By Muhyideen Jimoh

The Director of Audit, overseeing Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation (OAuGF), Mr Andrew Onwudili has called for more focus on risk based auditing in public and private sectors.

Onwudili said this on Wednesday in Abuja at a book launch titled: Risk Based Approach to Financial Auditing written by Mr Wasiu Akindele, a Director in the OAuGF

The director, who was represented by Mr Benjamin Angbo, Director of Audit, Inspectorate, OAuGF emphasised the importance of auditing to efficient service delivery.

This book is very educative and timely as it will help young officers and auditors on risk based approach to financial auditing in our public and private sectors.

Its an auditors kit that every auditor should have as it will serve as a proper guide to writing your professional reports, he said.

Earlier, Mr Wasiu Akindele, author of the book told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the book is a product of over 30 years experience as an auditor in professional and civil service career.

He said the book, which focuses on a new area of auditing, would ultimately ensure more professional auditors and efficient service delivery in public and private sectors.

The book will be very useful in the sense that it dwells on the meticulous examination of financial statements and in the process of examining it you are likely to come across some misstatements and how to mitigate them.

So the benefit to the nation is that auditors will be well armed before carrying out their assignment and this will ultimately lead to better accountability and transparency in public and private organisations.

Akindele therefore stressed the need for professional auditors and exploring new ways of ensuring value for money in government financial activities for the benefit of the nation.

NAN reports that the 67-page book with 14 chapters analysed topics such as types of audit risks, audit process for a risk based approach among others.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Grace Yussuf

Source: NAN News

Sen. Ajayi Boroffice, the Senate Deputy Majority Leader on Wednesday led inter-faith special prayer session for the presidential ambition of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the prayer programme was organised by Asiwaju Project Beyond 2023, one of the foremost support groups working for the former Lagos governor.

The programme which held in Maitama, Abuja also had in attendance, APC chieftains and prominent Nigerians including Sen. Musliu Obanikoro, former Minister of State for Defence.

Boroffice, who currently represents Ondo North Senatorial District called on all Nigerians to seek the face of God in selecting a passionate leader like Tinubu, who he described as the leader Nigeria needs.

The lawmaker who stepped down for Tinubu during the June 8 APC Presidential Primary said, I have been with Asiwaju for a long time and I know that he is the person who can salvage the economy, provide the leadership we need now. So I have no choice than to step down and support him.

I established several platforms to market him. I established the Yoruba Koya which is going around the country on his behalf.

This election is going to be strategic and scientific that we have to do a lot in information analysis. Not only going round wearing T-shirts, no. So we are gathered here today to begin the campaign with God.

We have started here today with God as according to INEC time table, campaign is allowed beginning from today. We are praying for his guidance and grace to finish well too.

On the Muslim-Muslim ticket which has raised some concerns in the polity, the lawmaker said we are not looking for a religious leader; we are looking for a leadership that can solve the problems of Nigeria.

On his part, Obanikoro said the prayer session was important to usher in the months of campaign which will take Asiwaju and his team across the length and breadth of the country.

He called on Nigerians of diverse religious backgrounds to seek the face of God for the APC presidential candidate and his running mate Sen. Kashim Shettima.

Obanikoro said since it is only God that gives power to mankind, all APC supporters home and abroad should combine the campaign exercise with spiritual intervention for the realisation of Tinubu presidency.

He also commended the organisers of the programme for their wisdom in putting God forward in their 2023 election journey.

I strongly believe that nothing happens without Gods knowledge and it is commendable that Asiwaju Project Beyond 2023 is taking this good of seeking the face of God for our leader Asiwaju.

With this step and the crowd you see here today, I have no doubt in my mind that we have started well and we shall end well come February 2023. I urge all Nigerian to follow this step regardless of their faith, he said.

The Director-General of the group, Bar. Realwan Okpanachi, said the motive behind the special prayer programme was to drum support for Tinubu and to present him to God before in first week of the campaign.

Asiwaju as a great leader and his running mate, Sen. Shettima deserve our best wishes through prayers and spiritual presentation to God Almighty their creator as the campaign begins today, he said.

Thats why we are gathered here to talk to God on behalf of these two great men who have touched lives of many citizens positively in the past.

This evening, we have with us prominent spiritual leaders from both Islam and Christianity to lead us in intercessory prayers for Gods protection and divine guide as we move into the campaign proper.

We believe that God has answered our prayer both for the candidate, his running mate and for Nigeria as a whole.

NAN reports that the Muslim prayers at the event were coordinated by Sheikh Danazumi Musa, National Deputy Chairman, Council of Ulama of Nigeria and Dr Abdul Mumeen Ashiribo, another prominent preacher from University of Ilorin.

The Christian prayers were led by Pastor Taiwo Aregbesola of Heaven Focus Mission, Akure and Pastor Micheal Ogala of Christ Favour and Deliverance, Abuja.

NAN reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lifts ban on political campaign on Wednesday Sept. 28, in line with the electoral act. (NAN)

Edited by Julius Toba-Jegede

Source: NAN News

By Angela Atabo

Himel, a global manufacturer and provider of electrical products for low voltage power distribution, says is it working on safer electricity access for Nigerians through its solar energy initiative.

MrBalaji Lenka, the Vice-President, Sales for the Middle East, Africa, and Central Eastern Europe, Himel, said this in a statement at the end of the Nigeria Energy Conference and Exhibition in Abuja.

Lenka said thelocal energy sector has the capacity to meet the current domestic demand and create valuable manufacturing jobs and opportunities for a sustainable future.

He said by working with local and international partners to share knowledge and fuel innovation in the ever changing energy landscape, Nigeria has major potential for power generation.

According to Lenka, the manufacturing company is therefore, working to bring focus on safer electrical access to Nigeria through its recently launched solar-ready offer at the just concluded conference and exhibition.

The solar-ready initiative offer is relevant to Nigeria and countries worldwide as the world is gearing up towards increasingenergy efficiency as a possible means of sustainable development.

Delivering on its promise of high quality, affordability, and reliability, Himels new solar-ready offer is designed to easily integrate solar energy into any power source.

The portfolio features a range of switchgear, from air circuit breakers to molded-case circuit breakers, miniature circuit breakers and fuses.

All these are with current and voltage ratings specifically developed for all solar applications centralised, string type and residential.

Lenka said the company plans to ramp up its accessibility to provide the complete power distribution, power management and industrial automation products assortment that would ensure safety and reliability.

To achieve this, we are working on supporting partners to scale up and empowering retailers to offer a wider range.

Himel showcased its latest range of products in low voltage distribution, final distribution, power factor correction, motor management, metering, voltage stabilizers, control components, and home electric offers, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference which was the 9thedition, provided an unrivaled platform for both public and private sectors.

NAN also reports that the conference was endorsed by the Ministry of Power Nigeria to explore critical issues, key developments, investment opportunities, and rising trends shaping the new energy ecosystem.

Himel was among a hub of suppliers and manufacturers contributing to the universal access for affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy services for all in Africa.(NAN)(nannews.ng)

Edited by Celine-Damilola Oyewole/Ali baba-Inuwa

Source: NAN News

By Florence Onuegbu

The Lagos State Government on Tuesday said it had received two trains TALGO SERIES 8 for the Red Line Rail System.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, made this known in a statement in Ikeja.

He said that the arrival of the trains was another major milestone in the determination to deliver the operation of the Red Line Rail System by the first quarter of 2023.

The 2 Nos. Ten and Eleven Car trains which were bought from Milwaukee are here, he said, explaining that it was necessary to decouple the train into 21 individual cars for effective transportation to Lagos.

He said that the trains would be recoupled with the help of rolling stock Engineers from Talgo, the company that manufactured them in the United States of America.

The engineers will also take the opportunity to train our local Engineers whilst they are here to equip our young people with the requisite skills.

Once the recoupling is complete, the testing and commissioning will commence, followed by full passenger operations in the first quarter of 2023.

Each train can carry 1500 passengers and is expected to run on the Red Line Rail from Agbado to Oyingbo, with the journey taking less than 30 minutes, the Commissioner said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Oluwole Sogunle

Source: NAN News

By Kadiri Abdulrahman

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decision to increase Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) is to control rising inflation.

Hassan Mahmoud, CBNs director, Monetary Policy Department said this on Wednesday at a post-MPC briefing tagged: Unveiling Facts behind the Figures.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the MPC, in its 287th meeting on Tuesday, had increased the MPR by 150 basis points, from 14 per cent to 15.5 per cent.

The MPR is the baseline interest rate in an economy on which other interest rates within that economy are built on.

The CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele had said that the decision was informed by persistent rise in inflation rate and fragile economic growth.

According to Mahmud, the MPC got to a point where stringent measures have to be taken to control inflation.

He said that the committee took cognisance of global as well as local economic issues in arriving at its policy decisions.

We raised the MPR because it is necessary to do so. The quantity of money in the system was too much for the economy to absorb, he said.

He said that monetary policy tools were meant to deal with short term risks, adding that the idea was to make cost of funds expensive to drive down inflation.

According to Mahmud, the stimuluses that governments across the world provided for their citizens during COVID-19 increased the ability of people to spend, thereby, creating challenges with global supply.

A lot of households and small businesses were injected with stimuluses; the U.S did two trillion dollars, Nigeria did about five trillion Naira, these increased the ability of people to spend.

But the supply side could not meet up with the demand because that volume of injection was far more than the regular intake for those economies, this made prices to go up, he said.

He also blamed the Russian-Ukraine war, as well as the resurgence of COVID-19 in China as responsible for rise in global inflationary trend.

That region accounts for more than 50 per cent of global commodity supply and 38 per cent of global oil and gas supply.

The war resulted to some shortages which made prices to go up.

Then the COVID-19 lockdown in China. The country is the largest importer of commodities across the globe, he said.

Speaking on the various economic intervention initiatives by the apex bank and the prospect of recouping the funds, Dr Yusuf Yila, director, Development Finance Department, said about nine trillion Naira had been invested in the various development finance interventions.

He, however, said that all the monies would be recovered.

According to Yila, N9.3 trillion has been invested in various development finance interventions, out of which N3.7 trillion has been repaid.

Most of the loans are still under moratorium, especially those in manufacturing. Manufacturing forms the largest part of our portfolio, about 31 per cent, he said.

He, however, said that one of the best performing interventions was the Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme (CACS), where out of the N800 billion that was lent out, about N700 billion had been repaid.

Yila said that through the flagship agriculture intervention scheme, the Anchor Borrowers Programme, one trillion Naira had been lent out to small holder farmers, while about N400 billion has so far been recovered.

According to him, the department will restrict intervention to critical sectors like the SMEs and the electricity sector for now.

Speaking on the depreciation of the Naira, the Director, Trade and Exchange Department, Mrs Ozoemena Nnaji, said the apex bank was taking steps to firm up the currency.

Nnaji said that demand for foreign exchange outstripped supply currency, adding that the CBN was doing a lot to mop up supply.

One of the steps is the Naira for dollar remittance drive, which has resulted to a huge increase in diaspora remittances.

There is also the RT200 bringing in forex. Repatriation has gone up from 20 million dollars in the first quarter to about 600 million dollars in the second quarter.

In this third quarter we are looking at more than one billion dollars of repatriated inflows, she said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

==========
Edited by Ese E. Eniola Williams

Source: NAN News

By Salisu Sani-Idris

Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD) has urged the Federal Government to ensure timely release of funds to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for 2023 general election.

The Chairman, Council of the Wise, SCDDD, retired Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, made the appeal at a news conference on the 2023 General Elections titled, the Nigeria Nigerians Want and the Leaders They Need, on Tuesday in Abuja.
The council wishes to seize this opportunity to appeal to the federal government to provide the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with all the resources it requires for the conduct of the 2023 elections, especially timely release of funds.

Mr President is kindly requested to compliment his evident determination for a successful election by also providing all the security agencies with the resources and leadership to enable them to prevent any violence before, during and after the elections.

They will also provide adequate security for the voters to cast their votes without hindrance.The Council wishes to congratulate Mr President for assenting to the Electoral Bill, which largely accommodated the electoral reforms recommended by Justice Muhammad Lawal Uwais Committee.

It is the hope of the Council that Mr President would follow up by ensuring that public institutions and officials comply with the electoral laws.

Bulkachuwa also urged INEC to ensure that all materials and personnel required for the 2023 elections were made available and deployed to the voting centres in time.

The council is fully convinced that the ability of Nigerians to once more prove the prophets of doom wrong, largely depends on the conduct of the political parties, candidates, INEC, security agencies and the electorate during the 2023 election, she said.

The former President of the Court of Appeal said that the integrity of the election largely depended on its management by INEC, which should be guided by the remarkable success so far achieved from 2015 to date.

As a neutral and independent institution, INEC must be fair and just to all political parties, candidates and electorate.

The use of electronic gadgets and other modern devices by INEC is a welcome development and must be properly managed in order to enhance the integrity of the elections and to fully reflect the choices of the people, Bulkachuwa said.

She, however, called on all political parties to abide by their constitutions, the electoral laws and guidelines issued by INEC in order to prevent violence or any act that would affect the integrity of the elections.

It is very necessary for them to discharge their responsibilities to their members and indeed the nation, without recourse to violence.

Leaderships of political parties should take steps to compel their members and officials to fully comply with the electoral laws and guidelines issued by INEC in order to develop a culture of integrity and trust, she said.

Bulkachuwa enjoined presidential, governorship, national, and state assembly candidates to canvass the support of the electorate with sincerity, dignity, maturity and mutual respect.

Their electioneering campaigns should be devoid of rancor, hate speech, inflammatory and unguarded utterances capable of instigating violence.

It is imperative that campaigns are based on issues and not personal attacks, vendetta, thuggery or violence, she said.

Bulkachuwa, who urged religious leaders to intensify in their prayers, also appealed to them to ensure that their adherents promoted religious practices and tolerance and mutual respect.

She also advised religious leader to educate their subjects to avoid hate speeches or insults in expressing their support to the candidates of their choice.

So that the devil will have no means of creating any misunderstanding or hatred between adherents of religions in Nigeria.

The council is convinced that the traditional rulers have a very crucial role to play in preventing instigators of conflicts from arising in their respective domains, the former Court of Appeal President said.

She admonished youths as the future leaders of the nation to be wiser by refusing to allow themselves to be used against the people during the election.

No youth should allow himself or herself to be used as an agent of hate speech or violence in the coming elections and beyond, Bulkachuwa added.(NAN)

Edited by Mark Longyen/Ali Baba-Inuwa

Source: NAN News

By Abigael Joshua

Inspiring confidence during an era of low morale, potential future global damaging economic recession and failing organisational models have been identified among challenges facing organisations in Africa, Asia and Western Europe.

These threats are fallouts of the COVID-19 and Russia-Ukraine crises. Their possible panaceas will be addressed by TEXEM UK at its programme coming up from Nov. 21 to Nov. 24 in Birmingham.

TEXEMs Director of Special Projects, Caroline Lucas, in a statement on the firms website, says the Strategic Leadership for Success in Volatile Times programme aims to equip leaders with the skills to deal with the uncertainty that tomorrow brings.

As a leader, you hope each year brings great fortunes for your organisation.

However, there is a lot that we do not know about tomorrow. So, as you wish for the best, you need to develop the core competence to prepare for an uncertain future, Lucas said.

She said other challenges facing organisations include supply chain disruption, new cybersecurity threats, low national cohesion, dramatic forex fluctuations, high level of inflation and, by extension, low customer disposable income.

Lucas said that dwindling government, business revenue and diminishing productivity are major existential threats for all organisations.

Specifically, she said political unrest, the upcoming election in 2023 and likely uncertainty in monetary and fiscal policies in a country like Nigeria would likely affect the competitiveness and comparative advantage of organisations and the nation.

Lucas reiterated that TEXEMs tested and proven methodology comprising of case studies, role play, games and working visits to companies would be deployed during the programme.

According to the director, this will be deployed to encourage participants to enhance their cognitive skills and improve their analytical rigour and evaluation skills to better assist them in managing ambiguity.

She added that this would make the programme an enjoyable, impactful, and memorable experience which would stimulate better strategic leadership competence.

On the programmes impact, Lucas assured that participants should expect to learn several actionable winning strategies on how to thrive in a future characterised by stiff competition, a fast-paced and challenging operating context.

Some ways to provide leadership for success in such times is by being agile, optimising the capacity of your organisation to turn challenges into opportunities, building resilience, prioritising your people and acting decisively.

You need these practical strategies and others to help steer your organisations plan for success in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous tomorrow, she affirmed.

Prof. Rodria Laline,

Professor of Strategy and Governance, the Founding Director of the Harvard University Maximise Your Boards Potential Programme, is expected as a faculty member of the programme.

Laline has been CEO of Global Research and Development Collaborations with IBM, Hewlett -Packard, ING Bank, Royal KPN, Groupe Bull, Elsevier Science, Siemens, And Philips.

Another distinguished faculty expected is world-renowned London Business School alumnus Prof. Paul Griffith,

Professor of Practice and the Senior Vice President, Products at Ashridge Executive Education, Hult International Business School.

Griffith is the worlds first Management Professor to lead a team that launched a rocket to space.

He is a business leader with extensive experience in leading culture change and Business Innovation.

Cambridge University alumnus Ambassador Charles Crawford, founding Partner of the Ambassador Partnership LLP, Communication and negotiation specialist par excellence and public speaking expert, is a faculty on this programme too.

A qualified Barrister and Mediator, Crawford draws on 28 years of experience in the UK diplomatic service, much of it spent in former Communist Central and Eastern Europe. He is the winner of two Oscars for strategic communications.

The statement also articulates the following testimonials from past participants of TEXEMs recent programme in the UK:

I learnt about organisational dexterity, exploitation and exploration aspect of an organisation and how to strike a balance.

One major key takeaway for me would be that fear is our biggest enemy, and once you can conquer fear, you can do anything, Ann Iyonu, Executive Director, Goodluck Jonathan Foundation.

I liked so many things about the programme; it was very interactive and insightful, the lecturers were carefully selected, they came full of experiences.

Here we are, matching theories and experiences and interacting with colleagues from different private and public sectors. At the end of the day, we also carried out some exercises to test our understanding of the programme.

I have learnt about leadership, how to manage a leader and follower, and I am going to use this to improve my leadership skills when I get back home,

Dr Musa Zagi, Zonal Operation Controller, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission.

I have read a few things about TEXEM before coming here, but my expectations were surpassed by any standard and by any way.

This training institute can compare with any other one worldwide. The packaging, the faculty, everything is just excellent.

More importantly, the module on resilience, the world is changing and changing very fast, it is those who can adapt to their environment that would be able to survive or be able to excel in the future, Michael Faloseyi, Assistant General Manager, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Razak Owolabi

Source: NAN News

By Philomina Attah

The Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, has said that money recovered by the commission is paid into the coffers of the Federal Government.

The chairman disclosed this at a one-day Sensitisation Dialogue with stakeholders on Behavioural Change, National Ethics and Integrity Policy on Wednesday in Abuja.

The workshop is an avenue to sensitise stakeholders on its Constituency Projects Tracking Initiative which commenced in 2019, focusing on how well money allocated to critical sectors by government is utilised.

The project is in it fourth phase with the recovery of assets worth billions of Naira to the government, return of equipment to communities for whom they were meant.

Also, the project has forced a lot of contractors to return to sites and completed hitherto shoddily done or abandoned projects.

The exercise, however, led to revelation that some projects were excellently and completely executed.

Reacting to question on what happened to recovered assets, the ICPC boss reiterated that all the monetary recovered goes into the Recovery Account and the account is with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

He said the commission has no powers over funds or assets recovered from corrupt people, adding that it does not spend recovered funds.

The commission has a designated account for the recovery of proceeds of crime known as ICPC Recovery Account into which all recovered funds were paid into

Let me clear some of the misinformation out there. First thing is that, all the monetary recoveries goes into the recovery account.

And theres a lot of misinformation out there and its because there is a high level of cynicism. People do not believe anything righteous about the government.

But I can swear an affidavit I can go on oath and swear on the Bible. Since I resumed in ICPC, no one kobo from recovered assets have been diverted.

What is the proper thing? There is a recovery account the money goes there, thats one.

So if it is liquid cash, the money goes there and that account is in the CBN. This information is important for community leaders to have because most people just accuse and say things that are simply incorrect.

You can ask anybody that you know who has ever been the suspect of investigation by ICPC.

They have paid through remittance into the recovery accounts called ICPC Recovery Account, he said.

Owasanoye further explained that the Proceeds of Crime Act was recently passed and the law says, confiscation account should be opened and we have also opened one.

If you step out of our compound, all you cars you see to the right are sized vehicles, covered vehicles, because the procedure for disposal was not carried until recently.

We pressured until government made claim the guidelines by saying every agency now has responsibility to dispose of assets and put the money into the recovery account.

So ICPC has formed an Asset Disposal Committee which included members of the public as observers. The Nigeria Labour Congress, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Civil Societies, Bureau of Public Procurement all are represented.

Let them come and see what we are doing and broadcast it to the whole world, he added.

He urged the public to visit the ICPC website for information on its recovered assets, adding that such information has been on its website since 2020.

We try to put this information out there. All the recovered assets by ICPC have been on our website since 2020 and we have a digital assets record for all recovered assets whether interim or final.

Government doesnt have good reputation. Even when they are doing the right thing, citizens will say they have stolen the money.

People will grant interview and they will be talking with passion and you will almost believe them that what they are saying is correct. But sometimes, how many people can you correct?.

In explaining further, the three categories of assets recovery, Owasanoye added it was important for the public to be carried along for transparency purposes.

Its good to educate the public.

When assets are recovered, they are recovered in three categories.

They can been siezed, interim forfeiture and final forfeiture.

So, a lot of assets that dragged for years are under interim forfeiture. If at the end of the day ICPC loses the cases for whatever reason. The court might say we do not agree with us on some evidence tendered.

Like recently, we arrested somebody that used public fund to acquired 19 properties and we say this can not be his money.

We filed all the documents. The court said some of these properties can be acquired by the suspect.

The court forfeited four to government and left the rest of the properties to the suspect. We have appealed but there is nothing we can do, he said.

The ICPC boss maintained that under interim forfeiture, the properties would be under its custody until the court case had concluded.

We will mark them and put security there. We do not allow you to operate there except if they are perishable, we bond it. You give us the value of the assets. We hold it until the case is concluded.

He, however, stated that the new regime openly stated that before the end of the year, the commission would publish some assets that were under final forfeiture that have been valued and have no challenge in court.

We will wait until the court cases are concluded. If ICPC wins, the assets becomes government properties, if we lose it goes back to the suspect, he maintained. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Julius Toba-Jegede

Source: NAN News

By Tosin Kolade

The National Water Resources Institute (NWRI), has adopted Eco-hydrological solutions and innovations to manage the nations water resources potential.

This was the thrust at a workshop on Implementation of Integrated and Holistic Eco-hydrological Approaches for Improved Water Management in West Africa, organised by NWRI in partnership with UNESCO.

The Director-General of the Institute, Prof. Emmanuel Adanu, at the event in Abuja on Tuesday, said Jabi Lake in the FCT had been selected as the first eco-hydrology demonstration sites.

According to him, the approach uses simple solutions toward addressing the challenges in the water resources sector, as all stakeholders should embrace it.

So, anywhere you have stagnant water, you have a way of approaching it, because no water is useless until it is impure, so if you make it pure, it becomes useful at any environment you see it, so thats what we want to do, and eco-hydrology is one of the methods.

Now let me tell you one thing, if you go to your villages, anywhere you see stagnant water, the kind of plants that grow there are different from plants that grow in moving water, those are the kind of plants we intend to put around stagnant water to remove all the impurities in the water.

When those plants become yellow, it means they have rid the environment of those impurities. So we now intend to do that one intentionally in stagnant places, so it is just an integrated way of using nature to purify water, instead of toxic materials used in treating water.

Adanu, however, called for the support of all stakeholders in its implementation, saying bureaucracies in establishments would not do the country any good.

Mr John Ochigbo, the Director, River Basin Operations and Inspectorate, who represented the Minister of Water Resources, Mr Suleiman Adamu, said water was an important resource to lifes sustenance and for economic developments.

According to him, as the population expands, the need for water is increasing, with many environmental pollutions threatening the countrys water resources.

Ochigbo said discharges from industries and homes into the lake was abusive, hence the need to clean them up and for them to be more beneficial.

Jabi Lake has been approved by UNESCO as a demonstration site for eco-hydrology, and the ministry is here to support the UNESCO office towards the development of this center.

We are encouraging all relevant water agencies in Nigeria and across West Africa to make use of this demonstration site to be able to build their capacity to handle water resources management issues.

The lake was initially to serve the purpose of water supply to FCT before the Usuma dam came on board, it is an important water resource and needs to be protected.

Mr Dimitri Sanga, of UNESCOs Dakar Regional office, said that water was at the core of sustainable development, adding that it was critical for socio-economic development, healthy ecosystems and for human survival.

According to him, the incidence of COVID-19 has shown how access to clean and safe water and sanitation is critical and indispensable to avoid the spread of the virus.

Given the importance of water, UNESCO works to build the scientific knowledge base, to help its member states manage their water resources in a sustainable manner.

We work through the Intergovernmental Hydrology Programme (UNESCO-IHP), through leading the UN-wide World Water Development around the world.

Sanga said that the partnership would contribute to the achievement of human sustainable development goals and build the resilience of ecosystems in member states. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ese E. Eniola Williams

Source: NAN News

By Tosin Kolade

Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman Adamu, on Monday, called on the private sector and other stakeholders to be involved in the protection of the nations rivers from man-made pollution.

Adamu made this call at an event commemorating the 2022 World Rivers Day, with the theme: The Importance of Rivers to Biodiversity, in Abuja.

He said that challenges, such as pollution through dumping of refuse and untreated sewage wastes, open defecation, urbanisation and climate change were still affecting the nations waterways.

According to him, rivers have rights and they need to be healthy, as this is critical for promoting livelihood support and sustenance to those who depend on them.

He said that private individuals and volunteers had a huge role to play in protecting rivers and lakes, adding that this was crucial for public health and socio-economic development.

We are in a society where everybody is waiting for government to do everything; this is not supposed to be the case; I will like to see volunteers and champions.

We need to create an arrangement where the society and people take ownership themselves. These things are not owned by government. So people should be able to come and take ownership and do the needful.

We are sending the message and we hope that the citizens will come to do the needful, even if its just a question of, okay, I will not drop this bottle in this river.

I think you have done enough if we can get people to stop polluting the rivers; that will be a major achievement, he said.

The minister said he had mandated the 12 River Basin Development Authorities and Agencies to carry out regular and increased advocacy programmes for rivers restoration, protection and conservation.

This, he said, would be done within the framework of Integrated River Basin Management, for the overall development and management of all water resources.

Earlier, the ministrys Permanent Secretary, Dame Didi Walson-Jack, said that rivers had been degraded, diverted, and polluted at high cost to people and the earths living system for a long time.

She stressed the need for scaling up national efforts toward rivers remediation, protection and conservation in the interest of the present and future generations.

Prof. Ramah Elfithri, Representative, Regional Centre for Integrated River Basin Management in Nigeria, urged all stakeholders to do more to protect rivers water quality.

According to her, the quality of the countrys rivers and lakes will ensure livelihood support for those living around them.

She also called for more measures to protect the biodiversity of all water resources, saying that this would promote inclusive development.

Highlights of the event were a memorial tree planting and symbolic river clean up at Jabi Lake in the FCT. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Wale Sadeeq

Source: NAN News