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Tag: Musiliu Obanikoro

  • PDP congress: Lagos group slams Obanikoro

    PDP congress: Lagos group slams Obanikoro

    • ‘His attack on George crude’

    The crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State deepened yesterday as a group within the party chided former Minister of State, Defence Musiliu Obanikoro.

    Obanikoro was attacked for criticising another party leader Chief Bode George over the party’s congress.

    The Lagos Integrity Watch told Obanikoro, a governorship aspirant to forget his bid for the party’s ticket.

    The Coordinator of the group Olarinde Onitolo, in a statement, said: “We read with alarm and disgust the outrageous claim of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro alleging that our National Leader, Chief Olabode George, was somehow partisan in last Saturday’s Ward Congress held in Lagos State.

    “This is outright unfair. It is crude, illogical and foul. The fact of the matter is that Obanikoro is a rejected aspirant. The stakes are too high; the option of a rejected character to fly our party’s flag this time around is quite unforgiving.

    “We will not allow anyone to sell and mortgage our destiny to the highest bidder again.

    “Obanikoro should apologise immediately to our party and Chief George for this gross indiscretion”.

     

     

  • No part of Nigeria shall be ceded, says Obanikoro

    No part of Nigeria shall be ceded, says Obanikoro

    No part of Nigeria shall be ceded to any militant group, Minister of State for Defence Musiliu Obanikoro said yesterday.

    Obanikoro spoke at the Western Naval Command (WNC) headquarters during his maiden familiarisation tour of navy units and commands.

    Responding to questions from reporters on extremist sect Boko Haram’s declaration of Gwoza as “Islamic Caliphate”, Obanikoro insisted that “there shall never be a republic within a republic”.

    He said the Federal Government was leaving no stone unturned in tackling the “madness”. called Boko Haram, adding that huge investments have been made towards equipping the military for challenges.

    He said the military were fully geared to tackling and surmounting the security challenges facing the country either in the Northeast with Boko Haram or in the maritime domain by pirates and sea robbers.

    Obanikoro said: “Even delegates at the just concluded national conference agreed that the unity of Nigeria is not negotiable.

    “This madness we are witnessing today is temporary. Be rest assured we have all it takes to make it as temporary as it is.

    “The commitment of the President to ensure this has started. We are having massive injection of funds into acquisition of equipment that will raise the performance level of our military across board, including other security agencies.

    “Just dealing with today is no longer attractive to the President. Yes, we will confront the issues of today, but dealing with the issues of tomorrow, today, is what the President is doing to ensure those coming after him will not inherit the kind of liability he inherited.

    “The threat of piracy in our maritime domain is a challenge and we are taking it seriously. We cannot have piracy as a challenge in our maritime domain, and Boko Haram in the Northeast as, if allowed, they will pose great threat to our economy.

    “We cannot have piracy as a challenge in our maritime domain because 80 per cent of our economic activities revolve around our martime environment.

    “A lot is being done to ensure our men and women perform optimally. The president is doing that and I can assure you it is an investment that will take Nigeria to the future.”

    “In every endeavour, there would be issues and challenges but we are ensuring that the challenges are conquered and the issues mitigated,” he added.

    While touring facilities at the Naval Training Command, Obanikoro promised that the government would speedily rehabilitate the navy’s swimming pool, noting the dangers of a dysfunctional pool for the force.

    The minister also stated that special dispensation would be made to ensure that jetties are provided for the military.

    “In developed countries, most solutions to problems that defy civilian reasoning are provided by the military. The best schools and hospitals are owned by the military. So, I want to urge you people to do more in this regard so that our people will no longer pride themselves in travelling abroad,” he said.

    “When I was young, countries like Pakistan were at par with us and in some areas, we were even more developed than them, but now, we are so backward that people now desire to travel to such countries. We need to do something about this and fast track our development process,” the minister said.

    The Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command (WNC) Rear Admiral Sanmi Alade, said the tour was to provide the minister with on-the-spot acquaintance of the command’s activities.

    He said the command had continued to carry out its statutory responsibilities, in spite of daunting operational challenges, adding that cases of piracy and sea robbery had reduced drastically in the Lagos waters.

     

  • Lawmaker faults Obanikoro on holding bay for Apapa

    Lawmaker faults Obanikoro on holding bay for Apapa

    A plea by the federal government calling on the Lagos State Government to build a permanent holding bay for trucks and tankers that park indiscriminately on roads and bridges in Apapa has been faulted by the lawmaker representing Apapa 1 Constituency in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mufutau Egberongbe.

    In his reaction to a recent report credited to the Minister of State for Defense, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, urging the state government to build permanent holding bay for the trucks and tankers in the Apapa area, the lawmaker noted that it is the responsibility of the federal government to provide the holding bay, since according to him, the state government does not earn  revenue from the activities in the port, “while the FG earned a revenue of over N1.4trillion in the first six months of this year.”

    Claiming that Obanikoro is not acquainted with the peculiarity of the Apapa environment, Egberongbe added that a permanent solution to the problem in Apapa is the rejuvenation of the rail line.

    He said, “These rail lines lead right into the port from the North and they (rail lines) are still there. The rail lines are owned by the federal government and if rejuvenated, it will in a single stride ease the menace in the area.”

    Egberongbe, who claimed that he has been agitating for the relocation of the Tank Farms to the Lekki Free Trade zone, said that any temporary solution in form of constructing a holding bay would be counter-productive thereby causing a distortion of the state master plan.

    “This position has been advanced not only by myself, but also the state Commissioner for Transportation, Kayode Opeifa and re-emphasised by Governor Babatunde Fashola during one of his recent visits to the area,” the lawmaker said.

    While commending the Navy authorities for ensuring security and free flow of traffic on the road, Egberongbe however said, “This is only an interim measure; it cannot be permanent.”

    He advised Obanikoro to concentrate on his core duties since the issue at hand falls within the purview of the Ministers of Transport and Works, adding, “If the minister must show concern as a Lagosian, he should seek information from the Lagos State government.”

     

  • Obanikoro’s speciousness

    Responding to accusation of misusing the military for political ends, the Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, has offered what is at best a specious explanation for his giddy actions in the past few weeks. He had been accused of deploying, or causing to be deployed, soldiers for the recent Ondo by-election. He was also accused of militarising Ile-Ife, together with Jelili Adesiyan who swooped on the town with truck loads of policemen, during the last Ife day. And, now, he is also accused of using soldiers to subvert the Lagos State government over a land matter clearly not in his purview.

    His response does not do credit to his claims of intelligence. He had asked his accusers whether they knew how soldiers were deployed, as if in fact we didn’t. The military themselves, reports say, were embarrassed by what the junior minister was doing with soldiers everywhere. The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Ondo State had complained about Mr Obanikoro’s obtrusion during the by-election. And even though the REC has rephrased his complaint, the essential details of Mr Obanikoro’s malfeasance remain unchanged. What business did he have with the Ondo by-election? Indeed, how does the Lagos land matter concern the Ministry of Defence to warrant his interference?

    The fact is that in their obsequious minds, both Mr Obanikoro and Mr Adesiyan interpret their appointments as empowerment to subvert the governments of the Southwest, especially in states where elections will be held soon, and to reclaim the zone for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). But if they must, should they destroy their zone in order to accomplish the task, or subvert due process and the constitution to please their employers?

    But in all, it is a reflection of the low amperage of character left in both the military and the police that ministers could flagrantly and unconstitutionally suborn the security agencies for reprehensible, unethical and partisan duties. In addition, it is a reflection of the contempt the Jonathan presidency has for the country and its constitution that some of its ministers could embark on adventures that ridicule and undermine the country in the estimation of the world.

  • Senate confirms Obanikoro as minister

    Senate confirms Obanikoro as minister

    The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Senator Musiliu Obanikoro as a minister.

    The confirmation followed a brief speech by Obanikoro after which the Senate asked him to take a bow and go.

    Obanikoro would represent Lagos State in the Federal Executive Council (FEC) after a formal swearing in by President Goodluck Jonathan.

    While Hon. Mohammed Wakil has also been screened, the screening of 10 other ministerial nominees is in progress.

     

  • ‘Don’t confirm Obanikoro as minister’

    ‘Don’t confirm Obanikoro as minister’

    A chieftain of the Yoruba Consultative Forum, Comrade Oshinowo Ibrahim, has appealed to the National Assembly not to confirm the nomination of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro as a Minister.

    He said Obanikoro’s antecedents do not qualify him for the exalted post.

    In a statement yesterday, Oshinowo said “We call on all well-meaning Lagosians, Senate President, Speaker of House of Representatives to stop his nominations as a ministerial nominee from Lagos State because of his antecedents.”

    He challenged the former Ambassador to Ghana to render account of his stewardship and “tell us what he has done during his mission to Ghana despite huge financial provisions on foreign missions.”

    He said the nominee is not the best material from Lagos, claiming that “most Ghanaians have attested to the fact that he’s the least performed ambassador in the last nineteen years.”

     

  • What is Obanikoro up to?

    What is Obanikoro up to?

    In a series of media stunts, Musiliu Obanikoro, erstwhile Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Ghana, former senator, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Lagos State and presently, a ministerial nominee had expressed concern regarding governance and popular expectations in Lagos State under the leadership of Babatunde Fashola (SAN) and All Progressive Congress (APC). I consider his thoughts driven by politics, and it behoves anyone with a conscience to write in defence of a working government. I must state that I don’t belong to any political party.

    I must give kudos to Obanikoro’s for dissecting the Lagos 2014 budget in a recent interview. It is a fact that no government, be it federal or state, has all it needs to execute its projects. The most ingenious way available to every government is to shore-up its internally generated revenue (IGR), and most importantly, go borrowing. Borrowing is neither a curse nor a bad idea; however in our clime the problem we have with borrowing is misuse of borrowed funds, because for any borrowed funds, the project(s) of its application must be attached. The criticism for borrowing is stemmed from the corrupt attitudes of our government officials and the needless open display of ostentations in the midst of a debilitating poverty.

    On the issue of Lagos budget 2014, Obanikoro told us the zero deficit claim of the government is a hoax. He is economical with the truth. Again, while it is debatable, we must look at some parameters to get an answer. Firstly is the issue of recurrent expenditures, this is an issue that virtually all states of the federation and particularly the PDP-led federal government are guilty of. In fact, the federal government budget estimates for 2014 is over 70% recurrent on personnel and overhead. The onus is on governments to reduce the costs on personnel.

    My understanding of zero deficit budgeting is that all expenses captured are justified and provided for, that is, budgets are built around what is needed for the upcoming period, regardless of whether is higher or lower than the previous one. Zero based budgeting allows for top-level strategic goals to be implemented into the budget process by tying them to specific functional areas of the government where costs can be first grouped, then measured against previous results and current expectations. The proposed borrowing of N99.74 billion in the budget is to refinance existing debt. Obanikoro should know that refinancing a debt is different from interest payment for internal loans. At any point in time, more avenues may be open to government to borrow; servicing a loan is different from refinancing a loan. That the state government will access US$200m World Bank loan in 2014 does not translate to the budget being financed from this loan.

    More importantly, that Lagos State will borrow to finance some its projects does not preclude it from having a zero deficit budget. We must know that risk assessment by professionals played an important role before loans are given to any government. More so, credit-worthiness of a state determines if such a state will even be given loan or not. The debt profile of Lagos State is manageable; if not, it is unlikely the World Bank will have made available to it the recent loan. Borrowing and debt management are risks that cannot be avoided but managed.

    In the area of healthcare, I have been to Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), but for purpose this writing I will say what I saw in LASUTH can compare favourably with any teaching hospital in Nigeria. Governor Fashola should not be made to bear the brunt of choices of individuals who prefer overseas hospital as a status symbol. We need to build our capacity in the health sector, and this will require the collaboration of both federal and state governments.

    On the electoral issue involving his son, there is always the aftermath of an election, and the loser with a genuine case will approach the tribunal for a redress. Obanikoro’s son won at the tribunal, but since there is a window for an appeal, it is expected that the other person will appeal. To now accuse a sitting governor because of his legal credentials and/status as Senior Advocate of Nigeria, (SAN) of impounding the legal victory of his son is cheap politics.

    One area I least expected Obanikoro’s condemnation is the Lagos residency registration campaign. To me this a laudable effort hinged on planning for the development of the state. Headcounts inform government’s template for planning, and that the present Lagos government chose to do so is commendable. Population determination is an important ingredient in governance and infrastructure development.

    In Lagos, exemplary leadership has resulted in ambitious projects that have direct bearing on the populace, notably the BRT expansion from Mile 12 to Ikorodu; the gigantic Badagry-Marina blue light railways, Adiyan water works expansion project, Ozumba Mbadiwe-Awolowo road link bridge, Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge, construction of 16 roads in Mushin local government, construction of major roads (Simbiat Abiola road, Kodesho etc) in Ikeja local government, a new modern market in Oshodi, the on-going Tejuosho modern market, new modern stalls in Agege, re-construction of major roads (Adeniran Ogunsanya, Akerele, Bode Thomas etc) in Surulere, the re-construction of 2.6km Alaba/Cemetary road in Ajeromi-Ifelodun, the remodelled Obalende and its environs. More importantly, Lagos State government must be given kudos for the environmental management of canals; the continued dredging and de-silting of these numerous canals within the state have gone a long way to save the populace from flooding issues.

    Obanikoro chose to denigrate his benefactor, APC leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the interview. I don’t think politics should be carried that far. For what it is worth, Tinubu made him a commissioner and facilitated his election into the senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In an interview on NTA programme One-On-One sometime in 2004, Obanikoro himself said after God, the next person who had played an important role in his political career is Tinubu. As humans, we should always look beyond the present. Whatever might be Tinubu’s political school, a former political son addressing a political father with such odium hardly speaks well of our age-long known attributes of honour and respect.

    On the whole, the signature of development as embedded through responsible governance from the inception of democratic government in Lagos State is encouraging. We must guard against making negative political judgment on verifiable performance. Much of Obanikoro’s thoughts is political than sound economic management, and we will continue to do ourselves grave injustice if we give political colouration to every issues. While more work needs to be done, Fashola and his team deserve commendation.

    • Nurudeen writes from Surulere, Lagos State.

  • Jonathan nominates Gusau, Obanikoro, Wali, Haruna as ministers

    Jonathan nominates Gusau, Obanikoro, Wali, Haruna as ministers

    President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday forwarded the names of 12 new ministerial nominees to the Senate for consideration and confirmation.

    Jonathan in a letter read by Senate President David Mark at plenary in Abuja said the nominations were in accordance with Section147 (2) of the Constitution.

    The nominees are – ex-National Security Adviser, General Aliu Mohammed Gusau (Zamfara State), Nigerian Ambassador to Ghana, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro (Lagos), Hon. Mohammed Wakil (Borno), Abduljelili Oyewale Adesiyan (Osun), Ambassador Aminu Wali (Kano), Mrs. Hadjia Jemila Salik (Kano) and Mrs. Akon Etim Eyakenyi (Akwa Ibom).

    Others are – Laurencia Labaran Mallam (Kaduna), Dr. Tamuno W. Danagogo (Rivers), Asabe Asmau Ahmed (Niger), Mr. Boni Haruna (Adamawa) and Dr. Khaliru Alhassan (Sokoto).

    Also on Tuesday, Jonathan presented the names of the newly appointed Chief of Defence Staff and Service Chiefs for confirmation.

    They are the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshall Alex Badeh, Chief of Army Staff, Major General Kenneth Minimah, Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin and Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshall Adesola Amosu.

    Jonathan said: “I write to forward, in compliance with the provisions of Section 18(1) of the Armed Forces Act, Cap. A.20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, the names of the under listed for the kind confirmation of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for appointment as Chief of Defence Staff, and Service Chiefs of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

    It would be recalled that this is the first time appointments into the military hierarchy are being subjected to Senate’s confirmation.

    A Federal High Court had ruled that it was illegal for the Chief of Defence Staff and other Service Chiefs to be appointed by the President without Senate’s confirmation.

    The case was instituted by Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamo.

     

  • ‘I am still reflecting on 2015’

    ‘I am still reflecting on 2015’

    Former High Commissioner to Ghana and Chairman of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) Senator Musiliu Obanikoro spoke with reporters in Lagos on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) crises and the future of the party in Lagos State. EMMANUEL OLADESU was there.

    Why did you not contest for the governorship of Lagos in 2011?

    I was on a national assignment at that time. I was the country’s representative in Ghana. There is no way I can abandon the responsibilities given to me by the Federal Government and come home only to be chasing a political office at the state level. Now that I am home, I am strongly reflecting on the last 15 years of civil governance. I will not sit down here and tell you that we don’t have few things to celebrate in the state. But,, by and large, there are still many holes to fill up.

    We need to do more in education so that more people can send their children to public schools.

    We need to revatalise the health sector. Everybody that is somebody now goes overseas for ordinary medical check–up. Even, the governor does his medical check–up abroad. We need to look at the environment. We need to do something about the Olusosun dumpsite at Ojota and the level of pollution. The dumpsite is surrounded by residential communities. I was one of the beneficiaries of Alhaji Lateef Jakande’s housing policy. We need to build houses for the low and middle income earners.

    What is your ambition now?

    As I have said, this is a time for reflection and I am still reflecting. I do believe that Lagos state, with its potentials and the kind of IGR they got every month, can be managed better than it is now. The business of government can be done more transparently.

    The best investment the state government would have made is to invest in education. Instead, the government increased tuition fee from N25, 000 at the LASU to N250, 000.

    Why did you leave the AD for the PDP?

    I left before they formed the ACN. With the benefit of hindsight, I did the right thing by pulling out of the AD. There is no internal democracy in the AD in those days.

    Lagos PDP is not united. How can the party fight for power in an atmosphere of disharmony?

    Well, they are not united either. What you are looking in their party as unity is a peace of the graveyard. An honest member of their party will tell you that all is not well in that party either.

    Do you think that the PDP can defeat the APC in Lagos State?

    I am convinced beyond any doubt that our party, the PDP, is winning Lagos State in 2015. The people in the state will vote en masse for our party because they need change. The indices of rejection of the ruling party in Lagos are there for people that care to see. For example, if you observe clearly, you will realise that the present government has become unnecessarily arrogant. They are running the state as if it is their personal business venture. We are serious; we have what it takes to dismantle this government in the state.

    When last did you meet to discuss party affairs with the likes of Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, Chief Bode George and other chieftains? Recently, we had a meeting at the party secretariat in Ikeja. Our leader as you know is not in the country for now. I spoke with him for about an hour yesterday. We are all united now. As I speak with you, Lagos PDP is one big family.

    Have you all agreed to work together for the same purpose?

    I don’t know why you are particular about our party’s internal affairs.

    Members of the party here in Lagos used to fight one another all the time and that does not show any sign of seriousness.

    That is democracy for you. Democracy is about us dealing with our convictions. We don’t have to see things from the same point of view all the time. But, I think we are more united now than ever before and we are coming out to say enough is enough. Right now, as I speak with you, we are united.

    If you’re still reflecting whether to contest 2015 governorship election in 2015, then it means there is problem somehow

    No. You get it wrong. Let me tell you that I am eight years older than I am when I contested in 2007. A Yoruba proverb says that an elderly person doesn’t act like a child. I have focus. Don’t forget that I have also done other things since 2007. I’ve served my country meritoriously as an Ambassador. May be, the diplomatic part of me is having greater share of me this morning. I want to let people know that we the Lagos PDP is serious about 2015 and we have what it takes to dismantle this elitist government in Lagos State.

    What has the Federal Government done to assist the people of Lagos and the government?

    Federal Government has done a lot to assist Lagos. For instance, our government at the centre ensures that the Third Mainland Bridge does not collapse. We have done that continuously in the last five years. Yar ‘Adua did it, Jonathan has done it. There is the expansion the federal government is doing along Apapa-Oshodi expressway to ensure access in and out of the harbor. There is also the massive renovation done at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport at Ikeja. The arrival and departure section have been expanded. And the interesting thing about all these is that, if you goggle the Ministry in-charge of these works to get how much was expended on each of the project, you will get them stated clearly. Whatever question on cost that anyone asks the state government officials on any project, their reply used to be, it is provided for in the budget.

    The APC is saying PDP is corrupt. You’re also saying Lagos state government being run by APC is corrupt. One finds it difficult to believe both sides?

    They will say anything they want because they are seeking what doesn’t belong to them. We are telling the people and we have demonstrated to the people that we have the capacity to deal with erring members. For instance, during Yar’Adua administration, the Minister of Health, Mrs. Grange erred and President Yar’Adua fired her immediately. During Obasanjo’s tenure, the then Minister of Education, Dr. Fabian Osuji was also fired. We forced Senator Nwabara to step down as President of the Senate. This is a progressive action from our party.

    Under President Goodluck Jonathan, with all kinds of corrupt practices by top members of his cabinet, nobody has been fired, in spite of people’s condemnation of actions taken by some of the cabinet members?

    It will be very unfair to ask such question because we are looking at an un interrupted 15 years governance by two political parties. It will be very unfair of you to reduce focus on only Jonathan’s administration. We are saying we have history of dealing with corruption. Do they even have any history at all in their party?

    What about the current Oduah scandal in the Aviation sector?

    Oh yes! Accusation has been made in the open. Panel have been set up to look into the matter, the president have received the report. I am sure in good time; he would come out with a position. Be that as it may, nobody can sweep under the carpet what PDP had done to tackle corruption. Their party has not done anything; that is what we are saying. Everything they have accused us of doing, they are worse off. They accused Stella Oduah of buying two armoured cars for N255 million. The one which the Lagos state governor is riding up and down in Lagos is more expensive than Oduah’s car. He is a public officer too who draws his salary from tax payer’s money. It is the same standard, it doesn’t matter. It is even more damning for the governor because he is elected by the people and he is supposed to uphold the trust and confidence of the people of Lagos. So, their own is even worst in that case, but it is unfortunate the media refuses to look at that area.

     

  • ITF laments non-payment of dues

    ITF laments non-payment of dues

    The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) Governing Council’s chairman, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro has tasked industrialists in the country on the need to update their financial responsibilities to ITF to enable the agency carry out its activities effectively.

    Senator Obanikoro who was in Kano with his team on assessment tour of ITF facilities in the state yesterday, frowned at the attitude of some industrialists who he said have refused to live up to their responsibilities in terms of remitting the required fund made for the development of ITF.

    “I want to strongly advice that those who are committed to us should stand by us at the time of our need. I recognise that business men are in business to make money, but sometimes you also take cognizance of the responsibilities to our businesses. The situation that we have here will not remain with us forever. In fact, we have improved in the recent past and I do believe that if we can sustain the tranquility that we now, the economy will grow better.

    “In terms of those who are not contributing, my advice is that every corporate citizen must be responsible and responsive. Any corporate citizen that is in violation of the law, to me cannot be seen as responsible and responsive; and I know that the intention of every business person is to be responsible and responsive—so I am using this medium to appeal to those who are either out of knowledge and are avoiding payment or deliberately not paying to have a rethink,” Obanikoro stated.

    He also charged ITF staff in Kano to brace up and take their responsibilities seriously, noting that, “I am in a hurry to deliver on our mandate. We need all the help to move on. We must all work together as a team. Collectively there is nothing we cannot achieve. Team spirit is very germane to achieve our goals and defend what we stand for.

    “We cannot go through the slow lane; this bureaucratic bottle neck must be removed. Nigerians are yawning for actions and positive dividends of democracy. We cannot achieve this if we are using a locomotive engine.  We must be on the fast-track. We must get things done in due time.

    “Kano is very strategic and very important in the scheme of things to the extent that the most successful business man in Africa today (Aliko Dangote) is from Kano. We can turn things around as a nation, as one people, we have all it takes to turn things around,” he stated.

    The chairman after touring facilities at the ITF office and the Industrial Skills Training Centre (ISTC),  expressed satisfaction over the facilities on ground and the performance of the students, but pointed out that there was need to create a data base to would store the names of both the past and present students of the agency, with a view to monitoring their activities and ensure that the knowledge they acquired is used to develop the society.

    He promised to alleviate the challenges facing the ITF Area Office, “based on our observations, we are equipped to intervene in all our findings. As a Governing Council, we will sit back and make some decisions on how best to improve all these facilities that we have visited.  But be rest assured that we are progressive in every sense of it.”

    Briefing the Governing Council on the activities of ITF Kano Area Office, the Area Manager, Alhaji Hassan Mohammed Hassan noted that the Area Office has completed seven out of 10 Scheduled Courses and seven out 10 unscheduled courses achieving about 70 per cent of its target for the year 2013.

    He identified challenges facing the Area Office to include security challenges, massive closure of industries in the state, inadequate power supply and massive importation of goods such as textile materials from Asian countries.

    He, however, noted the achievements of the Area Office to include staff welfare, discipline among staff and students as well as establishing cordial relationship with its clients in Kano and Jigawa states, adding that, “the ITF has put in place several measures to key-in to the Federal Government’s Transformation Agenda; and we in Kano Area Office are doing everything possible to key in to these objectives of Mr. president.