The Nation Newspaper

Tag: invest

  • ‘Invest in manpower’

    Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government Owned Companies (SSASCGOC) President, Comrade Mohammed Attahiru Yunusa, has urged the government to invest in manpower development to improve service delivery.

    Speaking at the National Administrative Council and Central Working Committee meeting in Kaduna, Yunusa said the government should know that workers are the greatest asset of any organisation and not the machinery being imported.

    He lamented that in Africa, employers don’t take care of their workers, but invested hugely in infrastructure, advising the government to take care of its human resource through trainings and good remunerations for the overall development of the nation.

    He said the union faced the challenges of insecurity, lack of payment for overtime, leave allowances, and non-payment of first 28 days allowance and salaries in some places of work.

    He said the association enjoined workers to be productive  and believed in the rule of law, social partnership and dialogue to resolve issues and was not considering strike action.

  • Invest in movies, don urges Muslims

    A call has been made to Muslims to invest in the film industry as a way of projecting the beauty of Islam and countering the negative depiction of Muslims on the screen.

    This call was made by Associate Professor of English, University of Ilorin, Dr. Mahfouz Adedimeji, penultimate Sunday, while reviewing a film produced by Dr. Faoziyah Sulaiman of the Department of Biochemistry, University of Ilorin, at the Africa Hall of Mustapha Akanbi Foundation, Ilorin, Kwara State.

    In his review, entitled “Give Little, Get Plenty: A Review of Ojo Ogundoju’s ‘Charity’”, Dr. Adedimeji noted that the global movie industry is partly used in psychological warfare “where violence is unleashed on Muslims through name-calling, character assassination, sheer propaganda and negative framing, which all seem to justify vilifying Muslims, occupying their lands and generally tormenting them,” with a typical Muslim portrayed as a “bad guy” and a Muslim woman as “oppressed”.

    Dr. Adedimeji, who is also the Secretary General of the University of Ilorin Muslim Community, deplored the Western cinematic narrativity that is obsessed with the negative stereotyping of Muslims.

    While commending the script writer and producer, Dr. Sulaiman and the Director, Mr. Ogundoju, on a job well done, the reviewer, who is the immediate past Director of the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, submitted that the effort was welcome because the Nigerian movie industry is also not free of films that offend the sensibility of Muslims.

    He revealed that the production of “Asewo to re Mecca” in 1992 was detestable to Muslims just like more recent titles like “Basiratu Baseje”, “Aminatu Pa-pa-pa”, “Osanle Modinat”, “Sikiratu Sindodo”, “Jelili Oniso”and “Awalu and Awawu”, where, according to him,”Islamic names, symbols and identity are caricatured and denigrated”.

    Congratulating Dr. Sulaiman, the Chairman of the occasion, Chief Yunusa Oyeyemi, said that he had known the producer for some time because of her commitment to impacting on the society through writing.

  • Why Nigeria must invest in human capital, by Gates

    •Microsoft boss invested $1.6b in health, others •Osinbajo blames corruption for poor investments

    CO-CHAIR of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Bill Gates has harped on the need for Nigeria to invest in its human capital.

    Gates, who stressed that Nigeria has unmatched economic potential, said growth would come naturally when Nigeria maximises its greatest resource – the people.

    He spoke yesterday at the expanded National Economic Council (NEC) meeting chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the old Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja.

    The multi-billionaire and Dangote also visited the Emergency Operations Centre for polio in Abuja.

    Gates, whose foundation has invested more than $1.6 billion in Nigeria to date, is in the country to see first-hand the progress in primary healthcare provision, polio eradication, nutrition and financial inclusion.

    He said: “The Nigerian government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan identifies ‘investing in our people’ as one of three ‘strategic objectives. But the ‘execution priorities’ don’t fully reflect people’s needs, prioritising physical capital over human capital.

    “To anchor the economy over the long term, investments in infrastructure and competitiveness must go hand in hand with investments in people.

    “People without roads, ports, and factories can’t flourish. And roads, ports and factories without skilled workers to build and manage them can’t sustain an economy.”

    Gates urged political leaders to maximise the country’s resources which are its people as a way to help it to thrive.

    He said: “But growth is not inevitable. Nigeria has unmatched economic potential, but what becomes of that potential depends on the choices you make as Nigeria’s leaders.

    “The most important choice you can make is to maximise your greatest resources, the Nigerian people. Nigeria will thrive when every Nigerian is able to thrive.

    “If you invest in health, education, and opportunities – the ‘human capital’ we are talking about today – then they will lay the foundation for sustained prosperity. If you don’t, however, then it is very important to recognise that there will be a sharp limit on how much the country can grow.”

    Gates added: “You see this risk in the data. From the point of view of the quality of life, much of Nigeria still looks like a low-income country. Let me give a few examples.

    “In the middle income countries, the average life expectancy is 75 years. In lower middle income countries, it’s 68. In low income countries, it’s 62. In Nigeria, it is lower still: just 53 years.

    “Nigeria is one of the most dangerous places in the world to give birth, with the fourth worst maternal mortality rate in the world, ahead of only Sierra Leone, Central African Republic,  and Chad.

    “One in three Nigerian children is chronically malnourished. I do not enjoy speaking to you this bluntly when you have been gracious enough to invite me here. But I am applying an important lesson I earned from Alhaji Aliko Dangote.”

    Noting that his foundation with the largest headquarters in Africa is sited in Nigeria, he said that he has also committed the sum of $1.6 billion in Nigeria with a plan to increase the amount.

    Making a PowerPoint presentation of a model of the trajectory of Nigeria’s economic growth, relating to health and education, Gates observed that if the present trend continues, the country cannot keep up with its population growth.

    On his recommendation for Nigeria’s ERGP review, he said: “The recommended percentage is assuming a higher level tax of collection than is taking place in Nigeria. So, it’s up to Nigeria to decide how much percentage tax they can allocate to that.”

    Osinbajo again blamed the former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration for allegedly failing to transform the lives of Nigerians despite making huge money from crude oil.

    According to him, grand corruption prevented investments in healthcare, education and infrastructure.

    He said the last government shamelessly robbed government policies of most, if not all, of their intended impact.

    Osinbajo, however, assured that the present administration is determined to change things.

    He said: “To put Nigeria’s money to work for Nigerians, doing the most with the least, we have stayed true to that vision. Even as oil prices went into free fall, we ramped up investments in infrastructure, as well as our social spending.”

    On the challenges the Dangote Foundation and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have outlined at the event, Osinbajo said: “And we have no choice, because the problem literally grows daily.”

    According to him, Nigeria has strong economic growth and development ambitions, encapsulated in her Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, launched in 2017.

    He noted, however, that all those lofty ambitions can only be achieved through the determined application of human skill and effort.

    Chairman of Dangote Foundation Aliko Dangot, said for Nigeria to truly compete globally, it must prioritise investments in the health, education and opportunity for the people alongside other critical areas like infrastructure.

    “Together, these are the inputs that will make Nigeria richer,” he stressed.

    During a press briefing at the end of the meeting, Dangote said he would try to prevail on the private sector to contribute one per cent of their profit to health.

    According to him, two per cent is already going to educate.

    Ministers of Health Isaac Adewole  and Education Adamu Adamu also made presentations at the expanded meeting.

  • NSIA, UFF to invest $26mn in integrated farming

    The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) and UFF Agri Investment, is making an initial invest of $26 million in a farm which comprises a broad acreage of Maize and Soya beans farms integrated into a system of feed mills and storage silos.

    The additional capital when released will be deployed towards expanding the farm’s existing infrastructure, increasing installed capacity and enhancing the overall quality and quantity of output.

    With this investment, both NSIA and UFF will acquire and develop a 3,500 hectarages of land, of which 2,300 hectres are arable.The capital injection will be used to construct and install state of the art irrigation infrastructure, water reservoirs, grain storage and processing facilities.

  • Invest more on missions, cleric challenges churches

    The Senior Pastor of Mercy Christian Centre Lagos Pastor Funsho James has advised church leaders to invest more resources and manpower into advancing the Great commission to reach communities around the world.

    James spoke last week at the annual convention tagged Great Commission.

    He said that the task of the Great Commission was urgent and requires more investment from the church especially in rural areas where impact of the gospel has not been felt.

    James pointed out a recent statistics that 3.2 billion all over the world have not heard about the gospel of Jesus, saying it was incumbent on the church to double up its effort in reaching to the unreached communities for Christ.

    He lamented many churches in urban centres continue to enjoy the ambience of city life without reaching out to the destitute, drug addicts and slum dwellers among them.

    The cleric, who cited a recent mission work carried out by a member of the church in Benue state, said: “Only 200 slippers was distributed to the rural dwellers and the impact of the mission work was great as the people were receptive to the gospel”.

    He described the challenges most independent missionaries in rural communities go through as worrisome and disturbing.

    According to him: “Many missionaries feel abandon, forgotten and some are getting frustrated on the mission fields because their needs are not being prioritised by sending churches.

    “This must be addressed urgently so that the preaching of the gospel message does not suffer”.

    He took a swipe at some church leaders who think mission is about starting another branch, noting that mission work is for every believer and the church should put adequate support system in place for it to grow.

    “Jesus Christ is coming very soon. Our effort and investments in mission will help in reaching the lost world for Christ. It is a task that must be done,” he stressed.

  • Fed Govt: we’ll invest N1.3tr yearly on infrastructure

    In order to attract investors to the country, the Federal Government has said it will continue to invest about N1.3trillion yearly on capital projects to bridge the infrastructure gap.

    Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, who spoke in Abuja when  a consortium of 20 international investors led by a former Minister of Finance, Shamsudeen Usman, visited her, said government invested about N1.3 trillion on capital projects last year to develop roads, rail, power, housing and all the infrastructure government thinks would be needed to unlock this huge economy. “Hopefully, the figure would be around the same for 2017 and 2018,” she said.

    She said government’s commitment to solving the infrastructure challenges in the country was firm given that one of the cardinal focus of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is to address the infrastructure deficit in the country through targeted spendings at projects that would unlock the economic potential of the country.

    The visiting consortium was made up of representatives of investment, capital and equities firms from London, New York, Miami, Johannesburg and others some of which buy Nigerian bonds and equities as well as those providing advisory services to clients on foreign direct investments (FDIs).

    Adeosun described the level of interest from foreign investors in the economy as huge, adding that very soon, these interest would translate into massive investments that would create jobs and reduce the level poverty in the country.

    She said a lot of the projects currently being handled by government were abandoned for over 10 years, pointing out that Nigerians were beginning to feel the impact of government efforts in terms of infrastructural development.

    She said this is “a great time for investors to be in Nigeria. For us this are better times now than last year because finally we think that we are beginning to address through deliberate policies some of the most stubborn problems that have held back Nigeria’s growth.”

    Apart from undertaking difficult adjustments in fiscal policies, she said the Finance Ministry was focusing on revenue, particularly on how to move the country’s tax to GDP ratio from six per cent to an initial target of 10 per cent and in the medium to long term to between 15 and 20 per cent.

    With the seriousness demonstrated by government to develop infrastructure in order to unlock the potentials of the economy, Mrs Adeosun said several companies have been coming to inquire about the prospects of opening factories and land for agriculture.

    economy and what the outlook and investment climate is going forward.”

    He said there is a lot of optimism in the global market about Nigeria and investors have for long been waiting for positive changes in the country’s economy, it appears that the right moment has come, with investment flows rising and reserves looking up.

     

  • Young entrepreneurs urged to invest in agric

    The Chief Executive Officer, Davichi Farm Tech, David Echegwisi, has challenged young entrepreneurs to invest in agriculture to boost employment generation and meet the growing food gap.

    Echegwisi spoke at the Farmfest 3.0 organised by the company at Inspire Centre in Simawa, Ogun State.

    The event brought together farmers, women groups, cooperative societies, corporate bodies, students, school owners, and agriculture enthusiasts among others.

    He called for increased investment in agribusiness to tackle unemployment.

    According to him, industrialists, including Aliko Dangote, Maduka Cosmas, and Oba Otudeko, are into agriculture because they saw huge potential in the sector.

    He challenged unemployed youths to explore agriculture as there were fewer white collar jobs.

     

  • Invest in waste-to-wealth in 2018, govt urged

    Invest in waste-to-wealth in 2018, govt urged

    A waste management expert, Prof. Oladele Osibanjo, has advised all tiers of government to invest in the waste-to-wealth programme in 2018.

    Osibanjo, who is President, Waste Management Society of Nigeria (WAMSON), gave the advice in Lagos, urging them to provide the enabling environment for investors to turn all types of waste to valuable raw materials.

    Osibanjo said: ‘‘For now, the Federal, state and local governments are treating waste with levity and things cannot continue like this.

    “There should be a positive change. So, I am looking forward to the three tiers of governments being committed to taking waste to the next level in 2018.

    “I expect them to embrace waste-to-wealth, waste-to-energy, and know that global warming is real and that waste also contribute to global warming.”

    He pleaded with the government to ensure the passage of waste bill in the National Assembly and its signing it into law to kick-start the integrated management of waste in the country.

    The waste management expert said with a law in place, companies and individuals would use different methodologies to develop the nation’s waste to create jobs for the citizens.

    He expressed hope that this will reduce the numerous complaints by citizens and environment lovers on refuse littering their areas, including water bodies and drainage channels.

    The WAMSON president also appealed to people to develop waste materials and unlock the potential in them.

  • ‘Let parents invest in their children’s morals’

    The President of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Eric Omare, has urged parents to invest in the moral foundation of their children.

    He said this would in future make it easy for them to build and sustain peaceful coexistence and development in the Niger delta region and other parts of Nigeria.

    The IYC president spoke at the weekend at the wedding of Mr Bassey James Akpan and his wife, Mrs Ebimo Bebenimibo-Akpan at Effurun in Delta State.

    Omare noted that serious work on home training for children would reduce, to a very considerable extent, the restiveness in the region.

    He said parents are those saddled with the primary responsibility of building a peaceful society because the family, which they lead, is the smallest unit of the society.

    According to him, it is the quality that the family pushes out that would eventually determine what the overall conduct in the society looks like.

    Omare said: “My message to both of you is to ensure that your contribution to society is quality. When God starts blessing you with children, it is your primary duty, as parents, to bring up responsible citizens. This is what all parents owe the society.

    “If all parents in all families observe and stay true to this divine assignment, we will have less of restive youths and, in effect, have a peaceful and progressive Niger Delta.

    “This is the same message to all parents in the Niger Delta region as well as across Nigeria: fulfil your God-ordained duty of raising responsible children so that society can be peaceful and progressive.”

    At the wedding, which held at the Word of Salvation Bible Life Ministry, off Jakpa Road at Effurun, dignitaries from the Ijaw were on hand to honour the couple.

    The guests were the Chairman of Tarakiri Cluster, Prince Jude Ebibokefie; the Commissioner representing the Ijaw ethnic nationality on the board of Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC), Chief Favour Izoukumor, among others.

  • 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.