The Federal Government is set to start consultations with beneficiaries and other stakeholders on the restructuring and refocusing of the multi-billion Naira Youth Enterprise which was initiated by the immediate past President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s government.
The idea is to create an innovation that will of inject new ideas for its sustainability. The Federal Ministry of Finance, which has been running the programme from inception, has scheduled the consultation for July 22, 2016 in Abuja, where representatives of the beneficiaries drawn from the six geopolitical zones and other stakeholders would chart a way forward for the programme. Under the programme, which took off in 2011, a total of 18,000 young entrepreneurs have been trained in various aspects of Small and Medium Enterprises management and business skills, with 3,900 of them, including 1,200 women, each given non-repayable take-off grants for businesses of their choice ranging from a minimum of N1 million to a maximum of N10 million. The third edition of the programme, which is still running with 1,500 beneficiaries, has received the sum of N11.2 billion in funding. So far, grants totaling N7.4 billion have been disbursed to the awardees. In June 2016 alone, the sum of N1.687 billion was paid to 638 awardees. The Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, said as part of the change agenda of the current administration, the YouWin programme has to be restructured to ensure efficiency, transparency and accountability in investing the capital grants given to the beneficiaries by the Federal Government. Adeosun confirmed that all FG commitments under the YouWIN programme will be fully met, but due diligence would be carried out on every beneficiary, using tools like the Bank Verification Number before disbursements. [myad]
The Nigeria Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration is seeking accreditation of additional postgraduate medical fellowship examinations from the West African Postgraduate Medical College as well as National Postgraduate Medical College for its resident doctors.
The General Manager, FCT Hospital Services Management Board, Dr. Aminu Mai, who briefed newsmen on the activities of the Board, said that the fellowship examination programme began in Maitama and Asokoro Hospitals since the commencement of the Residency Training in the Territory in 2010 and 2012 in Family Medicine and Obstetrics & Gynecology respectively.
Dr. Mai reiterated that the accreditation and subsequent examinations would ensure sustained manpower development of specialists in different fields of medicine for the FCT hospitals.
According to him, the additional fields that the FCT Administration is working to get accreditation include Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Pediatrics and Radiology.
Dr. Mai said that the programme is also intended to obviate the need for the release of unnecessarily large number of doctors for training in other training centers, which comes with its adverse consequences on service delivery as a result of gaps created by their exit.
The General Manager emphasized that the Administration believed that such action would go a long way in reducing medical tourism, which is negatively impacting on the nation’s foreign reserve.
He said that all the four Resident Doctors of FCT Hospitals that enrolled in the Family Medicine training programme and one Resident Doctor from the Obstetrics and Gynecology programme that participated in the April 2016 Part I Fellowship examinations of the West African Postgraduate Medical College were successful.
The General Manager explained that the “home grown” Resident Doctors by their success in the Part I examination are now Senior Registrars in their respective specialties and are on their way to sitting for the final (Part II) examination in another 24 months to qualify as Specialists (Consultants).
According to him, the FCT Administration is already making efforts to secure accreditation in more areas of specialization in the FCT Health Institutions to enable the FCT Resident Doctors participate effectively.
These trainings, Dr. Mai stated, have helped increase to 36, the number of Resident Doctors in FCTA accredited hospitals, whose services are desperately needed to further enhance the quality of healthcare delivery in Abuja.
The General Manager said that the Successful candidates at the recent examinations were Dr. Nweke Choma, Dr. Sotinwa Olasunkanmi, Dr. Oshodi Omokayode Azeez and Dr. Tolorunji, all of Obstetrics and Gynecology, while Dr. Osideko Olufemi qualified in Family Medicine.
“This achievement brings the number of doctors to six who have scaled the Part I fellowship examination in Maitama and Asokoro Hospitals since the commencement of the Residency Training Programme.” [myad]
The immediate past Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus has asked President Muhammedu Buhari to stop causing more problems for the country and find ways to tackle the myriads of problems already facing the nation. Prince Secondus said that rather than strive to address the major socio economic issues weighing down Nigerians due to the confusion and lack of direction of the government in the last one year, the APC government is busy creating more battle fronts and compounding the challenges of the county. “Today under APC leadership, the country has become a whole theatre of acrimony with agitations here and there with no clear sign of solution in sight forcing political watchers to question if the country is disintegrating. “Even the Boko haram issue that was supposed to be progressing well has run into troubled waters because of the confusion in the ruling party. “Ditto the federal Government’s anti corruption fight is even skewed due to insincerity as Ministers already confirmed to be corrupt internationally continue to move untouched while PDP Governors with immunity are harassed daily. “Rather than confront the various challenges overwhelming the country, APC is currently bleeding soaked in its own greed and the obvious consequence is that a house divided against itself is bound to fall and the party is already falling.” The former PDP boss said that the federal Government under Buhari’s watch is gradually eroding all indices of democratic principles especially those anchored on the rule of law and separation of power as it has continued to violate all rules of free speech as enshrined in our status. “Unlike what the world is watching in Britain where democracy is being put into action and in America where President Barak Obama is being routinely criticized, Nigerians are leaving in fear, the press, judiciary, and politicians are in heavy apprehension because of the draconian system of our operatives who come after them for airing their views.” He advised the Government to respect various organs of governance and stop seeing himself as the Lord Mayor of state Governors and the National Assembly as this will amount to dictatorship. The ongoing attempt to humiliate and intimidate the National Assembly Secondus said is dangerous as the parliament remains the opium of democracy. According to Secondus, while federal Government creates more and more problems it leaves unattended to very critical projects, for example, after the hype created by his government on cleaning up Ogoniland, nothing is happening in the project while Governor Neysom Wike massive opening up of Ogoni roads neglected over the years is evident. The PDP Chieftain said that APC should note that after one year in office deceit by propaganda and lies can no longer be sustained as Nigerians now know better that inside the noisy drum is nothing but confusion and lack of direction. [myad]
A report by United Nations Education Fund (UNICEF) has predicted that 69 million children under five will die from mostly preventable causes, 167 million children will live in poverty, and 750 million women will have been married as children by 2030, the target date for the Sustainable Development Goals.
This calculation, the international children development body said, is based on the current trend, saying that the only way to prevent the bad situation is for the world for focus more on the plight of its most disadvantaged children.
The report said that there is nowhere is the outlook grimmer than in sub-Saharan Africa, where at least 247 million children – or 2 in 3 – live in multidimensional poverty, deprived of what they need to survive and develop, and where nearly 60 per cent of 20- to 24-year-olds from the poorest fifth of the population have had less than four years of schooling. At current trends, the report projects, by 2030, sub-Saharan Africa will account for:
Nearly half of the 69 million children who will die before their fifth birthday from mostly preventable causes;
More than half of the 60 million children of primary school age who will still be out of school; and
9 out of 10 children living in extreme poverty.
The State of the World’s Children, UNICEF’s annual flagship report, paints a stark picture of what is in store for the world’s poorest children if governments, donors, businesses and international organizations do not accelerate efforts to address their needs.
“Denying hundreds of millions of children a fair chance in life does more than threaten their futures – by fueling intergenerational cycles of disadvantage, it imperils the future of their societies,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. “We have a choice: Invest in these children now or allow our world to become still more unequal and divided.”
The report notes that significant progress has been made in saving children’s lives, getting children into school and lifting people out of poverty. Global under-five mortality rates have been more than halved since 1990, boys and girls attend primary school in equal numbers in 129 countries, and the number of people living in extreme poverty worldwide is almost half what it was in the 1990s.
But this progress has been neither even nor fair, the report says. The poorest children are twice as likely to die before their fifth birthday and to be chronically malnourished than the richest. Across much of South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, children born to mothers with no education are almost 3 times more likely to die before they are 5 than those born to mothers with a secondary education. And girls from the poorest households are twice as likely to marry as children than girls from the wealthiest households.
Although education plays a unique role in levelling the playing field for children, the number of children who do not attend school has increased since 2011, and a significant proportion of those who do go to school are not learning. About 124 million children today do not go to primary- and lower-secondary school, and almost 2 in 5 who do finish primary school have not learned how to read, write or do simple arithmetic.
The report points to evidence that investing in the most vulnerable children can yield immediate and long-term benefits. Cash transfers, for example, have been shown to help children stay in school longer and advance to higher levels of education. On average, each additional year of education a child receives increases his or her adult earnings by about 10 per cent. And for each additional year of schooling completed, on average, by young adults in a country, that country’s poverty rates fall by 9 per cent.
Inequity is neither inevitable, nor insurmountable, the report argues. Better data on the most vulnerable children, integrated solutions to the challenges children face, innovative ways to address old problems, more equitable investment and increased involvement by communities – all these measures can help level the playing field for children. [myad]
“If yielding to the nefarious agenda of a few individuals who are bent in undermining our democracy and destabilizing the Federal government to satisfy their selfish interests is the alternative to losing my personal freedom, let the doors of jails be thrown open and I shall be a happy guest.”
These were the words of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki when he spoke to news men on Monday in Abuja shortly after he was granted bail by the court on account of forgery of the Senate rules that brought him to office as Senate President.
Saraki emphasized “I’m ready to go to jail if necessary in defense of our democracy,” even as he said that he is being persecuted for no reason.
The Senate President said that Senate’s Rule book is an “internal affairs” because the Senate is independent legislative arm of government.
“Over the past year the Senate has worked to foster good relations with the Executive Branch. It is in all of our collective interests to put aside divisions and get on with the nation’s business. We risk alienating and losing the support of the very people who have entrusted their national leaders to seek new and creative ways to promote a secure and prosperous Nigeria. As leaders and patriots, it is time to rise above partisanship and to move forward together.
“However, what has become clear is that there is now a government within the government of President Buhari who have seized the apparatus of Executive powers to pursue their nefarious agenda.
“This latest onslaught on the Legislature represents a clear and present danger to the democracy Nigerians fought hard to win and preserve. The suit filed on behalf of the Federal government suggests that perhaps some forces in the Federal Republic have not fully embraced the fact that the Senate’s rules and procedures govern how the legislative body adjudicates and resolves its own disputes.
“Let it be abundantly clear, both as a citizen and as a foremost Legislator, I will continue to rise above all the persecution and distraction that have been visited on me. In the words of Martin Luther King Junior, “the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at a time of challenge and controversy”.
“I will remain true and committed to the responsibilities that my citizenship and my office impose on me. Without doubt, the highest of those responsibilities is the steadfast refusal to surrender to the subversion of our democracy and the desecration of the Senate. This is a cross I am prepared to carry. If yielding to the nefarious agenda of a few individuals who are bent in undermining our democracy and destabilizing the Federal government to satisfy their selfish interests is the alternative to losing my personal freedom, let the doors of jails be thrown open and I shall be a happy guest.” [myad]
Minister of education, Malam Adamu Adamu has made it clear that his order scrapping the Post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination is with immediate effect.
A statement by the Deputy Director of Press and Public Relations in the ministry, Ben Goong, quoted the Minister as having directed all higher institutions to comply with the directive. The statement said: “The ban is with immediate effect, and under no circumstance should any institution violate the directive. “The responsibility for admission into public tertiary institutions lies solely with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and under no circumstance whatsoever, should anybody or institution take over that responsibility by proxy. “For the avoidance of doubt, any educational institution after secondary education is regarded as a tertiary institution. “Therefore, all tertiary institutions, Polytechnics, Colleges of Education, Universities or by whatever name it is called after secondary education, must be subjected to admission through the JAMB.” The statement said that at the end of probationary admission by JAMB, the candidates could be screened for final admission, adding that any institution with a shortfall in admission could revert to JAMB for supplementary admission. According to the statement, screening in this case entails only the verification of certificates of the candidates, JAMB scores and any other physical examination to ensure that such candidates are not cultists. “After this, the candidates are qualified for matriculation. Such screening should be at no cost to the parents or students and should be done upon resumption, in order to avoid unnecessary travels in search of admission.” It said that the clarification had become necessary in order to clear the doubt in some quarters regarding the real stance of the minister. The minister had earlier raised concern over the post-UTME test being conducted by various universities, saying: “as far as I am concerned, if the nation has confidence in what JAMB is doing, the universities should not be holding another examinations. “If the universities have any complain against JAMB, let them bring it and then we address it. “But if JAMB is qualified enough to conduct tests and they have conducted test, then there will be no need to conduct another test for students to gain admission.” The statement further quoted the minister as saying that there has been no empirical evidence to show that since the inception of post-UTME, universities have been having better quality students. It said that students were still being expelled on a yearly basis for low performance even as they gained admission through post-UTME. According to the statement, Adamu is concerned about the plight of parents who spend fortunes on transportation and sundry costs just for their wards to gain admission into universities. It further said that the minister was mindful of reported cases where some staff of tertiary institutions took advantage of the girl-child in her quest to gain admission into the system. The statement said the minister had directed the National Universities Commission and appropriate departments in the ministry to communicate the directive to relevant agencies and institutions, to ensure strict compliance. Adamu was quoted as having said: “Those who have already advertised for the conduct of the Post-UTME under any guise should stop the exercise immediately as any university caught conducting Post-UTMNE will face appropriate sanctions. “If any tertiary Institution has already conducted Post-UTME, such an exercise stands annulled and money taken from such candidates must be refunded immediately.” [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari has declared a particular interest in the growth of manufacturing sector of the nation’s economy.
He said: as soon as we have stabilized our budget, I would personally be interested in the manufacturing sector, particularly in the generation of essential raw materials.”
The President spoke on Monday when he received in audience at the State House, Abuja, the Chief Global CEO of Unilever, Mr. Paul Polman.
Buhari said that his administration is working very hard to change the structure of the Nigerian economy battered by several years of mismanagement even as he gave assurance that the Federal Government would fast-track the implementation of strategies to ease doing business and attract more investors into Nigeria.
“We want to create jobs, and supporting manufacturing is one way to do it.”
The Chief Global CEO of Unilever said the conglomerate had been in Nigeria for 93 years, making it the oldest manufacturing concern in the country.
“Our products are more Nigerian than other Nigerian brands. Despite the economic downturn, there are opportunities to further advance our business here.
“The situation to invest and continue to invest here is very encouraging,” MPolman said, adding that Unilever had invested about N15 billion in Nigeria in the past three years. [myad]
Chief Whip of the senate, Professor Olusola Adeyeye has said that the Senate Standing Rules were actually altered in June 2015.
Adeyeye made the disclosure while speaking with Channels Television on Sunday, adding that the court would have to determine whether it was forged or not.
“In the 7th Assembly, voting has to be done publicly (but) in this current one, it was done privately.”
The Senate Chief Whip, who expressed regret over the current situation in the Red Chamber, stressed that the senators have not shown maturity in handling the situation.
“Our own rules in the Senate forbid us from discussing matters in the court. Those who support our Senate President (Dr. Bukola Saraki) should have given him all the support he needs so as to provide for himself, the best defence in the court of Nigeria.”
Adeyeye said that removing the senate president, Bukola Saraki as the leader of the senate would not be possible considering the number in the Senate.
“If politics is a game of number, Saraki has the number in the Nigerian Senate (and) let nobody deceive himself.
“In the current situation, it is impossible because a majority is not enough to remove him (and) by the rules of the Senate, you need 2/3 to remove a presiding officer. That number will not come.” [myad]
The Presidency has described insinuation by the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki thatthere is “now a government within the government of President Buhari,” as ridiculous and preposterous. A statement by the special adviser to President Buhari on media and publicity, Femi Adesina said that Saraki’s claim a cabal has seized the apparatus of Executive powers to pursue a nefarious agenda is a fiction and mere conjecture. “This claim by Senator Saraki would have been more worth the while, if it had been backed with more information. If he had proceeded to identify those who constitute the “government within the government,” it would have taken the issue beyond the realm of fiction and mere conjecture. “But as it stands, the allegation is not even worth the paper on which it was written, as anybody can wake from a troubled sleep, and say anything. “The Attorney-General of the Federation is the Chief Law Officer of the state. It is within his constitutional powers to determine who has infringed upon the law, and who has not. “Pretending to carry an imaginary cross is mere obfuscation, if, indeed, a criminal act has been committed. But we leave the courts to judge. “To claim that President Muhammadu Buhari is anybody’s stooge is not only ridiculous, but also preposterous. It is not in the character of our President.” [myad]
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that it would not monitor Wednesday’s gubernatorial primary elections scheduled by the Ali Modu Sheriff-led faction of the PDP.
“INEC is yet to take a decision on that even though I learnt Alhaji Modu Sheriff has written the Commission to say that he intends to hold one (primary)”, Deputy Director of Public Affairs at INEC, Nick Dazang said.
He said that Section 85 of the Electoral Act provides that any party that wishes to hold a convention or primaries shall serve the Commission a 21-day notice.
Dazang recalled that “the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the Edo Governorship provides that primaries are to take place between 2nd June and 4th July”.
By this design, the Sheriff’s faction has fallen short of the requirement for a 21-day notice to INEC. Sheriff had also claimed that INEC never monitored the primary election conducted by the Ahmed Makarfi-led Caretaker committee which produced Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as its candidate for the September polls. Dazang disputed the claim but stated that INEC was awaiting the judgment of the appellate court which is fixed for July 4 to enable it know which of the factions to recognize.
“Even though INEC monitored the recent PDP primaries, it is awaiting the judgment of the Appeal Court scheduled for 4th July. The judgment will determine which faction the Commission will recognize.” [myad]
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The Federal Government is set to start consultations with beneficiaries and other stakeholders on the restructuring and refocusing of the multi-billion Naira Youth Enterprise which was initiated by the immediate past President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s government.
