All Posts in "Day: November 16, 2022"

Minister To ASUU: No Work,No Pay Policy In Force

Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu ,Wednesday insisted that the ‘no work no pay’ policy was being applied following the latest payment of half salary to members of Academic Staff Union of Universities’ (ASUU)

He said the Federal Government cannot pay for work not done, directly justifying the pro rata payment effected by the government to ASUU members recently.

Adamu’s reaction followed the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, at the Presidential Villa Abuja, even as the academic staff boycotted lectures on Tuesday, nationwide in protest of the decision.

Asked if he was aware of an allegation from ASUU that the government was planning to casualise their appointment with the pro-rata payment,which elicited a boycott of lectures in universities,Adamu said:“the strike has been called off and the government has paid them what is due to them. I think that’s the position of the government; we are not going to pay anyone for work not done and they only did, I think, the number of days that they were paid.

“How can anybody make a university lecturer a casual… Do you know the meaning of casual worker? If you know the meaning of casual worker, it is impossible to make a university lecturer a casual worker”.

Reporters also asked him if the federal government would be willing to take steps to pacify the varsity teachers and stave off further hostilities, the Minister said “I don’t understand, is there any problem now?”.

Reminded that lecturers planned work-free-day, the Minister said: “Oh? Okay, I’m not aware. I’m not aware. That they are going on strike? No, nobody has told me.So let’s wait till the work-free-day comes, then I’ll find out the details and we’ll discuss, you can ask me then, but at the moment, I’m telling you honestly, I do not know that there is a problem”, he said.

Asked to shed light on the claim by the President of the ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodoke, that the union only had an agreement with the Minister of Education and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, not with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Adamu said “I cannot add any light on something that I did not know.And since they said they have no business with the Minister of … Did they show you the agreement? Well, I’m not aware that there’s any agreement between us”, he said.

The ASUU’s President, Prof. Emmanuel Osokode had stated that he had no business with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, rather the Union had a pact with the Minister of Education and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajiabiamila.

ASUU had suspended its eight months old strike after the National Industrial Court and Appeal Court compelled them to return to classrooms.

Executive members of ASUU insisted it yielded to the directive because of the intervention of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajiabiamila.

admin by — November 16, 2022 in Education 0
N4.8bn Contract Scam: Oyo Anti-graft Agency Arrests Top Civil Servants,Retirees

The Oyo State Anti-Corruption Agency (OYACA) has arrested some serving and retired civil servants of the state have been for fraudulent contract, awarded in 2018.

The agency’s chairman, Justice Eni Esan (retired),said in a statement that the fraud was perpetrated by the individuals at the Oyo State Road Maintenance Agency (OYSROMA) and information about it concealed till the State’s anti-graft agency uncovered same.

According to the agency,the act involved the payment of the sum of N4.8billion to the three private companies without delivering the project and the agency is now after the said companies since the case was established and the officers involved arrested.

It claimed it is after the said companies since the case has been established and the officers involved have been arrested for further investigation and prosecution by the State’s Attorney-General.

“The Oyo State Anti-Corruption Agency (OYACA) has nabbed some retired and serving top civil servants of Oyo State Road Maintenance Agency (OYSROMA) for complicity in a fraudulent contract awarded in 2018.OYACA was able to discover this fraud despite concealment by the affected top officials to thwart the investigation exercise, the fraud involved the payment of humongous amount of money in the sum of N4.8billion to three companies yet to show up for investigation in spite of our invitations.

“The agency is on the heels of the affected companies to recoup the money paid into their accounts in 2018 for supplies not made to date, while investigation is still ongoing, OYACA makes bold to say that the law is no respecter of persons and everyone who has any form of connection with the matter will be dealt with according to the law.We hereby reiterate our commitment to zero tolerance of corruption in the public service of Oyo State,” the agency added.

admin by — November 16, 2022 in News 0
Naira Redesign Will Crash Dollar To N200 -EFCC Boss

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, has said the dollar might drop to ₦200 after the redesigning of naira.

He stated this in an interview with Deutsche Welle (DW) Hausa service, sressing President Muhammadu Buhari meant well by giving nod to the redesigning.

He said, “The law says the redesigning of Naira notes should be done every eight years but we spent 20 years without any changes on them. And that resulted to 85 per cent of money are in circulation not in banks, when CBN came up with this redesigning, dollar moved to 880 and later dropped to 680 or thereabouts.So you see with this redesigning dollar may massively fall, who knows probably to ₦200.”

He clarified there is no any political motive behind the idea and called on Nigerians to report any person with siphoned monies.

He added:“There is no political motive in this; some people siphoned and hid public funds that is why we want them to bring them out and nobody says they should not bring them, what government says is let them deposit such money in banks.We assure Nigerians that we are always ready to receive reports of any person with suspicious hidden money and if investigated to be true, we will give 5 per cent of the money to them”

admin by — November 16, 2022 in News 0
People Disliked Me Because I Was Fela’s Son -Femi Kuti

Musician and activist, Femi Kuti,says being a biological son of afrobeat meastro,Fela Anikulapo Kuti made people to dislike him

He disclosed this during recent episode of #WithChude, to discuss being a single father, the loss of his parents, and the impact it had on his life.

He spoke on the challenges in his life,saying: “I have had many low points. The beatings of my father started when I was a teenager. So, schooling was a very depressing time for me because there were teachers that liked [my father], and teachers that didn’t like him. So, if I got into trouble with a teacher that didn’t like him, that teacher will beat me because they didn’t like my father. Then there were the rich children in the same school, and they didn’t like me because I was Fela’s son. So, I was fighting for most of my time in school”.

He also spoke on dealing with grief after the death of his loved ones, especially his mother.

“I’ve also experienced death. The passing of my mother was probably the worst time because my mother was like my pillar, and when she died, I was lost. Till about 3/4 years ago I would still wake up wanting to go and say good morning to her. Because every morning the first person I wanted to see was my mother.”

He added, “I didn’t cry because everyone was saying, ‘you’re the man’, ‘you must hold on’! Fela had just gone, my sister had gone, my cousin had gone. Some people predicted the 12 of us will die, and I was thinking is this prediction going to come through? Then we had our internal family problems, my wife goes, and then they said, ‘Femi is going mad’. But I am thankful that I overcame it, I think it is what have made me a better person.”

On his relationship with his son, he said:“When I was bringing him up, he was all that mattered. I had lost my mother, my wife had left, and he was my joy. Fela had gone, and the only thing I had to hold on to was him. He also reminded me so much of my youth, people had thought that because we were Fela’s children, it was so nice. So, I just said, where do I think Fela went wrong in my life, where I think he went wrong, I’ll correct it with my son, and where I think he was right, I will emphasize it and bring him up to understand that I am still not a perfect father”.

“When he was growing up, we spent 6 years in the shrine because they were sending thugs and police to raid, so the only way to stop that was to move into the shrine. So, I put all my adopted children and my son upstairs, and then, somebody comes to me and said, what if they kill your son? So, I thought it was a political message because I was very political at that time. Social media wasn’t as it was today so, people will raid, police will raid here, and nobody will talk, and the press was against me for whatever reason they had against me. All I had was my son. My son, my elder sister, and her daughter, but my son was closer because he is my son. So, I molded him and gave him all the opportunities I didn’t have — musically and otherwise. So, everybody thought I was bringing him up as a spoilt child and people would say I was spoiling him, and I would say, ‘He’s like a flower; I’m giving him sunlight, and watering him”, he added.

admin by — November 16, 2022 in Arts/Entertainment 0
Makinde To Flag-Off Gas Project Thursday

Governor Seyi Makimde of Oyo State is set to flag off the construction of the Oyo State gas infrastructure development and distribution project on Thursday.

The Commissioner for Energy, Barr. Seun Ashamu,explained that the project is part of the state government’s quest to boost its economy and build a new gas economy in Oyo.

The project will be executed in collaboration with Shell Nigeria Gas Limited and will be supplying gas to industrial, manufacturing and commercial companies on completion,he said

He said, “It is an opportunity to build a new gas distribution infrastructure network in Oyo State to deliver gas to industrial, manufacturing and commercial companies”.

He also said the project will also be beneficial to new emerging industrial corridors and industrial parks/zones, Independent power projects.

He stated that the project which is scheduled to take place at KM 10 Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, is expected to boost domestic gas consumption, power generation, as well as industrialization in the country.

“It will provide stable power generation for industrial and residential use within the state”, he said.

admin by — November 16, 2022 in Oil&Gas 0
NDIC Deepens Roles In Driving Financial Inclusion

The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) is playing a preeminent role in contributing to the objectives of the National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS) through the provision of deposit insurance coverage to depositors of licensed banks.

The corporation said its activities through the supervision of banks, not only enhance depositors’ confidence in the financial system but also serves as an incentive for the unbanked to access the financial services of licensed banks.

According to a statement,the agency has also been at the forefront of the implementation of the NFIS in Nigeria as a member of the National Financial Inclusion Governance Committee headed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The statement added that the corporation is also part of the efforts to further enhance the attainment of national financial inclusion targets as the National Financial Inclusion Governance Committee prepares to host the maiden International Financial Inclusion Conference 2022 scheduled to take place between the 24th and 25th of November 2022 in Abuja, Nigeria.

With the theme “Financial Inclusion for all: Scaling Innovative Digital Models”, the conference is the first to be held since the launch of the NFIS in 2012,the statement said.

The statement said NFIS sets the target of reducing the percentage of adult Nigerians that do not have access to financial services from 46.3 per cent in 2010 to 20.0 per cent in 2020.

Since the launch of the NFIS, stakeholders have achieved great strides in achieving financial inclusion objectives which have resulted in the exclusion rate dropping from 46.3 per cent in 2010 to 35.9 per cent in 2020.

The corporation has contributed significantly to the nation’s financial Inclusion objectives through the provision of deposit protection to all licensed deposit-taking institutions via its deposit insurance. It is important to note that quite a number of the financially excluded individuals failed to join the formal financial system due to fear of possible loss of their savings from bank failure which the deposit insurance of the NDIC addresses.

Other areas through which the corporation supports financial inclusion include supervision and failure resolution of licensed deposit-taking institutions thereby engendering public confidence, enforcement of regulatory policies, entrenching enhanced risk management practices to improve financial stability through differential-premium assessment system (DPAS), and monitoring of fraud in the banking system thereby supporting financial inclusion.

Apart from being a member of the Financial Literacy Steering Committee (FLSC) and Financial Literacy Implementation Committee (FLIC), NDIC has also undertaken financial literacy education through press briefings, advertorials, jingles on radio and television, participation in trade fairs and exhibitions as well as participation in the World Savings Day, among others, to promote public confidence.

In recognition of the role of electronic and mobile money as a critical tool for financial inclusion, the Corporation extends a deposit guarantee to subscribers of Mobile Money through its Pass-Through Deposit Insurance while it also promotes competition among deposit-taking institutions.

This is important in driving financial inclusion as smaller institutions like MFBs, PSBs, MMOs, with no brand visibility that are closer to the unserved/underserved can compete favourably with the larger banks by virtue of the deposit protection offered by the NDIC which makes the depositors feel safe and protected.

Besides,the corporation has developed a Single Customer View (SCV) platform to eliminate delays in reimbursing depositors of failed deposit-taking institutions, upon revocation of their license by the CBN.

Currently, the financial sector has experienced rapid expansion and diversity of financial services and products deployed within the Fintech ecosystem. This presents significant opportunities to further fast track the expansion of financial inclusion to a greater number of Nigerians by enabling them to have access to financial services that would address their needs and enhance their quality of life.

The statement said the International Financial Inclusion Conference 2022 presents a unique opportunity to showcase advancements in financial inclusion in Nigeria, spotlights other jurisdictional experiences, and will serve as a platform for policymakers, financial institutions, and other stakeholders to engage on contemporary issues such as innovation, digital technology, and the role of collaboration in achieving financial inclusion for all Nigerians.

admin by — November 16, 2022 in NAICOM 0
Global Population Mark: We’ll Manage Nigeria’s Population-NPC

The National Population Commission (NPC) has restated its commitment to manage Nigeria’s estimated population of over 216 million for economic growth and sustainable development.

The assurance came on the heels of the release by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs on 15th November 2022, which estimates the global population at 8 billion,

Reacting to the UN release,the chairman of the Commission, Nasir Isa Kwarra, stated that despite its huge size, Nigeria’s population remains its greatest asset in the development process and a veritable tool for the realisation of the country’s demographic dividend.

Dr.Isiaka Yahaya, Director, Public Affairs, NPC,quoted his boss as saying that towards this end, Nigeria recently launched the revised National Policy on Population for Sustainable Development (NPPSD).

The policy has an overall goal of improving the life and standard of living for all Nigerians,he said,adding that it also emphasized the need for urgent measures to address Nigeria’s high fertility rate, through expanding access to modern contraceptive methods across the country.

He implored governments at all levels, traditional institutions, religious leaders, organised private sectors to support the effective implementation of the National Population Policy.

To provide institutional basis for the implementation of the NPPSD, the National Council on Population Management under the Chairmanship of President Muhammadu, has been established and composed of the Vice President, Senate President and Ministers of relevant government ministries and agency.

The Population Advisory Group (PAG) headed by the Chairman of the NPC and key stakeholders has also been inaugurated,he said,adding that effective implementation and monitoring of the National Population Policy requires accurate and reliable population data on the size and characteristics of the national population.

With preparations for the conduct of the 2023 Population and Housing Census at advance stage, Kwarra has expressed the hope that results of the 2023 Census will provide the basis for evidenced based implementation of the policy.

He solicited the support of the stakeholders at national and sub national levels as well as development partners for the conduct of the 2023 Census in terms of resource mobilisation, massive sensitisation of the populace, technical and logistics support.

He said with the huge deployment of technology through the digital mapping of the country, use of satellite imageries and Personal Digital Assistants, on-line recruitment of ad-hoc personnel, he said the commission is poised to deliver the first fully digital and transformative census in Nigeria for the sustainable development.

admin by — November 16, 2022 in News 0
Police Mull Use Of Technology To Chase Kidnappers On Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba,has disclosed that the Police commands in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states will deploy technology-based and tactical assets to forestall kidnappings and other ugly incidents happening along the ever-busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

He ordered an immediate restructuring of the security architecture on the road to provide adequate deployment of officers and assets to ensure the protection of lives and property along the expressway.

A statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi,on Tuesday,said the IGP also emphasozed that the police leadership is not insensitive to the plight of motorists on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

The statement added:“The Inspector-General of Police, therefore, pledges adequate operational support in form of technology-based and tactical operational assets for the Commissioners of Police in charge of Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo, and Heads of tactical operational units in the area to combat the current trend of crimes and criminality on the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway.

“In the same vein, the Inspector-General of Police has therefore called on well-meaning Nigerians, particularly road users, hunters, community leaders, and other stakeholders who ply the route to constantly expose known criminals who terrorize innocent Nigerians along the route and within adjoining communities to the Police and other security agencies for immediate arrest and prosecution”.

admin by — November 16, 2022 in News 0
Seplat Energy’s Gas Projects To Fuel 2000MW Of Electricity By 2024

Seplat Energy Plc,says its ANOH and upgraded Sapele gas projects could fuel another 2000 megawatts of electricity by 2024.

This will displace the wide use of diesel/petrol generators for electricity as well as the use of biomass as cooking fuel,the Chief Executive Officer of Seplat Energy Plc, Mr. Roger Brown said .

He disclosed this during his Keynote at the opening ceremony of the 40th Annual International Conference & Exhibition of the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) held in Lagos on Tuesday, themed: Global Energy Transition and the Future of the Oil and Gas Industry: Evolving Regulations, Emerging Concepts and Opportunities.

He said for Seplat Energy, “Using gas to provide more affordable and reliable energy will boost Nigeria’s economy; drive development; create jobs and prosperity; reduce emissions from diesel usage; support future renewable deployment; and enable a just and affordable energy transition.”

He said Seplat Energy currently operates 300MMscfd, which is enough to power more than 1GW per day; and strongly believes that the country needs to utilise gas to displace 20GW diesel/petrol generators, as well as the use of biomass as cooking fuel.

He expressed that beyond displacement,his company believes that increased gas production and penetration in Nigeria presents huge opportunity for the Nigerian state and people.

Mr. Brown said: “The global quest to reach net zero emissions means energy companies must start to shift away from a heavy reliance on fossil fuels and invest in lower carbon alternatives. Banks are also facing their own pressure to cut back on fossil fuel investments and have started to pull back from financing the industry

“Global demand for fossil fuels is forecast to decline significantly in the long term but they will still be relevant in meeting the energy demand, particularly with a growing world population expected to reach 10bn by 2050+. The importance of gas as a transition fuel (main baseload for electricity generation) in energy-deprived countries like Nigeria ensures demand remains substantial.

“However, to gain access to the capital needed to develop energy, commitments to and most importantly delivery of renewable energy will be essential.”

He added that it was encouraging that a “Just and Affordable Energy Transition” is now on the agenda at COP 27 as energy transition is about balancing realities. “This is a welcome development,” he said, adding that: “Currently, most Nigerians lack access to affordable, reliable energy, which hampers development.

He added:“Poor infrastructure cum, theft of national resources; over-reliance on oil exports and imports of refined products; global decarbonisation imbalance with development; and extreme flooding, amongst others, are some of the challenges to be considered.”

Speaking on the need for collaboration given today’s realities, Mr. Brown maintained that: “Global warming is real and as an industry operating in Nigeria, we need to do our share of addressing the issue (therefore we need to transition to a lower carbon future). However, today we are faced with some of the highest electricity prices in the world brought about by an over reliance on oil generated electricity, through off-grid mini generators (petrol and diesel) estimated to be almost 15 million in number.

“High electricity prices result in a barrier for development of essential social needs in healthcare, education, food security and employment for a population set to double in the next three decades. It is critical therefore to balance global warming mitigation with access to affordable and reliable energy for all. We must make our oil sector efficient and less carbon intensive, as well developing our huge gas resources as a short to medium term objective. The oil sector “cash cow” revenues need to fund this transition.”

With a functioning grid system as we see elsewhere in the world, the Seplat CEO said: “We can then develop larger scale solar, hydro and potentially wind power to reduce GHG intensity. This will enable Nigeria to increase access to energy for all and move from just over 50 per cent of the population with access to electricity, towards the world average of around 90 per cent.”

admin by — November 16, 2022 in Oil&Gas 0
Armed Conflict: FG Commences Execution Of At-Risk-Children Programme In Borno

The Nigeria government said it has commenced the implementation of the programme to address the plight of children affected by armed conflict in Borno State.

Speaking on Tuesday during the official flag off of a three-week training programme for over nine hundred At-Risk-Children Programme ( ARC-P ) youth facilitators
in Maiduguri, Borno State, Mrs Uwais who is also the National lead of the Programme, domiciled in the office of the Vice President, said the initiative was geared towards addressing the cross-cutting concerns of children and vulnerable youth in Nigeria, using a multi-dimensional approach covering education, health, digital and vocational skills, entrepreneurship, agriculture as well as sports and life skills.

Mrs Uwais,who was represented by the Deputy Director, Budget and Planning, Mrs Grace Akpabio, said the core objective of the training programme for the youth facilitators was to prepare them for the task of providing mentorship and guidance for the primary beneficiaries of the programme.

According to her,the training is to enhance the Knowledge and understanding of the youth facilitators in basic subject matters and life skills to be able to coach ARC-P primary beneficiaries with a view to supporting them to be reintegrated back to the communities.

According to her, “This three week training in Borno is an opportunity to familiarise with the youths with ARC-p, provide basic tools on mentoring and guidance, recognise the different skills of the trainees and areas of comparative advantage, standard training syllables as well serve as feedback mechanism”

” Mrs Uwais further said the youth facilitators have a huge role to play in achieving the objectives of the Programme which is being implemented in a holistic manner involving State Governments, Federal MDAs, development partners and the private sector.

“ARC-P’s coordination Strategy at National level, includes training of educated Youth who reside in the communities, across many spheres of endeavor, to be assigned the responsibility of training, mentoring & monitoring the out-of-school children in their vicinity after securing parental consent. The whole essence is to provide community support of mentorship and guidance to the primary beneficiaries of the Programme, in addition to monitoring them closely, to provide feedback on their progress & challenges towards curbing learning deprivations & child poverty”, Mrs Uwais added.

Speaking at the event, Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum who was represented by the by the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajiya Zuwaira Gambo,
commended the Federal Government for Introducing the ARC-P initiative, saying the programme and other social investment schemes currently going on at the national level are in line with his administration’s 25- Year Development Plan.

He said Federal Government’s Interventions such as ARC-P, were helping to address the plight of children, youth and women in armed conflict, especially in the North East where Boko Haram and other terrorists groups have unleashed mayhem in the last 12 years.

admin by — November 16, 2022 in News 0