Aso Villa Reads for 4/7/2019
Every day, we bring you the best stories that the Media is reporting about the Government of Nigeria
According to THIS DAY “The federal government in collaboration with Huawei Technologies, recently concluded training for 1000 civil servants under the Information Communication Technology (ICT) for Change Programme. A statement disclosed that it was the second phase of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the federal government of Nigeria and Huawei Technologies Company Nigeria Limited, as part of Huawei’s CSR initiatives aimed at supporting the automation of government processes and bureautic procedures in Nigeria. The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, while addressing the last batch of participants of the training workshop in Abuja, said the vision was to develop an elite core of public servants that can stand shoulder to shoulder with any public servant internationally. Oyo-Ita, commended Huawei for always contributing and investing heavily to the growth of ICT in Nigeria. “We are beginning to build the foundation so I’m excited and highly appreciative of Huawei Technologies’ help through this civil service rebirth.” She added that the training by Huawei Technologies was a significant contribution to achieving the 2017–2020 Civil Service Strategy Reform agenda to improve the capacity of civil servants in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Nigeria. She added that if well harnessed, the skills derived from the training could help reduce corruption in Nigeria and aid in the process of transparency.”
Accrding to THIS DAY “President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday in Abuja announced his preparedness to sign the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement in accordance with recommendations of the Presidential Committee on the Impact and Readiness Assessment of AfCFTA. The president’s commitment to sign the agreement confirms THISDAY’S exclusive report last week that Buhari, after receiving the committee’s report, would sign the agreement. A statement by presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, said Buhari would be signing phase one of the agreement while attending the Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the African Union and 12th Extraordinary Summit on AfCFTA in Niamey, Niger Republic in a few days’ time.
According to the statement, countries which signed the first level of the agreement, would then go into country level discussions leading to treaties after safeguards are agreed to. Shehu recalled how Buhari, while receiving the report last week, made it clear that the federal government would be seeking to include terms that engender the development of policies that promote African production, among other benefits. “Africa, therefore, needs not only a trade policy but also a continental manufacturing agenda. Our vision for intra-African trade is for the free movement of ‘made in Africa goods.’ That is, goods and services made locally with dominant African content in terms of raw materials and value addition. “If we allow unbridled imports to continue, it will dominate our trade. The implication of this, is that coastal importing nations will prosper while landlocked nations will continue to suffer and depend on aid,” the president had stated.”
According to DAILY TRUST “The federal government has approved a staff condition of service for the Accident Investigation Bureau, Nigeria (AIB-N). The approval was conveyed in a letter dated June 25 sent to the bureau from the office of the head of civil service of the federation. This is the first time the bureau will be having its own condition of service since it was established as an autonomous agency 12 years ago. Before now, the agency has been using the conditions of service of a sister agency while her struggles to have her own condition of service for several years has been unsuccessful. While expressing his delight, the Commissioner/Chief Executive Officer, Akin Olateru, thanked the head of service, the ministry of transportation, the unions and the staff of AIB for the landmark achievement and emphasised that the AIB management is committed to improving the welfare of the staff. He said that “this is one of the proofs that we value our staff and are committed to a robust welfare package for them. Since we came onboard, we have relentlessly been pursuing accelerated capacity development, provision of conducive environment for working and a world standard working condition for our staff.’’ The commissioner charged the staff to reciprocate the government’s gesture by redoubling their efforts in discharging their duties and responsibilities and also support the management in its bid to reposition the bureau to meet the global standards in accident investigation. Leadership of the local chapters of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and NAAPE expressed gratitude to the management for its commendable support in realising the long awaited staff condition of service.”
According to DAILY INDEPENDENT In the continued pursuit of its mission of staying ahead of the game in maritime administration, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has topped the chart on Port and Flag State Control in the West and Central Africa Sub-Region. NIMASA out-ranked other maritime regulators in the region in the inspection of vessels’ calling at Nigeria’s ports, according to the latest report by the Abuja Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control for West and Central Africa Region, otherwise known as Abuja MoU. Abuja MoU is the apex regional treaty on port control. Speaking on the feat, Dakuku Peterside, the Director General of NIMASA, said it was part of the fruits of recent reforms initiated by the agency and deliberate investment in enforcement equipment. “In NIMASA, we are conscious of global best practices and determined to rid our waterways of all substandard vessels with the ultimate aim of ensuring a safe and robust maritime domain. “This will afford us the capacity to be a competitive player in the global maritime space, giving us an edge in the comity of maritime investment destinations,”Dakuku said. The Abuja MoU, led by the Secretary General, Mfon Usoro, stated in the report that Nigeria dominated in detailed inspection of vessels, with 13 exercises out of the total 14 carried out in the continent in 2018. The report commended the country’s enforcement drive. It showed a significant rise in recorded deficiencies across the continent, as 727 vessel deficiencies were recorded in 2018 as against 587 in 2017. This was attributed to increased enforcement exercises across the various regions, with Nigeria in the lead with 339 deficiencies.
