The Nation Newspaper

Tag: GOVT

  • Govt to empower 120,000 farmers

    the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS) programme of the Federal Government is expected to empower 120, 000 farmers in Ebonyi State.

    This represents a 50 percent increase from last year which reached over 60, 000 farmers in the state.

    The state director of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Anselm Opara, said this in Abakaliki, the state capital.

    He said poultry and fishing activities would be included in this year’s programme

    “This would be a deviation from the normal practice of providing farm inputs such as fertilisers and seedlings to farmers, as it is aimed at boosting agriculture generally in the state.

    “The farmers who would be involved in this programme have been captured in our data base, as we would ensure that all network problems associated with the Electronic Wallet (GSM) system, are

    solved”.

    He said the programme would avail farmers the opportunity of using the ‘offline redemption system’ which will enable them redeem their inputs without the GSM method.

    The state director noted that farmers who have identity cards which are captured in the database would be allowed to access farm inputs to ensure that the programme achieves its goals.

    “I commend local government areas in the state that provided warehouses and security for farm inputs”, he said,noting that the programmme was a collaborative one between the Federal and state governments.

    He noted that 1, 100 farmers in the state who are presently participating in the dry season farming, have been provided with irrigation pumps and farm inputs.

    The director said that not all the farmers are involved in the practice but only those who have farms along the Ebonyi River which transverse the whole local government areas of the state.

    Opara advised the people to be genuinely involved in agriculturebecause of its benefits to the people and economy.

  • Lugard’s seat of power CRUMBLES …as govt lavishes billions of naira on centenary

    Lugard’s seat of power CRUMBLES …as govt lavishes billions of naira on centenary

    THE old secretariat along the Inner Marina, Lagos Island, was used by all the colonial governor-generals of Nigeria and was the seat of government in 1960 when the nation got her independence. But it is rather funny that except one is told, there is nothing in the secretariat that points to this. Okorie Uguru writes on the state of the building and calls on the relevant authorities to focus on such heritage, even as the nation marks her centenary celebration.

    Nigeria is marking her centenary anniversary this year. From plans unfolded by the Federal Government, the country is rolling out the drums in celebration. While billions have been raised to celebrate the centenary anniversary, some of the landmark buildings where the history of the country was shaped are in a terrible condition. One of these buildings, the old secretariat where the colonial administrators governed the country up till independence, is not properly being taken care of and may soon be lost permanently if urgent attention is not given to it.

    The building was said to be been used by Lord Lugard while directing the affairs of the Nigerian colony. It was completed in 1895. It is 119 years old. On a recent visit to the old secretariat on Marina, it is easy for one to think everything was okay with the building. The U-shaped building look well kept and tidy with a fading white paint that is turning pink. However, a close inspection of the property from the back of the building shows a building that is rotting away and in urgent need of repairs. There is a twin domes pitching on top of the building painted in green with a lightening arrestor on top of the domes. One of the lightening arrestor is bent.

    So, why has such an importance legacy of Nigeria’s history been left to be rotting away? The usual refrain was money. Environmentalist Desmond Makekodunmi of the Legacy Foundation talked about how his foundation’s efforts to rehabilitate the building as they have done with some old properties had been fruitless as the government is not ready to march their words with action. He spoke on the old secretariat: “ Legacy with the inspiration and direction of its founder, Professor John Godwin (MBE), several years back, had approached the National Commission of Museums and Monument (NCMM) about partnering with them to restore the First Secretariat in the Marina where Lord Lugard had had his office and up till today, his desk is still there. It is a grand building; we did an assessment on it and saw that the building is still very solid. We saw that there was some deterioration. Right now, the occupants are staff of a branch of the Ministry of Justice. So, the museum directorship said they were interested, that they were keen, that we should work with them. We also approached the Goethe Institute. The institute was very keen. They said they would love to partner with some other agencies in Nigeria and possibly even have their headquarters there. The institute was very keen at that time. There was quite a lot of impetus, we had meetings and everybody was expressing keenness, but unfortunately as we speak, nothing has come out of that apart from Goethe Institute now being able to use what was the old printing press for different functions. Nothing has come out of that. we are getting quite concerned in Legacy now. This is iactually a very significant building. Whether we agree with it or not, no country will be happy to know that there was an occupation in its history, but it is a fact and a reality of history. Till today, you can go to Britain and see ancient Roman relics which are kept in perfect condition. Nobody in Britain was happy that in those days Britain was conquered by the Roman Empire, but it is a fact of their history and the names of the people that came there are part of their history. The name of the colonialists that came here are also part of our history. Lord Lugard, whether we like it or not, was the one who actually called our name Nigeria. So, this is where he was running his administrative headquarters from and right up until independence, Nigeria’s administrative headquarters was run from that building. At independence, it now changed and we have our different building. So, it is part of our history and it deserves to be preserved. Not only because of that, if you look at that from environmental perspective, it is a low energy consumption building because of the way it was designed. Those days they did not have air conditioner, so they design their buildings in the tropics in such a way as to deal with the heat So, you have very sloppy roof, very wide verandah, a lot of windows, the building is angled in the right way to catch the breeze, and so many things. These days we are now beginning to thing green more and more, people have started looking at that type of architecture again. This is an architecture that blends in. very well with our environment and doesn’t require air conditioner all over the place to keep it cool. So, for various reasons that building deserves to be protected, that building should be protected and right now it is not being protected. As I said there is an occupant there which is a branch of the ministry of Justice, unfortunately they are just doing a little bit of cosmetic work on the building and not nearly enough.”

    Asked if proper maintenance that would protect the integrity of the building is being carried out by the current occupiers, Majekodunmi said: “It is just the basic patching the roof if it is leaking, replacing a rotten floor board, it is not really preserving the integrity of the building. If you look at it right now, if you look at the top towers, two round green domes, one of the them has weather vein on it, and that weather vein is leaning more and more and there is going to be a certain angle that the weather vein would lean and if there was a big storm, it could just come crashing down and collapse and cause a lot of damage. It is a very sad testimony for all of us.”

    However, speaking on the current state of the building, the director general of the national Commision for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Mallam Yusuf Abdallah Usman said even though Nigerian is currently marking its centenary, there was no budgetary provision made for the celebration. He said restoring and maintaining old buildings such as the Olaiya House, the old secretariat and the such places is something requires a concerted efforts by all the tiers of the government and also the host communities. He said the old secretariat has not been completely neglected both that his parastatal was carrying out the maintenance of the structure based on the fund available.

    Abdallah said for other old buildings such the Olaiya House, NCMM was seeking a collaboration with the state, the council area, the host community, the family and corporate wall to restore them. He said arrangements have all been completed and that NCMM in collaboration with the Lagos State government would agree on a date for the launching of the rehabilitation work on the place and others.”

    While the it might be difficult for the NCMM to commit all or a huge its budgetary allocation in one place seeing that its monuments scattered all over the country, it is also very important that by virtue of the significant role that the building played in the history of Nigeria, it should not be lost to posterity hence the need for it to be restored.

    Many hope that a little of the money being raised by the Centenary celebration committee would be channeled towards restoring the old secretariat. Also, a national monument such as the old secretariat has no business being used as an office complex but ought to preserved as a part of the nation’s heritage where colonial artifacts and other relics of colonial rule ought to be kept opened to visitors, foreign and locals, to visit for educational purpose.

  • Govt, groups to meet with teachers

    Edo State government has accepted the recommendations of civil society organisations (CSOs) for a tripartite meeting with teachers’ unions and civil society groups on the teachers’ competency test.

    Governor Adams Oshiomhole told representatives of civil society groups, who presented a report that “if you insist that we have not sufficiently engaged the teachers, I am ready to work harder and accept your offer.

    “I am happy that you are willing to be present and am going to invite them for a meeting. I will never get tired.

    “I still believe that it cannot possibly be in Edo’s long term interest to have the future of the children compromised.”

    The governor debunked claims that the government was planning to sack 3,000 civil servants.

    He said: “We don’t have plans to sack 3,000 civil servants. It is true we have done verification in the health sector, civil service and others, which puts a lie to the claims by teachers that they are being targeted.

    “We discovered some civil servants who are using their children’s certificates or their relatives’ certificate. However, we have not sacked anybody.

    “If anything, we have directed the Civil Service Commission to employ more people. In any event, we don’t have a record of taking unilateral decisions on matters affecting workers.”

    On teachers, Oshiomhole said: “we have not sacked any teacher. But we have stopped the pay of some teachers who had issues after the verification exercise. We have not issued any sack letter or termination letter because we want to handle the issues in the education sector holistically and not piecemeal.”

    He said the government would train and re-train teachers.

    “But even for us to design the appropriate re-training programme for teachers, you must access their competence level to get the kind of training they require. You can’t prescribe without knowing the problem,” he said.

    The governor said government would review the case of teachers, whose names were deleted from the payroll.

    He said: “If every other person wants to joke with education, I will not joke with it. I owe the Edo people quality, basic education, which is why we have abolished charges in our primary and secondary schools.

    “I don’t want to stay here for eight years and by the next examinations, Edo pass rate would have dropped.”

    Oshiomhole, who slated the tripartite meeting for next Wednesday, said a Town Hall meeting on education will hold next Tuesday.

  • High accident rate: Govt to blame (II)

    High accident rate: Govt to blame (II)

    Hence the low functions – Performance ratio which no arm of the government seems to be interested in analysing. Hence the need for an urgent review.

    •The judiciary should be more proactive in pronouncing appropriate judgments against drivers who kill people or destroy public/private properties through avoidable errors.

    •Public and private sector organisations should be compelled to have and operate driver/safety policy, appraised and monitored regularly by appropriate agencies.

    •The Graduated Driver Licensing scheme must be thoroughly implemented without any form of bias or favouritism. A joint conference on this is needful.

    •The Highway Code has a list of errors and omissions. There are several traffic signs being used in various parts of Nigeria and in other countries which are not in the Highway Code. The Highway Code should, therefore, be updated to reflect the road traffic realities. Objective comparative analysis should be made with the Highway Codes of other countries. Many states governments use different shapes and colours for traffic signs.

    •In Britain, the Driving Standards Agency (which is the Regulatory Agency) produce and update every two years the official Theory Test, Practical Test and Hazard Perception DVD, which the driving schools use to train and prepare drivers for the processing of their Licence. No one obtains the Driver Licence without passing the rigorous Theory and Practical Tests. There is no room for shortcut no matter who you are in the United Kingdom. Candidates of compromising Driving Schools will fail the tests and be sent back for further training and studies. The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and the Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIOs) must realise their functions and be more proactive in this area. We cannot plant vegetable and be expecting to harvest orange.

    •It has become very expedient more than ever before, that the Federal Ministry of Transport in collaboration with other Federal and state government agencies should package a result-oriented national conference to enable all the stakeholders make their input towards ensuring the accomplishment of the Nigeria’s part of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020). Otherwise, in 2019, we shall be singing the song we are singing about the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs). The Presidency, the Executive Arm of Government, the Legislative Arm of Government and the Judicial Arm of Government at the Federal and state levels must come together to review the state of safety on Nigeria roads and Chart the way forward.

    FRSC and the various state driver institutes should totally relinquish the training and re-training of drivers to driving schools while they set standards, regulate and monitor the driving schools. Training and re-training of drivers should have a practical content which only the driving schools can provide.

    The FRSC, the VIOs and the Police should come together to harmonise their roles for the safety of lives and valuable properties perishing on Nigeria roads every day. Income and ego must not be the motivating factors in their activities but the safety of irreparable lives and properties.

    Once again, I hereby re-iterate that the decrees or acts regulating the activities of all government agencies responsible for transportation and Road Safety must be objectively reviewed and updated to enhance safety on the roads.

    The governments and relevant government agencies should assist the driving schools with the road facilities to boost their standards for safety of lives and properties.

    There must be a standardised and uniform Theory and Practical Tests (covering the National Curriculum of Driving Schools), to be administered on all the novice (learner) drivers and those seeking the renewal of their Driver Licence with strict enforcement by the relevant agencies in collaboration with the driving schools in all states and the Federal Capital Territory (a complete replica of what obtains in the United Kingdom), driving schools have an obligation for high standards and discipline. Once driving schools are well-positioned to generate good income, they can then be tasked to maintain very high standards like their counterparts in the United Kingdom and the United States. A stitch in time saves nine.

  • Independence Layout, heart of Enugu govt business

    Independence Layout, heart of Enugu govt business

    Independence Layout, Enugu, the highbrow section of Enugu, the coal city, was carved out by the post-independence administration of the legendary late Dr. Michael Okpara, the then premier of Eastern Region. Okpara, after Nigeria’s Independence, expanded Enugu with further acquisitions for physical development.

    Apart from the present Independence Layout which was primarily carved out to mark Nigeria’s Independence, Okpara acquired and developed more areas such as Uwani North, Uwani South and Uwani Central, Bridge Head Layout, Emene Industrial Layout, Housing Estate, Abakpa and the Trans Ekulu Layout.

    The Independence Layout was planned to accommodate the headquarters of the three arms of government viz the Executive, the Legislator, and the Judiciary.

    The official quarters of officers of these arms of government are also located there. The Government House, Enugu, popularly known as the Lion Building is synonymous with the name Independence Layout.  With the exception of Chief Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, all governors, administrators (military and civilian) after Dr. Okpara occupied the Lion Building during their time. Ojukwu as military governor of Eastern Nigeria preferred to operate from the Governor’s lodge, now turned to National Orthopaedic Hospital.

    Although Okpara was able to complete the headquarters of the Executive and the Legislative arm of the government before his ouster in 1966, it was not until  2006 that the Judiciary headquarters was built by the administration of Chimaroke Nnamani.

    Also located at the Independence Layout are the imposing Court of Appeal, the Federal High Court, the Industrial Arbitration Court and other courts concerning the Federal Government.  Also located at the Independence Layout are the state radio and television station, Enugu State Radio and Television Broadcasting Service (ESBS), the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Enugu and the foremost Hotel Presidential which is now dilapidated.  Highly placed Nigerians, top brass military officers, all have houses in the highbrow carve out.

    It is no secret that former President Olusegun Obasanjo has his house along Independence Avenue within the layout. The house has been there since early seventies. Late M.K.O. Abiola also owns a building there.

    Suffice it to say that no South Easterner worth his salt, that does not own a building in Independence Layout, except the founder, Dr. Michael Okpara. All the ministers that served under Okpara during the First Republic owned houses there.  Also, those that served under the Ukpabi Asika regime as well as the regimes of Jim Nwobodo and Chimaroke Nnamani owned buildings there.

    The only thing to be associated Independence Layout with the late premier is the popular Okpara Square named after him. Almost all important public and private ceremonies are held in Okpara square.

    One addition to the Independence Layout is the unofficial “Fourth Arm” of the government. The Enugu State headquarters of the Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ) is firmly located there. The Press Centre which has been there since 1971 was allocated to the NUJ by the then Administrator of East Central State, late Ajie Ukpabi Asika. Asika reasoned that since the other three arms of the government are located in the highbrow area, the “Fourth Arm” must be there too.  Today, Independence Layout is expanding. Parts of the Owo River Layout and the Republic Layout have been acquired by government and renamed Independence Layout Phase II. Under the present Sullivan Chime administration, some areas which had distorted the beauty of the layout have been reclaimed and given a new look.

    These include the present Independence Avenue and Pocket Layout.In addition to being the centre of government business, it is also being inundated recently by 5-star hospitality businesses and bush bars rearing up here and there. At least, built newly within the layout are five 5-star hotels.

    One of the best hospitals East of the Niger, The Niger Foundation Hospital owned by the Opus Dei is also located at Independence Layout. Also located at the Independence Layout are the Eastern headquarters of the anti-graft outfit, the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), the State Security Service (SSS), the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and the Federal Secretariat.  Ends

  • Govt hailed on power sector reform

    The Federal Government has been lauded for privatising the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) Plc.

    The chairman of Gold Horse Group, Mr. Temple Peters, described the exercise as a right step towards the diversification of the economy.

    In a statement, Peters said the economy’s diversification was imperative because “we can no longer rely solely on oil as our mainstay’’.

    Peters urged the government to ensure that the 14 PHCN successor-companies discharged their obligations without interference.

    ‘’The generation companies (GENCOs) and distribution companies (DISCOs) should not be left to do whatever they like, “ he said.

    “The only way to get the best out of them is to ensure that the government keeps them on their toes always or else we will return to the NEPA (PHCN) days of no light,” Peters warned.

    He added: “You see, we are currently at a crucial time in our nation’s history. I applaud Mr. President and the entire privatisation committee for taking the bull by the horns. An average factory in Nigeria spends between N10 and 20 million monthly on diesel to generate power .If we get stable power that can be channelled into recruiting more hands, which automatically deals with the agitations around unemployment. We also have to start looking seriously at the non-oil sector”.

  • Govt kicks against visa payment in dollars

    Govt kicks against visa payment in dollars

    Nigeria has rejected the payment for visa and other consular charges in foreign currencies, as introduced by some diplomatic and consular missions.

    The British High Commission in Abuja recently announced that applications for United Kingdom visa must be done online, including payment in US dollars.

    A statement by its Political and Press & Public Affairs Officer, Rob Fitzpatrick, said payment could be made using Verve debit card, Visa, MasterCard or the e-wallet PAGA.

    The move to online application and payments, Fitzpatrick argued, would deliver a streamlined application process consistent with a global trend on online transactions and payments, which helps to cut costs and brings visa fees down.

    But the Supervising Minister for Foreign Affairs, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, said the decision was unacceptable.

    Onwuliri spoke yesterday in Abuja at a meeting with the diplomatic corps on the planned one-day summit-level conference to mark Nigeria’s centenary.

    She said charging fees in foreign currencies was illegal and a violation of Nigeria’s sovereignty.

    The minister said: “I would like to raise an issue of concern to the Federal Government. It has come to our notice that some diplomatic and consular missions in Nigeria charge visa and other consular fees in foreign currencies. This is unacceptable and must be stopped.

    “Charging fees in foreign currencies is illegal and violates the sovereignty of Nigeria. No self-respecting nation can accept such assault on the symbol of its nationhood.”

    Speaking on Nigeria’s 100 years of existence, Onwuliri said the celebration was an opportunity for Nigerians to come together and reflect.

  • ‘Govt’s inaction fuels violence in Nigeria’

    A global rights advocacy group, Human Rights Watch (HRW), has blamed government’s inaction for the recurring ethno-religious violence in the North.

    The “inaction” has resulted in the death of scores of innocent people in the region, especially the Northeast.

    HRW said government’s reluctance to bring the perpetrators to justice, the ineffectiveness of the nation’s criminal justice system and the inability to conduct thorough investigation, sustained the prevalence of the violence.

    It noted that rather than confront the problem of sectarian and communal violence, the government often politicised it and set up commissions to investigate killings.

    The group stressed that the government failed to act on the reports from such commissions.

    HRW’s position is based on a report it released yesterday in Abuja following its investigation into violence in Plateau and Kaduna states in 2010.

    The report, titled: Leave Everything to God: Accountability for Inter-Communal Violence in Plateau and Kaduna states, Nigeria, catalogues horrific sectarian violence in both states, with over 3,000 people killed since 2010.

    In the 146-page report, HRW noted that the Nigerian government ignored years of mass murder in Plateau and Kaduna states.

    It said victims of communal violence, including women and children, were hacked to death, burnt alive or shot because of their ethnic or religious identities.

    The report examines government’s failure, with rare exceptions, to hold perpetrators accountable, although many were known in the affected communities.

    HRW decried extra-judicial killings by security agents deployed in the troubled areas.

    The group noted that even where the attorney-general of the federation (AGF) made efforts to prosecute, the state did not always follow such prosecution to the end.

    It said the Boko Haram sect also blamed its resort to violence on the government’s inability to ensure justice.

    HRW said the only way to tame violence in the country was to ensure that perpetrators of violence “are investigated and prosecuted and victims compensated for their losses.”

  • Govt, private sector urged to develop cooperatives

    THE government and the private sector have been urged to recognise cooperatives as relevant to socio-economic development.

    The National Coordinator, Southwest Cooperative Sector Assessment Summit/Exhibition, Mr. Ademola Akintola, spoke yesterday at the summit/exhibition organised by the Oyo State Ministry of Trade, Investment and Cooperative and the National Association of Cooperative Consultants (NACC) at the State Secretariat in Ibadan.

    Akintola said: “Cooperatives essentially empower people, create jobs, promote the standard of living and reduce poverty. There is need for the government and the private sector to stop paying lip service to this sector and fund cooperative societies, if they want to achieve sustainable economic growth.”

    He said the dormant cooperative sector was responsible for our economic problems, adding: “At critical socio-economic challenging periods, cooperatives provide a fall back and bail out.”

  • Auto policy: Govt, importers

    Auto policy: Govt, importers

    The Federal Government and major automobile importers in the country have agreed to fashion out a collective action plan for the successful implementation of the new automotive policy.

    This was the highpoint of a meeting between the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, automobile importers, and representatives of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in Abuja.

    Those who attended the meeting included: Chief Ade Ojo (Toyota Nigeria Limited); Cosmas Maduka (Coscharis Motors Limited); Adekunle Jaiyesimi (CFAO Automotive); Jacky Hathiramani (Dana Group) , Adeoye Ojuoko (SMT Nigeria(Volvo); Mohad Wasnani (Globe Motors); C.K. Thampy (Toyoto Nigeria); Francis Ogboro (KIA Motors) ; Seyi Onojide (R.T. Brisoe Nigeria Plc); Benson Uwatse (Westar Associates Limited – Mercedez Benz) and Olutoyin Okeowo (Metropolitan Motors Limited).

    In a speech after the meeting, Aganga said all parties have agreed on mutually beneficial strategies to ensure the successful implementation of the policy in line with President Goodluck Jonathan’s Transformation Agenda.

    “The meeting with major automobile importers in the country was very fruitful as it provided the opportunity to iron out lingering issues. It also afforded us the opportunity to understand what their concerns are. They have all endorsed the policy, but what they are asking for is a level playing ground for every player in the auto sector, and also to have more input in the implementation of the policy,” he said.

    “This is not a problem at all because the next step we usually take with all the policies that we have is to have an industry group to monitor and work with us in the implementation stage. So, we have set up a committee to work with us in the implementation of the policy.”