17102019 - FG cuts travels, estacodes for ministers, other officials

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019—9 AGREEMENT: Professor Osondu Akoma, Director of ICT, Benson Idahosa University BIU (left); Professor Gladday Igweagbara, Bursar, BIU (right) and Ejimofor Akah, Project Director of Iwemi.com after the agreement for the provision of digitisation, storage and publication services to the school was signed with Iwemi.com in Benin City. State-owned enterprises gulp $3bn annually without appreciable returns —BPE By Henry Umoru ABUJA— THE Senate was, yesterday, told that the 600 state-owned enterprises in the country gulped no less than $3 billion on yearly basis with little or no returns into the public purse. The upper chamber was also informed that the N2.28 trillion deficit in the N10.33 trillion 2020 budget could best be funded by proceeds from privatisation of moribund national assets than borrowing from foreign and local financial institutions. Speaking, yesterday, in Abuja during an interactive session with the Senator Theordore Orji-led Senate Committee on Privatisation, Director-General of Bureau HEALTH TIPS By Sola Ogundipe Sleeplessness (insomnia) To beat sleeplessness, you should get up at the same time every day to train your body to wake at a consistent time. Eliminate coffee, tea, alcohol and all stimulants three hours before bedtime. Caffeine may not only cause difficulty initiating sleep, but may also cause frequent awakenings. Alcohol may have a sedative effect for the first few hours following consumption, but it can then lead to frequent arousals and a non-restful night’s sleep. Limit daytime naps. While napping seems like a proper way to catch up on missed sleep, it is not always so. It is important to establish and maintain a regular sleep pattern. Napping can affect the quality of night time sleep. Regular exercise can improve sleep quality and duration. However, exercising immediately of Public Enterprises, BPE, Alex Okoh, said there was no reason whatsoever for the country to be financing budget deficit on yearly basis with borrowings from foreign and local financial institutions when there were national assets that could be converted into liquid for that purpose. The BPE boss, who noted that the National Theatre in Iganmu Lagos and National Stadium in Surulere as part of national assets that should have been concessioned for that purpose, said privatisation/liberalisation had done Nigeria’s economy and her people more good than bad. Okoh said: “It is not good to keep borrowing on yearly basis to finance deficit budget when a lot of very before bedtime can have a stimulant effect on the body and should be avoided. Finish exercising at least three hours before you retire for the night. Limit activities in bed. The bed is primarily for sleeping. Banish phones, laptops and other gadgets from the bedroom. Avoid watching television or listening to the radio. Make your sleeping environment comfortable. Your bed should be comfortable and the room quiet. Do not eat or drink right before going to bed. Eating a late dinner or snacking before going to bed can activate the digestive system and keep you up. Try relaxation therapies and stress reduction methods to relax your mind and the body before going to bed. Examples are deep breathing techniques, imagery and meditation. valuable national assets are lying fallow and moribund. “Proceeds from outright privatisation or concession of the moribund assets should serve as the best alternative in funding yearly budget deficits since the assets are more or less, becoming national liabilities.” Speaking further, he promised that the N320 billion expected as revenue from the agency to fund the 2020 budget would be realised by the second quarters of next year from proceeds to be made from some national assets slated for privatisation. In his remarks, Chairman of the committee, Theodore Orji (PDP Abia Central), directed him to furnish the committee with records of the agency’s 2019 budget performance, ahead of consideration of the 2020 budgetary estimates for the agency by the committee next Monday. ICPC recovers 200 property from corrupt Nigerians in 8 months — Owasanoye By Soni Daniel A B U J A — INDEPENDENT Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, said, yesterday, it recovered over 200 property, including plazas, bungalows and mansions, from suspected corrupt individuals in the last eight months. Chairman of the commission, Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, who made the disclosure at a meeting with the management of Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, NIALS, in Abuja, boasted that the agency was on course to recover additional 100 houses from corrupt elements, adding that this would increase the number of seized assets to 300 before the end of the year. Owasanoye said the commission was working with the Federal Ministry of Works to map out the identified assets, with a view to ascertaining their value and how best they could be put to use by the federal government upon final forfeiture. He said: “ICPC has recovered over 200 assets under my watch. We are working hard to get to 300 before the end of the year. Some of these property are under interim forfeiture, while others are under final forfeiture.” Earlier, Director General of NIALS, Professor Muhammed Ladan, pleaded with the commission to help the agency to secure a temporary office accommodation for its staff. Ladan while bemoaning the lack of office space for the over 317 staff of NIALS said the institute had been squatting at the Supreme Court complex in Abuja for more than 20 years, and at the University of Lagos for about 40 years. FG deports 7 Koreans ‘for life’ By Omeiza Ajayi ABUJA— The Federal Government has announced the deportation of seven nationals of Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, DPRK, for life. The development was disclosed in a statement by the Public Relations Office ofNigerian Immigration Service, yesterday, in Abuja. The statement read: “The Comptroller-General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Muhammad Babandede, has carried out the deportation of the following seven World Food Day: Why 13.1m children are malnourished in Nigeria —UNICEF report By Luminous Jannamike ABUJA—A new report by United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has said poor diets and a failing food system were responsible for at least 13.1 million cases of malnutrition among children in Nigeria. According to the report, released last night in commemoration of the 2019 World Food Day, Nigeria has the second highest proportion of children suffering malnutrition after the Democratic Republic of Congo in the West and Central Africa region. The report, entitled, ‘’The state of the World’s Children 2019: Children, food and nutrition," said: “At least one in three children under five is either undernourished or overweight. Almost two in three children between six months and two years of age are not fed food that supports their rapidly growing bodies and brains. Buhari approves 6 aides for First Lady By Johnbosco Agbakwuru AMuhammadu BUJA—PRESIDENT Buhari has approved the appointment of new aides for the First Lady, Dr. Aisha Buhari. In a statement by Director of Information, Office of First Lady, State House, Abuja, the wife of former Governor of Nasarawa State, Dr. Mairo Almakura, has been appointed Special Assistant on African First Ladies Peace Mission, AFLPM, Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, DPRK, nationals from Nigeria for life. ‘’They are Jo Sun Phil, Hang Sung Chol, Che Chun Hyok and Pak Yong Gon, Ri Yong Il, Ri Hak Su and Ri Tong Nam. “They were deported by the order of the Minister of Interior based on the powers conferred on him by the Immigration Act 2015. “They were deported to their country of origin on the available flight on October 15, 2019, through Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.’’ “13.1 million children are stunted or too short for their age in Nigeria; 2.9 million children are wasted or too thin for their height. In Nigeria, malnutrition remains a major public health and development concern. “As children grow older, their exposure to unhealthy food becomes alarming, driven largely by inappropriate marketing and advertising, the abundance of ultra-processed foods in cities but also in remote areas, and increasing access to fast food and highly sweetened beverages. ‘’Besides failing food system, poverty and urbanisation, the report also noted that climate-related disasters cause severe food crises in the country. “To address the growing malnutrition crisis in all its forms, UNICEF is issuing an urgent appeal to government, the private sector, donors, parents, families and businesses to help children grow healthy.” Muhammed Albishir is appointed Special Assistant on Organisation of African First Ladies for Development, OAFLAD, while Wole Aboderin is appointed Special Assistant on Non- Governmental Organisations Aiyu Abdullahi is Special Assistant on Media and Publicity; Zainab Kazeem, Special Assistant on Domestic and Social Events and Funke Adesiyan, Personal Assistant on Domestic and Social Events. The appointments, according to the statement, take immediate effect. Buhari may sign Peace Corps Bill —Presidential aide By Philip Nyam THERE are indications that President Muhammadu Buhari may give assent to Nigeria Peace Corps Bill if passed again by the National Assembly. Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Reps), Umar El-Yakub, dropped the hint yesterday while addressing the media about the five new bills assented to by the President. Responding to a question as to whether the President would assent to the Nigeria Peace Corps Bill, if passed again and sent to him by the National Assembly, El-Yakub said: “Of course, with the renewed relationship, I’m sure there will be more work that will lead to the expeditious passage of the bill and of course, Mr. president will assent to all bills passed by the National Assembly, which do not have conflict or reservations. Meanwhile, President Buhari has assented to five bills, namely the Obafemi Awolowo University (Transition provisions) Amendment Bill 2019, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi Amendment Bill 2019, University of Maiduguri Amendment Bill 2019, National Fertiliser Quality Control Bill 2019 and Nigeria Council of Food Science and Technology (Establishment Bill) 2019.
10 — VANGUARD, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019 PRESENTATION—Governor Kayode Fayemi (4th left)with the elderly beneficiaries at the re-launching of the Social Security for Elderly Citizens of the state in Ado-Ekiti, yesterday. N45BN BUS PURCHASE: We acted on Ambode’s exco approval — Lagos A-G By Ebun Sessou LAGOS—THE Lagos State Accountant- General, Mrs. Shukrat Umar, has disclosed that the State Treasury Office acted on the Akinwunmi Ambode’s exco's approval in the N45 billion bus purchase. She said this before the House committee probing the activities of the last administration led by Ambode. Her claim was contrary to the allegation by the former Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Olusegun Banjo who also appeared before the House Committee, on Tuesday, that Mr. Ambode indeed signed the purchase of the 820 mass transit buses worth N45 billion without proper approval. Umar said: “The State Treasury Office acted on Exco’s approval. The buses were in line with Exco’s approval. I would not know whether the Paris Refund Club was discussed or not.” Meanwhile, the Lagos State House of Assembly has threatened to issue the warrant of arrest against the former governor for failing to appear before the House committee probing the activities of the last administration. Addressing a plenary session after the committee submitted its reports, the Speaker, Mr. Mudashiru Obasa, said the House would proceed to invite the former governor through a newspaper publication or face warrant of arrest if he fails to appear again before Access Bank hits over N1bn in digital lending daily By Nkiruka Nnorom L AGOS—ACCESS Bank’s expanded digital lending portfolio, which gives Nigerians quick and 24/7 access to funds for emergencies without any collateral, has hit N1 billion daily in loan value. Executive Director, Retail Banking, Access Bank Plc, Victor Etuokwu, said: “We are at the forefront of digital lending across the continent. This is a deliberate choice we made when we introduced the first USSD based digital lending product in Nigeria based on our deep understanding of our operating environment. In the past two years, we have disbursed over N3.5 million loans to individuals. We acknowledge it is no mean feat when compared to where the market is coming from, but this is still a scratch in the overall potential of this market. “This year alone, we have disbursed over N45 billion in over two million disbursements to individuals and have recently witnessed a spike in our volumes hitting N1billion daily. This achievement and our focus on retail lending reiterate our commitment to democratize access to financial services leveraging digital technology.” Also speaking, Head, Digital Banking Business Development, Access Bank, Chinedu Onuoha, said: “Our objective is to ensure that there is a digital loan product for every adult Nigerian, who has proven means of livelihood because we know that every individual at one point or another requires some form of financial support." the House to defend the controversial purchase of 820 mass transit buses worth N45bn. Also absent were the immediate past NAFDAC to shut bakeries over illegal, unhygienic practices By Chioma Obinna, Chinelo Azike & Olaide Jejelola LAGOS—THE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, yesterday, threatened a nationwide clampdown on producers of bread and other confectioneries over what it described as ‘illegal and unhygienic’ practices against food safety standards. The Agency noted that despite the ban on the use of potassium bromate in baking, many Nigerian bakers have continued the nefarious act at the detriment of the health of Nigerians. Similarly, the agency also issued a three-week ultimatum to bakers to comply with its guidelines or risk being shut down. The Director-General of NAFDAC, Professor Christianah Adeyeye, who handed down the warning in Lagos, announced that the agency has begun an awareness seminar across the six geopolitical zones of the country as a build-up to the nationwide clampdown exercise. The Director-General, who spoke at a One-Day workshop for Bread Producers on Bread Quality and Safety Standards, said surveillance activities revealed a lack of commitment by most bakers to good hygiene practices. Represented by the Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Akinyemi Ashade and a former Commissioner for Special Duties, Oladejo Seye. Director, Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Mr. Sherif Olagunju, the NAFDAC boss said most of the bakeries are infested with rats. Adeyeye said: “We know how dangerous these rats can be. Again, some of them now put few tablets of potassium bromate in their pockets even when you come for an inspection you will not find them because they hide them in their homes and come with few tablets in their pockets. This has necessitated the need for the agency to collaborate with good hygiene practices through frequent workshops and grassroots sensitisation activities. The illegal use of dough improvers like potassium bromate, a potential carcinogen in bread has been of food safety concern. Urging bakers to understand the safety standards and adhere to them, she said: “Bread quality intervention strategy will ensure that all bread producing facilities would produce safe bread for the Nigeria populace because the effective protection of over 167 million Nigeria public against cancer requires a preventive management approach.” Also, she said: “Another thing we discovered is, if somebody is going to make like four or five batches of bread, he may decide to add potassium bromate to like two or three batches and when supplying he will mix them up." Jim Ovia’s school acquires AIS property in Lagos By Adesina Wahab LAGOS—THE James Hope College, Agbor in Delta State, owned by the founder of Zenith Bank, Mr. Jim Ovia, yesterday, acquired the Lagos property of American International School, AIS, for an undisclosed amount. The signing ceremony of the deal took place in Lagos where Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, promised that his administration would always support the facilitation of business deals that would improve the economy of the state. Speaking on why James Hope College decided to establish a branch of the school in Lagos, Ovia noted that whatever resonates with the people of Lagos is always accepted nationwide. He said: “If you are in Lagos, you are taking care of at least 50 percent of the population of Nigeria one way or the other. The population is there and whatever resonates with the people here is regarded as being accepted all over the country. ”Also, within the six years that we have run James Hope College in Agbor, we have made a great impact that I want us to replicate across the country. I have a deep passion for education and if you come to my office, the two prominent logos you would see are those of Zenith Bank and James Hope College. ”Education is the main key. Our first set of graduating students got 100 percent in the last WAEC. Moreover, I believe in giving back to society Ex-judge, firm, drag NAFDAC to court over banned chemical By Innocent Anaba L AGOS—JUSTICE Olamide Oloyede, a retired judge in Osun State and Virtues Unlimited Restorative Justice Initiative, VURJI, have dragged the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC and eight others before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, over alleged importation of a banned chemical, methyl bromide into the country. Other defendants in the suit are: National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Ministry of Health, Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Justice. Justice Oloyede, who retired from the Osun State judiciary and VURJI are asking the court to compel the defendants to investigate, identify and destroy any methyl bromide, an odorless, and the Jim Ovia Foundation gave not less than 40 percent of our students’ scholarships. ”By the grace of God, when the Lagos school starts by September next year, at least 40 percent of the students will be given scholarships as well.” Sanwo-Olu lauds Ovia In his remarks, Governor Sanwo-Olu said Ovia had been a supporter of his administration. He said Lagos has over 1,057 primary schools and over 657 secondary schools and that the state government would soon begin a mass renovation of the schools, starting with about 300. ”In the light of the above, I am calling on other public-spirited individuals like Mr. Ovia to support our efforts at repositioning education in the state,” he said. Also, the former Vice- Chancellor of the University of Lagos, UNILAG, Prof. Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, commended the vision of Ovia in setting up the school and his Foundation through which he assists the needy. The representative of the American Ambassador to Nigeria, Ms. Carol Cox, expressed the hope that the agreement would be the beginning of a fruitful relationship between the Embassy and James Hope Schools. The Principal of James Hope School, Mr. Abraham Swart, said the about N9 billion so far committed to the school by Ovia was already yielding fruits. (See photos on page 14) colorless gas used to control pests in agriculture which has a serious negative effect on humans and the environment. They also urged the court to declare that the alleged importation of the banned chemical substance into Nigeria by a Lagos-based company, Toon Consolidated Company Limited according to the license issued by the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Services, NAQS and without the permission of NAFDAC is unlawful and illegal. In an affidavit in support of the suit deposed to by the retired judge, she claimed that the agro-chemical had been banned in Nigeria because it was dangerous to human health and caused environmental hazards by depleting the ozone layer. The VURJI coordinator also averred that methyl bromide, when used as a fumigant and pesticide, exposes humans to severe injuries, including lung damage because it is highly toxic.
Page 1 and 2: OLU FASAN 31 The eggheads in the EA
Page 3 and 4: Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 201
Page 5 and 6: vanguardnews @vanguardnews @vanguar
Page 9: 8—Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17,
Page 15 and 16: VANGUARD, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 201
Page 19 and 20: Why I’ll prefer to remain single
Page 21 and 22: Smuggling: Nigeria needs to fix str
Page 47 and 48: VANGUARD, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 201
Page 51 and 52: Continues from Page 5 Why FG slashe
Page 53 and 54: Harassment, intimidation of journal
Page 55 and 56: 52 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER
Page 59 and 60: Ronaldo better than Pele - Mendes C

17102019 - FG cuts travels, estacodes for ministers, other officials

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?