The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ministry

  • The Prophetic ministry of Isaiah (10)

    It is total obedience to God’s commandments and instructions that fortifies the love He has for His chosen people and tribe. In spite of the successive misbehaviour of the Israelites, God still kept the covenant made with Abraham, and the love and promise to king David, indicating the Messiah would come from that tribe.

    Deviating a bit from the earlier chapters that were more of anger of God towards the recalcitrant Hebrews, here was a soothing message that fortified the eternal love of God to the tribe of Jesse. It was a situation of a compassionate father, seeing the Israelites as prodigal sons that have come for forgiveness of their misconduct.

    A prophesy came from Prophet Isaiah of the coming of a branch from the tribe of Jesse, who will be filled with Holy Spirit, and will stand as banner to His children, with the Gentiles equally seeking Him.

    Isaiah 11:1-5 says: “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him- the Spirit of Wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. And he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth………..righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist” (NIV).

    From the bible verses, let us choose some mentioned qualities of the coming Branch:

    1. Spirit of God will rest on Him.

    2. Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding

    3. Spirit of Counsel and Power

    4. Spirit of Knowledge and fear of the Lord

    5. He will not judge by what he sees or hears, but through righteousness.

    Spirit of God will rest on Him: Without the Spirit of God, one is nothing, and that was the reason why Jesus Christ admonished the disciples that whenever they were brought before the authorities in synagogue, they should not be afraid for the Holy Spirit would guide them on what to say (Luke 12:11-12). For us as Christians and in any capacity we find ourselves, we should always seek the direction of the Spirit of God before taking decisions. It is the lack of consultations with the Holy Spirit that make people to regret their actions and inactions, for consultations with the Holy Spirit will only lead to only one path – Joyfulness.

    Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding: When biblical Solomon was asked in his dream at Gibeon what he wanted on ascension of the throne, he requested for the wisdom to be able guide his subjects aright ( 1 Kings 3:5-15; 1 Kings 4:29; 2 Chronicles 9:22). Without the Spirit of Wisdom, man will just be behaving foolishly and will not be able to command respect. Where he is expected not to talk, he will talk loudly and carelessly and vice versa (Proverbs 8:11; Proverbs 16:16 and 22; Ecclesiastes 7:12; Ecclesiastes 9:16).

    Spirit of Counsel and Power: Since all powers belong to God and should be ascribed only to Him (Psalm 68:34), and nobody can get it except from that source, which is God. Therefore, everybody in position of authority requires the Spirit of Counsel and Power to be able to take informed and godly decisions.

    Spirit of Knowledge and the fear of God: The bible says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7), therefore whosoever in need of knowledge and wisdom must have the fear of God in him. With the fear of God in us, we will be careful in destroying our fellow human, which will enable us to always take steps that will make the name of God to always be glorified.

    He will not judge by what he sees or hears but through righteousness: It is scripturally said that righteousness exalt a nation (Proverbs 14:34), hence wherever there is righteousness, there will be liberty, fairness, justice, equity, and greatness. All these were what made our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to be exalted till tomorrow. Leaders should not judge on hear-says but on sound facts and wisdom (reference Solomon in 1 Kings 3:16-28).

    Meanwhile, God did not spare that idol-infected nation – Babylon and other known enemies of Israel like Egypt, Edom, Moab, Ammonite, and the brothers of Judah that have colluded with the enemies against his own people in the latter part of the chapter, saying there would all regret their actions, whilst the Israelites as said in Chapter 12 would rejoice and be glad in the restoration of their lost glory.

    Prayer point

    Pray that God should restore back your captivity and fortune (Psalm 126).

    Comments and enquiries to: motailatusanctuarychurch@yahoo.com; 2348060572904

  • NDDC, ministry, have failed Niger Delta – CLO

    The Bayelsa State chapter of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) has berated interventionist agencies established by the government to address the challenges in the Niger Delta region.

    The state chairman of the group, Mr. Nengi James, alleged that the agencies had betrayed their mandate of developing the region.

    James who spoke in an interview in Yenagoa yesterday said establishments like the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Ministry of the Niger Delta had become an avenue for some persons to enrich themselves.

    He alleged that the agencies were being used by some persons to selfishly accumulate wealth, especially awarding contracts for political patronage.

    He called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe the financial transactions of the agencies.

    He said, “For me, those who created the interventionist agencies in the Niger Delta had a good idea, but the operators and the people heading these agencies may be the problem.

    “Some of us still believe that these agencies cannot help the Niger Delta people. So far, they have not been able to address the problems in the region.”

    He said despite the complaints of fund starving, the little money released by the government to carry out some projects in the region was being “shared by a select few at the detriment of the people.”

    He further observed that the agencies had abandoned the Niger Delta Master Plan in their operations.

    “The Niger Delta Master Plan, we do not even know where it is now. The whole money is spent on conferences and planning of master plan. By so doing, the majority of the people suffer from abject poverty and hunger. Unemployment and crime have become the order of the day because of the inability of the agencies to address their core mandates,” he said.

  • Ministry holds conference on restorative justice

    Prison Fellowship Nigeria, Chartered with Prison Fellowship International holds the National Prison Ministry Conference, from September 12-13 at Merit House, Central District, Abuja, under the chairmanship of the former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

    The theme of the conference is “restorative justice, anchor of the social contract and democracy” .

    In a statement by the Executive Director, Mr. Benson Ngozi Iwuagwu states that the objectives of the conference include: “ to promote discourse on a criminal justice system that in addition to punishing the offender, promotes victim/ offender mediation, reparation and community participation in the judicial process, “to examine alternative correctional models for effective reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration of prison inmates

    “to promote Prison Ministry as an effective social platform for reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners, ex-prisoners, victims of crime, human capital development, crime curtailment and control“ to train those involved in and or interested in the reformation , rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners, ex-prisoners and victims of crime in the use of effective outcome based intervention tools-Sycamore Tree Project, Onesimus Project, Angle Tree, etc”.

    Giving insight into the background and conception of the conference, Mr. Iwuagwu said: “ It is obvious that over crowding in prisons and difficulties of prolonged judicial process cannot go away by adhoc inventions, but by pro-active action based on a re engineering of our criminal justice jurisprudence and practice.

    He said: “the conference workshop will dwell on restorative justice to look at its models and policy framework that can be adopted into the criminalization process, the Criminal Procedure Act , Rules of Practice (for Judges, lawyers and Judicial officers) as to de emphasise imprisonment as a major form of punishment.”

    Iwuagwu noted that the focus would be on non-custodial sentences considered more effective, less damaging and dehumanising to accused persons and convicts, to satisfy the victims and give them an environment conducive for their communal harmony and safety.

     

     

  • Ghana Ministry accredits Webster varsity

    Ghana’s Ministry of Higher Education has accredited Webster University’s new campus in Accra, Ghana, following a rigorous review.

    The university is now in the process of securing approval for the Ghana location from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), United States.

    Once approved, Webster University graduates from Ghana will earn degrees recognised by both U.S. and Ghanaian accreditors.

    Webster University has selected graduate and undergraduate programmes for the Ghana campus based on interest of students and employers in the region. The first graduate programme will be a Master of Business Administration and undergraduate programmes include international business, international relations, and media communications.

    “As a truly global university, Webster has embraced the ideals and impact of globalism over nearly a century of growth,” said Webster’s President Elizabeth J. “Beth” Stroble.

    “Our history of meeting unmet needs by taking education to where it is most needed now takes root in Ghana. We look forward to partnering with Ghanaians to build the capacity for individuals and communities there and across the Webster global network to prosper in an increasingly connected world,” she added.

     

  • Computer Society seeks ICT Ministry

    Computer Society seeks ICT Ministry

    Despite the establishment of the Federal Ministry of Communications Technology by the Federal Government, the Nigerian Computer Society (NCS) has said the creation of an Information Technology Ministry is the only way the nation can fully optimise the huge potential in the IT industry.   Speaking on the sideline during the conferment of honoraray award on Jim Ovia, Chairman, Visafone Communications, in Lagos, Provost, College of Fellows, NCS, Oladimeji Ogunewe, insisted that since the core of information communication technology (ICT) is IT, it is imperative that the Federal Government take a second look at the creation of an IT ministry. This, he argued, would allow for the participation in the design and implementation of IT infrastructure.

    “The core of ICT is IT. So anything you do in the IT profession is computer. We believe in putting emphasis on the core knowledge usage of where IT comes from (which is) computing machinery. Most of what we do in IT now is training. We want to be part of adding value to IT and you can only get that when you are a core participant, part of the design of IT infrastructure.

    “I believe we can get there faster if we concentrate on IT, all other things will be added unto you but again some school of thought talks of convergence but it’s like six and half a dozen. No big issue but our preference is for us to concentrate on core (IT) as a condition for participating in ICT usage worldwide. It is when you begin designing and manufacturing of the infrastructure of IT that your value addition can be patronised by other companies,” he said.

    He lamented that because of the absence of an IT ministry, indigenous original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) were struggling to survive.

    “Even some of our senior colleagues who are manufacturing, there is a lot to get if government were to give total concentration to them to do what they are doing.

    “There are so many infrastructural tools that if you are chasing after as individuals, it will be hard to achieve but if government gives the enabling platform like IT parks and others, this will allow for concentration on adding value and not re-inventing the wheel,”he added.

     

     

  • Ministry defies National Assembly, concessions National Arts Theatre

    Ministry defies National Assembly, concessions National Arts Theatre

    A major row may be brewing between the Federal Government and the National Assembly after the executive defied a stay action order from the House of Representatives and went ahead to concession the National Arts Theatre, Lagos.

    The concessionaire and the terms of concession remained a top secret last night with sources saying only a few government officials have the details of the deal.

    One source said it was doubtful if the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) was carried along on the issue.

    Following a row over plans by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation to turn the complex into a hotel, the House of Representatives had on April 8, directed the minister, Mr. Edem Duke, to stay further action on the concession. It also halted the planned ejection of three agencies from the Theatre Complex.

    In a letter signed by the Chairman of the House Committee on Culture and Tourism, Chief Ben Nwankwo, the Reps said they ought to be briefed on the inherent public interest in the planned development of the Arts Theatre.

    Also, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, Sen. Ahmed Barata faulted the minister by claiming that “interestingly, you have deliberately kept the Committee and National Assembly incommunicado on the action so far in order to deny her its legislative role.”

    Although the two chambers of the National Assembly are still looking at issues involved in the concession plans, a letter from a Federal Government Committee has confirmed the action taken by the government.

    The confirmation of the concession of the Arts Theatre was contained in a letter by the Federal Government Implementation Committee of the White Paper on the Commission of Inquiry into the Alienation of Federal Government Landed Properties.

    In the letter, the Secretary of the Presidential Implementation Committee, Mr. Kola Adeyemi, said government had decided to “relocate some agencies of the Federal Government that are currently located within and around the National Theatre based on the concessioning of the monument and that some of the agencies are to be moved to some offices at the Federal Ministry of Information Building, 15 Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos which is in the custody of your office.

    “In view of this, you are to, please cooperate with officers who have been given the responsibility to handle the relocation so that this important national assignment can be concluded on time,” he said.

    A government source, however, said: “Following media revelation about the secret concession plan, the National Council on Privatisation summoned the minister on why the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) was not carried along in the exercise.

    “The NCP took the step because as far back as 2006, BPE had short-listed two firms for the lease of the National Arts Theatre. The companies are Infrastructica and Jadeas Trust.

    “Infrastructica actually won the lease bid to pay the Federal Government N35billion for 35 years. But it could not raise the required funds. The offer was then set aside for Jadeas Trust.

    “Instead of allowing Jadeas Trust to take over, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation attempted to turn the complex into a hotel until it boomeranged.

    “We don’t know whether they have conceded the National Theatre to Jadeas Trust or not. We don’t know if they are still going ahead with their secret plot which NCP aborted. It is strange to hear that a concession has taken place.

    “The National Assembly should assist Nigerians to know the truth on this concession they are talking about.”

    The theatre was inaugurated on September 30, 1976 by the then Military Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo.

    It was opened five months before the hosting of the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC ’77) in January/February 1977.

     

  • Ministry seeks ‘right tools’ to actualise reform agenda

    The Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment has asked for what it calls the “right tools” to enable it discharge its job.

    Minister of Trade and Investment Olusegun Aganga told the Head of Civil Service, Alhaji Baker Aji, who visited him, that the ministry was ready to actualise the government’s reform agenda.

    He said: “For now give us the right tools to do our jobs, that is all we are asking you to prioritise and help us to transform and assist us to work for Nigerians. If you are looking for investment, you compete with everyone from other countries to attract investment to your country. If you are talking about trade it is not just about regional or domestic trade, it is about international trade. You have to understand the language, communicate effectively and negotiate appropriately with your colleagues internationally. You need exposure and training to do the work”.

    Aganga said on assumption of office, he had to grapple with the structure and staff.

    He asked for capacity building for directors in the ministry. He said they need to be trained and exposed to enable them work like their counterparts in other part of the world.

    The minister said there was an opportunity for everyone to transform the economy to address the issues of wealth creation and poverty alleviation, adding that Nigerians are natural entrepreneurs who can run and start their businesses easily. He said the tools to move people from line of poverty to high wages and increase in per capita income is SMEs development.

    He pointed out that that no country has ever historically moved from being a poor to a rich nation without having a strong industrial and related services sector.

    The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Alhaji Goni Aji announced the agency’s support for the reform programme of the Ministry.

    Goni said the ministry is very critical to the nation’s economic development and assured the Minister that his office will do everything possible to assist in whatever area the Ministry will require to drive the Reform Programme.

    His words: “Whatever assistance is required to reposition the Ministry to attract foreign partners and investors and improve our national economic development, the office of the Head of Service of the Federation is ready, and we can actually start now”

    He advised the Ministry to start the implementation of the Reform Programme with two or three core departments as pilot departments before implementing same in other departments, adding that the exercise was in line with the earlier directive from the President that any Ministry that was critical to the repositioning of the national economy must, therefore, be professionalised.

    The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment ,Mr. Dauda Kigbu in his presentation of the proposed professionalization of the Ministry had said that in order to enhance the effective pursuit of the Ministry’s mandate, and considering the pivotal role it is expected to play in the realization of the Transformation Agenda, the professionalization of the Ministry became expedient.

    He said prior to the engagement of a consortium led by RockHaven, the Federal Public Administration Reform (FEPAR) under the auspices of DFID had undertaken an institutional and functional review of the Ministry.

    The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment is among the first pilot Ministries where the office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) have approved reforms that the Federal Public Administrative Reform Programme of Nigeria (FEPAR) is supporting its implementation.

  • Ministry to partner Omatek on power

    Theproblem of inadequate power supply to schools may soon end thanks to a 24-hour hybrid solar power solution by Omatek Ventures Plc.

    Education Minister Prof Ruqayyat Ahmed Rufai inaugurated the alternative power solution at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), where it has been deployed to power lights on the walkways and reading rooms of the New Hall hostel.

    This was followed by a tour of the Omatek factory in Oregun, Lagos, where its CEO, Mrs Florence Seriki showed how the firm has been able to solve problems of power supply and consumption with its hybrid solutions and bulbs that consume far less energy than the popular 60 watts bulbs.

    The minister also learnt about the firm’s e-learning scheme which marries the latest hardware technology with content relevant to the school curriculum; as well as its internship programme for undergraduates to learn practical lessons assembling computers. Mrs Seriki said universities send students to Omatek who are involved in hands on training.

    “When we say we are doing e-learning, all these computers are already being used in schools. We are not just producing hardware; we have integrated their curriculum into it,” Mrs Seriki said of the e-learning platform.

    Praising Omatek for the various solutions, Prof Rufai said the alternative power solutions would improve students’ performance.

    “This is going to be a very good way forward in terms of research and development and in terms of our students to have constant supply of power to enable them study to enhance education performance and also increase our capacity for research.”

    The minister added that Omatek’s efforts in providing practical training for the youths is in line with the president’s transformation agenda for Technical and Vocational Education (TVE). To this end, she said a new committee to be headed by Chief Aliko Dangote would be established to address skills deficit.

    “We have seen that the way we partner with the private sector should be more practical. The issue of producing graduates that will be looking for jobs will soon be history,” she said.

    On his part, Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof Julius Okojie said more needs to be done to strengthen the relationship between tertiary institutions and the industry.

    “In the tripartite relationship between government, universities and industry, the weakest link is the university. We need an interface between industry and the university system,” he said.

    Speaking with The Nation, some of the students in the assembly plant said they had gained a lot of practical experience that gave meaning to what they learnt in school.

    Saiuy Zion, a 400-Level Electrical/Electronics Engineering student of Covenant University, Ota, said: ”

    Before I came, here I didn’t know they assembled parts and computers in Nigeria. But now I can dismantle and assemble a CPU, laptop or printer. I just started last week but I have gained a lot of experience.”

    Another student, Shola Adesiyan, who is studying Computer Science at Bowen University, Iwo, said in addition to practical, the students get tutorials as well.

     

  • Ministry moves to check job stagnation

    The Federal Ministry of Education is considering creating additional offices to accommodate staff who are stagnated at the same level for years.

    A stakeholders’ meeting under the chaired by Minister of Education, Prof. Rukayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i , has agreed that the ministry should expedite action on its effort to create additional vacancies through the office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF).

    Following the 21-day ultimatum given by the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) to the Federal Ministry of Education to resolve the outstanding labour issues, stakeholders met with the Labour Minister.

    In the communidirector, Human Resources Management, Education ministry and  Comrade A. B. Lawal, Secretary-General, ASCSN, the meeting agreed that the Permanent Secretary of Education should provide a quarterly schedule of meetings between the Ministry and ASCSN leaders, which would be chaired by either the Minister or him.

    On the non-placement of staff after promotion and the non-payment of promotion arrears, it was resolved that the task force put in place to address the issues should conclude its assignment latest by the end of by next month.

  • Ministry, ECOWAS, private sector to grow real sector

    How can the Federal Government’s transformation agenda and industrialisation goal best be achieved? It is by harmessing the National System of Innovation (NIS), says the Ministry of Science and Technology, Prof Ita Ewa.

    Speaking at the National Stakeholders’ Workshop on Innovation for the Organised Private Sector (OPS) in Lagos, he said his ministry would collaborate with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission to achieve the goal.

    According to him, the ministry with the support of the ECOWAS Commission is seeking the private sector’s partnership to drive the real sector’s growth.

    The minister said: “Science, technology and innovation are pillars of socio-economic and environmental development of any nation. Data management and the development of indicators of science, technology and innovation have been identified as major axis of the actions to be implemented in the short-term as they allow government and stakeholders to review the systems in place. It is believed that this innovation will impact on the lifestyle of Nigerians if effectively pursued.”

    He added that the ministry hoped to facilitate public-private partnership (PPP) in research and development and commercialisation of the products.

    Ewa said Nigeria was playing a leading role in the implementation of the initiative, which would contribute to its socio-economic development and that of ECOWAS.

    He said the Science and Technology Ministry is committed to driving innovation.

    “It is hoped that this National System of Innovation (NSI) framework will evolve a strategy to foster innovations at all levels of government from wards, local, state, regional to the federal level.

    “The public and private sectors must be properly engaged to drive sectoral innovation,’’ he said.

    The National Vice-Chairman, Nigerian Association of Small-Scale Industrialists (NASSI), Duro Kuteyi, praised the Federal Government on the initiative. He canvassed more funding to aid food processing in the country.

    He said: “The lack of innovation for processing has continued to affect local production and capacity utilisation in the country. Food security can only be enhanced through an effective food processing initiative. If we must avoid dumping, small and medium enterprises must be empowered for exports. We do not have adequate security to obtain loans for efficient processing of goods for export. If this can be addressed, SMEs would become more pivotal in the growth of the country’s economy, while food security would be assured.”

    Also, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) commended the ministry’s effort in driving development through innovation, noting that there was a need for frequent interaction with the private sector to enhance the innovation and effective implementation.

    MAN’s Director, Corporate Affairs, Rasheed Adegbenro, said the NSI has opened a new vista between the private sector and government and the opportunities therein should be harnessed through improved partnership with the OPS.