The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigeria

  • ‘Merger is giving PDP sleepless nights’

    ‘Merger is giving PDP sleepless nights’

    IF the claims of Senator Abdulkadir Alkali Jajare are anything to go by, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will soon lose 70 of its senators to the newly formed All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Alkali, an All Nigeria Peoples Party (PDP) senator representing Yobe South, said the coalition of opposition parties was giving the ruling PDP sleepless nights.

    According to him, scores of the PDP members in the upper legislative chamber and many from other parties are set to join the APC ahead of the general elections in 2015.

    Jajare spoke in Damaturu at the weekend after ANPP stakeholders and supporters met in the state capital, where they endorsed the merger of parties that produced the APC.

    The senator told reporters: “PDP Hhas been having sleepless nights since the emergence of the APC. They are desperate to destroy the party from its formation. But I want to tell you that the APC is a moving train and no one can stand on its way.

    “As I am talking to you, we have received a lot of commendation and full backing from over 70 PDP serving senators among others. And very soon, they will join our new part – the APC.”

    Jajare expresssed optimism that the APC will unseat the ruling PDP at the 2015 polls going by the popular acceptance it has received from Nigerians.

    Noting with sadness the rate at which average Nigerians have been subjected to poverty, corruption and injustice under the PDP-led government for more than 13 years, the senator said: “Many people from across the country are ready to offer their unflinching support to the new party for a change, knowing that the problems which have drawn backward our socio- economic development and indeed the realisation of the country’s dream.”

    Allaying fears that personal interests of coalition leaders might jeopardise the APC mission, Jajare said: “This is an imagination from the opposition and of course that of the media which are purely PDP scripts.

    “Everybody and the political parties that have endorsed the initiative will be carried along without any political sentiment or ethnic consideration.”

     

  • Briton, Italian, five other foreigners kidnapped in Bauchi

    Gunmen kidnapped seven foreigners and killed a security guard when they stormed the compound of Lebanese construction company SETRACO in Bauchi Sunday  morning.

    Among those abducted were a Briton, an Italian, a Greek and four Lebanese workers, including two women, Local Government Chairman Adamu Aliyu and security sources said.

    Bauchi Police Chief Mohammed Ladan said the gunmen attacked a police station and a prison overnight before storming the construction firm’s compound in Jama’are, a Bauchi state town.

    “We repelled the attack on the police station and the security men at the prison yard also repelled the attack, but they burnt two vehicles in Jama’are police station,” Ladan said.

    “They then attacked Setraco construction, killed a local security guard and they succeeded in kidnapping people,”  he said and declined to state the nationality of the victims.

    The Italian and Greek foreign ministries confirmed that one of their nationals was taken in the raid. A spokesman for the British Embassy in Abuja said it was investigating.

     

  • I told Obasanjo ‘I’m not your cook’ —Audu Ogbeh

    I told Obasanjo ‘I’m not your cook’ —Audu Ogbeh

    The former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Audu Ogbeh, yesterday said that that his decision to call the bluff of former President Olusegun Obasanjo precipitated their parting of ways and his subsequent removal as party boss.

    Ogbeh, now a stalwart of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), said at a meeting of the Benue State expanded executive council of the party in Makurdi that during the confrontation he told the former president that he was nobody’s boy.

    According to him, “One day, I summed up courage and confronted Obasanjo at a meeting. I told him point blank that Mr. president, I am not your cook but your party chairman, so you talk to me with respect.”

    At the meeting which was held to discuss the merger of ANPP, ACN, APGA and CPC, Ogbeh said he asked Obasanjo to show the party leadership respect and reminded him that when others were building the party he was in prison and should stop kicking people around.

    This, according to Ogbeh, did not go down well with the former President who later masterminded the former chairman’s ouster.

    He assured ACN members that merger of the party with APGA, CPC and ANPP will work and that APC will be ensure party supremacy.

    “Let me also assure you that APC will send PDP out of power in 2015,” he said.

    He lamented the current high level of corruption in the Jonathan administration saying it is the only thriving sector in the country.

    “ When I was chairman of PDP, my son never got involved in oil but two national chairmen after me, their sons pocketed over N400 billion without supplying a tea cup of oil.”

    He added, “Chairman of Pension Task Force Team is going about with 20 policemen yet they are deceiving the people that he has escaped. He may have donated the money to fund the party’s campaign, so he’s untouchable.”

    Also speaking, Senate Minority leader, Senator George Akume, reaffirmed that the merger is on course and advised ACN members to disregard rumours that it will not work.

    He noted that beginning the merger with 11 governors is a no mean achievement.

  • Mama Ye, campaign to save mothers, babies for launch Monday

    Mama Ye, campaign to save mothers, babies for launch Monday

    MamaYe, a campaign to encourage public action to help save the lives of Nigerian mothers and babies will be launched in Abuja on Monday.

    The campaign is a programme by Evidence for Action funded by the UK Department for International Development.

    To mark the launch, MamaYe will feature a staged live drama event with songs; provide the opportunity to give blood to save a mother, and encourage other actions that can help save lives.

    Nigeria Country Director for Evidence for Action, Dr Tunde Segun in a press release stated that “more Nigerian mothers and babies are surviving pregnancy and childbirth than ever before, but  so much more still needs to be done –  by all Nigerians, not just ‘the Ministry’ or ‘the government’ or ‘the UN.’”

    According to Dr Segun, ensuring women have timely access to safe healthcare services, including sufficient blood supplies, could help save about 40,000 mothers and 240,000 babies a year.

    “We know change is possible. We know how to save the lives of mothers and newborns. But, first, Nigerians need to get involved and take action. Whether you are a taxi driver who can help take mothers to their local clinic; a girl training to be a midwife or a young man encouraging your sister to attend her antenatal clinic, you, too, can save a life.

    “Every day, Nigerian men and women like you can take action that could give a mother and her baby a future. Join our campaign and become a MamaYe hero or heroine.  Show us what you will do to help save mothers and babies” the Country Director stated.

    Riding the digital wave, MamaYe (www.mamaye.org.ng) will take advantage of the 107 million mobile phone subscribers in Nigeria and use social media and a website to engage the public in this important cause.

    “The MamaYe website will give the Nigerian public information, hard facts and solutions. With the help of MamaYe, Nigerians will be able to track budgets for health, and check on whether clinics are staffed with skilled health workers and equipped with drugs and other commodities” Dr Segun stated.

    “MamaYe will put information in the hands of Nigerians, enabling us all to take action and save the lives of our mothers and newborns. Many are already taking action – often without recognition or reward. At today’s launch the MamaYe campaign team will showcase their efforts.

    “Awards will be given to everyday ‘maternal and newborn health champions’.

    “These include Dr. AshiruAbubakar of Kano, a medical practitioner who pushed for an unprecedented blood donation campaign at the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital Kano in response to loss of blood contributing to maternal deaths in the State. This campaign has so far yielded over 200 donated pints of blood – one of the highest in the country.

    “As a voluntary blood donor himself, he has helped to dispel some of the misconceptions in the region towards blood donations.  ChinomsoIbe from Imo, first became interested in maternal health as a student at the Midwifery Training School where she saw mothers and babies die from preventable causes. She mobilises women to achieve better health during pregnancy and childbirth by organising free check-ups, immunizations, and medical outreaches.

    “Phoebe Peter from Kaduna is another MamaYe champion, a midwife who regularly and selflessly gives her own blood to save women who would otherwise die of haemorrhaging in childbirth” Dr Segun explained.

     

  • Nigeria now 30th in FIFA rankings

    Nigeria now 30th in FIFA rankings

    Nigeria leapt 22 places up the FIFA rankings on Thursday following Super Eagles victory at the just concluded Africa Cup of Nations but the continent remained without a team in the top ten.

    The Super Eagles, who edged Burkina Faso 1-0 in Sunday’s final in South Africa to win the competition for the first time in 19 years, rose to 30th place in the table, the team’s best position for three years.

    The Burkinabes, who exceeded expectations by reaching the final, stayed outside the top 50 but had jumped 37 places to 55th, Supersport.com reports.

    Ivory Coast, beaten by Nigeria in the quarterfinals, remained Africa’s highest-ranked side in 12th, followed by Ghana seven places below.

    Surprise package Cape Verde, who reached the quarterfinals in South Africa, moved up 13 places to 63rd.

    CONCACAF’s highest-ranked team is Mexico in 15th while the best Asia could muster was Japan, who is ranked 28th.

    Five-times World Cup winners and 2014 World Cup hosts Brazil remained in 18th spot, the team’s lowest-ever ranking, after losing 2-1 to England in Luiz Felipe Scolari’s first game back as coach last week.

    The win took England up two places to fourth.

    The South Americans showed their strength-in-depth as Venezuela climbed 10 places to 45th, leaving all of the continent’s 10 teams in the top 50.

    There was no change in the top three where world and European champions Spain lead, followed by Germany and Argentina.

    The Turks and Caicos Islands, Bhutan and San Marino were tied in 207th and last place.

     

  • ‘We wasted one year serving Nigeria’

    ‘We wasted one year serving Nigeria’

    Batch ‘A’ 2012 Corps members are passing out today. But many of them are not looking forward to the event. Reason: the high unemployment rate and lack of low-interest loan  for graduates, who want to go into business. GERALD NWOKOCHA writes.

    •Corps members paint bleak picture of National Youth Service

    Today, Batch ‘A’ 2012 Corps members will pass out after the one-year mandatory service. In the past, it was an event graduates looked forward to with high hope of a better future. Today, Corps members do not share that sentiment. Many of them are not happy because “we are going to join millions of unemployed graduates”.

    Many Corps members had come to see the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) as an avenue for employment after service. Many of them lobbied to change their postings and places of primary assignment to either government offices or corporate firms.

    Last year, the Federal Government introduced a policy, mandating the NYSC directorate to stop posting Corps members to private firms. Former Minister of Youth Development Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, who introduced the reform, said the NYSC was becoming moribund, adding that there was need to revamp the scheme for better results.

    Abdullahi said the government had cogent reasons for redirecting the energy of the youth to four sectors of the economy.

    He said: “Posting of Corps members to various parts of the country in the area of rural health care delivery, education, infrastructure and agriculture will lead to equitable labour supply and create equal development across the nation, thereby making the youth to serve the community, instead of being cheap labour for private firms in the city.”

    The Corps members passing out today are the first set to be posted to the four sectors. Many of them bemoaned their postings to remote villages, where they said they could not utilise their business skills. They are afraid that after passing out they will be abandoned.

    They are also aggrieved at what they call a ploy to get them to serve for one more than one year through the background. To them, the requirement that they should go for one year practical training to benefit from the Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), amounts to “second service”.

    They said instead of providing jobs to practicalise what they were taught in school, government wants them to go for another round of training, which may not ensure immediate employment after completion.

    Abdulkadir Muazu, who served in Abuja, described the SURE-P training as a waste of resources. He wondered why the government could not channel the resources to provide loans to business-minded youth.

    Stanley Ibeku, a former Corps member, described the training as government contractors idea. He said: “The idea is irrelevant. Why did they not make the training available to graduates during the service year? Are they also advocating the scrapping of NYSC?”

    Most Corps members, who spoke to our correspondent, described their service year as a waste of time.

    “What do you expect when Corps members are sent to communities where there is no life for a whole year and yet when they are through, there is no immediate employment? The whole thing is a waste of time,” said an outgoing Corps member, who served in Kaduna.

    Those posted to remote villages said the service year was hell for them. Idris Ibrahim, who is passing out today in Katsina State, told CAMPUSLIFE that the service year was tough for him. He was posted to a community where there is no electricity. To make calls, he said, was a problem. He wondered why he was posted to a village when there was no meaningful thing the villagers were expecting from Corps members.

    Hope Ofobike, who served in Niger State, said it was as if, she was cursed to waste a year.

    “The experience is not worth it, because I was made redundant for 11 months. The best way to engage Corps members is to repeal the policy, which makes all Corps members to teach or serve in rural communities. I studied Mass Communication and during the service year, I was supposed to be posted either to the print or electronic media. But I was asked to teach. Now, employers will be asking for two or three years experience in journalism. My brother, where will I get that when I was posted to a rural school?” Hope said.

    Charles Israel, who served in Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, said serving in the North was depressing. He told CAMPUSLIFE that the blocks of classrooms in the secondary school where he served had all collapsed. “I don’t know how they want us to survive in such environment,” he wondered.

    Chinwe Madubuike, who served in Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has a different story. “I fell in love with the students I taught at my place of primary assignment. I have a good service year not because I served in FCT, but because I was posted to teach, which is what I like,” she said.

    Gbeminiyi Ope-Ewe, who served at Africa Comprehensive School, Asokoro, Abuja, was discouraged when she was posted to a school but her experience was a source of inspiration to her. “I want to groom youth after my service year. I want to open an outfit for talent discovery and skill acquisition,” she said.

    Emeka Oge, who was in Niger State, said the service would be meaningful if Corps members are employed after service. “If we are made to be looking for jobs after our service year without provision of loans or service that can engage us productively, the nation has no business sending anybody to serve the in rural communities after their degree programmes. Let graduates find jobs after they complete their university degrees. This will save time and resources than sending us to places where none of our leaders have been to.”

  • Us, Nigeria to hold bilateral trade forum

    MEMBERS of the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC) are set for talks on bilateral trade between their countries.

    At a briefing in Lagos, the chamber’s deputy president, Mr Binta Famutimi, said the event is expected to promote the development of trade, commerce, investment and industrial technologies between both countries public and private sectors.

    “It is a vital forum to address challenges of enhancing Nigerian and American relations. This year’s event promises a rich mix of cultures and contacts, with members of the chamber from its branches in Abuja, Abeokuta, Ibadan, Kaduna, Port Harcourt, Owerri and American corporate bodies set to make their presence count,“ he said

    The chamber denied that it is a Lagos affair, saying it plans to open branches in other states to strengthen its relationship with the private sector.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Nigeria to save N2tr in raw materials devt

    The development of Nigeria’s intermediate raw materials will save it over N2 trillion in the next 25 years, the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), has said.

    Speaking in Abuja, its Director-General, Prof. Peter Onwualu, said since the council’s inception 25 years ago, it has promoted the exploitation, development and use of local raw materials.

    “Little wonder that after 25 years experience in value addition to local raw materials, the council has emerged as Nigeria’s focal point for the development of Nigeria’s vast industrial raw materials.

    “Our target is to increase the percentage of local content in industrial raw materials utilisation in Nigeria from the 25 per cent to 60 per cent in the next 25 years.

    “This, by our estimation, can save Nigeria over N2 trillion in foreign exchange for the importation of intermediate raw materials, process equipment and impact skills,’’ Onwualu said.

    According to the him, Nigeria is expending foreign exchange to import raw materials and products, which can be sourced from the country, because of lack of awareness.

    Onwualu said the country is processing about 25 per cent of its local cocoa production before the council was born.

    He said because of the council’s efforts over the years, the figure moved to 75 per cent, adding that another 2,000 jobs were created.

    He said over 100 research projects had been funded by the council, and about 50 per cent of research results had been commercialised, while 30 per cent were at various stages of commercialisation through pilot plants and joint venture with SMEs.

    He expressed the council’s belief on the development of the nation’s natural raw materials and investment in people, saying that both were possible and sustainable.

    He said to ensure that both remained a socio-economic vehicle for sustainable national growth and development, the council has embarked on intensive investment promotion campaigns across the country.

    He said the next 25 years, over two million jobs would be created in the area of raw materials production, processing, distribution and final processing of goods and services.

    “We hope to achieve these by consolidating on the council’s information generation, research grants scheme, commercialisation of research results and promotion of investment in resource based industries,’’ he said.

    Onwualu said the council would work with other relevant organisations to see to the emergence of about 5,000 SMEs, adding that this would be done by using research results and technologies developed by the council research institution, universities and other higher institutions.

  • World Radio Day marked in Nigeria

    World Radio Day marked in Nigeria

    Joint World Radio Day Statement

    By

    The Nigeria Community Radio Coalition (NCRC)

    Media Rights Agenda (MRA)

    The Institute for Media and Society (IMS) and

    The International Press Centre (IPC)

     Introduction:

    The Nigeria Community Radio Coalition (NCRC), the Institute for Media and Society (IMS), Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and the International Press Centre (IPC), join the rest of the global community in celebrating the second anniversary of World Radio Day, today February 13, 2013.

    The day came into being on November 3, 2011, when the 36th General Conference of UNESCO approved the proclamation that February 13 of every year should be observed as World Radio Day, following a proposal at the session 187 of UNESCO’s Executive Board in September 2011.

    We continue to identify with the aspirations which motivated the proclamation of February 13 as World Radio Day, to raise awareness about the importance of radio, facilitate access to information through radio and enhance networking among broadcasters.

    Observations and Recommendations

    On the occasion of this second anniversary of the World Radio Day, the Nigeria Community Radio Coalition and its partners, IMS, MRA and IPC wishes to remind the Federal Government of Nigeria, various State governments, the National Assembly and the State Houses Assembly about their obligations to facilitate an enabling environment for unfettered radio broadcasting in Nigeria. This is necessary for our full democratic development and to enhance the people’s participation in governance.

    In particular, we wish to draw government’s attention to and highlight the following issues:

    •The continued delay in the operationalization of Community Radio

    • The lack of public involvement in the processes leading to the White Paper on the Report of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Transition from Analogue to Digital Broadcasting

    •The absence of constitutional backing for independent broadcasting in Nigeria.

    Delay in the Operationalization of Community Radio

    It is now almost three years since October 2010, when President Goodluck Jonathan announced a presidential approval for the licensing of community radio stations across the country and accordingly delegated his powers under the Constitution to issue broadcast licences in this regard to the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the statutory regulator for the broadcast sector.

    It is worrisome that three years on there is still no indication of the implementation of this important directive despite the apparent importance of community radio in giving voice to the masses, including the rural and urban poor, to participate in governance and contribute to developmental efforts of governments in their communities. The continued lack of implementation of this presidential directive, evidenced by the fact that no single community radio licence has been issued since then, seriously undermines the credibility of the Office of the President and is capable of bringing it to ridicule.

    We hereby urge President Jonathan to take urgent steps to ensure that relevant government institutions and agencies give effect to his directive while the NBC should without further delay proceed with the issuance of community radio licenses.

    White Paper on the Report of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Transition from Analogue to Digital Broadcasting

    It has come to our attention that the Federal Government has issued a White Paper on the report of the 22-member Presidential Advisory Committee on Transition from Analogue to Digital Broadcasting in Nigeria. The committee was set up and inaugurated on October 13, 2008 and submitted its report in June 2009.

    It should be recalled that the late President Umaru Yar’Adua had as far back as December 2007 approved the transition from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting in Nigeria, with an effective date of June 17, 2012, in line with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) resolutions on the issue. It was to give effect to this that the Presidential Advisory Committee on Transition from Analogue to Digital Broadcasting in Nigeria was set up and inaugurated on October 13, 2008.

    We observe however that the Federal Government has not made public the White Paper on the report although it has proceeded to set up an implementation committee. The report of the Committee itself was not subjected to public discussions by critical stakeholders. It is our firm view that this is not the best approach in dealing with a matter of such public importance in a democratic setting. In the circumstance hereby call on the government to make the White Paper public and open it up for discussions and consultations among stakeholders in line with democratic norms and practices.

    Constitutional Backing for Independent Broadcasting

    The on-going review of the 1999 constitution presents a unique opportunity for the country to strengthen the role of the broadcast sector in national development. It will be recalled that the broadcast sector was liberalized in 1992 through a decree issued by a military government. While the opening up of the sector to allow for private broadcasting was a very welcome development, the liberalization of the sector remains at best work in progress.

    The current regulatory environment for broadcasting in Nigeria continues to fall far short of international standards, particularly with regards to the lack of independence of the regulator.

    We urge the National Assembly in particular and other stakeholders in general to take advantage of the constitution review process by supporting the amendments proposed by the Media Network on the Review of the 1999 Constitution comprising the IMS, MRA, IPC, and other bodies including the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) as follows:

    • The regulatory body in charge of broadcasting should be made one of the Federal Executive Bodies recognised in Section 153 and under the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution. It should therefore be listed in those sections accordingly. This is due to the critical role the broadcast regulator plays as an essential tool in aiding the development of the country’s democracy through ensuring the effective development and regulation of the nation’s airwaves, which remains the most critical source of information for the generality of the citizenry. Making the broadcast regulator one of the Federal Executive Bodies in the Constitution would also guarantee adequate funding for its operations.

    • In order to ensure that the broadcast regulator is fully independent of government, all members of its governing body should be appointed by the National Assembly after open public hearings, and they should be accountable to the National Assembly.

    • The overbearing presence of government officials in the governing body of the broadcast regulator should be curtailed by removing representation for the State Security Service (SSS) and the Federal Ministry of Information from the membership of its governing body.

    • The process of appointing representatives of the different interests groups that constitute the governing body of the broadcast regulator should include a requirement for consultations to be held with the various stakeholders in each of the named sub-sectors of the Nigerian society when selecting their representatives for appointment to the governing body.

    • Members of the governing body and staff of the regulatory body should have security of tenure and clearly defined conditions of service.

    • Part of the functions of the regulatory body should be exclusive power or right to issue and revoke broadcast licenses, through a transparent process with clearly stated criteria that are publicly available. This function should not be exercised with reference to or under the instructions of any other authority but the decisions of the governing body in this regard should be subject to judicial review. Consequently, the proviso to Section 39(2) of the 1999 Constitution should be amended to reflect this principle of empowering the regulatory body to so act.

    Signed:

    Akin Akingbulu: Nigeria Community Radio Coalition (NCRC)

    Edetaen Ojo: Media Rights Agenda (MRA)

    Lanre Arogundade: International Press Centre (IPC)

    Lere Oyeniyi: Institute for Media and Society (IMS)

     

     

  • Buhari’s presence at Centenary flag off impressed me – Jonathan

    Buhari’s presence at Centenary flag off impressed me – Jonathan

    President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday said that the attendance of former Head-of-State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd.) along with other dignitaries at the flag off of the Nigeria’s centenary celebration last Monday really impressed him.

    He recalled that the idea of celebrating the nation’s centenary in a big way had attracted a lot of negative statements with many wondering while celebrating among crisis.

    Sighting Buhari in the gathering, he said, informed his decision of  asking the former leader to join him in lightening the centenary torch.

    “When the celebration was packaged and that day when I got there, I was impressed myself especially when I saw the former heads-of-state including General Buhari.

    “He came that day and that was why I said the two of us should light the unity torch and I think it was something nice,” Jonathan stated.

    According to him, the way the flag off was packaged showed that Nigerians needed to celebrate.

    “Initially, when we came up with the idea of celebrating our centenary, there were so many negative statements in the media. There were many Nigerians questioning why we have to be celebrating amidst crisis. They claimed that our unity has never brought development.

    “But finally, when the celebration was packaged and that day when I got there, I was impressed myself,” he stated.

    He said that the flag off and Super Eagles’ victory at the just-concluded African Cup of Nations showed that God had a purpose for Nigeria.

    “So the colourful flag off of the centenary with the victory of the Super Eagles, though I am not a soothsayer, but there are certain things that are directed by the will of God and I believe God has a purpose for this country.

    “I believe that purpose will come through and I believe collectively, we shall succeed,” he stated.