The Nation Newspaper

Tag: scrapping

  • Ex-Head of Service Fika seeks scrapping of presidential system

    Former Head of Service of the Federation Alhaji Adamu Fika, has called for the abolition of the Presidential System of government.

    Fika, represented by former Registrar of Bayero University, Kano, Alhaji Sani Aminu, made the call in Bauchi while presiding as chairman of a Public Lecture organised to celebrate the third year anniversary of Bauchi State governor Muhammed Abubakar’s administration.

    He observed that apart from being expensive to implement, it lacked reliable mechanisms for checks and balance.

    “We should do away with this expensive and corrupt presidential system, which lack genuine checks and balances.

    ” It has proven to be unsuitable for our country; it was never the wish of Nigerians, but was imposed on them by the military.

    “We should revisit the parliamentary system which was based on the 1963 constitution; with necessary amendments,” said Fika, who served as Head of Federal Civil Service from January 1986 to April 1988.

    He also kicked against the continuous operation of the two-chamber system, adding that such arrangement was no longer necessary.”

     

     

    “We should also consider if it is necessary to continue to have two chambers of the legislature; before 1960, we did not have Senate.

    ” It was however introduced as a counter-balance for the Northern region, which had more number in the House of Representatives, than the number for the three regions of the south combined.

    “Now that the anomaly is no longer with us, do we really need to have two chambers of the national Assembly?,” Fika questioned.

    He stated that it had always been his contention that unless Nigerians revisited and readopted the principles and practices of good governance bequeathed by founding fathers, the nation would continue to “wallow in backwardness”.

    Fika said that it was regrettable that succeeding Nigeria leaders had deviated from the noble practices of the country’s founding fathers.

    He observed that as a result if this act of commission, a major damage was inflicted on the country as the constitution was dumped on the orders of the military.

    Fika said following this development, “public service was brought firmly under political control and political consideration became sole criterion for appointment into public service.

    ” Thus, within one and half decades of the military intervention in governance, things began to fall apart and within the last three decades, the quality of governance had changed drastically for the worse.

    “The noble course chartered earlier became roughened by greed, self-centeredness and avarice, laced in and massaged by corruption of unimaginable scale,” he said.

  • Group asks Yobe governor to reverse scrapping of ministry

    The Civil Society Advocacy Partnership on Conservation, Water Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion in Yobe State has called on Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam to reverse his decision on the scrapping of the Ministry of Environment in the state.

    According to the civil society organization, led by its Chairman, Mallam Sherrif Kura Ibrahim, which took its cry to the Yobe State Speaker, Adamu Dala Dogo, at the Assembly complex, the merging of the ministry would have dire consequences on Yobe State and its people, especially the state being one of the 12 frontline desert prone states in the country.

    The group worried that that the decision has compromised Article 7 of the Millennium Development Goals which attaches high premium on global warming and environmental sustainability. It also contravenes the International Conventions under the UN Development programs like SEED, NEEDS, LEEDS etc which Nigeria is a signatory.

    The group insisted that the decision would slow down or completely cut the flow the support of donor agencies to the state.

    The group called on the Speaker to impress on the governor to reverse his decision and bring back the ministry.

    “Mr. Speaker Sir, bearing in mind that we are the most devastated state by desertification and drought  in the country, we are calling on the State Government through your good offices to reconsider the scrapping of the Ministry of Environment considering the enormous environmental challenges currently facing our dear state,” the group pleaded.

    In his response, the Speaker, Adamu Dala Dogo, noted that the decision was purely an executive decision, adding that such a decision would prevent Yobe from accessing the ecological funds from the federal government.

    He therefore promised to meet with the state governor to discuss on the need to return the ministry back to its full status.

    He praised the proactive role of the civil society in the state in effecting good governance for the common people while calling on them to keep up the tempo.

    The Nation recalls that Gov. Gaidam as part of measures to reducing the cost of governance trimmed down 22 ministries to 15 in the state where the ministry of environment was reduced into a department in the Ministry of Agriculture, a decision that has incurred the governor the wrath of the civil society advocates.

  • Fear of ‘scrapping’ grips aviation ministry

    Fear of ‘scrapping’ grips aviation ministry

    Indications emerged at the weekend that President  Muhammadu  Buhari may not appoint a minister for the Aviation Ministry.

    Industry sources hinted that the President may merge the ministry with the Ministry of Transport.

    The move, a source said yesterday, “is creating fear among top officials of the aviation agencies because the merger may scale down their current positions from managing directors to mere directors”.

    The decision to scrap the ministry, it was learnt, followed recommendations by stakeholders in the transport industry, who have identified the ministry as one militating against the growth of the sector.

    A source said Buhari decided to “collapse the two ministries as a way of cutting cost as well as for effective monitoring of the sector.”

    Under the new arrangement, rather than have a substantive minister of Aviation, Buhari may likely appoint a director general or secretary to head it under a substantive Ministry of Transport.

    The agencies under Aviation, it was gathered, will be managed by directors as against the positions of managing directors.

    Sources noted that key players in transport sectors had called on Buhari to start with the scrapping of the Ministry of Aviation and all aviation related Senior Special Assistant positions in line with the change he promised Nigerians.

    According to key players, the Ministry of Aviation has increased the cost of service delivery, bureaucracy and processing time.

    A source said: “They have overburdened the Aviation agencies with personnel and bills to the detriment of efficiency, safety and profitability as agencies are forced to pay for their chartered flights and tickets of family members till date.”

    The non-appointment of a substantive minister for Aviation, according to some workers who spoke under anonymity, “will douse tension and the jostling for the position”.

  • NIMASA decries ‘indiscriminate’ ship recycling, scrapping

    NIMASA decries ‘indiscriminate’ ship recycling, scrapping

    The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has decried the indiscriminate and unauthorised recycling and scrapping of ships within the seashores, especially in Lagos.

    Safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships, otherwise known as the Hong Kong Convention (HKC) 2009, is aimed at ensuring that ships, when being recycled after the end of their operational lives, do not pose any risk to human health.

    It is important to obtain approval from the industry regulator before ships are recycled and scrapped because they contain environmentally hazardous substances, such as asbestos, heavy metals, hydro-carbons and ozone depleting substances, among others. It also addresses the working and environmental conditions at many of the world’s ship recycling yards.

    Ship recycling and scrapping are done on most beaches in the country, especially Lagos, without authorisation. Though Nigeria is yet to domesticate the HKC, it can implement and enforce the HKC as a proactive measure to check ship recycling in line with the powers conferred on NIMASA under the provisions of Part X of NIMASA Act 2007 and Section 382 (1 and 2) of Merchant Shipping Act 2007.

    Before the domesticates HKC, country, a stop-gap measure in regulating the activities of ship recycling and scrapping has been developed by the NIMASA Marine Environment Management Department.

    Under it, ship recycling facilities (SRFs) and ship owners are to seek permit from the agency before embarking on any form of breakage.

    Ships, investigations show, are being scrapped at various locations within the Lagos shores. The Nation gathered that NIMASA decided to take proactive measures to stop the scrapping by inviting the companies involved to a meeting. It was also learnt that after the meeting, companies were issued with environmental requirements to fulfil before the issuance of scrapping permit to enable them continue with their activities.

    This has resulted in the regulation and monitoring of ship scrapping activities by NIMASA. The agency has pegged N200,000 as the fee for processing the permit and N200,000 as approval of ship scrapping plan.

    Some of the requirements for obtaining ship scrapping permit include an application letter for scrapping permit from a vessel owner, ship recycling plan, approval to operate a ship scrapping yard, evidence of clearance from Regulator of Shipping (RoS) where applicable (deletion certificate), and letter of indemnity from company with seal.

    Others include compulsory insurance to cover entire operation, fire-fighting equipment, gas-free for hot work certificate, first aid apparatus, sludge and bilge water receptacles, and personal protective equipment (PPE) such as hand gloves, nose protectors, safety glasses, safety boots, among others.

     

  • Beyond scrapping UTME and NECO

    Beyond scrapping UTME and NECO

    What does the future hold for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the National Examinations Council (NECO)? A presidential panel led by former Head of Service, Mr Stephen Oronsaye has suggested that both bodies be scrapped. For JAMB, the committee advised a modification of functions: it should no longer conduct the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME); rather, it should coordinate the admissions window for tertiary institutions as they choose their students so they know which ones already have admissions.

    We do not know their specific recommendation about NECO. The story we are all relying on published in the dailies last week quoted an unnamed source who did not give details about NECO.

    We know the Federal Government has debunked plans to scrap the bodies but whatever it decides to do with the two examining bodies, it should take into critical consideration the peculiar issues that define the Nigerian education system and our socio-economic challenges.

    Every year, millions of candidates write both examinations to earn ‘O’ Level qualifications and entrance points needed to gain entry into tertiary education. With the UTME costing an average of N5,000, it is quite an enormous amount that is not easy for the average Nigerian to cough out without prior planning. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees that because a candidate spent the money, they would pass, and if they pass, they would be admitted. The competition is stiff – not because all the institutions have very high benchmark scores for their programmes, but because even if all of them were to admit qualified candidates, hundreds of thousands would still be without a space to study.

    What we need at this point is a system that does not task candidates and their sponsors unduly. There are many candidates who are frustrated having tried over and over again to gain admission into the tertiary institution. Their sponsors have lost confidence in them so they are forced to sponsor themselves. It is a good sign that we have many youths hungry for knowledge. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that they are directed to areas where their talents will be best harnessed for the good of the society. The present survival-of-the-fittest situation is not good and should be corrected.

    It does not necessarily mean that the UTME has to be scrapped to correct it. The examination could be modified. For instance, it could hold more than once in a year and have a longer life line – like two years as already been proposed.

    If the UTME is scrapped and tertiary institutions conduct their own examinations, how easy will it be for candidates to travel all over writing various examinations? Will it be more expensive than the present situation, where candidates pay for the UTME, result-checking scratch cards to get their results and afterwards pay post-UTME screenings fees of the institutions they chose if they passed? Will there be need for the institutions to set a timetable to avoid clashes that could reduce the chances of candidates if two institutions conduct their screening same day? All these questions should be answered with the aim of providing the candidates, our youths, with the best possible chance to develop themselves. It should not be our pride that things are extremely difficult. It does not pay us to have many young people idle, struggling to get trained, acquire skills and get jobs. The more people we can educate and empower, the better.

     

    Pregnant babies

    This week, the papers seem to be dominated by news of people selling babies for the wrong reasons. I first read of a man who sold his son to get a visa, then of two women who connived with nurses and sold their babies after delivery. But they did not move me like the story of a woman who ran a home where teenage girls bred babies for sale. She housed them, got men to impregnate them, then after delivery, sold the babies and gave them a percentage of the money.

    When I read the story, I wondered how girls could just exist to be breeding machines. Is pregnancy so easy to carry to term? But it is easy for teenagers to fall victim of such evil people because they are at a stage when they are not supposed to be pregnant. They would naturally not get the support of their families, or worse, the father of their babies, and, they would not have the financial muscle to fend for themselves and their babies. This makes them vulnerable.

    My advice to teenage girls is that they should be focused on their studies and empowerment for now. Parents and schools need to invest extra time and effort passing this message across so their future is not derailed.

     

  • Mixed reactions trail ‘scrapping’ of NECO

    Parents and secondary school pupils yesterday expressed mixed feelings on the alleged scrapping of the National Examination Council (NECO).

    The Federal Government had resolved to scrap some of its agencies in line with recommendations of the Stephen Oronsaye-led Presidential Committee on Rationalisation and Restructuring of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies.

    Mr Akin Amugiri, a parent, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the plan to scrap NECO would hamper the smooth foundation already laid down in the education sector.

    “Instead of having the monopoly of West Africa Examination Council (WAEC), the coming of NECO has helped to bring about a new reign.

    “It helped to expand the space for candidates who wish to write examination at that level to have an alternative.

    “It has provided an alternative rather than just one single examination body and it has created that multiplicity, inclusion and hope to candidates who want to gain admission into university,’’ he said.

    Amugiri said the scrapping of NECO would be like returning to status quo, where people would wait for a long time before results would be released.

    According to him, I think the best way is to fashion out ways of making NECO work better than an outright scrapping.’’

    He noted that before the scrapping of NECO, other plans should be put in place to give hope to candidates at that level.

    He said: “WAEC as the name implies belongs to the entire West African region and Nigeria’s education system cannot be the same in every country.

    He said that Nigeria had not got its education sector right, adding that “until the country gets there, NECO should not be scrapped.

    “We still need organisations like NECO to help us reflect the peculiarity of our situation as a nation.’’

    Mrs Edith Okafor, however, said the scrapping of NECO was a good initiative.

    According to her, NECO is a duplication of WAEC efforts. I see WAEC as a wide sphere than NECO and more authentic.

    “Pupils seem to pass NECO more than WAEC which is an indication that it is not well regulated,’’ Okafor said.

    A pupil, Miss Adelewa Adeniyi, said the scrapping of NECO would affect the majority of pupils who relied on the organisation’s certificates.

    She said: “most pupils who fail the WAEC always rely on NECO as an alternative to move forward in their quest to acquire education.’’

    Another pupil, Miss Anthonia Okon, urged government to recede the decision to scrap NECO.

    She said the scrapping of NECO would frustrate youths who depend on the body.

    Mr Ezenwa Nwagwu, the Chairman of Save Education, a non-governmental organisation, said that government’s decision to scrap NECO was aimed at saving cost.

    Nwagwu, however, said the decision did not consider the plight of the millions of pupils who depend on the body to move forward.

    “Scrapping NECO is not necessary as it will allow WAEC to have a monopoly of examinations in West Africa, and Nigeria, in particular,’’ she said.

    Officials of the Minna, Niger State office of NECO are now living in fear following the government’s plan to axe the examination body.

    Majority of them were seen yesterday discussing in groups what may become of their fate should the Federal Government go ahead with its plan.

    The Registrar and the Chief Executive Officer of the Council, Prof Promise Okpala, could not be reached. Other officers declined comments.

    But a senior staff who spoke in confidence, said that they are yet to receive a copy of the report or formal directive from the Federal Government.

    ‘’As you can see, people reported for work today and we all attended to our schedules. It is true the report came to us as a surprise. We had to buy the newspapers to get the gists of the matter. We are sincerely disturbed, because in this country anything can happen.’’

    Another official, a woman wondered why the Federal Government will accept such recommendation by Oronsanye’s committee. ‘’Britain with lesser population has many examination bodies and here we are about to kill the only one we have. It will be sad if the Federal Government finaly approves the scrapping of NECO.

    ‘’Aside from the effect of the scrapping on the workforce across the country and the attendant result on the Nigerian Child,’’ the female staff warned.