Federal Ministry
VP Osinbajo: Nigerian government democratising broadband connectivity
It’s the first in sub-Saharan Africa and one of the three such cutting-edge facilities on the continent, with top prime global certifications for smart card manufacturing and it is based in Lagos, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, relished yesterday afternoon while touring SecureID company’s premises, and affirmed Nigeria’s extremely bright economic future, which he said cannot be aborted despite current challenges. According to him, “the economic future of our nation is extremely bright. Yes, we have challenges today and they may look daunting. But let me assure you that these issues will be resolved. The march of this nation to its manifest destiny as Africa’s leading economic power will not be aborted. We are more than able to overcome.” An impressed Prof. Osinbajo said the Buhari Admi...
Federal pensioners pull out of pensions union
The crisis among pensioners on Sunday got messier as Federal Civil Service Pensioners (FCSP) finally opted out of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) over alleged denial of the branch’s rights and privileges. Members of FCSP also premised their decision on “illegal and unconstitutional” appointment of a caretaker committee by the NUP at its April National Delegates Conference held in Abuja. FCSP announced it was pulling out from NUP in a communique issued at the end of the emergency NEC meeting of the union which was held at Labour House by its national chairman, Omezi Sunday. Sunday explained that opting out became necessary over the lingering trade dispute between the FCSP and the NUP. According to him, the protracted impasse is occasioned by the blatant refusal of the NUP to give a co...
Niger Delta: President Buhari has surpassed all past presidents – NYCN
National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) on Sunday said that President Muhammadu Buhari has surpassed all past Presidents of the country in the development of the Niger Delta region. The Council said the array of projects that now littered the coastal area was however made possible by the current Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio. The youths, therefore, warned the region’s politicians against blackmailing Buhari and Akpabio. The youths also threw their weight behind the interim sole administrator of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Effiong Akwa for his prudent, transparent, and frugal management of resources which they said witnessed the execution of the projects within a short period of time. In a communiqué issued after a 3-week tour and assessment o...
May Day: President Buhari promises workers better packages
President Muhammadu Buhari has assured workers of better packages to cushion economic effects of COVID-19 on their resources. The President said his administration has put in place some socio-economic policies to alleviate poverty. Buhari said the Federal Government has expanded the Conditional Cash Transfer for the vulnerable poor from 2.6 million households to 7.6 million. He also noted COVID-19 Rapid Response Register has been expanded for urban poor to 4.8 million households, which included urban poor and working class. The President spoke during this year’s May Day celebration at the Eagle Square on Saturday in Abuja. This year’s celebration had as its theme: “COVID-19 pandemic, social and economic crisis: challenges for decent jobs, social protection and people’s welfare”. Buhari, wh...
TRCN: Nigerian teachers becoming more competitive globally
Prof. Josiah Ajiboye, Registrar, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), says Nigerian teachers are currently becoming more competitive globally. Ajiboye, disclosed this at the end of the opening of a one-day training workshop for Education Correspondents’ Association of Nigeria (ECAN) on Friday in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. He noted that the narrative about the proficiency of Nigerian teachers had begun to change due to innovations being introduced to keep them at par with their counterparts globally. He said that unlike before those Nigerian teachers had to undergo a certain level of training abroad before being offered appointments, but now they were being offered jobs straight up. According to him, this is because the Federal Government is focusing more atte...
Senate passes amended AMCON bill, empowers agency to seize debtors’ assets
The Senate Wednesday passed the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria Amendment bill after considering the report of its Committee on Banking, Insurance, and Other Financial Institutions. The amendment bill passed by the upper chamber empowers the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria to, among others, take possession, manage or sell all properties traced to debtors, whether or not such assets or property is used as security/collateral for obtaining the loan in particular. It also empowers the corporation to access the Special Tribunal established by the BOFIA, 2020 for dealing with financial related matters. Presenting the report, Chairman of the Committee, Senator Uba Sani (APC, Kaduna Central) said the Committee engaged with stakeholders such as AMCON, Federal Ministry of Finance, ...
Nigerian government grants approval for $2.9 billion Escravos seaport
The Federal Government has granted approval for the establishment of the Escravos Seaport Industrial Complex, ESIC, to Mercury Marine Concession Company, MMCC. The proposed $2.9 billion project is majorly designed to boost economic/national development of Nigeria particularly, Delta State.Chairman, Chief Executive of the firm, Rear-Admiral Andrew Okoji, who confirmed the approval, weekend, said the Federal Ministry of Transport has directed the firm to pay N1 billion, apparently to express its interest. He said: ‘‘It is going to be a lease for about 50 years, the investment for the port is coming from abroad. “We have gotten provisional approval from the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Transportation, as they have told us to lodge in $1 billion as evidence of capacity to...
Strike: Minister to hold fresh meeting with governors, NBA, JUSUN, others
Labour minister, Chris Ngige, has rescheduled a fresh meeting with the leaderships of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), over the lingering strike that has crippled court activities across the country for two weeks. Representatives of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) are also expected to be at the meeting scheduled to hold in Abuja on Tuesday. Members of JUSUN had on April 6 embarked on the indefinite nationwide strike to press home their demand for judiciary’s financial autonomy. The labour minister had on Thursday announced a last-minute postponement of the meeting he was scheduled to hold with the NBA, JUSUN and other stakeholders over the lingering crisis. The abrupt postponement of the meeting infuriated the leaderships of the body ...
RCCG apologises to minister over Osun road project
File Photo Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), on Thursday, dismissed alleged payment of N151million to a firm for a road rehabilitated by the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Osun State. Fashola in his submission before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, probing the allegation, said the claim by the church was untrue. He said the 15-kilometer road was awarded to Messrs Cartil Construction Nigeria Limited at the cost of N662.7million by the Federal Government in 2011. He said the Ministry paid N99million as 15% mobilisation fee and N52million to the contractor after the firm achieved 26.2 per cent of work done on the road in March and December 2011, respectively. He insisted that the award of the contract and the subsequent p...
Minister: Rail transportation awakening giant to help run government
Nairaland Mr Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transportation, on Tuesday described the rail mode of transportation as the awakening giant that would run government. He made the disclosure at the virtual National African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) Implementation Engagement Series for the Rail sub-sector of Transportation. Amaechi, who was represented by Mr Ibrahim Mohammed, a Deputy Director at the Federal Ministry of Transportation (FMOT), noted that the Federal Government had invested heavily on the rail sub-sector of transportation to help facilitate trade. “The rail sub-sector needs consistent opening for the country to further tap into the agreement that AfCFTA creates. “This is why government has embarked on many projects, developing the narrow gauges and establishing standa...
Tokyo Olympics: Minister confident Nigeria will return to track and field podium
Youth and Sports Development Minister Sunday Dare is confident Nigeria’s 13 year wait for a track and field medal at the Olympics will end this year at the Tokyo Games. Nigeria last won a track and field medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 when the women’s 4x100m relay team and Blessing Okagbare (long jump) won silver medals and the Sports Minister is confident track and field will start delivering the medals like it did in 1996 in Atlanta. Track and Field has accounted for 13 of the 25 medals Team Nigeria have won at the Games. The sport has also delivered two of the three gold medals won with a first ever individual gold by Chioma Ajunwa in the women’s long jump. ”The performances of our athletes so far this year have given us renewed hopes that Nigerian track and field athletes can be...
Senator Mark urges Nigerians to bury religious, ethnic differences
News Agency of Nigeria A former President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, has charged Nigerians to bury their religious and ethnic differences and come together to establish a common front against forces threatening the peaceful coexistence of the people. Mark said it was time for all men and women of good conscience to rise to the occasion and proffer lasting solutions to the lingering insecurity that has enveloped the entire country. The former Senate President stated this at a mass on Thursday to mark his 73rd birthday at St. Mulumba Catholic Chaplaincy, Apo, Abuja. According to him, Nigerians can no longer deny the current level of insecurity and disharmony rocking the nation. He said: “Though we have different reasons to celebrate at different times, we cannot shy away from the pre...
