The Nation Newspaper

Tag: professionals

  • Professionals hail Tinubu

    Professionals hail Tinubu

    A group,  South West Professionals Forum (SOWPROF), has hailed  All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu for saving Nigeria from economic and political pitfalls.

    Established in 1993,  SOWPROF hosts over 10,000 Yoruba professionals in Nigeria and the Diaspora.

    A statement by its President, Segun Ajibulu, yesterday in Lagos praised the APC leader for risking his life and resources to liberate Nigeria from a ruinous path foisted on it by the ousted Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The statement reads: “Since 1999, Asiwaju has been a pillar of democracy. He put his hat in the ring not for himself but for the benefit of all.

    “Tinubu has played more roles than any Nigerian to ensure the sustenance of democracy.

    “In the campaign to make the Southwest a model region, we praise Tinubu’s efforts. We urge him not to relent in his efforts to unite the people.

    “The future of the Southwest lies in an effective and professional civil service, creative exploration of untapped natural resources and regional integration.

    “We are concerned with the fall in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). We are worried that states are not able to pay salaries due to no fault of theirs. We are concerned that the civil service is weak and needs to be strengthened. The future of the people of the Southwest lies in economic and political unity of purpose.

    “We need a system that will take care of those without the economic means to survive.” No state can do it alone. All the willing SW states need to work together. This is the best way to minimise violence and tame the tide of instability in the Southwest for the overall peace and wellbeing of Nigerians.”

  • ‘Let professionals direct government policies’

    A former Chairman of Ikeja Local Government Wale Odunlami, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that his administration’s policies are initiated, directed and monitored by professionals.

    Odunlami made the observation while speaking to reporters at a stakeholders’ meeting to advocate tax compliance, recently in Ikeja,.

    Odunlami, who is a also Past Chairman of Ikeja District Society of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAN) and former Council Member of Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), stressed: “Professionals should be the bedrock of the policies of this government and the major push factor for its success.”

    He added: “It is our hope that our present crop of leaders will not toe the negative path of past governments, which had maintained the culture of putting square pegs in round holes.

    “Political appointments this time around, should be made based on capability of delivery and more importantly, should mirror the yearnings of the people. This will go a long way to give confidence to the people with regards to the ‘change’ factor in the system, which the people voted for.“

     

  • AIB boss urges professionals to raise standards

    The Commissioner /Chief Executive, Accident Investigations Bureau (AIB), Dr Felix Abali, has called on aviation professionals to raise the standard of  professionalism and efficiency in Aeronautical Information Services ( AIS).

    Speaking in Uyo  at an event marking the  World AIS Day, Dr Abali said all over the world, the aviation sector is undergoing rapid transformation and becoming more technically intensive  as well as technology  driven.

    He said: “There is a growing need for the proper integration of man and machine, including training for effective operation in a seamless environment of zero tolerance or delays in safety critical AeronauticalInformation dissemination.”

    Abali noted that the implementation of AIS automation in Nigeria was long overdue, adding that measures were being taken to actualise it and that safety delivery was a huge responsibility on AIS professionals. He said they needed to rededicate themselves towards the provision of a quality assured Aeronautical data.

    According to him, the role of effective and efficiency of Air navigation is important hence the need to comply effectively.

    The AIB Boss implored the management of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA) Nigerian College of Aviation Technology ( NCAT) and NAMA to train and motivate all AIS staff for effective delivery of the risk ahead of them .

    He added that capacity development was a vital solution to the growing cases of human factors which accounted for most of the accidents and serious incidents in the aviation industry.

    He said  safety remained the primary concern of the aviation community worldwide including military, civil, scheduled and non scheduled flight operations, chartered flights or commercial aviation using any form of aircraft.

    Meanwhile, the Managing Director of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency  (NAMA)   Ibrahim Abdulsalam, has acknowledged that pivotal role being played  by members of AIS, saying it is essential to NAMA.

    Represented by the Director of Human Resource of NAMA, Dr Uwem Akason, he said data managing and processing were vital to Airspace users hence the activities of AIS were taken very seriously.

    Abdusalam  assured them of the management’s support in training,  saying that the agency was fashioning out ways of increasing its internally generated revenue to meet it’s internal request from staff.

    While assuring of the minister’s resolve on the completion of AIS automation, the NAMA boss  stressed the need for team work among staff to lift up the agency.

     

  • How to stop workplace accidents, by professionals

    How to stop workplace accidents, by professionals

    As the nation prepares for a change of leadership, an agenda has been set for the incoming administration to reduce workplace accidents and deaths to its barest minimum.

    Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) professionals explained how the government can make employers to promote their workers’ safety at an annual conference of Safety Advocacy and Empowerment Foundation (SAEF) held last weekend at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) in Ikeja, Lagos.

    Speakers at the conference presented different papers on how safety culture could be ingrained in the country. But they all had convergent views on the need to eliminate preventable workplace accidents and fatal incidents that occurred from workers’ unsafe actions. The Federal Government, they said, must introduce a legislation that will improve safety awareness in all organisations.

    In his address, the SAEF national coordinator, Mr Kadiri Shamsideen, said the event had been sustained to serve as a reminder to the government on the need to stop accidents in workplaces. He said the Foundation was worried over the increasing rate of preventable deaths in many firms, saying efforts to reduce it had been impeded by absent of compelling legislation that would make companies’ managements to introduce measures that would isolate their workers from danger.

    Kadiri said the Foundation, which is a non-governmental organisation (NGO), had embarked on campaign in public and private firms to promote awareness about the need for workers to be healthy and safe from occupational dangers in their workplaces.

    Mr Wale Bakare, Executive Director of SMTS, who spoke on Building a culture of prevention on Occupational Health and Safety (OHS):  The impact of legislation, emphasised the role of legislation in maintaining good occupational health and Safety in every company. He said: “There is need for the Federal Government to sign the OHS Bill pending before the National Assembly. This bill is relevant to well-being of Nigerian workers and the society at large.”

    To Larry Pupu, the HSE Manager of Deltaafrik, and Ibitayo Edunfunke, HSE Manager of the Nigerian Breweries, who spoke separately on the theme, Nigeria cannot afford to lag behind in developing its safety culture. They called for intensive awareness and constant campaign to make the government keep all firms on their toes to promote safety.

    The Director-General of the Lagos State Safety Commission (LSSC), Mrs Dominga Odebunmi, harped on positive safety culture among workers, urging the government to sign the OHS Bill to reduce and eventually eliminate workplace accidents.

    Dr Nicholas Okere, a safety practitioner, called for unity among the OHS professionals to achieve a greater nation where human lives would be valued. A SAEF member, Mr Jamiu Badmos, urged participants to embrace the spirit of Ubuntu (Swahili for humanity) to ensure safety remains the watchword of all workers.

    Over 200 HSE leaders and practitioners attended the conference, which was supported by Sterling Bank, Etisalat, Nigerian Bottling Company Limited and Blood Pressure Association.

  • Experts task professionals on nation building

    Challenges confronting profes-sionals in nation building was what preoccupied the mind of scores of professionals saddled with rule of law, corporate governance, and preservation of civil liberties, proper accountability and demand for social responsibility that converged recently in Lagos.

    The event was at the 14th induction ceremony of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN).

    In her speech, the past president of the Institute of Directors (IoD), Ms. Bennedikter Molokwu, who identified political instability and security, corruption, globalisation, wrong economic order, religious cum ethnic cleavages, poor infrastructure, lack of strong institutions, illiteracy and poverty, trends of non-responsiveness by leaders and anti-intellectual culture as parts of challenges to be addressed and obliterated in nation building.

    Molokwu further stressed that “professionals like other Nigerians require a stable and peaceful atmosphere to thrive and contribute their quota to national development. The fact that Nigeria has challenges in terms of political stability and threats to national security has hampered both the quality and quantity of the contributions of the professionals to the development of their father land.”

    The registrar of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN), Dele Togunde, in his tacit speech for the occasion tasked secretaries and administrators in different part of the country “to be mindful of new opportunities as we expect the inauguration of a new government in Nigeria next month.”

    The president and chairman of council of the Institute, Dr. Suleyman Abdu Ndanusa, while addressing the newly inducted fellows, associates and graduates of the Institute, admonished them to maintain their good stand for integrity, transparency and accountability and refuse to compromise irrespective of the circumstance.

  • Professionals for international agro-food fair in Lagos

    In a bid to properly address the challenges in the Nigerian agro-food and packing industry in the country, the trade fair ‘agrofood & plastprintpack Nigeria 2015’ is bringing professionals from all over the world to discuss and show a way forward in the sector.

    The event will be held between 28-30 April at the Landmark Centre in Lagos and more than 1,500 professional trade visitors are expected at the free-entry event.

    The organisers of the event told journalists over the weekend in Lagos that over 80 notable international technology leaders from 26 countries are expected to display latest technologies and proffer solutions for the Nigerian agro-food and packaging industry.

    Supported by the Institute of Packaging Nigeria, IOPN, President, Mr. Mike Adekola, said that exhibitors come among others from Austria, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Spain, South Africa, Switzerland, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and of course Nigeria.

    He noted that the presence of IOPN at ‘agrofood & plastprintpack Nigeria 2015’ was ideal for visitors who needed a global understanding of the food value chain in Nigeria, from the field to the final consumer including farmers, suppliers, transporters and processors.

    The Project Manager Market Development Africa at German Engineering Federation / Food Processing & Packaging Machinery Association, Ms. Martina Claus, said that a delegation of member companies would be showcasing the strengths of German engineering at the first international ‘agrofood & plastprintpack Nigeria 2015’ trade show in Lagos.

    Also commenting on the event, the Head of Delegation and Ambassador of EU to Nigeria, Michel Arrion, said that European suppliers could assist the Nigerian agro-food industry with machinery, equipment and technological know-how meeting a high degree of food safety and compliance with international hygienic standards.

    He added, “For this reason, the European Union supports this important event and wishes that during the years to come it will develop into a leading platform for technological exchange in the areas of agrofood, food processing and packaging.”

    The event is organised by fairtrade Messe from Germany, in close cooperation with AHK Nigeria – the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Nigeria.

  • Lekki robbery: gunmen were professionals, says police chief

    Lekki robbery: gunmen were professionals, says police chief

    LAGOS Police Chief Kayode Aderanti yesterday described as professionals the gunmen who raided a First City Monument Bank (FCMB) branch in Lekki last week, killing six persons, including three of his men.

    Police sources told The Nation that the hoodlums may have had military training.

    Parading some suspected kidnappers and robbers at the Command Headquater in Ikeja, Aderanti, responding to questions, said the gunmen displayed professional traits.

    He said that the police were working to get the suspects, promising that such incident would not repeat itself in Lagos.

    Aderanti said: “In as much as I do not want to comment much on the Lekki issue to avoid jeopardising our investigation, I agree with you that the perpetrators were fully prepared for that operation.

    “The types of arms that they displayed and the proficiency in terms of expertise, require that we do a thorough job to get to the root of the matter and ensure that it doesn’t happen again.”

    From the video footage of the incident, the police, The Nation learnt, believe that the gunmen must have military background.

    The source said: “The gun handling experience exhibited by those men was beyond just any armed robber. They were fully prepared for that exercise and were very generous with their bullets. The marksmanship they exhibited was even beyond the police.  It takes people with higher experience to have acted that way.

    “Then, the weapons are not just what you get off the shelf easily.  Those are high weapons and so, we know where to channel our investigations to. I can tell you that the police will fish them out before Easter. They cannot go unpunished for the lives they have wasted, I swear,” he said.

    A senior police officer, in a separate chat, said he was sure the gunmen have military experience.

    “I can stake my life on it. Those hoodlums have military experience. They have had something to do with the armed forces. If you see their coordination and their gun handling proficiency, even me as a senior officer I cannot match them.

    “Did you see their complete armour, they even had bullet proof vests, how many policemen have that? It would have even been better for them to just steal and go but the fact that they were so heartless as to open fire on harmless citizens, is evidence that their cup is full,” he said.

  • Enugu professionals to Chime: forget the Senate

    Enugu professionals to Chime: forget the Senate

    Enugu State professionals worldwide have asked Governor Sullivan Chime to forget his senatorial ambition in the interest of the state.

    They said his withdrawal from the election will ensure that the comparative advantage Senator Ike Ekweremadu’s continuity in the Senate would bring to the state and the Southeast is not jeopardised.

    Their stand was contained in a letter to the governor signed by over 1,000 members across the globe.

    The principal signees are Uchenna Nnamani for Enugu East; Desmond Ugwu for Enugu North and Moses Chinegwu for Enugu West.

    Writing under the auspices of Enugu Concerned Professionals Worldwide, the professionals asked Chime, in the interest of the state, to “listen to the collective voices of reason and consider the distractions and great loss inherent in your contest for an elective position.”

    They listed 10 reasons why the governor should stay away from elective office.

    The group said: “As a lawyer, we will not bore you with the constitutional provision of no-term limit for the legislative arm of our presidential system of government.

    “The importance of no-term limit must override the need for zoning, which is not constitutional.

    “The increase in effectiveness of legislators is due to experience: the more you do something, the better you get at it. Experienced legislators make good laws.

    “The Senate and the House of Representatives have incumbency and seniority rules, which favour re-elected and experienced lawmakers. Examples abound worldwide.

    “The Enugu West has one Senate position and two House of Representatives positions. The ranking senator is also the Deputy Senate President and the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament.

    “The people of this zone will be short-changed if the incumbent senator is denied the opportunity to be re-elected. Besides the loss of seniority, a change in the Senate wipes away the power and influence of the exalted office, which is fifth in the succession ranking in the country.”

    The Enugu professionals insisted that Chime’s presence in the Senate would short-change the state.

    They said: “Enugu State houses the capital of Southeast, the home of Ndigbo. The zone has benefited from federal appointments and the projects emanating from the Office of the Deputy Senate President. The loss of the Office of Deputy Senate President and Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament will be a worst disservice to be visited on any people by their leader.

    “It is necessary for the Southeast to copy the Northcentral, which has given automatic ticket to the Senate President. The governor should be in the vanguard of making sure that the position is retained for the people of Southeast, Enugu State and, specifically, Enugu West.”

    The group feared that the political turmoil generated by the governor’s interest in an elective position could create a rift in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    They said there could be violence and loss of lives, insisting that it would be wrong to engender wasting of lives over “unnecessary political battles, which are not even in the interest of the people.”

    The professionals noted that Chime might have been best fit for the executive position, as “the art of legislation calls for the type of political sagacity needed to lobby, move and pass legislation.”

    “The eight-year experience in the executive position has prepared you better for executive position and less to delve into legislature, where a different personality is better fit,” they said.

    The professionals urged the governor to focus on bequeathing a legacy and “stay out of elective office to allow the people of Enugu East, North and West elect their senators and representatives.”

  • Nsukka professionals congratulate Ugwuanyi

    Nsukka professionals congratulate Ugwuanyi

    •Hail Chime, PDP

    The Nsukka Professional Group (NPG) has hailed Enugu State Governor Sullivan Chime and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for making House of Representatives member, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, the party’s consensus candidate for next year’s governorship election.

    In a statement by its president Dr. Basil Onugu and Secretary, Otoboeze Chikwado, the group noted that Ugwuanyi did not only emerge as the party’s consensus candidate but also has the qualities that made it possible for his fellow aspirants and other stakeholders to have confidence in, trust and respect for him.

    The statement said: “There is no iota of doubt that Ugwuanyi is eminently qualified, competent and has the right compliment of skills set necessary to, not only sustain but also advance Chime’s enviable legacies to the next level. Above all, unity and peace remain not only a sine-qua-non but also most imperative for the sustenance of the current tempo of development in the state.

    “Ugwuanyi is not only an epitome of peace but also large hearted and quite accommodating to the weak and the mighty alike. He is a team player of choice.

    “We will also thank Chime and the leadership of the party in the state for their consistent demonstration of dedication and commitment towards ensuring that Enugu North Senatorial Zone produces the next governor in 2015. It is not common in our political clime to find leaders who are concerned about equity, fairness and justice, as demonstrated in the course of this exercise.”

  • Centre invites professionals to help achieve jobs, wealth creation in Ogun

    Centre invites professionals to help achieve jobs, wealth creation in Ogun

    Seven years old Technology Incubation Centre (TIC), Abeok-uta, is repositioning itself, ostensibly to enhance its chances of creating not only wealth but also the targeted 5,000 jobs or more for budding young entrepreneurs, among  the youth of Ogun State within a couple of years.

    It is a collaborative efforts of the Federal Government, state and local governments in Ogun to nurture the start-up development and growth of innovative business ideas and technologies via Technology Incubation Programme (TIP).

    And aside Abeokuta, the state capital, there are two extensions of TIP in the state – Odogbolu ( Ogun East) and Owode – Yewa (Ogun West).

    Penultimate week, the centre brought into its fold, professionals from tertiary institutions, marketing, NAFDAC, research institute, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and Ministry of Commerce and Industry to help it evaluate feasibility studies and business plans of potential small and medium scale entrepreneurs desirous of using the facility to incubate their business ideas and innovations.

    The professionals – are also expected to provide advisory role on linkages to other source of funding for financial support to the aspiring entrepreneurs as well as on product marketing and export potentials for products produced by them.

    The Nation gathered that since its establishment in May 2007, the centre has provided no fewer than 500 direct jobs to youths and there are about 20 young entrepreneurs producing different products using local raw materials and whose investment worth at inception, was put at N24m beside 200 unemployed, who were sponsored for training in various vocations by the Ogun State government.

    The TIC Manager, Dr. John Oni, who recalled that the facility was established by the Federal Government to serve as an “industrial nursery and designed to use locally generated technologies and raw materials” for wealth creation, said the invited professionals are needed to move the place forward.

    Members of the team include Olootu Layi Labode, National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria(NIMN), Pharm. Ugochukwu Ilo (NAFDAC), Engr. Enebi Onucheyo (Standards Organisation of Nigeria) and eight others.

    The state Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Otunba Bimbo Ashiru, who inaugurated the 11-member  committee, advised them to use their experience in various callings to assist the centre attain its objectives of “jobs and wealth creation.”

    According to Ashiru, the TIP is an avenue to engage the youth and other enterprising minds needed to diversify the economy and steer the nation away from dependency on the oil sector and imports.

    The commissioner urged the budding small and medium entrepreneurs of the centre to leverage on the N1bn Ogun State – Bank of Industry Industrial Matching Fund and develop their various businesses to success stories.

    According to him, aside the link road, the state government built to the centre,  also request for provision of Industrial borehole, 500KVA transformer and connection of the Odogbolu extension are being looked into.

    The chairman of the advisory committee, Olootu Layi Labode, assured that products and discoveries at the centre would be made to get to the public as well as get certification and approval by government regulatory authority.

    According to Labode, who was former chairman, Ogun State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), it served neither the manufacturer/entrepreneurs nor the public any purpose if goods produced do not get to those who would make use of them.

    He expressed the confidence that with the team, the centre could be positioned to create over 10,000 jobs in the state within a short space of time.