The Nation Newspaper

Tag: tools

  • Katsina insecurity: IGP deploys more police units, tools

    The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, yesterday ordered the deployment of additional police units and security equipment, including Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and vehicles to tackle banditry in Kaduna State forest.

    The state police command’s spokesman, Gambo Isah, a Superintendent (SP), told reporters in Katsina that the approval was in response to the appeal by Governor Aminu Bello Masari following the deteriorating security situation in the state.

    Isah said: “As I speak to you, additional three units of mobile police are on their way to Katsina State. The approval was given by the IGP.

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    “The units will be in addition to the three counter-terrorism units that are already on the ground and who have been deployed in the frontline local government areas of the state that share boundaries with Zamfara State.

    “We also have the IGP’s special task forces on the ground to take the fight to the bandits inside the bush.”

    The spokesman said the police and other security agencies were doing their best to curtail banditry, kidnapping and other security challenges across the state.

    He agreed that there were security challenges in the eight frontline local government area with Zamfara State, including Jibia, Kankara, Batsari, Dandume and Sabwa.

    Isah insisted that many of local government areas in the state had not recorded armed robbery cases and other security challenges in recent times.

    He added: “Our Police Commissioner Muhammed Wakili takes the issue of security of the state seriously. On many occasions, he personally led the patrol of grey areas. On Wednesday night, for instance, few minutes after midnight, he personally drove from the police headquarters and went around the town before retiring home, to monitor the security situation. This, he carries out on several occasions.”

    It was also learnt that among strategies to tackle armed banditry and kidnapping in the state, over 500 conventional policemen in the state recently underwent a one-month combat operation training at the 27 Mobile Police headquarters.

    Isah said recent police efforts in the state led to the arrest of over 100 suspected kidnappers and the recovery of 30 assorted weapons, including 10 AK-47 rifles.

    The Nation recalled that Governor Aminu Bello Masari, on Wednesday, conveyed an extra-ordinary security meeting where he said the state was under the siege of banditry, kidnapping and armed robbery.

  • Aliero distributes empowerment tools to 89 wards in Kebbi

    Aliero distributes empowerment tools to 89 wards in Kebbi

    Senator Adamu Aliero, representing Kebbi Central on Sunday in Birnin Kebbi, distributed eight cars, 250 motorcycles and 560 grinding machines in 89 wards of his constituency.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that other items distributed were; 500 tailoring machines, 300 water pumps and N10, 000 cash each to 2,000 women in the constituency.

    Aliero, while distributing the tools said it was part of his empowerment drive aimed at making the youths and women become self reliant in the constituency.

    “This is the second time I have empowered my people; the first one, I distributed 600 water pumps, I dug five boreholes in each of the 89 wards.

    “I also built three blocks in primary schools in the eight local government areas and five primary health care centres within the area, among other things, “ he said.

    According to him, twenty five blocks of primary schools will be built under the Universal Basic Education (UBE) in his constituency.

    Also speaking, the state Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Alhaji Attahiru Maccido, commended the lawmaker for his efforts toward empowering the youth and women in the constituency.

    “We have not regretted voting you and we would always support you.

  • Job tools for correctional centre graduates

    Wife of Lagos State governor Mrs Bolanle Ambode has inaugurated the Correctional Centre for Junior Boys on Birrel Street,  Sabo, Yaba.

    The centre was built by the Ministry of Youth and Social Development.

    Graduates of some correctional centres in the state were given job tools during the event.

    Mrs Ambode said the facility would have multiple effects on the society and ensure a more secured and conducive environment for children.

    She said: ‘’This project is a fulfilment of a core promise of the administration, which is to develop and promote the well-being of children. It will ensure a more secured environment for the children and improved service delivery by the staff.

    ‘’Our state is not immune to social challenges but the government is always doing the needful to get the right focus for the children and the youths. I, therefore, urge them to make a good use of those tools and make the best use of the opportunity to explore their full potential. Let me add that the government will continue to promote  the well-being of children, particularly the less privileged.’’

    Commissioner for Youth and Social Development Princess Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf said: “Majority of the wards here present have been exposed to social vices due to their interactions with criminally minded adults on the streets and faulty parenting, before they were rescued and placed under the care and protection of the state government.

    ‘’The presentation of these basic  starter tools to these wards is a step in the direction as it will get them started on the right path in life  and engender success in their respective vocations.’’

  • Jobs tools for freed inmates in Ebonyi

    Jobs tools for freed inmates in Ebonyi

    Abakaliki Prisons was in the news last month for the wrong reasons when some of its inmates reportedly lost their lives in a foiled jailbreak. But the facility seems to have moved on from the ugly incident as five inmates were released following the completion of their two years jail sentence. They were not just released but also trained in some vocations and given tools to enable them launch their new trades.

    The Ebonyi State Command of Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) at a send forth of the five inmates inside the prison premises handed over to them the workings tools with which they can use to start new businesses in their chosen fields and become useful to themselves as they reunite with their families and the larger society.

    Handing over the tools to the freed inmates in the presence of their family members at the prison yard, the State Comptroller, Mrs Emilia Oputa disclosed that the Command trained them on the skills as part of its core mandate.

    Five of them, all married with children, Peter Nwankwo, Sunday Iboko, Sunday Ogodo, Moses Abarike and John Nwenyi were trained in carpentry, welding, electrical maintenance, tailoring and catering.

    The state comptroller explained that they were able to procure the tools through government funding and individual contributions.

    Mrs Emilia who urged them to pay deaf ears to what people might be saying about them when they get home, charged them to live a useful life and shun acts capable of bringing them back to prison.

    She noted that both the Federal and State governments had turned to agriculture to grow the economy and urged them to queue into it to be self-dependent.

    She further explained the Command had trained many of the inmates on different skills/hand works and solicited for the assistance of the public to enable them provide them with necessary tools, noting that government ‘would not do it alone.

    Five of them who are from Otam Nkaleke in Abakaliki local government Areas were jailed for conspiracy and attempted murder and had spent two years each in prison before freedom came their way.

    The freed inmates thanked the NPS and pledged to put the tools to the best use in order to be able to adequately fend for themselves and their families.

    One of their family members, Isaiah Moses, thanked God for keeping them alive all along and also the prisons officials who made their release possible.

  • EKSU inaugurates ICT tools

    Ekiti State University (EKSU) Vice Chancellor, Prof. Samuel Oye Bandele  has inaugurated a multi-million Information Communication Technology (ICT) donated by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

    He said he the gift would help to move the institution closer to fulfilling its paperless operations goal.

    The donation was facilitated by Mr. Vincent Seinde Olatunji, Acting Director-General of NITDA, an EKSU alumnus.

    Bandele praised Olatunji for remembering his alma mater, saying: “the occasion marks a celebration of success and a celebration of the alumnus who facilitated the donation.‘’

    Olatunji expressed the hope that the equipment would further strengthened EKSU’S position as a centre of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). He urged adequate maintenance of ICT equipment.

    The Co-ordinator of the EKSU ICT Directorate, Mr E.K. Falemu commended the vice chancellor for his untiring efforts to make the University one of the best in the country.

  • N250m jobs tools for artisans, groups in Kwara

    N250m jobs tools for artisans, groups in Kwara

    Senate President Bukola Saraki has spent N250 million on jobs tools distributed to artisans, women associations, taxi drivers, Hausa groups, Igbo groups, Zuru and Fulani groups in the state. Other beneficiaries, according to him, were members of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Nigeria Association of Local Government Employees (NULGE), and Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU).

    Eighty tricycles, 1,777 grinding machines and 664 sewing machines, among other items, were distributed to the beneficiaries.

    The empowerment scheme, according to the senate president was designed to alleviate poverty and equip the less privilege to be economically self-reliant.

    Saraki was represented at the distribution of the items which took place at his mandate constituency office by the state chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Ishola Balogun-Fulani.

    Senator Saraki said that the gesture was to give back to reciprocate the honour done to him to represent them at the upper house which gave him the opportunity to become the president of the Senate. He promised the beneficiaries more of such assistance.

    The senate president advised the beneficiaries to use the items judiciously so that it can uplift them economically.

    The Director-General, Mandate Constituency Office, Abdulwahab Issa, said beneficiaries of the scheme were selected across the 16 local government areas of the state.

    Alhaji Issa said that “we painstakingly spread it round all the Local Government and wards in Kwara Central as well as Kwara North and Kwara South Senatorial districts.

    “I appeal to all beneficiaries to use the materials judiciously. On our part at mandate we shall endeavour to monitor how it is being utilised.”

    The Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, was represented by the Magaji Are of Ilorin Alhaji Aremu Zubair hailed the effort of the former Kwara State governor and urged other political office holders to emulate him.

     

  • 25 constituents get empowerment tools

    The Sole Administrator of Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area, Mr. Abiola Bashir Are, has said the masses should be empowered.

    Are spoke during the empowerment programme for residents of the council. He maintained that he was committed to ensuring that the people  were genuinely empowered.

    To this end, he has distributed empowerment materials to some residents as part of his poverty alleviation programmes. The empowerment tools worth several thousands of Naira were distributed to the beneficiaries at the council’s headquarters after five days training on the use of the implements.

    He said it was in line with his vision to provide sustainable sources of income to unemployed residents, while also reducing the poverty level among them.

    The items distributed were electronic cash dispensing machines, among other items. No fewer than 25 graduates benefited from the programme.

    Speaking at the event, Mr Are said the empowerment programme was a paradigm shift in youth empowerment, adding that it would be a continuous one.

    He said: “We are faced with a nasty situation where millions of graduates from our tertiary institutions find it difficult to secure rewarding employments after spending four or six years in the university.

    “It is also a fact that some of these problems were as a result of lack of contemporary skills vis-a-vis current market demands which, in effect, leads to most companies employing expatriate workers who will give them what they want.

    “I will deploy every opportunity available to me to enhance the living conditions of the people. The issue of youth empowerment is paramount in the council’s commitment to provide necessities of life for our people.”

    Continuing, he said: ‘‘Today’s empowerment programme is one in series of such we have embarked upon in the past few months.

    ‘‘Other programmes the council has embarked upon are training of 30 candidates on Projects Management Professional (PMP) for unemployment graduates of Engineering, workshop for 27 unemployed graduates  of Social Sciences and Business Management to whom equipment for business enterprises are presented today. The next in line is Java programing/software development boot-camp for unemployed graduates of Computer Science.

    ‘‘I know that software developers are in high demand globally. Collaboratively, the founder of Facebook (Mark Zuckerberg) who arrived in Nigeria to see Yaba Technology HUB, remarked that there are over 7.1 million Nigerians using Facebook daily. Our conviction in this innovative idea is in the fact that when you give a man fish to eat, he will have a meal but when you teach him how to fish, he will eat fish all his life.

    “Without education, our youths are condemned to a life of poor prospects. Thus, the gap between aspiration and reality gets wider due to inequality of opportunity. Inequality weakens our national economy; it lowers demand for products and services and, by extension, lowers prospects of new jobs.

    Also speaking the lawmaker representing Lagos Island Constituency 11, Hon. Sola Giwa said the empowerment programme is in line with the state government’s agenda. Our youths constitute over 65 per cent out of which only five per cent are employed.

    He also said time is changing, hence Lagos State government’s decision to set aside over N6 billion for employment of youths every year.

  • Minister condemns theft of traffic light tools, others

    The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Bello, has condemned vandals destroying and stealing public facilities, such as covers for storm water drains on the highways, streetlight electrical cables and bulbs as well as traffic lights equipment.

    Bello enjoined residents of the FCT to report suspicious persons to law enforcement agents.

    Bello spoke at a special congress meeting of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in his honour yesterday at the council Secretariat in Utako District, Abuja.

    He said the FCT Administration would strengthen institutions in the Federal Capital Territory, and maintain extant rules in carrying out its statutory activities.

    The minister stressed that institutions would be allowed to do their work to ensure that past wrongs in are made right.

    In a statement by the  Deputy Director/Chief Press Secretary Muhammad Sule, the minister said Abuja is the only city in Nigeria that is a creation of the law, and in administrating it; the rule of law should take precedence to instil discipline.

    According to him, “we need to strengthen institutions to eradicate individual or selfish interests in our actions and inactions”.

    His words: “I want the Federal Capital Territory and indeed Nigeria to get to a stage where for instance, the director of Urban & Regional Planning will tell the minister or any political appointee that the plot of land you are asking me to earmark cannot be allocated because it is a green area meant for aesthetic, beautification or relaxation points for generations yet unborn”.

    He said the Abuja Light Rail project is 70 per cent complete, and that his administration would get it ready by December 31, 2017.

    The minister hailed the media for supporting him, and appealed for understanding.

    Welcoming guests, NUJ Chairman in Abuja, Mr. Paul Abeche Ella, noted that since 1976 when FCT got its first minister, none of the other 16 ministers had attended the NUJ Congress, just as Malam Bello did today.

    He said the Abuja council is 30 years,  but has no permanent secretariat.

    Ella appealed to the minister to assist in completing the secretariat, presently under construction.

  • Oyo Senator empowers constituents with multimillion naira tools

    Oyo Senator empowers constituents with multimillion naira tools

    The Chairman, Senate Committee on Information Communication Technology (ICT) Senator Abdulfatai Buhari representing Oyo North Senatorial district, has empowered 1500 persons comprising youths and artisans in his constituency.

    At the programme held in Saki, qualitative empowerment of the masses is far better than given them pittance.

    According to him: “It is my covenant to ably represent and do resoundingly well for my constituents through the intervention /constituency projects’ platform provided us by the National Assembly as representatives of the people, who knows the spots where shoes pinch the masses.”

    His words: “I will use every medium available to me as a Senator to bring dividends of democracy to the doorsteps of my people. In the next couple of years, issues of youth unemployment/empowerment and qualitative education of our pupils will be given priority in order to secure their future.

    Items distributed at the empowerment programme include 16 cars, 300 motorcycles, 273 sewing machines, 637 grinding machines, 142 generators, 25 deep freezer, 12 tricycles and 55 spraying well for farmers.

    Also, a space bus was donated to the Oke-Ogun chapter of Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ.

    While recounting his achievements since he assumed office, Buhari listed the roads projects as Ogbomoso-Oyo road, rehabilitation of Iseyin-Okeho road, as well as getting award letters for Otu/Ipapo road, Okeho Iganna road and Agunrege Irawo road.

    Others include  provision of wide area network for  Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Ogbomoso, provision of tertiary virtual library  for schools of Nursing  and midwifery kishi, getting approval for school of  nursing  and midwifery kishi,  provision of  Knowledge access venue  (KAV) ICT  with chairs and table and other materials for  8 schools across the constituency.

    Buhari  also listed the provision  of free medical checkup with drugs worth millions of naira to over 10, 000  people of Oke-Ogun, training of over 10, 000 women and youth, N25,000  to 20 widows  and disbursement of  N25,000 bursary award to 20 indigents students of Oke-Ogun.

    Deputy Governor Chief Alake Adeyemo, who represented the governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi, said the empowerment programme was unprecedented in the state.

    “We are proud to have you as our senator; you are projecting the image of our great party and the government. We are very proud of you. You are an intelligent and responsible Senator. I wish other people to emulate your gestures and passion towards their people.“

    The APC vice chairman, Alhaji Isiaka Alimi, who led other executive members of the party to the event, said ‘We in APC are happy that our senator is doing this at these moment when the economic situation is not friendly, you are making us proud and we pray that God will continue to bless you and take you to greater height.”

    Some of the beneficiaries, including chief Goke Oyetunji, and Chief Wale Arowomole, commended Buhari for his gesture.

    The event was attended by party leaders, commissioner nominee religious leaders, students and members of different community and association across the state.

  • ‘MSMEs are vital tools for economic transformation’

    ‘MSMEs are vital tools for economic transformation’

    Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Rotimi Ogunleye, in this interview with Group Business Editor SIMEON EBULU,  argues for the positioning of the Medium Small and Micro Enterprises (MSMEs) considering their strategic roles in economic growth. This, Ogunleye said, was why the government held a trade fair to showcase MSMEs’potential.  

    Earlier this month, the Medium Small and Micro Enterprises (MSMEs) fair was held in Lagos. How important was this fair for the MSMEs sub-sector of the economy?

    The importance and rationale for the fair was to give the MSME platform the opportunity to exhibit their goods; this is to help open up opportunities for the sub-sector, and invariably help eliminate the issue of a mono product economy that we have. We have come to realise that Nigerian economy has to be diversified. Because of my experience and many years of study, I know that MSME sub-sector is a vital tool for economic transformation and development. So, we came up with this idea that the MSME should be given a platform to display their goods so that people could see them and by that, they could be assured of patronage. In Lagos alone, we have over three million MSMEs. Governor Akinwunmi Ambode gave us the approval to go ahead and we decided to hold the fair for them between May 3 and 8, this year, to display what they are producing.

    Can you say that you have achieved your objective of organising the fair?

    Many of the operators in the sub-sector were happy that the fair held; over 125 people came to participate in the fair to exhibit their products. If not for the space, they would have been more than that and we could have recorded thousands of them at the fair. That is why our governor said that the second edition should be done in a bigger space. The patronage and the response was very encouraging and it shows that operators in this sub-sector were waiting for the opportunity to expose their goods to the public. One thing about this event is that we really partnered with some private sector operators such as the online e-commerce operators, who gave incentive to the SMEs by listing their products on their e-mall platform. This means that, we have achieved what we set out to achieve from the fair.

    The visibility of operators and their accessibility to the market matters a lot, including patronage. Quite a lot of them told us during the fair about the benefits they got in terms of visibility from the people that came to the fair. This is because many of them did not know before that one could produce good soap from carrot that one could bath with. They did not also know that one could recycle used sachet water nylon into very good nylon bag that could be used as containers. They all saw those things at the fair and they were very happy.

    How much was paid by participants to  showcase their products at the fair?

    We did not charge any amount. It was free. Many people came at the latter end of the fair. The ministry is meant to assist them to access market and draw patronage from people. So, if the fair is able to do these for them, it will boost their business and make them to sell their product. Many of them made a lot of contacts for sale and supply of goods. I am sure, with this, they will produce more and get market accessibility so that they could employ more hands. That is our aim and that is why we did not charge participants any money for putting up a stand at the exhibition ground.

    When will the next edition hold?

    The next one will come towards the last quarter of this year. From the response we got from this first one and the calls we received, we have seen that many people are really interested in the fair. People were happy that we came up with this viable option. We expect greater participation in the next one coming up later this year.

    A lot of business deals were done and that is what we set out to achieve. By this, many of our countrymen will be able to patronise many of locally produced goods. This will, in effect, lead to reduction of our import dependent attitude because our tilt towards foreign goods and foreign items has been the bane of this economy. This has subjected our currency, the naira, to a lot of downward pressure, thereby making it to fall ceaselessly against the dollar. If we look inwards and embrace backward integration by using our locally made goods, this pressure could be reduced drastically. Also by patronising the SME operators, they will be able to produce for exports and this will lead to a win-win situation for the country.

    What are the policies being put in place by your ministry to assist the SMEs that participated in the fair?

    I have told you about the platform provided by Konga-the e-commerce operator that listed them on its platform. This is to make it possible for any interested party to see their products and make order. From us in government, we have incentives for the operators such as the N25 billion soft loan facility packaged to assist the SMEs. Out of this, N6.25 billion will be put in the care of the board of trustees yearly for the SMEs to access at three per cent interest rate, and it is the cheapest you can get anywhere.

    We have also spoken to a number of financial institutions for conventional bank loans. They have their own excuses because they have the minimum rediscount rate (now monetary policy rate) at 11 per cent. They will add their own margin which does not allow them to come below the MPR rate. But we have also spoken with the Bank of Industry (BoI) because they have five per cent interest rate which we have encouraged the SMEs to look out for. Incidentally, BOI was also at the seminar to display their products. Their forms were available and they attended to people at the fair. I equally know that at the level of CBN, there is a pool of fund for the SMEs. Conventional banks should look at this in conjunction with the CBN so that we give loans to the SMEs at a lower rate. We should not use the market rate for the SMEs because if we want to grow the economy and diversify it, we must develop the SME. The fair done by the Lagos State has shown clearly that the Nigerian creative spirit is high. Our people have the creative ability to produce most goods locally. The skill could be low because of lack of fund. This could have enabled them to produce on a larger scale. Financial institutions should assist the SMEs.

    I was reading a story recently that there was SME intervention fund in CBN that was grossly under-utilised. Why should that be when we have a lot of SMEs looking for funds to develop products? If we want to assist the SME, we must make sure that interest rate on their loans is not more than five per cent. That is why Lagos State has used the benchmark of three per cent interest rate for the SMEs and I believe that appropriate policy should be put in place to allow interest rate come down for the SMEs like what is being done by the Lagos State government. Gone are the days when people used to say that SMEs will only collect money to marry wives. Now, that mindset should be dismissed and we should do away with that prejudices. SME operators are serious minded people and they have shown that at the last Lagos fair.