Aso Villa Reads for 18/7/2019
Every day, we bring you the best stories that the Media is reporting about the Government of Nigeria
According to The Sun, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Edit Sunday Akpan, has reiterated the commitment of the Federal Government in empowering youth through the establishment of the Trans-national border markets across the country. He disclosed this during a meeting with officials of Niger State Government and other relevant stakeholders on Babaana Trans-National Border market in Abuja. Mr. Edet revealed that the project when completed would bring about benefits to the national policy objectives such as job creation, wealth creation and integration of Nigerian economy to regional markets. “The Babaana Trans-national border market is a noble project which when completed will help in achieving many national policy goals as well as regional and international goals such as sustainable development goals “, he said. He further listed the benefits of transnational border and regional markets to include mainstreaming the informal trade into the national economy, reduction of the incidence of smuggling across borders, encouraging promotion of clusters of trade and services. Mr. Akpan also stressed that the purpose of Trans-national border trade is to encourage and enhance the role of trade in regional integration, poverty alleviation, wealth creation and generation of employment in the border communities and source of revenue generation to government. The Emir of Borgu, Niger state, Alhaji Sani Muhammed Dantoro, represented by the Waziri of Borgu, Alhaji Nuhu Saadu, stated that the project will create wealth for his entire community, improve inter trade relationship with border communities’’
According to Daily Times, President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the immediate implementation of the N30,000 new national wage for Federal Public Service workers currently earning below the minimum wage. The Chairman, National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, Chief Richard Egbule said this while addressing a news conference on the implementation of the new national minimum wage on Tuesday in Abuja. He said that the commencement of the approved payment would be determined by the office of the Accountant-General and back dated to when the President signed the agreement. According to Egbule, the approval takes effect from April 18, 2018 and will affect the salary of government agencies under five salary structures. This includes the Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure (CONPSS), Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) and the Consolidated Research and Allied Institutions Salary Structure (CONRAISS). Also, the Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure (CONTISS II) and Consolidated Tertiary Educational Institutions Salary Structure (CONTEDISS) would be affected. “The negotiations between the Federal Government and the joint National Public Service Negotiating Council on the consequential adjustment arising from the new minimum wage for officers who earn above N30,000 would continue. “The outcome of such negotiations will be implemented with effect from the date an agreement is reached,” he said. Egbule assured the public that the Federal Government was totally committed to the implementation of the new minimum wage as agreed with key stakeholders. He said that any enquiry relating to the implementation of the new minimum wage should be directed to the commission”
According to Daily Trust, with more than 33 percent broadband penetration, hundreds of kilometres of fibre cables laid across the country, about five Infrastructure Companies (Infracos) licensed and a 70 percent broadband target in few years’ time, Nigeria is almost ready for the latest telecom technology — 5Generation, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said. The new NCC Director of Public Affairs, Dr Henry Nkemadu, said this yesterday when he led a team of top NCC officials on a courtesy visit to the headquarters of Daily Trust newspapers in Abuja. NCC’s work and activities affect the overall development of Nigeria’s economy hence the need for it to always key in to any new technology, Dr Nkemadu said. “ We are doing many innovative things to ensure that Nigeria doesn’t lose out in the 4th industrial revolution’’, he said. He said hundreds of kilometres of fibre cables have been laid across the country and the broadband penetration is increasing by the day. He said the NCC was already making frantic efforts to hit 70 % broadband penetration in few years’ time. This and many other noble plans of the commission, he said, had prepare the country for the 5G technology. He said Nigeria had one of the best telecom markets across the world, and this was made possible by efforts of NCC and the private sector.
According to Punch, The Federal Government through its agency, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency has commenced the installation of prefabricated pilot joint briefing offices nationwide. The agency said the move is targeted towards digitising the nation’s aeronautical information service, adding that the installation team which had completed work at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos had proceeded to another airport and would continue the installation in 21 airports and three aerodromes nationwide. According to NAMA, when operational, the prefabricated offices will provide a one-stop shop at the airside where crew members can obtain AIS briefing, meteorological information and make necessary payments at a single point in compliance with International Civil Aviation Organisation Standard and Recommended Practices. It added that the facility would also accommodate the equipment room for the VSAT network simultaneously being installed by the contractor. The Managing Director of NAMA, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, said the development was part of continuous efforts by the agency to enhance seamless and sustainable communication in the upper airspace, adding that the Satellite Lineup for the VSAT node at NAMA headquarters in Lagos would be completed within the week, while those of Abuja, Port Harcourt and other stations would follow in the next couple of days.’’
Nigerian Pilot reported that the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) has inducted about 342 scholarship beneficiaries in Abuja for its 2019/2020 overseas Masters of Science (MSc) and Doctors of Philosophy PhD) scholarship scheme. The ceremony was held yesterday by the Executive Secretary of PTDF Dr Bello Aliyu Gusau in Abuja. Speaking at the occasion, Gusau urged shortlisted scholars of its 2019/2020 overseas Masters of Science MSc and Doctors of Philosophy PhD scholarship scheme to be good ambassadors of the country while studying abroad. Gusau said that 194 scholars are in pursuit of Masters of Science MSc programme, while 148 are for Doctors of Philosophy PhD. He described the PTDF scholarship scheme as the best in the country said that the programme was tailored to help develop the country’s oil and gas sector. “You have passed through very rigorous process and you are among the few selected from thousands of applications received and starting from today, you are now in the list of awardees of PTDF scholarships. “The PTDF scholarship is the best in Nigeria because it is structured in a manner to ensure that we exclusively take care of our students and in turn the oil and gas sector. “Please, make sure you complete your studies as at when due, so that we don’t make further commitments on you because we want to channel resources to other beneficiaries. “Ensure that the time allocated to you is well utilized and respect the rules and procedures of the countries and universities you are and aspire high in whatever you do.“Be good ambassadors of Nigeria because the country is doing so much for you; after studies, come back and contribute to the well-being of the country,” Gusau said. David Akoji, Special Adviser to Director General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), said it was the duty of the agency to impact good ethics, value and patriotism on the scholars. This, he said would help in the way and manner the beneficiaries represent the country in the various universities abroad. “At NOA, we try to raise citizens who are Nigeria’s diplomats in whatever country they go to.
It was just a regular day — another business-as-usual one, for 28-year-old Suleiman Sanni, a basket seller in the popular Kasuwar Yankaba in Nasarawa LGA of Kano state, North West, Nigeria. Little did he know right there in the market, even without a formal bank account to his name, he’d become a beneficiary of a government micro loan to support his small business. That day he got registered and on the following day, Sanni received a non-collateral loan of N10,000 to support his small-scale business whose total capital at the time was estimated around N5,000. Suleiman would need a formal bank account and collateral in order to access a loan from a regular commercial bank in any part of the country. His story is just one of over two million petty traders across the country who has become beneficiaries of the government scheme. This is the success story that GEEP has become today. It was in 2017, when the President Buhari’s administration launched the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), as one of the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) under the Office of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and executed in partnership with the Bank of Industry. TraderMoni is perhaps the most popular of the three schemes under GEEP including MarketMoni and FarmerMoni, and has so far reached over two million petty traders and small business owners in Nigeria’’. An economist and senior lecturer at the Lagos Business School, Dr. Salami Adedoyin, has observed that the ability of the average Nigerian consumer to spend has gone down by over 90 per cent owing to the depreciation of the naira. He made this observation in a keynote address delivered during the March breakfast meeting of the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce C An economist and senior lecturer at the Lagos Business. This is according to Punch.
