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Tag: minister

  • Minister to resolve resettlement issues

    Minister to resolve resettlement issues

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) administration is set to resolve issues arising from resettlement of villages, one of which is encroachment on the right-of-way in the f ace of road construction.

    FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, disclosed this, saying that his administration is committed to resolving such encroachment on the Right of Way that impedes on-going roads construction in such districts.

    According to a statement issued by the Asst. Director/Chief Press Secretary to the FCT Minister, Muhammad Sule, the development, the Minister said would enable the contractors handling the provision of infrastructure complete their jobs.

    He reiterated that all the stakeholders would be carried along in the process to ensure that all parties are satisfied and given a sense of belonging in line with the vision of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

    According to him, the affected districts include Guzape I and II Districts (that is, Guzape and Kuruduma villages); Idu District (Paipe village) as well as Karmo District (Karmo village).

    Mohammed stated that other affected districts include the Abuja Technology Village (Aleita, Pyakassa and Chika villages); Kagini district (Kagini, Kaba, Guida and Saburi Vilages); Jahi district (Jahi I & II, Kado Kuchia) and relocation of tipper garages.

    He revealed that at the Mbora district, the issue would also be addressed at EFAB Estate and Tzango village; while at the Maitama Extension District, the issue of Barack fence would also be resolved.

    The Minister said that the government recently achieved the reconstruction of the failed portion of old Karmo road, which is aimed at alleviating the sufferings of residents, particularly motorists along that route.

    He announced that his Administration has completed the outstanding engineering infrastructure to Gudu District Phase II, final design of Interceptor Sewer Schedule V, final engineering design of bridges for Dakwa District as well as final engineering design for Arterial Road S30, Collectors A and B and other Access Road to Phase II of Federal Capital City, Abuja.

    His words: “The FCT Administration in tune with the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan has completed the Subsoil and Geophysical Investigation of Daki-Biyu, Jahi, Duboyi Districts in the Phase II of the Federal Capital City, Abuja.

     

  • Minister donates bus to students

    The Students’ Union Government (SUG) of the University of Ibadan (UI) was among the beneficiaries of the largesse from the Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory, Mrs. Jumoke Akinjide. The minister donated a Marcopolo bus to the union.

    Mrs. Akinjide, who gave a bus each to four tertiary institutions in Oyo State, said the gesture was aimed at empowering the youth and supporting their cause.

    The donation was made at a programme at Adamasingba Stadium in Ibadan last weekend.

    She said the motive was to alleviate the suffering of students in transporting themselves within and outside school and to improve their welfare as a mother.

    Other institutions that benefitted from the gesture are Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) in Ogbomoso, The Polytechnic, Ibadan (IBADAN POLY) and Emmanuel Alayande College of Education in Oyo.

    The UI union president, Oluwafemi Odesola, praised the minister for identifying with students, saying transportation remained challenge facing tertiary institutions.

    Oluwafemi said the union would discuss on how the bus should be used to ensure that every student benefitted.

    A student, who did not want his name in print, described the bus as a political gift extended to students because of 2015 elections. He urged students of the institution to engage politicians through their party manifestos for the youth and not by “emergency gift”.

  • Minister to probe abandoned projects at UNIABUJA

    Minister to probe abandoned projects at UNIABUJA

    Minister of Education, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, has expressed displeasure at the state of ‘abandoned’ projects at the University of Abuja.

    He vowed to probe the institution over the projects.

    Shekarau disclosed this while answering questions from newsmen after inspecting facilities at the school.

    He described as embarrassing the level of uncompleted projects in the school.

    His words: “The number of abandoned projects in this institution is embarrassing for an institution of this nature. Twelve projects abandoned; this culture has to stop.  We would find out how all these came into being and see how the projects can be completed.”

    Reacting, Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof Michael Adikwu, said the projects would require three billion naira to be completed.  He also appealed to the federal government to help the institution secure accreditation for some of its courses.

    In a related development, the Federal Government launched the Nigerian Research Education Network,  NgREN.

    The project is expected to serve as an interactive platform for teaching and learning between teachers and students within and outside the country.

    Inaugurating the center, the Minister of Education, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau said the project would improve monitoring and supervision of higher institutions in the country. He stated that the project would increase access to education and improve the quality of education in the country.

    “This project has really proven to be a very good intervention in monitoring and supervision of tertiary education system, especially the University system.

    “We are really making very good progress.  For Nigeria to have this kind of networking with all institutions that we only see in advanced countries, it is also in line with the transformation agenda which focuses on increasing access and improving quality of education in the country,” he said.

    The Board chairman of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Senator Ahmadu Ali, urged the Federal Government to domicile public universities funds in the commission.

    The Executive secretary of the Commission, Prof. Julius Okojie, said Nigeria is providing leadership in research and community service to the Africa continent.

    He noted missing links between research works and development.

    He pledged to provide all necessities to support the development of education system in Nigeria.

     

  • Cross River agric programmes excellent, says minister

    Cross River agric programmes excellent, says minister

    The Federal Government has promised to partner Cross River State to reposition the Agricultural sector and stimulate its value chain.

    Agriculture Minister Akinwumi Adesina addressed reporters in Calabar, the state capital, after inspecting facilities at the Songhai Integrated Farm, an initiative of the state government.

    Adesina said: “What (Governor Liyel) Imoke is doing is impressive. We have plans to support it because it is excellent and visionary. In Niger Delta, where Cross River is, nobody drinks oil, nobody smokes gas but everybody eats what comes from agriculture.

    “The N2.2 billion Songhai facility is to encourage young people to go into agriculture. The Federal Government is ready to support the state to diversify its economy and add value. This project will also allow young entrepreneurs to have skills in practical agriculture as well as assist youths to get jobs in agriculture.

    “The Federal Government, under its Agriculture Transformation Agenda, intends to put in place a programme, called: Young Employment in Agriculture Programme. Its focus is to create a new cadre of young commercial farmers for Nigeria to replace the present generation of farmers many of whom are getting old.

    “So, we are going to work with the state using this facility. In fact, with this programme, we are doing roughly 750,000 young farmers for Nigeria in five years.”

    The minister explained that 100 people, who had been trained by the state government to run the facility, would be incorporated into the new initiative to make them more productive.

  • Minister pledges commitment to Abuja Master Plan

    Minister pledges commitment to Abuja Master Plan

    Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed has vowed to implement Abuja original Master Plan even if it results in stepping on toes.

    Senator Mohammed said the FCT Administration is committed to correcting all distortions on the Abuja Master Plan.

    He warned that all encroachments into lands originally mapped out in the Master Plan must be reversed, adding that Abuja will not be allowed to go the way of other cities in the country.

    Senator Mohammed stated this after the FCT Executive Committee meeting.

    In a statement issued by the Assistant Director/Chief Press Secretary to the FCT Minister, Muhammad Sule, he said when identified and recovered, all plots encroached into will be deed in the names of respective secretariats, departments and agencies (SDAs).

    The FCT Executive Committee also approved the immediate set up of a committee to identify all violations on the Abuja Master Plan in order to reverse such violations.

    The committee is headed by the Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Mr. Adamu Ismaila. Other members of the committee are the FCT Directors of Land Administration, Development Control, Abuja Geographic Information System, Urban and Regional Planning, Mapping and Survey, Parks and Recreation as well as representatives of the FCT Transportation Secretariat and Social Development Secretariat.

    The minister noted that President Goodluck Jonathan had expressed concern over the unwarranted violations of Abuja Master Plan and directed that such encroachments should be reversed as they affect the Abuja Master Plan.

    He instructed the committee to identify all the violations and extent of the violations in order to urgently remedy them because, he said, no part of the Abuja Master Plan would be compromised.

    He emphasised that the committee’s job is key to restoring the Abuja Master Plan, even as he urged members of the committee to take the assignment seriously by giving it the attention it deserves.

  • Minister seeks participation of IDPs in 2015 polls

    Minister seeks participation of IDPs in 2015 polls

    The Minister of Youth Development, Boni Haruna, has called for provisions that would enable internally displaced persons (IDPs) to participate in next year’s elections.

    The minister noted that IDPs, whether on account of insurgency or natural disasters, such as flood and any other circumstance, should not be disenfranchised to exercise their civic responsibility.

    Addressing reporters in Abuja, Haruna said amendments should be made in the Electoral Act to allow them cast their votes and for their votes to count for any party or any candidate they choose.

    He said: “That is actually the important thing. The National Assembly should take the fastest track to ensure that in the 2015 elections, such a provision is made for the IDPs in all parts of the country.”

    Haruna said creating an enabling electoral environment for IDPs was not just a matter concerning the Northeast alone, adding that they are all over the country.

    He said: “It will be unfair to deny them the opportunity to exercise their civic duty and their numbers run into millions. So, this is a personal appeal. I am sure I am speaking the minds of the IDPs.”

  • Agricultural sector created 3m jobs in three years- minister

    Agricultural sector created 3m jobs in three years- minister

    The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, said the agricultural sector created three million jobs in the last three years.

    Adesina said the government was driving agriculture through the commodity and value chains approach to achieve results.

    He spoke at the 2014 World Food Day with the theme: “Family Farming: Feeding the World, Caring for the Earth.”

    The Minister, who was represented by the Director, Federal Department of Agriculture in the Ministry, Demola Emmanuel, said this year’s theme is aimed at heightening the role of family farming in achieving food security as well as signifying the contribution of small scale farmers.

    He said: “The agricultural sector over the last three years has created three million farm jobs thereby putting young people to work as the agricultural revolution deepened across rural areas and agricultural value chains, leading to reduction in rural urban migration.

    “The private sector participation in driving ATA shows that between 2011 and 2014, the sector attracted over $5.6 billion of private sector investments. Between 2012 and 2014, a total of 14 million farmers received their subsidised farm inputs using electronic voucher on their mobile phones to directly pay private sector input retailers.”

    According to the minister, the government has recorded 21 million metric tonnes of food from 2011 to 2014, surpassing the 20 million mt of food target set for 2015.

    “Between 2012 and 2014, six million rice farmers were reached with improved rice varieties through the e-wallet system. The total cumulated rice area rose by two million hectares, national paddy rice production rose by an additional seven million MT.

    “The rice policy has attracted $1.6 billion of private sector investment and it is expected that Nigeria will become a net exporter of rice like Thailand or India very soon.”

    Adesina added that investment by fertiliser companies expanded from 100 million in 2012 to $500 million by 2014.

    Earlier, the country Representative of the Food and Agricultural Organisation, Dr. Louise Setshwaelo, said a growing and increasingly urbanised world population was relying on food produced by a much smaller percentage of farmers.

    According to her, family farming and the support it receives need to adjust in ways that can respond to these changing conditions.

    Dr. Setshwaelo said: “Innovation is key to make this happen. Family farmers need to innovate, in the systems they use; governments need to innovate, in specific policies they implement to support family farming.

    “Clearly, family farmers need to produce enough food, not just for them but also for people in rural areas not involved in farming or city dwellers. They also generate income -money to buy inputs, such as seeds and fertilisers.”

  • I’m not aware of Keshi’s sack, says Minister

    I’m not aware of Keshi’s sack, says Minister

    • ‘NFF has powers to sack,appoint coaches’
    • Expatriate coach to be screened

    Sports Minister Tammy Danagogo has claimed that he was not informed about the sack of Super Eagles’ Chief Coach Stephen Keshi but was quick to note that the employers of Keshi, the Nigeria Football Federation have the constitutional powers to hire and sack any coach in their employment.

    Danagogo who said he was waiting to be formally informed of Keshi’s sack by the Amaju Pinnick led-NFF, also warned that any expatriate coach to be employed by the NFF would be duly screened to determine his suitably in the coaching business before he could endorse it.

    “A lot of Nigerians appreciate what Keshi has done for the country but the ultimate decision of having to be in the saddle rests with the NFF. So, if they insist that the only way they can achieve results is by having Keshi step aside, so be it. But I hope that they succeed in bringing in new people that will change the dwindling fortunes of our football.

    “I don’t believe in hiding issues from the public and I am surprised that they took that decision. I am aware that  were consistent calls to sack Keshi. I am also aware that it is the responsibility of the NFF to hire and fire coaches of the national teams. So, what they have done is their responsibility but I am still looking at it.

    “I woke up this morning (yesterday) to it. I expected them to have fired him when the team lost in Sudan from the way they were reacting then. I didn’t expect he would be sacked after the team’s victory on Wednesday.

    “It is their responsibility to hire and fire coaches and when they told me that they didn’t want to continue with Keshi again after coming from Sudan, I told them that they will be held responsible for whatever decision they take.

    ”That was why I allowed them as professional to do their things and be ready to give account to Nigerians whatever results it comes out with.

    “If they have come to a conclusion that they want a foreign coach and that is the only way the can achieve result, they will tell me the credentials of those foreign coaches. If I see that it is far and above what we have here and it will take a long time for those we have here to get there we will see it”, the Minister summed up.

    “For in stance, the Super Eagles for whatever reason have been going down.  I have sat with the players, technical crew and the NFF asking what is wrong with the team and I cannot know why. I have told the NFF to be very careful on whatever action they are taking because I will not be the chief judge in any of these issues. NFF is a group of sportsmen and women and stakeholders who should know what they are doing.

    “I wouldn’t have been shocked if it have been done then because when they came back they told me that they whatever to do that actually and I was trying to ask them the reason and advised them to be very objective on what they want to do.

    “Whatever decision they are taking they would have to substantiate it properly and if we don’t have that caliber of coaches whoever they want to bring and he is such a reputable coach that will beat the record of all those we have here, we will wait and see. My advise to them is that we should give opportunities to local coaches to grow and the only way to grow is to expose them to competitions and training at whatever level”, the Minister disclosed.

  • Pomp as minister is honoured in Ilorin

    The weather was friendly as the sun shone brightly out of the azure sky. The event was a festive one for the people of Kwara State who rolled out the drums to welcome one of the citizens who was appointed as a minister of the Federal Republic.

    Nature remained clement as if in agreement with the joyous event. Many, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stalwarts, political associates, family members, loyalists, friends and well-wishers turned out in their numbers to be part of the reception in honour of Dr Suleiman Abubakar to celebrate his recent appointment as Minister of National Planning in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

    That day, human and vehicular movements to and from Arca Santa Event Centre, along Ajase-Ipo Road venue of the reception was disrupted.

    The reception was the first, since the minister, a native of the state, was appointed over a month ago by President Goodluck Jonathan.

    It was a demonstration of the love, unity and team work by the members of the minister’s family and party stalwarts for the PDP.

    Speaker after speaker urged members of the PDP to work as a team to ensure the party’s victory in the 2015 general elections in the state.

    The 2011 governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Dele Belgore now a chieftain of the PDP, urged his supporters to work towards the success of the party ahead of 2015.

    Belgore also advised them to resist the temptation by the opposition party to lure them into the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying it does not pay to be in opposition.

    He said: “I have been in opposition in the past and had realised that it does not pay to be in the opposition.” He urged members of the party to remain united.

    In a remark, Abuja-based businesswoman and a chieftain of the party in the state, Hajia Muinat Shagaya admonished residents of Kwara State to key into the mainstream politics of the ruling PDP so as to enjoy the benefits of democracy.

    Shagaya, a major financier of the PDP said her experience as a businesswoman had shown that it does not pay to be in opposition against the ruling party.

    She also urged them to demonstrate the spirit of sportsmanship by accepting whoever emerges as the party’s standard bearer in the 2015 governorship election.

    Former Minister of Transport, Bio Ibrahim who spoke on behalf of representatives of Kwara North, described Dr Abubakar as the current leader of the party in the state in the absence of a PDP governor, urging him “to be fair and just to us all.

    In his comment, Chairman, Federal Character Commission (FCC), Prof. Shuaib Oba-Abdulraheem said the party will take over Government House, Kwara in 2015.

    He said there were feelers that some top government officials are already removing their personal effects from the Government House.

    Also at the event, Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on National Assembly Matters, Senator Suleiman M. Ajadi said with the minister’s appointment, the state has started heaving a sigh of relief from neglect and bondage.

    Senator Ajadi, who is from Kwara South, however, said the minister should not rejoice yet until the party takes over Kwara Government House come 2015.

    Addressing PDP supporters at the reception, Dr Abubakar said the PDP has a winning team that will rescue Kwara from APC in the 2015 general elections.

    The Political Science lecturer at the University of Abuja said the team is unbeatable because of the pedigree of stakeholders that constituted it.

    He added: “Who can defeat this team, a team made up of eight ex-senators, four ex-ministers, two former deputy governors, three or four former Speakers of Kwara State House of Assembly, two ex- PDP chairmen and former commissioners?

    “If we have this calibre of people, I don’t see who can defeat this family”

    The minister said the process of his emergence as the new Minister of National Planning had shown that “politics in Kwara is no longer a one-man show.”

    He said 11 stakeholders sat down to rectify his nomination as a minister, a development which he said was sharp departure from the practice in the state in the last 45 years where only one person decides who gets what.

    He also assured the party supporters that the mandate of the people in the hands of members of the opposition will be reclaimed.

     

     

     

  • Minister flays condition of prisons

    Minister flays condition of prisons

    •Five died in riot, says inmate

    Interior Minister, Mr. Patrick Abba Moro, yesterday said government had initiated efforts to tackle the worrisome condition of inmates in Nigerian prisons in order to meet up with international standards.

    He spoke during his visit to the Medium Security Prisons, Kirikiri in Lagos for its on-the-spot assessment and ascertaining the damages and the cause of the riot that rocked it last Friday.

    The minister said: “From the information made available, the immediate cause of the riot is that an inmate came unauthorised and installed some gadgets without the knowledge of the officials. What it meant therefore was that a convict, who brought in some gadgets, instigated the inmates to complain and that led to the fracas. But, the police and other security agencies have intervened and calmed down the situation.

    “More fundamentally, there is need for us to think about the level of freedom the inmates enjoy, especially compared to the level of international practices. The two gatherings representing the inmates are the chapel and the mosque. Christianity is Christianity, and in the world over, one worship ground is usually provided for the inmates. The prison services must review the institutions of worship in our prisons.”

    “What also comes to mind is the state of facilities in some of our prisons. It requires some level of rehabilitation. At the moment, we have the issue of congestion, and it is very unacceptable that we have a prison which is accommodating 2,536 inmates. Out of this number, only 98 are convicts. We have 2,434 inmates awaiting trial,” he added.

    “When we finish our assessment,” Moro noted, “we will be able to address the problem of congestion in our prisons. The president has approved an inter-ministerial committee for this. This is one committee that will come up with some solutions. We are working on that. We must have facilities that conform to international practices.”

    However, contrary to claims by the Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS) that only one person died during the riot, facts emerged yesterday that five inmates were killed.

    About 9.45 pm on Saturday, according to an inmate, “Five inmates were killed. It was not a jail-break, but a riot. The new Deputy Comptroller of Prisons (DCP) ordered that some of the things we used should be seized. These items included fan, generator, pots and others. But what annoyed us was that he also banned raw food in the prisons. This means our family members or anybody can no longer bring raw food for us. The type of food they cook in this place is bad. This is why most inmates cook.

    “We heard they said only one inmate died; it’s a lie! The person who said that is a liar! Let me tell you the truth, none of us planned to escape. And those killed were deliberately shot and not because they attempted to escape.”

    On Friday, guns boomed at the Kirikiri area, forcing those residing to scamper for safety. It was later discovered that inmates were rioting. Initial report however claimed that some inmates attempted a jail-break.

    The immediate cause of the Friday riot, a source said, was when a warder tried to seize a fan belonging to an inmate called “General Overseer.” The inmates, it was learnt, started chanting “we no gree ooo …we no gree,” following which the situation snowballed with the inmates pelting stones at warders and breaking glasses.

    The prisons’ authorities, the source said, were forced to bring in soldiers, who allegedly opened fire on inmates who allegedly attempted to escape.

    Fatinikun said a probe panel had been constituted to look into the cause of the riot, adding that seven inmates sustained injuries. Three, he said, were treated and discharged, while four were hospitalised.

    He revealed that an inmate died last Saturday morning, while three were still in hospital.