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RMAFC Deducting Bayelsa Funds In Favour Of Rivers Unacceptable – Gov. Diri

RMAFC Deducting Bayelsa Funds In Favour Of Rivers Unacceptable – Gov. Diri

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, on Tuesday flayed the deduction of the state’s revenue by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) in favour of Rivers State following a high court ruling.

Governor Diri said the hurried implementation of the ruling was unacceptable and sub judice as the state’s appeal was pending at the Supreme Court.

He also said it was tantamount to ceding of Bayelsa territory indirectly to Rivers.

The Bayelsa governor expressed his dissatisfaction when RMAFC Federal Commissioners representing the South South region paid him a courtesy visit in Government House, Yenagoa.

The Governor called on the commission to revisit its decision until the apex court gave a final verdict on the boundary dispute between both states.

He lamented that the action had significantly affected the state’s allocation for the month of September.

His words: “The action by the commission is tantamount to ceding a part of Bayelsa State to Rivers State, which can breach the peace between both sister states.

“I will still appeal to your chairman and members of your commission to revisit this deduction from the monthly allocation of Bayelsa. I have in this regard written letters to the President, the Vice President, the Attorney General of the Federation and the Accountant General. I will follow it up by visiting their offices.

“We want to explore a peaceful method. But what the commission has done can degenerate the peace that we are having between these sister states. I don’t think that my people from Oluasiri in Nembe and all of us from Bayelsa will accept ceding any parts of our territories to anybody.

“So, what your commission has done is indirectly ceding our territories to Rivers state and that is totally unacceptable to us as a people and a state.”

Senator Diri while commending the Federal Commissioners from the South South in the commission for their peace moves, said they can do more in spearheading the upward review of the 13 per cent derivation accruing to the oil producing states.

“May I also seize this opportunity to call on you, our worthy representatives, to look at the issue of reviewing the 13 per cent minimum derivation that is being given to oil producing states.

“I know it is not all within your powers. It is something that may come from the National Assembly but as our worthy representatives, that can start with you and we can be part of it by calling on our representatives in the National Assembly to look at a review of the principle of derivation, which has been pegged at 13 per cent till date.”

Governor Diri also called on other governors of the South-South to exercise restraint in dealing with issues of boundary adjustment in the region, noting that there is a deliberate policy of divide and rule to further exploit the resources of the Niger Delta.

Speaking earlier, the leader of the delegation and representative of Akwa Ibom State in the commission, Mr. Sunday Anyang, said as ambassadors of the region, they have a common goal to protect the interest of the people they represent from external influence.

Mr. Anyang said there is the need to review the indices that make up the 13 per cent derivation to oil producing states and that it behoves on key actors from the region to synergise for an upward review of derivation formula.

Also on the visit were the Federal Commissioners representing Delta, Andrew Agbaga, Alfred Egba (Bayelsa) and Victor Eboigbe (Edo).

BAYELSA GOVERNMENT CALLS ON YOUTHS TO SHUN CULTISM, CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES

BAYELSA GOVERNMENT CALLS ON YOUTHS TO SHUN CULTISM, CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES

Bayelsa State Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy Hon. Ayiba Duba wants youths to abstain from drugs, cultism, and criminal activities that are detrimental to their progress and society.

The Commissioner made the remark when members of the Executive Council of the National Union of Bayelsa State Students (NUBSS)
paid him a courtesy call in his office, in Yenagoa.

Hon. Duba stated that loss of lives, mental illness, high crime rate, drug addiction, proliferation of small firearms, school dropouts, unwanted pregnancy, prostitution and negative peer influence are on the rise as a result of social vices.

The Commissioner who noted that the objective of being a student is to be found worthy in both character and in learning, urged youths to be focused on their academics and shun acts inimical to their growth.

Earlier, the Executive President of NUBSS, Comrade Dieprebra Solomon Bigbo stated that the union seeks to promote educational campaigns to enlighten and orientate Bayelsa students against social vices and youth restiveness.

Comrade Bigbo noted that education is a beacon to overcome social challenges, emphasizing that their campaigns center on promoting moral values and self improvement of young people.

He therefore urged Bayelsa students to be abreast with NUBSS activities and campaigns through their social media platforms, @NUBSSWWTV, both on facebook and instagram.

PANTAMI’S REMARKS AT THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE DIGITAL NIGERIA PORTAL AND MOBILE APP

PANTAMI’S REMARKS AT THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE DIGITAL NIGERIA PORTAL AND MOBILE APP

All Protocols duly observed.

May Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon you!

I am highly delighted to launch the Digital Nigeria Portal and Mobile App as part of the implementation our National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a Digital Nigeria.  I am also very happy to welcome our partners- the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Microsoft, represented by Ebrima Faal, Senior Director, Nigeria Country Department, AfDB and Ghada Khalifa, Director for Middle East and Africa, Microsoft Philantropies, respectively.

Our journey towards developing Nigeria’s Digital Economy commenced when Mr President approved our request of redesignation of the Federal Ministry of Communications as the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, along with an upgrade of the mandate, on the 17th of October 2019.   This was then adopted by the Federal Executive Council on the 23rd of October 2019 and the implementation of the revised mandate of the Ministry commenced on the 24th of October 2019.

The development of our National Digital Economy is anchored on the following 8 pillars as stated in NDEPS:

1.   Developmental Regulation;

2.   Digital Literacy & Skills;

3.   Solid Infrastructure;

4.   Service Infrastructure;

5.   Digital Services Development & Promotion;

6.   Soft Infrastructure;

7.   Digital Society & Emerging Technologies; and

8.   Indigenous Content Development & Adoption.

We have recorded a number of unprecedented achievements since we began implementing NDEPS.  A few of these include:

  i.   resolution of the lingering issues of excessive Right of Way charges and vandalism of telecommunication infrastructure;

  ii.   rapid broadband penetration, with an increase by about 10% in 11 months (with a value of 42.02% at the end of July 2020), instead of the average annual increase of about 1.7%;

  iii.   development and swift implementation of the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP);

  iv.   significant increase in the contribution of ICT to the GDP based on the Q2 2020 GDP – 17.83% – as reported by the National Bureau of Statistics;

  v.   promotion of digital services in government, including Virtual Federal Executive Council meetings;

  vi.   etc

The effect of the digital economy is far greater than the ICT contribution shows.  The Digital Economy encompasses ICT and all Digital Services, which includes all online activities in financial institutions, ecommerce, online tax payment, any form of online payment, online banking, etc. When we consider these, the contribution of the Digital Economy could be up to 45% or even more.

Today’s launch is towards the implementation of the Digital Literacy and Skills Pillar #2.  It is a follow up to the Mr President’s flagging off of the Digital Nigeria Programme on the 19th of March 2020 to support Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training for Nigerians.

The Digital Nigeria Programme will provide a National Platform for improving the digital literacy of Nigerians and it will enable Nigerians from all walks of life to acquire high level digital skills.  It will have a strong emphasis on Skills for Jobs and will include Nigerians in all strata of society, such as youth, women, children, internally displaced persons, people living with disabilities, etc.

We are championing a paradigm shift that lays emphasis on skills, in preference to merely having degrees without skills. Degrees are only meant to validate skills. This is a growing trend across the globe. For instance, China recently started the process of turning 600 of the country’s general universities into skill centres. Also, the President of the United States of America signed an Executive Order on the 26th of June 2020 directing the federal government lay emphasis on skills rather than degrees when hiring staff. The curriculum vitae of today should have 2 main parts- soft skills and hard skills.

The digital literacy and skills pillar recognises the fact that citizens are the greatest assets in any economy, including the digital economy. It will support the development of a large pool of digitally literate and digitally skilled citizens. We recently provided a platform to support the Digital Nigeria program, enabling Nigerians to receive training in diverse digital skills. As part of these efforts, I earlier launched another online academy executed by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). Over 40,000 Nigerians have enrolled across both platforms since the 2nd of April, 2020.

Today, we are formally launching the www.digitalnigeria.gov.ng portal and the ‘Digital Nigeria’ Mobile App. We are committed to enabling Nigerians acquire high level digital skills from the comfort of their homes.

Some of our objectives for launching these platforms including the following:

  i.   to empower innovators and entrepreneurs with skills required to thrive in Nigeria’s emerging digital economy;

  ii.   to provide capacity building in a wide range of areas, including Digital Literacy, Productivity Tools, Web Development, Cloud Computing, Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Database Administration, Networking, Programming, Internet of Things and Soft Skills; 

  iii.   to create a platform to support a paradigm shift from degrees to skills and bridge the gap between the academia and industry;

  iv.   to promote the development and distribution of instructional materials in electronic format; and

  v.   to create an enabling environment for building the capacity of Innovation Driven Enterprises (IDEs) and Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) through e-learning channels.

The National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy emphasizes the importance of partnerships as a key requirement for the successful development of our National Digital Economy.  As such, we are very delighted to partner with the African Development Bank and the Microsoft on this very important initiative.

The training content covers areas like Digital Skills, Productivity Tools, Web Development, Cloud Computing, Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Database Administration, Networking, Programming and Internet of Things.  There is also training on soft skills like entrepreneurship, research, marketing, business and how to create excellent resumes. As such, a wide spectrum of users, from beginners to advanced students, can find appropriate courses.

We will regularly update the platform to include more courses from time to time.  It will enable us identify skilled Nigerians for additional capacity building opportunities and allow us to easily conduct surveys to identify courses of interest.  Students will receive certificate of completion after completing the courses.

 Conclusion

The Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy is committed to developing the capacity of Nigerians to use technology to solve problems. We will keep updating the course offerings to reflect global trends. The step by step procedure for using the platforms will be available on our website and social media pages.The Digital Nigeria programme will provide a platform to empower Nigerians to develop relevant skills and build innovative solutions to address challenges within our community. #DigitalNigeria

REMARKS AT THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE DIGITAL NIGERIA PORTAL AND MOBILE APP BYISA ALI IBRAHIM (PANTAMI), (PhD, FNCS, FBCS, FIIM), HONOURABLE MINISTER, FEDERAL MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL ECONOMY, NIGERIA ON MONDAY, 28TH SEPTEMBER 2020.

All Protocols duly observed.

May Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon you!

I am highly delighted to launch the Digital Nigeria Portal and Mobile App as part of the implementation our National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a Digital Nigeria.  I am also very happy to welcome our partners- the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Microsoft, represented by Ebrima Faal, Senior Director, Nigeria Country Department, AfDB and Ghada Khalifa, Director for Middle East and Africa, Microsoft Philantropies, respectively.

Our journey towards developing Nigeria’s Digital Economy commenced when Mr President approved our request of redesignation of the Federal Ministry of Communications as the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, along with an upgrade of the mandate, on the 17th of October 2019.   This was then adopted by the Federal Executive Council on the 23rd of October 2019 and the implementation of the revised mandate of the Ministry commenced on the 24th of October 2019.

The development of our National Digital Economy is anchored on the following 8 pillars as stated in NDEPS:

1.   Developmental Regulation;

2.   Digital Literacy & Skills;

3.   Solid Infrastructure;

4.   Service Infrastructure;

5.   Digital Services Development & Promotion;

6.   Soft Infrastructure;

7.   Digital Society & Emerging Technologies; and

8.   Indigenous Content Development & Adoption.

We have recorded a number of unprecedented achievements since we began implementing NDEPS.  A few of these include:

  i.   resolution of the lingering issues of excessive Right of Way charges and vandalism of telecommunication infrastructure;

  ii.   rapid broadband penetration, with an increase by about 10% in 11 months (with a value of 42.02% at the end of July 2020), instead of the average annual increase of about 1.7%;

  iii.   development and swift implementation of the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP);

  iv.   significant increase in the contribution of ICT to the GDP based on the Q2 2020 GDP – 17.83% – as reported by the National Bureau of Statistics;

  v.   promotion of digital services in government, including Virtual Federal Executive Council meetings;

  vi.   etc

The effect of the digital economy is far greater than the ICT contribution shows.  The Digital Economy encompasses ICT and all Digital Services, which includes all online activities in financial institutions, ecommerce, online tax payment, any form of online payment, online banking, etc. When we consider these, the contribution of the Digital Economy could be up to 45% or even more.

Today’s launch is towards the implementation of the Digital Literacy and Skills Pillar #2.  It is a follow up to the Mr President’s flagging off of the Digital Nigeria Programme on the 19th of March 2020 to support Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training for Nigerians.

The Digital Nigeria Programme will provide a National Platform for improving the digital literacy of Nigerians and it will enable Nigerians from all walks of life to acquire high level digital skills.  It will have a strong emphasis on Skills for Jobs and will include Nigerians in all strata of society, such as youth, women, children, internally displaced persons, people living with disabilities, etc.

We are championing a paradigm shift that lays emphasis on skills, in preference to merely having degrees without skills. Degrees are only meant to validate skills. This is a growing trend across the globe. For instance, China recently started the process of turning 600 of the country’s general universities into skill centres. Also, the President of the United States of America signed an Executive Order on the 26th of June 2020 directing the federal government lay emphasis on skills rather than degrees when hiring staff. The curriculum vitae of today should have 2 main parts- soft skills and hard skills.

The digital literacy and skills pillar recognises the fact that citizens are the greatest assets in any economy, including the digital economy. It will support the development of a large pool of digitally literate and digitally skilled citizens. We recently provided a platform to support the Digital Nigeria program, enabling Nigerians to receive training in diverse digital skills. As part of these efforts, I earlier launched another online academy executed by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). Over 40,000 Nigerians have enrolled across both platforms since the 2nd of April, 2020.

Today, we are formally launching the www.digitalnigeria.gov.ng portal and the ‘Digital Nigeria’ Mobile App. We are committed to enabling Nigerians acquire high level digital skills from the comfort of their homes.

Some of our objectives for launching these platforms including the following:

  i.   to empower innovators and entrepreneurs with skills required to thrive in Nigeria’s emerging digital economy;

  ii.   to provide capacity building in a wide range of areas, including Digital Literacy, Productivity Tools, Web Development, Cloud Computing, Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Database Administration, Networking, Programming, Internet of Things and Soft Skills; 

  iii.   to create a platform to support a paradigm shift from degrees to skills and bridge the gap between the academia and industry;

  iv.   to promote the development and distribution of instructional materials in electronic format; and

  v.   to create an enabling environment for building the capacity of Innovation Driven Enterprises (IDEs) and Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) through e-learning channels.

The National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy emphasizes the importance of partnerships as a key requirement for the successful development of our National Digital Economy.  As such, we are very delighted to partner with the African Development Bank and the Microsoft on this very important initiative.

The training content covers areas like Digital Skills, Productivity Tools, Web Development, Cloud Computing, Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Database Administration, Networking, Programming and Internet of Things.  There is also training on soft skills like entrepreneurship, research, marketing, business and how to create excellent resumes. As such, a wide spectrum of users, from beginners to advanced students, can find appropriate courses.

We will regularly update the platform to include more courses from time to time.  It will enable us identify skilled Nigerians for additional capacity building opportunities and allow us to easily conduct surveys to identify courses of interest.  Students will receive certificate of completion after completing the courses.

 Conclusion

The Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy is committed to developing the capacity of Nigerians to use technology to solve problems. We will keep updating the course offerings to reflect global trends. The step by step procedure for using the platforms will be available on our website and social media pages.The Digital Nigeria programme will provide a platform to empower Nigerians to develop relevant skills and build innovative solutions to address challenges within our community. #DigitalNigeria

LAGOS CBD TO PROSECUTE TRAFFIC, ENVIRONMENTAL OFFENDERS IN MOBILE COURTS

LAGOS CBD TO PROSECUTE TRAFFIC, ENVIRONMENTAL OFFENDERS IN MOBILE COURTS

The Office of the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Central Business Districts has concluded plans to deploy Mobile Courts to prosecute all traffic and environmental offenders within Lagos Island District.

The Special Adviser, Mr. Olugbenga Oyerinde, disclosed this at a stakeholders’ meeting with leaders of Market Associations in Lagos, led by Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, Mrs. Folasade Tinubu-Ojo and members of Community Development Associations, CDAs, within the Lagos Island Business District at the Agency’s office over the weekend.

Oyerinde, while appealing to the stakeholders to caution members of their communities against violating traffic and environmental rules, stated that the introduction of Mobile Courts underscores the fact that CBD must create a conducive environment for business to thrive within all areas designated as business districts within the State.

He reiterated the determination of the present administration to restore the original master plan of the Lagos Island Business Districts and its adjoining axis by checking the activities of street traders and developers, who have converted all available spaces like walkways, streets and roads to shops.

Speaking on the need to open up the roads and streets blocked by traders especially Breadfruit, Mcween and Gbajumo Streets, the Special Adviser said the State Government is determined to restore safety and environmental sanity to all nooks and crannies of the Lagos Island Business District, saying that illegal activities of shops and plaza owners, who violate the physical planning laws, will be checked.

Warning miscreant who attack government officials on lawful duties, Oyerinde said no amount of resistance and intimidation by hoodlums parading as “Omo Adugbo” can make the State Government go back on its resolve to clean up the entire Lagos Island Business District.

The Special Adviser called on traders, especially those selling on the streets and walkways, to remove their extensions and makeshift shops from the roads immediately.

He also cautioned street urchins and area boys parading as developers to desist from supporting the illegality of converting streets and roads to trading places forthwith or face the full wrath of the law, stressing that no pleading on behalf of anybody convicted by the court will be entertained by his Office.

Speaking at the meeting, the Iyaloja-General, Mrs. Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, pledged the cooperation of members of the market associations in realising the goals and objectives of the Agency.

She, however, requested for joint inspection of areas and shops that are notorious for violating the physical planning laws of the State in a bid to correct the anomalies.

LASG

ForAGreaterLagos

Chancellor, Landmark University, Dr David Oyedepo removes Tuition For Agricultural Sciences In Landmark University.

Chancellor, Landmark University, Dr David Oyedepo removes Tuition For Agricultural Sciences In Landmark University.

Dr Oyedepo has introduced an added incentive to students who desire to study agriculture or agriculture related courses in the university which was established in 2011. This is also to encourage students pick interest in agriculture in a bid by the institution to take Nigerians back to agriculture and to ensure that the nation feeds herself.

Henceforth Courses Including Crop Science, Animal Science, Agric Extension & Rural Development, Agric Economics, Agribusiness Management, Environmental & Natural Resource Economics, Aquaculture and Fisheries Management, Tourism and Recreation, Horticulture and Landscape management would now be run free of charge.

Landmark University is one of the highest scholarship awarding universities among private universities in Nigeria and is rated among the 10 most beautiful universities in Nigeria in less than 10 years of establishment.

The university is one of the best of the more than 50 private universities in Nigeria.

Leke Beecroft

NEW YAM FESTIVAL: OHANEZE ABESAN LAGOS BRINGS IGBO COMMUNITY TOGETHER

NEW YAM FESTIVAL: OHANEZE ABESAN LAGOS BRINGS IGBO COMMUNITY TOGETHER

The New Yam Festival the traditional culture of Igbo land was showcased on Sunday at Amen Centre, Abesan Lagos. The event which is designed to bring the igbo community together withing Abesan, Ipaja, Command, Ayobo and Shagari Estate was a huge success.

Though the maiden or the first edition, the event brought dignitaries such as the Mosan/Okunola LCDA chairperson, Eze Igbo , President General Ohaneze ndi Igbo Lagos and so many others.

Speaking during the occasion, the Chairman of Ohaneze ndi Igbo (Abesan Chapter ) Moses Nwokoro said “we believe that igbo culture shouldn’t die, we are using this opportunity to tell our children born outside igbo land what is applicable in igbo cultural setting so that they would be in tune with the cultural realities. Also we want to ensure that the language is spoken by the children . “

” Not only doing the New Yam festival, the Ohaneze Abesan Chapter can be described as more of interventionist group rather than cultural group. We intervene when are member is either in distress, trouble or harrassed. We pull resources to ensure that issues like that is sorted out. We have assisted people in accomodations challanges, medical problems or even harassment from the touts which is a daily occurrence in some parts of Lagos”, Nwokoro added.

The chairman used the opportunity to ask the igbo community who are not yet a card carrying members should endeavor to be part of the association so that they can enjoy thee benefits.

The new yam festival is away of thanking good for bountiful harvest for the year and as an association which is made up of christians majorly, they thanked God .

Many members were pleased with the outing. Speaking on this, Jude Agada, a guest said “we are very excited about this and we hope that this continues. This is the first time we have this in this area and I commend the chairman.”

Speaking in line with Jude ,Emeka Ndukwu,the secretary of the Ohaneze Abesan Chapter added”it hasn’t been easy planning this,we just had few weeks to plan this due to restriction imposed on Covid 19 which is good for our safety. We thank those that graced the occasion and those that contributed also.

Onyekachi Egwim, an executive remarked that “it is a thing of joy that we had a turn out and it’s a pure demonstration of Igbo community commitment in seeing that the Igbo culture survives. Here, we strongly believe in “Nwanne di Na Mba. All igbo are one be it from any state or political region. We also thank those that came , we appreciate the contributions and donations. “

Moses Nwokoro, the current chairman of Ohaneze Abesan Chapter, though less than a year in office can be described as energetic and focused president, poised to bring innovations and development to the association which is in line with the Secretariat at Enugu State. He believes in the concept of anything worth doing , is worth doing well and the first New yam festival is a testament to his leadership and team work abilities.

Anthony Emeka Nwosu

“we believe that igbo culture shouldn’t die, we are using this opportunity to tell our children born outside igbo land what is applicable in igbo cultural setting so that they would be in tune with the cultural realities. Also we want to ensure that the language is spoken by the children . “

World Tourism Day 2020: Nigeria To Leverage Tourism For Rural Development – Minister

World Tourism Day 2020: Nigeria To Leverage Tourism For Rural Development – Minister

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said Nigeria will leverage tourism in its efforts to take development to the grassroots.

The Minister stated this in a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday to mark the 2020 World Tourism Day, which has the theme: ”Tourism and
Rural Development”.

He said the theme, in the words of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), celebrates tourism’s unique ability to drive
economic development and provide opportunities outside of big cities, including in those communities that would otherwise be left behind.

”Tourism plays an important role in preserving and promoting culture and heritage all around the world. This is why we are leveraging on the sector to take development to the grassroots by ensuring that
local communities own and benefit from the cultural heritage and the tourist attractions in their domain,” Alhaji Mohammed said.

He said the plan by the Federal Government to establish community museums is part of efforts to ensure that local communities benefit
from tourism, thus ensuring that the sector contributes to rural development.

The Minister said the occasion of the 2020 World Tourism Day presents the opportunity for stakeholders to reflect on the impact of the
Covid-19 global pandemic, which has hit the sector hard and also stepped down the national celebration of the day.

He said despite the negative impact of Covid-19 on the sector, it was a mark of its resilience that governments around the world still look to the sector to drive recovery as a leading employer and economic pillar in cities and the rural communities.

”It is globally recognized that tourism empowers rural communities and provides employment mostly for women and youth. It plays an important role in diversifying the rural economy and its growth,
thereby contributing to the sustainability of the population and the economy of the areas.

”Tourism therefore helps rural communities make the transition from agrarian to diversified and sustainable economies,” Alhaji Mohammed
said.

He said rural tourism perfectly suits the trend of most modern travellers seeking authentic and unique experiences, local lifestyles and the need to experience natural and unspoiled landscapes.

”Rurality is the central and unique selling point in the rural tourism package, and apart from being located in rural areas, small in scale, traditional in character and slowly growing and controlled by the local people; rural tourism is regarded as tourism in the
countryside, which embraces the rural environment. Most importantly, rural tourism aims to include and benefit rural communities, while preserving their environmental and cultural assets,” the Minister
said.

He said in line with the comment made by the Secretary General of the UNWTO, that the current Covid-19 crisis is an opportunity for member
states to rethink the tourism sector and its contribution to the people and planet, Nigeria set up a committee to look at the impact of Covid-19 on the Creative Industry and Tourism, with a view to finding
ways to catalyze the growth of the tourism sector in particular and the Creative Industry in general.

Alhaji Mohammed expressed the hope that all the relevant sectors will fully integrate and promote all the recovery recommendations and deliverables developed to support the recovery efforts.

Segun Adeyemi
Special Assistant To The President (Media)
Office of the Minister of Information and Culture
Lagos

NDDC Needs New Master Plan for Niger Delta Development – Akpabio

NDDC Needs New Master Plan for Niger Delta Development – Akpabio

The Honourable Minister, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, CON, says that the ministry is committed to harmonizing the Niger Delta Regional Development Master Plan with the Niger Delta Action Plan to produce one regional road map for development in Nigeria’s oil-rich region.

Akpabio, who spoke at the new Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Permanent Headquarters at the Eastern By-Pass, Port Harcourt as part of the activities during his working visit to the Niger Delta, harped on the need for collaboration and synergy in the effort to develop the Niger Delta region.

The visiting team was received by the NDDC Acting Managing Director, Professor Kemebradikumo Pondei, in company of the Acting Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Mr. Effiong Akwa, a member of the Interim Management Committee, IMC, Mrs Caroline Nagbo and directors of the Commission.

The Minister regretted that the NDDC had not lived up to expectations, noting that “Whether we like it or not, this child (NDDC) has not grown well in 19 years. It could have done better. Perhaps, we lost track of the developmental plan of the Niger Delta region.”

He, however, congratulated the NDDC Acting Managing Director and members of the IMC for doing a good job in delivering the new office complex, which he described as “a good story for the NDDC.”

“The most thrilling thing for me is that change has come to the NDDC. I must commend the management and staff of the NDDC for making this possible. Despite the criticisms and distractions, some positive change has taken place in the Commission and I like to see progress because I am a development-oriented politician.”Akpabio added.

While still speaking, the Minister also noted that Prof Pondei should be proud to be the first Chief Executive Officer of the NDDC to move into a new edifice. “The feat could not have been achieved without the cooperation of members of the IMC and the Ministry of the Niger Delta Affairs.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Babayo Ardo, in his remarks, said the site inspection embarked by the Minister is to appraise the progress of work done and also to give appropriate attention to areas where the Ministry with other development partners would intervene to ensure that the project is completed for the benefit of the people in the region.

Dr. Ardo said that, NDDC is being repositioned and refocused on the mandate of the Ministry with the Support of President Muhammadu Buhari for effective service delivery. Therefore, it is important to synergise the master plan and actions with all development partners.

Speaking earlier, the NDDC Chief Executive Officer said that the new headquarters would add value to the work of the NDDC towards meeting its mandate of facilitating the rapid development of the Niger Delta region.

In his own remarks, the NDDC Director of Project Monitoring and Supervision, Engr. Tonye George, said that he felt fulfilled that the project, which started in 1993 during the days of the Oil Minerals Producing Areas Development Commission, OMPADEC, was virtually completed.

He said that the IMC was able to push the project to the level where the contractor was now putting finishing touches because of the active support of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, noting: “As we speak, members of the IMC now work from the new headquarters building.”

Deworitshe Patricia
D (Press & PR)

NCC Pledges to Promote Robust ICT Infrastructure for Economic Growth

NCC Pledges to Promote Robust ICT Infrastructure for Economic Growth

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta has said that the Commission will continue to promote and facilitate expansion of robust broadband/Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure across the country for the rapid development of the nation’s digital economy.

Danbatta gave the assurance in a presentation titled “Communication Technology for Service Delivery in Health, Education, Tourism, the Creative Industry and Agriculture” delivered during the first virtual and sixth edition of Information Communications Technology and Telecommunications Conference and Exhibition (ICTEL) EXPO 2020.

He said the Commission, not only successfully achieved but surpassed the 30 per cent broadband penetration target in 2018. Danabatta observed that through various policy initiatives, broadband penetration has further increased to 42.02 per cent as of July, 2020, noting that this has laid a solid foundation to drive the national efforts at achieving the new 70 per cent broadband penetration target set in the Nigeria National Broadband Plan (NNBP) 2020-2025.

Represented by the Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau, NCC, Efosa Idehen, Danbatta said in line with this commitment, the Commission has commenced the review of the framework for engaging infrastructure companies to cascade fibre optic deployment to the hinterlands of Nigeria to ensure pervasive access to broadband services in the country.

He stated that with the support of the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, NCC is resolving the perennial problem of high cost of Right of Way (RoW) with the support of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) to hasten ICT infrastructure that will enable socio-economic activities across various sectors.

According to him, as the world is becoming increasingly digitised; there will be no sector or facet of human life where ICT will not be required for optimal service delivery and improved conditions of living for the citizens.

With regard to the health sector, Danbatta said ICT is playing a very important role in the manner health services are now delivered, adding that the new Internet speed and low latency of 5G technology are expected to further enhance the possibilities of telemedicine and remote surgery.

Similarly, the EVC said the educational sector has also greatly soared on the wings of ICT, as there has been a surge in online learning in many institutions around the globe due to the raging COVID-19 pandemic, while illustrating the symbiotic relationship between ICT and educational sectors.

Danbatta said “the relationship between ICT and the educational sector has been mutually beneficial. He assured the stakeholders that the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is expected to enhance the capabilities of the educational sector even further.”

According to him, the agricultural sector has also benefitted from ICT, as several agro-based apps have been designed to ensure that stakeholders in the sector are able to provide and improve on essential agro-services. These developments have helped to boost food production and security, just as a lot of digitisation is also holding sway in the creative industry, enhancing its growth thereby enabling job creation and greater contribution to the Gross Domestic product (GDP).

POLICE PARTNER WAEC TO PROMOTE INTEGRITY IN ITS EXAMINATION PROCESSES

POLICE PARTNER WAEC TO PROMOTE INTEGRITY IN ITS EXAMINATION PROCESSES

· arrest twelve (12) for various examination offences

The Nigeria Police Force has arrested twelve (12) suspects for their involvement in various examination malpractices in the just concluded West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in some States across the country. The arrest of the suspects is consequent upon the renewed partnership between the Exam body and the Police aimed at ensuring and promoting the integrity of examination processes in the country.

Investigations by Police operatives revealed that the suspects used their privileged positions as invigilators, supervisors and school functionaries during the 2020 WASSCE to conspire, perpetrate and encourage varying degrees of examination malpractices, including online transmission of examination questions and answers on various social media platforms.

The suspects namely; Daye West ‘m’ 52years, Shalom Essien ‘m’ 39yrs, Anyanwu Precious ‘f’ 27yrs, Hanson Beloved ‘m’ 38yrs, Ali Musa ‘m’ 46years, Umar Mohammed ‘m’ 50yrs, Isa Abdullahi Arikya ‘m’ 39years, Hamisu Haussaini Abdullahi ‘m’ 33years, Maharazu Sabo ‘m’ 41yrs, Yusuf .M. Mailafiya ‘m’ 55years, Sule Bukata Garba ‘m’ 40yrs, Wudana K. Solomon ‘m’ 30years, were arrested in Kano, Rivers, Nasarawa and Bauchi States respectively.

The Inspector General of Police, IGP M.A Adamu, NPM, mni has assured the examination body of continuous support to discourage examination malpractices and bring perpetrators to book. He also enjoins parents, guardians, students and all other stakeholders in the examination processes to cooperate with the police and the exam body towards bringing an end to examination malpractice in the country.

DCP FRANK MBA
FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER
FORCE HEADQUARTERS
ABUJA