The Nation Newspaper

Tag: minister

  • Rescind ban on crude palm oil, stakeholders urge Minister

    Rescind ban on crude palm oil, stakeholders urge Minister

    Stakeholders in the agric and manufacturing industry have called on the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, to intervene by encouraging the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to reverse its foreign exchange (forex) policy that included one of their most important raw materials, Crude Palm Oil (CPO) on the ‘not valid for forex’ list.

    Speaking in a forum with industrialists in Lagos, MAN President, Dr. Frank Udemba Jacobs, said forex should be made available for genuine manufacturers that use CPO as a major raw material for production of end products such as noodles, biscuits, cosmetics, etc.

    According to him, this singular decision by the apex bank threatened the existence of several manufacturing companies who rely heavily on crude palm oil as a major raw material for production. “These companies have invested heavily in plants and machinery worth several billions of dollars in the country and what the CBN is indirectly telling them is that it could not be bothered with the challenges this policy is posing to our members,” he said.

    The MAN boss noted that affected companies have leaned towards the agricultural sector as part of their backward integration programme, creating more jobs and strengthening the nation’s ability to be self-sufficient in food, beverage and cosmetic production.

    He hailed the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari on its move to revive local industries through this policy, but insisted that there are certain indices that must be taken into consideration before full implementation of the policy.

    Jacobs explained that while the policy is a welcome development, there should be no sudden obstruction to importation of the raw material that is needed for local production, especially when demand for such material cannot be met locally.

    According to IndexMundi, a data portal, the domestic palm oil produced in Nigeria totalled 930,000 metric tonnes (MT) in 2014. The consumption of palm oil in Nigeria amounts to 2.0 million MT per year. Official figures estimate the shortage in oil palm industry at 900,000 MT yearly. This poses a very precarious situation for the manufacturing sector that depends largely on CPO as a major source of raw material.

    Experts say if the gap is not filled with the massive importation of high quality food grade palm oil, the economy will lose further investment in the manufacturing sector as companies would be forced to shut down and relocate their business outside the country, like it happened in the past.

    Some analysts are already predicting the mass movement of manufacturing companies to friendly West African countries with robust manufacturing policies if the government insists on going ahead with policies that are inimical to manufacturing.

  • Minister: 10,000 primary health centres coming for 774 councils

    Minister: 10,000 primary health centres coming for 774 councils

    •‘60m Nigerians to access quality healthcare services in two years’

    THE Federal Government plans to build 10,000 primary health centres in 774 local government areas to make medical care available to more Nigerians and decongest tertiary health institutions, the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said yesterday.

    He added that over 60 million indigent citizens would to be given access to quality healthcare delivery within the next two years under the health agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The minister spoke at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti (FETHI), where he inaugurated 12 projects executed and completed by its Chief Medical Director, Dr. Majekodunmi Ayodele.

    Adewole explained that Buhari was determined to alleviate the citizens’ sufferings in the area of quality healthcare by providing more facilities at both the primary and secondary health institutions.

    The minister decried a situation in which minor health problems expected to be treated at primary and secondary health centres were taken to teaching hospitals, stressing that government planned to decongest tertiary health institutions by 70 per cent.

    Adewole said: “The tertiary institutions are not meant to treat malaria or skin rashes, but to attend to critical issues.

    “We are determined to take away over 70 per cent of patients from the teaching hospitals, but the heads of tertiary institutions must find a way to relate freely with this cadre for effective healthcare delivery.

    “We won’t abandon that cadre so that the sequence of referral could be protected.”

    Adewole condemned incessant strikes by doctors in federal health institutions, saying the Federal Government would no longer tolerate “coups” against chief medical directors (CMDs).

    He said: “It is unfortunate that our national hospitals are better known for strikes, rather than services.

    “The human factor is the most important; we should learn to put services above all other considerations in our agitations as medical practitioners because some of the cases I have handled in recent time were more of how to get more pay and not about commitment.

    “Those engaging in the fuelling of crises in federal health institutions are those fighting to replace the present occupiers of the seats of CMDs. But I want to warn that they should wait for their time.”

    Adewole lauded the FETHI boss for the success he had recorded and expressed satisfaction with the partnership and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the Afe Babalola University (ABUAD).

    Ayodele, who assured the agitated workers that all their dues would be paid, appealed to the Ministry of Health to grant the request for the payment of take off grants to the hospital as a former medical centre and for its new status as a teaching hospital.

    Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose, who was represented by the House of Assembly Speaker, Kola Oluwawole and Chief Afe Babalola, urged the FETHI authorities to find ways of ensuring industrial harmony in the hospital.

    They appealed to the doctors, nurses and other paramedical workers to search their conscience and refrain from agitating for pay, even while on strike, describing the scenario as morally wrong.

  • Minister orders probe of security breach at Abuja airport

    Minister orders probe of security breach at Abuja airport

    Minister of State for Aviation Hadi Sirika has ordered the suspension of three top officials of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, over an incident involving Turkish Airlines at the airport.

    Mr. Sirika told reporters in Abuja yesterday that after listening to explanations by the airport officials on the incident which happened at about 11pm on December 24.

    He said the ministry ordered thorough investigation to ascertain the cause of the breach and why the airline brought in passengers without their luggage.

    The suspended officials, according to him, are the Airport Manager, Terminal Manager and Head of Airport Security, who were ordered to hand over to their next in rank pending the conclusion of the investigation, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    He stated that the action of the passengers, forcing their way into the tarmac and blocking the aircraft from taking off was a security breach which must not be condoned.

    Sirika said: “There has been an unfortunate incident where some agitated passengers of the Turkish Airlines arrived without their luggage making them to force their way into the tarmac which is a breach of security.

    “The explanation given is not satisfactory because the primary purpose of the government is to ensure safety of lives and property of its citizens.

    “The cardinal objective of this administration is to secure the country and manage it and we cannot fail in aviation and we cannot fail in this important assignment at a very important point.

    “We have ordered for the investigation into the matter immediately and all the people that are manning the various places; Airport Manager, Terminal Manager and Head of Security, should handover to the next man in rank pending the outcome of the investigation.

    “As to the airline also, the Consumer Protection Unit of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has been ordered to find out what happened, how compliant they are and deal with it accordingly.”

    He added that the ministry was yet to get the flight manifest to be able to ascertain the number of passengers involved.

    According to him, the passengers got agitated and got access into the prohibited area because there was security lapse.

    The minister stated that the nation’s aviation sector had the capacity to grow, adding that it was already showing signal that it could tremendously contribute to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    According to him, aviation is carrying by value, 31 per cent of the world cargo which makes it a very important industry as the fastest means of transportation.

    “With specific to Nigeria, you could see how we grew from Kano Airport where the first plane landed in the country to about 22 Federal Government owned airports plus several other private owned airports.

    On the whole, aviation I can say has grown to an appreciable level in the country and it has the capacity to grow more which is important to the economy of the country,” he said.

    Mr. Sirika added that the country also had good manpower such as pilots and engineers to move the industry forward.

    He disclosed that the government was determined to deliver a more vibrant and efficient aviation sector in 2016 by making safety, security and efficiency its watch word with regards to transportation.

    “It is not about the beauty of the airports or planting flowers or other vanities, it is about safety, security and efficiency as far as aviation is concerned,’’ he said.

  • NYC under “serious” manipulation, says minister

    The federal government would no longer waste tax payers’ money to fund the Nigeria Youth Council (NYC).

    Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr. Solomon Dalung, made this disclosure in Abuja during the end of the year ceremony of the Peace Corps of Nigeria (PCN) with the theme: ‘The role of youth organisation in the promotion of social change: the future of the Nigerian state.’

    Dalung, who alleged that youths are under serious manipulation by politicians and other stakeholders, said the decision not to fund any youth group is due to the leadership tussle rocking the organisation, with six people laying claim to its headship, coupled with a litany of court cases instituted by interested parties.

    The minister promised that by next year, a committee would be set up to register youth organisations, while urging youths to shun violence and embrace peace.

    He noted: “If the Nigerian youths are yearning for change and now the change has come, they should behave themselves. One of the problems of the Nigerian youth today is that they are divided among themselves. They are divided over the question of leadership and I keep repeating without fear or favour that they have allowed us ‘politicians’ to continue to manipulate them.

    “They are under serious manipulation and they operate under the instructions of those that manipulate them. This was why when I came into office as a minister; I found it difficult to take sides.

    “In a situation where I have over six people claiming to be leaders of the youth council, I cannot waste so much time in seeing how to reconcile anybody, as every effort to reconcile them in the past have failed. As a minister, I have withdrawn that right that there is no youth organisation recognized by the Ministry of Youths and Sports. As a government we will not do any business with them. We will not use the tax payers’ money wasting it on those that are fighting.

    “In the New Year, we would set up a committee that will register youth organisations. All those going about causing confusion in the youth group should go and reorganise themselves. But for now, we will not spend a kobo on briefcase youth organisations since the law requires them to have offices in not less than 24 states in Nigeria. We cannot endorse fraud.”

  • Advance Niger Delta centre, minister told

    The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged Prof. Cladius Daramola to see his appointment as the Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs as an opportunity to advance the cause of the oil-rich region.

    Prof. Daramola is a chieftain of the APC and indigenous of Ode-Aye in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State.

    A statement signed by the Director of Media and Publicity, Steve Otaloro said it was unarguable that the Niger Delta region is experiencing serious depravity in recent times, adding that a holistic overhaul is needed at the moment to take the region to an enviable height.

    APC noted that the appointment of Mr. Daramola, a Professor of repute and a workaholic with eyes for details and thoroughness is therefore a commendable move.

    It said: “The appointment of Prof. Daramola, who is indigenous to Ondo State, clearly shows that President Mohammudu Buhari recognises the important role Ondo State plays as the only oil-producing state from the South-western part of the country.”

    While thanking President Buhari for the confidence he reposed in Prof. Daramola, the statement said: “We are assuring the President and the minister that the leadership and membership of the party in the state will support him and be available to render a helping hand at all times.

     

  • Minister orders probe into use of ladder at Bauchi airport

    •NAHCO denies involvement

    Minister of State for Aviation Hadi Sirika has directed an immediate investigation into the use of ladder by Aero Contractors Airlines for passengers’ disembarkment at the end of a charter flight to Bauchi at the weekend.

    The directive was contained in a statement in Abuja yesterday by the ministry’s Deputy Director of Press and Public Affairs, James Odaudu.

    The statement said the minister received a report indicating that the airline used a ladder to disembark passengers from a Boeing 737 aircraft at the  Bauchi airport on Saturday.

    The minister stated that the act was inconsistent with Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (NCARs),  International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPS).

    The investigation is expected to determine the causes of the incident with a view to developing and implementing measures that would prevent a reoccurrence of the unsafe procedure that exposed passengers to risk of injury.

    Sirika noted that if the airline is found culpable, sanctions within extant laws and regulations would be applied on it.

    He assured the traveling public that the Ministry of Transport in collaboration with Nigerian Civil Aviation  Authority (NCAA) would ensure strict adherence to the civil aviation regulations as well as ICAO and SARPS.

    He added that he would not shriek in his responsibility to ensure a safe and secure air transport services.

    But  the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (NAHCO) yesterday said it was not responsible for ground handling of the airline’s flights at Bauchi airport.

    A statement issued by its spokesman, Mr. Tayo Ajakaye,   said:  ”The attention of the NAHCO has been drawn to reports making rounds on the social media to the effect that it was its failure to provide handling service to one of its esteemed clients, Aero Contractors, that caused passengers of the airline to disembark with ladder at the Bauchi Airport.

    “Nothing can be further from the truth. NAHCO does not have operations in Bauchi. This fact is well-known to Aero and all our client airlines. So, for Aero to embark on that chartered flight to Bauchi, it definitely would have made its own private arrangements.

    “Aero’s statement in this regard is particularly clear. It never mentioned NAHCO, nor for that matter, any ground handler as the reason it had to innovate.”

  • Minister caution youths against being used by Politicians

    Minister caution youths against being used by Politicians

    The Minister of Youth and Sport Development, Solomon Dalung has cautioned Nigerian youths against being used as cheap objects by Politicians.

    Dalung who said this Thursday at the inauguration of the third session of the Nigerian Youth Parliament in Abuja also said that if those who manipulate them believe in their future they should invest in them and not manipulate them.

    He said a deal of N1 million can do miracle in a rural area than giving somebody to go and mobilise people or using it to buy arms to cause trouble.

    “After the inauguration today you all must purge yourself from the act of manipulations and come back to your senses.

    “If I have collected money back in our days I doubt if I would have been given the opportunity to be Minister of Youth today and I challenge all youth leaders gathered here that after this session they should go back and reorganize themselves and I am ready to be part of them,” he said.

    He further said it is very sad that the Youth have also taken part in the drama of embarrassment and are now active participant in bringing shame and disgrace to Nigerian.

    “I challenged this August body that has resisted the temptation of not giving up due to much tension not to vote anybody who has given them money last night because such is buying you and if anybody has given you money to buy you, the person is not working for the Youth but the person who has sponsored him. We don’t want to inaugurate anyone into politics of money.”

    The outgoing speaker Youth Parliament Abba Waziri called on the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to deliver their campaign promises for the Youth as they keep pushing for the betterment of Nigerian Youth.

  • N’Delta minister rejects pro-Biafra agitators

    N’Delta minister rejects pro-Biafra agitators

    The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Uguru Usani has called on pro-Biafra agitators to have a re-think on their mission, insisting that all efforts should be geared to promote a united and indivisible Nigeria.

    He cautioned against violent agitations, saying it would not only be counter-productive but inimical to the efforts and determination of the present administration to address the challenges facing the country.

    The Minster said that those who went through the horrors of the Nigerian civil war will cherish the peace now prevailing in the country, adding that we should learn to value Nigeria as a single entity.

    The Minister spoke when a delegation of the Nigerian Legion decorated him along with the Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, Professor Claudius Omoleye Daramola and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mrs. Belema Wakama with the 2016 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Emblem.

    “Every Nigerian should detest any suggestion to separate Nigeria.  We must decry any person or group agitating for the State of Biafra,” he emphasized.

    Instead of violent agitation for Biafra, its advocates should follow peaceful rules and procedures as enshrined in our constitution for redressing any issue peacefully, the Minister further advised.

    He recalled the hardship suffered by ex-soldiers in the past when their retirement and pension entitlements were not paid in good time, a situation which discouraged many young persons from enlisting in the military in those days.

    In his remarks, the Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, Professor Claudius Daramola, commended the leadership of the Nigerian Legion for remembering their fallen colleagues who paid the supreme sacrifice for the peace and unity of Nigeria and supporting those alive in various ways.

    Earlier, the National Chairman of the Nigerian Legion, Col. Micah Gayya  (rtd) who is also the Chairman of the 2016 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Fund Raising Sub-Committee said that the organization was raising money by selling the Remembrance Emblem and using it to support families of fallen members of the Legion in need.

    He stated that the Nigerian Legion recently donated relief materials to its members living in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in various parts of the country.

  • Minister to prioritise mass rail

    Minister to prioritise mass rail

    Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Muhammad Bello has promised to prioritise the Abuja Rail Mass Transit projects. Bello also assured that he would do everything possible to fast-track the completion of the project, considering the relief it would bring to commuters in and around Abuja.

    Deputy Director/Chief Press Secretary of the FCT, Muhammad Sule revealed this in a press statement. He said the minister stated this when he inspected the project sites at the Airport, Wupa, Idu and Ring Road II Stations, as part of his familiarisation tours of projects and facilities in the FCT.

    He said: “The FCT Administration would support any project that would have positive impact on the lives of the common man, especially as this would go a long way in reducing traffic congestion in Abuja.

    “The minister expressed satisfaction with the quality of work done so far. He, however, urged the contractors (CCECC Nigeria Limited) to redouble their efforts in delivering the job on schedule.

    “Malam Bello reiterated that everything must be done to ease movement, particularly public transportation in the city to bring it at par with other modern cities around the world.

    “This is a very important project for the residents of the Federal Capital Territory and everything would be done to see to its early completion because of its utmost benefit.”

    The Managing Director of CCECC Nigeria Limited, Mr. Li Quigyong who took the minister and his entourage round the sites remarked that his company takes the project with seriousness and would do all it could to complete it as scheduled.”

     

  • Workers must be paid Oct. salary, says minister

    Workers must be paid Oct. salary, says minister

    Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Mallam Muha-mmad Bello has instructed the chairmen of the six area councils to use their federal allocations to clear workers’ October salary arrears.

    Bello gave the directive after the FCT Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) meeting where the sum of N1, 464,071,850.48 was shared among the six area councils.

    In a press statement, the Deputy Director/Chief Press Secretary FCT, Muhammad Sule said the minister had instructed the chairmen not to allow any member of staff to suffer unduly.

    He said: “The minister gave the directive after the FCT Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) meeting where the sum of N1, 464,071,850.48 was shared among the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory being monies accruing to them from the Federation Account for the month of October.

    “This is sequel to the Federation Account Allocation Committee meeting for the month of October, 2015 which was held on November 27 and 28, this year.

    “Malam Bello advised the chairmen to ensure that no member of staff is allowed to

    suffer unduly; stressing that staff salaries are expected to be paid as at when due.

    “The minister warned that the allocation was not meant for the award of contracts but for payment of salaries owed to workers of the area councils.

    “Henceforth, all allocations to the area councils will be published in Abuja Digest, a weekly publication of the FCT Administration for all stakeholders to see in line with the change mantra of this government.

    “The minister, however, urged the workers to be patient, as efforts would be made to ensure that their November and December salaries are paid on time.

    “On sanitation, the minister appealed to officials of the FCT Administration in charge of environmental issues to devise ways of sustaining the present efforts.

    “He instructed such departments and agencies to sensitise residents to the need of keeping their environment clean and desist from disposing garbage indiscriminately.”