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Tag: inaugurates

  • Content Board inaugurates Project 100 office

    The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) Executive Secretary, Simbi Wabote, has inaugurated Project 100 Management Office (PMO), an initiative launched by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu. The initiative was launched in January to promote serious-minded Nigerian firms that add value and create jobs by helping them secure funds from finance organisations.

    Members of the PMO are drawn from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF). They will function within the NCDMB and  be supported by KPMG, an international auditing firm that has been working on the project.

    Wabote, an engineer, who spoke at the inauguration, which held at the NCDMB Abuja liaison office, said the members were carefully selected in view of the relevance of their functions in the delivery of the Supplier Development Programmes (SDPs) that will drive the growth of Nigerian service companies.

    He listed five key areas the PMO will focus on to include managing the ongoing process and refinement of Project 100 strategy, managing the selection, acceleration and graduation process of Project 100 beneficiaries and managing the implementation of initiatives for the various target beneficiaries.

    Other assignments include developing fact based documentation of performance of Project 100 interventions and impact on local content and managing wide relationships and partnerships with public and private sector entities that support the delivery of Project 100 initiatives and interventions.

    He urged PMO members to work assiduously to create a pool of high performing large scale enterprises that will impact positively on job creation, retention of industry spend within the Nigerian economy, development of skilled manpower, robust policies and access to credible data.

    Wabote also directed the members to identify the various areas of interest of the beneficiaries and provide them opportunities in collaboration with the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS). He added: “While we would engage in public tendering, we have to specially look for opportunities. We also need to engage Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) and other organisations that carry out procurement outside the Nigerian Petroleum Exchange (NIPEX) System. Project 100 companies must be included in the bidders list of such organizations.”

    Making a presentation on PMO’s operating guidelines, General Manager, Research Strategy and Development, NCDMB, Mr. Abdulmalik Halilu, explained that the concept of Project 100 was to identify and grow indigenous companies from small players to large enterprises. He said the project hoped to support beneficiary companies to grow their annual turnover from about N100million to over N500million, increase job creation and their local content level, train more manpower and acquire cutting edge technology.

    He listed factors that determined beneficiaries’ selection to include their impact in the oil and gas sector, status of their registration on the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Joint Qualification System (NOGICJQS), compliance with Nigerian content and their level of regulatory compliance. Other considerations, he said, include their ownership status, compelling business plans submitted by the companies and their baseline commitments.

    Halilu said key performance indicators for Project 100 would include “percentage increase in business turnover, percentage increase in employment, percentage increase in local content level from contracts executed and percentage increase in personnel training and certification”.

    Support that would be provided for the beneficiaries, he said, are non-financial interventions and financial linkages. The non-financial interventions include policy interventions, access to market, capacity building, research development and business insight. The financial linkages include letters of recommendation to access intervention funds and highlighting collaborative opportunities between beneficiaries to enable them take on larger projects.

    According to the project execution timeline, the Project Management Office would begin in March 2019 to engage beneficiaries to revalidate expectations and thereafter develop execution plans for targeted interventions. From June 2019 to December 2020, the PMO would begin to implement targeted interventions.

  • DBI inaugurates $1m lab in Abuja

    An ultra-modern laboratory worth $1million has been inaugurated at the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), Abuja.

    The Telecommunication Network Equipment Laboratory to promote skills workforce was donated by Huawei Technologies Nigeria.

    According to the Administrator of DBI, Mr. Ike Adinde, investment in skilled workforce is not only the way to go particularly for a developing economy like Nigeria, but crucial given the potentials and opportunities available in the country.

    Addressing guest at the inauguration of the laboratory, Mr Adinde said: “In an increasingly globalised world, there is the urgent need for us to train and make available to the industry highly skilled human resources to serve as key drivers of the economy.

    “It is in response to these challenges that the DBI has built this ultra-modern Lab to train and equip Nigerians with relevant ICT skills for the 21st century to tackle challenges presented by the fourth industrial revolution which requires tailor-made solutions that keep pace with the ever-evolving telecom industry.‘’

    Adinde said the laboratory project was started last July with the donation of a complement of modern telecom equipment by Huawei Technologies to DBI.

    He said the laboratory has transmission equipment and ultra-modern next-Generation Core Network Switching Centre that give a complete end-to-end telecoms scenario.

    “One major benefit of the equipment is that it uses real-world industrial quality components to help students become better prepared for what they will encounter on the job.

    “The lab is equally effective for technicians, engineers, field workers and anyone needing further understanding and skills in wireless telecommunications,” he said.

    DBI Chairman Mr Titi Omo-Ettu said the inauguration represented a leap in the efforts of the institute to provide qualitative hands with practical telecommunications and ICT training.

    Omo-Ettu said the development of skilled workforce across all sectors of the economy had become a national priority.

    He said: “We are keenly aware that there is a global shift from natural resources as a basis for national competitiveness to human resources underpinned by knowledge innovation.

    “Interestingly, it is also increasingly evident that innovation is not about academic qualifications or certificates, the emphasis is on skills and creative abilities of the individual.”

  • Building collapse: Minister inaugurates inquiry panel 

    Worried by the incessant cases of building collapse in the Federal Capital Territory, the minister Malam Muhammad Bello has inaugurated a panel of inquiry to unravel the cause of the building collapse at Plot 711, Cadastral Zone B04, Jabi District, Abuja.

    The FCT Minister, who was represented at the occasion by the Permanent Secretary, Sir Chinyeaka Ohaa, said the FCT Administration, as a responsible and responsive administration, was committed to unraveling the causes of the unfortunate incident with a view to stemming future occurrence.

    He said some officers directly in charge of monitoring the project site have been suspended pending the completion of investigations.

    The Minister disclosed that the committee, which has three weeks to complete its assignment, has been charged with the responsibility of assessing the quality of the subsoil, foundations and designs that were available for the structure, establish the quality of supervision and nature of construction materials used as well as the experience of the technical personnel at the site.

    The Committee is also expected to assess the level of regulation at the site and recommend appropriate sanction against any person found wanting.

    The Panel which is Chaired by the Director General and Chief Executive officer of the Nigeria Building and Road Research Institute, Prof. Danladi S. Matawal, has retired Director of Engineering Services, FCDA, Engr. S. O Ugonabo; the MD, Fola Consult – a Planning Firm; Tpl S.A. Olajide, MD, 2-Habit Concept – Architectural Firm and Arch Philip Z. Iortyer as members.

    Also included in the panel are representatives of Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, (COREN), Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Town Planners Registration Council of Nigeria (TOPREC) and Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON), as well as the FCTA General Counsel, Barr. Mohammed Babangida Umar, among others.

    According to a statement issued by the minister’s Chief Press Secretary, Cosmas Uzodinma, Speaking after the inauguration ceremony, Chairman of the Panel, Prof. Matawal, stressed that the frequency of building collapse in Nigeria was unacceptable given the level of professionalism in the industry in the country.

    He commended the present FCT Administration for the reduction of the incidence of building collapse in the Territory, noting that the last time this happened was in August 2016.

    He recalled that in 2012 alone, there were over 20 recorded cases, adding that the fact that this has reduced was as a result of the efforts of the present Administration to tame the tide.

    Prof. Matawal appreciated the confidence reposed in the Committee members and assured that the Panel will give the assignment the seriousness it deserves and perform its work with decorum, sincerity and attention to details.

    He said the committee will also work with a vision for the future to ensure that occurrences of this nature which were very much avoidable would be addressed by its report.

    It would be recalled that a three floor structure under construction in Jabi District collapsed on Friday, August 17, 2018 leaving three persons dead while six others sustained various degrees of injuries.

  • SGF inaugurates committee for establishment of National Peace Commission

    Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Mr. Boss Mustapha has inaugurated a committee on the establishment of a National Peace Commission (NPC).

    Acting Director-General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) Dr. Bakut tswah Bakut is the chairperson of the committee.

    It has three months to turn in its report.

    In a statement by Mr. Abu I. Michael, the Resident Information Officer (RIO), National Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (NIPCR), Mustapha said the National Economic Council (NEC) recommended the establishment of the commission and peace agencies for states after reviewing the security situation of Nigeria in August 2017, adding that the NEC identified ethno-religious crisis as one of the sources of insecurity, which must be addressed.

    The SGF, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, Dr. Amina Bello, urged the committee to take cognisance of the security challenges across the country, citing terrorism in the Northeast; armed banditry, cattle rustling and kidnapping in the Northwest; farmers and herdsmen’s crisis in the Northcentral; secessionist agitations in the Southeast; pipeline vandalism, oil bunkering and theft and cultism in the Southsouth as well as adverse activities of electricity vandals and oil bunkerers in the Southwest and Southsouth.

    Mustapha said the peace index indicated that all parts of the country were engrossed in one security challenge or the other, hence the essence of the committee.

  • Ugborodo : Community inaugurates reconciliation committee

    The Ugborodo Community Management Committee (UCMC) has inaugurated an ad hoc peace and reconciliation committee to pilot the process of reabsorbing estranged members of the community.

    The 11-man committee, chaired by Mr Mike Okoturo, has the responsibility of finding ways to bring sacked members of the community back, investigate the causes of the recent crisis, where many died.

    Acting Chairman of UCMC Mr Austin Ajurenmisan, reading from a text he and the  Secretary, Dr. Ayo Ayomike, signed, urged the committee to discharge its duties “fairly, but without fear or favour”, noting that it will sit Thursdays and Fridays, starting from September 6 to 28.

    According to UCMC, its terms of reference include “determine the number of persons exiled from the community as a result of the recent crisis and their degree of their involvement.

    “Put a mechanism in place by which the exiled persons are reabsorbed and reintegrated into the community. Prescribe appropriate sanctions and deterrent measures as a way of avoiding any future occurrence.

    “Look into existing or potential feuds, disagreements or disaffections in the community, with a view to nipping them in the bud and eventually reuniting the entire community”, the UCMC said.

    Responding, its Chairman, Okoturo, said he had seen many crisis in Ugborodo community, of which none yielded anything positive.

    He said “our community has become synonymous with persistent fights and crisis and this has become very shameful. We will do our best to deliver on this mandate and ensure lasting peace comes to Ugborodo”.

    Others include Prince Perry Atete, the alternate-chairman; Mr Michael Lodge, who is the Secretary. There are eight other members of the committee.

     

  • Airtel inaugurates mental healthcare centre

    Airtel has handed over a furnished centre for mental healthcare to She Writes Woman, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that focuses on providing care, support and advocacy platform for people with mental health challenge.

    The handing over of the centre was part of the telco’s on-going prize presentation to beneficiaries through its CSR initiative, Airtel Touching Live season 4.

    Speaking during the inauguration, She Writes Woman founder, Hauwa Ojeifo, applauded the telco for its commitment to building a better world, adding that the impact of Airtel’s support is unquantifiable as it will go a long way to provide relief to many Nigerians suffering from mental health disorder.

    She said: “I am very grateful to Airtel for this amazing opportunity and I feel so happy. The support rendered will definitely empower us to help rehabilitate more mentally demoralised people. We have a support group where we meet patients and this is an amazing place to bring people together for counseling.

    “With this initiative, we will meet more people, train more people on what we do, and impact the lives of those who need help for their mental, emotional and psychological wellbeing.”

    One of the stakeholders at the event, Mrs. Victoria Oriafo-Oyakhilome, also expressed her gratitude to Airtel.

    “I am so delighted about this donation and I have no doubt that the centre will make the best use of this facility to help more people and the level of impact would not be lesser than expected. Thank you so much to Airtel for Touching Lives”, she stated.

    Airtel also provided the centre with 32’television sets, air conditioner, refrigerator, projector and screen, standing fan, white board marker, water dispenser, inverter, tables and chairs, among others.

  • Sterling Bank inaugurates new branch

    Sterling Bank Plc has opened a new branch in Igbogbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Ikorodu. The unit has brought relief to business people, farmers and residents in the community, who hitherto had to travel several kilometres to access banking services.

    Speaking at the inauguration, Igbogbo-Bayeiku LCDA Chairman, Comrade Olusesan Daini, commended the bank for building a branch in the area. He assured the bank that it would have more reasons to invest in the community in the near future given the rapid development taking place in the region, adding that this is more so because the people are widely known to be very productive and commercially oriented.

    “Igbogbo is the fastest growing community in Ikorodu so there’s no doubt about the level of patronage Sterling Bank will enjoy. As you have paved the way for commercial banking in the community, we are certain your competitors will follow suit to open their branches. My advice is to ensure your ATMs are promptly serviced at all times to lay a good foundation for your business dealings with members of the community,” Comrade Daini said.

    Also speaking, His Royal Majesty, Oba Semiudeen Orimadegun Kasali, the Adegboruwa of Igbogbo Kingdom, applauded Sterling Bank for opening a branch in his community.

  • Buhari inaugurates Food Security Council

    President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday inaugurated the Food Security Council at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The president, who received over three hours briefings behind closed doors before the inauguration proper, chairs the Council, while Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu, is the Vice Chairman of the Council.

    The president promised that new measures and projects are being developed to create more jobs in farming, fisheries, animal husbandry and forestry.

    He noted that Nigeria’s journey in the last three years has been very turbulent.

    He said: “Two weeks ago, I announced my intention to establish and chair a presidential level committee that focuses on Food Security, I am happy that today it has become a reality.

    “Nigeria’s journey in the last three years has been a very turbulent. The country’s need for critical job creating sectors which has been ignored for decades is now beginning to yield results.

    “We introduced the National Social Investment Programmes targeting millions of Nigerians who are living from hand to mouth.

    “We launched agricultural programmes focusing on import substitution, job creation and rural development thereby bringing socio-economic transformation to the millions of citizens living in some of the most remote rural parts of our country.

    “We commenced the long term Pollution Remediation Projects in the Niger Delta with the hope of restoring dignity and normalcy to the millions of Nigerians impacted by decades of pollution in their communities.  Fishing and farming will resume once blighted areas are rehabilitated.

    “We intensified our participation in the Lake Chad Basin Commission with the goal of reversing the shrinkage of the lake, which impacts the livelihoods of over 45 million farmers, herdsmen and fishermen in the LCBC countries

  • NBA-SBL inaugurates club  

    The Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law (NBA-SBL) has inaugurated the first ‘SBL CLUB’ at the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka.

    The initiative is part of the section’s objectives to build capacity and promote the development of commercial law practice in Nigeria.

    At the event were the faculty’s Dean, law professors, members of the NBA-SBL Council, Committee Chairpersons, members of the ADR Committee of the NBA-SBL, executives of the UNILAG Law Students Society (LSS), amongst others.

    It is the first in a series of clubs being set up in selected universities across the country.

    NBA-SBL Young Lawyers’ Committee Chairperson, Olubukola Olabiyi,  said the Section had keen interest in the development of the legal capacity of law students.

    She said: ”It is hoped that through the Young Lawyers Committee of the NBA-SBL, we would facilitate this development by way of mentorship and internship initiatives as well as invitations to SBL committee programmes focused on various areas of specialisation.

    “We appreciate the interest and assistance of the UNILAG Faculty of Law and Law Students’ Society in establishing this Club in their institution and look forward to achieving note worthy progress at the UNILAG and other tertiary institutions.”

    SBL Chairman Mr Olumide Akpata expressed delight at the final takeoff of the first SBL club.

    “The SBL Club is primarily aimed at  introducing Law Undergraduates to contemporary issues in  Commercial Law and Practice that may not yet form part of their curricula but are a ‘must have’ if they are to effectively compete on the global stage as Law Students and ultimately, in the future,  as Commercial Law Practitioners.

    The Dean, Prof Ayo Asenuwa, welcomed the initiative, expressing faith in the students’ ability to utilise the opportunity.

    “We are happy that you have considered our faculty for the very first of this capacity building project and we pledge the support of the management to ensure the success of this laudable initiative,” she said.

    Vice President of the Law Students Society, Ms. Oluwatamilore Sowunmi thanked the Council of the NBA-SBL for the initiative.

    After the inauguration, a special ADR session was held by the NBA-SBL committee on Arbitration & ADR, for the benefit of the students.

    Chair, Advisory Board of the Lagos Court of Arbitration – Young Arbitrators Network (LCA-YAN), Mr Isaiah Bozimo,  introduced the students to the practice of ADR.

    He highlighted issues such as the nature of arbitrable disputes; arbitration as a mechanism for dispute settlement; the consensual nature of arbitration; arbitration as a private procedure; the legal framework governing international commercial arbitration; and the fact that arbitration leads to a final and binding determination of the rights and obligations of the parties involved.

    Another member of the ADR Committee, Mrs Josephine Akinwunmi, spoke to the LSS audience about the benefits of ADR, the core principles of mediation, the role of a mediator, key attributes of an effective mediator, benefits of mediation, obstacles to a successful mediation, the goals of mediation, ethical guidelines for mediators and mediation institutions.

    According to her, disputes were generally an inevitable part of human interactions arising from different human transactions including economic activities, family relationships, community, neighbourhood and other civil activities.

    “When these disputes arise, it is only natural that the parties will want to resolve them peacefully and the common method of doing so without going to court is to go through the Alternative Dispute Resolution process. The one thing all disputes share is that ultimately they involve people and people involve relationships,” Akinwunmi said, while harping on the importance of maintaining good relations in the resolution of disputes and the need to achieve this through mediation.

    The CEDR (UK) Accredited Mediator and SCMA Accredited, Mediation Advocacy Trainer, went on to school them about the attributes of a good mediator; listing those to include, credibility, patience and tact, objectivity alertness, adaptability, perseverance, appearance, demeanor, amongst other things.

  • NBA inaugurates criminal justice administration committee

    NBA inaugurates criminal justice administration committee

    The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has inaugurated a committee to oversee the implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law in Bauchi State.

    The committee was inaugurated during a one-day Legislative Advocacy and sensitisation workshop on the domestication and implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 in the state.

    Members are Muhammad Maidoki, Haruna Mohammed, Mohammed Garba, Abubakar Shuaibu, Yusuf Gital, Maimuna Yusuf, Fadimatu Muhammad, Danlami Hassan, Adamu Gumba.

    The Committee was inaugurated by NBA First Vice-President Mr. Caleb Dajan, who represented the President Abubakar Balarabe Mahmoud (SAN). He urged members do their best to actualise ACJA’s objectives.

    Coordinator of the NBA MacArthur foundation project, Mr. Abdul-Rasheed Muritala, said: “The purpose of this Act is to ensure that the system of administration of criminal justice in Nigeria promotes efficient management of criminal justice institutions, speedy dispensation of justice, protection of the society from crime and protection of the rights and interests of the suspect, the defendant and the victim.

    “We know from experience that the Nigerian Criminal Justice system is predicated on complex matrix of several institutions structured along Nigeria’s expansive and equally dysfunctional federal system.

    “This stated objective of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act is therefore, unattainable unless all levels of Nigeria’s Federal system are aligned and work collaboratively to achieve the purpose of the Act.

    “The Act states clearly in Section 2 that ‘the provisions of this Act shall apply to criminal trials for the offences established by an Act of the National Assembly and other offences punishable in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.’

    “It was to promote the purpose of this Act, to achieve a reformed criminal justice administration that the NBA leadership prioritised the advocacy not just for the adoption and domestication of the ACJA across the country, but also to enhance the capacity of agencies and personnel involved in its implementation.

    “We also hope to create appropriate platforms to review, share experiences and identify the difficulties encountered in the implementation of the Act so far, and articulate improvements,” he said.

    The three-year project is supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, which aims to strengthen the Nigerian criminal justice system and promote wide-spread criminal justice reform across Nigeria.

    “The NBA seeks to use this project to improve the state-level adoption rates of the ACJA, 2015, which is a federal legislation currently domesticated in about 11 out of 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Nigeria.

    “It also seeks to ensure that the innovations introduced in the ACJA are uniformly and independently adopted by all states of the Federation subject to local peculiarities with the following objectives,” Murtala said.