The Nation Newspaper

Tag: urges

  • Security expert urges Muslims to strengthen relationship with Allah

    Renowned security expert and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ambassador Abayomi Nurain Mumuni has enjoined Muslims to maximize the rewards that come with the month of Ramadan and sustain the virtues taught by the holy month afterwards.

    Mumuni, who contested for governorship election in 2011 under the defunct Congress for Progressives Congress (CPC) in Lagos state, in a Ramadan message, urged them to use the month to strengthen their relationship with Allah.

    Mumuni, who described Ramadan as a rare opportunity that is rife with Allah’s forgiveness, blessings and emancipation from hell-fire, said that the month calls for serious engagement in acts of worship.

    The Aare Jagunmade of Lagos said: “Ramadan is about fasting with sincerity to attain piety and the pleasure of our Lord. It is a college on its own where our faith and soul could be easily nurtured and filled with piety.

    “Essentially, the fasting is not merely restricting oneself from eating and drinking from dawn to sunset alone, it transcends that. We are expected to use the month to strengthen our relationship with Allah through numerous righteous deeds. Our mouths, eyes and every other parts of our body must be grossly engaged in remembrance of Allah. This is how we can feel the impact in our souls.”

    Mumuni, who authors Global Terrorism and its Effects on Humanity stressed that the month was meant teach mankind how to live in peace with their fellow beings irrespective of their creeds, and extend hands of love and brotherhood to fellow brethren.

  • Rise up, Echocho urges Kogi PDP members

    Winner of the January 9, 2011 PDP primaries and frontline PDP Gubernatorial aspirant in Kogi State, Jibrin Isah Echocho has called on party members to place party interest at all times above personal ambition.

    Echocho in a statement issued in Lokoja by his Media consultant, Phrank Shaibu, Echocho said: “As we march towards our Ward Party Congress slated for 27th, June Saturday 2015, I consider it my responsibility as a major stakeholder of the Party, to appeal to all our party members to look more at what binds us together than what separates us as a people with a common goal.

    “In this era where political power dynamics in our dear Kogi state is tending to be more complicated, I urge all party members to place the interest of the Party well above personal aspirations. Our big party has gone through a chequered past that threatened its progress, but in this next stage of rebuilding the party, I appeal to all party members in Kogi State to engage in concerted efforts that will advance the mission of our National Party leadership for a new and stronger PDP. The task of rebuilding our dear Party cannot wait until elections. This is where I call on  all party loyalists to stand up and address the issues that matter to the Party. The era of imposition must give way for the people’s choice.” Echocho concluded.

     

  • Oyo Speaker urges Muslims to pray for Chibok girls

    Oyo Speaker urges Muslims to pray for Chibok girls

    The Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Michael Adeyemo, has urged Muslims in Nigeria to use the occasion of this year Ramadan to offer special prayers for the over 200 school girls abducted by Boko Haram insurgents at Chibok, Borno State last year.

    He said this in his Ramadan message to the nation.

    While pointing out that the fasting period is a time of deep reflection and sacrifice which calls for intense prayers for the people and nations, urged Muslim faithful to offer special prayers for the girls and their mothers who are still agonizing over their abduction.

    He also called for prayers for all those who are believed by the reason of attacks by the insurgents in North Eastern part of the country, stressing that the country needs prayers to overcome myriads of security, social and economic challenges confronting it.

    The statement read in part: “Ramadan is a time of deep reflection and sacrifice calling for intense prayers especially now that the country is facing serious economic and security challenges. I urge our Muslim brothers and sisters to pray for the Chibok girls and their parents as well as those that have suffered great loss from the various  attacks of Boko Haram.”

    Adeyemo also advised Muslims to show more love, care and imbibe good virtues during and after the Ramadan.

    The speaker prayed that the month brings sparkles of contentment, blessing, happiness and joy

  • IPMAN urges deregulation of downstream oil sector

    IPMAN urges deregulation of downstream oil sector

    The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has urged the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to deregulate the downstream sector of the petroleum industry.

    IPMAN also blamed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for the perennial scarcity of premium motor spirit (petrol) and kerosene in the country.

    IPMAN chair, NNPC Ilorin depot, Alhaji Okanlawon Olarewaju told reporters yesterday in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, adding that the solution to perennial fuel scarcity in the country is for the NNPC products to be supplied directly to depots.

    He said: “The lasting solution is deregulation, but in the meantime, NNPC should stop supplying its products to private depots. If products go to the depots there is no excuse for anybody to play smart game on Nigerians.

    “That is why many marketers are quitting the business. Politicians are the ones owning most of the filing stations in the state.

  • Group urges Buhari to be focused

    The Police Assistance Committee (PAC) has urged in-coming president Muhammadu Buhari not to be distracted, but be focused by following his own intuition and be his own self in taking right decisions to direct the affairs of the country.

    Speaking at a one-day orientation programme organized in Abuja for PAC members on how to work with the new government, the Director General Dr. Martins John-Oni stressed  on the need for the new president to be weary of noise-makers and horde of over-night loyalists who may be surrounding him with unsolicited  advices that could derail his good intentions.

    The PAC boss advised the president not to be bordered with probes and enquiries of the immediate past administration, but should rather put his energy and attention on how to correct the anomalies and provide good governance, particularly in the power and oil sectors of the economy.

    Dr. John Martins Oni lamented the near collapse of the oil and power sectors in the last two decades whilst urging the new government to critically address both sectors by introducing good policies and appointing tested technocrats with integrity as ministers to oversee the sectors for the wellbeing of Nigerians.

  • Minister urges surveyors to embrace entrepreneurship

    Minister urges surveyors to embrace entrepreneurship

    Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Akon Etim Eyakenyi has urged  quantity surveyors in the country to brace up to the growing challenges of the profession.

    She said these challenges could only be addressed when surveyors’ embrace entrepreneurial revolution that meets with the global best practices.

    Represented by a Federal Controller in the Ministry, Mr. Abdulyekini Akara,  at Kano Federal Secretariat, she said there was  need for quantity surveyors to diversify beyond the professional firms.

    She spoke at a workshop organsied by the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS) in collaboration with the Kano State government with The Professional As An Entrepreneur as its theme.

    She said: “The professional should begin to see himself as a business man, particularly in contemporary times of huge commercialisation.

    “He needs to free himself from every confinement of past tendencies and leverage into the new spirit of entrepreneurship. The drive for new spirit of entrepreneurship forms the bedrock of success stories in today’s business concerns.

    “The quest for new skills and competencies in management of business in the corporate world calls for total transformation of professional practices for sustainability.”

  • Ecobank urges court to jail DMO chief

    Ecobank urges court to jail DMO chief

    AFederal High Court in Lagos has been urged to commit the Director-General, Debt Management Office (DMO), Abraham Nwankwo to prison for contempt of court.

    DMO is the government agency saddled with processing fuel subsidy claims by oil marketers, as well as the issuance of sovereign debt notes.

    Ecobank Nigeria Limited made the appeal before Justice Mohammed Yunusa after accusing the DMO of frustrating its effort to recover debts from an oil firm, First Deepwater Discovery Limited (FDDL).

    Justice Yunusa had in a ruling on February 25, directed that the DMO should transfer the outstanding fuel subsidy sum due FDDL into the company’s account with Ecobank.

    The bank alleged that the oil firm has a cumulative subsidy claim of about N1.8 billion with DMO, with N845 million due for payment, prompting Justice Yunusa to rule that the agency should transfer with dispatch, the said sum into the defendant’s account with Ecobank, in order to offset part of FDDL indebtedness to the bank.

    The judge ordered that the DMO should  “communicate the PEF/Admin Charges on the balance sum of N1,020, 451,733.22 to the plaintiff/applicant via the receiver/manager and to pay forthwith, remit or otherwise transfer the entire sum to the first defendant’s account with the plaintiff/applicant.”

    But addressing the court on Tuesday, the bank through its lawyer,  Kunle Ogunba (SAN),  also prayed that one Umaru Abubakar, who is the DMO’s officer in charge of processing fuel subsidy claims by oil marketers, be jailed for contempt.

    He claimed that despite being served through the agency’s principal officers on February 27, DMO was yet to take the necessary steps to transfer the said funds, thus, frustrating the bank’s effort at recovering its customers’ money allegedly held by FDDL.

    Ecobank, in an affidavit in support of the contempt charges deposed to by a lawyer in Ogunba’s law firm, Ajibola Ajiboye, stated that in spite of alleged contemnors with Forms 48 and 49 (contempt charge) they had refused to buldge.

    The applicant urged the court to commit Nwankwo and Abubakar to prison, adding that disobedience of court orders should not be treated with levity by any court.

    However, the DMO officials have filed a counter-affidavit through their lawyer, S.E. Omoraghon, praying for a dismissal of the contempt charge.

    The court adjourned to May 13 for hearing on the contempt charge.

  • FAO urges implementation of irrigation policy

    FAO urges implementation of irrigation policy

    The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has appealed to the Federal Government to endorse and implement the National Irrigation Policy and Strategy when completed.

    Its Representative in Nigeria, Dr Louise Setshwaelo, made the plea at a stakeholder validation workshop on the draft National Irrigation Policy and Strategy in Abuja.

    She said the policy would  help the small holder farmers if adopted and its strategy urgently implemented by all the tiers of government, the private sector as well as other development partners.

    She said: “When we started this process, we had a draft document that was developed in 2006; eight years ago before we started this process and that draft document have not gone through the formal approval processes.

    “My plea to government is that, as partners, we will like to see as soon as it is finalised, endorsed by government and implementation initiated.

    “It will specifically help the small holder farmers if a policy such as this one and its strategy is urgently approved and implementation facilitated by both federal and state government and the private sector and all other partners such as FAO and the World Bank.”

    Setshwaelo said the globally agreed Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security was taken into consideration.

    She explained that the workshop was aimed at adding value to the synthesised draft policy document, urging  stakeholders to contribute to help finalise the policy.

  • FIIRO urges govt to develop industrial centres

    THE Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO), has urged the Federal Government to develop modern industrial catalytic centres across the six geo-political zones of the country for the production and packaging of consumables that can compete globally.

    In addition, it should also ensure that capacity in entrepreneurship and packaging is strengthened, by reviewing the training curriculum, to be all-inclusive, effective and justifiable through the instrumentality of the Federal Ministry of Education.

    These were part of the recommendations contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a programme organised by FIIRO. Tagged Investment and Technology Week, it had  Sustainable Job Creation through FIIRO Technologies, as its theme.

    It drew over 2000 participants from  Ministries, Departments & Agencies (MDAs), the organised private sector (OPS), investors, the academia, youth organisations, students, beneficiaries of FIIRO developed technologies, development partners and financial institutions, among others.

    Stakeholders at the forum unanimously agreed that all research institutions should strengthen their relationship with manufacturing industries and improve on public private-partnership (PPP).

    “The country’s legal framework on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) is weak and should be strengthened with enabling Acts from the National Assembly, while the Federal Government should facilitate training programmes in skill acquisition and capacity building in IPR.

    “The National Research Innovation Council (NIRC) should ensure that revised Science & Technology Innovation (STI) policies are fully implemented. This should also guarantee proper and adequate funding of R & D,” the communiqué read.

    The forum was conceived in partial fulfillment of the institute’s mandate, which is to find utilisation for the nation’s raw materials and to upgrade indigenous production techniques.

    Specifically, the event was intended to showcase the institute’s over 250 developed technologies and how they could be deployed massively in the 774 local government areas in Nigeria in order to create jobs and reduce unemployment rate to the barest minimum.

    To bring together stakeholders in commercialisation of research and development (R&D) results, captains of industry, investment promotion agencies, technology developers, micro small & medium enterprises (MSMEs), support institutions, financial and development institutions, Nigerians in diaspora, policy makers, potential investors, international organisations, unemployed youths and so on to take advantage of the technologies for investment purposes.

    Also, to create opportunities for the establishment of over 2,500 micro, small and medium enterprises and generate over 250,000 jobs as well as draw about $575million Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) within the next one year.   While showcasing its achievements, it was discovered that FIIRO has instituted a three-month certificate course in techno-entrepreneurship in order to enhance the entrepreneurial skills among MSMEs and individuals adopting FIIRO research and development  results for commercialisation.

    In the areas of food enrichment and development of local food processing techniques that critically addresses nutrient deficiencies, FIIRO has developed the High Nutrient Density Biscuit (HNDB) and Soy-ogi among others.

    FIIRO has also intensified efforts in pulp and paper R & D in order to revive the state of pulp and paper industries in Nigeria for sustainability and job creation.

    One critical area that the institute is setting the pace is its Waste-to-Wealth programme. It was introduced to address the issue of poor management of domestic and agricultural wastes that has led to enormous environmental challenges in the country.

  • PRCAN urges nation-branding campaign

    The Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria (PRCAN), the umbrella body of consultancy firms in Nigeria, has called on President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) to embark on strategic nation branding campaign.

    Its President, Mr. John Ehiguese, urged Buhari to inaugurate a strategic nation-branding campaign that would ride on the goodwill that the country enjoys.

    He said this would be planned and executed by a team of experts in strategic communication.

    He said: “We are also excited at the fact that the peaceful conduct of the elections has somewhat redeemed the image of our country, and look forward to Nigeria getting set to reap the huge benefits that will accrue therefrom.

    “As the biggest economy in Africa, and the choice investment destination globally, Nigeria now stands on the threshold of history, set to take its rightful place among the leading and fastest growing nations of the world.”

    Last week, the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) also called on the president-elect to overhaul the national communication architecture to re-ignite the Nigerian spirit and positively project brand Nigeria.

    Its President, Mr. Kelechi Nwosu, urged Buhari  to re-configure the national communication architecture in other to give impetus to a robust economy, promote national re-orientation, inspire innovation, as well as enable entrepreneurship.