December 8, 2013
Author: Alaba Rotimi
Members of the National Good Governance Tour have added their voice to the call on the Association Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to call off its lingering strike, saying that the Federal Government has consistently demonstrated its commitment to the progress of the nation’s tertiary institutions especially in the area of providing necessary funding for infrastructure development through direct budgetary allocation and its various agencies. The Team was concerned that despite the huge interventions made by the Federal Government especially through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund which accumulate into billions of Naira, ASUU still insisted on continuing with the strike.…
President Goodluck Jonathan has conferred the Nigerian National Order of Merit Award on Professor Seth Sunday Ajayi, NNOM in the area of Science, Prof. Francis Abiola Irele, NNOM in the area of Humanities and Prof. Hilary Inyang Inyang, NNOM in the area of Engineering Technology. The Award is the highest and most prestigious of its kind bestowed on outstanding, creative and talented Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora who excelled themselves in their various fields of human endevours. While speaking at the presentation of the 2013 NNOM award, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan who was ably represented by the Vice President…
Stakeholders at the just concluded First International/Palm Produce Conference (IPPC) urged Federal Government to sustain the ban on importation of vegetable oil in Nigeria in order to improve the production, processing and marketing of oil palm oil along the entire value chain. This was one of the decisions reached at the 3-day 1st International Palm Produce Conference (IPPC) jointly organized by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with the National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria (NPPAN) from 2nd – 4th December, 2013 at the Le-Meridien Ibom Hotel…
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Women Affairs and Youth Development, Senator Helen Esuene has called on youths of this country to imbibe principles of ethics, moral value and team spirit in order to effectively take on the leadership challenge before them as they contribute positively to nation building. Senator Esuene made the charge yesterday at the National Assembly when some selected youths paid an advocacy visit to the Committee as part of concerted efforts to galvanize the legislative arm of Government to contribute significantly to the attainment of the development agenda for the youth sector. While stressing on the importance…
The 22nd edition of the National Council on Water Resources (NCWR) meeting is scheduled to hold at the National Water Resources Institute, Kaduna, Kaduna State, from Monday 9th to Friday, 13th December, 2013. Stakeholders in the water sector will converge and discuss issues related to water management in the country. The technical session of the meeting which is expected to begin on Monday, 9th December, 2013 will be chaired by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Alh Baba Umar Faruk. The meeting proper would take place between Thursday, 12th to Friday, 13th December, 2013 and will be chaired…
The Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo has assured a visiting trade and investment delegation from South Africa, that Nigeria’s fledging power sector still offers a lot of business opportunities to South-Africa. Prof. Nebo also assured the South Africans that there are more opportunities in power generation though they may be hidden due to the on-going privatization. The Minister told his visitors that Transmission, metering and even manufacturing of parts like circuit breakers, cables, power lines and switches, require investment from South Africa. Another area of interest, he hinted, is renewable energy – solar, biomass and wind, “our doors are…
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Alhaji Bukar Goni Aji has called on the private sector in Nigeria to get more actively involved in the implementation of the Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government. The Head of Service said this when a delegation of the Executive Council of the Institute of Directors (IOD), Nigeria, led by its President and Chairman of Council, Chief (Mrs.) Eniola Fadayomi paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja. Alhaji Goni Aji explained that the main aim of the Transformation Agenda was to effectively change the country’s economy into one that is private…
Nigeria’s Vice President, Mohammed Namadi Sambo has reacted to the recent designation of Boko Haram and Ansaru as foreign terrorist organisations by the United States, saying such description should not affect Nigerians who are travelling to that country for legitimate engagements. Namadi Sambo made this call on Wednesday December 4, 2013 when he received in his office at the State House, Abuja a senior United States delegation led by the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield. While speaking at the occasion, the Vice President expressed hope that such designation would create more opportunities for cooperation between…
The Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Danladi Yakubu Umar has appealed to the Code of Conduct Bureau to refer cases involving high ranking public officers who are alleged to have engaged in corrupt practices to the tribunal. Danladi Umar made the appeal recently at the 2013 Ministerial Press Briefing of the Code of Conduct Bureau tagged: “Transformation Rule of CCB’’ which held at the Nicon Luxury Hotel in Abuja during his presentation of a goodwill message. “I would passionately appeal to the Code of Conduct Bureau to refer cases involving high ranking public officers at the federal level…
In line with its avowed determination aimed at up-scaling agricultural activities through technology adoption and dissemination in the West African sub-region, the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP) in Nigeria has embraced the Electronic Technology Transfer (ETT) Agriculture. While disclosing this recently at the commencement of a five day training workshop on the Electronic Technology Transfer organized for Coordinators of adopted villages and Desk Officers of WAAPP projects from the 27 Agricultural Research Institutes and Federal Colleges of Agriculture in the country, the National Project Coordinator of WAAPP-Nigeria, Professor Damian O. Chikwendu said, the WAAPP Electronic Technology Transfer (WAAPP-ETT), is…
An appeal has gone to employers of corps-members to accommodate all such corps-members posted to their establishments to enable them perform optimally in their areas of primary assignment. Governor Theodore Orji made the appeal at the closing ceremony of the 2013 batch ‘C’ NYSC orientation course at the State Permanent Orientation Camp at Ummnna, Bende Local Covernment Area of the State. “I implore our employers of our teeming corps-members to willingly accept these young and vibrant youths and provide them the basic facilities, such as accommodation and good welfare to enable them perform their duties optimally”, he said. The Governor,…
Operators of radio-active facilities and users of radiation materials in the southeast zone have been enjoined to support the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority’s (NNRA) initiative to effectively regulate the industry. The NNRA coordinator, southeast zone, Mr. Adamu Abdul made the appeal in Umuahia during a one-day workshop organized by the Agency for stakeholders in Abia. He added that there was need for collaboration among the stakeholders to protect the users of ionizing radiation whether they are radiation workers, patients or members of the public. Adamu further said that the authority relied on the Ministry of Health in the zone for…
The Joint Investigation Team set up by the Defence Headquarters has recommended immediate trial of over 500 persons apprehended in the course of security operations against terrorists in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa States. The suspects are among the almost 1,400 detainees screened by the team at the detention facilities in Maiduguri, Yola and Damaturu between July and September. Those recommended for immediate trial include high profile suspects, some of whom were training other terrorists in weapon handling as well as those who confessed to being trained in Mali and other countries for the purpose of perpetrating terror in Nigeria. Also…
The Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Information, Folasade Yemi-Esan in an interactive session with Federal Civil Servants in the Government House, Kogi State recently said that reform in the civil service is germane to the actualisation of the Transformation Agenda. This, she observed is in regards to the critical position of federal civil servants for the success of governance; stating that the interaction emanated through the directive of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Bukar Goni Aji that all Permanent Secretaries in the Federal Civil Service should visit their home states and interact with the…
The Minister of Power, Chinedu Nebo has assured Nigerians that the newly commissioned Dei Dei Injection Sub-station constructed by the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) will add value, especially to the distribution side of the electricity value-chain. While speaking during the inauguration of the distribution sub-station facility at Dei Dei – Jiwa in the Bwari/AMAC Area Councils on Wednesday December 4, 2013, the Minister indicated that with the facility, the quality of power supply would be enhanced; assuring the people that the days of candle lighting in the community are over. “The Lot 2 Injection Sub-station, he said will provide…
Nigeria’s Agric Minister, Akinwumi Adesina has been awarded the prestigious ‘Forbes Africa Person of the Year Award’ defeating four other prestigious nominees for the continent-wide prize. Commenting on the award, the Minister said that with honour and humility, he wishes to dedicate the prestigious award to Africa’s farmers and the new cadre of young business entrepreneurs who have discovered the hidden gem for sustainable wealth creation in the continent’s agricultural practice. “With dwindling oil fortunes and the end of the telecoms boom, the next big investment frontier is unlocking Africa’s vast agricultural potential to feed the continent and the world,”…
President Goodluck Jonathan has declared open the 1st International Palm Produce Conference (IPPC) in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State with a call on stakeholders in the sector to explore available investment opportunities in the palm produce industry in Nigeria.The 3-Day conference which was jointly organized by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with the National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria (NPPAN) has as its theme: “Investment in Oil Palm and Its Derivatives – A Panacea for Economic Growth and Sustenance.” In his address read by the Minister of…
Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Chinedu Nebo has assured a visiting trade and investment delegation from South Africa that Nigeria’s fledgling power sector still offers a lot of business opportunities to South-Africa. According to him, the welcome development in strategic partnership with Nigeria is in the spirit of African brotherhood and solidarity. Nebo recalled the days preceding the emergence of majority rule in South-Africa, noting that Nigeria was there to ensure political freedom for South-Africans. “We are desirous of doing business with South-Africa – the telecommunication giant MTN, Shoprite and other South African companies are doing well here. We want more…
The National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP), FADAMA and RUFIN have in the Conference Hall of NAPEP signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the development of grassroots agricultural microcredit programme. NAPEP developed the Grassroots Agricultural Microcredit Programme in a bid to meet the needs of extremely poor and vulnerable groups through its social safety net initiative, designed to provide micro-credit funds, financial and entrepreneurial education for rural communities. The Senior Special Assistant to the President, who is the National Coordinator of NAPEP, Mukhtar Abubakar Balewa revealed this in his opening speech at the signing ceremony, indicating that the project is…