taken so far by government  smack of shock and panic and clearly expose our vulnerability.

    “Clearly, this would have been avoidable if our suggestions had been taken on board by government. For instance, we recall  advising government time without number to boost the capacity of domestic refining instead of depending on imports whose landing cost is dependent on prevailing exchange rate and other motivations not far from usury.

    “In consideration of the vagaries of a mono-cultural economy, we had similarly over the years urged the government to diversify the economy by developing other sectors of the economy.

    “In light of the following, we find it necessary to urge the government to take sustainably viable and proactive steps instead of punitive measures against workers whose quality of life has already been negatively affected by devaluation and other measures.

    “We condemn the imposition of exploitative electricity tariff and urge caution in case this leads to some further unpleasantries.

    “We still stand by our time-tested position that the only permanent solution to the crises of petroleum product pricing is adequate domestic refining. Accordingly, we urge government to put in place realistic appropriate legislation and policy in order to realise this.

    “The year 2015 is an election year whose outcome will mark a watershed in the history of Nigeria’s democracy. We call for fair, transparent and credible elections. We insist Nigeria is bigger than any partisan interests and its sovereignty and inviolability are sacrosanct. Workers are enjoined to come out en mass to perform their civic duty as well as defend their votes. Power lies in the voter’s card.

    “Government is also called upon to fashion out a comprehensible and implementable national security strategy that is capable of dealing with the myriad of threats to our unity and sovereignty.”

  • Govt dissolves councils

    Govt dissolves councils

    An compliance with a court order delivered by Justice Alaba Omolaiye-Ajileye, the Kogi State Government yesterday dissolved the 21 local government areas in the state.

    A statement by the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs said Governor Idris Wada approved the dissolution of the councils in compliance with the Koton-Karfe High Court Order of Wednesday, December 17, 2014.

    The statement directed the council chairmen to hand over the affairs of their areas to the DLG’s today. It also directed the Director, Local Governments (DLGs) to take over the affairs of the councils, pending the conduct of another election.

    Justice Omolaiye-Ajileye had declared that membership of the State Independent Electoral Commission (KOSIEC), which conducted the May 4, 2013 local government election, was constituted in contravention of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

    He averred that the chairmen and the councillors, who were elected under the void election, had lost their posts.

  • Govt, CJN urged to increase access to justice for disabled

    The Federal Government and the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) have been urged to strengthen the capacity of courts and their personnel to make justice accessible to  Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).

    This is contained in a report presented in Lagos by the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities in collaboration with Justice for All, Department of International Development (DfID) of the British High Commission.

    The report titled: “Enhancing Access to Justice for Persons with Disabilities in Lagos”, noted that PWDS encounter various challenges in trying to use the courts in their quest for justiceý.

    The 25-page report was the outcome of a survey in three local government areas of the state.

    “PWDs have major challenges to the use of the court to get justice, cost of litigation, absence of infrastructural provisions such as access ramps, Braille instructions and court officials with training in the use of sign language,” the report stated.

    The study documented the discriminatory attitude of court officials to PWDS leading to limitations to access to justice.

    “The PWDS often experience discriminatory attitude from the police. The general perception that police officers and men are corrupt and not trustworthy, stand as major hindrance.

    “PWD, who seek justice through the police as an institution, are often faced with the challenge of infrastructural discrimination”.

    The report further noted that police posts visited in the course of study had “no access ramps for persons using wheel chair, no instructions in Braille and the officers could not use sign language”.

    These constitute major challenges, among others, which PWDS encounter in their bid to access justice in the state.

    They, therefore, recommended that the government should sensitise the police to strengthen their capacity to make justice accessible to PWD through provision of access ramps, training of officers on disability right and the use of sign language for effective communication with the deaf.

    “Training of court officials in the use of sign language, greater awareness should be created among PWD on disability rights and the multi-door courts (Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism in Lagos State).

    This is to ensure that PWDS choose the low cost, but highly effective path to justice.

    “Police officers and court officials should be re-orientated on the rights of PWDS and the ills of discrimination against PWDS,” the report said.

  • ‘I would like to change the way govt works’

    ‘I would like to change the way govt works’

    Prominent businessmen Alhaji Jani Ibrahim is a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Kwara State.  He spoke with reporters on his ambition and agenda for the state. ADEKUNLE JIMOH met him.

    In the Kwara State PDP governor-ship primaries?

    We have consulted widely and I can tell you that there is a ground swell of support for our cause. I am under no illusion that the desired political change in Kwara will be an easy process. Everyone knows the battle will be hard because no one relinquishes power voluntarily. But, the PDP will certainly reclaim Kwara come 2015 because the people are tired of the present government. Make no mistake about that. The signposts are there and the change cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another 4 years.

    Who is your godfather in Kwara politics?

    I do not have a godfather because I do not believe I need one. I believe that godfatherism is nepotism, it robs a people of opportunity to identify and elect the best amongst them.

    Because the leaders that emerge are appointed by the godfather and not through the popular choice of the people, they owe their obligation to the godfather and not to the people. They are answerable to the godfather; they do not feel accountable to the people because they were not put there by them. They serve the bidding and interest of the godfather, and are not touched by or accept blame for the poor living conditions of our people.

    We have ceased to anoint candidates in the Kwara PDP and I can assure you that every candidate will have a level playing field as we have no godfather problem in the party.

    The people of Kwara will become my godfathers and godmothers if I am elected into office. That way I will be responsible to them and use the assets of the State, its resources, fertile lands and natural resources in the most efficient ways possible for the common good of all our people.

     One of the PDP aspirants was quoted recently as saying that the Saraki Dynasty is dead and that Kwara people are rooting for political freedom. Do you totally agree with his submission?

    Kwarans are not unmindful of the contributions that Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki, the Wazirin Ilorin, and former the Senate Leader, who was widely regarded by most Nigerians as the ‘Strongman’ of Kwara politics, has made in the lives of Kwarans, both economically and politically.  However, Kwara State is not an empire or private dynasty of the Sarakis. So, the argument about whether their Saraki Dynasty is alive or dead in the state is not an issue.

    Kwara State is part of Nigeria, owned by the people and governed by whosoever receives the mandate of Kwarans and not by any particular family or any dynasty. And secondly, we do not have a caste system where the aristocrats lord over the common class.

    A lot of people are therefore wondering why you decided to join the murky political terrain rather than focus on your diverse businesses?

    When I survey the state with the eyes of a business person, see opportunities all around, but the reality on ground today is widespread poverty. Going by the goals we have been able to accomplish in Lubcon with our very modest means, well-wishers of the State have over the years and at various instances been urging me to come in and make a difference. As a true patriot who could no longer sit by and watch things fall apart before our very eyes, I have responded to their call.

    The sordid state of infrastructure in Kwara is very disheartening. Everywhere I look, there is work to be done in Kwara; there is an urgent need to rapidly create jobs for our unemployed youths; improve and revitalize the health care delivery systems; improve education to enable our children compete in the  information age that demand skills, learning and flexibility. The level of poverty in Kwara is alarming and the government is doing little, and seems to be at loss as to what to do to correct it.

    The electorate are no longer satisfied with candidates that spend their time in office politicking; surveys around the world show that the prime consideration of the electorate is the economy and how the economic policies being espoused by a candidate will affect them. With that been the case, candidates with like myself with a sound grasp of economics are what the times demand.

    Many Kwarans see you as part of the old order. They in fact point out that you are a Director in Heritage bank (former Societe General Bank) believed to be owned by Saraki to buttress your alleged closeness to the family?

    It’`s funny the types of stories that people come up with. You cannot but marvel at how they make up all sorts of tales. My relationship with Senator Bukola Saraki dates back to our secondary school days at Kings College, Lagos where he was my junior, and being from the same state, he naturally came under my wings. We have political differences, stemming from the different views we hold on the role of government, the manner in which it carries out its mandate and its overall relationship with the people. This has however not affected our relationship as friends.

    I believe that the present government, which he installed, has not delivered the expected democracy dividends to our people. Kwara needs a new course for the economic, political and social revival of her hard working people. We want a new leadership in Government House, Ilorin, that understands that there’s nothing empty and unreasonable about the call for job creation, investing in education, providing good roads, potable water, harnessing our natural resources, supporting farmers to provide food security, reducing infant mortality and teaching new skills to uneducated youths.

    In all of Senator Bukola Saraki’s eight years as governor, I was not  given any position in his cabinet, was never nominated for any federal appointment, so it baffles me when people say I am fronting for him. I run a business that is about the second largest employer of labour in the state, I have been privileged to head the alumni association of the most prestigious institution in the country. My question to them is “what do they think I would be offered to make me front for someone and take orders from the person on how I run my government? Is it position, is it money or what?

    I would also like to point out that I am an Independent Director in Heritage Bank, my appointment was approved by the Central Bank to ensure adherence to best practices and to help reposition the Bank and enhance its smooth take-off. And Independent Directors do not own shares in the bank as per CBN guidelines.

    What should Kwarans expect, if you become the governor in 2015?

    Apart from some of the key areas I have already highlighted, I would very importantly like to change the way government works by making it less bureaucratic and more accessible to the people. Transparency and accountability will be our watch word; we will make our budgets public, hold town hall meetings and publish regular accounts to ensure that the governed have access to what their leaders are doing. We will give every Kwara child a stake in the promise and future of our dear State. We will agree high learning outcomes for our schools and ensure that qualified teachers are engaged to deliver on them. We will put enabling infrastructures in place, provide entrepreneurial and vocational training for our young people so the State becomes a beehive of sprouting businesses that will provide gainful employment opportunities for our people.

  • NGO seeks govt’s support

    Chairperson, LUCINMA Women Development Centre, Akoka, Lagos, Madam Lucy Jonah, is seeking government’s assistance for the body.

    The centre offers vocational and entrepreneurship training to women.

    Speaking at the 10th anniversary and graduation of the centre, Madam Jonah lamented that over the years, rather than get support, they are asked for money.

    She said: “We need government support. We want them to appreciate what we are doing. We have been training people for 10 years and whenever we go to them instead of listening and commending us, they ask for money.”

    Jonah, however, praised Zenith Bank which donated some laptops to the centre.

    “We believe that everyone has potential and our purpose is to help every woman develop her God given potential and talents, by inspiring her to embrace a spirit of excellence, creativity, hard work, ethical conduct and exemplary leadership,” she said.

    Jonah added that the centre is guided by the late India’s President, Mahatma Ghandi’s philosophy of “Educate a woman and you educate a nation”.

    She said the centre has trained a many public school teachers in computer appreciation without input from the government, adding that the centre gets fulfillment in training women free of charge, particularly teachers.

    Speaking on “Managing diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, preventing heart attack and strokes and understanding the facts about Ebola,” the special guest of honour and keynote speaker, Dr. Goddy Okoruwe, cautioned the women against consumption of fruit juice.

    He said many of the fruit juices available in the market are dangerous and poisonous to the human system, especially adults.

    He suggested that consumption of clean portable water remains the only liquid that is harmless for human consumption.

    Fifteen of the 26 graduating students went home with laptops donated by Zenith Bank.

  • Govt sets 2015 date for Coal power plant operation

    Govt sets 2015 date for Coal power plant operation

    Federal government has set next year as the take-off date for a coal powered electricity generation. This is on the heels of incessant destruction of pipelines by vandals in most parts of the country.

    Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, said pipeline vandalism is the major reason for the current challenges of power supply in the country.

    He said this on the sidelines of the signing of Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Government and Atlas Petroleum Corporation in Abuja.

    While decrying the spate of gas pipeline vandalism, the minister said power generation had dropped to about 3,200MW from a little above 4,000MW as a result of the sabotage. “The recent dip in power supply has been due mainly to inadequate gas supply to thermal power plants,” he said.

    Nebo explained that about 2,300MW was lost in the past few months due to the vandalism of five different gas pipelines that supply power to the national grid. According to him, the affected pipelines include the Escravos-Lagos Gas Pipeline System with a generation capacity of 800MW (mega watts) and the Trans-Forcados pipeline with capacity of 800MW.

    Others are Trans-Niger pipeline with capacity of 500MW, the Alakiri-Onne gas pipeline and Chevron gas plant with capacity of 2,672 MW were also affected.

    He revealed that President Goodluck Jonathan recently pledged $1 billion to address pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft.

    On hydropower dams, the minister said the current low water level had greatly affected the use of the dams.

    He further assured that rehabilitation work was ongoing at the Kainji andShiroro dams to upgrade them.

  • Subsidise education, govt urged

    The proprietor of International College Ibefun (ICI), Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State,  Prince Babatunde Taiwo, has urged government to subsidise education for the interest of the less-privileged.

    Taiwo said this while presenting a cheque of N350,000 scholarship to an alumnus of the school, Miss Olawale Beatrice, who has just secured admission to study Biochemistry at Caleb University, Imota Lagos.

    Taiwo who was represented at the presentation by the principal of the school, Mrs. Obiyor Ijeoma-Precious, said the school is poised to ensure equitable and widespread distribution of knowledge.

    “Government should subsidise education and ensure that it is affordable to the less privileged children in the society. Where there is no education, there won’t be civilisation and lack of civilisation results in poverty. We cannot afford to groom liability in Nigeria. Some of our fathers are products of free education and that should be transferred to our children.”

    According to him, the first seven pupils of the institution who graduated, have secured admission into higher institutions of their choice and are expected to come for their tuition fee as soon as their various institutions resume.

    On her part, Mrs. Ijeoma-Precious urged the recipient to be more hard working, diligent and productive, so as to give back to her alma mater.

    Other beneficiaries include: Adebayo Temitope, Durojaiye segun and Adenuga Emmanuel, Ogunbote Mariam, Onajinrin Oluwaseyi, and Adenaike Taiwo.

    Reacting to the gesture, Pastor Samuel Olawale, father of one of the beneficiaries, said he could not thank the management of the school enough for the guesture.

    Olawale specially thanked the proprietor of the school for the selfless gesture he demonstrated. He called on others to toe ICI’s path.

    “I am very happy and impressed,” he said.

    Beatrice in her joy assured her parents and the school that she would give her best to her studies.  She added that, the school proprietor loves and appreciates productive students.