The Nation Newspaper

Tag: prioritise

  • ‘DSS boss should prioritise Leah Sharibu’s rescue’

    The National Union of Nigerian Students (NUNS) has hailed the appointment of Yusuf Bichi as the Director-General of Department of State Service (DSS), and urged him to prioritise the rescue of Leah Sharibu.

    NUNS, a splinter group of the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS), asked Bichi to consider restructuring the service for better service.

    A statement by its National President, Comrade Salahudeen Lukman, described Bichi’s appointment as a round peg in a round hole, considering his antecedents in the service, his experience, integrity and professional disposition.

    The statement reads: “The leadership of National Union of Nigerian Students (NUNS) is satisfied with the Yusuf Bichi’s appointment as the Director-General of DSS. It is indeed a round peg in a round hole considering Mr. Bichi’s experience which convinces us of his fitness to champion the security service in Nigeria.

    “We urge the people to support him always and do away with sentiments and tribalism. We admonish Bichi to prioritise the reunion of Leah Shuaib with her family as she remains the only Dapchi School girl left with Boko Haram insurgents. We also urge him to restructure DSS for more professionalism in the course of providing security for Nigerians.”

  • Govt urged to prioritise home ownership

    The President of Perfection Real Estate Investors Cooperative Society, Mr. Niyi Adeleye, has urged the Federal Government to prioritise home ownership.

    Adeleye, who spoke at the weekend, at a conference in Ikeja, said the government should prioritise home ownership by assisting and encouraging cooperative societies to realise the dream of providing affordable houses for Nigerians.

    He said churches and corporate bodies should form cooperative societies to help members and stakeholders to become house owners.

    His words: “Governments cannot meet the housing needs of Nigerians; this is why Perfection Real Estate Investors Cooperative Society should be encouraged to assist Nigerians to become home owners.

    “We are embarking on projects in Lekki and Festac Town, to assist Nigerians become home owners. People should join our cooperative society; they will gain a lot if they do. It will be a golden opportunity to realise their ambition of owning their houses.

    “Perfection Real Estate Investors Cooperative Society was established out of the need and passion to provide solution to human problems in the real estate sector, while empowering people financially.

    “We are on a mission to make home ownership and participation in the real estate sector accessible to Nigerians. This is made possible by our products and income opportunities, which we have created for the benefit of our members. They are property ownership products, real estate investment products, ordinary membership and ambassadorship.”

  • Operator to govt: prioritise scanners

    The Group Executive Vice Chairman of SIFAX Group, Dr. Taiwo Afolabi, has urged the Federal Government to prioritise the provision of scanners at seaports.

    He said this became imperative  because of the rise in illegal arms import through the seaports.

    Afolabi said the Federal Government was slow in addressing faulty scanners, adding that their non-availability resulted in the 100 per cent physical examination of cargoes by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

    Subjecting containers to 100 per cent examination, he said, might compromise national security.

    Besides, he said the non-provision of scanners would affect the government’s Ease of Doing Business policy.

    “Within eight months, the number of illegal arms that have been imported through the port is staggering and distressing. I am convinced that the absence of needed facilities like the scanners at the ports is what has emboldened these unpatriotic criminals to keep importing these arms. There is little that the Customs can do to prevent this when they are not well equipped.

    “I am worried that the Federal Government has not shown the kind of swift response and decisiveness that this illegal import demands. The way to go is to urgently provide scanners at the ports.

    “I have been an advocate of concessioning the port scanning services in the country. The country is just exiting recession and the government does not have the financial muscle to undertake this kind of huge capital investment. Just like the government concessioned the seaports in 2006, which has yielded great results and turned the maritime sector around, the concessioning of the port scanning will also help in improving efficiency at the port and curb the dangers associated with 100 per cent physical examination currently being embarked upon by men of the Nigeria Customs Service.

    “I want to urge the government to expedite action in the concessioning of scanning services at the ports. The terminal operators are capable of investing in the scanning services to create more revenue for the country, curb the importation of arms and other dangerous cargoes into the country and also make the Ease of Doing Business Executive Order successful,” he said.

    Afolabi said cargo clearing would remain cumbersome and make ports uncompetitive and unattractive,  urging the government to support the seaports to give them an edge over others in the sub-region.

    Afolabi said in the face of dwindling revenue to the government, private sector financing was an option for the provision of scanners.

  • Time to prioritise gas in Nigeria, says NLNG chief

    Time to prioritise gas in Nigeria, says NLNG chief

    The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG), Tony Attah, has said time has come for the country to use gas as catalyst for industrial and economic transformation and become a great gas producing country.

    Attah stated this when the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, paid a courtesy visit to the NLNG’s plant on Bonny Island, Rivers State. He said Nigeria urgently needs to unleash its vast gas potential, which currently is put at 187 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of proven reserves, 600 tcf of unproven reserves. The utilisation of the huge gas reserves will afford the opportunity for growth with NLNG Trains 7 and 8 and an increased supply capacity for one metric tons per annum (mtpa) of cooking gas to the domestic market.

    Attah said: “To promote gas sector investment as a catalyst for economic growth for Nigerian economy, it is necessary that affirmative actions are taken to create opportunities to attract international investments. Gas will continue to be an enabler of economic and industrial development and there is need to strategically reposition Nigeria’s gas sector for sustainable economic and industrial development.

    “In NLNG’s case, there was the Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) Fiscal Incentives, Guarantees and Assurances Act (NLNG Act). The assurances and guarantees in the Act allowed investments to flow into the country. It provided investors the confidence that any agreement entered into would be respected and preserved. To amend the Act will not help Nigeria, NLNG and its hopes for expansion. It will erode investors’ confidence that the Act provided in the first place.

    “We need to be creative with incentives that will attract investments and preserve the sanctity of contracts and agreements for all of this to come together in our national interest.”

    Citing the Qatari example,  he said: “Today, oil and gas, and principally LNG is the foundation of Qatar’s economy; and account for more than 70 per cent of total government revenue, and more than 60 per cent of GDP, as well as roughly 85 per cent of export earnings. Qatar has LNG capacity of about 77 million tonnes per annum (MTPA), and generates revenue of about $91 billion per year. In Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) production, Qatar is third in the world with production capacity of about 400kbbl equivalent per day and revenue of about $16billion a year – all from GTL. Gas was the catalyst for transformation of a small emirate to a global economic powerhouse.”

  • ‘Prioritise forex for health sector’

    ‘Prioritise forex for health sector’

    The Federal Government has been urged to prioritise the allocation of foreign exchange(forex) to the health sector.

    Vitafoam Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Taiwo Adeniyi made the appeal while donating the firm’s products to the Island Maternity Hospital, Lagos.

    The items included wooden baby cots, mattresses, pillows, duvet, baby pillows, and feeders.

    He said forward-looking countries have always given the sector a special treatment in forex allocation.

    He said the failure of the Federal Government to do this has cost it  forex loss, as Nigerians go for medical tourism or import medical utilities.

    On the donation, he said: “We pride ourselves in the fact that we associate with the society because the company’s existence is highly dependent on society.  Over the years, we have identified that we need to give back to society so as a way of our Corporate Social responsibility. We do this annually, identify with the first babies of the year, by giving them our products.

    ‘’For us, it is a significant day and an opportunity to give back to society as we have been doing for more than a decade. Every first day of the year, we are here with gifts for the first, second and third babies of the year.’’

    Adeniyi said governments at all levels should put equipment of global standards in their hospitals or health centres to conserve forex.

    He said though the operating environment was tough, the company would continue to identify with babies as they and their parents are customers of the company.

    Adeniyi explained that the donation   to the hospital started over 10 years ago and it would be a continuous exercise regardless of the state of economy because without children, the company would not be in production.

    “Over the years, Vitafoam has always identified with the society as the company is entirely dependent on the society because of the nature of its products and services. We regard the annual presentation of gifts to the new babies as part of our strategic efforts to give back to the society. If babies are not born, there will be no continuity. We regard this event as very significant. Our company has been in existence for over 50 years to make life comfortable through our array of products and services,’’ Adeniyi said.

    He assured the hospital management of the firm’s support for the growth and development of the hospital, saying Vitafoam’s Ward remains the best to date in the hospital.

    Responding, the Medical Director, Lagos Island Maternity Centre, Dr Imosemi Donald, commended Vitafoam for its  support for babies, saying a healthy child would grow into healthy adult and become useful to the society.

    Among the prime beneficiaries of Vitafoam’s gifts was a couple, Mr Olumide Akande, a banker and his wife, Adenike, a businesswoman. Their baby, who weighed 3.1 kilograms, was delivered at 12: 01 on Sunday, January 1.

    Akande expressed gratitude to Vitafoam’s management for the donations.

  • Why govt must prioritise education, by lawmaker

    The lawmaker representing Apapa I in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mrs. Lasbat Meranda-Lawal, has stressed the need for governments to give priority to education.

    This, she said, would help the development of the citizens and the country.

    Meranda-Lawal spoke at the constituency stakeholders’ meeting at the Apapa Amusement Park, with the theme: Community/Neighbourhood Policing starts with you.

    The lawmaker distributed over 800 educational kits to eight schools.

    The meeting, held simultaneously across the 40 state constituencies, was attended by chieftains and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as well as security chiefs, traders and monarchs.

    Meranda-Lawal noted that every citizen should be given the opportunity of self-development to contribute to the country’s development.

    Her words: “Once our people are educated, the sky is the starting point for them. I believe so much in empowering youths as they are leaders of today and tomorrow, that is one of the reasons why I am doing this today.

    “We have about eight primary schools in the constituency and we are empowering at least 100 pupils in each school, meaning that about 800 pupils are being empowered today through educational kits presented to their representatives.

    “Only education can provide opportunities to citizens. Therefore, governments should give priority to education and make it accessible to the public.

    “The essence of this is to get back to the constituents who elected us to represent them. We must intimate them about what government has done since the inauguration of the Eighth Assembly and most importantly, they should be able to express their views as we prepare the 2017 budget.”

    She reaffirmed her resolve to position the constituency for the future, and called on youths to shun violence.

    Meranda-Lawal promised to present the people’s need to the House for deliberation and subsequent approval by the governor.

  • Prioritise forex allocation to auto firms, council urges CBN

    Prioritise forex allocation to auto firms, council urges CBN

    The National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) has urged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to prioritise foreign exchange (forex) allocation to the automobile industry.

    NADDC’s Director of Policy and Planning, Mr. Luqman Mamudu, who made the appeal in Lagos, said it would enable the local manufacturers to acquire critical components for production and to safeguard their investments.

    He said it was essential that forex allocation to the sector was prioritised since the essence of the automotive policy was to boost local capability and restrict importation of used vehicles. He said scarcity of forex is undermining the development of the industry.

    “At present, the local assemblies can produce 210, 000 vehicles per annum. We believe that with encouragement from government, it can improve. But most assemblies are facing challenges of sourcing for foreign exchange for critical input, which has led some to lay off staff. To sustain the auto industry, local assemblies need encouragement from the government to access foreign exchange for production,’’ he said.

    Mamudu stressed that the automotive industry was a critical sector capable of creating jobs and impacting on other sectors of the economy. He said the automotive industry was capable of driving the agricultural sector because farm tractors were produced by the automotive industry.

    “It also drives consumer goods like washing machines, motorcycles, boats used in the marine industry. The automotive technology is really versatile, that is why developed countries do not joke with the industry. We cannot keep importing vehicles. We must develop our capacity locally, so that we do not continue to rely on other countries,” Mamudu said.

  • Aspirant to prioritise health

    A governorship aspirant  in the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the election in Kogi State, Dr. Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo, has said he will prioritise health if he gets the mandate.

    He said he would improve the health care delivery system.

    Adinoyi-Ojo decried the alarming maternal deaths and infant mortality.

    The aspirant quoted Governor Idris Wada as saying that “it is difficult to ascertain the exact number of newborn babies who die in and around birth and women who die during childbirth.”

    He said the governor’s comment was an admission of the failure of present and past governments.

    According to him, he had put together a team of experts to design a workable  system.

    Adinoyi-Ojo said his government would be innovative by promoting the community as the basic unit of primary health care.

    The politician, a visiting lecturer at the University of Abuja, said: “It is my intention to improve routine immunisation coverage in the three senatorial districts.

    “This will reduce infant and under-five mortality and morbidity rates as well as reduce maternal mortality and morbidity rates.”

  • ‘Prioritise investment in youth devt’

    The Executive Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC), Auwal Musa Rafsanjani has urged the three tiers of government, the federal, state and local government, to target investment in skills development for the youths.

    He said it is the best option to enhance productivity in the labour market.

    Speaking on how the government could improve the lives of the most vulnerable in the country as a result of the slump in oil price in the international market, he said: “With the recent United Nations  (UN) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) acceleration framework focusing on decent work and reducing maternal mortality,  we urge the three tiers of government to target investments in skills development of the youth population as the best option to enhance their productivity in the labour market. This is necessary because investment in skills development of the youth population will enhance their productivity in the labour market.”

    The CISLAC’s boss said considering the post-2015 development agenda, and the broad consensus that the current MDGs must not be sidelined, issues on poverty eradication should remain in focus by government.

    “For decent jobs to be created in both short and long run, it is more important for government to target improvements in secondary and tertiary education whilst incorporating practical and vocational skills,” he said.

    He noted that smart social policies such as programmes that help the unemployed find jobs or systems that provide social security to vulnerable members of the society cannot just be considered a cost.

    He said: “We must not be lulled into the notion that the crisis is over, and that no further action is required because the job queue is getting longer, and because on the surface, the Nigerian economy may appear to have regained some stability, but the real economy is still in troubled waters.”

  • ‘Prioritise youth employment’

    The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has charged  the Federal Government to priorotise the creation of employment opportunities for the nation’s youths in this year’s budget.

    The group warned that if the unemployment situation was not tackled headlong, it might become a time bomb.

    Its President, Comrade Bobboi  Bala Kaigama, spoke to reporters in Lagos on how  the Subsidy for Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) of the Federal Government, may affect youth empowerment.

    He said: “Going by the government’s position on austerity measures as  policies to tighten government expenditure, close loopholes that cause revenue losses and a gross reduction of budget deficits during adverse economic conditions, we call on the government to priorotise the creation of job opportunities for youths in the country as the 2015 budget  for now, is not certain on youth empowerment.

    “This is because the threats for the subsidy for reinvestment and empowerment programme (SURE-P) of Federal Government is an externality to the aggregate 2015 appropriation bill, and it may be adversely affected by the global oil slump, since except the oil price rises, the landing cost of fuel will still be low, leaving little savings for SURE-P that has to do with youth empowerment.”

    Kaigama, who argued that the rate of unemployment in the country is one of the highest in the world, lamented that at 24 per cent, particularly with over 50 per cent of the youth in the urban areas unemployed, the government must review its policies to arrest the unemployment challenges before it gets out of hand.

    “There is an urgent need for the government to show more concern by reviewing its policies on youth entrepreneurship as the high unemployment rate among youth in Nigeria, especially young women has negative effect on our country’s development agenda, particularly as we approach this year’s general elections.