Category: General

The Federal Government has announced a special grant of N25,000 each to improve the lives of vulnerable pensioners in the country.

The grant, will be disbursed under the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Scheme of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

The Minister, Dr Betta Edu, announced this when she met with the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress, (NLC), led by its President, Mr Joe Ajaero in Abuja.

“President Bola Tinubu mentioned very clearly that vulnerable pensioners should be immediately captured on the National social Register and benefit from the CCT.

“As part of social safety net, this was made clear in his speech on Independence Day where he committed 25000 Naira for 15million household for three months”, she said.

Edu informed the leadership of labour union that the desire to expand the national social register to include vulnerable pensioners in the CCT scheme was encapsulated in the renewed hope agenda.

She therefore appealed to the NLC to help fast-track the process of collating Data of would-be vulnerable pensioners beneficiaries so that they can start receiving CCT.

“I want us to fast-track this, so that we are sure the expected beneficiaries can start receiving their stipends from next month which is November” Edu said.

The minister commended Ajaero for being a team player.

According to her, the task of moving Nigeria forward was a collective one.

She therefore urged NLC leadership to continue to have faith in the Tinubu Administration.

In his response, Ajaero expressed delight at the various poverty alleviation and job creation schemes rolled out by the Humanitarian Ministry.

The labour leader however said, identifying the root cause of poverty would go a long way in addressing the challenge in the country.

“Let’s look at not only how to solve this problem, but the cause of the problem, Let us look at other social welfare interventions and job creation that will go a long way to support families” he said.

He urged the federal government to create more productive economy by creating more Jobs to ensure prosperous nation.

Ajaero thanked the Minister for being the first member of the federal executive council to visit the labour house in President Tinubu’s Administration.

”For finding time to visit the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, we will work with you to achieve success in this process and your impact will be felt” Ajaero said.

Also speaking, President of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Mr Godwin Abumisi, thanked the federal government for finding the retirees worthy of government social intervention programme.

According to him, Pensioners recieved as low as between five and ten thousand Naira a month.

”Twenty five thousand Naira is a big money to them”, Abumisi said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Mr Chukwudi Ezugu, the National Chairman, Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers (NICE), says both concrete and asphalt pavements are good for road construction.

Ezugu made this clarification on Wednesday in Abuja, on the sidelines of the 21st International Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Institution.

The theme of the conference is “Trends in Sustainable Civil Engineering Infrastructure for Economic Growth’’.

He spoke against the backdrop of the trending debate about the use of concrete or asphalt pavements in the construction of the nation’s highways.

According to Ezugu, the two are different road pavements and are used for different conditions of roads.

“If the load on the road is quite high concrete pavement would be preferable, it is also more durable but the cost is much higher but flexible pavement also has a life span of 20-25 years.

“So, basically there are some roads which are arterial for high traffic you may have to make that decision to do that investment.

“Basically, what we are saying here is that this will depend on the study, because there are experts that study each of this situation with the client agreeing based on the economies and its serviceability.

“Nothing is actually permanent so, if you have to do a project that has to last for 20 to 25 years, it is possible that after that, you may even like to restructure the project in itself, redesign for one thing or the other.

Speaking on the relevance of the theme of the conference, the national chairman said it was geared toward economic development taking into cognisance new technologies and new materials.

“Including local ones and also ways of funding infrastructure, it must be sustainable infrastructure.

“We need infrastructure, which we develop and which will not constitute a problem to the future generation.

“In other words, the materials you use should not endanger the environment or the future and all these is geared toward forming the bedrock for economic development,”Ezugu said.

He further said that adequate civil infrastructure was known to be the foundation of any vibrant and strong economy and the socioeconomic status of any nation was measured by its degree of infrastructural development.

He said the conference would look at the challenges of impoverished civil engineering development and proffer solutions to change the narrative through the use of innovation, local material and alternative funding.

Also speaking at the conference, the President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Mr Tasiu Gidari-Wudil, said the worth of any society was dependent on the infrastructure it parades.

He was represented at the conference by Mr Chinasaokwu Okoli, Vice President, NSE.

He said it could be engineering infrastructure, medical infrastructure, economic infrastructure, legal or financial stressing that all the infrastructure resolve around the engineering infrastructure.

‘This is because it is what gives the platform on which a society can boast that they are okay. What we doing here is that the experts are speaking to themselves and at the end of this conference there will be a communiqué.

“Which will be passed on to the government, the people that formulate the policies and drive the policy there are people that implement it and there are people that monitor it.

“So we are all stakeholders at the end of the day the conference will come up with a communiqué on which subject experts must have brainstormed and bring the way forward.

On the issue of concrete or asphalt he said nothing is wrong with either of the method, adding that the society was planning on organising a national discourse on it soon.

“There is nothing wrong with flexible pavement there is nothing wrong with rigid pavement but when the core subject experts meet they will advise on which one is advisable.

“It is not a one fit all solution, there are places we see that rigid pavement is more economical, there are places that flexible pavement is more economical.

“Whatever an engineer is doing he is looking at the economy with functionality and durability, sustainability casts it all, so we will be coming up with some statements that will advise the government as subject experts.

“It will be a win-win for all of us, and kudos to the Minister of Works for bringing up this issue, this is what happens all over the world that is because he is a subject expert,” he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Osagie Okunbor, Managing Director, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, has tasked Human Resources (HR) practitioners to deepen their professional knowledge to tackle the disruptive demands of the ever-changing business environment.

Okunbor said this at a forum organised by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) in Lagos on Wednesday.

The Shell MD said the advice was critical because Human Resources took a central role to help organisations transit and prepare for technology and other disruptive business realities.

According to him, business realities is underpinned by volatility and uncertainty, therefore organisations require the best degree of HR resilience to cope with with happenings.

“Today’s business realities involve volatile and uncertain globalisation, inflation, war for talent, technology disruptions and artificial intelligence advancements.

“2023 and beyond demands a high level of HR innovation and disruption hence the need to rethink HR.

“This involves rethinking organisations culture and leadership, pushing boundaries to power organisational agility, acquire cross functional aptitude, unleash digitalisation, elevate HR decision science, prioritise inclusion and embrace perpetual work reinvention,” he said.

Okunbor also tasked HR professionals to align strategies with organisational goals and ensure that talents were properly managed and preserved to save the future of organisations and government.

“What worries me the most is how much we spend training children abroad and talents exported with no plans of their coming back.

“If care is not taken, talent may become a big issue for us in the future in corporate organisations and even government.

“HR professionals must begin to leverage data science to drive credible people outcomes,” he said.

President, CIPM, Mr Olusegun Mojeed, said the forum was organised to help the institute connect better with the business community in Nigeria.

“One major priority to me and the team is stakeholders engagement at various levels.

“We did our stakeholders mapping and realised that we needed to connect with business owners and leaders who employ people.

“As the leading people management institute, our core function does not end with just engaging our members and providing the needed professional support.

“It also involves connecting with people managers across board, especially those who may not necessarily be HR professionals,” Mojeed said.

Malam Ibrahim Dasuki Arabi, Director-General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms, urged the CIPM on the professionalism and certification of HR profession in the public sector across all levels- states and local government.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Prof. Musa Maitafsir, the Director-General, National Teachers’ Institute (NTI)Kaduna, says it plans to introduce a mandatory one-year Teacher Internship Programme by January, 2024.

Maitafsir made this known on Thursday in Abuja, at a news conference to mark the the 2023 World Teachers’ Day.

The News of Nigeria ( NAN) reports that the day has as it’s theme ‘ The teachers we need for the education we want: The global imperative to reverse the teacher shortage ‘.

NAN also reports that held annually on October 5 since 1994, the day is observed to commemorate the adoption of 1996 ILO/UNESCO recommendation concerning the status of teachers.

The day also focusses on the rights , responsibilities and standards of teachers’ initial preparation and further education, recruitment and employment.

Expatiating on the planned internship programme, the D-G said that it would be introduced in partnership with the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN).

He explained that the programme was initiated in compliance with Section ‘C’ sub section (1), page 21 of the National Teacher Education Policy (NTEP) (2014).

” After graduation from any Teacher Education Programmes, every new teacher shall be registered by the TRCN after at least one year of successful Internship and Mentoring to qualify for licence.”

Maitafsir said that the internship was a mandatory programme that is expected to last for one year for the holders of NCE, B.ed, PGDE, M.ed and PhD in the education sector.

” The duration of one year is similar to Internship Programmes of other professions like Law and Medicine.

” This will be operated in two diets, March and November of each year before or after the commencement of NYSC by those with Degree Certificates.”

Maitafsir, however, said that the programme would only be applicable to would-be teachers and not for those that have already been inducted by TRCN and given it’s certificate.

He said that the programme would acquaint the ‘ Trainee-Teachers ‘ with the practical knowledge of trashing and learning process.

“They include E- facilitation and teacher integration in teaching skills, psycho – principles of commitment of teaching and delivery and retention techniques.

“Others are aesthetics and conventional wrong skills, entrepreneurship education skills and monthly teachers’ acculturation lectures.”

According to him, on successful of the programme, the trainees will be awarded with a ‘Teacher Internship Certificate’ that will qualify them for TRCN ‘Induction and Certification’.

Maitafsir said that all the interns would pay an application fee of N7,000 and and internship fee of N50,000.

He added that the programme would be run at the Institute’s headquarters in Kaduna and the six geopolitical zones in the country.

Maitafsir further stated that the programme would go a long way in advancing teaching and learning in Nigeria.

He added: “It will certainly help in producing highly motivated, efficient and effective teachers for our schools.

“FME, NTI, TRCN and all other relevant stakeholders should have their hands on deck to ensure successful implementation of the programme as enshrined in NTEP.

“The teaching profession in Nigeria had over the years been intruded by unqualified individuals making it an all- comers job and just a stepping stone to other jobs.

“There is the need to ensure that only qualified individuals are engaged as teachers to teach in schools.”

According to Maitafsir, for teaching to be fully professionalised in Nigeria, there is the need for such a compulsory internship programme for the teachers.

” The programme will ensure that only individuals that have passed through it would be licenced and called ‘Teachers’ and then be allowed to practice the profession.”

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Chairman, Uniccon Group, Dr Chuks Ekwueme has tasked newly appointed Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) to leverage their expertise and social currencies to deliver on the responsibilities entrusted to them.

The General Manager of the group, Mr Kehinde Ake, who said this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, added that the CEOs were appointed at the Uniccon subsidiary offices.

Ake quoted the Chairman as saying that the appointees of its Chuksprime Organics, SmartAfri Labs and Baba Sky Technologies subsidiaries were Mr Chris Ebosie, Mr Eval Esege and Mr Ronald Ajiboye accordingly.

He said the appointments were critical to repositioning the Group’s subsidiaries for market traction and more impact in the technology space.

Ekwueme said that they were appointed based on their great expertise and specialty.

He said: “The choice of Chris to lead Chuksprime was an easy one, given his great expertise and management experience across several industries and stake in creating the blockchain technology and managerial prowess.

“On Ajiboye, I could not have made a better choice given his foothold in UAV-drone research, development, marketing and networking in the UAV space.”

The chairman said that Chuksprime was an agro export company focused on the sourcing, processing, and export of Natural and organic agro commodities.

He said Smartafri Labs was a blockchain hub for the NFT marketplace, utility tokens and the metaverse. It drives African creatives, and creation and incorporates its cultures into the specialised niche.

According to Ekwueme, Baba Sky Technologies engages in the research, development, deployment and commercialisation of customised military, surveillance, agro and use-case UAV-drone.

In response, the new executives thanked the chairman for the confidence reposed in them and promised to exceed expectations with the cooperation of management and members of staff.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

To ensure school children navigate the complexities of society and grow to become responsible citizens, an educationist is proposing the establishment of guidance and counselling units in basic schools to take up that role. Mr Emmanuel Adjei Danso, the Guidance and Counselling Coordinator of the Obuasi Municipality, who is advocating the novelty, said it was the way to go as a country to shape the lives of pupils in the face of numerous vices in society. He was speaking at the fourth graduation ceremony of the LEAP School for its continuing pupils, on the theme: ‘Overcoming Obstacles’. It was to honour 92 learners for their hard work from kindergarten to primary and junior high schools and motivate them to aspire for higher laurels in the education enterprise. The colourful event saw pupils displaying their talents in poetry recitals, music and dance, drama as well as the varieties of Ghana’s rich cultural heritage. Mr Danso said guidance and counselling units in schools would provide opportunity for the pupils to share issues affecting their development for professional advice to guide their steps. He said children were confronted with a plethora of societal issues, including abuse, hence the need to take proactive measures to identify their signs of distress and support them appropriately. Mr Alexander Ackon, a former Ashanti Regional Minister, who was the guest of honour, charged parents to show keen interest in the academic performance of their children. They should not shirk their responsibilities both at home and school and holistically train their children as parents determined to raise disciplined and morally upright future leaders, he said. ‘Parents have a huge role to play in terms of the welfare of their children, especially at home, whiles teachers take charge of their development at school,’ he said. ‘It is incumbent on parents not to shirk their responsibilities of assisting children with their homework and providing their needs.’ Mr Aboagye Ohene Adu, the Director of the school, in a speech read on his behalf, said the school had grown in leaps and bounds with a pupil population of more than 250 after its establishment 10 years ago. He attributed the successes chalked to the invaluable contributions of parents as well as the tremendous role played by management and teachers. He expressed the school’s commitment to providing holistic education for children by inculcating in them qualities that would enable them to successfully climb the academic ladder.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Some residents in the Sunyani Municipality have expressed disbelief over the news of the demise of the former First Lady Theresa Kufuor, describing her death as ‘painful.’ The former First Lady was the wife of the former President John Agyekum Kufuor who served from January 07, 2001, to January 07, 2009. She passed away aged 88. As the nation mourns the late former First Lady, residents in Sunyani in an interview with the Ghana News Agency said they would forever remember the late Mrs. Kufuor for her passion for child healthcare. Mr Daniel Dayee, a journalist said: ‘I was extremely surprised when I heard the announcement of her death. I least expected it, but what do we do if death roars its ugly face.’ He described the contributions of the late former First Lady to nurturing the country’s multi-party democracy as exceptional, saying ‘the former President Kufuor’s achievements in his two-terms of office can partly be attributed to the former first lady.’ ‘Looking from afar, it was glaring the former first lady was truly a virtuous woman who possessed the biblical trait of womanhood,’ Mr Dayee stated, adding, her support to former President Kufuor affirms the proverbial maxim that there is a woman, behind every successful man’. Another resident, Mr Kwasi Adu Gyamfi, a private security and a political pundit popularly known in the political space as ‘Ice T Odumase’ said ‘Ghana has indeed lost a heroine, a patriot and a true mother.’ ‘Mrs. Theresa Kufuor has really paid her dues to the nation, and as a stateswoman we must celebrate her. She really deserves a befitting burial,’ he stated. The late first lady had a long and illustrious career that started with her education at the Catholic Convent, OLA in the Volta Region. She went on to study nursing in London and Scotland, specializing as a State Certified Midwife with a Certificate in Premature Nursing and thereafter, married John Agyekum Kufuor in 1962, and together, had five children. Mrs. Kufuor had a keen interest in the welfare of mothers and children and therefore founded the mother and Child Community Development Foundation, a non-governmental organization. The NGO operates in Ghana and Canada and supports work in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of diseases.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) says it is expecting the Government to release some funds for the marking and release of results for this year’s West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE). Mr John K. Kapi, Head of Public Affairs, WAEC, told the GNA that the early release of the money would facilitate the processes. He said the Government had given WAEC GHC10.5million to start with the BECE adding, ‘that is what we have used for the examination. Now that the examination is over, we expect the release of some monies to be able to go through the marking process and the release of the results.’ Mr Kabi said the Council had met with the Minister of Education on September 25, 2023, and he (Minister) indicated that the Ministry was aware that the money released to the Council was going to be inadequate for the entire process so, he had instructed the Chief Director to work towards the release of more funds. ‘As we speak now, no money has hit our accounts yet,’ he added. He said WAEC had carried out its preparatory activities for the marking and that the Council would start with the coordination of its examiners this afternoon (Wednesday, October 4, 2023). Mr Kapi said between Wednesday October 4 -7, 2023, the coordination with examiners would be over and marking would begin on Monday October 9, 2023. The head of Public Affairs said the Council had in excess 22,000 examiners to pay. ‘The fear we have now is that if the government does not release funds, we may not be able to complete the process and what it means is that we may not be able to pay the examiners. ‘We have made this clear to government and we hope that government keep the promise to release funds to enable us to complete the process.’ Mr Kapi said the release of the results was dependent on the release of funds by the Government. He said the Council was looking at releasing the results of BECE in the last week of October 2023, adding that ‘as soon as we are done with the swapping of the regions in respect of WASSCE, then marking will start’.

Source: Ghana News Agency