The Nation Newspaper

Tag: upgrade

  • AG okays bill to upgrade Army resettlement centre

    A Bill to transform the Nigeria Armed Force Resettlement Centre (NAFRC) into a National Resettlement Institute has been approved by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Ministry of Justice Mohammed Adoke.

    The bill is expected to facilitate smooth transition of soldiers into retirement.

    When operational, civilian would be trained alongside military counterparts in the centre, which has turned out more than 40,000 military retires since inception.

    The Institute’s Commandant, Air Vice Marshal Monday Morgan, spoke at a news conference to intimate the public about the forthcoming June 13, graduation yet another batch of 404 retirees drawn from the Nigerian Army (NA), Nigerian Air Force (NAF) and the Nigerian Navy (NN).

    Morgan said: “The mandate of NAFRC is to equip retiring personnel of the Nigerian Armed Forces with relevant trade and vocational skills to enable them integrate into civil society and enjoy a productive and fulfilling life in retirement.

    “Recently, a bill to transform the centre  into a National Resettlement Institute has been approved by the AGF and the NAFRC governing board. The bill will be forwarded to the National Assembly as an executive bill.

    “When passed into law, this will allow NAFRC to train not only the other rank cadre (ratings)  but also officers in (pre-retirement) management and entrepreneurial skills.

    “Additionally, personnel of other para-military and security agencies as well as deserving civilians will have the training opportunity at the centre.”

    Morgan added that in line with the centre’s vision to ensure a fulfilling retirement for its personnel, the leadership of the centre is desirous of transforming it to a world class training institute that would favourably compete with similar institutes elsewhere.

    He said: “NAFRC is developing a framework to enter into public partnership with a number of reputable companies  in a wide range of areas that will upgrade all the training workshops.

    “We are in the process of executing memorandum of understanding that will define the parameters of the relationship. The private sector partners are expected to assist NAFRC upgrade and modernise its training workshops to meet international standards.”

    Although the goals for the centre are still evolving, Morgan said over 300 officers have so far benefitted from the managerial and entrepreneurial training programmes carried out in collaboration with the Entrepreneurship and Managerial Training (EMPRETEC).

    Similarly, he said the Pan Atlantic University of the Lagos Business School has also been providing managerial entrepreneurship skills to the Armed Forces under the NAFRC Training Scheme, adding that all hands are on deck to expand the scope of the scheme to ensure a greater number of officers benefit from the opportunity.

  • ITF needs N112b for training facilities’ upgrade

    THE Industrial Training Fund (ITF) needs $740million (N112billion) to upgrade its facilities and build new training centres nationwide, its Director-General, Prof Longmas Wapmuk, has said.

    Wapmuk, who spoke when members of the National Assembly House Committee on Industry visited ITF’s Industrial Skills Training Centre, Ikeja said the figure was an estimate by a technical partner in Brazil.

    He said Fund was seeking the cooperation of SENAI (Servico National de Aprendizagem Industrial), a similar institution in Brazil, adding that ITF was looking forward to receiving experts from Brazil in a fortnight.

    He said SENAI was expected to help Nigeria achieve a similar feat it recorded in Brazil and should give the organisation the exact amount to complete the work after its assessment of ITF’s facilities.

    Wapmuk said ITF was spreading its tentacles to the states because this would help to combat youth unrest by engaging them.

    He said: “In October, last year, we commenced the training of 1,000 youths in each state. The pilot scheme started in Plateau State and Abuja. By the end of the year, we want to make sure that participants of this three- month training cut across all the local governments in the federation.’’

    The ITF boss said the institution had not fallen short of its national expectations of training and developing high level skilled manpower in select occupational areas considered to be of priority as well as empower youths through skills acquisition programme aimed at job creation and entrepreneurship development.

    The Chairman of the House Committee on Industry, Mohammed Ogoshi Onawo, commended the organisation for its achievement despite some of its obsolete facilties. He promised the House’s support in facilitating the passage of its budget for the upgrade.

    “The emphasis should be on training and our burden is how to make more youths employable, we know there is need to upgrade, as ITF needs to do more to change the face of unemployment in our country,” he said.

    He said ITF should be a cradle of industrial revolution, urging the management its ITF to intensify efforts at bridging the gap of unemployment in the country, adding that it has become a problem for the government.

    He said: “Politics and oil have made our leaders to become lazy. Emphasis should be shifted to youth empowerment as such would help to combat the present restiveness plaguing the country.

    “There is also need for ITF to publicise its activities so that the youths would know there is such empowerment programme for them, because it would be effort in futility after upgrade and there is nobody to train.”

    He also urged ITF to seek collaboration with multinationals such as Samsung, LG, Elizade Motors and NCC for both technical and material support.

     

  • Kwara to upgrade 120 schools

    Kwara to upgrade 120 schools

    The Kwara State Government yesterday said it would upgrade 120 secondary schools to meet the global standards of teaching, infrastructure and pupil-teacher ratio.

    In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Communications, Dr Muideen Akorede, in Ilorin, the state capital, the government said the move would enhance the quality of education and teaching in line with the state’s education reform programme, tagged: Every Child Counts.

    The statement said: “Secondary education should be built on the strong foundation laid at the basic level. So, we have to get it right by providing high standard education in an atmosphere conducive for quality learning for our children before they begin tertiary education.

    “That is why we are matching our teacher training with a curriculum overhaul and comprehensive upgrading of our secondary schools.”

    The statement noted that in an attempt to ensure the geographical spread and equitable distribution of projects, 40 secondary schools were selected for overhaul from each of the three senatorial zones in the state.

    The proposed upgrade will cover classrooms’ rehabilitation and construction, provision of science equipment, computer laboratories and sports facilities in all schools selected for the first phase of the project.

    The statement said another set of schools would be upgraded when the 120 schools are completed.

    It added that the proposed overhaul of the schools would improve on the 400 blocks of classrooms rehabilitated by the government in the last two years.

  • Foundation upgrades Abuja cemetery

    Foundation upgrades Abuja cemetery

    THE Al-Muhibbah Foundation, a non-governmental organisation coordinated by the wife of the FCT Minister, Hajia Aisha Bala Mohammed, has inaugurated the Christian wing of the Gudu Cemetery, Apo, FCT.

    The foundations’ Director of Programmes, Hajia Ladi Ibrahim, who represented the chairperson/founder, recalled that “the foundation, while inaugurating the Muslim and the pagan sections at the foundation’s two years anniversary last year, did promise that the Christian wing will be inaugurated in due course; a promise that is being fulfilled today.”

    Commenting on the numerous landmarks and achievements of the foundation, the chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Israel Akanji said: “I am so happy that the promise made by Mrs. Mohammed sometime last year at the inauguration of the Muslim wing of the cemetery has been fulfilled. May Almighty God continue to bless and protect Hajia Bala Mohammed.”

    He used the occasion to emphasise that his association, in collaboration with Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), will oversee the use of the newly inaugurated wing of the cemetery in line with universally-accepted best practices; noting that the era of impunity on burial sites; especially this Gudu Cemetery by members of the public and relations to deceased will be curtailed.

    Reacting, Hajia Zainab Umar of Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) called on other NGO’s in the territory to emulate Al-Muhibbah Foundation’s humanitarian services and benevolence to mankind; adding that other NGO’s must rise up to cater and take care of man’s final and permanent resting places(cemeteries).

    Hajia Mariam Lari Adamu of FCT Muslim Welfare Board praised the virtues of Al-Muhibbah’s Foundation; stating that Allah has a great reward for people and organisations that respond to the plight of the needy and mankind in generally.

    Al-Muhibbah Foundation erected the perimeter fencing of the Gudu Cemetery, constructed and built inter-locking access roads including solar-powered lights and gate house to the cemetery.

    In a related development, the foundation was at Kuje Area Council, FCT, to inaugurate and hand over the perimeter fencing of over one hectare to the Al-Ansar (The Helpers) Orphanage and donated food items worth several thousand of Naira to the home.

    Hajia Ladi Ibrahim, Director of Programmes who represented the organisation posited that the foundation is driven by a passion to assist the needy.

    Responding, Hajia Hadiza Abubakar, Naibatal Amirah, said Al-Ansar (The Helpers) is an Islamic non-governmental organisation established in 2003 with the aim of assisting and empowering the less-privileged members of the society; especially women and children and to run an Islamic-oriented orphanage in the FCT based on the fundamental principles embodied in the glorious Quran.

    She thanked the Al-Muhibbah for reaching out to them in their moment of need.

  • Naval Engineering College to be upgraded to university

    The Nigerian Naval Engineering College NNEC Sapele, Delta State is to be upgraded to university status.

    The Commandant of the College, Rear Admiral Akinjola Johnson stated this in Abuja when he paid a courtesy call on the President of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) Ibikunle Ogunbayo.

    Rear Admiral Johnson said the main purpose of the visit was to seek possible ways of collaborating with COREN as a regulatory body for its professional advice since the Nigerian Naval Engineering College is an engineering-based institution.

    He said, “As part of the Navy’s efforts to localise overseas training, the Nigerian Navy established the Nigerian Navy Technical Training centre at a temporary site in Port Harcourt in 1982.

    “The base which was renamed Nigerian Naval Engineering College in 2003, has seven schools namely, marine engineering, automobile, nuclear, and biological. Others are chemical defence school which includes damage control, fire fighting training, and air engineering schools. The accreditation process for Higher National Diploma (HND) electrical electronics technology and for ND and HND in Marine Engineering technology was in progress and had reached an advanced stage.

    Responding, Ogunbayo, an engineer, pointed out that the Act establishing COREN mandated it to regulate the practice and training of engineering personnel.

    Ogunbayo made it clear that COREN would not compromise in ensuring the standard and quality of engineering programmes run in the nation’s tertiary institutions.

    He expressed the need for a pre-visitation of the institution to ascertain the level of preparedness of the college before embarking on full accreditation.

     

  • UNILAG medical college seeks GTBank’s support for facility upgrade

    The College of Medicine, University of Lagos (CMUL) is seeking support to revamp its facilities to match the best in the world.

    As it recognised GTbank for excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes in health and education in commemoration of its 50th anniversary last week, the Provost, Prof Folashade Ogunsola said the college would like to partner with the bank to reinvent the good old days when its facilities were in top shape.

    The bank’s interventions in Health include the rehabilitation of Mercy Children’s hospital and provision and regular maintenance of equipment; organisation of an annual autism conference to create awareness about the condition; support for the Sickle Cell Foundation as well as the ‘stop cancer’ initiative.

    In the area of education, the bank has adopted schools in Lagos, Kwara, Jigawa and others, sponsored the Lagos State Principals Cup among others.

    Presenting the award to Mr Babajide Sipe of the Corporate Communications and External Affairs Unit at a brief ceremony held in the CMUL board room, Prof Ogunsola said the college had followed the bank’s progress in the financial sector and its activities in the area of education and health and found it deserving of the award.

    Considering the importance of producing well trained healthcare personnel to serve in hospitals, Prof Ogunsola said the college, whose student population has grown from 28 to 1,800 in 50 years, seeks to improve its facilities to deliver its already reviewed curriculum.

    She said: “The College of Medicine has in the last few years been reworking its curriculum and making it more impactful so that the society would feel more of our impact. And for us to get there, we need to have our strategic partners who would work along with us as build better infrastructure, better curriculum and produce even greater doctors. The facilities here need to be improved. To do that, it takes commitment, it takes money, it takes those who would give us ideas and work with the ideas.”

    Responding on behalf of GTbank, Sipe appreciated the college for the honour and assured its management of the bank’s support when such initiative is worked out.

    “The College of Medicine is certainly another good platform and we would be committed to do our bit. We do not know what ideas you want to implement for now but we would be happy to be part of this tremendous effort to improve standards in this institution,” he said.