The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ministry

  • Ministry unveils ‘Made in Nigeria e-Portal’

    As part of efforts to make Nigerian products globally available, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment has unveiled the nation’s e- Commerce portal.

    The Minister, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, said the ministry was committed to delivering the portal in six weeks to help expose locally produced goods globally.

    Speaking at a meeting with  Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and other stakeholders in Lagos, during the week, he said the ministry decided on the portal to showcase the rich and competitive products manufactured locally and to give teeth to  the campaign  on ‘ buy Naija, create jobs’ slogan of the current administration.

    The other reason for the portal, Enelamah said, was to make locally manufactured goods available to Nigerians when they need it, not withstanding their location.

    The Minister, who urged Nigerians to patronise locally manufactured goods, said: “when we patronise imported products in place of locally produced materials we inadvertently export jobs and import unemployment and poverty.”

    The Minister, who was represented at the event by the Chairman, Project Management Team of the project in the ministry, Mr. William Iheanacho Otabil, said government is stressing on quality and standards of locally made products in order ensure that consumers have value for their money.

    According to him, that is the only way the nation can discourage Nigerians’ penchant  for foreign goods, achieve competitiveness on locally manufactured goods and ensure employment generation.

  • Ministry queries LADOL for gazette on oil, gas cargo

    Ministry queries LADOL for gazette on oil, gas cargo

    The Federal Ministry of Transportation has queried the management of LADOL Integrated Logistics FZE to explain how it came about a “purported’’ gazette, which enabled the company to receive ships carrying oil and gas-related cargoes.

    A source close to the ministry said on Sunday that this was contained in the correspondence between LADOL and the ministry.

    The ministry recalled that at a meeting between the Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, and maritime stakeholders in March, LADOL presented a gazette, which the ministry said its authenticity was in doubt.

    The ministry demanded that LADOL furnished it with more information on how it came about the purported gazette No 54 , Volume 95, of Lagos, September 4, 2008, which allowed it to receive a maximum of two-ocean going ships per week.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that at the March meeting, the minister told terminal operators to submit documents to show there were no terminals dedicated to handle oil and gas cargoes.

    The minister explained that the Presidential approval of April 20, 2015, be strictly complied with by relevant maritime stakeholders.

    According to the ministry, the presidential approval states that “the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) project can be located at Agge, Bayelsa State, when the facilities to handle such operations are developed.

    “In addition, the FPSO can be conveniently located at any designated oil and gas terminal. All oil and gas-related cargoes must be handled only at designated terminals as in the letter from the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).

    “Operators are, however, free to choose the port of discharge for their cargoes within the designated terminals at Onne, Warri and Calabar,’’ the ministry said.

  • Ministry reviews water, sanitation policy

    The Lagos Ministry of Environment in partnership with the Save the Children, an international non gevernmental organisation (NGO) for children, with support from  Reckitt Benckiser, has reviewed the draft of the Lagos State Water and Sanitation Policy (WASH), in preparation for its presentation to the state executive council.

    The Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare    promised to ensure a speedy implantation of the policy  once passed by the state executive council, assuring that the implementation of the policy will lead to a decline in childhood mortality.

    “Through the WASH Policy, we are teaching mothers to be more hygienic and use safe water to provide food for their babies. The number one killer of children is diarrhea so if we take care of the safe water part of it, that would lead to decline in the death of children,” Adejare said.

    An advocacy group member, Adviser for Save the Children, Mr.  Babatunde Folorunsho, said the organisation is hopeful of a fruitful outcome, especially as the implementation of the policy could help save more lives in the state.

    Part of the recommendations made from the retreat was the need to have a WASH department in all the local government areas within the state and the need to also employ more environmental health officers as well as develop a robust mechanism for enforcement and compliance of sanitation laws within the state.

    The retreat, which held in Lagos, was attended by heads of agencies and departments in the Ministry of the Environment; officials of the Lagos State Water Corporation (LWC); the Lagos State Waste Water Management Office (LSWMO); Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission (LSWRC) and the Lagos State Environmental Protection agency (LASEPA).

  • Ministry probes pupil’s sexual assault claim at Queens College

    Ministry probes pupil’s sexual assault claim at Queens College

    The Federal Ministry of Education (FMoE) has launched a probe into the sexual molestation allegation against a teacher in Queens College, Lagos.

    Some directors from the ministry, The Nation learnt yesterday, were in the school on Saturday to verify a pupil’s claim that she was sexually molested by her teacher, Mr Olaseni Oshifala.

    The School Based Management Committee (SBMC) met yesterday with the ministry’s officials on the matter, which has gone viral on the social media.

    In the school yesterday, some workers were seen discussing the issue as they headed towards where the SBMC was meeting.

    “Where are you? Come now, SBMC wants to see all of us. They want to have an interview with us,” a worker told the others on phone.

    Also yesterday, old girls of Queens College, from 1956 till date, also met in the School Hall on the matter.

    A senior member of teaching staff, who did not give his name, told The Nation that there were inconsistencies in Chinenye’s claim of sexual molestation.

    He said contrary to her claim, Osifala teaches Biology to senior secondary pupils and not Integrated Science/Basic Science at the junior level.

    The source claimed that Oshifala does not live in the school and could not have been on the premises late at night as claimed by his accuser.

    He also refuted claims that new security guards employed by the school were harassing students.

    The source, who refuted the story via his Whatsapp account, described it as the work of a mischief maker.

    He said: “Six reasons why the news about Oshii might be bad belle and half-cooked mischief.

    “Oshii does not live on the compound; he does not teach integrated science or basic science; he has no business being in the boarding house around the time mentioned except there is emergency; D. Lami Amodu – PQC could not have left such a sensitive matter uninvestigated; the new security guards had not been engaged as at December when the last Parent Teachers Association (PTA) meeting was held; there has not been any report that the new security guards are harassing the girls.

    “I am not a solicitor for Oshi but the facts as presented by the ‘Mrs Chinyere’ (the pupil’s mother)are far from the truth.”

    Called for his comment, to refute the allegations, the embattled Osifala promised to return the call, but he failed to do.

    The principal did not pick her calls nor respond to our reporter’s text messages.

  • Glovic boss calls for tourism ministry

    Glovic boss calls for tourism ministry

    Managing Director of Glovic Travels and Tours Limited, Mr Okechukwu Nwaogbo, has called for the creation of a Travel and Tourism Ministry to harness the sector’s full potential.

    He said the ministry should be created out of the present Information and Culture Ministry where it is buried.

    Nwaogbo, a banker, who holds an MBA, said the government needs to do more to develop travel and tourism Industry.

    According to him, state and local government tourism boards should develop tourism sites and hand them over to tourism professionals for efficient management.

    Nwaogbo, whose firm is at Kapital Klub and Apartments, 3, Gamel Abdul Nasser Close, near World Bank, Asokoro, Abuja, said access to finance by tourism companies is a challenge.

    “There is difficulty in accessing funds for expansion. Another challenge is that some services rendered in the travel industry are not paid for, such as checking for fares, while in developed economies one pays $20 for that,” he said.

    According to Nwaogbo, services offered by Glovic Travels include flight tickets (local/International) processing, visa processing, holiday and tour packages, hotel reservation, e-passport procurement, student foreign tours/study abroad, among others.

    “What stands Glovic Travels and Tours out is that we charge no extra fees other than our commission from airlines. We offer after sale services to ensure that our customers do not miss their travelling schedule.

    “We give quick service delivery and specific treatment to specific customers. Our customers are sure to get the best services.

    “We operate 24 hours a day. Therefore, customers can reach us any time and get attended to. Our office is strategically located at Asokoro, in a less busy environment and therefore accessible to customers,” Nwaogbo said.

    On his vision for Glovic Travels in the next 10 years, he said: “We aim to be a wholesale tour operator, to have offices in the major cities of Nigeria or at least in all state capitals, and to have at least two offices outside Nigeria.

    “We also aim to have in employment 200 staffers to support government’s job creation initiative.”

    On his expectation from government, Nwaogbo, a former senior bank manager with 23 years experience, said in line with the diversification policy, institutions concerned with regulation and growth of the industry should be commercialised.

    “This will generate more revenue, boost rapid growth of the sector and provide employment to the teeming unemployed youths. The government should make the sector more attractive,” he said.

    He also called for the development of infrastructure, such as roads, to make tourism sites accessible to tourists.

    Nwaogbo urged tour operators to do more to package local tours for foreigners to Nigerian sites just as they package foreign tours.

    This, he said, will boost the industry’s growth and lead to more inflow of foreign exchange.

  • Ayade gives ministry ultimatum to fix potholes in Calabar

    Ayade gives ministry ultimatum to fix potholes in Calabar

    The Cross River State Ministry of Works yesterday commenced the implementation of the directive of the state governor, Professor Ben Ayade that every road in Calabar should be made pothole free.

    Ayade had given the ministry a seven-day ultimatum to fix all potholes identified in the 120 internal roads in the Calabar metropolis to ensure free flow of traffic during the 2015 Calabar Festival celebrations that herald Carnival Calabar in December 28.

    Speaking at Ikot Eyo Street, in Calabar where the ministry has commenced rehabilitation work, Director of Civil Engineering Godwin Akeke, said the ministry was working round the clock to deliver on the mandate of ensuring that all potholes in the metropolis were fixed within seven days as directed by the governor.

    His words: “As we speak, we are fully mobilized to site, we are ready and all our contractors have subsequently been deployed to sites. As segmented for timely completion, we have put everything in place to ensure that we deliver and give our visitors and residents good roads for easy and pleasurable movement round the town.

    “The governor has warned that he does not want to see any pothole in the entire metropolis and we will do our very best to put the roads in good shape before the celebrations. From here we are tackling the Carnival routes while work on other spots will be going on simultaneously.”

    He sought the cooperation of all road users, particularly motorists, notifying that some of the roads will be blocked in the course of the exercise to effect some major repairs and regret any inconveniences that will cause them.

    On the standard of work to be executed especially at spots that needed rconstruction, a Consultant to the Ministry, Mr. Ita Ikpeme, said the required standard practice will be adhered strictly, saying: “You should not expect anything less, because my work here is to ensure that the right materials are used at the right time at all location.”

    Ikpeme disclosed that the maintenance work was not only for the Carnival but that it is now a routine as directed by the governor.

    He said that never again shall we have potholes on the streets of Calabar during the life of this administration.

    Some of the residents at Ikot Eyo, Parliamentary Village, praised Governor Ayade for his timely intervention to save the street dwellers of the ordeal of long delays on the road.

  • Two suspected IS members arrested in Spain

    Spanish Interior Ministry announced on Tuesday in Madrid the arrest of two people suspected of belonging to a “highly qualified” terrorist sect that recruited jihadists for the Islamic State.

    It said the security forces apprehended a 32-year-old man in Mataro, near Barcelona, and a 19-year-old woman in Pajara on the Canary Island of Fuerteventura.

    The ministry said both suspects natives of Morocco, had direct contact with Islamic State leaders in Syria and were capable of carrying out attacks.

    “The alleged suspects circulate Islamic State propaganda material online and dispatched death threats in France and Spain.

    “The new Islamic State fighters no longer need to travel to Syria or Iraq in order to be trained.

    “The training takes place in the country where the new jihadists live,’’ it said.

    The ministry said government had detained 100 alleged Islamists since the beginning of this year.

  • A ministry for the poor

    A ministry for the poor

    A cleric in Plateau State is having more impact on the needy through giving rather than preaching, reports YUSUFU AMINU IDEGU

    She seems to have a natural call to serve, not just to preach or teach. In Plateau State where she is the shepherd of the Tina Bawa Ministry International, Rev Mrs Tina Bawa feeds and clothes the poor. Outside the state, she has reached out to people in need, visiting and comforting displaced by the insurgency in the region. Her budget for the poor is well over N10m in some cases.

    Bawa said, “Ministering to people [alone] will not bring salvation because it is obvious that these poor people need immediate help. You should be able to provide their need. Running a ministry is not about exploiting the poor, it should also be about helping the poor and lifting them out of their situation, that way they will appreciate the word of God better,” she said.

    Not long ago, she held a four-day free medical outreach at the IDPs camp at Zawan Commercial College Jos to offer medical assistance to thousands of displaced people who ran from Borno, Yobe and Adamawa to take refuse in Jos.

    Now on the anniversary of her husband Dr Godfrey Bawa Shitgurum’s 58th birthday anniversary she gathered the needy once again to help them, with her international collaborators lending a big hand.

    The event took place at Quan Pan Local Government Area of the state.

    Such is her impact that various communities around Kwande know her husband’s birthday and look forward to it. On this year’s anniversary over 5,000 people gathered at Kwande Primary Health Care Centre for the free medical programme organised by Mrs Bawa, although about 3,500 persons beneficiaries were targetted.

    She brought 40 wheelchairs, sufficient drugs, children’s clothing and wrappers for aged women.

    Mrs Bawa said her organisation also collaborated with her husband’s foundation called “Peter Bawa Foundation” on the outreach.

    She said, ”I was too burdened in 2007 when I saw that apart from ministering to the people through the Holy Ghost [there was] the need to reach out to people medically also. So by 2002 we did a little bit of it, the ministry started in 1999. So by 2004 we all went out to do medical mission. We did medical outreach in the daytime and then in the evening we brought the gospel of Christ to the people.

    “Since 2004 we have been in to full medical mission working with a team of medical professionals from every field of human needs on the medical outreach, with most of them volunteering and some coming from the United States of America and some of my friends within who believe in the vision. We come to treat major cases; when we have cases of surgeries we referr them to big hospitals for treatment and the ministries pay the bills.”

    She said the current effort focused on eye checks, diabetes, HIV, hepatitis, malaria, typhoid among others.

    “I observed that our people are not being cared for by the government, the government health centre in this village was in bad shape when we came in the last two years, we had to renovate the structures,” she said.

     

  • Buhari right to head petroleum ministry

    Buhari right to head petroleum ministry

    SIR: Since President Muhammadu Buhari dropped the hint that he will serve as the minister for the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, there has been a fusillade of criticisms from a particular section of the public. It is not difficult to decipher those agents of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as being the ones rolling the wheels of these criticisms.

    For far too long, the Nigerian economy has been held comatose by a few who have continually raped and reaped our oil sector of fortunes that should have been used to improve the standard of living of the Nigerian people. It is for the reason of the rapacious disposition of this few that a vast majority of Nigerians in both urban and rural areas have a daily high cost of living, without a high standard of living. It is no wonder then that the youths of this country have creatively made a parody in different social media platforms of stealthy and obstinate goats that are always going to steal from our yam barn. The goats in this parody are the corrupt public officials and the yam barn is our oil wealth.

    And then, in the midst of this state of anomie in public accountability comes a President Muhammadu Buhari – a president who came to the rein of power with his shoulders very burdened by the hopes and expectations that Nigerians, especially the youths, have in him.

    If the Buhari administration is to deliver on the hopes and expectations of Nigerians, the president needs to take the bull by the horn by being the one directly supervising the oil and gas ministry. Anything short of this is too much of a risk to take.

    With due respect to the integrity of men and women around the president, it is absolutely not advisable for the president to run the oil and gas sector of the economy by proxy. Apart from the fact that doing so runs the risk of putting another goat as the custodian of our yam barn, the man Buhari himself isn’t a novice of the Nigerian oil and gas architecture.

    As a matter of fact, it can be said pointedly that at every turn when Nigerians have had to enjoy some social benefits from the nation’s oil endowments, Buhari has always been the one driving such benefit to the people. He has first-hand knowledge of the construction of many of the crude oil refineries in the country. Recall also that during the days of the late General Sani Abacha administration, he manned the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) successfully.

    With such rich background knowledge of the nation’s oil and gas sector, one needs to ask: what else does the president require to be eminently qualified to administer the Ministry of Petroleum Resources?

    For those who feel that it is business-as-usual in the management of our oil resource, let them be reminded that this new president is a ranger, and he is going to hunt down any stealthy goat.

     

    • Babajide Balogun,

    Ibafo, Ogun State.

  • Perm Sec seeks fund for Labour ministry

    Perm Sec seeks fund for Labour ministry

    The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Clement Illoh has called on the Federal Government to strengthen the ministry for optimal performance in view of its contribution to the growth and development of the country.

    Illoh made the request at the State House, while briefing President Muhammadu Buhari on the activities of the ministry.

    He said the need to place this ministry within the economic and security category with appropriate funding of its activities cannot be over-emphasised as ministries of labour all over the world are key to national survival, growth and development, adding that it is the nation’s human capital resources that are responsible for the attainment of these critical objectives.”

    Illoh assured that his ministry will continue to deploy globally accepted strategies, involving social dialogue, rule of law, due process, accountability, transparency and diplomacy in contributing to the process of national growth and development.

    He affirmed his commitment to re-positioning the ministry for employment generation, enhanced national productivity, industrial relations harmony and social security protection for all Nigerians in line with the present administration’s change mantra.

    In a related event, the Permanent Secretary  has said industrial peace and harmony is inevitable for economic growth and development, as no nation can thrive where its industrial climate is saturated with industrial disharmony.

    Illoh stated this  in Abuja at a two-day refresher course organised for labour and factory officers on grade levels 10-14 in the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity Headquarters and the 36 state offices.

    He said the development of Nigeria depends on the labour force, which he described as the bedrock that creates the wealth of any nation, adding that it is the labour force in a society that determines the direction of that society.

    Dr. Illoh decried the insufficient number of both labour and Factory Inspectors to supervise the large number of factories all over the country in accordance with international standard to be achieved as set up by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

    To address this situation, he said: “the ministry is recruiting Factory Inspectors and Labour Officers, saying that the ministry has been able to recruit up to 400 factory inspectors and labour officers in the last three years which is inadequate, compared to the number of factories that are liable for inspection. He said one way of solving this problem is through capacity development.

    Illoh recalled that during the ministry’s briefing to Mr. President, establishment promised to increase the number of inspections to at least 25,000 per quarter, which according to him will bring the number to 100,000 in a year.