The Nation Newspaper

Tag: programme

  • First lady seeks support for empowerment programme

    First lady seeks support for empowerment programme

    Wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, has urged lawmakers, politicians and wealthy Nigerians to complement her efforts in empowering the Nigerian woman, through her Future Assured programme, by start-up capitals that can enable them establish and practise their acquired skills.

    The First Lady, who spoke at the Kano State Government House during the graduation ceremony of 2,200 women trained in different skills under the Future Assured programme, witnessed the induction of the second phase of beneficiaries.

    She said: “Let me also call on all privileged, well-meaning individuals in Kano State, to emulate this effort, as the turn-out of this training has revealed the interest of women to get involved in income generating activities. I call on leaders, both political and corporate, to assist these graduating women with startup funds, so they can start work immediately. “These women have already started making money from these skills. They are now empowered to augment the family purse, solve their immediate financial problems, marital and family issues with more confidence.

    “I will not get tired of restating the age old adage that training a woman translates to training the whole community. I believe that these skills you have learnt will be transferred to your children, your sisters, your friends and even your neighbours, either directly or by subsidising your charges to them.

    “I, therefore, congratulate you on this achievement and hope it will translate to a better, more productive and fruitful lives. I hope that in the long run, the economy of Kano State will benefit from these skills.”

  • Babangida implemented uncertain transition programme, says Bamaiyi

    Babangida implemented uncertain transition programme, says Bamaiyi

    Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi, has described ex-Military President Ibrahim Babangida’s transition programme as “ the longest and uncertain”.

    He said there was no doubt that the late Chief M.K.O Abiola won the June 12, 1993 presidential poll which was annulled by the Babangida regime.

    To him the Justice Chukwudifu Oputa panel, which was set up by ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, was a waste of time because in his view, it was not designed to bring peace to Nigeria but to ridicule some former Heads of State of northern origin.

    Gen. Bamayi said he suspected an unwritten agreement  between Gen. Babangida and the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, which made the former to step aside from power in  August 1993 for an Interim National Government (ING).

    The ex-Army chief made these submissions in his book, “Vindication of a General,” which was unveiled in Abuja on Thursday.

    Gen. Bamaiyi said:  “Nigerians are not likely to forget that Gen. Ibrahim Babangida implemented one of the longest and uncertain transition programmes in Nigeria’s history. After several false declarations, President Babangida’s military administration found itself under much pressure from within and outside the country to return power to the democratic government.

    “The government took measures to return the country to civil rule. These include setting up the National Electoral Commission( NEC) and two political parties- the Social Democratic Party( SDP) and the National Republican Convention( NRC).

    “In the presidential election conducted on June 12, 1993, Chief MKO Abiola was the candidate of SDP while Alh. Bashir Tofa was the candidate of the NRC. These are two eminent Nigerians who are qualified to take over the mantle of leadership but the election was eventually annulled.

    “The Chairman of NEC, Prof. Humphrey Nwosu and other officials of the electoral commission set June 12,1993 as the date for the presidential election which was to bring an end to the military regime of Babangida .

    “Even then, this was in spite of efforts by individuals who benefited from the Babangida regime to frustrate the presidential election. One of such was Chief Arthur Nzeribe whose Association for Better Nigeria( ABN) got a High Court to stop the election on the eve of the election.

    “For the first time in the history of Nigeria, almost all eligible Nigerians trooped out to cast their votes. More than half of the votes went to MKO Abiola which thus gave him a clean, victory over his opponent, Bashiru Tofa.

    “In fact, Bashiru Tofa lost in his Ward which showed how acceptable MKO Abiola was throughout the country.

    “No sooner had NEC began to announce the results of the election than President Ibrahim Babangida declared it annulled.”

    Gen. Bamaiyi said he suspected that there was an unwritten agreement between Gen. Babangida and the late Gen. Abacha, which led to the former stepping aside from power in August 1993.

  • Forum backs school feeding programme

    Feed Nigeria Summit Secretariat’s Director–General Mr Richard Mbaram has said free meals and take-home rations under home grown school feeding (HGSF) will  enhance pupils’ performance and boost income generation and entrepreneurship in local communities.

    Mbaram said in Lagos that homegrown school feeding adopted by this administration would improve education, boost local economies and smallholder agriculture.

    To support the government, he said his organisation was planing a summit on how to work with development partners and the Federal Government to implement innovative solutions that can bolster agricultural performance.

    The summit set to hold between April 6 and 7 in Lagos, will bring together some of the most influential organisations and leaders in the food industry .

    The outcome of the summit will help support the government in implementing HGSF programme  and help them allocate resources accordingly.

    The event tagged: “Feed Nigeria, to Feed Africa” is a first of its kind in Nigeria, and will bring together prominent stakeholders, NGOs, government officials and ministries, campaigners, continental and international players and other influencers in the agricultural space, to discuss bugging issues aimed at advancing development of the agriculture sector in Nigeria. According to him, some of the key challenges faced by the food industry will be discussed in the summit.

    Mbaram said there was a need to bring together producers and leading industry representatives to agree to boost future production and open up opportunities.

  • 500 benefit from empowerment programme

    500 benefit from empowerment programme

    The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yusuff Lasun, who is representing Osogbo/Oloru-nda/Ifelodun/Orolu federal constituency of Osun State, has spent N250 million to alleviate poverty and create wealth among the people Osun State.

    No fewer than 500 people including farmers, women and youths had benefited from the Deputy Speaker’s empowerment programme through training, cash gift and provision of free equipment and materials in their various areas of specialisation.

    The beneficiaries include 350 farmers who were nominated and chosen across the local governments of Osun State by the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) and 150 youths.

    50 people were trained in mushroom plantation, preservation and marketing, 100 others were trained in fishery farm and 200 participants were lectured on plantain plantation.

    The 150 youths were expected to be trained in ICT but the late delivery of materials needed for training delayed the programme.

    After completion of the ICT training, each of the 150 youths would collect a N270-worth laptop, six-month etisalat subscription and N50,000.

    The 350 beneficiaries, who had completed their training were awarded certificate and presented gifts on Friday, February 24, at the Constituency Office of the deputy speaker located at Oroki Estate, Osogbo.

    Each fish farmer was given N50,000, coal and electric powered oven, fish smoken kiln and fish box while those that went for mushroom training were given N100,000.

    The farmers that were trained in plantain were given 20 suckers of plantains, cutlasses, wheel-biro and N75,000 cash each.

    Speaking on the objective of the programme, the Consultant, Prof. Olufemi Peters, said Hon. Lasun wanted to encourage self-reliance and high productivity in agricultural sector to combat poverty headlong.

    He added that the programme was to improve skills and agricultural entrepreneurship through identification of beneficiaries who are in need.

    Peters stated that the empowerment programme would also improve quality of livelihood through sustainable food security programme.

    On the monitoring of the beneficiaries, Peters disclosed that a committee comprising members of the Lasun’s constituency office, AFAN and the consultant has been inaugurated to guide them.

    He stated that the committee is to ensure that the farmers set up their farms as soon as possible, give them regular training and communicate update research ideas to them.

    “We have also establish cooperative community for the beneficiaries for them to be holding meeting, source for more fund, create network for marketing and share ideas with one-another.

    He said: “We have also created e-networking for marketing and communication through the social media to share their experiences and challenges on their various farm and market.”

    The empowerment progarmme was organised in collaboration with the Forest Research Institute of Nigeria and Federation of Stud Green Institute.

    One of the beneficiaries, Mr. Ayodeji Bolarinwa, a farmer, described the empowerment programme as timely and needed at the present time to reduce poverty to the barest minimum among the people of the state. Commending the Deputy Speaker, another beneficiary, Mrs. Idowu Ayobode, said the Ilobu-born lawmaker has demonstrated his keenness in promoting agriculture and empowering the people to dissuade them from running after politicians to beg for money. Ayobode charged other political office holders to emulate what he described as good character and good gesture of the deputy speaker.

  • Rotary holds family health programme

    Rotary International, District 9110, comprising Ogun and Lagos states, has held the fifth edition of its Family Health Week. To mark the occasion, various clubs engaged in projects to promote healthy living and lifestyles of individuals .

    The 25-member Rotary Club of Lagos Central took its philanthropic gestures to markets and other areas such as  CMS, Ikoyi, and Lagos Island.

    The flag-off of the two-day project saw consultations with nurses, and the demonstration of the use of protective items.

    Other programmes were family counselling, male and female condom distribution, diabetes and glucose level check; distribution of Vitamins A and C supplements, malaria screening and treatment; HIV tests; deworming of all children; blood pressure checks; distribution of common cold medicines and pain reliving medicines and distribution of mosquito nets.

    Although injections were not given, referrals were made to various hospitals for those with serious ailments. Those who availed themselves of the health check include high way sweepers, security guards, market men and women and a few from the corporate environment.

    President of the Club, Mr Vincent Adubor, who is the Director of Corporate Services at the Chartered Institute of Stock Brokers, said the clubs target was the masses, as there was need to take the project to those in the market place because many of them, due to their routine daily activities, don’t remember to test their blood pressure and sugar level as well as their general health condition.

    “There is need to create awareness of health conditions. People are now aware of what it takes to have a proper healthcare and we are glad at the turnout. Next year, we hope to have positive results from our talks and a larger turnout.”

    He noted that the club has a lot of prospects in terms of creating healthier communities, but is faced with the problem of manpower. He called on youths,between ages 25 and 35 to join the club.

    Similarly, the Rotary Club of Oregun visited the Palace of the traditional ruler and Olu of Oregunland, Oba Lamidi Olorunfunmi, where it presented 250 pairs of reading eye glasses for distribution to older members in the axis.

    During the visit, the Rotary District Governor Pat Ikheloa, charged the monarch on the need to ensure that cleanliness and general wellbeing is maintained in the locality.

    He said this year; people were checked for their Hepatitis B status so that they can get treated

    He added that  Rotary has redoubled its effort to ensure that polio is eradicated in the country.

    “We are doing our best and a lot of awareness has been made and our detective mechanism has been improved. Soon, we should expect a polio-free world.”

  • Entrepreneurship programme in varsities is misplaced priority, says ASUU

    Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has described the Entrepreneurship Programme initiated by Federal Government in the nation’s tertiary institutions as a propaganda tools by agents who are bent on entrenching the concept of neo liberalism in the country.

    The union described the entrepreneurship programme as a misplaced priority, noting that instead, government needs invest in peoples’ talents.

    Instead, the union urged Federal Government to embrace a new concept called ‘Developmental State’ in which recognises and harnesses human talents and the nation’s resources.

    The union made its position known in a one day symposium with the theme ‘Three decades of Neo-Liberalism in Nigeria’ organised by the University of Lagos chapter of ASUU, at its main auditorium

    “The entrepreneurship education programme are myths projected by agents of liberalism,” ASUU said.

    “They are turning the whole thing like craftsmanship in our tertiary institutions rather than talking about knowledge base that will allow the people see the need to support the state.

    “Neo liberalism is an imposition and ASUU rejects it in its entirety’ ASUU added.

    ASUU national President Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, said that the union fears that government sustaining neo liberalism concept will further open the country to foreign exploiters who are more interested in controlling the economy and killing public utilities.

    Ogunyemi said proponent of neo liberalism will always convince government to either drastically reduce or completely stop funding public utilities, a development the union fears would further plunge public universities and other tertiary institutions and public utilities into deeper financial crisis.

    Said Ogunyemi: “The situation on ground (economic recession) is the mismanagement of our economy over the years. We missed the point the moment we stopped planning our economy. We were now trying to borrow from the perspective of World Bank and IMF which is rooted in neo liberalism.

    “Neo liberalism as we have said in this forum, is an imposition by an external group and what they are interested in is how to further open up our economy for exploitation. Unfortunately, our leaders have not demonstrated sufficient patriotism and level of altruism. Those who are controlling our economy today are from the private sector and that is what neo liberalism preaches.

    “When you say government should ‘roll back from the public space’ that means government should stop supporting public institutions and facilities; and that translates to less funding for public utilities.

    “The culmination of all of these is that those that are expected to benefit from these institutions will also not be sufficiently patriotic because they don’t see the state doing much for them.

    “Our union believes neo liberalism has not and cannot help this country; and we are urging government to sit back and do a rethink.

    “We are in support of the new concept called ‘Developmental State’ which essentially recognises the need to harness the talents of the people and resources, and make the people work by investing in them. When you build the capacity of the citizenry, they will come back to serve the country.

    “That was the path the Asian Tigers went. It was not as if IMF and World Bank did not try them, but those countries rebuffed them. Unfortunately, here we don’t have leaders that are strong to resist IMF/WB formula; so we have been moving in circles.”

    The symposium also had four other speakers- professors Omotoye Olorede; Abubakah Momoh; Ndubuisi Nwokoma and Mustapha Akinkunmi who spoke either in support or against the theme.

    ASUU said it is working in collaboration with the Nigerian Labour Congress to review the present economic situation, adding that soon, the two bodies will come up with a conference where they will offer their blueprint on how to bail the nation from her financial doldrums.

    ASUU continued: “If the economy is well planned, you take from then rich to finance the poor. They (governments) are talking about taxation now, but how many of these rich individuals actually pay the accurate tax? Go to Abuja and you find out that about three quarters of those high rise buildings there are locked up. Nobody is there. But you can’t do that in Europe or America because the taxes that will be imposed on them will stop them from building houses they will not occupy. But they are using those structures to launder our money.

  • Firm to launch TV programme

    Verdure Vision Limited, publisher of AgroNigeria Magazine, is set to launch its television programme – Agro On TV.

    According to the Chief Executive/Editor-in-Chief of AgroNigeria, Richard-Mark Mbaram,  Agro On TV will be campaigning for increased provision of water, energy and road linkage for agricultural use, especially for smallholder farmers.

    If these were achieved, he  said, there would be higher returns on agricultural investment, and an attendant positive ripple effect on the Nigerian economy will be felt within a few months.

    He said Agro On TV would feature four segments: “The Pulse”; which chronicles news in the agricultural sector, “Talk Time”; which hosts stakeholders in the agric sector to discuss issues in the sector; “Street Vibes”, which highlights the experiences, opinions and expectations of people on issues relating to agriculture and “Agro Style”; which features entertainment gist in agriculture.

    Of importance is Agro Style, a media strategy deployed to appeal to the younger generation and sustain their attention in agro-practice.

    He said attempts had been made in the past to involve the youth in agriculture, but to no avail, hence the introduction of the entertainment segment, which will draw the attention of youths to the sector.

    Mbaram added: “Agro On TV is fully funded by internal resources. It is our contribution to Nigeria; to let everybody know that the time to act on full participation in agriculture is now. The younger generation and the employers of labour should see agriculture as a necessity. Agriculture is a must. If practiced right, it would solve the social and economic problems facing the country.”

  • Reps seek N500b intervention programme framework

    Reps seek N500b intervention programme framework

    • NDDC’s N260b budget bill scales second reading

    The House of Representatives has directed the Presidency to make available to it the administrative framework and details of the programmes to be implemented under the N500billion  social intervention fund.

    This followed the adoption of  a motion of urgent public importance  by Chika Adamu (Niger APC), who said the success of the programme remained doubtful because it has neither administrative nor legal framework for its implementation.

    According to him, intervention programmes introduced by previous administrations failed due to mismanagement and lack of strong institutional structure, adding that  the office of the Vice President does not possess the capacity to handle such social intervention fund.

    He said the N500billion programme should be stopped until the framework has been provided by the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on  Poverty Alleviation.

    Meanwhile, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC’s) N260b budget bill for this year equally scaled second reading on the floor of the House yesterday too.

    Reacting to the request for the implementation framework of the intervention programme, House Majority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila argued that the request was unnecessary because the framework was already in place.

  • Sahara Foundation eyes 12m beneficiaries from programme

    Sahara Foundation eyes 12m beneficiaries from programme

    Sahara Foundation has adopted what it tagged ‘extrapreneurship strategy’ to drive integrated economic empowerment programmes.The programmes will see strategic partnerships and support for innovative, scalable business ventures where 12 million people are expected to benefit.

    Sahara Foundation is the corporate responsibility vehicle of Sahara Group, energy and infrastructure conglomerate with operations in power, downstream, midstream, upstream and Infrastructure sectors, and has presence in Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

    According to a statement by the firm’s spokesman, Bethel Obioma, over the next four years, Sahara Foundation plans to impact 12million beneficiaries and also create value through the identification, development and maintenance of relevant stakeholders through which beneficiaries can grow and sustain businesses. This will be achieved through skills acquisition training, mentoring and access to a network of committed stakeholders.

    Executive Director and Co-Founder, Sahara Group, Mr. Tonye Cole, explained that the core of the extrapreneurship framework is “to produce a platform that finds, creates and connects young ‘extrapreneurs’ in emerging markets”, adding that this would be achieved by leveraging on Sahara Foundation’s key strength of bringing together various committed stakeholders and promoting cross- sectoral collaboration.

    ‘Extrapreneurship’ involves creating value through leveraging internal and external strengths to drive cross-sectoral collaboration. This is made possible by connecting the right people and organisations towards providing sustainable solutions to global social problems.  Unlike entrepreneurship which focuses mainly in income generation, extraprenuership is centered on wealth creation and preservation.

    Cole said the shift in Sahara Foundation’s focus is modelled after Sahara Group’s strategy. “Sahara has evolved from a fledgling entrepreneurial business which began 20 years ago into a world class conglomerate with operations across the energy value chain including upstream, midstream, downstream operations. We have leveraged our network of committed stakeholders to expand the business, embrace opportunities and grow the franchise sustainably over the past two decades,” he added.

    Sahara Foundation aims to drive the extrapreneurship programme through the establishment of community/academic hubs and the social media. These platforms will provide resource materials and inspire networking and collaboration on a mass scale for local, regional, national and global beneficiaries.

    “You cannot even imagine the multiplier effect we are hoping to generate with the new model as young business owners are exposed to boundless opportunities that exist within the various hubs and our dedicated web portal where leading business individuals and organisations will be available to guide and link budding extrapreneurs,’’ Cole said.

  • Federal Govt’s social safety net programme

    President Muhammadu Buhari took over the mantle of leadership of Nigeria on May 29, 2015, with a clear agenda to curb corruption, fight insecurity, reposition the economy and tackle the pervasive poverty in the land.

    These critical issues were central and dominant in his campaign promises as well as his compact with all Nigerians when he took the oath of office a little over a year ago.

    In keeping with his determination to immediately tackle the menace of insurgency and restore law and order in the North-eastern, he ordered the immediate relocation of the command and control centre of the Nigerian military to Maiduguri. Today, Boko Haram insurgency has continued to suffer crushing defeats in the hands of our gallant military. This is evident in the recovery of all territories hitherto captured by the insurgent group, including the Sambisa Forest, the epicentre of the battle. Also of triumphant significance is the liberation of thousands of victims that were held hostage by the insurgents, including Amina Ali, one of the over 200 Chibok School Girls abducted in 2014.  The freedom of Amina is a symbolic indication that all the abducted schools girls and others in the captivity of Boko Harm are on their journey to freedom.  From all sides, the Boko Haram walls are falling.

    On the fight against corruption, it is now clear to all that the fear of Buhari is the beginning of wisdom. The anti-corruption search-light is uncovering all rots and previous cans of worms, with the high and the mighty scurrying for cover. With presidential courage, commitment and consistency, some rotten eggs are being hurled into the dragnet, while many more are surrendering the national loot with sobering trepidation. Thanks to the President, the anti-corruption czar.

    At the economic front, the battle is no less fierce. From the background of decades of economic misdirection, made worse by a social system that institutionalized corruption and riddled our common wealth in the vault of oil, the Buhari administration has ignited a conflagration in all directions. The plummeting prices of petroleum products at the international market, with the crippling effects on our foreign exchange earnings, have made economic diversification a national imperative. Here again, the President is brazing the trail in agriculture, agro-allied industries,  solid minerals, mining and mineral prospecting, culture and tourism and several other sectors. The productive base of the economy has been unlocked to ventilate the economy and provide entry visa for Nigerian made products into the international market.

    While working hard to reposition Nigeria for accelerated growth and development, this administration is not unaware of the challenges of poverty and unemployment in the land and the need to evolve measures tocushion the effects of the social squalor of the vast majority of our people. Accordingly, the Federal Government has rolled out a comprehensive Social Safety Net Programme, to address unemployment and better the condition of living of the extremely poor and vulnerable Nigerians.

    It is pertinent to point out that the sum of N500 billion has already been approved in the 2016 Appropriation Act to finance this social intervention programme. Specific schemes under this programme include the creation of 500,000 teaching assistance for qualified teachers for a period of 12 to 24 months in the first instance; the training of 100,000 artisans and the provision of soft loans for them to commence business activities; and conditional cash transfer which is intended to pay the sum of N5,000.00 to one million Nigerians across the country. Others are micro-credit scheme for more than 1.5 million Nigerians and N50,000 education support grant for 100,000 students in tertiary institutions who are undergoing courses in Science Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Education.

    Another key component of this programme is the National Home Grown School Feeding Scheme targeted at 24 million pupils in 18 pilot states in 2016. The food for the programme, which will run till 2020 would be sourced from local farmers and prepared by qualified caterers within the host communities. This is to benefit the pupils, the farmers and the local communities alike. It is projected that this scheme would create 1.4 million jobs for community caterers, support caterers and small house-hold farmers across Nigeria.

    The overall objectives of this programme are to reduce poverty and unemployment, empower the people economically, encourage school enrolment, build capacity, equip the less educated people with the skills to be self-employed and promote scholarship in the areas of science Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Education.

    Indeed, there is no doubt that these policy measures would go a long way in making life more tolerable to ordinary Nigerians who constitute a larger percentage of the population. For the first time, the less privileged Nigerians at the grassroots shall begin to feel the impact of governance directly.

    As the Federal Government commences full implementation of this programme, all hands must be on deck to ensure that it meets the desired objective of empowering the indigent members of our society. The programme must be massively publicized to raise public awareness on its various components so that the targeted Nigerians can benefit from it.

    The process of enrolment into these schemes should be open, transparent and not subjected to the manipulation of some unscrupulous members of our society. Accordingly, government should note that those who have criticized this project as a white elephant programme and have sentenced it to death even before arrival would do everything possible to scuttle it.  All measures must be deployed to counter their devices.

    The political class must ensure that this programme is not hijacked for political patronage or to fill personal pockets. It is a programme meant for the poor and those who would sit on the welfare of the poor shall certainly have their judgment.

    The masses must police the implementation of this programme to ensure that due process is followed. This is why the idea of Grievance Redress System is a welcome innovation that would facilitate speedy report and redress on issues that may violate due process in the implementation of the scheme. This is where the grassroots reach and capacity of the National Orientation Agency is very critical. The agency should be empowered and strengthened to mount intensive public education campaign on the programme, as well as drive its implementation at the grassroots, to ensure that it is carried out to specification.

    The freedom of Information Act empowers all Nigerians to ask questions or demand explanation on issues that appear hazy to them. Nigerians must rely on the provisions of this Act to keep under close watch, the activities of all those that are saddled with the implementation of this programme. It is by so doing that the laudable vision and intentions of government in embarking on this programme are not subverted by a few self-serving Nigerians.

     

    • Dr. Adewole is Director, Public Education and Mass Mobilization at the National Orientation Agency, Abuja.