Day: June 28, 2024

Prof. Musa Maitafsir, the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer, National Teachers' Institute Kaduna, has urged staff of the institute to acquire entrepreneurial skills, to improve their social and economic wellbeing. He stated this at the 'Second NTI Teacher Acculturation' public lecture organised by the Department of Academic Services of the institute, on Friday in Kaduna. Represented by Fatma Abbas-Jega, the Registrar and Secretary to the Council, Maitafsir enjoined the staff to embrace the opportunity and explore innovative approah to usher in a more secure and prosperous future. He said: 'Together, let's explore how this holistic approach can propel our nation towards greater prosperity and sustainable development'. According to him, the public lecture stands as a testament to the commitment in fostering an educational environment that goes beyond textbooks and traditional methodologies. The NTI boss described the theme of the lecture: 'Agriculture as a more Productive and Profitable Retirement P lan,' as having significant implications for the future of education and the wellbeing of the staff. 'Inculcating our civil servants with entrepreneurial skills is not just only a necessity but strategically imperative for national growth and sustainability'. The lecture, he said would nurture entrepreneurial spirit among the staff and students of the institute, and members of the public, to enable them to impart valuable skills in the learners they guide and mentor. In a presentation on 'Civil Service Reforms,' the Guest Speaker, Zubairu Abdullahi, said the service has been the most stable arm of government since the colonial period. Abdullahi is the Director, Special Duties, Office of the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education. Highlighting some key reforms in the service, Abdullahi said the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu's administration centred on 23 deliverables, adding that, 'NTI under Maitafsir has already queued in, especially in areas of innovation and technology'. He s aid that capacity building, performance management function, IPPIS human resource component and innovation, are among other pillars of the reforms. He said, 'by developing standard operating procedures to track performance of staff, everybody must contribute, specifically on innovation, think outside the box, life is easy if technology is embraced'. On prioritising staff welfare as part of the pillars of the reforms, Abdullahi stressed the need for good staff welfare to encourage performances. While urging the staff to support of the present management of the institute, Abdullahi added that, 'loyalty is key'. In his second paper presentation titled: 'Agriculture as a more productive and profitable retirement plan,' Abdullahi underscored the imperative of agriculture in improving the economic status of workers. He further highlighted the values and good farming practices in crop and livestock productions. Also speaking, Dr Oyedeji Omobola, the Director, Academic Services Department, NTI, said the institu te had advanced its mission towards elevating the standard of teacher education and professional development under Maitafsir stewardship. She said the institute was getting to its peak propelled by the Maitafsir's commitment to innovation, excellence and empowerment of educators. This, she said transformed the institute into a beacon of knowledge and growth, and commended the staff for their support. Source: News Agency of Nigeria Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Prof. Antonia Simbine, Director-General (D-G), Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER), has emphasised the need for gender inclusiveness approach in the fight against corruption. Simbine said this in Ibadan on Thursday at the Actualizing Behaviour Change (ABC) Series, an ongoing NISER and Macarthur Foundation Project, entitled 'Research Support for Corruption Control through Behaviour Change'. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Thursday's series, however, focused on the theme, 'A Gender-Lensed View Citizens' Lived Experiences of Corrupt Behaviour in Nigeria'. According to Simbine, the past application of one-size-fits-all solutions to the problems of corruption in Nigeria may be the reason it has not been completely successful. 'In the previous series, we have been looking at all aspects of corruption issues, behavioural aspects of corruption. 'Now, we are considering how it relates to women and men differently, but much more with regards to women; all toward finding solutio ns for corruption,' she said. The D-G added that the organisation of anti-corruption agencies should have a gender perspective and be better positioned to address the issues of people's behaviour toward corruption. 'The second aspect is that, in the programmes of anti-corruption agencies, they need to now understand the various aspects of behaviour or reaction of people to the issue of corruption and then target their programmes in that direction. 'They must be able to analyse what a corrupt man or woman does, how they do it, what pushed them to do it, what is their reaction, and then we may be saying we are fighting corruption,' she said. Dr Temitayo Adeyemo, a Lecturer at the Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Ibadan, said research had shown that women exhibit different experiences of corrupt behaviours when interacting with government agencies. For an effective anti-corruption campaign, she called for gender inclusion and mainstreaming in corruption control policies and the structure of the institutions. 'We must incorporate gendered themes in the corruption campaign to enable voicing out for the vulnerable victims,' she said. Similarly, Dr Safiya Ahmad-Nuhu, Director, Centre for Gender Studies, Bayero University, Kano, said corruption should be seen as a cross-cutting issue when viewed through a gender lens. 'There are different experiences of men and women about corrupt practices but at the core of it, is a governance issue that affects development. 'Gender inclusion is a critical issue for sustainable development. As a nation, working toward the discussion on sustainable development cannot be done in rhetoric. 'If the country really wants to move forward, we need to consider all the various components of the SDGs in terms of where women fit. 'It is not just in respect of a particular issue, but all the 17 goals; women's role in those goals has to be included,' she said. NAN reports that the ABC platform provides the opportunity for debate and cross-fertilisation of ideas among s cholars, policymakers and practitioners. Source: News Agency of Nigeria Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Mrs Abimbola Ojo, a hardworking confidential secretary, has remained stagnated for over 10 years, while others recruited after her, in a federal ministry, are forging ahead, getting juicy positions in the ministry. Ojo was told to pay some money or engage in an illicit relationship to guarantee that her name was on the promotion list. She refused. The consequence is that her career has stagnated. She was depressed and eventually resigned without financial compensation. This is the fate of many women, in public and private sectors of the economy and in political groups. Available statistics indicate that the national average of women's political participation in Nigeria has remained 6.7 per cent in elective and appointive positions. This is below the Global Average of 22.5 per cent, Africa Regional Average of 23.4 per cent and West African Sub Regional Average of 15 per cent. Statistics have also indicated that the number of women elected to the National Assembly in 2023 is the lowest since 2003 when 24 women were elected. The 2007 general elections produced the highest number of women in the National Assembly with 34 elected. The second lowest number was recorded in 2011 and repeated in the 2015 elections with 29. The lowest was in 1999 with only 15 women elected. The 2023 National Assembly elections recorded 14 female members in the lower chamber and three in the upper chamber. President Bola Tinubu also appointed eight female ministers in his cabinet. Nigeria is rated as one of the worst countries with poor female representation in parliament worldwide. The Nigerian government has taken some steps to combat corruption, such as establishing anti-corruption agencies, but progress has been limited. Many women have been frustrated, abused, and discriminated against because of corrupt and immoral practices in the economic and political spheres. They are curtailed from attaining leadership positions, even when they are better and have more charisma than their male counterparts. According to the United N ations, Women's equal participation and leadership in politics and economy is essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. However, the UN data shows that women are underrepresented, at all levels of decision-making worldwide while achieving gender parity in all sectors, requires the implementation of strategies. Samuels Isopi, European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, equally frowned at the poor participation of women in politics, in Nigeria. Isopi, represented by the EU Deputy Head of Mission to Nigeria, Zissimos Vergos, expressed his reservations at a two-day roundtable on women's inclusion in politics, recently held in Abuja The programme was in commemoration of the International Women's Week. 'In Nigeria, the advocacy for women's political participation has been long drawn. In spite of the very dynamic interventions by women groups and other key stakeholders, their representation remains in steady decline. 'For example, women's representation in the 10th National Assembly is 7.4 per cent out of a total of 469 combined seats in the Senate and House of Representatives,' she said. Isopi opined that there is strong evidence that, as more women are elected into office, there is an increase in policymaking that emphasizes quality of life and reflects the priorities of families, women, and marginalised groups. 'We must, therefore, strive for a society where every woman does not just feel safe enough to survive but empowered enough to thrive,' she said. According to Samson Itodo, Executive Director, Yiaga Africa, corruption impacted on women's leadership, women's representation and women's participation in three ways. Itodo said that when corruption is rampant in a society, it creates inequality, both in political and economic space, and women are at a disadvantage and unable to garner the kind of resources that they require. In Nigeria, contesting for public office involves lots of money and women are not able to achieve this because a few people have decided to strip w omen of that opportunity. 'Beyond the fact that corruption is a cancer, it disempowers women because they are unable to access resources. According to him, once women are disempowered economically, they are unable to exert or participate actively in civic life. Another dimension where corruption impacted women is when it became the order of the day… Under such circumstances, jobs that rightfully belong to women to empower themselves are not available to them. 'This, I think is the fundamental problem and challenge that we have. So, when you think about how corruption affects women and women's leadership, this is actually a classic example. 'Often, when women expose corruption, they are intimidated because they are considered, 'a weaker sex' and they cannot withstand pressure,' he said. Itodo said the situation was a negative stereotype about women, adding that, where courageous women have spoken against corruption, the society actually tends to frown at them and punished them for doing so. He said inj ustices and structural inequalities in the Nigeria's politics needed to be reversed, either through the instrumentality of law, through socialisation or accountability. The Head of Department, Women and Youth, Nigeria Labour Congress, Mrs Rita Goyit, said corruption runs through every level of the Nigerian government. Goyit said that corruption runs from top to bottom, including contract fraud, through petty bribery, money laundering schemes, embezzlement, among others. She said most time the monies and other resources that were meant for development infrastructure are diverted by individuals or groups. 'This is not right because everything that is given to you is done in trust, whatever position you are holding is in trust for the people to be used for the good of everybody. 'But corruption has made it in such a way that those things, instead of being used for the good of others, have been diverted to be used for the good of some individuals. 'Some of these individuals are people who are able to, in qu otes, 'steal those monies or tax those monies or loot the money as the way we saw is corruption,' she said. Goyit said that in Nigeria corruption has become endemic, because there was no aspect of life that corruption has not affected. 'It has affected our well-being as citizens because money meant for our good is not used. It has affected development and infrastructure. 'So, people take it away and all of that. It has even affected our democracy as it were,' she said. Goyit said Nigerian women and youth were yet to feel the impact of the activities of the Ministry of Labour and Employment because they had been marginalised in that sector. According to her, we expect that in terms of other trapezoidal or bipartite relationships, there should be some capacity building so that we'll be able to understand one another. Similarly, Dr Comfort Adokwe, a Deputy Director, Centre for Gender Studies, said corruption hinders economic progress and good governance. She said that Nigerian women have historically face d substantial obstacles to attaining positions of economic and political leadership. Adokwe said corruption has also eroded public trust in the political process, discouraging many women from seeking leadership positions. The perception that advancement requires engaging in corrupt practices deters women, who often face greater social stigma for doing so, Adokwe said. She said corrupt officials also employ various means to impede or undermine women candidates. The Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC), Auwal Rafsanjani, said that corruption undermined the integrity of women who want to participate in the social and economic development in Nigeria. He said political participation has been commercialised, privatised, in a way that it was given to the highest bidder, a situation he said, had deprived many women from realising their political dreams. He said women are being marginalised because they are not interested in engaging in political violence. 'Many women do not believe that they have to sell their bodies to get involved in the political environment that is why they have been isolated. 'Also, many women who want to do things professionally have also been ambushed by men,' he said. Rafsanjani said the implication would be more poverty for women as they continue to be undermined from participating in the socio-economic and political development. The ease of doing business has not also been unfavorable to women because they are operating from the informal sector where most of them don't have access to credit facilities. 'Neither are they able to access any government programmes that will enhance their businesses because they are reluctant to give bribes to get contracts. 'They cannot get contracts even when they are legitimately qualified to get those contracts. 'So, these are fundamental challenges that corruption has brought into undermining women's political and economic participation in Nigeria,' Rafsanjani said. Corruption remains a significant barrier t o women's participation in economic and political leadership in Nigeria. Anti-corruption crusaders say to address this requires a multi -faceted approach which includes fair access to opportunities and resources, transparency, accountability, and gender-sensitive policies, institutional reforms and societal norms. Strong legal frameworks, transparent institutions, and a culture of accountability and integrity at all levels of society will also help to elevate women into leadership roles that can also help drive anti-corruption efforts. (NANFeatures) (This investigation is for the GENDER, THE AGENDA project for Gender Strategy Advancement International (GSAI) supported by the Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), and the MacArthur Foundation) Source: News Agency of Nigeria Source: News Agency of Nigeria

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Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na'Allah, the out-going Vice-Chancellor, University of Abuja, says the repositioned institution can serve as catalyst for Nigeria's greatness and development. Na'Allah told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on the sidelines of an award ceremony organised by the University's Sustainable Development Centre (SDC) in honour of him as the 'Best Performed' vice-chancellor of the institution. Na'Allah, who is set to bow out from office in a few days, after five years of impactful tenure, said the institution has been transformed in line with international best practices, to address some of the nation's problems. He said the introduction of strategic courses/centres such as the SDC, leadership centre, security centre, aeronautical engineering, nuclear engineering among others has positioned the university as a catalyst to fast track the nation's development. 'The SDC is one of our great centres established to respond to the need of our world. 'Sustainable development is at the centre of the strategy of the UN to save our world from calamity, so at University of Abuja we have put together this centre as a solution centre for Nigeria and the world. 'This is a centre that was established to look for solutions in every area of the SDG goals, so our PhD and masters students focus on finding solutions to our world,' he said. Na'Allah thanked the centre and the out-going PhD students for honouring him, while charging them to continue to contribute to the development of the country, with the knowledge gained from the institution. University of Abuja Earlier, Sen. Gbenga Daniel, Chairman, Senate Committee on Navy, who was the special guest of honor, said that he was delighted to be associated with the transformative leadership of Na'Allah at the institution. He stressed the need to always celebrate excellence, adding that that the SDC could go a long way in preferring solutions to the nation's current challenges. Prof. Sule Magaji, Director, SDC, said the centre was out to champion holistic sustainable development and inspire students for a better tomorrow. Magaji emphasised the need for all hands to be on deck to achieve the SDG goals and evolve a better society. Also speaking, Brig.- Gen. Adewale Adekoya, Acting Director of the Nigeria Army Heritage and Future Centre, expressed optimism that the SDC will give the necessary push in Nigeria achieving the SDGs. Adekoya, who is an out-going PhD student of the SDC, said the Centre thrives on impacting applicable contemporary studies that will help achieve the SDGs and develop the nation. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that high point of the event was the presentation of 'Sustainable Awards' to various recipients. Source: News Agency of Nigeria Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Nigerian Government has called on member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), to unite towards enhancing access to clean water in the region. Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, said this at the 5th Ordinary Session of the Ministerial Monitoring Committee (MMC) of the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in West Africa on Friday in Abuja. Utsev said West Africa was blessed with abundant water resources, and commended the Water Resources Management Centre (WRMC) for choosing Nigeria to host the meeting. According to him, if properly harnessed and coordinated, it will serve as a cornerstone for development, impacting positively on health, education, tourism, food security and energy. 'However, lack of proper coordination will lead to underdevelopment and conflict among countries because activities of one country at the upstream could constitute danger to other countries downstream. 'Permit me at this juncture to emphasise on the need for unit y amongst member states in the West African sub-region. 'There is a saying that, 'teamwork makes the dream work', this can also be said about our sub-region. 'To truly see growth in the sub-region; we need to be united and work as a team, especially when it comes to the management of our water resources, both surface and underground.'' The minister said the sub-region had great potentials, and by working together, could address challenges like climate change, poverty, unemployment and inequality. Utsev lauded the WRMC for selecting Nigeria as one of the few West African countries to benefit from the 2024 ECOWAS Special Project for Access to Drinking Water in Rural Areas. 'We are grateful for this privilege and will use our expertise to ensure the project is delivered seamlessly,'' he said. Earlier, Dr Omar Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, represented by Mr Sediko Douka, ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy, and Digitisation, expressed gratitude to Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu for hosting the event. He noted West African states' ongoing dedication to Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), which began in 1998 after the UN Conference on Environment and Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro. According to him, this commitment led to the adoption of a Regional IWRM Action Plan in 2000 and the establishment of a Permanent Coordination and Monitoring Framework (PCMF) in 2001. Touray said the relationship between challenges in the water and energy sectors is huge, emphasising the urgency to expedite projects that provide clean water and sanitation. He called for technical and financial support for a regional programme focused on improving access to clean water in rural and peri-urban areas. Touray commended to the Government of Nigeria for hosting the meeting and expressed confidence that the discussions would be a significant milestone for implementing IWRM in West Africa. He also thanked the Chairman of the Ministerial Committee for his leadership in the PCMF. The News Agen cy of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Abuja meeting, held nearly nine years after the last session in Dakar, Senegal. It aims to rejuvenate the PCMF and evaluate the implementation of the West Africa Water Resources Policy (WAWRP), adopted in 2008. The WAWRP is a distinctive initiative aimed at developing a unified sectoral policy among West African regional organisations. Source: News Agency of Nigeria Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Federal Government has inaugurated a Ministerial Task Force` on illegal private charter operations and related matters in the aviation industry. Mr Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, said this at the inauguration of the taskforce on Thursday in Abuja. Keyamo said the task force would be engaged in taking inventory of all Private Non-Commercial Flight (PNCF) holders and Air Operator Certificate (AOC) holders. According to Keyamo, the committee will among others determine why the practice of illegal charters by PNCF holders persists in the country in spite of regulatory controls. 'Call in all professional licenses of pilots and crew in the country and determine their authenticity and validity. 'Recommend to the minister, any additional measures to be taken by regulatory agencies to stem the ugly tide. To recommend appropriate sanctions to be imposed by the regulatory agencies on defaulters. 'Recommend additional measures to further monitor operations and activities of priva te aircraft in Nigeria and any other terms of reference that may be determined by the minister as the Task Force continues its work,' he said. The minister said that members of the task force had been carefully selected from within the aviation industry and were people of high repute and integrity. According to him, members of the Task Force include Capt. Ado Sanusi as Chairman; Capt. Roland lyayi as Vice Chairman, Director of Air Transport, Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development as Secretary. 'Other members are Theresa Babaoye (DATR-NCAA); One nominee from the National Security Adviser - Capt. Daniel Quansah, Capt. Patrick Ogunlowo, Obafemi Bajomo (SA-HMA). 'This task force is not only a response to the current challenges but also a proactive step toward ensuring the long term sustainability and integrity of our aviation sector. 'We expect the task force to work for three months, except circumstances require some extension,' he said. Keyamo canvassed collective working diligently to res tore confidence in the aviation industry, eliminate illegal operations, and ensure that every flight in the nation's skies adhered to highest standards of safety and legality. He expressed optimism that such collective efforts would lead to a stronger, more secure, and prosperous aviation industry. ' It has come to my attention, through a series of disturbing reports, that practice of illegal charter operations is thriving within the aviation industry, thereby undermining efforts of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and other regulatory bodies. ' These illicit activities have resulted in significant financial losses to the Federal Government and also have raised security and safety concerns as operations of private aircraft owners have remained largely unchecked and unregulated. 'This has also resulted in using these private aircrafts for other illegal activities.' He said the National Security Adviser wrote to alert the ministry last week of the spike in money laundering, drug-trafficking and other illegal activities through the use of private aircrafts in the country. 'It appears that Private Non-Commercial Flight (PNCF) operators have become increasingly emboldened, continuing their illegal operations with the assistance of Air Operator Certificate (AOC) holders who collect tolls and list these illegal charters under their AOCs. 'Furthermore, we have received alarming reports that some crew members have not attended mandatory simulator trainings for nearly three years and are flying with fraudulently obtained renewed licenses. 'Many of these individuals are operating planes registered under PNCF but are conducting illegal charter operations with impunity,' he said. 'In light of these grave concerns and in alignment with two key objectives of our five-point agenda, I am compelled to take this decisive action, ' he said. Keyamo reiterated his five-point agenda encapsulated as safety, infrastructure, support for local operators, human capacity development and revenue generation,' Also speakin g, Sanusi said the task force would effectively and efficiently achieve all statement objectives by its predetermined judicious performance. Source: News Agency of Nigeria Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Association for Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria (AHOUN) has called on the Federal Government to set up an inter-ministerial panel to review 2024 Hajj operations. Its National President, Alhaji Abdulateef Ekundayo, made the call at a news conference in Makkah, on the outcome of the just concluded 2024 Hajj. ' We call on the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, set up an inter-ministerial and credible panel to review this year's Hajj, with the aim of restoring sanity into future operations.' Ekundayo also emphasised the need for government to investigate the laws and acts that regulate Hajj affairs in the country. ' We implore those saddled with such responsibilities to act now to safeguard Nigerian pilgrims.' He decried poor services at tent A, saying 'like the previous years, tent A was characterized by lack of transparency, racketeering, profiteering and poor organisation. 'Some of us paid double camp fees for camp at zone five and zone one on a single pilgrim. 'Apart from the exorbitan t amounts for basic services, many pilgrims couldn't have access to the services. 'This is the peak of any contractual breach, and we demand immediate reconciliation and payment of refund to affected members by the management of Ithra Alkhair (service provider). 'The Mutawwif (Ithra Alkhair) should immediately reconcile with our members to refund money paid for services not rendered both in Muna and Arafat for this year because of their actions and inactions.' He urged the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON) to stop all charges on members of the association, including the dollar equivalent service fees based on the new policy of government withdrawal of subsidy on Hajj. ' While we agree that NAHCON has the right to charge licencing fees, we believe the Hajj licence is the most expensive of any licencing regime in Nigeria. 'How can anyone justify a fee of N1 million for a licence that has only two months validity. ' What happened to the component of the international pilgrims out of the N90 billion approv ed Hajj subsidy. Aren't they Nigerians?. 'Our members deserve the right for official visa during Hajj because the Ministry of Hajj provides such as a percentage of the total allocation to Nigeria. 'Some of the problems our pilgrims face during Hajj can be easily addressed by us if we can move freely.' Source: News Agency of Nigeria Source: News Agency of Nigeria