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New Lagos Cautions Cops Against Corruption

The new Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Abiodun Alabi, has warned officers against corruption and infringement on fundamental human rights of Nigerians.
Alabi,who gave the admonition at a brief ceremony  at the Command Headquarters, Ikeja,promised that he would always provide good leadership that would help them succeed in the discharge of their duties.
He  urged Area Commanders, DPOs/HODs and tactical commanders to translate their long-time relationship with him to success in the state.
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The warning was informed by the believe that some officers he has known for some time now may take an undue advantage of their familiarity with him, take things for granted and abdicate their statutory duties.
The new CP said that although he cherished friendship,but same  must not be at the detriment of diligence, result-oriented policing and quality service delivery to the people.
He  also directed the Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers to constantly engage and partner with critical stakeholders in their areas of responsibilities for effective policing.
Online Editor by — January 27, 2022 in Uncategorized 0
Buhari Justifies  Forensic Audit on NDDC 

President Muhammadu Buhari has shed more light on  why he ordered  forensic audit to be conducted on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
He explained that it  was aimed at reviewing the whole process with a view to recovering every kobo that is recoverable, while those found culpable will face the law.
Buhari,who  spoke at the virtual commissioning of the NDDC Prototype Hostel at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom,expressed regrets that the special development fund of the entire region was squandered by a few for more than 20 years, leaving many in penury.
“The Niger Delta Development Commission needs to demonstrate that it can achieve the objectives it was conceived for and make its impact felt all over the Niger Delta Region. The lives of the people of the Niger Delta could be so much better, if the funding received by this commission since its inception, in billions of naira over the last 20 years, have been judiciously deployed in service of the people.
“The serial abuse, lack of delivery and what had become an entrenched institutional decay, was the reason why I called for the forensic audit.
“Therefore, going forward we shall ensure every recoverable kobo, is recovered for use in service of the people of this region and those found culpable shall face the Law.
“Consequently, I want to use the opportunity of this commissioning to direct all statutory contributors to the NDDC to remit all outstanding funds to the Commission, and to ensure this is done transparently and according to laid down procedure and process,” he said.
He  directed that all abandoned projects that directly impact the livelihood of the people should be revived and completed.
“When I directed the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs to institute a forensic audit of the Commission, after many representations by major stakeholders in the Niger Delta, I had also directed that all viable projects which had been abandoned, but which would impact positively on the lives and livelihoods of the people, be immediately revived and completed.”
President Buhari noted that the contract for the building of 1,050 capacity hostel for male and female students was awarded in 2004, and like many others, it was abandoned.
“This prototype university hostel consists of 1,050 bed spaces, 525 each for males and females, and is furnished to meet the needs of a university student. The complex also boasts of significant hard and soft infrastructure to ensure its sustainability and durability.
“The completion of this structure is equally in recognition of the importance government attaches to providing quality housing and improved education for all Nigerians.
“It is therefore another important proof that this administration is committed to satisfying the needs of the people, throughout Nigeria, and fulfilling their expectations. Government must continue in its efforts to serve the people, by providing amenities, as well as the enabling environment for scholarships, investments across all sectors, for sustenance of the environment, and overall growth of the economy.
“Significant part of this success story is that it could easily not have happened. The contract for this hostel was awarded as far back as 2004. It was one of many projects abandoned across the Niger Delta region, but which I directed the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, to expeditiously complete and put to use,’’ the President added.
President Buhari said across many public universities and institutions of higher learning children face accommodation challenges, while private investors were taking advantage of the gap to provide accommodation, unfortunately tasking the resources of parents and guardians.
Online Editor by — December 31, 2021 in Uncategorized 0
Egypt,South Africa Dwarf Nigeria In Steel Production

FG appoints sole administrator for Ajaokuta - Punch Newspapers
Egypt and South Africa have outpaced Nigeria in steel production inspite of the country’s huge capacity,administrator of Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited,Engr.Sumaila Abdul-Akaba,has said.
He disclosed this at a stakeholders roundtable in Lokoja  organized by the CSO Coalition for the revitalization of the steel plant
Nigeria’s steel production in spite of its huge capacity,he said,is placed at a negligible 1.3million tons per annum,while Egypt and South Africa with similar technologies and smaller population figures are producing 5.5 and 6.4 million tonnes respectively.
He said:” Sadly even this locally produced steel products are from some small steel rolling mills that use 100% scrap as raw material because Ajaokuta Steel Plant (ASCL) and Delta Steel Plant (DSCL) are not available for the production of crude steel which is the main stay of the steel sector anywhere in the World”.
He said in order to achieve  meet United Nations Development Programme standard, Nigeria must up its capacity to produce about 18million tons of steel and related products per annum.
Online Editor by — October 25, 2021 in Uncategorized 0

In Nigeria, more than 50% of the births of children under 5 remain unregistered.
 Globally, the births of 166 million children under 5 have never been recorded.

Children on the African continent have the lowest birth registration rate in the world, with only 44 per cent of children registered at birth and millions of deaths also go uncounted each year.

Nigeria alone accounts for 11 per cent of unregistered children in West Africa.

As Nigeria joins the rest of the World in commemorating Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Day today, it is addressing structural, normative and operational challenges to birth registration.

Birth registration is a one-off event that gives every child a unique identity which will give them better access to vital services like health, education, and social protection.

“Every child counts – and we must ensure that we count every child, so that they can best benefit from important services like health and education,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative.

“We need to work together to ensure effective coordination to make this happen. Functional systems that allow for the sharing of data across information management databases that are integrated with other vital services are necessary to push the birth registration rate in Nigeria up, and make sure every child is counted,” he said

The National Population Council (NPC) has identified information and communication technology assets to support effective CRVS systems that are integrated with other governmental systems, such as health and identity management.

 This will ensure the highest standards of data protection and confidentiality of personal data to promote birth registration among civil registration, health, and identity management systems.

“Every child has a right to a name, a nationality and a legal identity,” said Peter Hawkins. “Working together, we can and must bring Nigeria to meeting its SDG obligation to provide a legal identify for all, including through birth registration.”

The NPC, in partnership with Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) entities, and with support from UNICEF, co-created a Roadmap for Digital Universal Birth Registration in Nigeria.

 It lays out a clear vision, delineates the roles of different government agencies, builds the government’s capacity to deliver, formulates an action plan, sets a timetable and milestones, and optimizes the cost of the digital birth registration process in the country.
All of this is in advance of the implementation deadline of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

SDG Target 16.9 calls for governments, by 2030, to provide legal identity for all, including birth registration. The indicator for the target is the “proportion of children under 5 years of age whose births have been registered with a civil authority, by age.”

Main Admin by — August 12, 2021 in Nigeria News 0
 Oil Majors Target  Renewable Power Projects In New Trend

GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company,says expected low demand for fossil fuels is compelling major oil and gas companies – including BP, Total and Shell – to actively restructure their businesses to add renewable power projects in their portfolio.
The company said the development  will help these companies reduce their carbon intensity and align with the changing energy mix in the long run.
It added that oil and gas EPC vendors are enabling the energy transition by building capabilities to set up renewable energy infrastructure.
Ravindra Puranik, Oil and Gas Analyst at GlobalData,  said global power demand is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.5% from 2020 to 2030.
” A significant portion of this will be fulfilled by renewable power generation. This growth outlook makes renewable power a key market for players across the energy sector, including oil and gas companies whose traditional market is at risk amid the transition to low-carbon sources,”he added
Within the renewable power sector, solar and wind energy are expected to show the highest growth rates over the next ten years,he said
Puranik continues: “Solar power generation, including solar PV and solar thermal, is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.9% between 2020 and 2030. Meanwhile onshore and offshore wind segments are expected to collectively grow at a CAGR of 9.4% over the same period. Various governments are actively focusing on reducing carbon emissions and have enacted laws to facilitate decarbonisation in their countries. Electrification, based on renewable energy sources, is an ideal approach to reduce carbon emissions. It also marks a strategic shift away from fossil fuels in the global effort to mitigate the threat to climate change.”
Puranik added: “Traditionally, renewable power projects had a significant cost disadvantage over coal- and gas-fired power plants. However, in recent years, their economic competitiveness has improved significantly due to government policies and incentives, as well as technological advances. This has incentivised oil and gas majors such as BP, Equinor and Shell to invest in wind power generation. BP and Total are also leading the way in terms of upcoming solar power capacity.”
Online Editor by — June 12, 2021 in Uncategorized 0