The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ministry

  • South rebels demand ransome of $200,000 to release Kenyan pilots

    South rebels demand ransome of $200,000 to release Kenyan pilots

    South Sudanese rebels are holding two Kenyan pilots and will not release them until 200,000 dollars is paid to the family of a civilian killed when their plane crashed, a rebel told reporters on Tuesday.

    Lam Gabriel, the rebels’ deputy spokesman, said: “the plane crashed in Akobo, in the Greater Upper Nile region, two weeks ago.

    “When the plane crashed, it took a life. There was a lady that was killed and also there were some animals killed.

    “The relatives of the lady and the owners of the cows are complaining they want compensation.

    “They (Kenyan leaders) have to write an official letter to Dr. Riek Machar and it will come to us to inform of an order, then we will release him.”

    Read Also: Sudan hosts 140,000 S. Sudanese refugees

    Machar, the country’s former vice president, is the head of the largest rebel faction but has been held under house arrest in South Africa since 2016.

    South Sudan’s military spokesman confirmed the two pilots were being held.

    “The plane had a technical problem. It crash-landed and killed a person on the ground,” said Brig.-Gen. Lul Koang.

    “The (rebel) SPLA-IO-appointed governor of the area has demanded the ransom of 200,000 dollars which is beyond normal compensation for any person killed,” he added.

    The Kenyan foreign ministry said it was unable to comment.

    Oil-rich South Sudan has been riven by civil war since 2013.

    The conflict has displaced a third of the population, shut down most of the oil production and wrecked the economy.

    Reuters/NAN

  • Ministry of Happiness will shock critics – Imo Govt

    Ministry of Happiness will shock critics – Imo Govt

    Despite wide criticisms the Imo State Government has insisted that achievements of the Ministry of Happiness and Purpose Fulfillment will shock critics.

    Chief Press Secretary to the state Governor, Sam Onwuemeodo in a statement issued on Thursday said critics will not only be shocked, but will also regret to have drawn the curtain for the new Ministry even before it takes off.

    According to him, the new Ministry is not an “accidental discharge but a well-thought out idea that will benefit Imo people in particular and all men and women of goodwill in general.”

    While asking critics to give the government time, Onwuemeodo said when the new ministry begins to bear the expected fruits, the accolades will envelop the early criticisms.

    “Ideas are like bullets. They pierce greatly. And Rochas Okorocha is a man of tremendous ideas who thinks about the present and the generations yet unborn. He does not misfire on any issue, the attendant criticisms notwithstanding.

    “We accept all the criticisms in good faith and commend the Critics. That is what makes the society dynamic and our democracy juicy. The truth is that,” the Chief Press Secretary said.

    Governor Rochas Okorocha on Tuesday sworn-in 28 new commissioners, including Mrs Ogechi Ololo as Commissioner for Happiness and Purpose Fulfillment.

  • BUA petitions Buhari over alleged sabotage by Dangote, ministry

    BUA petitions Buhari over alleged sabotage by Dangote, ministry

    BUA Group Executive Chairman/Chief Executive Officer Abdulsamad Rabiu has petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene and investigate alleged acts of sabotage against BUA Cement operations by Dangote Group in connivance with top officials of the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development.

    This was contained in a letter dated December 4, 2017, signed by Rabiu titled: “A Cry for help: Wanton abuse of power by a serving minister geared towards sabotaging operations of BUA Cement”.

    In the letter, BUA accused the ministry under the watchful eyes of its minister of trying to divert the course of justice in a dispute between two of the firms – BUA Group and Dangote Group.

    BUA, in the letter, also stated that Dangote Group had connived with the ministry’s top officials, including using thugs and agents of the state to ensure that operations at BUA Cement in Okpella were disrupted despite a suit pending before a Federal High Court due for hearing on December 5 and 6.

    BUA recounted that some armed militia said to be loyal to Dangote Group and his cohorts had unleashed mayhem on its over US$1 billion cement manufacturing plant with the intent to destroy properties worth millions of dollars before the timely intervention of BUA security personnel and security agencies, who ensured that no live was lost in the illegal invasion.

    The letter said in what can only be acts of impunity, cronyism and corruption, pressure has been mounted on top government officials to force BUA Group to relinquish its mining area to Dangote Group and this was again manifested when senior officials of the ministry and high ranking police officers allegedly stormed the mining area of BUA Cement to enforce a ‘Stop Work’ order on November 29, 2017 despite another strongly worded letter from BUA’s lawyers to the ministry refuting the claims made in the order.

    Rabiu described the invasion of BUA Cement in Okpella, Edo State as a calculated attempt to undermine operations in and around BUA Cement, monopolise the cement industry in a democracy and a free market, which is not suitable for the nation’s economic growth.

    BUA Executive Chairman argued that the move by Dangote Group and the ministry would lead to increase in price of the commodity, the cost of construction and housing delivery across the country. This, he said, will also jeopardise the country’s peace and security.

    “In view of the above, Sir, we are therefore constrained to make this passionate plea to you as the most incorruptible Nigerian leader and the President to intervene in ensuring that these actions of the minister and Dangote Group… be curbed whilst we await the outcome of the judicial decision on this matter,” the firm said.

  • Imo defends having Ministry of Happiness

    Imo defends having Ministry of Happiness

    The Rochas Okorocha administration has blamed the printer’s devil, for the wrong christening of the Ministry of Happiness.

    Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Sam Onwuemeodo said the typographic error led to the naming of the Ministry as the Ministry of Happiness and Couples Fulfilment.It is now called Ministry of Happiness and Purpose Fulfilment.

    “There was a typographic error in the first statement issued on the swearing in of the new commissioners.
    The word “Couple” was inadvertently written, instead of the word “Purpose,” we regret that.

    The statement went on to justify the essence of the new Ministry and its purpose in the state.

    “The real essence of life is to be happy and to fulfil one’s purpose in life; Government officials are elected to address this.

    Happiness and Purpose fulfillment Ministry therefore, is established for the lost time to correct the policy framework to guide Ministries and Departments on what they must do to guarantee the citizens happiness and contribute better to the society.

    “This is the very reason people elect their leaders to guarantee their happiness and purpose fulfilment.
    A great leader therefore, is one who provides happiness to the people.

    “Unfortunately, this vital element of our social lives has not been properly addressed. Governments at different levels have created several ministries and departments to achieve this, yet people are bitter, angry with hate speeches which lead to crisis, war and even terrorism,” the release read.

    The statement further described the choice of Okorocha’s sister, Mrs Ogechi Ololo as the Supervisory Commissioner in charge of the ministry as a wise choice considering her experience in administration.

    “The choice of Mrs Ogechi Ololo, a Masters Degree Holder in computer Science, USA who has been the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor on Domestic Matters and Food Security can be described as a round peg in a round hole.

    Before her appointment as the supervisory commissioner, she was charged with the responsibility of liaising with the Federal Government on N-Power Project, CBN Anchor project and BOI, Empowerment Projects.”

    Governor Rochas Okorocha has also created other Similar Ministries such as the Ministry of Non Formal sector and Market development to address issues of the poor state of Imo Markets and organize the non-formal sector to make them more productive.

    The Ministry of education was also split into three ministries, Primary and secondary, Tertiary non-Formal Education, ICT, Science and Technology. (NAN)

  • We’re not denying import waivers, says ministry

    •NGOs urged to follow laid down procedures

    The Federal Ministry of Finance has denied claims that it has refused to grant import duty waivers for the importation of drugs and health commodities into the country.

    A statement from the ministry yesterday in Abuja said there “are laid down statutory procedures governing the granting of import duty waivers to importers and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), which are part of holistic measures put in place to check abuses of the Federal Government’s fiscal incentives and to put a halt to rampart corrupt practices in the economic sector”.

    The ministry, which is the government’s body that grants import waivers, lamented that it recently observed “flagrant abuse of the import duty waivers by some NGOs and importers, who smuggled other imported items into approved waivers issued for the importation of medical equipment and drug-related items”.

    It added that it has “observed that some importers and NGOs engage in the sale of imported drug items, which are meant to be distributed to the public free after being granted import duty exemption by the government.”

    This, the ministry said, “is in contravention of the provisions of Section 46 of the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) of 1958 (as amended)”.

    It highlighted the procedures for granting import waivers as including “submission of an application by the importer and NGO to the Federal Ministry of Finance through the Federal Ministry of Health; evidence of registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission; submission of an approved Memorandum of Understanding duly signed by the minister or the Minister of State, Budget and National Planning between the donor agencies, the Federal Government and the recipient-NGOs”.

    It, however, warned that it would not succumb to cheap blackmail and acts of economic sabotage under the guise of the delivery of health services to the people.

  • Power Oil partners Ogun health ministry

    Power Oil partners Ogun health ministry

    There  is a strategic  collaboration between  Power Oil Company  and the Ogun State Ministry of Health  to improve  health   standard of residents of the state. To realise this, the company  has deployed its health team across three primary health centres  from different local governments in the state  to support and facilitate the vital check process.

    This was stated during the formal launch of the project at the Ogun State Ministry of Health Secretariat, Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, where top officials from the ministry, Power Oil company, as well as the representatives from the three identified Primary health centres were present. The health centres were: Ita Alapo Family Health Centre in Ijebu Ode Local government, Ota Primary Health Centre in Ado Odo Otta Local Government and Obantoko Primary Health Centre under Odeda Local Government.

    Also, there were facilities to screen attendees freely on  hypertension,  blood pressure and diabetics.There was a  BMI device as well as the routine hypertension data booklet which registers patients’ personal information such as; age, sex, height, weight and  checkup result were presented to representatives of each of the Primary Health Centres. Lectures and trainings were conducted for few members of the PHC staff on : Overview and Facts on Hypertension and the use of the equipment presented by Dr. Hakeem Yusuff, Non Communicable Disease Coordinator, Ogun State Ministry of Health.

    Speaking during the programme, Dr. Qudus Yusuff, Director Public Health, Ogun State Ministry of Health praised  the Power Oil brand for its unrelenting efforts in  promoting and encouraging  stable heart health and  healthy living amongst Nigerians.

    “Power Oil Health Camp staff will  be present in all these clinics basically to help with vitals check up, before patients progress further to see the doctors in charge. You will agree with me that this will not only alleviate the burden on these health centres, it will also help to facilitate the amount of time patients will spend during each clinic visit” he noted.

    The Public Relations Manager, Power Oil, Mrs. Omotayo Azeez- Abiodun, thanked the Ogun State Ministry of Health for the endorsement while assuring the state of the brand’s continued support in the quest towards achieving a much more deeper outreach result in the state.

    Omotayo said: “It is worthy of note that the main objective behind the Power Oil health camp initiative is to bring free basic medical checkup closer to as many Nigerians as possible at different touch points irrespective of the location and we are delighted that we are gradually getting there.

    Power Oil Health Camp being a corporate social responsibility initiative from the staple of Raffles Oil LFTZ Enterprise, a maker of the Nigerian no.1 heart-friendly vegetable oil brand, also endorsed by the Nigerian Heart Foundation – Power Oil, kicked off in 2013 and has established active footprint in 15  locations in Nigeria.

  • Labour Ministry partners NISCN on occupational safety

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige has expressed his ministry’s readiness to continue to partner with the National Industrial Safety Council of Nigeria (NISCN) to ensure and promote occupational safety and health of Nigerian workers in their workplaces.

    Ngige spoke when he received on courtesy visit the newly elected executives of the National Industrial Safety Council of Nigeria led by its president, Mr Cletus Akhigbe.

    He explained that the partnership will focus on ensuring that Nigerian workers are safe in their workplaces.

    “I want to assure you that the Ministry of Labour and Employment will give you the needed moral and technical support to deliver on the mandate of the council’’, he added.

    Congratulating the newly elected executives, Ngige tasked the council to be guided by the principles of international best practice by imbibing the spirit of tripartism as enshrined in the constitution of the Council

    He also advised the council to review its constitution and avoid ambiguities and misinterpretation that could be exploited to derail the founding objectives of the council.

    “We will also throw you a challenge about your constitution, to look into areas of ambiguities and amend them, because this was part of the problem we had in the past as certain people tried to translate the constitution in a way to benefit themselves although it did not materialise” Ngige counseled.

    In his remarks, Comrade Cletus Akhigbe the National President of the National Industrial Safety Council of Nigeria, stated that the council requires the support of the ministry in order for it to deliver on its mandate of safeguarding the occupational safety, health and welfare excellence in Nigeria.

    “The new executive is fully aware of the fact that we may not achieve good success if we do not work with the ministry, we assure you of our resolve to fully work with the ministry to achieve occupational safety, health and welfare excellence in Nigeria.” The President said.

  • Fire outbreak in Kachikwu’s house not sabotage, says ministry

    Fire outbreak in Kachikwu’s house not sabotage, says ministry

    THE fire outbreak in the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, Abuja home was not an act of sabotage, it was learnt yesterday.

    Deputy Director, Press, Ministry of Petroleum Resources Mr. Idang Alibi, who confirmed that there was a fire accident in the house, described the accident as a normal domestic accident that could happen in any house.

    Asked on phone to confirm whether there was a fire accident in the house as reported in online media, the Deputy Director responded in the affirmative.

    He said “yes.”

    There were reports in the social media that the minister’s home caught fire on Sunday.

    But pressed to give details of the circumstances that resulted in the fire, the director said: “it was a normal fire outbreak that happens in a house. If you are suspecting that it is an act of sabotage, it is not. It is a normal usual fire outbreak that happens in any home.”

    He, however, noted that the fire only had a negligible effect on the house.

    Alibi said: “The damage was not much.”

     

     

  • N’Delta ministry to collaborate with ex-agitators, says minister

    Minister of Niger Delta ministry, Useni Ogoro, has said his ministry will collaborate with ex-agitators in the region to ensure a sustainable peace in the region during a summit organized by ex-agitators held at Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), conference center, Effurun, Delta state.

    Ogoro who chaired a security summit organized by ex-militant leaders under the auspices of Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators, said the National Youth Game programme approved by the council when implemented will provide employment and promote peace in the region.

  • Petroleum Ministry’s maiden oil, gas trade show coming

    Petroleum Ministry’s maiden oil, gas trade show coming

    The Ministry of Petroleum Resources will assemble upstream, mid-stream and downstream oil and gas experts from around the world for its inaugural Nigeria International Petroleum Summit (NIPS) scheduled for next February, at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Abuja.

    According to the summit’s Project Director, James Shindi, this will be the biggest technical and strategic business conference in the petroleum sector in Africa, as it will present best practices and emerging technologies to engineers, scientists, the academia, managers and executives.

    The conference will exhibit companies that would feature the latest products and services.

    ‘’Industry professionals and companies know the value and return on investment of meeting and networking at gathering such as this, where the world will meet Nigeria oil and gas.  Simply put, this event will explore innovations and technologies covering all things upstream, mid-stream and downstream,’’ the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, said.

    This will be reinforced through the attendance of  key political leaders, government officials and industry’s specialists from the National Oil Company(NOC) and other relevant government bodies and chief executive officers (CEOs) of National and international oil companies, multinationals and multilateral organisations, the academia and other relevant stakeholders, among others.

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo launched the Nigeria International Petroleum Summit 2018 in the presence of 19 African Ministers of Petroleum and delegates who attended the African Petroleum Producers Organisation (APPO) meeting in Abuja.