By Friday Idachaba

Kogi State House of Assembly has passed the states Violence Against Persons Prohibitions (VAPP) Bill to provide for the elimination of violence in private and public life, as well as life imprisonment for rapists.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the passage followed the adoption of the report of the joint Committees on Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Judiciary and Justice, on the bill presented at plenary on Monday, in Lokoja.

The report was presented by the Committee on Women Affairs, chairman, Abubakar Tanko Mohammed (APC-Kogi/Koto) and was followed by Clause-by-Clause consideration of the bill by the legislators at the Committee of the Whole.

The Bill provides for the elimination of Violence in Private and Public Life, Prohibition of all Forms of Violence Against Persons, Protection of Victims and Punishment for Offenders in Kogi State and Other Matters Connected therewith 2021.

The Bill also provided for life imprisonment for aiding and abetting same for the actual offender, upon conviction.

The private bill sponsored by Challenged Parenthood Initiative (CPI), with support from the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and ActionAid Nigeria (AAN), was first introduced to the House in 2019, to serve as a legal tool for protection, especially of women and girls, from all forms of violence.

In the lead debate on the bill, Mohammed said it was no longer news that violence and other forms of offences against persons, in public and private life, were at their peak, making life unsafe in the state.

The purpose of the VAPP Bill is to eliminate violence in our private and public lives, to prohibit all forms of violence against persons and to provide maximum protection and effective remedies for the victims and punishment to the offenders.

He said that towards the off-cycle gubernatorial election in the state, the CPI implemented a project funded by the NDI called Get Out The Vote/Stop Violence Against Women in Politics (GOTV/Stop-VAWIP).

According to him, data collated and analysed by the CPI revealed that 85.7 per cent of the voters fell victim of violence during the governorship election.

It was further revealed that existing laws in the state did not cover all forms of the offence. That is why perpetrators of violence were not prosecuted and many individuals could not access justice, he said.

In his ruling, the Speaker, Prince Matthew Kolawole, said the House at the Committee of the Whole considered sections 1-48 of the bill, as well as the Schedule thereto bring to an end, the consideration of the bill.

The Third and Final Reading was read by the Clerk, Alhaji Ibrahim Anika, and was pronounced passed by the Speaker. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari has sent felicitations to renowned economist and philanthropist, Tony Onyemaechi Elumelu, on his 58th birthday.

In a statement by his spokesman, Mr Femi Adesina, in Abuja on Monday, Buhari joined family and friends to rejoice with the entrepreneur, whose interests had continued to create opportunities for growth and development in the country.

President Buhari commended the economist for his foresight and large-heartedness in setting up the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF).

He said the foundation had consistently inspired highly talented African youths into entrepreneurship, helped many to acquire business skills, enhanced positive social networks and provided start-up funds, within the larger goal of reducing poverty.

According to him, Elumelu, who is the Chairman of Heirs Holdings, United Bank for Africa and Transcorp, demonstrates resilience and relentlessness in dream realization, following his antecedents as a young banker.

He noted that Elumelu saw opportunities in the economy and worked hard to climb the ladder of success, receiving Nigerias National Productivity Order of Merit in 2019.

The president prayed for more wisdom, good health and longer life for the investor as he spreads investments into energy, real estate, agribusiness, health care and hospitality, creating more opportunities in the real sector. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Angela Atabo

Connected Development (CODE) says it is developing a website to assess the social gaps and challenges faced by citizens affected by COVID-19 pandemic in some African countries.

The CODEs Project Lead, Dr Onyekachi Onuoha made this known when he led a delegation to the Federal Ministry of Health, in a statement in Abuja.

Onuoha said the organisation was seeking partnership with the ministry to assist it in countering fake news and misinformation about COVID-19.

He said that the website would also help to give credible information about the pandemic and what the governments had spent to fight it.

A website is currently being developed will look at the social gaps and certain challenges faced amongst citizens of those countries such as health, economical and a range of other issues.

He listed the countries as Nigeria, Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, adding that research had been carried out about the impact of COVID-19 and its effects in marginalised communities.

He said that the advocacy visit was to bring awareness to the ministry about a new project CODE was carrying out in partnership with BudgIT titled: COVID-19 Transparency and Accountability Project (CTAP).

Onouha said that the CTAP project was an initiative that sought to promote accountability and transparency through the tracking of COVID-19 intervention funds across seven African countries.

He said that the measure became imperative because people were having apathy about COVID-19, with the impression that it was something the governments were making noise about that was not in existence.

He said that the project would assist the governments in making citizens buy-in, believe in the policies and protocols of COVID-19.

The project also serves as a platform for coalition building which brings together the government, media, civil society organisations and citizens to help counter attack fake news and misinformation, he said.

He said that the NGO was embarking on the project because it understood that it was a collective responsibility to build citizens trust in government.

So if we have details of what governments are spending in this period of COVID-19 among other things, we can actually tell citizens this is where you can go to confirm all the records of the government.

What that tells you is that COVID-19 is true, it is not a means of just making money and beyond that.

The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr Abdulaziz Abdullahi, who received the CODE delegate was receptive of the project and commended them for the initiative.

Abdullahi committed to bringing CODE on board when financial reports were released and to work with the team on COVID-19 issues.

The delegates from CODE included Dr Onyekachi Onuoha, Project Lead, Charles Uche, Staff Attorney and Anne Nwakalor, Communications Officer.

Source: NAN News

By Olasunkanmi Onifade

Mr Isa Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy on Monday inaugurated the National policy on Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) core skills.

Pantami at a virtual meeting in Abuja, said that the Federal Government also commenced training of 600 youths on the deployment and installation of VSAT in the country, as part of the implementation of the policy.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that there were virtual presentations of VSAT installation tools and empowerment packages to participants

He said that the UNESCO recently came up with a global policy of building capacities for citizens in VSAT installation core skills.

NAN reports that VSAT is a managed satellite internet service for business and government use. Itis a data transmission technology used for many types of data management and in high-frequency trading.

It can be used in place of a large physical network as it bounces the signal from satellites, instead of being transported through physical means like an internet connection.

According to the minister, beneficiaries were selected from the six geopolitical zones, which included North West Zone- Kano and Kastina, South West Zone- Ekiti and Lagos, North East Zone- Gombe and Bauchi.

Others are South East Zone- Abia and Anambra, North Central Zone -Niger and plateau states South South- Rivers and Akwa Ibom.

Pantami said the training of VSAT core skills had begun in The Gambia andother African countries, adding that it showed the relevance of VSAT communication satellite in Africa.

In Nigeria, we have NIGCOMSAT 1R, which is our critical infrastructure in the country.

The Federal Government is working day in day out, to provide another back- up for the Satellite which is already on the way.

It is a truly relevant training; the installation alone has its market and by 2025 provides about seven billion dollars.

With the huge population in Nigeria, the earlier we realised and get ready to build the capacities for our citizens in that regards, the better for all of us, he said.

Pantami said VSAT installation and deployment was becoming very viable and profitable in so many places like Asia, Pacific, and Latin America.

He said recently that Mexico came up with Mexico Connect Door which provides internet access or connectivity to citizens in public places like market, universities, Airports and many other places using the VSAT installation approach.

VSAT is key to our broadband penetration in Nigeria which is in alignment with National Digital Economy Policy strategy for a digital economy.

It is also in line with the Nigeria Broadband plan and National innovation Entrepreneur policies, Pantami said.

The minister, however, directed the parastatals including the ministry should ensure the soft copy of the trainings are available on the Websites, within 24hrs to encourage stakeholders to key into the policies and training of citizenry.

Speaking, Mr Yusuf Kazaure, Chairman of Board of Directors of NIGCOMSAT LTD, said Nigeria was leveraging on the digital technologies to drive government digital services.

He said the programme would optimise the communications infrastructure for National Economic Development and Digital innovation, to create value and prosperity.

Digital Economy which aims to promoteand facilitate the development ofthe ICT, is part of the mandates of the Federal Ministry of Communications.

It also promotesdomestic software applications and enhances digital literacy and skill, as well as National Policy on VSAT core skills for Nigerians.

Theflag-off of the policy implementation is considered paramount to our National Technological Development, he said.

Kazaure said the launchingwouldplaya criticalroleinthe implementation ofthe National BroadbandPlan,asVSATwould beusedtocoveralltheunservedand underserved ruralareasin the country.

Given the untapped nature of a lot of this capacity, a programme like VSAT training provesinvaluable tomost ofour youths, in termsof harnessingcompetence and presentingthem with opportunities for exposureandbusinessacumen.

Kazaure saidNIGCOMSAT would continue to anchor and promote laudable programmes ofthe Ministryof Communications and DigitalEconomy,andcreate an enabling environment for innovativestart-ups,throughinnovative training.

Also speaking,Mallam Kasifu Inuwa, the Director General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), said the training offered a legacy in the digital sector in the country.

NAN reports that the training is for period of five days.

There were virtual presentations of VSAT installation tools and empowerment packages to participants in Gombe, Kano and Abia. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Grace Alegba

The Lagos State Government on Tuesday advised residents to speak up against extortion or arbitrary rents increase by landlords and stop suffering in silence.

Mr Ayodeji Amodu, Senior Special Assistant to Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on Housing gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

Amodu said there was the need for residents to speak up because enforcement of the existing laws on rent was only possible when people lodge complaints.

He noted that the state government recently inaugurated a new agency to regulate and monitor both tenants and landlords to ensure equity, adding that laws were usually forgotten if not used or challenged.

The aide called on tenants who were victims of arbitrary rent increase or other vices to approach the Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority (LASRERA), for amicable resolution of issues.

People just keep quiet when they are overcharged; but the law will not defend you if you dont come to challenge it.

Somebody must actually go out to say that I know my right and I can always challenge any landlord who is increasing his rent abruptly without any course to the law of the land, he said.

Amodu noted that the agency was created to monitor, control and regulate policies of real estate transactions in the state.

Like I said, the government is always on the side of the people; that is why the regulatory authority was inaugurated and is doing very well to ensure transactions are monitored.

If you are a tenant or a landlord, you have access to get LASRERA.

If either you have been defrauded or overcharged, or you paid for a property and you have not got value for your money, that is an area you can go to lodge your complaints and such people will be called to order, he said.

The aide listed completed and on-going affordable mass housing schemes embarked upon by the Sanwo-Olu administration, to increase housing stock and bridge the huge shelter gap in the state.

Amodu also highlighted the low mortgage offers aimed at making houses and rents cheaper, to ensure landlords have access to finance and individuals could afford decent housing.

He stated that the government would tinker with the existing laws on rent made by previous regimes, to bring them up-to-date with current realities.

When certain rules are made, people tend to flout it.

Landlords tend to believe that well, Ive got my money to build my homes and I feel I should charge what I feel I have put in as cost, but that doesnt come with government.

The government is always on the side of the masses and that is why I said the government of Babajide Sanwo-Olu came up with a new idea of creating mortgages for people who intend to have homes.

Like we have the Lagos Homes and you can still access the mortgages through the Lagos State Building Investment Corporation (LBIC).

The Rent Control Act of the government is still going to be something that would be promulgated again, because we know that it is very easy for people to jerk up their prices of homes based on the fact that they dont have good interest rates from the bank.

We understand the parts of individuals, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Rukayat Adeyemi

The Lagos State Government has reiterated its commitment to resolving all pending pension issues in the state, promising to ensure prompt payment of pensioners entitlements.

The Director-General, Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC), Mr Babalola Obilana, said this at the 83rd Bond Presentation in Lagos, according to a statement on Tuesday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Retirement Savings Accounts (RSAs) of 366 pensioners were credited with a sum of N1.49 billion for the month of March.

Obilana said that the commission was fully committed to ensuring that retirees receive their terminal benefits as and when due.

He said that LASPEC was established to take care of the needs of retirees, which it had been performing diligently, and would continue to devote itself to.

We are dedicated to the retirees welfare because we know that they have worked so hard for the progress of the state and now is the time for them to reap the benefit, he said.

The director-general appreciated the retirees for always cooperating with the commission and adhering to laid down rules.

Obilana noted that the cooperation of the pensioners had resulted in reduction of the delay in the payment of their entitlements.

We could have sent these bond certificates to everyone at home, but we deemed it proper to invite everyone here so that we can reiterate that LASPEC is open to all your questions.

It gives us great joy that there has been a big reduction in reports of retirees being swindled of their entitlements.

This is because the retirees are now better enlightened as a result of our constant advocacy as well as open door policy at the commission , he said.

Obilana urged the retirees to be wary of swindlers and crooks that were out to con them of their hard earned money.

The director-general emphasised that it was not a mandate of LASPEC to call or send messages to retirees to charge them fee before they could get their entitlements.

The LASPEC boss commended Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for his swift response to pension matters and his unalloyed commitment to retirees welfare.

He said that the government was working on a template that would ensure that retirees did not have to wait longer to get their entitlements.

In order to improve on the current system, Governor Sanwo-Olu is currently working on a model that will ensure that retirees get their entitlements as soon as they disengage from the service, Obilana said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Abdullahi Shugaba

President Muhammadu Buhari has sympathised with traders at the Katsina Central Market and the entire people of Katsina State over the fire disaster that occurred at the market on Monday.

Buhari was represented by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, who led a delegation of top government officials to pay a sympathy visit to the traders in Katsina on Tuesday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the fire destroyed property worth billions of naira.

The president urged the traders to be strong and consider what happened as an act of God.

He said that he was saddened by the news of the fire incident.

Buhari commended the Katsina State Government and people for efforts at controlling the fire.

According to him, the Federal Government will see how it can assist those who lost their property to the fire.

Responding, the Chairman of the Katsina Traders/Marketers Association, Alhaji Abbas Alobaba, thanked the president for sending the delegation.

The chairman pledged the associations support for Katsina State Government and Buharis administration.

NAN reports that in the delegation were the Minister of Internal Affairs, Rauf Aregbosola; his Police Affairs counterpart, Maigari Dingyadi; the Minister of Humanitarian and Disaster Management, Sadiya Umar-Farouk, and that of Aviation, Hadi Sirika.

A Senior Special Assistant to the President, Malam Garba Shehu, was among the dignitaries. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ibrahim Kado

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has sealed off 16 petroleum stations over alleged irregularities in Adamawa.

Mr Sadiq Ibraheem, DPR Operation Controller in Adamawa, disclosed this to newsmen on Monday in Yola.

He said that the exercise was conducted during the weekend as part of DPRs routine surveillance.

We were able to inspect 43 filling stations in Jimeta, Yola, Numan and Maiha and out of which 16 were sealed for various offences.

The offences ranged from sales above official pump price, lack of safety facilities displayed and we discovered some stations were slightly under dispensing, he said.

According to him, the sealed stations have to pay certain fees to the Federal Government and rectify their pump price to official price before they could be allowed to operate.

He advised the marketers to always abide by the law for a successful business.

Ibraheem said that the routine surveillance would be continuous and any person found wanting would be sanctioned according on the law. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Edith Ike-Eboh

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said on Monday that the 1.5 billion dollars approved for the Port Harcourt refinery was for complete rehabilitation and not turnaround maintenance.

The Group Managing Director (GMD), NNPC, malam Mele Kyari, said this in Abuja on Monday, while reacting to controversies and unverified claims by some Nigerians on the funds meant for the project.

Kyari said that the refinery would work in optimal capacity at the completion of rehabilitation programme.

We are not doing turnaround maintenance, we are doing rehabilitation of the refinery, and it is very different; it means that we are replacing certain major components.

We are introducing some items that ordinarily we wont need to do in turnaround maintenance and there are major shift in the status of the plant that we have to do and it is not done during turnaround maintenance.

During rehabilitation, by the 18th month, part of this plant will begin to produce particularly the gasoline plants.

In rehabilitation, we normally dont shut down the plant completely, we repair a segment of it, and then it starts working, and then, you move to the next segment.

You continue to scale up and that is why, within the four-year period, the contractor would have completely left your premises.

What it means in a technical sense is that in 18 months, we will see production coming from that plant; we will follow it plant by plant until we are completely done, Kyari said.

The NNPC GMD also said that the process of rehabilitation started about 10 years ago but was slowed down due to a number of mistakes that occurred along the line.

He, however, noted that an Italian company had been contracted for the job with one billion dollars financing arrangement from the Afreximbank.

This process started 10 years ago and a number of mistakes happened leading to the enormous delay we have seen in this process because there were a lot of interferences in the past but these are gone.

Initially, we thought that the best way to go was to go to the original builder but it wasnt the right strategy.

Another way of making this project work was the introduction of borrowing for the repair work because when you borrow, the lenders will put conditions and one of the conditions is that it should be maintained under own and earn.

This means that the NNPC will not operate this plant as a basic requirement of the financing institution. The financing partner will ensure that the contractor will work efficiently.

Importantly is that the contractor O

By Edith Ike-Eboh

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has said that the country does not have the financial muscle now to build a new refinery going by the economic situation of the country.

Mele Kyari, NNPC Group Managing Director, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja while engaging newsmen on issues emanating from the proposed rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery approved by the Federal Government last week.

Kyari said building a new refinery now would cost the country about 10 billion dollars which was far beyond the 1.5 billion dollars earmarked for the rehabilitation of Port Harcourt refinery.

He also said that the country would have to live with importation of petroleum product, especially Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), for another four years if the country ventures into building a new refinery.

We have people saying why not build a new one; why will you repair an old refinery with 1.5 billion dollars?

He continued: The fact is available even by Google search, what it takes to build a refinery of this status today.

It will be difficult for the country to build a new refinery as it will take four years for it to commence production.

It is around 7 billion dollars and 12 billion dollars to construct a refinery of this nature (Port Harcourt refinery).

This is the estimate you see in public space and there are things you do outside the construction battle-limits like the utilities that are never accounted for when estimates of this nature are done.

Typically, there is an additional 25 per cent cost for construction battle-limits, so, when you say a refinery can be built at 7 billion dollars or even 10 billion dollars, also think of that 25 per cent.

With todays estimate, you cannot build a refinery at any cost below these amounts, that means that the option you have is to scrap this and build a new one, and we all know that we dont have that resource.

If we start a new refinery of this nature today, it cant work in less than four years, therefore, it means we will continue to import petroleum products in the next four years or more, Kyari said.

According to him, the country did not do well in maintaining the refineries in the past 25 years as the last turnaround maintenance of the Port Harcourt refinery happened 21 years ago.

He noted that the huge cost of rehabilitation of the refinery witnessed in this present time was as a result of poor maintenance of the plant over a period of time

What we are seeing today is the cumulative effect of our lack of doing proper maintenance over a period of time but something has changed today and this is why we are proud to tell Nigerians that we have done something different in the background.

This is because we have a government that allowed us to play our role without interference in terms of our procurement exercises and this made the process go unhindered.

This has also allowed us to involve every stakeholder including NUPENG and NEITI, to ensure openness and accountability of the process. (NAN)

Source: NAN News