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Tag: NPC

  • NPC advises FG to criminalise owing of salaries of media professionals

    The Nigerian Press Council (NPC) on Monday advised the Federal Government to declare owing of salaries of media professionals a criminal offence.

    The council said this would improve the quality of coverage of elections in the country.

    The Executive Secretary of the council, Mr Nnamdi Njemanze, gave the advice in a communique issued at the end of a two-day capacity building workshop on “Responsible Media Coverage of Elections held in Akure, Ondo state”.

    Njemanze said that participants at the workshop observed that journalists had become vulnerable in the hands of politicians because of poor welfare, ownership challenges and other anti-social chauvinism of ethnicity and religion.

    He stressed the need for media owners to ensure prompt payment of salaries and allowances of their staff and enhance their welfare with a view to reducing their vulnerabilities.

    He, therefore, urged media owners to conduct their business in such a manner that would engender national development devoid of ethnic, religious and social biases.

    “The workshop also recommended that NPC should set a minimum standard of welfare for journalists in public and private practice and sponsor a bill to this effect, “Njemanze said.

    He said that participants at the workshop also recommended that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should provide reflective jackets with PRESS written on it for all accredited journalists on election duty.

    The executive secretary also advised government to ensure the prosecution of fake journalists apprehended during elections with a view to ridding the profession of impostors.

    Similarly, he said, the workshop recommended that journalists should arm themselves with the Code of Ethics of Journalism and the Constitution of NUJ to guide them in their reportage.

    He admonished media professionals to always apply the ethics and principles of balanced reporting during coverage of elections and avoid unnecessary use of adjectives to counter hate speech.

    The secretary said that the workshop objected to an attempt to have a separate law to regulate the Social Media and hate speech, saying existing laws if enforced would take care of their excesses.

    Reports confirmed that no fewer than 52 persons attended the workshop, 36 of whom were journalists drawn from print, broadcast and online platforms.

    NAN

  • Nigeria’s population now 198m, says NPC

    THE National Population Commission (NPC) has put Nigeria’s population at 198 million.

    It said urban population was growing at an average yearly rate of about 6.5 per cent

    Its Chairman, Mr. Eze Duruiheoma, spoke in New York while delivering Nigeria’s statement on Sustainable Cities, Human Mobility and International Migration at the 51st Session of Commission on Population and Development.

    Duruiheoma said: “Nigeria remains the most populous in Africa, the seventh globally with an estimated population of over 198 million.

    “The recent World Population Prospects predicts that by 2050, Nigeria will become the third most populated country in the world.

    “Over the last 50 years, the Nigeria’s urban population has grown at an average annual growth rate of more than 6.5 per cent without commensurate increase in social amenities and infrastructure.

    “It grew substantially from 17.3 in 1967 to 49.4 per cent in 2017. In addition, the 2014 World Urbanisation Prospects report, predicts that by 2050, most of the population – 70 per cent – will be residing in cities.

    “The 2010 human mobility survey report revealed that 23 per cent of the sampled population were of more females than males”.

    He said the category of population mostly engaged in urbanisation and migration were young people of teenage and adolescents’ girls and boys, women of child bearing age and the working age population.

    He said existing urbanisation trend coupled with internally displaced persons (IDPs) in cities, pose critical challenges to securing sustainability of our cities, including efforts to make them smart and responsive to human influx.

    “The Displacement Tracking Matrix round XXI of January 2018 identified estimated 1.7 million IDPs in over 321,580 households across six states of North-East Nigeria with 40 per cent residing in camp-like settings in urban areas plus 1.4 million returnees.

    “The number of IDPs represented 4.5 per cent increase compared to the 1,702,680 identified in Round XX (Dec. 2017).”

    Duruiheoma said like in other developing countries, Nigerian cities hosted widespread poverty, under-employment and unemployment at an average of 18.4 per cent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics 2017 report.

    The NPC boss bemoaned the insecurity and inadequate and inequitable healthcare services for adolescents and women of child bearing age.

    “Nigeria continues to commit to solving the challenges of insurgents in the Northeast, which has induced a high number of internally displaced persons.

    “We are committed to providing adequate healthcare services, reducing maternal mortality, rebuilding safe schools and empowering our women, ensuring no one is left behind in terms of achieving sustainable development.”

  • NPC puts Nigeria’s population at 198m

    The National Population Commission (NPC) has put Nigeria’s current population at 198 million people with urban population growing at an average annual growth rate of about 6.5 per cent

    Chairman of NPC, Mr Eze Duruiheoma, stated this in New York while delivering Nigeria’s statement on Sustainable Cities, Human Mobility and International Migration at the 51st Session of Commission on Population and Development.

    Duruiheoma said: “Nigeria remains the most populous in Africa, the seventh globally with an estimated population of over 198 million.

    “The recent World Population Prospects predicts that by 2050, Nigeria will become the third most populated country in the world.

    “Over the last 50 years, the Nigeria’s urban population has grown at an average annual growth rate of more than 6.5 per cent without commensurate increase in social amenities and infrastructure.

    “It grew substantially from 17.3 in 1967 to 49.4 per cent in 2017. In addition, the 2014 World Urbanisation Prospects report, predicts that by 2050, most of the population – 70 per cent – will be residing in cities.

    “The 2010 human mobility Survey report revealed that 23 per cent of the sampled population were of more females than males”.

    He said the category of population mostly engaged in urbanisation and migration were young people of teenage and adolescents’ girls and boys, women of child bearing age and the working age population.

    He said existing urbanisation trend coupled with internally displaced persons (IDPs) in cities, pose critical challenges to securing sustainability of our cities, including efforts to make them smart and responsive to human influx.

    “The Displacement Tracking Matrix round XXI of January 2018 identified estimated 1.7 million IDPs in over 321,580 households across six states of North-East Nigeria with 40 per cent residing in camp-like settings in urban areas plus 1.4 million returnees.

    “The number of IDPs represented 4.5 per cent increase compared to the 1,702,680 identified in Round XX (Dec. 2017).”

    Duruiheoma said like in other developing countries, Nigerian cities hosted wide spread poverty, under-employment and unemployment at an average of 18.4 per cent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics 2017 report.

    The NPC boss bemoaned the insecurity and inadequate and inequitable health care services for adolescents and women of child bearing age.

    “Nigeria continues to commit to solving the challenges of insurgents in the Northeast, which has induced a high number of internally displaced persons.

    “We acknowledge that women, children and particularly the girl child are often the most vulnerable in these displacements, and in this regard, we remain focused on the wellbeing of these vulnerable parts of our population.

    “We are committed to providing adequate health care services, reducing maternal mortality, rebuilding safe schools and empowering our women, ensuring no one is left behind in terms of achieving sustainable development.”

    Duruiheoma said these challenges adversely impacted on the quality of life and standards of living of the urban populace.

    According to him, Nigeria stays committed to the twin goals of the Habitat Agenda – adequate shelter for all and the development of sustainable human settlements in an urbanising world. (NAN)

  • Buhari picks Okoye as INEC Commissioner, 23 for NPC

    PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari yesterday named 23 members National Population Commission (NPC) for Senate’s confirmation.

    He also nominated one additional Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) commissioner and two non-legal practitioners as members of the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC) for confirmation.

    The position of the NPC members is said to have been vacant for about three years, making it difficult for the commission’s board to form quorum for its meetings.

    Buhari’s nominations are contained in a letter dated March 27, 2018, entitled: “Request for confirmation of appointment of 23 members for National Population Commission”, addressed to the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.

    The letter reads in part: “In accordance with the provision of Section 154(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), I write to forward to the Senate for confirmation, the following names of 23 nominees representing their respective states at the National Population Commission.”

    Those named include; Nwanne Johnny Nwabuisi (Abia), Dr. Clifford T.O. Zirra (Adamawa), Mr. Chidi Christopher Ezeoke mni(Anambra), Isah Audu Buratai (Borno), Navy Captain Charles Iyam Ogwa (retd) (Cross River), Sir Richard Odibo (Delta), Okereke Darlington Onuabuchi (Ebonyi), Mr. A.D. Olusegun Aiyejina (Edo), Ekike Ezeh (Enugu) and Abubakar Mohammed Danburam (Gombe).

    Others nominated NPC members are: Prof. Uba S.F. Nnabue (Imo), Dr. Abdulmalik Mohammed Durunguwa (Kaduna), Suleiman Ismaila Lawal(Kano), Prof. Jimoh Habibat Isah (Kogi), Dr. Sa’adu Ayinla Alanamu(Kwara), Nasir Isa Kwarra(Nasarawa), Aliyu Datti (Niger), Yeye (Mrs.)  Seyi Adererinokun Olusanya (Ogun), Prince (Dr.) Oladiran Garvey Iyantan(Ondo), Senator Mudashiru Oyetunde Hussain (Osun), Mrs. Cecilia Arsun Dapoet (Plateau), Dr. Ipalibo Macdonald Harry (Rivers) and Sale S. Saany (Taraba)

    The President nominated Kaduna State-based Festus Okoye, for confirmation as National Commissioner representing Southeast geo-political zone.

    He named Senator Abbe Ali (Katsina) Northwest and Mohammed Sagir (Niger) Northcentral for confirmation as non-legal practitioners members of the FJSC.

    Buhari solicited expeditious consideration of the requests.

     

     

  • NPC workers’ strike “put on hold” – Union

    NPC workers’ strike “put on hold” – Union

    Striking workers of the National Population Commission ( NPC ) on Tuesday said their protest had been “put on hold’’ pending the response of the Federal Government to their demands.

    The President of the workers union, Mrs Rita Agaba, made this known in Abuja.

    She explained that the strike was put on hold following the intervention of the National Presidents of the Nigeria Labour Congress ( NLC ) and Trade Union Congress.

    Agaba said the union members decided to put on hold the strike in respect of the NLC and TUC with offices reopened.

    However, the unionist maintained that they would operate a work-to-rule regime to facilitate dialogue and in anticipation of government positive response.

    Read also: Fire guts National Population Commission’s Lagos office

    The leadership of organised labour on January 29 directed the aggrieved NPC workers to suspend their strike to give room for dialogue.

    Mr Ayuba Wabba, President, Nigeria Labour Congress ( NLC ) with his counterpart, Mr Bobboi Kaigama, President, Trade Union Congress ( TUC ) gave the directive while addressing the NPC staff in Abuja.

    Agaba also disclosed that the scheduled Jan. 30 meeting between leaders of the NPC workers’ union and the Secretary to Government of Federation had been postponed till further notice.

    Reports say that the NPC workers embarked on the strike in the last three weeks to protest the reappointment of their Director-General, Dr Ghaji Bello, by the federal government.

    The workers are also demanding for improved working condition and probe of the finances of the commission.

    NAN

  • Ebonyi plans to ban hawking to stem child abuse

    Ebonyi plans to ban hawking to stem child abuse

    The Ebonyi Government says it will stop street hawking to eradicate the abuse of school-aged children in the state.

    Mr Godwin Igwe, the Head of Child Development, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, made this known on Tuesday in an interview in Abakaliki.

    Igwe said, “The ban is aimed at curbing all forms of child abuse, child labour and neglect.’’

    According to him, such abuses, as noticed in the state, include child abuse, child trafficking and other forms of violence against children.

    He explained that through hawking, children could be subjected to rape, ritual killings and trafficking, among other related cases.

    “Children hawking, whether after, during school hours or weekends, is not allowed.

    “If caught, the person will be punished,’’ Igwe said.

    He added that the ministry would work in partnership with the Ministry of Information and Education, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps ( NSCDC ) and Nigeria Peace Corp (  NPC ), among others to achieve its goals.

    “Child abuses and violence against children have been seen as custom and normal ways of treating children in the society and such trend ought to be redressed.

    “It is based on this that we want to sensitise the public against this negative practice.

    Read also: Tension as police kill football fan in Ebonyi

    “Some people do not know that it is wrong to maltreat a child, neglect or subject the child to torture or any form of inhuman treatment,’’ Igwe said.

    He decried the increasing rate of child abuse and charged parents and guardians of victims to report such cases to the appropriate authority.

    Igwe added that perpetrators of such acts would be treated accordingly, to serve as deterrent to others.

    He also spoke against the attitude of some parents, whom he said, collected money from the perpetrators for settlement without minding the damage caused on the victims.

    He advised parents to always monitor the activities of their children so as to prevent the future recurrence.

    The ministry official said that Police should be encouraged to assist in ensuring the protection of children rights.

    He emphasised the readiness of the ministry to work with the police so that the welfare, survival and development of a child would be protected.

    Igwe added that the media would also be engaged in the dissemination of information.

    “We implore the judiciary to given attention to cases of child abuse.

    “Legal personnel, who have undergone training on child rights, should be given the chance to handle such case.

    “We have plan to invite local government chairmen, social workers and stakeholders to sensitise them on the need to step-up measures against child abuse, especially in the rural areas, which seem to be worst hit.’’

    Also, the Desk Officer, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in the ministry, Mrs Florence Onwa, confirmed the increasing rate of child abuse.

    Onwa said that campaigns had been taken to market places and industrial sites, while the ministry was also making arrangement for advocacy visits to the traditional, community and opinion leaders in Ebonyi.

    “Parents should stop sending their children to unknown persons; but if there is need to do so, they ought to be sure of whom the intending masters and mistresses are,’’ she said.

    NAN

  • Jonathan: ‘How politicians, officers push for shares in power generation’

    Jonathan: ‘How politicians, officers push for shares in power generation’

    Former Minister of National Planning Commission (NPC), Dr. Shamsuddeen Usman, on Thursday disclosed how politicians and officials under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration jostled for shares in the power generation and distribution companies that were privatized by the government in 2013.

    Usman who spoke in Abuja at the 26th October Lecture of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), said that government officials who ordinarily should have been neutral in the privatization exercise were however guilty of foul plays and used their positions to leverage their interests in the exercise albeit secretly.

    The former minister said at the NSE lecture which was delivered by its former president, Mustafa Shehu, that most of the transaction principles often included and followed in the privatization of government’s assets were sidestepped during the sale of the power assets to private investors.

    He said the outcome of the power privatization was heavily influenced by political considerations against economic or technical capacities of the eventual preferred bidders, and thus linked parts of the current challenges of the sector to his claims.

    Usman who did not mention names even when asked said: “I was part of the power privatization, and I am not going to extricate myself, it is a collective responsibility and I am not comfortable with the speed at which we rushed that exercise.

    “I was the first Director General of TCPC (Technical Committee of Privatization and Commercialization) which is the agency that started privatization in this country in 1988. We had our office in Lagos, and we did the first privatization in this country. As at that time, we had the code of conduct that ensured that no member of the management or the board actually could buy any of the assets that we were selling.”

    “The electricity privatization unfortunately was not handled that way. If you look at all these Discos and Gencos, unfortunately, some of us saw it that time but there wasn’t much we could do because of the rush and political thing it had become, there is in each and every one of them at least one or two ‘big masquerades’.

    “That is not how to do privatization, you don’t sell because of some people who are in the government, you sell because they have demonstrated the expertise, and a lot of people rushed into it because they think electricity is like telecoms without even understanding the industry,”

    Usman who expressed disappointment over certain development in the country said Nigeria lacks implementation and not planning, adding that: “I have been part of planning in this country. Particularly, I spent five years as the Minister of National Planning, (NPC), some of the best plans I initiated have been accepted by this current government to be implemented. But after two years of planning, in the last three years as minister, I was more concerned about implementation. In this country we do not short of plan but what we lack is implementation. The problem is implementation. Government should be made to be accountable. Commitment by government is lacking.”

    Former Governor of Kano State, Musa Kwankwaso also said: “Our legislatures in this country have to come together with all other stakeholders to bring in good legislation that help ensure that this country has adequate, efficient and affordable energy for everybody in Nigeria.”

  • Govt, NPC, power firms plan energy audit

    The Federal Government, the Nigerian Population Commission (NPC), power firms and other stakeholders in the value chain are planning to an energy audit to ascertain the level of electricity consumed in the country.

    The audit would also help in improving supply, it was gathered at the weekend in Lagos.

    While the Federal Government serves as the main driver of the energy audit scheme, the NPC, the power generation companies (GenCos), the distribution companies (DisCos), the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and others are partners in the project.

    It was gathered that the government through the NPC is trying to know how many citizens it has, where they are, what they need, what kind of services or appliances they use, among other issues, that are pertinent to the success of the exercise.

    Industry sources said the idea requires collating data on the daily power consumed in each of the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs), the six geo-political zones, factors hindering electricity supply and others, as well as helping the government to fashion out plans on how to ensure even distribution of power in the country.

    The Minister of Housing and Power, Mr Babatunde Fashola, corroborated this move at a stakeholders’ forum in Lagos recently.

    He said it was important that Nigeria knows the energy consumption level of its citizens, while trying to proffer solutions to what he described as ‘systemic power problems’ in the country.

    He said this initiative could be carried out by meeting the agency assigned with the responsibility of taking census in Nigeria, the distribution companies which interface with the electricity consumers daily by fixing their meters, giving them bills and meeting other obligations.

    Fashola said: ‘’ Regarding the issue of energy audit,  I believe it is important for the government to know how many citizens it has, where they are and the nature of equipment they use. These would help the government in predicting the kind of energy they consumed,  the ways through which they are accessing the energy and what should be done to make each locality enjoys power.’’

  • NPC seeks end to assault of girls

    To safeguard the future of girls, the National Population Commission (NPC) is calling for a stop to assault.

    Molestation, it said, denies teenage girls opportunity to quantitative and qualitative education and good health care, including reproductive health services.

    At a briefing to commemorate the World Population Day yesterday, Federal Commissioner for Lagos State Mrs Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin said 61 per cent of girls between ages 15 and 19 were sexually active.

    These girls, she said, engaged in such activities without knowledge in family planning methods.

    Salu-Hundeyin described the conditions of the girls in the country as pitiable, stating that the gradual erosion of their potentials to live a healthy life could be avoided.

    ‘’When a teenage girl is adequately empowered with the means of information and opportunities to make her decisions in life, she is more likely to realise her full potential and become a positive force for change in her home, community and the nation. The teenage girls in Nigeria like in other parts of the world constitute an important segment of the population whose contributions have great implications on the welfare of the general population and the desire for sustainable development. ‘’Available data confirms that limited use of family planning methods lack of access to reproductive health services among girls of ages 15-19 is as low as 6.1 percent, thus aggravating causes of unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortion practices, sexually transmitted infections,” she said.

    Secretary General and Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund, (UNFRA) Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, represented by Dr Omolaso Owosehin said: ‘’A teenage girl whose rights are respected and who is able to realise her full potential is a girl who is more likely to contribute to the economic and social progress of her community and her nation.’’

  • NPC, Osun partner on workers’ productivity

    The  Director-General of  the National Productivity Centre (NPC), Alhaji Kashim Akor,  has spoken of plans to establish  a branch in Osogbo, Osun State capital.

    He spoke when Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, visited the NPC head office in Abuja.

    He said the centre would key into the governor’s programmes in ensuring accelerated human resources development and capacity building for the Osun public service.

    Akor disclosed that the  governor’s visit was the first of its kind by a serving governor in the history of the centre.

    “The NPC would help in building the capacity of the state workforce and organisations through training and installation of Productivity and Quality Improvement Programme (P&QIP).

    “We would also want your assistance in the establishment of a state productivity committee in units in all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the state as well as in providing airtime on Osun Radio and Television for dissemination of productivity messages,” he said.

    Governor Aregbesola stressed the importance of the NPC in making  the workforce efficient and proactive in service delivery.

    He said he would actively engage the centre in making  the state civil service productive toward achieving  the All Progressives Congress (APC) change agenda.