The Nation Newspaper

Tag: yearly

  • Nigeria loses N250b on medical tourism yearly

    The Nigerian medical Association (NMA) has raised the alarm, saying that Nigeria loses N250 billion yearly to medical tourism.

    The association said the solution to such capital flight lies with the upgrading of the country’s tertiary institutions and replacing obsolete equipment with modern ones.

    In a communiqué at the end of its national executive council (NEC) meeting in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, NMA said it was opposed to giving girls out in marriage before the age of 18.

    The communiqué was signed by NMA President and Secretary-General, Dr Kayode Obembe and Dr Adewunmi Alayaki.

    NMA urged President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint a medical doctor as the minister of health, adding that “doctors who take care of the sick must be accorded priority in the scheme of things”.

    Part of the communiqué reads: “NMA has been clamouring for the post of Surgeon General which is paramount in our health system. Examples we can point to are: Attorney General of the Federation, Accountant-General of the Federation and Surveyor-General and Auditor General.

    “The NMA is opposed to giving out our girls in marriage before the age of 18 years because before that age, the bony system has not fully developed. Scientifically, this practice should be condemned, the birth canal will be very narrow for the head of the baby to pass through during labour, which can lead to the condition called Vesico Virginal Fistula (VVF). We appeal to all men of good will to impress on our Government and policy makers to rescue our female children from this miserable life and ultimate disaster.

    “We know that President Mohammadu Buhari has respect for human lives, hence doctors who take care of the sick must be accorded priority in the scheme of things. We hereby implore the President to appoint a Medical Doctor as the Minister of Health. We also implore him to bring out the white paper on Yayale Ahmed Report because this will promote industrial harmony in the health sector.

    “NMA is very concerned with the incessant strikes that have bedeviled the health sector which is due to the fact that circulars issued by the government were not cash backed. In the interim, supplementary allocation should be made to pay for such commitments while on a long term basis, it must be clearly defined as a budget heading in 2016 appropriation.

    “NMA is worried at the rate at which the so called regulatory bodies, apart from Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), invade our hospitals. We hereby appeal to the Police to cooperate with NMA in ensuring that no regulatory body apart from MDCN is allowed to come and interrupt Doctors while they are on their legitimate vocation of saving lives as this constitutes distraction and interruption in the hospital environment.

    “NMA is in full support of the Universal health coverage, this has been the focus of the national officers’ committee (NOC) of the Association and we believe the instrument of the full implementation is through National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). We are delighted that the National Health Act made provision for getting one percent consolidated revenue fund through the NHIS while the other 50 percent goes to the primary health care.

    “NMA is poised to eradicate measles from our country. We have kicked out polio and Ebola. Everybody should join hands with NMA to achieve this. Therefore, our Physicians Week in October shall focus on measles.”

     

  • Manufacturers spend N3.5tr yearly on generators, says NLC

    Manufacturers spent an estimated N3.5 trillion annually to run power generators for production due to the collapse of public electricity, the President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Waba, has said.

    Speaking at a business luncheon for managing directors/chief executive officers organised by the Ikeja branch of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) in Lagos, he said the energy sector is critical to the manufacturing sector of the economy.

    “Any government that is serious about reviving the economy must make the revival of the power sector a priority. The challenges faced in terms of decayed infrastructure, bad road and epileptic power supply are necessary factors in production and their deficits have made manufacturing difficult, leading to the closure of not a few industries while a lot more had to relocate to other countries.

    “It is auspicious that both manufacturers and labour build a strong alliance to step up campaigns for the revival of our economy, which can only be done through the reactivation of all infrastructures needed for real production,” he said, adding that apart from infrastructure decay, manufacturers are confronted with other challenges, particularly indebtedness.

    Ayuba said: “While you have to borrow to produce, majority of your corporate consumers, particularly government are hugely indebted to some of you. Another challenge we know you face is the importation of products, which you also produce locally. These imported products take advantage of your deprivations in the area of infrastructures to bring in goods, most of which are substandard and sell them cheaper than yours.”

    He said there can’t be fair competition when cost of production, standards and other environmental factors are not the same. “We therefore, urge government to impose total ban on the importation of all goods produced by our local manufacturers. We believe our country, with over 160 million population can be a major manufacturing hub in Africa if our government encourage our local manufacturers,” he said.

    The NLC President added that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is not helping matters on the issue of importation of banned and fake products, adding that NCS should be patriotic in their duties by protecting the people, economy and the national interests at all times.

    “Our borders are too porous, and they need to urgently defend their profession by ensuring banned and adulterated goods don’t cross into our country,” he said.

  • Over $6b lost yearly to oil theft, says labour

    Nigeria loses over $6billion yearly to crude oil theft, Chairman, Rivers State chapter of Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Comrade Hyginus Chika Onuegbu, has said.

    “In fact our concern is that hardly does any day go by in Nigeria, without the story of how large sums of money are stolen by Nigerians who are in positions of trust.

    “Hardly does a day pass without the stories of how Nigerian crude oil is brazenly stolen by oil thieves assisted by their collaborators in high places.

    “It is on record that by government’s own admission, which is very conservative, about 10 per cent of Nigeria’s total crude oil production of about 2.5million barrels per day (MMbpd), which is about 250,000bpd is stolen, this is almost two and a half times the total production of our neighbour, Ghana.

    “We are of the considered view that the falling crude oil price provides a good opportunity for government at all levels to block all leakages in the system such as corruption, inefficiency, oil theft and the huge cost of governance in Nigeria,” he said.

    Onuegbu said  the volume of money lost to corruption and inefficiency in Nigeria may be more than 40 per cent of the annual budget, adding that the amount of money lost to oil theft and pipeline vandalism is humongous.

    He said the revelations at the various probes by the National Assembly, are heart-breaking as billions of naira, and now trillions of naira meant for the improvement in the welfare and condition of living of ordinary Nigerians, have been stolen by those who are entrusted with the treasury.

    Onuegbu called for the quick passage of Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), saying that this will address so many things in the sector.

    “Wha the government should do is to immediately pass the PIB into law because Nigeria has lost hundreds of billions of US dollars in oil and gas investment due to the non-passage of the PIB,” he said.

  • Keshi demands N72m yearly deal

    Keshi demands N72m yearly deal

    • Danagogo reveals that Big Boss wants N6m monthly
    • Vows to pay coach for Congo, South Africa games if NFF refuses

    Sports  Minister,Tammy Danagogo has revealed that Chief Coach of the Super Eagles, Stephen Keshi, who is on the verge of renegotiating a new contract with the Nigeria Football Federation, has actually requested for a monthly salary of N6 million contrary to the N15 million he was touted to have demanded for.

    The Minister also disclosed that Keshi has exhibited patriotism to the extent that he is willing to even dropped the idea of the increment in his monthly wages to help his country prosecute the two Africa Nations Cup qualifiers holding next month. Danagogo however blamed the NFF crisis for the delay in sealing the coach’s contract.

    “The NFF has been negotiating with Stephen Keshi but apparently because of the situation on ground the negotiation has not been very successful. If you look at it his contract expired about when we just exited the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

    “Apparently the NFF as at then was not very eager to re-negotiate with him. So we (National Sports Commission) were trying to see whether the NFF will negotiate with him. They were on that when a few things started coming up. Then Maigari left, Maigari was suspended and Mike Umeh came in. Umeh then commenced negotiation with him (Keshi) but negotiation was stalled because they couldn’t agree on the remuneration.

    “We again told Umeh to allow Maigari to come in to finish his tenure and do a peaceful election. From that Maigari came back and they too said that that amount of money they won’t be able to agree with it.

    “Then I look at it that we have a match on the 6th of September (2014) why do we unduly delay the contract. So I called Keshi personally to know what the issues were. He told me what they have offered him and what he has asked to be paid.

    “I asked him if he is desirous to do the job. He said he is desirous and I told him I will undertake to see that when the dust is settled on NFF issue we will get him and the NFF to sit down and sign the contract. I then asked him to come and do the work and if need be the Ministry can pay him. I told him if the NFF cannot pay him the NSC can pay for things to be done.

    “He then told me for the love of his country he will come and start and when the NFF is settled they can agree. What they have offered and what Keshi is demanding is not even more than a million naira difference. It is just for the NFF to be settled and then Keshi’s contract will be signed.The issue of what to pay Keshi is no longer a challenge.

    “Even with what I have discussed with him now he can even waive that. So it is now left for the two sides to sit down, sign the contract and also agree on other issues in the contract. The issues to be resolved are assistant coaches, and so on. These are the details of the needful to be sorted out,” Danagogo explained.