Category: News

…provides free train ride in Yuletide

The Federal Government on Monday said it would offer free train service to all Nigerians from Dec. 20 up until Jan. 5, 2025.

Alhaji Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation, said this while briefing State House correspondents after the FEC meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Idris said the free train service was consistent with President Tinubu’s desire to cushion the effect of high transportation costs for the most vulnerable Nigerians.

“Recall that this also happened in the last Christmas and Sellah periods. And Mr President has also approved that this year, from Dec. 20 to Jan. 5, there will be free transport service nationwide,” he said.

The Minister also said that the FEC approved a proposal by President Tinubu to rename the University of Abuja to honour General Yakubu Gowon.

“The University of Abuja will now be known as Yakubu Gowon University. Of course, the processing will have to go to the National Assembly for all legislation in that direction.

“But FEC has decided to write to the National Assembly to change the name of the University of Abuja to Yakubu Gowon University, in honour of the former head of state and elder statesman,” said Idris.

He also said the Council commended President Tinubu for his stewardship for the past 18 months and reiterated its members’ commitment and support for his programmes and leadership.

He stated that the FEC would proceed on recess from Dec. 18 to Jan. 6, 2025.

PRESIDENT TINUBU APPOINTS EIGHT NEW PERMANENT SECRETARIES

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed eight permanent secretaries in the federal civil service to fill existing and impending vacancies in some states and geopolitical zones.

According to a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy), the appointment was the second set of eight permanent secretaries appointed by the president, following those appointed last June from Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Jigawa, Ondo, Zamfara,  South East and South-South.

The Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation recommended that the new permanent secretaries be appointed after diligent selection.

They  are:

1. Onwusoro Maduka Ihemelandu (Abia State)
2. Ndiomu Ebiogeh Philip (Bayelsa State)
3. Anuma Ogbonnaya Nlia (Ebonyi State)
4. Ogbodo Chinasa Nnam (Enugu State)
5. Kalba Danjuma Usman (Gombe State)
6. Usman Salihu Aminu (Kebbi State)
7. Oyekunle Patience Nwakuso (Rivers State)
8. Nadungu Gagare (Kaduna State)

President Tinubu urged the new permanent secretaries to demonstrate greater commitment, diligence, and innovation in serving the nation.

…Says era of land grabbing, double allocation, revenue diversion over

In a major move to sanitise and modernise land administration and management in Enugu State, the governor of the state, Dr. Peter Mbah, on Monday, inaugurated the Enugu State Geographic Information System, ENGIS, describing it as a major win for the people of the South East State.

Recall that Mbah had in March this year signed into Law the Enugu State Geographic Information System Service Bill initiated by his government and passed by the Enugu State House of Assembly, stressing that it was in line with his administration’s campaign promise to automate governance process, starting with simplification and sanitisation of land administration and management in the state.

Inaugurating THE ENGIS office and system in Enugu, Mbah said, “This is not just a win for government. It is a win for Ndi Enugu as well because nothing is as important as trusting the integrity of a process. Today marks the end of the era of land grabbing, unauthorised construction, double allocations, revenue diversion,” Mbah said.

The governor explained that the milestone was in furtherance of his campaign promise to grow the state’ economy to $30bn and make it conducive for business, noting that whereas ENGIS could process an application for title in a few hours, a duration of 48 hours was stipulated to provide a buffer for other control elements built into the process.

“We had during our campaign mentioned that we were going to invest hugely in the digital sector and that we were going to ensure that we make Enugu State the number one in terms of Ease of Doing Business.

“If you look at the major indicators of the Ease of Doing Business, you would notice that two items there: the ease of obtaining your title and ease of obtaining construction permit, are core indicators.

“So, what we are launching today would enable us to accomplish our economic growth target because with the ENGIS, you are able to start and complete your application for title within 48 hours. From the comfort of your home, you can apply for titles, conduct your searches, and you get the results almost immediately.

“It is also going to create transparency in our land management and administration. Thus, the era of opacity in our land transactions is also gone because you can now view everything.

“We believe that this is going to motivate the investors a lot and is going to bring us closer to our dream of growing this economy from $4.4bn to $30bn in four to eight years. We know that we can achieve that because the value of real estate in our state is rising. You can see people troopping in.

“So, with ENGIS we are ready for business and we are open for business because we are now able to treat the title applications expeditiously,” he stated.

Mbah also congratulated his team, which he said worked extremely hard to achieve the feat in a very short time, converting to digital platforms land documents dating back to early colonial days when the entire Southern Nigeria, except Lagos, was at some point administered from Enugu.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development, Barr. Chimaobi Okorie and the Coordinator of ENGIS, Dr. Cyril Ezeama, explained that the ENGIS would boost the revenue profile of the state and create an advanced geospatial centre of excellence for land administration and data management.

Ezeama said, “With this system, we will enable the transparent, accurate, and efficient registration of land titles, provide reliable geospatial information and ensure sustainable geospatial management for Enugu State.

“The project is not only designed to eliminate revenue leakages, but is also projected to significantly enhance revenue generation, contributing an estimated N300bn annually to the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of Enugu State.

“ENGIS is the first of its kind in Nigeria because with this system, land applications and searches can now be initiated and completed entirely online seamlessly, conveniently, and without the need for physical visits,” he concluded.

The Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Uchenna Ugwu; Chairman of the Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council, Igwe Samuel Asadu; Council Chairman of Enugu North LGA, Hon. Ibenaku Onoh; Chairman of Enugu Branch of Nigeria Bar Association, Barr. Venatus Odoh; his Nigeria Institution of Surveyors counterpart, Surv. E.C Nnamani; Chairman, Institute of Town Planners, Enugu State, Charles Ngene; and Chairman, Enugu State House of Assembly Committee on Lands, Hon. Pius Ezeugwu, lauded Governor Mbah’s digital transformation of governance in Enugu State, pledging full support for his development agenda for the state.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has reported an increase in Nigeria’s headline inflation to 34.60% in November 2024, marking a 0.72 percentage point rise from 33.88% in October. On a year-on-year basis, this represents a significant jump of 6.40 percentage points compared to 28.20% recorded in November 2023.

Month-on-month inflation, however, showed a marginal decline to 2.638% from 2.640% in October, signaling a slight slowdown in price increases.

Food inflation soared to 39.93% year-on-year, driven by spikes in the prices of staples like yam, maize, rice, palm oil, and frozen chicken. Month-on-month food inflation also rose to 2.98%, up by 0.05 percentage points from October’s 2.94%.

The report attributes the food inflation hike to higher costs across categories such as bread and cereals, fish, oils, dairy products, and meats.

Additionally, the average annual food inflation for the 12 months ending in November stood at 38.67%, marking an 11.58 percentage point increase from 27.09% in November 2023.

The NBS data underscores the ongoing economic challenges as rising food prices continue to exacerbate inflationary pressures in Nigeria.

…Lists plans on railway, aviation, electricity, others

Chetanne Chinelo & Chinelo Anekwe, Enugu

Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah has rendered an account of his stewardship in the eighteen months of his administration to the citizens and residents of Enugu State.

Mbah who engaged extensively with the people of Enugu State in a town hall meeting held on Saturday, December 15, 2024 at the Old Governors Lodge noted that the central point of his government’s policies were the people.

The governor who took time to reel our sectoral achievements and interventions carried out by his administration since assumption of office on May 29, 2023 called on the people to support his policies and hold him accountable.

He said: “A year and half ago, I signed a document that made me accountable to the people of Enugu State. The first action I took after I became Governor was to sign 3 Executive Orders which are the development of the Citizens Charter – provision of jobs, social amenities etc that improves citizens welfare; to improve a new socioeconomic rebirth that will achieve a 0% poverty rate headcount index and to improve Enugu’s GDP from $4.4bn dollars to $30bn.

“At 18 months, we’re not halfway through our tenure but we’re on track. History lessons have taught us that development waits for no one.

“The need for portable water in every household and the need for children to be inculcated with the right knowledge to compete adequately in a rapidly growing environment and also the need for quality healthcare system is what drives us.

“In the last 18 months, we have made the people of ndi Enugu the central point of government policies through expansion of quality steady healthcare, bringing agricultural industry to scale, creating job opportunities, abolishing moribund infrastructural facilities etc. No society can ever achieve growth without the support and sacrifice of the people”.

Below are some of his paraphrased and quoted submissions on sectoral interventions as captured by our Correspondent:

WATER SUPPLY: We have raised water production from occasional 2 million litres to 120 million litres a day in 180 days. The only time you would have to appreciate the magnitude of challenges associated with those tertiary pipes is after you have allowed water to flow through them, and some of them after decades. That was when we started noticing burst pipes. We also started noticing that some of the pipes were still asbestos pipes and we needed to replace them. So, in terms of production, we have been able to achieve 150% of our daily production needs. What we are now dealing with is the last mile; making sure that we get water to the last mile. Doing that, especially given the magnitude of what we have observed, is also cost intensive. But we are now fortunate that we have investors – and this is not loans or grants – but investors, who have undertaken to play in the downstream of our water management system. So, these investors are going to invest a hundred million dollars to ensure that they replace all the pipes leading to the last mile. So, 1.5 million households have been targeted for a start. That work will start in January in earnest. And they would also ensure it is sustained because they will ensure that it is metered. They will metre these homes as they do the tertiary pipelines. So, for those of you that are yet to get public water, you can be sure that when we connect all these pipes and metres to your homes, what you may be paying will be barely 20 per cent of what you are currently spending to source for water. But most importantly, you are guaranteed clean water so that once you turn on your tap, water will flow.

SECURITY: Tales of how bad things have been seems now to be like a fable because of the massive success achieved in this area. The illegal sit-at-home which has crippled businesses has become a thing of the past and things have normalized. We have also put into consideration necessary measures to monitor security e.g installing highway cameras. We have established a Distress Response Squad (DRS) that swiftly responds when criminal issues arise. The aim of DRS is to boost the state of security in the state. We have made over 100 procurements of vehicles for DRS and we will make other procurements for other security agencies. Our Command and Control Center will be turned on in a few days.

EDUCATION: The emphasis of education cannot be over flogged. At 33% of our total budget, education has the highest allocation in our budget. This is because every country’s socioeconomic phase is tied to its educational level. It shows the level of a nation’s working capital. We see the evidence in our smart schools where local children are exposed to smart technologies of learning which have built and developed them as problem solvers etc. As we speak, there is active work going on in the 246 wards in the state. The contractors have been paid and they have their timelines. We also put in measures to actively control and monitor them. By September 2025, we expect that our children should be able to access these smart schools. Also, we have a plan of training smart teachers precisely 11,000 teachers by June 2025 so that they can be adequately equipped for smart teaching. There are also plans and work going on to establish smart secondary schools so that children that pass through smart schools will not be shocked when they enter secondary schools. In the 2025 budget, 1/3 of the budget is allocated to education. The children’s future is what matters and we must consistently invest in education.

TOURISM: With the serenity, abundance of waterfalls and scenic landscapes, Enugu presents a unique charm to visitors. But they’re like rough diamonds which need a little sheen. We have plans to construct the first canopy walkway at Ngwo Waterfalls and plans are currently underway at Awhum. The goal is to make Enugu the major conference center in Africa. Central to this is the International Conference Center. We hope to achieve 3 million visitors every year. The next town hall meeting which will be around the first quarter of 2025 will be held at the Auditorium of the International Conference Center. Conference centers help to boost economic growth.

SOCIAL INCLUSION: We have already domesticated the Disability Act. So, we already have the Enugu State Disabilities Law. I am pledging here that we are going to inaugurate the Enugu State Commission for People with Disabilities within the first quarter of 2025.

TRANSPORTATION: We have plans of establishing bus shelters and active railway stations by the first quarter of 2025. We also have plans of establishing direct international flights from Enugu to China etc as well as direct flights to other states in Nigeria. We have plans to make Enugu the transportation Hub.

ELECTRICITY: About electricity, we promised that by 2026 that there will be uninterrupted power supply and we are working actively to achieve that. We are also having meetings to find a way to take Enugu State out of the National Grid so that we won’t be experiencing the challenges that comes with the National Grid.

Workers in Ebonyi State Civil service will receive One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira each as 2024 Christmas Bonus from the State Government.

This was contained in a statement issued by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Dr. Monday Uzor.

According to the state, Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru announced this at a State banquet organized in honor of the visiting British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Gill Lever at the Government House Abakaliki.

The Governor said the gesture is in appreciation of workers commitment to duty and their understanding during the strike action.

“Our Workers have shown a lot of commitments and respect to us as a government. During the strike action they heeded our appeal because they understood the situation of things and we were most grateful and ready to always dialogue on how to improve their welfare.”

The Governor directed that every Worker should receive the bonus before close of work on Tuesday next week

The Governor had earlier received the British Deputy High Commissioner in his office at Ochoudo Centenary City, Abakaliki where he solicited the assistance of the British Government in the areas of Water, Health, power and education as well as Agriculture.

“We are committed to industrialize the state, with progress in Ebonyi Pipe Production Company, Ebonyi State Fertilizers and Chemicals Company, Industrial Clusters, and Ebonyi State Hatchery, Nkaliki. We cultivate rice in large quantities and seek your collaboration to enhance production for exportation.

“Water and sanitation is another area we have made significant progress in our quest to increase provision and access to quality water supply in the rural and urban areas. We have revived the Oferekpe water scheme with the capacity to produce 100 million cubic litres of water on a daily basis.”

Governor Nwifuru commended the UK Foreign Office and other development partners for their active support and commitment to Nigeria’s State development.

The Deputy High Commissioner expressed satisfaction with the development going on in the state and pledged to assist considering the long standing ties between the UK and Nigeria.

PACESETTER reports that in 2023, Governor Francis Nwifuru also approved the payment of 100,000 to each civil servant as their Christmas bonus.