The Nation Newspaper

Tag: infrastructure

  • Insurers seek infrastructure devt to boost growth

    Insurers seek infrastructure devt to boost growth

    Insurance stakeholders in Africa have called for the development of infrastructure along their economic corridors to boost international trade and diplomatic relations to achieve sustainable economic growth.

    They made this call during the 40th African Insurance Organisation (AIO) Conference held in Cairo, Egypt.

    They said the continued reliance on China and other European countries for assistance, rather than developing local economies through trade and exchange would not only make the continent vulnerable to global crises as seen in the last four years, but will continue to deepen poverty and suffering among Africans.

    They pointed out that Africa had for long depended on the rest of the world, entrenching high level poverty, sickness, hunger and decaying infrastructure, resulting in lack of economic development.

    Prime Minister of Egypt, Hisham Qandeel, while speaking at the conference, said lack of infrastructure hinders development in the African continent, adding that at the African Union, governments have identified the need to develop infrastructure along the line of economic corridors.

    He said : “We realise the importance of connecting each other now via roads and waterways to enhance trade and commerce among our nations.

    “The Egyptian government since after its revolution is working very hard to bring stability, economic empowerment, justice and development programmes that will impact on the people through quality investment in infrastructure.”

    Qandeel said Egypt is already working on its Nile water ways to not only create greater access for movement of ships, but open up irrigation channels and roads for trade with neighbouring countries such as Khartoum and Jeba.

    The Minister of Investment, Yehia Hamed, said African governments must create conducive environments that will encourage public and private partnerships. He said that given the role the insurance sector played in payment of compensation, which helped in rebuilding and transition of Egypt during the revolution since two years ago, it has become important that nations strengthen their insurance sector for effective risk management.

    “Governments must make effective regulations that protect the policy holders, strengthen the financial position of the companies; enforce different compulsory insurances as well as help boost awareness for the overall interest of the economy” he added.

    Chairman of the Conference Organsing Committee, Abel Raouf Kotb stated that African economy is set to grow from strength to strength with the continent outpacing the global average GDP growth. He pointed out that the main challenge is to ensure that this growth reflects on the average citizen and that the riches of countries in the region have direct effect of alleviating more Africans out of poverty and tackling inequality.

    He said: “We have many reasons to be optimistic, but let’s not underestimate the challenges we face. Our continent continues to depend on external demand making us susceptible to global economic slowdowns, particularly in China and the Eurozone.”

    He noted that Africa faces many domestic risks such as youth unemployment, political upheaval, low insurance penetration and severe weather, adding that the insurance industry has a pivotal role to play in ensuring that these risks are properly identified and managed in order to ensure sustainable development.

  • ‘Public Key Infrastructure will enhance banking reforms’

    When the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) initiative of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is implemented, it will add a new fillip to ongoing reforms of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to institutionalise a cashless society, an official of the apex bank, Segun Osunaike, has said.

    Speaking at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, venue of the public presentation of the Draft Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to stakeholders, Osunride, who is an assistant director, Information Technology Department of the financial sector regulator, said the initiative will boost electronic payment platform being promoted by the apex bank. He spoke on The Experience of the CBN on PKI.

    He noted that the apex bank had earlier run a model framework on PKI, which recorded a huge success because it guarded against the perpetration of fraud.

    He said with the initiative, there was safety of transaction data. : “We are talking of fraud here. It will give authorisation and authentication (to transactions and all the data associated with such transactions). If you bypass the security, the abiility to prove that you did it will be there. So it will eliminate fraud,” he said.

    Speaking at the occasion, Director General, NITDA, Prof Cleopas O Angaye, said for the nation to achieve its vision contained in the Vision 20:2020, it must embrace the PKI initiative, which he said will be funded by both the public and private sectors of the economy. Angaye said PKI is the only technology that satisfies the privacy, authentication, integrity and non-repudiation (PAIN) principle of security.

     

     

     

     

     

  • ‘Right teaching techniques must match infrastructure’

    ‘Right teaching techniques must match infrastructure’

    About 100 participants, who attended the fourth edition of the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) annual international workshop, have described it as timely. It addressed gaps in teaching techniques in the 21st century, writes ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA

     

     

    The fourth international workshop of the Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) ended on a good note with participants agreeing that the right teaching techniques must be combined with state-of-the-art infrastructure and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for the overall academic improvement in higher education.

    Themed: Learning in the age of rapidly changing technology, the three-day interactive sessions were held between last Wednesday and Friday. Participants argued that for education to be more qualitative at the higher level, more attention must be paid to the secondary schools curriculum, with their teaching and learning methods. They canvassed for government funding of private universities.

    These, among others, were contained in the communiqué issued at the end of the workshop.

    Signed by ABUAD Vice-Chancellor Prof Sidi Osho, the communiqué also recommends that aside good dress and sound reading culture, both students and staff, must be engaged in sports as another means of promoting and sustaining their health, positive behaviour and cordial relationship.

    The communiqué reads in part that:

    • Academics play a major role in determining the future of higher education. Therefore, in a democratising polity like Nigeria, it is recommended that academics must be insulated from undue political pressure and the attendant political manipulations to enable them effectively and dispassionately play their role towards the achievement of “world class” institutions of higher learning;

    • Academia must strictly adhere to the highest educational standards encompassing unassailable integrity, solid reputation, transparency, equality, fairness, accountability, honour, quality of teaching, learning and research impact on the society;

    • That the government should include the provision of facilities and support for research in both public and private universities in government policy as there are no “private Nigerians” and that of all the aspects of governance, one of the most important duties is the promotion and protection of the teachers, students and the higher institutions of learning;

    • The Federal Government should sponsor and support this annual workshop on improved teaching and learning methods initiated by ABUAD;

    • Academics should return to their various institutions and encourage improved teaching and learning methods based on the experience from this workshop;

    • The Federal Government should amend the law setting up Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) to enable Private higher institutions benefit from it for research and development;

    • Specialisation should be encouraged with a view to promoting professionalism and specialisation in Nigerian higher institutions of learning as lecturers cannot efficiently teach all courses;

    • More emphasis should be placed on learning outcomes, continuous feedback from students, peer review and the development of programs to improve teaching skills.

    Papers presented include: Academics and the development of a world class institution of higher learning by ABUAD Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof Micheal Omolewa; The making of a world-class universities in Nigeria; by Dean of Faculty of Arts Adeleke University Ede Osun State Prof Ibikunle Tijani; Understanding and developing best mentoring practices in a private university by Prof Joe Babalola; and Enriching delivery system in the classroom by former NUC Executive Secretary Prof Peter Okebukola.

    Others were: Integrating ICT into classroom and communication practices co-presented by Prof Emmanuel Ademola and Dr Titus Olaniyi; Teaching Research and Community Services: The ideal balance by Prof Benjamin Osho; Health, Safety and Conducive Environment in Learning by Provost Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo State Prof Adeyemi Idowu; and Discipline and Indiscipline in higher education system by Prof Alice Jekayinfa of the University of Ilorin, among others.

     

  • Bowen varsity seeks N6.75b for infrastructure

    The Bowen University, Iwo, has gone to town in search of N6.75 billion to develop infrastructural facilities in its campus.

    The university hosted potential donors to a fund raising dinner held at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, where representatives of churches under the Nigeria Baptist Convention, banks announced donations and pledges towards supporting the institution to achieve its objectives. Underscoring the need to support the institution, Visitor to the university and the President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, Rev Dr Supo Ayokunle said the university is already subsidising each student to the tune of over N1 million.

    He said the subvention the Convention provides the university with is insufficient for its needs, praising the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Timothy Olagbemiro for judicious use of scarce resources to develop the institution.

    “We thank God for the ingenuity of the Bowen VC to use scarce resources to establish a university. For those of you that are angry with us that the university charges so high, know that every month staff salaries is about N180 million. But where will I get that from? It takes N1.5 million to put a medical student in the classroom. We are already subsidizing. If you don’t want Bowen to go down you wont ask us to subsidise further,” he said.

    In an interview afterwards, the Vice-Chancellor said in actual fact training of undergraduates is up to N2.5 million, adding that the university was not seeking profit but to develop quality manpower for the country.

    “The faith based universities are not established for profit. We are an NGO trying to fulfil ministry. The school fees we charge is low. We charge N485,000 per student. If you want to really train a student you need N2.5 million per student to provide the best facilities and staff. You spend that much on equipment, ICT, water and the like,” he said.

    Faulting the claims that private universities do not need government support, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council of Bowen University, Deacon Gamaliel Onosode, said government is duty bound to support private providers of education because it is a social service.

    “The assumption that a private university is for profit making is not correct. There are a number of non-profits that operate in a manner to cover their cost but are rendering social service. It is part of the duty of any government to include education in its programmes. That a private organisation is rendering social service means government should see them as partners. That basis for not being sympathetic to the call for assistance for private universities is false,” he said.

    Urging guests to give towards the course, Chairman of the occasion, Mr. Emmanuel Olayiwola Adeyemi said their donations would be evidence of their faith in the university.

    He said: “This fund raising is our chance of strengthening the capacity of Bowen University, not only to realize her vision, but to give future generations the gift that other universities have given many of us.

    “Our donation shall be a testament of our connection to the dreams of the founders. The support that so many inside and outside this hall will so generously provide, and the support we are seeking is one of hope and unlocking the boundless potential of the next generation to make Nigeria and the world a better place.”

    The university is seeking funds to develop hostels (N1.2b), multipurpose hall (N500m), postgraduate building/lecture hall (N300m), sports and recreation stadium (N1b), research and development centre (N150m), staff quarters (N400m) among others.

     

  • ESUT launches N10b infrastructure fund

    In its bid to reposition as one of the best on the African continent, the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) is to launch a N10 billion Infrastructural Development Trust Fund under the distinguished chairmanship of Senator Ike Ekwerenmadu, the Deputy Senate President.

    The launch, which would have the Governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime, as chief host and Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State as guest speaker is scheduled for May 10 at the Auditorium Agbani.

    Chairman of the seven-man ESUT Trust Fund Committee, Prof Ike Ndolo, said the fund would help the institution provide facilities for the institution.

    “The idea of the Trust Fund is primarily to reposition and re-engineer ESUT to be one of the best in Africa. These funds will help in many critical sectors of the university needing services and infrastructural development and intervention,” he said.

    The infrastructural development intervention areas include critical teaching and research facilities, post graduate studies building, completion of two new faculty buildings/main university library and the fencing of the entire university landscape.

    Others are provision of recreational facilities, the senate building endowment of chairs in departments, completion of professors/staff quarters and student hostels and a school of communication building. ESUT was established in 1991 with a philosophy of a unique university that must be closely related to society, its industry and above all, serve as a catalyst in the technological advancement of the people.

    Since its establishment, ESUT has grown into an ivory tower with nine faculties which include Agriculture, Applied Natural Sciences, Engineering, Education, Environmental Sciences, Law, Management Sciences, Medicine and Social Sciences.

    In addition, it also has School of Postgraduate studies, Matured Students’ programme, General Studies division and a business school.

     

  • ICRC to partner MDAs on infrastructure

    The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) will work with the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to assist them develop the needed infrastructure, the Acting Director-General, Dr. Ghali I. Bello, has said.

    He said the government through a circular from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Head of Service of the Federation, has directed MDAs to create Public-Private Parnerships (PPP) units, adding that the initiative would help in solving the enormous infrastructure problems in the country.

    “We are going to work closely with the MDAs develop projects and raise the profile of the organisation and bring the MDAs to appreciate that we are partners. We want to create a scenario whereby at the end of the day the infrastructure deficits will be addressed in the interest of the country,” he said.

    Bello said the Commission plans to develop guidelines for the various sectors, including power, ICT, transportation, port concession, and 12 others as provided for in the Act setting up the ICRC.

  • Disincentives, poor infrastructure threaten food security

    POOR infrastructure and lack of government’s incentives are threatening food securty in the country, the Farmers Development Union (FADU) has warned.

    The Programme Co-ordinator, FADU, Victor Olowe, who gave the warning, said unless an urgent step is taken to halt the trend, food security in the country would continue to be a mirage.

    Olowe said there is a growing gap between retiring farmers and the next generation of planters, adding that the government needs to promote policies and programmes that result in real improvements in the quality of agricultural jobs, especially through the adoption of modern technology.

    He said increasing food production nationwide requires expanding infrastructure to match the resulting demands placed on the agriculture sector and this requires careful planning, proper co-ordination across all stakeholders and optimal timing of investments.

    Olowe said there was the need to undertake an examination of food demand and supply, as well as critical decision points relevant to improving infrastructure across the major farming belts.

    He said focusing on improving the ability of these regional communities and ensuring they share in the benefits of the economic growth, will be critical to the agricultural transformation programme.

     

  • Tackling Bayelsa’s infrastructure challenge

    Tackling Bayelsa’s infrastructure challenge

    Infrastructural development is one of the major components of economic growth of any developing nation. Leadership at all levels of government places premium on infrastructural development, as it creates the enabling environment to stimulate business and industrial activities which in turn enhances productivity, check undue rise in cost of operationa, employment generation and as well poverty reduction.

    Good governance to the average citizen of a developed or developing nation is all about provision of social amenities at affordable rates, meaningful and long lasting development. And, to achieve this, the leadership must be prepared to tackle the challenges of basic infrastructural needs of the citizenry.

    Some these basic amenities include efficient, stable and reliable power supply, safe and potable drinking water, functional public transportation system, effective communication system, functional and affordable healthcare and educational facilities.

    Irked by the age long infrastructural decay in the oil rich Bayelsa State, Governor Seriake Dickson on assumption of office on February 14, 2012 officially declared a State of Emergency in the educationand other critical sectors of the economy.

    Created in 1996, the issue of security in the state has been of great concern to successive administrations in the state. The Internally Generated Revenue of the State nose dived on daily basis, as efforts at attracting investors hardly produced the desired results, largely due to insecurity and the chaotic situation infrastructure in the state among others.

    Local and foreign investors never saw Bayelsa as a safe and viable investment destination. The state was always in the news for the wrong reasons. It was either rival cult wars, kidnapping of mainly expatriate workers of multi-national companies, illegal oil bunkering, financial fraud, and other related vices.

    In order to tackle this problem and make the state investment friendly, Governor Dickson, as a former security operative, put in place a security outfit code named: Operation Doo Akpor to checkmate the activities of criminals in and outside the state capital.

    This decision is paying off, as night life has gradually returned to Yenagoa, the state capital.

    The heatwarming news is that, investors, local and foreign are now jostling to invest in the state.

    The Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters, Colonel Bernard Kenebai (Rtd) said with the security gadgets and personnel put in place by the Dickson-led administration, the state is no longer the safe haven for criminals.

    In the last one year, the operatives of the security outfit”Operation Doo Akpor” have arrested over 600 suspects for criminal offences and handed them over to the appropriate security agency for further interrogation and prosecution in accordance with the law. Prior to the advent of the administration, there were high incidents of criminal activities in Urban and other metropolitan cities of the state. The waterways, then were not safe as there were reported cases of sea piracy and other related vices. The impact of a state of insecurity is quite obvious. Criminals were taking institutions of government in open confrontations. There were reported cases of kidnapping, assassinations and the activities of some purported amnesty agitators.

    However, with the installation of TETRA Trunk radio, the first of its kind in the West Africa sub region and purchase of over 85 patrol vehicles and 15 patrol boats, the residents of the state can now sleep with their two eyes closed.

    Also, as part of the security measures put in place, the government has built 13 emergency response centres in some designated areas of the state. The areas are: Oloibiri, Ogbia town, Opume, Otuabagi junction, Emeyal 1/Otuoke junction and Otuasega/Shell camp junction.

    Other areas are: Onuebum, Agbura, Okaki/Yenegwe junction, Igbogene/Okolobiri/Glory Drive round about, Okordia-Zarama market and Opokuma and Sagbama junctions.

    With the security measures put in place, Governor Dickson has turned the entire state to a massive construction site with work on 41 roads, 75 block-low cost Housing Estate, civil servant quarters, building of model secondary schools in the three senatorial zones, commencement of work on 500 bed hospital, world class referral centre, the three senatorial districts roads, Transparency building, the Five-Star hotel, the four secretariat annexes, Multi Door Court House, Governor’s Lodges in Yenagoa, Sagbama and Nembe.

    Conducting newsmen round some of the project sites, State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Lawrence Ewrudjakpor said, ‘when we took over, there was nothing to write home about and that is why the governor was angry to develop the state. All the ongoing projects as well as the ones earmarked for construction would be completed within the tenure of the present administration.

    The government embarked on this massive construction of projects because the state is backwards in terms of physical development compared with its contemporaries, especialy in the southern part of the country.

    The target of the administration is to restore the lost glory of the state and put it on sound footing to be able to catch up with the rest.

    Also, the Government has invested over N4bn in rural electrification projects with the award of over 23 contracts. These include; Obunagha-Sagbama 33KVA line, extension to Ofoni community through Ebedebiri, Bolou Orua, Angiama and Toru Orua, 2 by 7.5 MVA injection sub-station; Agbere-Odoni, 1000KVA gas-fired CAT generating station including cabling, upgrading and modification of Angiama sub station to import electricity to communities in Southern Ijaw local government area among others.

    In the area of human capacity-building, a total number of 557 scholarships have been awarded in the last one year. Governor Dickson stated that his administration has made huge investments in the education sector because of its commitment to developing the human capacity of the state.

    According to him, Government made an initial provision of N1bn for the postgraduate scholarship scheme, but has since overshot that amount in view of the massive demands it got from Bayelsans.

    “The sums involved are quite staggering, but we believe it is a good investment. Because of our passion for human capacity development, we have since overshot the N1bn originally earmarked for the scheme.” Dickson explained.

    • Ajibola writes from Yenagoa

  • DMO: Infrastructure gap needs to be bridged

    The appalling state of infrastructure in the country needs to be urgently fixed, Director-General, Debt Debt Management Office (DMO), Abraham Nwankwo has said.

    Speaking at the sidelines of Standard Bank West Africa Investors’ Conference held in Lagos, he said that only an efficient infrastructure will enable the country achieve the growth indexes it desires.

    Nwankwo, who was represented by DMO Executive, Pat Oniha, said the agency has significant of the N3 trillion pension fund invested in equities. He said that the Nigerian Capital Market has progressed rapidly, returning huge profits for investors mainly because of rising confidence in the market.

    The highlights from the presentations and discussions at the forum indicated that Nigeria’s pension sector currently has 5.32 million registered contributors.

    According to PenCom, there are currently N3 trillion in pension assets with 5.3 million registered pension contributors, about 64 per cent of whom are below 40 years. It said that only 25 to 30 per cent of quoted stocks are active on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

    The Commission also said about that same percentage meets minimum criteria for pension funds investment and this form up to 80 per cent of the trading activities in the market.

    It also said that countries with large pool of funds generally have better developed economies, with developing countries holding only three per cent of long-term funds (LTFs) globally while developed countries hold 34 per cent and emerging economies hold the majority 63 per cent.

     

  • ‘Weak infrastructure, ICT application, others retard growth’

    ‘Weak infrastructure, ICT application, others retard growth’

    Operators in the insurance industry have identified weak infrastructure and low application of information communication technology (ICT) as some of the challenges that are impeding the growth in the industry.

    They argue that unless these challenges are tackled, efforts to deepen insurance penetration and increase its contributions to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) will never make the desired impact.

    The Group Managing Director, Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc, Mr Akin Ogunbiyi, also another problem is the dearth of affordable insurance products for clients.

    “If we really want to increase insurance penetration in this country, we have to look at the products and services that the common man can benefit from, to meet his needs, creating value for them and making it affordable,” he said.

    Assistant General Manager, Corporate Communication and Brand, Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc, Segun Bankole, said the untapped potentials in the Life segment of the insurance industry is very large and a lot of Nigerians are beginning to see the positive benefits of taking up the policy.

    He said Sovereign Trust is achieving a record 25 per cent increase in their market penetration every year. He said the SWIS – F POLICY, which his company offers Nigerians, has a lot of benefits. If during the period of insurance, the insured sustains bodily injury solely and independently of any other cause by accidental, violent, external and visible means resulting in death or disablement, the Company pays compensation or in the case of death, to his legal representatives.