The Nation Newspaper

Tag: urged

  • Fed Govt urged to shun calls for sack of NCAA boss

    The Coalition of Nigerian Youth Organisations has described the demand by some individuals that the Federal Government should sack the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Demuren, as politically- motivated and unnecessary.

    Addressing a news conference yesterday, the group said the call for the sack of the NCAA boss was unwarranted and urged the Federal Government to ignore such move to rubbish Demuren.

    The group’s statement was signed by Comrade Etuk Bassey Williams, ex-president of the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS, Wole Badmus, President of Yoruba Youth Frontiers, Uche Casmier, President of Ohaeneze Ndigbo Youth, Mr. Splendour Agbonkpolor, President of Niger Delta Youth Alliance and Mallam Musa Abubakar Yusuf, President of Arewa Youth Forum.

    The group said the allegations of negligence of duty, corruption and incompetence levelled against Demuren were insubstantial excuses.

    The group passed a vote of confidence in the NCAA boss and cautioned members of the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation to motivate Mr. Demuren in discharging his duty.

  • Govt urged to develop indigenous investment

    Governments and private initiatives in Africa are required to develop indigenous investment and entrepreneurial groups, rather than depend on foreign aid.

    This is contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the 2012 Chinua Achebe Colloquium on Africa, held at the Brown University, Providence, U.S.A.

    The two-day event was attended by Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, the Founder, Mo Ibrahim Foundation for the Promotion of Good Governance, Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim, Commander, United States Africa Command, Gen. Carter Ham, United States Ambassador to Niger Republic, Bisa Williams and South African anti-apartheid activist, Dr. Mamphela Ramphele.

    It was agreed that what is needed on the African continent is a dedicated and thorough operation to remove poverty that robs the people of their dignity and make them vulnerable to the manipulation of corrupt, self-serving and divisive leaders and warlords.

    Calling on Africans at home and in the Diaspora as well as the international community to promote good governance on the continent by acknowledging outstanding examples of remarkable African leaders, the colloquium urged ruling parties on the continent in particular, to respect an independent and credible election system, viable and vibrant political opposition, as well as free and rigorous civil society engagement in politics.

    It enjoined African governments to develop a Diaspora Engagement Plan to promote robust ways of harvesting and leveraging the rich and diverse experience of Africans in the Diaspora.

    While acknowledging the idea of partnership between African states and the international community to maintain peace and democratic governance, it said the international community should be wary of the unintended consequences of military support such as training and arming ambitious elements and war mongers who disrupt democratic regimes and the rule of law in parts of the continent.

  • Civil servants urged to shun politics

    Heads of Service in the Southwest have decried the ainvolvement of public servants in partisan politics.

    They urged the authorities to review the rules of the public service to address the situation.

    This was contained in a statement by the Heads of Service after their third summit, which was held at the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.

    The Heads of Service are Mr. Sunday Owoeye (Osun), Mr. Bunmi Famosaya (Ogun), Mrs. Kosemani Kolawole (Ondo), Mrs. Modupe Adekunle (Ogun), Mr. Tajudeen Aremu (Oyo) and Mr. Adesegun Ogunlewe (Lagos).

    They praised Southwest leaders for sticking to merit in the appointment of top public servants and urged them to sustain the process to maintain a healthy public service.

    The Heads of Service agreed that effective regional integration can only be achieved, if the civil service emphasises critical policy areas, such as fiscal sustainability, budget planning and execution, quality of investment climate and service delivery.

    They said: “We affirm the crucial and indispensable role of bureaucracy in the actualisation of regional integration and development. There is need for strategic planning to be backed up with adequate budgetary provision to guarantee the sustainability of government’s programmes and projects.

    “We hail the increasing participation and support of the United Kingdom Department for International Development (UK-DFID) in a number of reforms, programmes and projects in the Southwest.”

    During the three-day summit, eight papers were delivered by eminent resource persons.

    The Heads of Service agreed to set up a joint secretariat to provide administrative support for proper documentation, coordination and dissemination of the proceedings of the summit.

    They also agreed that the fourth edition of the summit would be hosted by Ogun State in the first quarter of next year.

  • Ojukwu’s children urged to respect Ikemba’s Will

    A socio-cultural group, the Ndigbo Unity Forum, has urged the feuding children and relatives of the late Dim Odimegwu Emeka Ojukwu to accept the will of their late father and stop ridiculing the legacies of the former Biafran leader.

    Its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Uzoma Anunihu, noted that the forum was uncomfortable with the media war that followed the presentation of Ojukwu’s will.

    He said: “What should occupy the children’s minds and those of the immediate family of the late Igbo leader should be how to keep his legacies alive and continue with the struggle for the emancipation of Ndigbo.”

    Anunihu said the current face-off among the beneficiaries of the will has affected genuine attempts to unite Ndigbo, making Ojukwu the rallying point.

    The Igbo leader hailed what he called the “unprecedented unity and love displayed by Ndigbo before and during the burial of the late Biafran leader”.

    He noted that this has been pulled down by the crisis that “has overwhelmed the family”.

    Anunihu added: “Who gets what in the will should not tear the family apart and, by extension, the entire Ndigbo. The aggrieved ones should look for better ways of seeking redress instead of dragging the name of the family in the mud by engaging in a media war. This portrays Ndigbo as a materialistic people who can go to any length to acquire or covet wealth.”

    The Igbo leader advised the children to table their grievances before reputable Igbo groups for an amicable solution.

    He said: “We don’t want this show of shame on the pages of newspapers to continue. We won’t accept any further attempt to demean Ojukwu’s reputation because he remains the greatest Igbo leader, even in death.”

  • Firm urged to complete Abuja roads

    ARAB Contractors has been urged to expedite work on the Bwari township roads to alleviate the suffering of the people.

    Chairman, Bwari Area Council, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Peter Yohanna, said the poor state of the roads had hampered development in the area.

    “When you are coming to the area council you will assume there is no government; everyday people keep criticising the chairman for the poor state of Bwari township roads.

    “I appeal to Arab Contractors to expedite construction work on Bwari township roads to facilitate socio-economic development in the area,” Yohanna said.

    Yohanna, however, expressed optimism that the roads would soon be completed.

  • Southeast urged to embrace constitution review

    The Coordinator of the Southeast Progressive Elements, Mr. Igboeli Arinze, has urged the people of the region to brace up for the constitutional review process.

    He advised community leaders, members of the intelligentsia, civil society groups, the business class and university students to use the exercise to correct what he called the systematic neglect of the Igbo.

    The group leader urged the people to make presentations to National Assembly members on major demands, including creation of states and the need for true federalism.

    Speaking with The Nation in Enugu, Arinze said: “Let us ask ourselves the following questions: Are we satisfied with the present state of things in Nigeria, the Southeast in particular? Are we at home with the systematic marginalisation of the Igbo, with the failings of the Nigerian state towards its people? Is it okay to live with this imbalance or shall we leave things to factors like chance or a change of heart by those who have chosen to humiliate NdiIgbo? Are we satisfied with the state of our infrastructure and the portrayal of the Southeast as the largest catchment area of abandoned projects by the Federal Government?”

  • Obey traffic law, Okada riders urged

    Obey traffic law, Okada riders urged

    Commercial motorcycle operators popularly called Okada riders have been urged to obey the Lagos State Traffic Law which banned the operators on some major roads.

    Chairman of Oshodi-Isolo Local Government, Hon Idris Muse-Ariyoh said during a meeting with the Divisional Police Officers and Okada riders association at the council secretariat.

    Muse-Ariyoh enjoined the operators to be more organised and register their members for easy identity.

    According to him, it is imperative on the riders to have uniform with a registration number and the council logo inscribed on it.

    This, he said, will help exposing other operators who came from other councils to perpetrate evil act.

    Deputy Chairman of the Okada Riders Association, Mr Ibraheem Ashafa, pledges their support for the law.

    Ashafa urged police officers to be wary of criminals’ Okada riders hiding under police uniform to perpetrate evil.