The Nation Newspaper

Tag: protection

  • UNICEF hails Aregbesola’s social protection policies

    UNICEF hails Aregbesola’s social protection policies

    The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) at the weekend said Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola is a symbol of service to human development.

    The international organisation hinged its commendation on the governor’s commitment to human and infrastructure development since he assumed office in 2010.

    The Chief of Field Services of UNICEF Nigeria, Dr. Annefrida Kisessa, spoke at a get-together organised by the state in honour of representatives from 15 states and leadership of UNICEF on a visit to Osun to learn more about the state’s social protection programmes and its successes.

    Dr. Kisessa expressed delight over what she called “good governance in action” in Osun State.

    The UNICEF chief said the state had revolutionalised governance in Nigeria.

    She hailed Aregbesola’s commitment and passion to humanity, saying the governor’s social protection programmes are among the best in the country.

    The UNICEF team leader said the social intervention initiatives under Aregbesola had been assessed to be impactful, beneficial and rewarding.

    She said: “I have visited between 15 and 20 states in Nigeria. Since I have been visiting, I have not seen a leader like Aregbesola with rare passion for people’s welfare.

    “I have seen your passion to banish poverty, banish hunger, restore healthy living, promote functional and quality education for your people, among others. I have seen your passion to develop your people and your state. I am really proud of your achievements because I have seen your indelible legacies in all sectors.

    “With what I have seen, it is clear that Osun has shown that education is the key to development. Your programmes are no doubt centred on the people as your social protection projects are designed to better the lives of your people, especially the less privileged, vulnerable and downtrodden.

  • Enugu sets up consumer protection committee

    Enugu State government has set up a consumer protection committee to check sharp increases in prices of goods and services by traders and service providers.

    Commerce and Industry Commissioner Mr. Sam Ogbu-Nwobodo spoke in Enugu at a meeting with executives of Petroleum Dealers Association of Nigeria.

    He said the committee, which is under his ministry, would enforce relevant consumer protection laws of the state.

    Ogbu-Nwobodo noted that the committee will ensure offenders were punished according to the law.

    He enjoined petroleum dealers not to engage in illegal practice.

    “Enugu State government will sanction any petroleum dealer found short-changing consumers,’’ the commissioner said.

    He urged petroleum dealers to support the government by complying with laws on weight and measures as well as quality and safety standard of their petroleum products.

    Ogbu-Nwobodo told them to pay their registration and renewal of business premises fees for 2017 as enshrined in the law.

    Chief John Eze, chairman of Petroleum Dealers Association, Enugu State chapter, said the association would support the present administration.

  • ‘Make fire protection all-inclusive policy’

    ‘Make fire protection all-inclusive policy’

    For three consecutive days (September 20-22), the Fire Protection Association of Nigeria (FPAN) held this year’s annual conference on fire prevention and protection at Equity Resort Hotel, Ijebu-Ode Ogun State. During the conference, participants discussed the way forward for the all-important sector. The conference was held because of the growing cases of fire incidents and their attendant consequences in terms of loss of lives and property.

    The theme of the conference was “Towards Effective Coordination and Management of Fire Prevention and Emergency Preparedness for Security of National Economy.”

    At the end of the conference where experts presented several papers, a communiqué was also issued. The event was also a platform for the investiture of about 19 Fellows of the association as well as election of new executive.

    Speaking at the conference, FPAN’s Vice-President, Mr. Dominic O. Aigbogun, said the participants arrived at the recommendations after exhaustive deliberations of the problems confronting fire protection and other emergency measures in the country.

    He also revealed that the conference noted that fire services across the country were poorly funded and ill-equipped, thereby giving rise to lapses in intervention and capacity building.

    The conference, according to Aigbogun, also decried lack of pro-activeness in planning for emergencies, which has equally led to challenges in the proper management of rescue operations.

    Other issues the conference deliberated on included lack of synergy among law enforcement agencies in the management of fire and other emergencies; losses arising from fire incidents in the country  which were on the increase and largely so as a result of weak systems and structure in the management of fire incidents.

    The association also observed that the country’s insurance sector was experiencing a lot of challenges, essentially due to poor risk assessment, leading to poor pricing, poor risk treatment and lack of effective monitoring.

    To mitigate the challenges facing fire prevention management in the country, the conference recommended, among other things:

    “That since safety of lives and property is a collective responsibility, the funding of fire services should be borne by the three tiers of government. It was equally recommended that each local government area should contribute five per cent of its revenue allocation for equipping the fire service stations.

    “It was also recommended that insurance companies, banks and oil firms should contribute two per cent of their annual gross profits to the Fire Service Fund while other corporate bodies should pay one per cent of their gross profit into the fund.

    Other major recommendations were that “the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) should ensure proper and effective role separation in emergency operations; individual agencies in the area of fire and other emergencies should always restrict themselves to the specific and defined roles and responsibilities.”

    The participants also stressed that emphasis should shift from a reactive to proactive philosophy in fire protection management and that proper planning of emergency operations should be the core for effectiveness and efficiency in response operations.

    The participants called on government at various levels and decision makers on fire and other emergencies, to budget properly and ensure that the relevant equipment and the capacity for emergency operations are assured.

    The conferees equally urged the Federal Government to urgently revisit and implement its 2012 Committee’s report on the restructuring of Fire Service in the country, just as they urged insurance companies to ensure proper and effective assessment and treatment of risks in their portfolios.

    While commending the Federal Government for transferring the Federal Fire Service to the Ministry of Interior, the conference however, appealed to the government to speedily place the Service either on the Concurrent or Exclusive list.

    The body wants the National Assembly to accelerate the passage of the Bill on Fire Service Act of 2003.

    Other recommendations included paying of greater attention to the recruitment of firemen into the service; ensuring uniformity of Fire Safety Code, fire service training and administration.

    The conference, which expressed sadness over the loss of lives of firemen in active service, appealed for the provision of protective wears, particularly breathing apparatus to safeguard firemen at work.

    They equally sought the intensification of public enlightenment/lectures in fire prevention activities; positioning three fire stations in strategic positions in each local government in the country and adequate raw water reservoir and hydrant with outlets spaced 100 metres apart in every city.

    In a bid for more relevance, the conference urged  the FPAN’s Governing Council to establish a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with other safety organisations, especially that of FPA in the United Kingdom and NFPA of the United States of America, among others.

    The papers presented included; “Role of NEMA in Emergency Control”; “Fire Service in Nigeria, How Prepared;” “Role of Enforcement Agencies in Management of Fire Emergencies”; “FPAN’s Views on Losses in our Nation and Contemplated Remedies” and “Insurer’s View on Fire and other cognate losses in our Nation.”

  • National security and social protection

    SIR: The economic well-being or lack thereof of society has a clear and direct impact on the security of the society. Societal threats such as unemployment, mass poverty, unfair labour markets, etc., generally affect social cohesion negatively and tend to erode any form of identification with the state. The resulting disenchantment and distancing, often witnesses the “radicalisation” of its youth, and the birth and or strengthening of criminal organisations, narcotic cartels, jihadi-terrorists, and avenging militants, etc.

    Social protection programmes are commonly understood as initiatives that provide income or consumption transfers to the poor, protect the vulnerable against livelihood risks and enhance the social status of the marginalised, with the overall objective of reducing the economic and vulnerability of the poor, physically-challenged and marginalised groups in a given society.

    Social protection has however been more recently deployed as a tool and component of national security frameworks, with states ensuring the provision of safety nets for the poor and vulnerable, which in turn encourages them to be productive contributors to society, thus depriving terror groups and criminal organisations of an otherwise ready pool of talents and personnel.

    Hence, in appreciation of these realities and the emerging societal threats to national security, progressive governments around the world have generally adopted a multi-prong approach that combines conventional security and intelligence systems, with a healthy dose of social protection programmes.

    It is against this background, that a number of commentators have urged the Federal Government to begin to pay far greater attention to the harmonization and expansion of its social protection programmes in the country because contrary to the erroneous perception of ‘social protection’ as some fanciful western concept for prosperous nations, social protection is in fact an existential necessity for the security of any state in the 21st century.

    The security services, as effective and brave as they may be, cannot be locked in an endless cycle of conflicts and insurgencies across the federation; currently the Nigerian military is on active deployment in at least 15 states of the federation. To remedy the situation, the government must develop socio-economic and socio-political solutions to the myriad of security threats confronting Nigeria. Just as his eminence Cardinal Olubunmi Okojie stated in his widely circulated letter to President Buhari, “If there is no solution to Nigeria’s problem there may be endless war. You strike one town, you gain it, and you come again to regain it.”

    Social protection is thus no longer a luxury, but a critical economic and security need for all nations, both rich and poor. Nigeria needs to secure its future not by the force of arms alone, but by the deployment of efficient social protection programmes for its poor, it’s vulnerable and the physically-challenged.

     

    • UgochukwuAmasike,

    Lagos.

  • ‘Why widows deserve protection, empowerment’

    A Group, Chinwe Bode-Akinwande Foundation, has called for enforcement of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act 2015 to protect the country’s over five million widows and their children.

    This, it said, will give the widows a sense of belonging and enable them contribute productively to the nation’s economy.

    Its founder, Chinwe Bode-Akinwande, in a statement to commemorate the international widow’s day, lamented the extreme deprivations and cultural hostilities that widows are subjected to.

    She said: “Widowed women experience targeted murder, rape, prostitution, forced marriage, property theft, eviction, social isolation and physical abuse.

    “Children of widows face horrors such as child marriage, illiteracy, loss of schooling, forced labour, human trafficking, homelessness and sexual abuse.”

    These situations, which she described as unpalatable, disempower and dehumanise them.

    Security agencies, she explained, should be trained to enforce the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act 2015 to protect them from abusers.

    She added that their children must also be empowered through concerted efforts by governments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to safeguard their future.

    Bode-Akinwande said: “Widows need empowerment and capacity building, health intervention, nutrition, quality basic education and self-employment schemes for their children.

    “They can boost the economy with a little support and assistance from stakeholders. They shouldn’t be left alone to face the vagaries of life unprotected.”

    She added that the foundation will hold an outreach for free distribution of food items, medical support and clothes in Ikorodu, Lagos.

  • Assessing SEC’s strides in investors’ protection

    For the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) under its Director-General (D-G), Mounir Gwarzo, bringing more local and international investors into the capital market remains a priority for Nigeria’s continued growth and development. The SEC D-G also prioritises investor protection and confidence building, which are instrumental in realising and sustaining the vision of the capital market under his leadership.

    The SEC under Gwarzo appears to be moving quickly to engender and sustain local and international investors’ confidence in the Nigerian capital market. From finding new investment opportunities to deployment of new technology to drive these investments, the SEC boss has surpassed stakeholders’ expectations. His vision to encourage more investment of pension funds in the capital market has been praised by stakeholders given the leverage and depth such funds would give to the market and the economy.

    Gwarzo has also spoken on maximum utilization of pension funds to ensure that the impressive pool of savings mobilised over the last decade was put to productive use for inclusive economic growth. The March 2016 data from PenCom showed that Nigerian Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) invested only 8.16 per cent of their assets in the domestically listed equities market and 1.24 per cent in foreign equities, which means less than 10 per cent of the total assets are invested in equities.

    The 9.4 per cent allocation means that Nigeria has the lowest allocation to equities by pension funds among peer markets. In contrast, South African pension fund invests 73 per cent of total assets in equities; Botswana (70 per cent), Namibia (66 per cent) and Swaziland (57 per cent) which have much smaller and shallower stock markets than Nigeria but allocate far more of total assets to equities. The world average for allocation by PFAs to equities is 42 per cent which is more than fourfold the level in Nigeria.

    Therefore, all stakeholders in the pension industry should reevaluate their current asset allocation and aim to improve it. This makes sense for asset safety and for ensuring PFAs beat inflation consistently.

    Nigeria’s PFAs cannot afford to continue allocating over two-thirds of contributors’ assets to Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) securities with the array of available investible products, especially in an increasingly inflationary environment.

    Even if the pension fund administrators were to invest up to the 30 per cent allowable limit of the pension funds in equities as approved by the National Pension Commission, it was still below the global benchmark of 42 per cent. Such investment would generate the necessary returns to provide sustainable benefits to contributors.

    The SEC under Gwarzo has also voted N5 billion as take-off grant for the National Investors Protection Fund (NIPF). It equally launched the board of NIPF, flagging off the special purpose vehicle that will compensate investors for pecuniary losses arising from the insolvency, bankruptcy or negligence of sundry capital market operators that are not members of a registered stock exchange.

    The NIPF has placed Nigeria within the elite group of countries with specialised compensation scheme for investors. Investors would now have a window to redress losses that arise from non-investment risks.

    While dozens of jurisdictions have functional investor protection funds run mainly by Exchanges and their dealing members, Nigeria is now among only a few countries to have a National Investor Protection Fund, to compensate investors for pecuniary losses arising from the insolvency, bankruptcy or negligence of non-broker/dealer capital market operators.

    The SEC has also played its part by providing the take-off grant for the initial operation of the NIPF. The entire capital market community would now have to come together to discuss details of how to contribute to continue funding for this critical market vehicle. For instance, since the 2008 financial crisis in which the Nigerian stock market lost about 70 per cent of its value, investor confidence had been eroded, creating apathy that still impacts the state of the market.

    The SEC has a dual mandate of regulating and developing the capital market and as such has put in place several reform measures to restore investor confidence and attract investors back to the market, with the NIPF as part of the investors’ protection mechanisms.

    The inauguration of the board of the NIPF completed a cycle of protection for investors that suffered losses due to inactions of capital market operators.

    The SEC D-G is also working closely with the Nigeria Judiciary to boost investor confidence in the dispute resolution mechanisms available in the capital market. Both the SEC and National Judicial Institute (NJI) are collaborating to ensure that the rights of investors are protected.

    The role and responsibility of the Commission as provided in the Investment and Securities Act 2007 included the powers to register, inspect, investigate, discipline and suspend any market operator. The Act also gives SEC substantial powers to make rules and regulations and also to impose sanctions on and enforce decisions against erring capital market operators or their sponsored individuals. The judiciary needs to understand the workings of the capital market even as the capital market also needs to understand the workings of the judiciary.

    The SEC is also helping the market to leverage on technological advancement to shorten trading cycle from four days to two days thereby blazing the trails as the only African market with such a timely cycle. The Commission believes that further reduction in trading and settlement cycle would translate into quicker turnover and improved liquidity for investors in the Nigerian stock market. Ongoing initiatives such as cash direct settlement, electronic dividend and full dematerialisation being implemented by the capital market stakeholders would enable the plan to be realised.

    Besides, for the first time in the history of any capital market in Africa, investors in the Nigerian capital market are now to get dividend payment within 24 hours through the electronic dividend (e-dividend) payment system. All these initiatives promoted by the SEC D-G are aimed at encouraging retail investors to participate actively in the Nigerian stock market as part of a long-term 10-year master plan for the development of Nigerian capital market.

    One of the strategies of deepening the market by the Commission is to target the retail domestic investors by implementing key confidence-building initiatives that would encourage the retail investors to invest in Nigerian market. It is only the domestic investor that, no matter the condition of the market, will stay with us. What we have been experiencing in the market is the dominance of the foreign investor where anytime they want to move out of the market they get out and anything they want to come in they do so.

    Seeing what was happening in the market, the SEC decided that the best thing was to get the retail investor, and the approach is not to go to them and be telling them to come back but to identify the issues.

    Again, once the e-dividend platform is fully operational the issue of stale warrant will become a thing of the past. The issue of travelling from one place to another to deposit the warrant will be a thing of the past. The issue of change of address will also be eliminated. The issue of unclaimed dividend, which is in excess of N80 billion, will also be a thing of the past

    The SEC under Gwarzo is also partnering with the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRC) to establish a National Online Account Reporting Platform to make vital information such as audited and unaudited financial statements of quoted companies readily available to relevant stakeholders.

    The platform will among other things allow for online real-time access, cross referencing, historical auditing, planning and confirming tax compliance and government revenue assurance. Most importantly, it will serve as a single source for approved audited financial statements for both government agencies and authorised users.

    Gwarzo, who has pledged his commission’s support to the establishment of the platform appealed to FRC to make it easier for companies to get their audited reports approved by the council. He said that the complexities, which some companies were going through and the time it takes for FRC to make approvals, were making the companies to constantly submit their annual financial reports late to SEC.

    No doubt, Gwarzo has deployed his long years of experience to create greater visibility for African and Middle Eastern capital markets as well as ensure improved financial inclusion for all Nigerians.

    •Ume is a financial market strategist based in Abuja

  • NOSDRA seeks field workers’ protection

    NOSDRA seeks field workers’ protection

    The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) yesterday urged the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC)  to provide security cover for the agency’s field workers.

    Its Director –General, Peter Idabor who spoke during a visit to the Commandant General of NSCDC, Abdullahi Gana Muhammadu, said the agency finds it difficult to carryout field work because of the presence of criminals.

    Idabor, therefore called for synergy between the two agencies as an effective means of tackling the challenges of pipeline vandalism and artisanal refineries.

    He said: “We are not an armed organisation so we are just like civilians. It becomes very difficult for us when we are out in the field we are confronted by armed individuals who are stealing the nation’s oil well and in most cases we withdraw our staff.

  • Concept Nova launches ‘Double Protection Promo’

    •Firm slashes car tracking, C-Protect anti-glass break film prices

    Nigeria’s leading innovative IT solutions company, Concept Nova has launched a reward scheme to boost access to its car tracking solution, Ti-kon and the anti-glass break solution, C-Protect.

    Tagged: the Double Protection Promo, the scheme will see the prices of Ti-kon and C-Protect slashed by 25 per cent for each unit ordered from concept nova’s e-commerce store – concept-nova.com/shop

    The offer which has started since 22nd of March will end on the 31st of March, 2016.

    The promo also takes care of wholesalers who will get five to ten packages of window films free upon purchases of 50 to 100 units and above.

    Concept Nova, one of Nigeria’s fastest growing information technology service and software development companies, has pioneered several technological solutions including the Ti-kon and C-Protect.

    The car tracking solution, the Ti-kon, is a basic tracking solution that gets timely information on the state and location of vehicles directly through the mobile phone. It is a self-service car monitoring device that uses GPS as well as GSM technology to monitor the location of vehicles at all times and can be viewed from an Internet enabled device like a smart phones, a tablet or a computer. It is for everyone who values the safety of their car and desires to be able to monitor the activities of their vehicle especially when in use by a third party which could be drivers, mechanics or even your wards. The technology also allows users to discover potential misuse, optimise route as well as secure against theft.

    The C-Protect on the other hand is Concept Nova’s premium anti-glass break solution that protects vehicles against vandalism. It is an invincible coat of film which could be installed on car window glasses and vents to prevent the glass from shattering in an event of accidental glass break, theft or vandalism. It also drastically reduces the ease of break-in during robbery by over 80 per cent as it is nearly impossible to break the glass even upon multiple hits.

    Speaking on the double protection promo, Head, Strategy and Marketing, Concept Nova, Chidimma Onyeokoro said: “As a customer oriented company, we have over the past few years developed various innovative solutions for the consumer and corporate market. And with the overwhelming show of support and encouragement and also to further ensure seamless access to these products, we introduce the Concept Nova Double Protection promotion to reward our loyal customers and drive easier access to these our safety solutions.”

    She is also disclosed that Concept Nova is seeking franchise partners to increase distribution nationwide and boost access to the company’s array of IT solutions.

  • Heidelberg seeks protection for local printing industry

    Heidelberg seeks protection for local printing industry

    The Managing Director, Heidelberg, Mr. Jakob Bejer, yesterday in Lagos,  urged the Federal Government to protect the local paper, printing and graphics sub-sector of the economy.

    He said a situation where finished products from the sub-sector are allowed to flood the local market from China and other parts fo the world is not healthy beacause it creates jobs in the exporting countries while taking jobs off Nigerians.

    Bejer who took a swipe on the restrictive foreign exchange (forex) policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), said it has taken a toll on the sub-sector.

    He lamented that the fortunes of many operators in the business are now hanging in the balance.

    He said: “The sector has been at a standstill for over six months with most businesses hibernating. If it continues, the nation will lose a lot of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). It’s unfortunate that a sector that could have yielded a lot of  economic value  to the government is left unprotected by government as printed books are imported uninhibited from China and India to the detriment of local firms who are creating jobs and growing the economy.”

    He said with a population of over 170 million, Nigeria remains a destination of choice to foreign books producers.

    The Heidelberg chief said part of the firm’s survival strategy is the renewal of its old strategic business relationship with Muller Martini, a Swiss company that has taken over its finishing and bindery industry, spare parts, training and maintenance  including  its core products such as ST-100 Saddlestitchers, Eurobinders and Eurotrimmers.

    He said the synergy will bring to the market experienced service organisation and extensive experience in product marketing. “Such partnership of two world leaders forms a formidable force, to the direct benefit of our clients, who now can come to Heidelberg Nigeria Limited with all prepress, printing and finishing needs. Our company is now responsible for all after sales service of present and future Muller Martini equipment, with our experienced technical service team, clients will now experience a greatly improved service and the best products available anywhere,” he said.

  • Monarch seeks police protection

    Baale of Abijo in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State Alhaji Alarape Akibu has urged the police to accelerate their search for the people who attacked his palace and attempted to kill him.

    He said his subjects and residents had been living in fear, since the attack.

    The monarch alleged that a 70-year-old man, Bashiru Balogun, was attacked with a machete, adding that he (traditional ruler) was shot.

    Akibu alleged: “On that day, the thugs, fully armed, in a commercial bus, stormed my palace. One of them shot me at close range. Luckily I missed the bullet, as it hit and perforated the floor tiles at the entrance of my palace. Everyone ran for safety. Some of the thugs chased me, but I thank Allah that I escaped.”

    Balogun said: “I ran into one of the hoodlums and he attacked me on the right arm with a machete. He wanted to kill me. I thank God that I’m still alive. My brother, the Baale, was shot, but he escaped.”

    Akibu hailed the police for their efforts, which he said resulted in the arrest of three people at the hoodlums’ hideout and the seizure of guns, machetes and charms.

    “I will, however, be happy if the police can arrest their leader and others at large, so that Abijo residents will enjoy peace. Their motive for attempting to kill me remains unknown. I want these people to be arrested and prosecuted. Abijo residents are no longer safe.”

    The Nation learnt that the suspects have been arraigned at an Igbosere Magistrate’s Court in Lagos.

    The case has been adjourned till Tuesday.