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Tag: Nigerian news

  • Nigeria pledges commitment to eradicate poverty

    Nigeria pledges commitment to eradicate poverty

    Nigeria has pledged its commitment to eradicate poverty through various policies of the Federal Government to transform the nation’s economy , particularly agriculture.

    Mr Arnold Jackson, Assistant Director, Nigerian Export Promotion Council ( NEPC ), stated this while delivering Nigeria’s statement on ‘Eradication of Poverty’ during the general debate at the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

    Jackson said: “One of the policies of government to drastically reduce unemployment and by extension reduce poverty is the N-Power programme, aimed at engaging 500,000 Nigerian youths.

    “The N-Power provides a structure for large scale and relevant work skills acquisition and development while linking its core and outcomes to stimulating the larger economy.

    “The beneficiaries of the programme will help in diversifying Nigeria’s economy as well as actualising economic and strategic aspirations of achieving food security and self sufficiency.

    “No fewer than 150,000 Nigerian young graduates have already been engaged under the N-Power Scheme, while the process of engaging the remaining 350,000 is currently underway”.

    According to him, Nigeria is paying special attention to agricultural development in view of its importance to employment generation, women empowerment and poverty eradication.

    “Hence, various agricultural schemes have been initiated to create opportunities for women and youth, with the aim of supporting them with necessary infrastructure to attract various levels of agro investments and non-oil export opportunities.

    “Some of these schemes include the ‘Green Initiative’, ‘Zero Oil Plan’, ‘Zero to Export’, ‘One State One Product’, to mention a few.

    “Government is committed to ensuring that her agricultural advantages are further boosted through technology transfer, export promotion and rural development, which are fundamentally important for agricultural development in Africa.

    “Nigeria would continue to encourage other countries to grant market access opportunities to her exportable agricultural and other products,” he said.

    Jackson said it was Nigeria’s firm belief that gender equality and women empowerment would be better achieved through the eradication of poverty and the implementation of appropriate economic measures.

    “This is why a ‘National Social Protection Policy’ is currently under consideration to address poverty, vulnerability and inequality in the country.

    “The Nigerian government has also intensified campaign for the Girl Child education in order to secure their future participation in national development.

    “This effort should be emulated globally to improve the situation of women in the context of the 2030 Agenda.

    “At the global level Nigeria keys into several initiatives aimed at empowering women and the girl child, such as the ‘She Trades Initiative’ by the International Trade Centre,” he said.

    He said Nigeria rightly acknowledged that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions remained the greatest global challenge and an indispensible requirement for sustainable development.

    “It is on this premise that Nigeria avows that international cooperation to combat illicit financial flows and enhance asset recovery to foster sustainable development.

    “This is a practical sincere commitment to eradicating poverty and by extension ensuring the attainment of sustainable development,” he said.

    NAN

  • Nigeria, Morocco signs MoU on agric insurance coverage

    Nigeria, Morocco signs MoU on agric insurance coverage

    The Nigeria Incentive Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending ( NIRSAL ) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two Moroccan firms to expand agric insurance coverage in the country.

    The two firms are Mutuelle Agricole Marocaine d’Assurance ( MAMDA ) and MAMDA Reassurance (MAMDA-RE).

    The partnership would also cover the expansion of agricultural insurance products in the country.

    Signing the MoU in Abuja on Friday, the Managing Director of NIRSAL, Mr Aliyu Abdulhameed, said the partnership was a product of the bilateral agreement signed between President Muhammadu Buhari and King Mohammed VI of Morocco in December 2016.

    He noted that the MoU would cover `index based insurance products’ which included weather, pricing and yield to protect farmers’ investments in case of flood, fire or pestilence.

    Abdulhameed said the move was to de-risk agriculture, facilitate flow of finance to the sector to diversify the economy, attain self-sufficiency in food production and entrench inclusive economic growth.

    According to him, NIRSAL’s target is to move insurance coverage from about 0.5 million to 3.8 million agricultural primary producers to help reduce credit risks, increase lending and investments across the agriculture value chain.

    Abdulhameed said the partnership would involve advanced technical training on surveying aggregated farmlands, large commercial and plantations farms and loss assessment methods.

    Others are technical training on Geographic Information System (GIS), technology for agriculture and Remote Sensing application in Agricultural Crop Insurance.

    “This signing means a lot to the agriculture sector of the country.

    “As a risk management corporation for agriculture and agribusiness of the Central Bank of Nigeria, it is important for us to have capacity for risk analysis, management and mitigation.

    “For us to be able to deliver on our mandate of enabling the flow of finance and investment into the agriculture value chain, the capacity to do risk analysis, management is a second nature to us.

    “What you have seen today is symbolic, NISRAL leveraging the experience of MAMDA, the number one agriculture insurance company of Morocco, to learn the tools and skills of risk management in agriculture.’’

    Mr Khalid Abdellaoui, the Deputy CEO of MAMDA and MAMDA-RE, commended the Federal Government and NISRAL for the MoU.

    He said the companies were committed to assisting Nigeria to expand and move agriculture insurance forward in the country.

    Also speaking, Mr Moha Ou Ali-Tagma, the Morocco Ambassador to Nigeria, said that agriculture was a very important sector in Morocco, contributing over 20 billion dollars annually to the economy.

    “For our countries, it is important to develop the agriculture sector. This is a very important step in the long way of the strategic partnership between the two countries.

    “It correspondents with the interest of the King Mohammed the VI and President Muhammadu Buhari.

    “Nigeria can count on Morocco and Morocco can count on Nigeria,’’ Ali-Tagma said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that MAMDA, through its subsidiary MAMDA-Re launched in 2014 enables African partners to have access to global reinsurance capacity for agricultural risk.

    NAN

  • NDLEA advises Enugu residents against self medication

    NDLEA advises Enugu residents against self medication

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ( NDLEA ) has advised Enugu residents to desist from self medication to avoid drug abuse.

    The State Commander of the agency, Dr Anthony Ohanyere, gave the advice on Friday in Enugu in an interview.

    Ohanyere observed that some residents of Enugu took delight in patronising open drug shops, especially chemists, to buy drugs without due consultation with a physician or pharmacist.

    He noted that out of ignorance, the people indulged in taking controlled drugs, which from medical authorities should be duly prescribed by a health expert.

    The commander said that these controlled drugs could be taken only on prescription as they were high risk drugs, which can cause monumental health problems immediately or later to the user.

    According to him, some of the effects of abuse of controlled drugs include illusions and hallucinations.

    Other effects, he added were; poor perception of time and distance, depression and anxiety, violent behaviuor as well as longer and more intense “trip’’ episodes.

    He also identified other effects as slurred speech, disorientation, fatigue, paranoia, shallow respiration, euphoria, and psychosis, drunken behaviour, clammy skin, dilated pupil and well as weak and rapid pulse.

    He said drowsiness, respiratory inhibition, increased pulse rate and irritability, blood pressure complications, sleeplessness, coma and finally death could also occasion through drug abuse.

    “Our people should stop self medication because of its costly consequences, especially the buying and use of controlled drugs.

    “All over the world, it is doctors, dentists and appropriately qualified medical personnel that can dispense controlled drugs due to its adverse effect, if used or applied wrongly.

    “On the other hand, only qualified and certified pharmacists that can dispense this category of drugs, because they are knowledgeable in the chemistry and properties of drugs,’’ he said.

    It had been a public knowledge that some residents, especially youths, on their own buy some of these controlled drugs especially Tramadol.

    NAN

  • BudgIT: Nigeria needs N712bn to bridge healthcare delivery gap 

    BudgIT: Nigeria needs N712bn to bridge healthcare delivery gap 

    Nigeria needs about N712 billion annually to bridge healthcare financing in the country, a civic technology organization, BudgIT Nigeria has said.
    BudgIT, which is interested in ensuring transparency in government budgets, said this at the presentation of a report on Health financing analysis in Ebola affected countries: the readiness of primary healthcare centres ( PHCs ) to tackle diseases, in Abuja on Thursday.
    The report looked at financing of healthcare in five Ebola affected countries. The countries include; Nigeria, Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone.
    BudgIT’s Lead Partner, Oluseun Onigbinde, said Nigeria can achieve tangible investments if it increases its budget for the health sector.
    He said the 15 per cent budgetary provision for the sector was not enough to cater for the health was not big enough.
    Onigbinde said: “The budgetary allocation to health should be increased to cater to the needs of Nigerians as the health per capita is relatively low when compared to other African countries.
    “If Equatorial Guinea could do $663 per citizen, then Nigeria can improve from $118 to at least $300.
    “If the health budget is made to attain at least to 15 per cent of the national budget, as declared by the African Union, an additional sum of N712 (USD 1.9bn) will be needed to give the goal sum of N1.09 tn (USD 3.03bn), and Nigeria can achieve more tangible investments in the sector.”
    He urged the Federal Government to spend more money on capital expenditure.
    Onigbinde called on state governments to equip PHCs to cater for the needs of citizens in rural areas.
    “The federal government should spend more on capital expenditure, as the difference between recurrent and capital is wide. If Nigeria seeks to fund the health sector through borrowing, then transparency and accountability should be adopted.
    “Primary Health Centres should be adequately equipped, as these centres are often visited by citizens in rural communities. This will also help to reduce congestion in the tertiary health institutions.
    “State governments should strengthen primary healthcare to build resistance.. More advocacy in states because they are responsible for primary health care.
    “Teaching hospitals should be equipped with modern equipments to meet the needs of medical practitioners to tackle diseases,” he said.
    Onigbinde called on the National Assembly to activate the law which says one per cent of consolidated revenue fund should be allocated to the health sector.
    “The National Assembly should put an end to the power play by unreservedly activating the law stipulating that 1 per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund must be allocated to the health sector.
    “The political will to end health tourism will help the nation grow,” he said.
  • Workers’ strike: NGO urges Kogi.Govt/labour dialogue

    Workers’ strike: NGO urges Kogi.Govt/labour dialogue

    Kogi Non-Governmental Organisations Network ( KONGONET ), has appealed to the state government to take urgent steps to end industrial dispute with the organised labour in the interest of the people and the state.

    Mr Victor Adejoh, state Chairman of the network, made the appeal in an interview on Thursday in Lokoja.

    Adejoh said there was also the need to end the “grand-standing” posture of both government and labour over the three-week old strike by the state workforce to ensure peace and industrial harmony in the state.

    “As it stands, the economy of the state is in jeopardy and the worst hit is the ordinary people who both sides claim to be fighting for and defending their interest,” he said.

    Adejoh,who said Gov. Yahaya Bello’s government was pragmatic enough to have set out a New Direction policy for the state, however, urged government to take quick steps, through social decision-making process, to make it work.

    “There is need to invite all aggrieved actors and institutions back to the dialogue table to resolve the impasse amicably. Both sides must make some sacrifices for the state to move forward.

    “It is the traditional role of NGOs and Civil Society Organisations to voice out at times like this.’’

    ”This is because they know the negative impact lack of public service has on the citizens and the burden of underdevelopment and poverty that arise from such situation.

    “We call on government and all stakeholders in all striking institutions in Kogi to stop grand-standing and return to the dialogue table.
    “There must be a way out of the current challenges; we must give room for transformation. End the grand-standing now and let Kogi move forward.”

    Labour claimed that over 30 per cent of the state workforce was being owed 21 months salary arrears; 20 per cent of which owed between 11 and 18 months.
    It also claimed that about 45 per cent of the workers took salaries up till July.

    NAN

  • FG to remove dangerous speed bumps on highways

    FG to remove dangerous speed bumps on highways

    The Secretary to the Government of the Federation ( SGF ) says the Federal Government( FG ) is working with relevant agencies to remove dangerous speed bumps on the nation’s highways to reduce accidents.

    Mr Babagana Alkali, Director Planning Research and Statistic in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Fedartion ( OSGF ), said this at the Pre-end of the year operation meeting with transport unions organised by Federal Road Safety Corps ( FRSC ) on Thursday in Abuja.

    Alkali said that the Federal Government ( FG ) was working with relevant agencies to remove the speed bumps that were dangerous on the highways in compliance with the recent National Assembly resolution.

    “ Of recent, you have heard the National Assembly resolution that the speed bumps that are dangerous on the roads should be removed because they cause nuisance and road traffic accidents and crashes along the way

    “The federal government is urging that the ones that are not important should be removed and those that are important should be left behind.

    “We will work with the relevant agencies to comply with that, but the work has not started yet, but we are hoping that the agencies are going to comply soon,’’ he said.

    Mr Boboye Oyeyemi, the Corps Marshal of FRSC, thanked the stakeholders for their continuous cooperation with the corps, over the years, which helped them to record positive results.

    “ I appreciate the support of Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Gas Workers ( NUPENG ) for the increase in number of drivers who have driver’s licence.

    “ I also appreciate the number of personal attendance of the Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers ( NURTW ) at the FRSC fora.

    Mr Kassim Baltaya, Chairman NARTO, commended FRSC for what it had been doing to save the lives of people and their investments.

    “NARTO will continue to partner with the FRSC because reduction of accidents makes our investment secure.

    “FRSC has done wonderfully well but our drivers need more sensitisation and continuous training with the collaboration of other relevant agencies.

    “FRSC in collaboration with Standard Organisation of Nigeria ( SON ) needs to be checking the quality of tyres because some people are importing sub-standard tyre into the country, which endangers our lives.

    “I urge the RTEAN and NURTW to do more in this area and we can partner with both State and Local Governments to achieve it.

    Mr Zabairu Tijani, representative of NUPENG, thanked the corps marshal for uniting all the stakeholders in the transport sector to work together, saying this had helped in reducing accidents and quarrels among them.

    Tijani said that NUPENG had just trained 4,500 drivers to show commitment and support to what the FRSC was doing.

    “Our challenge is bad road, government should always award the road contract to competent contractors to make journeys smooth for both drivers and passengers.

    “We need specific parking spaces for our trailers, if government should allocate parking spaces for us, we will not pack anyhow along the road.

    Stakeholders who attended the meeting were; NUPENG, NURTW, RTEAN, NARTO, SGF,  Department of  State Services (DSS), and representative of the National Security Adviser (NSA) to show their continuous support to FRSC.

    NAN

  • Ekiti 2018: Aspirant promises to surpass Fayose’s achievements

    Ekiti 2018: Aspirant promises to surpass Fayose’s achievements

    Mr Atoye Ariyo-Dare, a PDP Governorship Aspirant in  2018 election in Ekiti State, has promised to surpass the achievements of Gov. Ayo Fayose if voted into office.

    Ariyo-Dare made the promise on Thursday in Ikole-Ekiti through a statement signed by Mr Gbenga Obisesan, his Director of Youth Mobilisation.

    “Our humble team is offering the people of our dear state a new social contract that will bring about massive human and capital as well as research development in hi-tech farming to spark agricultural revolution as never seen in the history of Ekiti in particular and Nigeria in general.

    “We are going to apply wisdom to leadership, search out the best of Ekiti from the fringes of our states in all over Nigeria in order to create wealth for the electorate,” he said.

    Ariyo-Dare congratulated the governor on his third year anniversary in office.

    “We felicitate with the people of Ekiti and Fayose on the occasion of the third anniversary of his administration.

    “We also reckon with the achievements so far made in education and infrastructure and we wish him a successful completion of tenure,” he said.

    The current administration of Gov. Ayo Fayose was inaugurated on Oct.16, 2014.

    NAN

  • ‘Nasarawa Polytechnic generates N120 million IGR annually’

    ‘Nasarawa Polytechnic generates N120 million IGR annually’

    Mr Silas Gyar, the Rector of  Nasarawa State Polytechnic, Lafia, says the institution  generates over N120 million Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) annually.

    Gyar said this on Thursday while addressing newsmen in his office.

    He said that the money was generated from the tuition fees.

    “We have over 7,000 students, when you add the number of the students by the amount being paid every semester, you have N120 million.

    “Though the indigene students pay an average of N17, 000 every semester, while the non-indigenes pay N30, 000 which is about N120 million.

    “We only charge N2, 500 for indigenes, while non indigenes pay N15, 000.

    “So if you add the N2, 500 and N15, 000 depending on the number of indigenes and non indigenes for tuition fees every semester, you have N36 million in a session.

    “Other charges are to take care of their examinations, medical bills, games, identity card, among others,” Gyar said.

    He said that the polytechnic was spending an average of N38 million in producing booklets, stationery, refreshment and other allowances to conduct successful examinations every session.

    Gyar debunked the insinuation making the rounds that the institution generated over N400 million annually and challenged anybody with prove to bring it forward.

    “We also augment our monthly allocation with N4.6 million every month to enable us pay our staff full salaries.

    “We also maintain the existing structures and facilities, so the public can see how we are spending our IGR,” he added.

    The rector assured the staff and students of his determination to create academic friendly environment by improving facilities and welfare of staff.

    NAN

  • Iraqi prime minister rules out attack on Kurdistan

    Iraqi prime minister rules out attack on Kurdistan

    Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Thursday said that his government would not use military power against the Iraqi autonomous region of Kurdistan over a recent independence vote.

    Al-Abadi’s remark came a day after Iraqi Kurdistan warned of a major attack by the central government in Baghdad on the northern territory amid escalating tensions between both sides.

    “We will not use our army against our people or wage a war against our Kurdish people,” al-Abadi said in a statement.

    He, however, pledged to preserve the country’s unity and apply the constitution.

    Baghdad had condemned Iraqi Kurdistan’s independence referendum held on Sept. 25, saying it was unconstitutional.

    The Iraqi federal government and Kurdistan had been at loggerheads over the vote in which an overwhelming majority of 92 per cent supported independence.

    Afterwards, Baghdad imposed a ban on international flights to and from Iraqi Kurdistan’s airports, saying flights would resume if the central government assumed control of the territory’s airports.

    The vote alarmed neighbouring Turkey, Iran and Syria, all of which were concerned that it could encourage Kurdish minorities to split.

    The U.S and other countries also fear that the fallout from Iraqi Kurdistan’s vote could distract attention from ongoing campaigns against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

    Kurdistan’s military Peshmerga forces have played a key role in Iraq’s U.S-backed drive against the extremist militants.

    NAN

  • LASU to admit 3,500 candidates in 2017/18 session

    LASU to admit 3,500 candidates in 2017/18 session

    The Lagos State University ( LASU ) will admit 3,500 students for the 2017/2018 academic session.

    The university’s Head of Centre for Information, Press and Public Relations, Mr Adekoya Martins, made this known in a statement issued in Lagos on Thursday.

    Martins said that 36,500 candidates applied for admission in LASU for the academic session.

    He described as false, purported information on some social media platforms that LASU was set to admit 5,500 out of 36,500 candidates.

    “The university management wishes to state unequivocally that such information is false, baseless and unfounded.

    “Consequently, members of the university community and the general public are advised to disregard such information,” he said.

    In a bid to ensure transparency and merit-driven admission process, Lagos state university recently launched an application to automate subsequent admissions in line with a directive from the National Universities Commission ( NUC ).

    The application will cut out undue interference from individuals in the admission process.

    NAN