All Posts in "Day: March 23, 2021"

Don’t Break Nigeria,Osun Monarch Advises

A traditional ruler in Osun State, Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi has admonished Nigerians to always demand for quality governance and devotion of power rather than  advocating the break up of Nigeria
Oluwo  made the remarks at his palace in Iwo while addressing newsmen cautioned Nigerians against the use of social media to create falsehood.
He advised  the promoters  of the country’s  break up to channel their energy into demanding quality governance and devolution of power from the government.
The monarch also called on Nigerians in the Diaspora to exercise caution in contributing to the discussions so as not to fuel division in the country.
While noting that a divided Nigeria could mean failure for the black race because Nigeria is the powerhouse and hope of the black race, the monarch explained that no individual can break the country at this critical time as such agitation is inimical and capable of eroding the African continent.
According to him, “Nigeria is an indivisible, unbreakable, inseparable and impenetrable nation and the hope of the black race. Nigeria remains the unified force of the black race and its weaknesses must be properly and technically managed. Any attempt to break Nigeria up will unavoidably result in the separation of the black race, worldwide.
“I want to admonish the agitators of Nigeria’s break up to channel their energy towards productive venture such as calling for quality governance and devolution of power as done in some advanced countries.We should act politely by managing issues maturely and not calling for war. Such discussions could be interpreted as beating the drums of war. They should know they have families and relatives here in Nigeria. War knows no one”
Online Editor by — March 23, 2021 in Oduduwa 0
Why Nigerians  Seek Medical Help Abroad-Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has  said  that unfriendly attitude of hospital staffers, poor hygienic and house keeping standard in the presence of sophisticated equipments and qualified medical doctors as some of the failings triggering medical tourism in the country.
He said  these factors  are more frequently responsible for loss of confidence of end users in the nation’s health sector more than lack of equipments.
Represented by the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, President Buhari, said this during the Commissioning of seven projects executed by Professor Adewale Musa-Olomu led management of the Federal Medical Center, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
The President, who expressed delight at the strides recorded by the management of the hospital, however charged management of hospitals across the country to also pay attention, not only to improving staff harmony and welfare, but to retraining health care givers for even better professionalism.
The projects which were commissioned by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila included a Conference Center and Telemedicine Hall named after the President; and a pharmacy complex named after the Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo Pharmacy Complex.
According to President Buhari, the Telemedicine Center will increase the knowledge base and skills of care givers on a continuous basis, especially at a time of COVID-19 pandemic when virtual meetings and online consultations have become a new normal.
Buhari said: “We still get all too often for comfort, disconcerting reports of not friendly attitudes of staff to patients, reports of hygiene and house keeping standards that leaves something to be desired even in the presence of sophisticated equipment and well qualified doctors.
“Such simple failings like this, are more frequently responsible for the loss of confidence of the end users in our health system than even the lack of equipment. They are the triggers for the distrust that will lead people to go on medical tourism.
“We have a lot of work to do in that area and I want to believe that the managers of our hospitals after such laudable, fantastic infrastructure investment we now begin to pay attention, not only to improving staff harmony and welfare, but to retraining health care givers for even better professionalism that deliver service in a productive and courteous atmosphere based on the lessons we learnt from our traditional African hospitality.
“This International Conference centre and Telemedicine hall which I’m informed has the capacity for 1,500 persons is said to be equipped with modern gadgets to facilitate international meetings which should contribute to the knowledge base and skills of care givers on a continuous basis.
“Telemedicine is an icing on the cake for universal health coverage. This government is passionate about healthcare at grassroots level and it is our policy to have one functional Primary Health Care in every political ward of the country, this will be almost 10,000.”
Online Editor by — March 23, 2021 in Health 0
Sanwo Olu Explains Focus  On Human Capital Index

Governor Sanwo-Olu explains gradual re-opening of Lagos' economy
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said that his adminstration deliberately focuses on human capital index, including health and education, as well as policies  that can create the future for the young ones and give them the capacity to  aid their growth
He spoke  while receiving the Federal House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Services, led by Prof. Julius Ihovnbere on a courtesy call on him at the Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja, on Monday.
The governor noted that the UBEC is an arm of government, and one of those interventions of government that has succeeded overtime.
Commending the committee for  giving   Lagos priority,the governor said: “It is true that we have not accessed the 2019, our own funds are there. We have also made provisions for 2020 so that we can indeed take both together and have a wider pool of funds to be able to respond to that sector.
“Beyond that, it is to take us back and explain to you what we are doing in education. Education this year in particular has a budget of almost 12 percent.”
He said: “Beyond the budget, it is also to say that we deliberately went down to intervene in the primary school level.
“To date, if my numbers are not missing, we have done over 100,000 benches and tables for the schools. We deliberately went down to the primary schools and said that we needed to put funding on physical infrastructure.”
On curriculum and content development, Sanwo-Olu noted: “We are spending billions of naira and there is a scheme that is called EKOEXCEL, which is our own intervention in the primary schools and we are taking them from the root. We realised that one of the things that you can give is to ensure that the teachers and the learning environment is second to none.
“Each of the lesson notes of the teachers, irrespective of where they are, has been downloaded on the tablets. They have the same content in terms of learning capabilities of the teachers. So issues around writing lesson notes are all documented on the tablets and every teacher has the same standard that is expected in terms of learning and lesson outcomes.
“We are also buying textbooks and it is a full complement to intervene in the education space and we believe that it is from the primary school that you need to give them that proper foundation. So it is from there before they get to secondary schools that they have that root; solid foundation and we believe that we can change the skyline or the space from that place.”
Online Editor by — March 23, 2021 in News 0
Ondo Will Not Secede From Nigeria-Akeredolu

Count Ondo out of your secession plan, Akeredolu warns agitators
Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has said that his state will not secede from Nigeria because it believes in the unity of the country.
He disclosed this at the swearing-in of the first female Secretary to the State Government, Princess Oladunni Odu and four Special Advisers,where he maintained that there was no need to drum secession agenda in Nigeria
He said:”Ondo State remains part and parcel of the entity called Nigeria and no parcel of our land shall be ceded to any succession promoter under any guise”, he said.
He  reiterated his resolve to evict all trespassers occupying forests reserve in the state,adding that his administration will continue to eject and punish, in accordance with the law, anyone, either herder or farmer illegally occupying the forest reserves.
He said those who disobey the order, according to the governor will have themselves to blame.
He disclosed his administration’s intention to participate in the Federal Government National Livestock Transformation Programme.
“The programme is aimed at encouraging any private businessman who takes interest in breeding cattle to participate in the modern methods for profit”, he said.
He charged anyone who intends to engage in a private business of animal husbandry, in this age, must be ready to abide with the modern methods or quit.
“We, therefore, reiterate our stance on the prohibition of open grazing by cattle rearers in any part of Ondo State. On this, there shall be no compromise. In a similar vein, we will continue to arrest any under-age herders in the state. The government will prosecute the mindless handlers of these unfortunate kids.
“We will insist on punishing any errant herdsman and exact compensation commensurate to the level of destruction of farms and businesses in any part of the state. Anyone who commits a crime under the guise of outmodelled pastoralism shall be sanctioned severely. We will proceed to mobilize the people against this menace. The people of Ondo State will not accept any aberrant incursion into our space.” He noted.
Online Editor by — March 23, 2021 in News 0
Gov. Sule Tasks Media Owners On Better Remuneration 

Nasarawa Governor Tasks Media Owners On Better Remuneration For Practitioners – Independent Newspapers Nigeria
Abdullahi Sule, the governor of Nasarawa State has tasked media owners in Nigeria on the need for better remuneration  for their workers in order to allow them discharge their duties very well .
He gave the advice  during an interactive  session with  journalists to mark the beginning of Nasarawa State press week organized by the state’s chapter of the Nigerian Union of Journalists.
He expressed dissatisfaction over the meagre salaries of media men,saying it’s a discentive to quality work.
According to him:” I see media as a strong partner of government, that is what I grow with and I always love media chat where I can present myself  for open question for an answer.What media houses pay  their worker is not encouraging.If you can’t pay your staff well,how do you want them to perform well?”
Online Editor by — March 23, 2021 in Media 0
Nigeria Must Resuscitate Ailing Refineries-Former Minister

Mr. H. Odein Ajumogobia (SAN)
Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mr. Odein Ajumogobia, has emphasized the need for Nigeria to revive its ailing refineries,saying the gesture is the only way the country could reap the benefits of huge crude oil deposit their in.
He said  lamented that Nigeria has not made good use of her petroleum resources compare to other petroleum producing countries.
He spoke at  the unveiling of a book titled “Extractive Industry Toolkit to Aid Law Making, Oversight and Representation by Legislators” by Nigeria Natural Resource Charter (NNRC) in collaboration with National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS).
The former minister, who is also the Chairman, Expert Advisory Panel, NNRC, said the 76 page handbook is aimed at fortifying the capacity of legislators to make decisions that will positively impact the Nigerian economy and the lives of Nigerians.
“The book is as important as the users will make it. It contains guidelines, a lot of information and a lot of knowledge that has been accumulated over time in different jurisdictions like us from extracting and exporting natural resource. We have not done very well in Nigeria if we compare ourselves with some other countries that have less endowed than Nigeria.
“This toolkit recognizes the importance of legislative process in developing a framework for the development of extractive industries.
“The Toolkit which we unveiled today, is designed to ensure that knowledge of the extractive industry is institutionalized and reposed within a credible and effective institution committed to ensuring current and future National Assemblies learn from the mistakes from the past, draw perspectives from more successful regions and are capable of charting an informed path forward for the extractive industry.
“It further highlights the contributions made by National Assemblies to improvements in Nigeria’s performance against global best practice indices and its competitors, providing practical examples on how the legislators may better enhance the benefits of resource” he added.
Also speaking, Professor Abubakar Sulaiman, Director General, NILDS, noted that the legislative guide is coming at a very important time when oil revenues are dwindling and when the government are committed to passing the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).
He said the Toolkit will serve for effective technical decision-making as well as transparency and accountability in the management of oil, gas and mineral wealth of Nigeria for good of all Nigerians.
Online Editor by — March 23, 2021 in Oil&Gas 0
Insecurity: Zaria Research Institute Manufacturers Bomb Detector Device 

NARICT DG denies corruption allegations - P.M. News
The Director General National Research Institute for Chemical Technology Zaria (NARICT), Prof. Jeffrey Tsware Barminas
The National Research Institute for Chemical Technology Zaria (NARICT), has produced a device that can detect a bomb through the use  of  information ,communication and  technology to tackle security challenges in the country
Its Director General,Prof. Jeffrey Tsware Barminas ,disclosed  during a courtesy visit by the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) to the Institute in Zaria,Kaduna State.
The project  ” Chemical Biological and radiological decontamination facility”,he said, can detect any explosive device planted and help diffuse same.
According to him, the project would help in tackling insecurity challenges confronting  the country.
He emphasized the need for relevant stakeholders  to support and promote digital and circular economy, stressing digital and circular economy is one of the most promising paradigms, which is inspired by business models and value propositions with considerable economic, environmental, and societal benefits.
Speaking,the  Chairman of the Computer Society (NCS), Mrs. Margaret John David, explained that  her visit to the Institute was to further cement  the outstanding performance and commitment of the Institute’s boss  in the area of  information technology.
She  assured the NARICT of her group’s total support and synergy for a complete digital transformation of the institute.
Online Editor by — March 23, 2021 in News 0
FG  Plans $1bn Syndicated Loan For MSMEs

The  Federal Government  has concluded a USD1billion syndicated term loan in conjunction with international partners to further support Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) in the country.
Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, explained that the  loan is aimed at “further improving the capacity of the bank to effectively support Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSME) – across key sectors of the Nigerian economy – with affordable loans of medium to long-term tenor, alongside moratorium benefits.”
Adebayo spoke  at the Quantum Mechanics Limited MSMEs Survival Fund Capacity Building Programme in Abuja, adding that  there is an ongoing discussion with Dunn & Bradstreet to establish an SME risk rating agency – the SME Rating Agency of Nigeria (SMERAN), to provide an empirical basis towards analysing the eligibility of SMEs to access credit.
He added: “I will like to reiterate that our Ministry fully supports MSMEs, as demonstrated by our MSME Survival Fund Initiative which was launched in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic by the Federal Government as part of the Nigerian Economic Sustainability Plan (NESP); aimed at protecting MSME businesses from the shocks the pandemic.
He added:”The Fund comprises the Payroll Support Scheme which aims to support MSMEs in meeting their payroll obligations and safeguard jobs by paying up to N50,000 to a maximum of 10 employees in each MSME for three months; the Artisan and Transport Grant which supports self-employed artisans with a one-off payment of N30,000 targeting 333,000 individuals,theb General MSME Grant which will provide 100,000 MSMEs with one-off grants of N50,000 each; and the  Guaranteed Offtake Scheme which will engage approximately 100,000 businesses across the country to produce items typically manufactured in their locality, targeting 300,000 beneficiaries.
He explained that the survival fund was estimated to save at least 1.3 million jobs across the country, while strengthening the growth potential of beneficiary businesses, stressing that the the successful implementation of the scheme so far has contributed immensely to quickly pulling Nigeria out of the Covid-19-induced recession
The Minister said the National MSMEs Clinics also support the growth of small businesses across the country through the provision of critical infrastructure, with twenty-six of such clinics having impressive results.
Online Editor by — March 23, 2021 in SME/Manufacturing 0
Buhari  Celebrates Elumelu

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has congratulated the Chairman of United Bank for Africa and Transcorp, Tony Elumelu, on his 58th birthday.
His congratulatory message was contained in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, titled, ‘President Buhari greets Tony Elumelu at 58’.
It read:“President Muhammadu Buhari sends warm felicitations to renowned economist and philanthropist, Tony Onyemaechi Elumelu, on his 58th birthday, joining family and friends to rejoice with the entrepreneur, whose interests continue to create opportunities for growth and development in the country.
“President Buhari commends the economist for his foresight and large-heartedness in setting up the Tony Elumelu Foundation, which has consistently inspired highly talented African youths into entrepreneurship, helped many to acquire business skills, enhanced positive social networks and provided start-up funds, within the larger goal of reducing poverty.
“The President believes Elumelu, who is the Chairman of Heirs Holdings, United Bank for Africa and Transcorp, demonstrates resilience and relentlessness in dream realisation, following his antecedents as a young banker who saw opportunities in the economy and worked hard to climb the ladder of success, receiving Nigeria’s National Productivity Order of Merit in 2019″.
The President said Elumelu spreads investments into energy, real estate, agribusiness, health care and hospitality, creating more opportunities in the real sector.
Online Editor by — March 23, 2021 in Banking&Finance 0
Ekiti By-Election: Police Announces  Death Of Female Cop 

Another Police AIG, Yunana Babas, is dead
 The Ekiti State Police Command has announced the death of a female officer shot during the last Saturday’s botched State House of Assembly bye-election into vacant EkitiEast constituency one last Saturday
The Commissioner of Police, Tunde Mobayo,in a statement, assured the members  of the public that those behind the crime would not go unpunished.
“With  deepest sorrow, announces the death of *W/SGT Olawoye Bukola,who was shot by a group of thugs that invaded ward 7, Unit 7 during the recent Ekiti East House of Assembly Bye Election.
“She died at about 1800hrs today being 22/03/2021 at FMC, Ido-Ekiti, after fighting for her life for days.” the statement said
Mobayo sympathizes with her family members and pray God grants her soul eternal rest, on behalf of the Command
Online Editor by — March 23, 2021 in Crime/Metro 0