Aso Villa Reads for 20/11/2019
Every day, we bring you the best stories that the Media is reporting about the Government of Nigeria
Leadership reports that the Ministry of Transportation are put under economic regulation so that they do not introduce any charges without first seeking negotiation with the Council. The Council is worried that this has been the trend with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and has taken up the matter with the Ministry of Transportation and the concerned agencies for them to come under regulation. Speaking on the issue, the executive secretary of NSC, Mr Hassan Bello said that having succeeded in getting the shipping companies to reduce charges, it will now focus attention on the government agencies to come to the Council for negotiation of their new charges before they are introduced. Bello explained that it was important for the NPA and other agencies to come to the negotiation table before introducing new charges because according to him a charge from NPA could wipe out the gains of the agreement it is planning to sign soon with the shipping companies to reduce charges by 35 percent.
According to the Nation, the federal government has fixed a date for staff of Federal Universities and Colleges of Education to enrol into Integrated Personnel and Payroll System (IPPIS). A statement from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) said the enrollment of staff of these federal tertiary institutions will commence on 25th November 2019 and end on 7th December 2019. According to the statement, “all staff of Federal Universities and Colleges of Education in Nigeria are to present themselves for enrollment into the Integrated Personnel and Payroll System (IPPIS) with the following documents: Letter of First Appointment; Letter of Last Promotion; Evidence of Transfer of Service (if any); Staff Identification Card; Birth Certificate/Declaration of Age; Educational Qualifications; Copy of Bank Statement (6 months); BVN Printout; PFA Printout and Evidence of Change of Name (if any). The OAGF enjoined staff of Federal Universities and Colleges of Education in Nigeria to cooperate and ensure a seamless enrollment.
The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) says it has commenced the verification of about 7,000 retirees in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The Executive Secretary of PTAD, Chioma Ejikeme, said during the exercise in Abuja on Monday that the verification was going on simultaneously in the three various centres in the FCT. According to People’s Daily, she said those expected to participate in the exercise were retirees from the defunct Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL), and its telemobile arm, MTEL, and the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). Others include both academic and non-academic staff of federal universities. Mrs Ejikeme said the verification exercise would last for six days, while those who will miss it will be expected to participate in the continuous verification in PTAD office. “We are trying to put together the data we have collated, thereafter we will come out with a statement regarding the result of the verification. “We have created awareness through various media and pension unions, to inform respective retirees about the exercise.
The Federal Ministry of Health, the Nigerian Dental Association, and Colgate Tolaram Group have partnered to curb the spread of Noma disease in the country. The groups in their bid to create awareness and promote preventive measures against the disease recently visited the Noma Children Specialist Hospital, Sokoto. According to Punch, the Head of Dentistry and Oral Health, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Bola Alonge, in a statement said the Federal government recognises the disease as a major problem that must be tackled. “The Federal Government has joined hands with Colgate to ensure that Noma disease is eradicated and we also have some programmes lined up for the upcoming Noma week where 10 nations are being expected to deliberate on the Noma endemic. “It is more rampant in the Northwestern part of the country where enlightenment is quite low and that is why we have taken this enlightenment programme to Sokoto,” Alonge said. The President of the Nigerian Dental Association, Dr. Evelyn Eshikena, said Noma is a deadly disease and lucky survivors endure lifelong disfigurement, have difficulty eating and speaking, as well as face social stigma and isolation.
As part of its Climate Action Plan, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, has commenced moves to checkmate the Green House Gas, GHG, emission with a view to reducing pollution in Nigeria’s maritime space. Speaking at the just concluded regional workshop on United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, NIMASA’s Director General, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, said that the agency has perfected plans to monitor GHG through data collection, monitoring and verification as stipulated in the Paris Agreement. Peterside also disclosed that Nigeria has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with the Maritime Transport Coordinating Centre, MTCC, for Africa on climate change towards ensuring GHG emission reduction in the maritime sector. He added that NIMASA has invested in climate observatory station at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, as part of effort to effectively manage atmospheric challenges associated with climate change in Nigeria. Vanguard reported.
The Founder/Chief Executive Officer of Hantec Global Limited, a multinational financial and capital market trading group Mr. Yu Lap Tang, has stated that Nigeria’s economy is currently on the path to positive growth especially with the exchange rate stability. He described Nigerians as hardworking and people hungry to invest in several productive ventures to increase their earnings, saying that was the right model for any economy eager for growth. Tang, stated this in Lagos, recently, during a seminar organised by the company to sensitise its existing and intending clients in Nigeria on the importance and principles of currency trading and to also create more awareness about its brand in the country. He said: “I see the fastest growing economy in Nigeria compared to many of the countries I have been to. Not only the economy, I see people hungry to invest their money and hungry to earn money. “I don’t see Nigerian people as being lazy or relaxed. I see Nigerians ready to do several other things to grow their income. So I actually see that as the right model for a growing economy. Nigeria’s currency is stable now compared to where it was four years ago. So that’s the sign of a growing economy”. This is according to This Day.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has said that local content is critical for development in the oil and gas sector and the nation’s economic growth. Reiterating its alignment with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), it added that this adoption will grow indigenous participation in the sector’s value chain, enhance job creation, value creation and development of in-country capacities. Chief Operating Officer (COO), Upstream for Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Roland Ewubare, said this at the ongoing Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition Conference (ADIPEC) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Ewubare noted that the universe will be unleashed if local content can be the focus. “Local content is not lip service. If you think about the volume of contracting Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) in Exploration Production, a significant value is lost to the country. “Therefore, the more Nigerians we can bring on board, the more in-country competence will be harnessed. This will increase talent development, employment, and revenue generation,” he said. This Day reported.
The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mallam Mele Kyari, has restated that the federal government would launch a new oil licensing round in mid-2020 for both offshore and onshore blocks in a bid to hit its 3 million barrels per day output target by 2023. This Day reports that the NNPC boss also said the amendment of the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contract (PSC) Act was expected by the oil and gas industry. Mele Kyari said the bidding round will be launched after the government concludes talkswith foreign oil companies on new fiscal terms for oil exploration following recent amendments to the law. Reacting yesterday to the reservations and criticisms trailing the just-amended PSC Act, the NNPC boss called for commercial conversation between investors in the nation’s oil and gas industry and the government in order to address perceived lapses in the fiscal terms for the development of the sector.
Business Day reports that with global increase in demand for organic food, the Nigerian Export Promotion Commission (NEPC) targets $200 million revenue within 10 years from the development of organic farming of seven priority commodities for export. The commodities include: Hibiscus flower, Sesame seed, Cashew, Tiger nuts, Moringe Oleifera, Ginger and Tumeric, as major export commodities. Currently, global organic food and drinks export is said to have a market share of $97 billion. This was disclosed by Olusegun Awolowo, executive director of the NEPC, on Tuesday at the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the NEPC, local farmers and TAK Integrated Solution held in Abuja. Awolowo pointed out that the objective of the project was to contribute to the Federal Government policy in developing the potential of non-oil sector of the economy focusing on the organic farming of seven priority commodities. The project, which is a collaborative effort between the NEPC, local farmers and TAK Integrated, and NICERT Limited as offtakers, targets 10,000 farmers in each geo-political zone within an estimated 100,000 hectares of land over a period of three years.
According to Business Day, the federal government of Nigeria has begun putting in place legal frameworks to enable it regulate the online media. Lai Mohammed, the minister of information and culture, said he will immediately commence the process of forwarding an Executive Bill for consideration of the Federal Executive Council and further legislative action. He said the bill will address what he described as existing lacuna in the areas of the regulation of the Internet, ongoing Digital Switch Over, Digital Access Fee, and insulation of the regulator from partisan politics. Mohammed said this when he received a report of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) reform implementation committee on Tuesday, the report which he recalled includes recommendations already approved by president Muhammadu Buhari. Mohammed also disclosed that the government will immediately mandate the NBC to review it’s Act and come up with regulations for the broadcast of content on the Internet and the web to ensure that those who provide broadcast services on the Internet “do so with responsibility”. Mohammed said the regulations will not in any way gag the press or hinder their universal role of providing valuable information to the citizenry.
Nasir Argungu, director-general, National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has said that Sustainable Agricultural Development Training Scheme (SADTS) is a nation-wide programme geared towards the rural people to boost food production in the country in order to reduce hunger. Argungu who was represented by Chijioke Uzoatuegwu, state coordinator, NDE Abia chapter, said during the opening and orientation course for the commencement of the training of 50 unemployed persons through the SADTS initiative, that the programme was in line with the vision of President Buhari’s administration to promote agriculture and ensure food security. He pointed out that there was the need to train people in new agricultural technologies to enhance food production, adding that the Rural Employment Promotion (REP) department of the directorate would through the programme engage the people in more susceptible agricultural training. He noted that the nation-wide programme was intended to boost the productivity of smallholder farmers in rural communities in order to reduce hunger and improve their livelihood. Business Day reports.
