The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Service

  • Kudos for Aregbesola on free train service

    Beneficiaries of Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s free train service have hailed the gesture.

    On Monday, the free train service offered by the state government for Christmas and New Year conveyed the second batch of passengers from Lagos to Osogbo.

    The first batch on Sunday conveyed thousands of indigenes of Osun and other neighbouring states, such as Oyo, Ogun and Kwara, living in Lagos to Osogbo.

    There was a sharp increase in the number of passengers who boarded the train on Monday.

    Some of the passengers described Aregbesola as a masses-oriented governor whose gesture has positively affected the lives of many people.

    Prophet Oyewole Sunday, an indigene of Ile-Ogbo, described the free rail service as incomparable, adding that no government has ever done so.

    Flanked by his wife and three kids in the train, Owoeye said: “Apart from the fact that it is safer, what we would have spent on fare would have been enormous and with this gesture, such money would be used to take care of some other things.

    “If no other thing, that is even enough, especially during this festive period. Aregbesola deserves nothing other than prayers, commendations and support from the people.”

    Another passenger, Mr. Ogunlade Olusegun, said Aregbesola should be emulated by other governors.

    He said: “This is a value-added initiative that would ensure the development of our country and ensure better living standard for the people.”

    Mrs. Bamiduro Rachael, who boarded the train on her way to Igbajo in Boluwaduro Local Government, said: “God will continue to protect him, his family, his government and the entire state of Osun. He and his family would never be starved, because, a lot of people would have been stranded during this period, but for his kindness. God will reward him abundantly.”

    The train would depart Osogbo on Wednesday to return passengers to Lagos.

    Next Sunday and Monday, the train will convey passengers to Osogbo for the New Year and on January 2, 2013, it will return passengers to Lagos.

     

  • S/W Heads of Service worried by civil servants’ involvement in politics

    The Heads of Service in the South West have expressed worry over the spate of public servants engaging in partisan politics.

    They want the political and bureaucratic leadership to enact or review the appropriate rules and regulation to redress the situation.

    Rising from their third summit held at the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding, Osogbo, Osun State, the six Heads of Service from the geo-political zone, in a communique jointly signed by them, maintained that the phenomenon would not yield any good dividend.

    The Heads of Service, including their host, Mr. Sunday Olayinka Owoeye of Osun State, Mr. Bunmi Famosaya (Ogun), Mrs. Kosemani Kolawole (Ondo), Mrs. Modupe Adekunle (Ogun), Mr. Tajudeen Aremu (Oyo) and Mr. Adesegun Ogunlewe (Lagos),  acknowledged and commended the political leadership of South West states for institutionalising merit-based selection processes in the appointment into top echelon of the public service.

    Urging the governments in the zone to sustain the process which they described as healthy for public service, they agreed that effective regional integration can only be achieved if the civil service emphasise critical policy areas like fiscal sustainability, budget planning and execution, quality of investment climate and service delivery.

    They said: “We affirm the crucial and indispensable role of the bureaucracy in the actualisation of regional integration and development.”

    They also emphasised the need for adopting strategic planning to be backed up with adequate budgetary provision to guarantee the sustainability of governments’ many lofty intervention programmes and projects.

     

  • Sanusi advocates 50 per cent sack in civil service

    Sanusi advocates 50 per cent sack in civil service

    •CBN governor, Uduaghan differ 

     

    Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has advised the Federal Government to sack at least half of its workforce to maintain a sustainable economy.

    In a presentation at the second Annual Capital Market Committee retreat in Warri, Delta State, Lamido said Nigeria cannot build its economy when 70 per cent of its earning is paid as salaries and entitlements of civil servants.

    The CBN Governor also advocated a more compact and less expensive system of government that would reduce overhead and free up capital for infrastructure development.

    He said: “At the moment, 70 per cent of Federal Government’s revenue goes for payment of salaries and entitlement of civil servants, leaving 30 percent for development of 167million Nigerians. That means that for every naira government earns, 70kobo is consumed by civil servants.

    “You have to fire half of the civil service because the revenue government has is supposed to be for 167million Nigerians. Any society where government spends 70 per cent of its revenue on its civil service has a problem. It is unsustainable.”

    Sanusi said the country does not need over 100 senators and about 400 representatives to make laws. He said when the expenses of lawmakers, civil servants and the executive arm of government are added, Nigerians will find out that the revenue has been consumed by government, lawmakers and civil servants.

    Besides, Sanusi faulted “wastage” of funds for the maintenance of 774 local government council chairmen with aides, councillors and other appendages of the third tier of government.

    “Do we need 774 local governments, do we need 36 states some of which are unviable? Why not just remove them and have only state governments?”

    “There are state governors whose monthly allocation is barely enough to pay salaries. I hear such governors complain and I say ‘why complain when the solution is simple?’ It is irresponsible to use all money to pay salaries and wait for another month’s allocation and pay salaries and after four years, you would have done nothing.”

    Sanusi insisted that the Federal Government would have to totally remove petrol subsidy. To do this effectively, he suggested that those who stole subsidy funds must be brought to book, adding: “People have the right to demand transparency. If you want to remove subsidy, you have to show what happened to those who stole.”

    The CBN governor also challenged the Federal Government to stop investments on infrastructure that can be concessioned to allow the private sector handle those areas so that it can concentrate on building of schools, health centres and other social services.

    Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, the host governor, faulted Sanusi’s call for a mass sack in the federal and state civil services.

    The governor said the country was already contending with mass unemployment, adding that taking the CBN boss’ advice could further worsen the employment situation.

    In his keynote address, Uduaghan identified the capital market as one of the sources of procurement of fund for execution of good projects to uplift the social and economic lives of its people.

    He remarked that the nation has drifted from financial stability in the post-civil war era to a period where governments rely heavily on borrowing to finance project.

    “Not that borrowing in itself is necessarily bad, but the management and deployment of such funds is crucial. In fact, I dare say that with the state of affairs today and the paucity of funds, government can hardly do without borrowing. What is at issue is what government and public funds managers do with the funds at their disposal for the good of all,” Uduaghan said.

     

  • CIIN seeks improved customer service

    The Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN) has concluded arrangement to train middle level managers in insurance companies in Port Harcourt next week.

    The Director of Communication of the Institute, Mr Joseph Obah, stated in a statement that training was part of its Education Seminar.

    According to him, to meet the expectations in micro insurance and Takaful, the operators would have to address the imperatives for improved service delivery and ensuring that the Policy holder is protected at all times.

    Obah noted that while insurance companies are exploring ways to employ Takaful and micro-insurance to increase insurance penetration, insurance practitioners should rightly shift their focus to how to raise the level of satisfaction of consumers of insurance services across the country.

    Obah said the seminar with the theme, “Making insurance count”, provides the industry a platform for training and retraining managers and other middle level personnel in the industry. “

    ‘’ It was designed to bring into focusthe imperatives for growing insurance bigger in public perceptionwhile examining ways and means by which branch office operations could be strengthened to guarantee prompt resolution of customer related issues”, he explained

    Also, the President of the Institute, Mr Wole Adetimehin, said: “The resolution of customer-related issues should be a win-win situation ,with the customer and service provider occupying a position mutual respect.’’

    Resource persons at the seminar are the Managing Director of Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc, Mr Wole Onaolopo and Mr Wehinmi Jemide.

  • DG wants NIMASA removed from Civil Service

    The Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Mr Patrick Akpobolokemi, has urged the National Assembly to remove the agency from the Civil Service.

    He made the call while receiving members of the Senate Committee on Marine Transport, who were on an oversight visit to the agency in Lagos.

    The DG spoke on the extent to which he had implemented the 2012 budget of the agency, saying that removing the agency from the civil service “will help NIMASA carry out its work faster’’.

    The NIMASA boss told the senators that only seven per cent of the capital expenditures of 2012 budget had been expended. He said this was caused by bureaucracy in government.

    “Because we have to follow due process, it takes time for one file to move from one table to the other. So, it took time for the government to approve the contractors who would carry out the projects,’’he said.

    Akpobolokemi said the agency had made significant progress in the fight against pirates and oil thieves, stressing that many arrests had been made.

    He, however, said the agency had yet to see anyone being prosecuted.

    “It was sad to note that the synergy that ought to have existed between government agencies and NIMASA was weak.

    “You find out that when an arrest is made, few days later, the pirates and sea robbers are released, and they come back and recruit more people,” he said.

    Akpobolokemi urged the committee to help to ensure that those caught should be prosecuted no matter how highly placed as it would serve as deterrent to others.

    He told the senators that the agency had recruited more staff to overcome the manpower challenges facing it.

    “The Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) is very much on course and several youths have been sent out of the country for training,” he said.

    The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Zynab Kure, said they were in Lagos to carry out oversight function on the agency.

    “This is not the first time we are having a meeting with the agency, all in the effort to move it forward.

    He told the director-general to furnish the committee with the number of people recruited, adding: “There is still room for improvement in the implementation of the agency’s budget”.

  • NCPC chair charges air carriers on service delivery

    NCPC chair charges air carriers on service delivery

    The Chairman of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC), Archbishop Nicholas .D. Okoh, has charged Air Carriers for the 2012 Christian pilgrimage to ensure they deliver on their services.
     The Chairman gave this charge recently in Abuja at the signing of Air  Carriers Agreement by NCPC and the two selected air  carriers that would airlift Nigerian pilgrims to Israel, Rome and Greece this year.
    The Chairman, who described the signing of the Air Carriers Agreement as a very major process in getting this year’s  pilgrimage actualized, tasked the two selected air carriers on quality of aircraft. He stressed that the competence of operators should not be undermined. The Chairman who was very passionate about the quality of the aircraft  that would airlift Nigerian pilgrims this year in view of the recent untoward happenings in the Nigerian aviation sector.
     “Mr President has said that you should ensure you have  new aircraft. We will not like to manage an aircraft,” he said.
     He further stated that the commission was also interested in the age of the aircraft they   intend to use in flying Nigerian pilgrims to the holy land this year.
    The NCPC Chairman, who is also the Primate, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, further charged the air carriers on quality of service, especially in Nigeria with their  staff.
     His words, “We expect courtesy. We expect that you will not have problem of route mapping”.
    In his own remarks, the Executive Secretary of NCPC, Mr John Kennedy Opara, stressed that even after the signing of the Air Carrier Agreement and any of the air carriers failed to abide by the terms and conditions of the agreement, that the commission would not hesitate to invalidate the agreement. However, he appealed to the air carriers to ensure they keep to the terms of agreement.
    The NCPC  scribe affirmed that the commission would provide the enabling environment for the air carriers to operate successfully without hitches, while assuring them that NCPC would also provide   the pilgrims for them to airlift.

  • Moody’s Investor may downgrade US credit rating

    USA

    Moody’s Investors Service has said it may join Standard & Poor’s in downgrading the U.S.’s credit rating unless Congress next year reduces the percentage of debt- to-gross-domestic-product during budget negotiations.

    Bloomberg report said the economy will probably tip into recession next year if lawmakers and President Barack Obama can’t break an impasse over the federal budget. It said the country’s rating would likely be cut to Aa1 from Aaa if an agreement on the debt ratio is not reached, Moody’s said in a statement yesterday.

    Moody’s put the rating under review with a negative outlook in August 2011, when the US pushed back a decision on spending and raised its so-called the debt ceiling after months of political wrangling. S&P cut its rating to AA+ that month, blaming the nation’s political process. Treasuries rallied as investors ignored the reduction, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year note since declining to record lows and drawing the ire of investors such as Warren Buffett, the biggest shareholder of Moody’s, who said after the S&P decision that the US should be “quadruple-A.”