The Nation Newspaper

Tag: govt’s

  • Govts, Army, Senate tackle insecurity

    The Federal Government yesterday revealed how illegal mining activities aggravated insecurity in Zamfara before its April 7 prohibition order and launch of special operations to stop bandits in the state.

    Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who featured at a Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) Programme, “Good Morning Nigeria”, said banditry, kidnapping, killing and cattle rustling were largely sponsored by the illegal miners in the state.

    Speaking on the Programme monitored by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, the minister said the miners were fueling instability in the state to pave the way for their illegal activities.

    “People begin to ask what is the nexus between instability in Zamfara, kidnapping and banditry and illegal mining.

    “There is a lot. For instance, if you are doing illegal mining, abinitio, it is illegal. The more unsettled the area is the better for you.

    “We find out that a lot of ammunition and money were being turned out to the bandits so as to make the area ungovernable. The higher the rate of the crisis the better for the illegal miners,” he said.

    The minister said that the commencement of “Operation PUFF- ADDER”, a full-scale security offensive against the bandits, had yielded results in the past weeks.

    “We have a harvest of criminals many of them arrested, their actions neutralised and cache of ammunition recovered.

    “On the April 14, they neutralized 11 kidnappers, recovered six AK47, 1200 rounds of ammunition.

    “Shortly after that, they were able to arrest those who kidnapped the Channels Television correspondent,” he said.

    Mohammed urged Nigerians to give deserving credit to the police and the military who, though overstretched, are doing their best to keep the country safe.

    The Federal Government had banned mining activities in Zamfara, ordering foreigners within mining sites to vacate the area within 48 hours.

    The Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, who disclosed this after a security meeting at the presidential villa on April 7, said the licences of individuals and companies that disobey the directive to stop the activities would be revoked.

    He had assured sustained efforts to flush out, and permanently put an end to banditry and criminality in the state.

    Read also: How to end insurgency, by Buratai

    Buratai harps on cross-border cooperation

     

    Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai yesterday said the military is deepening regional and inter-state cooperation in some of its operations in Northwest and Northeast, in a bid to tackling security challenges.

    Gen. Buratai spoke after paying a courtesy call on Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai at the Government House in Kaduna.

    He explained that the approach was to expand military cooperation, where criminals crossing into neighbouring countries were pursued and apprehended.

    ”As long as we are the one pursuing them, we have the right to enter into the territory of a neighbouring country to deal with them and the country has also been granted permission to pursue criminals into our own territory,” he said.

    Gen. Buratai also stressed that similar approach is also applicable locally, as the military operations cut across all states of the federation, adding that criminals spilling over to another state or command would be pursued and apprehended.

    “We used to have this problem before — criminals crossing over to other state and commanders saying, ‘no it is not my area of operation’. This would no longer be tenable, as the commanders have been directed appropriately,” he said.

    He also assured that the Nigerian Army would continue to work assiduously with other sister services, including the Police and other security agencies, to restore security to the region.

    He explained that the operational bases in Birnin Gwari and Kafanchan will soon be transformed into a full battalion.

    Buratai thanked the state government for its support and encouragement for the military formations and personnel deployed within the state.

    According to him, the state government has contributed in so many ways to the operations of the Army, including procuring new vehicles, provision of accommodation and engaging in public sensitisation on security matters.

    El-Rufai thanked the Army for its security support, especially for the establishment of the military base in Kafanchan, in the southern part of the state.

    He said the military base in Kafanchan has brought about relative peace in the area and environs.

    The governor, who was represented by Deputy Governor Bala Bantex, lauded the adoption of regional cooperation in handling the security situation.

     

    Nigeria seeks Russia’s help

     

    The Federal Government has solicited the cooperation of Russia to eliminate the Boko Haram insurgents from Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin countries.

    Minister of Defence Gen. Mansur Dan-Ali made the appeal on Wednesday at the 8th Moscow “Conference on International Security.’’

    Gen. Dan-Ali also sought Russia’s cooperation in securing the maritime domain of the Gulf of Guinea.

    Gen. Dan-Ali said Russia’s experience in counter-terrorism operations is required to bring the scourge of terrorism (Boko Haram) to an end.

    “Military and technical assistance in this respect will be highly appreciated,’’ he said, adding that its cooperation in critical infrastructural development, especially the modernisation of Nigeria’s military arsenal is needed.

    “It is the intention of Nigeria to leverage on Russia’s support to attain technological emancipation of our Military Industrial Complex and training of Nigerians especially in medicine, science and technology.’’

    Gen. Dan-Ali expressed concern over the rise in terrorism and insurgency in the continent with specific reference to Boko Haram in Lake Chad Basin countries, Al-Shabaab in Somalia/Kenya, and Islamic State in Mali.

    He said those “non-state actors tend to undermine the monopoly of the state over the use of coercive instruments of power as a result of widespread proliferation of small arms and light weapons.’’

    “Since 2009, my country Nigeria has been combating terrorism engendered by an Islamic Sect called Boko Haram.

    “Members of the Boko Haram sect have carried out series of bombings of public places and killed many innocent citizens.

    “The group has over the years been receiving inspiration, training as well as mutual support from other transnational terror groups within and outside Africa.

    “Nonetheless, owing to the sustained counterinsurgency operations by Nigeria and other countries of the Lake Chad Basin Commission which include Benin, Niger, Chad and Cameroon, the Boko Haram terrorist network has been overwhelmed and the leadership structure is presently decimated,’’ he said.

    The minister expressed gratitude to the Russian government for its numerous training and scholarship which have been of immense benefit to Nigerians over the years, as well as recent military hardware procurement initiative.

    On the Gulf of Guinea, the minister said Russia’s assistance is needed to curb the incidences of sea robbery, piracy on the seas, hijacking of ships and other ocean-going vessels.

    He said adequate policing of the waterways of the gulf would combat large scale pollution, impair incidence of illegal dumping of toxic or radioactive wastes.

    Gen. Dan-Ali said the pervasive security challenges in the Gulf of Guinea include piracy and armed robbery against ships in the region.

    “The region remains increasingly dangerous for seafarers. From the International Maritime Bureau Report of 2019, the Gulf of Guinea accounts for all six hijackings worldwide, 13 of the 18 ships fired upon, 130 of the 141 hostages taken globally and 78 of the 83 seafarers kidnapped for ransom in 2018.

    “These figures depict the inherent danger to commercial shipping activities in the region,’’ he said.

    He promised that Nigeria would create the legal and environmental conditions to accelerate Russian investment in the country, expand trade and achieve a better balance in the trade relationship.

    According to him, at the moment both countries’ trade ties are lopsided in favour of Russia.

    “Russia is the biggest market in Europe, while Nigeria is the biggest market in Africa. The trade relations have been below expectation leaving a gap for many unexploited potentials.

    “Nigeria will also be interested in Russia helping to build nuclear power plants, petroleum pipelines, railways and other infrastructural development investments in oil and gas sector,’’ he said.

    Continue in page 2

  • Govts urged to resuscitate Orile-Iganmu park for fuel tankers

    The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources Downstream, Joseph Iranola Akinlaja, has urged government at all levels as well as stakeholders in the oil and gas sector to urgently invest, resuscitate and develop the abandoned Orile parking space for petroleum tankers to reduce traffic gridlock in Apapa, Orile and Mile 2 corridor of Lagos State.

    The Federal lawmaker from Ondo State called for social service at this year’s edition of Lagos State Petroleum Marketers Safety Conference   (LSPMSC) at Federal Palace Hotel on Victoria Island, Lagos.

    Akinlaja said lack of standard parking space in and around Orile-Iganmu, Apapa and Abule-Ado axis, where majority of private tank farms are located, caused the gridlock on Lagos roads.

    The lawmaker said this had taken a toll on the health of road users, reduced their lifespan and adversely affected their productivity as well as the economy.

    day, the tankers are back and they will continue to be there.

    “Until stakeholders, like government, depot owners, among others, come together and resuscitate that Orile tanker park, I don’t see any solution playing out. And if the park must be fixed, it must be in the form of a social service and not an avenue to make money.

    “If the fees are too much, the tanker divers might not be able to afford it. For example, if they charge them, may be N500, such a fee will be used to maintain, may be the toilets or to provide security or electricity and other services.

    “Most of the roads to the depots are not accessible to tankers because they are in a bad state. So, any truck going through Apapa Marine Bridge road will be struggling with smaller ones, and this may result in an accident. If our roads are in good condition, many of our trucks would not be damaged.”

  • Govts, firms risk expulsion for funds diversion

    Governments and companies that divert or misapply funds raised from the capital market will henceforth be expelled from the capital market, in addition to monetary sanctions and “naming and shaming” exposure of such diversion to the general public.

    Authorities at Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said they have decided to strengthen the deterrence measures against misapplication and diversion of funds after they discovered many instances of misapplication of funds.

    Under the new rules undergoing rule-formulation process, SEC will be able to suspend any erring government or company from accessing the capital market for such period as the Commission may determined. SEC will also be empowered to undertake “naming and shaming” by publishing the erring government or company on the Commission’s website.

    The suspension and “naming and shaming” provisions are part of a new robust deterrence measures that include additional monetary sanctions on companies and governments that divert or misapply funds raised from the capital market.

    Under the proposed amendments, any company or government that diverts or misapplies funds raised from the capital market will pay additional penalty equivalent to two per cent above the subsisting monetary policy rate (MPR). The MPR is at 14 per cent, implying a proposed penalty of 16 per cent at the current rate.

    SEC noted that it had received reports on instances of misapplication of issue proceeds, referring to the practice by some issuers to use funds raised for a specific purpose for another purpose without recourse to the Commission for a variation of the use of the net proceeds.

    “To curtail such diversion and misapplication of issue proceeds, it became necessary to propose a stiffer penalty,” SEC stated.

     

  • CPN to govts: embrace IT for economic development

    The Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN) has urged the three tiers of government to embrace technology to deliver services to the people. It warned that governments that failed to embrace technology have fallen while those that deploy technology have continued to rise.

    Its Registrar, Mr. Allwell C. Achumba, who spoke during 2018 IT Professionals’ Assembly in Abuja,  said: “We live in a world driven and powered by intellect and technology, a world where we see nations rise and fall as a result of its embrace or neglect of IT. Therefore, we need to intensify our efforts at developing the IT profession in Nigeria. We should not pay lip service to our efforts at building a solid and highly respected IT profession in Nigeria. It is for the good of the profession, the nation as well as the professionals and practitioners who will be reaping the dividends of their sacrifice. IT profession has lots of prospects in Nigeria. Therefore, we should not be tired of putting more efforts and sacrifices especially in terms of effective regulation of the IT profession as well as discharging our financial obligations to the profession in order to make it what it should be in the country.

    Also, speaking on the occasion which had: Professionalism in Information Technology; Past, Present and Future as its them, the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu said the Federal Government recognised the critical role of IT in its developmental agenda, and has therefore made IT a priority.

    The minister lamented the poor state of IT in the country and challenged Council to work with government towards the attainment of the national goals and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He also challenged the participants at the Assembly to discuss how the nation can facilitate technology – enabled learning as a way of preparing the youths for the future workplace.

    In his opening remarks, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha congratulated CPN on the occasion of its 25th anniversary celebrations. He said governments all over the world are increasingly becoming smart, efficient with the adoption of appropriate technologies to drive governance and create the requisite enabling environment for national change and the much needed transformation.

    He said, as the agency of government established to control and regulate the practice of Information Technology (IT) profession in Nigeria, the role of CPN in the scheme of developmental goals of government cannot be over-emphasised. He said IT is a critical sector and the flagship of other professions, and one that is viewed seriously in the course of the nation’s drive for sustainable national developments.   Mustapha said the establishment of CPN is government’s way of demonstrating its commitment to the development and deployment of IT in Nigeria. He expressed the confidence that the Council would keep aligning itself to the Federal Government developmental goals, especially in Science, technology and innovations.

  • Govts advised to invest in nutrition programmes

    Govts advised to invest in nutrition programmes

    Statistics have shown that  malnutrition is on the increase in  the country. Wasting has  increased from 24.2 per cent to 31.5 percent while stunting has gone up  from 34.8 percent to 43.6 percent.

    Chief of UNICEF Field Office, Philomena Irene made this known in Gombe during the opening of a two-day capacity development programme for Universal Health Coverage by UNICEF.

    The nutrition specialist, who relied on figures released by the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey report, said prevalence appears worse in the northern part of the country.

    She said half of all deaths among children in the country today are related to nutrition while millions of young children are not reaching their full potentials because of inadequate nutrition, lack of early stimulation, and learning and exposure to stress.

    “Investment in nutrition which is cost effective will help reverse these trends as well as boost our GDP as a country. The World Bank in its 2017 report revealed that for every N1,000 invested on nutrition will yield  N16,000 in return; showing that nutrition is for development and therefore any resources invested in it is not a loss, but a boost for the economy,” Irene stated.

    She, therefore, advocated for investment in the physical, mental, and emotional development of children which is critical for the future productivity of individuals and the economic competitiveness of the state.

    Irene said the crucial role of legislators in appropriation, legislation, accountability, representation and oversight towards improving maternal and child health underscored the meeting with them.

    She, therefore, appealed to them to work towards ensuring adequate provision of funds as they prepare the 2018 budget as well as push for the release and implementation of the budget allocated for health and nutrition in 2017.

  • Aremu advises African govts on workers’ rights, development

    Aremu advises African govts on workers’ rights, development

    Vice  President,  IndustriAll Global Union (Africa), Comrade Issa Aremu, has urged African governments to insist on fair international trade and ensure that they do not undermine the rights of workers.

    He also advised that their quest for national development and foreign direct investments (FDIs) should not be at the expense of workers.

    He made the assertion while addressing a meeting on Trade and Industrial Policy of industrial global union in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

    Aremu observed that the decisions of multinationals to invest in Africa were often inspired by access to markets, tax holidays, cheap raw materials and supply chains, subsidies and low wages rather than decent sustainable jobs, technology transfers and national development.

    “Miserable low wages, long work hours, child labour and labour dumping, as well as direct importation of cheap prisoner-workers to Africa make up the new motivations for some Chinese investment in Africa,” he said.

    Aremu, who is also the secretary- general of Textiles Workers Union and member, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) National Executive Council (NEC), therefore, cautioned African governments to be cautious of trade and investment deals

    These, he alleged, would consign them perpetually to producers of raw materials, export base for foreign multinationals’ products as distinct from developing producer economies.

    He stressed that international trade issues were too important and weighty to be left with governments alone, and expressed labour support for the recent proposals by 90 developing countries including Nigeria demanding for changes in World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules that restrain national development priorities.

    He said the demand for fair international trade must be linked with development of African economies, pointing out that “Africa should copy China by also adding value to its abundant natural raw materials, create jobs for its youthful population, and stop uncritically clapping for China which takes the Continent’s raw materials, dumps finished goods and even imports prisoners/workers to Africa” he said.

  • Group to partner govts on housing

    The Society of Real Estate Developers of Nigeria (SOREDON) is ready to partner the federal and state governments to address the 17 million housing deficit in the country.

    According to its Chairman, Mr. Michael Adedeji, to solve the problem, experts and financial competence, the forte of SOREDON, because of its ability to raise offshore funding to tackle housing deficit, are needed.

    “We can’t just blame the governments for the housing deficit in Nigeria because there are people who should tackle this challenge. If we are providing one million housing every year, maybe it should have been addressed all these years. Together with our foreign partners, we have earmarked $5million for take-off.  We are capable of providing 500, 000 housing units annually and we also guarantee high quality houses,” Adedeji said.

  • ‘How govts, church can tackle insecurity, religious intolerance’

    Governments and the church have a vital role to play in tackling insecurity and religious intolerance in the country, it has been learnt.

    This was the centre of discussions yesterday at a symposium organised by the Cathedral Church of Saint Jude at Ebute Meta in Lagos.

    It was part of activities to celebrate its 150th anniversary with theme: Tackling insecurity and Religious Intolerance: Agenda for the State and Church.

    Venerable Okey Ifomu, of the church, said the first step governments should take to tackle insecurity and religious intolerance is setting personal examples in the way they run governance.

    He said: “Governments must be fair to the various interest groups in the polity. If Nigeria desires to live in peace and security, it must sincerely address injustice and oppression. The clamour for a restructuring of the country and the obvious resistance of key elements of the present Federal Government to the demand can only stoke the fire of insecurity by reinforcing separatist tendencies.

    The cleric noted that in a democracy, nothing is beyond negotiation.

    He said those holding the helms of affairs must understand that they are merely the servants of the people.

    Ifomu said: “Governments must also see it as their responsibility to implement policies that can alleviate sufferings and other conditions that predispose people to resort to self-help, thereby undermining security of life and property. Functional social welfare policies must be adopted in a time of recession, such as the one the country is passing through now. That way, the incidence of poverty-linked crimes can be abated.”

    The cleric said the church owes it as an obligation to properly orientate its members.

    He said: “Christian leaders and preachers should continually emphasise Christ’s message of love for one’s neighbours, regardless of their faith or ethnicity. For every true Christian, the practice of Christianity is the practice of love and tolerance. The Bible urges the faithful, in Romans 12 verse 18, to ‘live peaceably with all men’.

    “Jesus Christ himself encouraged his followers to seek peace at all cost by turning the other cheek: by forgiving as often as possible those who have wronged them; by seeking the good of others and by loving those who hate them. Those who kill or harm others in the name of God and His only begotten son are wrong. Christian leaders have a responsibility to instruct their audiences or congregations on the true mission of Christ.”

    The church, Ifomu said, had an obligation to preach peace and mutual coexistence since all men and women are creatures of God.

    He said: “The enormous influence of Christian preachers on the minds of their listeners and viewers has made it important that their words must be such that promote tolerance and harmony in the society. Bigotry and hatred must find no room in their sermons. They are to discourage the faithful from treading such paths.”

    “Even though the church should not deepen our fault lines, Christian preachers must be bold in speaking out against obvious injustices and economic inequities that plague our country. This is vital, given the fact that such injustices and inequities are generally the primary sources of much of the conflicts in our societies, which in turn result in insecurity.

    “The church must teach its members that their religious obligation does not include re-enacting the bloody crusades of past centuries. We cannot force our religious beliefs or views on others. We are to reason with them by persuasion. The church should strive to win others through personal love and overcome evil with good.”

    The cleric noted that collaboration between the church and the state could help in tackling religious intolerance and stemming the attendant social insecurity.

    Pioneer Dean of the Cathedral, Ven. Layi Akinwande, said Christians must practise what the Bible says and set example for others.

    The cleric said this would prevent insecurity and religious intolerance.

    He said: “The church should show good examples, ensure there is justice in the church because where there is injustice, there cannot be security.”

    Mr Babatunde Ogala urged the church to work against insecurity in the land.

    He said: “Spiritual leaders are to define values and orientation. They are supposed to be the role models to lead this charge. But it is unfortunate that they have been too quiet. They are not condemning cases of insurgency, kidnapping and drums of war, among others. We cannot continue to sit down in the church to pray; we must come out to condemn injustice, irrespective of who is involved.”

  • Ooni to govts: let your policies, programmes drive job creation

    Ooni to govts: let your policies, programmes drive job creation

    The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has urged governments to let their policies and programmes drive employment for youths.

    The monarch, who advised governments to ensure small scale businesses survive through their policies, spoke at his palace at Ile-Ife in Osun State during the launch of this year’s Aso Ofi Festival, which will take place in Iseyin, a town in Oyo State.

    According to Oba Ogunwusi, several vocations synonymous with the Yoruba race are big enough to provide jobs for people.

    The Ooni noted that Oduduwa, the progenitor of the Yoruba race, first discovered the cotton plant and transformed it to wool thread to make aso ofi at ancient Ife.

    He said: “Oduduwa got the inspiration from spider cobwebs and grew a large cotton plantation. The fittings of aso ofi were later perfected by the children of Ogun (the first blacksmith) – Abere (needle) and Obe (knife).

    “Olokun, who is also known as ‘Oluofi’, started the venture with the loom thread weaving along with Segi beads. The remnants of the production site were recently discovered at Ile-Ife and a scientific dating said they are over 4,000 years old.

    “Their descendants migrated to settle at Iseyin and later taught their other descendants – Anu (Ethiopia) and Nubia (Sudan) – all the way to present India (Orissa region, now called Odisha in India) and now all over the world. Iseyin people still practise aso ofi venture till date. If we don’t tell our stories by ourselves, nobody will.”

    The Aseyin of Iseyin, Oba Abdul-Ganiyu Salawudeen, who led weavers from his town to Ife for the launch, said Olu Ofi, who he said was of the founders of Iseyin, left Ile-Ife several years earlier and settled at Iseyin.

    The Aseyin, who noted that weaving is a major vocation in Iseyin, said residents, especially youths, engaged in weaving and reduce crime rate in the ancient town.

    The monarch urged trade, culture enthusiasts and promoters to participate in the festival.

  • Expert urges govts on tourism

    A tourism expert, Mr Samuel Alabi, has advised state governments to develop their tourism products, to attract more local and international tourists.

    He told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that governments should identify their tourism products and package them well for the consumptions of local and foreign tourists.

    Alabi, a former president of Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria (FTAN), said for tourism to develop, it had to be done from the local to state level.

    “Nigeria is too large for the Federal Government only to develop tourism.

    “It has to do with collective efforts with state governments to harness the potential in the industry from the grassroots, “ he said.

    Alabi said Nigeria’s situation was not different from other countries’, but the problem of Nigeria was lack of priority.