Aso Villa Reads for Friday, April. 16th, 2020
Every day, we bring you the best stories that the Media is reporting about the Government of Nigeria
The Federal Government on Thursday distributed agricultural inputs to women smallholders farmers in North-Central states and the Federal Capital Territory. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, who carried out the distribution exercise in Abuja, said the move was to increase production and reduce wastage in the sector. He said the distribution of inputs to 7,500 women smallholders and processors was part of government’s commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment in the agricultural sector.[Punch]
The Federal Government on Thursday said it had approved the activation of Subscriber Identification Module registration but this must be done with a valid National Identification Number. It said the new SIM activation registration approval with mandatory NIN was in line with the Revised National Digital Identity Policy for SIM Card Registration. It said the implementation of the policy would commence on April 19, 2021, and the issuance of new SIMs and other suspended activities would resume on the same date, as long as verification was done and the guidelines were fully adhered to. [Punch]
Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, says the Federal Government is intensifying efforts to complete the ongoing Numan-Cham section of the Gombe-Yola highway. Fashola, represented by Mr Funsho Adebiye, Director, Federal Highways Construction and Rehabilitation, made these remarks during an on-the-spot assessment of the project in Numan on Thursday. The minister expressed optimism on the quality of work, assuring that the project would soon be completed.[Guardian]
The Federal Government has set up an 8-man committee to reform the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) for optimum performance through commercialization and recapitalisation. Inaugurating the committee, Director-General, Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Alex A. Okoh, said efforts to reposition the bank were to bridge the country’s huge housing deficit estimated at 22million as at 2019. He stated: “The proposal is in tandem with the ongoing efforts of the FMBN’s Management to reposition the Bank for optimum performance as articulated in the 5-year strategic plan developed by the bank. In his remarks, Managing Director of the bank, Mr. Ahmed Dangiwa, said that the inauguration of the Committee has further consolidated the relationship between the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and the FMBN. [Vanguard]
The Federal Government on Thursday restated its resolve to entirely eradicate child labour in the country by empowering 350,000 households/child labour victims in supply chain hubs, in Zamfara, Abia, Sokoto, Cross River, Kogi, Niger, and Ekiti among others. The Government also described child labour as evil, bad and unaccessible in the country. The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige and the Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen spoke at the Validation Workshop of the National Policy and Action Plan on the Elimination of Child Labour 2021–2025 and the official launch of the 2021 Commemoration for the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour in Nigeria. [Vanguard]
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said yesterday that the federal government will not relent in its efforts at democratising access to broadband internet. According to him, it remains the best option in determining the country’s competitiveness in the global economy. Osinbajo, who stated this during the official launch of Ogun State Digital Economy Empowerment Project (OGDEP), added that the project officially launched in Abeokuta, the state capital will provide the needed opportunities for brightest and best brains in Nigeria to conveniently excel while taking on their peers in the most competitive global digital economy.[Leadership]
Director-general, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) Dr Dikko Umaru Radda has said President Muhammadu Buhar released the sum of N75 billion to cushion the hardship caused by COVID-19 pandemic last year. He made the disclosure yesterday while flagging off the Gwagware Fundation’s donation of food items to some orphans and vulnerable households across the 34 local government areas of Katsina State. He said no government in the history of Nigeria has ever provided interventional packages for the ordinary people than the present administration.[Leadership]
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