The Nation Newspaper

Tag: reopening

  • El-Rufai orders reopening of institutions

    Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai said yesterday that following improvement in security in Southern Kaduna, the government would reopen tertiary institutions.

    He said his administration would adopt a multi-campus structure for tertiary institutions, under which at least one tertiary institution will be located in each of the 23 local governments.

    Speaking when he received stakeholders from Southern Kaduna, the governor thanked the delegation, which include Air Commodore Emmanuel Jekada (retd); Catholic Bishop of Zaria, Bishop George Dodo; Justice Haruna Makeri; Mrs. Grace Ambi; Dr. Bege Katuka, among others, for helping to stabilise and restore peace.

    He said he was delighted on their roles in promoting peace in Southern Kaduna.

    El-Rufai said people invested their time, energy and resources in the cause of peace.

    His words: “I salute you for helping to uphold a common humanity, for keeping the voice of reason alive. It is voices like yours that are helping to anchor peace, upsetting the designs of people who think a relentless focus on ethnicity and religion is the best way to advance their personal agenda. We are determined not to allow anyone profit from strife. Thank you for your contributions to the steady advance of peace.”

    The governor said government institutions would operate a multi-campus structure.

    “This policy has been approved by the Executive Council to expand access to higher education, make accreditation of courses more cost-effective and respond to the desire by communities to host tertiary institutions.”

    He said a multi-campus structure would make the institutions more inclusive and expand the range of courses students could study by making most courses available on campuses.

    “The memo presented to the Executive Council indicates that the government hopes the campuses spread across the state can, over time, evolve into fully-fledged universities.

    ‘’That was how the campuses of University of California and those of University of London evolved. This multi-campus policy will be implemented in a way that assigns at least one tertiary institution to each of the 23 local governments. The laws of some of our institutions are being amended to reflect this.”

    El-Rufai reiterated a commitment to transform Kaduna State University (KASU) to a world-class university. Part of the transition to a multi-campus structure entails moving KASU main campus to a purpose-built main facility behind NTI in Rigachikun.

    Members of the delegation hailed the governor for reopening schools and for adopting the multi-campus structure.

    Bishop Dodo said it was clear the government had good intention.

    Air Commodore Jekada thanked security agencies and the government for restoring order and making a return to normalcy possible. He pledged that they would support and cooperate with the government for peace and development in Southern Kaduna.

    The governor also hosted security chiefs. He hailed them for restoring peace.

    Police Commissioner Agyole Abeh, who led the delegation to the Government House, said the police deployed more personnel and armoured personnel carriers in Birnin Gwari and Southern Kaduna, to complement those on ground.

    He thanked El-Rufai for the commendations and pledged the commitment of security agencies to ensure peace.

  • Minister directs reopening of Karu General Hospital

    Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Malam Muhammad Bello has directed that the 135-bed Karu General Hospital be opened for immediate use by the public.

    Bello, in company of the FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye, inspected the health facility in Karu, a suburb of Abuja.

    Up and running, the Karu General Hospital is expected to take enormous pressure off the Asokoro District Hospital, Nyanya General Hospital as well as Maitama District Hospital.

    The Karu General Hospital was initially a 225-bed facility built by the FCT Administration with 40% of the hospital leased to the Primus Super Specialty Hospital (an Indian Hospital) for management.

    According to a statement issued by the Deputy Director / Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Sule, the minister further directed that the hospital should immediately commence General Out Patent Department (GOPD) services, Antenatal services as well as the mortuary be opened to the public, in addition to the Behavioral Medicine Unit that had since been operational in the Hospital.

    The Acting Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretariat, Mrs. Alice Odey-Achu and the Medical Director of the Karu General Hospital, Dr. Marcus Mamman led the Minister and his entourage round the entire secondary health facility.

    Meanwhile, the Minister paid an unscheduled visit to the Zuba Hospital where he instructed that the Hospital should commence operation by May 1, 2017.

    The Acting Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretariat, Mrs. Alice Odey-Achu who led the Minister round the Zuba Hospital assured that the Secretariat is ready to commence operation on that appointed date.

    She reiterated that everything needed to enable the Hospital commence services is already on ground and that they are ready to hit the ground running.

  • Students demand reopening of OAU

    Students demand reopening of OAU

    A group of students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to put an end to their stay at home by opening the university for resumption of academic activities.

    The management shut down the university indefinitely last month due to the violent protests by Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU).

    They claimed that the process that produced the new Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ayobami Salami, was faulty.

    Berating NASU and SSANU for the shutdown of the institution, the students said the appointment of a new vice chancellor shouldn’t have disrupted academic activities.

    They expressed dismay that the activities of the unions, which do not have a say in the appointment of the university helmsman, were responsible for the indefinite closure of the school by the management.

    In a statement yesterday in Ibadan, the students enjoined the President to use his good offices to ensure that the right solution that would lead to the immediate reopening of the university is embraced.

  • Fashola lists conditions for reopening Ladipo market

    Traders at the popular Ladipo market, Mushin, Lagos Mainland, which was shut last Monday over poor sanitary condition, got a breather yesterday. Governor Babatunde Fashola said it would be reopened if environmental sanity is restored.

    Inspecting the auto spares market, Fashola said that apart from the traders spearheading a clean-up exercise, they would formally undertake that never again would trading take place on the roads or the bank of the canal that runs through the market.

    The market was shut following repeated warnings and visits by the Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello and the Chairman of Task Force on Environmental and Special Offences, Bayo Sulaiman, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP).

    The governor’s visit came on the heels of repeated pleas by the traders and the leadership of the Igbo Council in Lagos State, led by Professor Anya O. Anya that visited the State House, Ikeja last Monday to present members of its new Council to the governor.

    Several days after the market was shut down, evidence of environmental degradation was still visible when Fashola visited the market.

    Speaking after the inspection, Fashola said: “It is a massive degradation of a section of Lagos and this is not acceptable. People should not carry on like this. But what is, perhaps, worthy of note is that those who are involved have seen the error of what they have done here and are ready to work with us to clean up and I have said here that they must take the lead.”

    On the canal blocked by waste, Fashola said: “The canal there poses a lot of danger and we are expecting heavy rains. I don’t want to come back here to pick any dead body. We built the canal and we must make it work by not trading and dumping refuse in it”.

    “People told me that they picked engine parts and other things from the canal. It must stop”, the governor said, adding that there was already an agreement between the traders and the government to work together to clean up the place and continue with their business.

    While addressing the leadership of the Ladipo Auto Dealers’ Association led by its President General, Comrade Ikechukwu Animalu, Fashola said: “If you must trade here, you must stay behind the property line. You can see the damage you have caused to the road. We have to come back to re-do the road. Now this will be done with taxpayers’ money. It is fine that you want to do business but those who pay the money used to construct the road must also be able to use it and how do they do that if you take over the road?”

    Urging the traders to work with the Mushin Local Government authorities to ensure sanity in the market, Fashola said: “The only reason we are in government is to make you prosper but you must help us do that. You are going to work with the Ministry of the Environment. You are going to clean up the place yourselves.

    “You will clean first and when you have done it, I will come back and I will bring members of your leadership who came to me and we will say this is the agreement now. We will sign a new agreement, nobody trades on the road; it must be behind the property line. Nobody trades on the pavement, it is for pedestrians.

    “It is in your own interest that the roads are open to vehicular traffic. We have seen the volume of vehicles that ply here; they need parts, but they cannot even get here because of the road. Also disease will come so that after you make the money you fall sick and die prematurely instead of living to an old age”.

    The governor reiterated that in order to bring sanity to the market, the traders and the government must work together, adding: “You have to take responsibility. It is not only to come and clean the place and later fall back to the old situation. There is a simple problem here; it is an environmental issue. We must treat it for what it is and get on with our lives”.

    Responding, Animalu said the market’s environmental condition was bad and apologised on behalf of the traders. He pledged that he would lead the traders to clean it up and also ensure that no more trading takes place on either the road or the canal.

    He pledged that the traders would, henceforth, maintain high level of environmental sanitation, including keeping the canal clean and free of any material that could block the free flow of rain water.

    With the governor were: Bello, CSP Sulaiman, Director, Enforcement of the Ministry of Environment, Mr. Toyin Onisarotu and Chairman, Mushin Local Government, Mr. Babatunde Adepitan, among other top government functionaries.

    Meanwhile, Anambra South Senator Andy Uba has urged the Lagos State government to reopen Ladipo market, saying its reopening would guarantee the traders’ survival.

    In a statement yesterday, Uba said: “The continued closure of the Ladipo market which is one of the biggest spare parts markets in Africa is not only a drain on the country’s economy, but has adversely affected the survival of the traders. This is a great source of concern to me as most of the traders are from Anambra State and I am worried that their source of living has been shut down for so long, making life difficult for them.”

    Uba said the market should be reopened in the interest of harmonious relationship that had existed between the traders and the government over the years, adding: “I hereby appeal to Governor Babatunde Fashola to re-open the market urgently so that these traders can resume their businesses without further delay. I believe that the issues which led to the shutdown of the market in the first place can be amicably resolved and normalcy restored.

    “It is not in the interest of the traders, the government and the public for the market to remain shut. I, therefore, urge the governor to use his good offices to reopen the market so that our people can return to their business.”

    The senator described Ladipo market as crucial to the survival of the state, the traders and the country at large, as people from all over the country patronise it.