Category: News

…to train 40,000 youths on technology annually

…NITDA South East Zonal Office to be sited in Enugu – DG

The government of Enugu State has expressed interest in collaborating with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) on the training of youths in the state on digital skills, information and communication technology (ICT) which would make them self-reliant, create wealth for themselves and provide jobs for others.

This was made known by the state governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, when a team from NITDA led by its Director General, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, who was represented by the Director of Zonal Offices, Babajide Ajayi, paid a courtesy visit to the governor at the Government House, Enugu, on Wednesday.

Governor Mbah informed the agency of his government’s efforts to expose the youths to the emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, mechatronics, virtual reality, augmented reality, robotics, fintech and others, which are presently driving the global economy, stressing that the state would be glad to partner with the agency to achieve its goals.

“We recognise that a lot of the skill set that the youths have today may no longer be relevant to the emerging future. And this emerging future requires our young people to be upskilled digitally so that they can embrace the emerging possibilities it affords. So we know that the world is now moving into robotics, artificial intelligence, virtual reality and agumented reality,” he added.

The governor, who appreciated the federal government for choosing Enugu for its zonal headquarters, further said his administration would forge an alliance with NITDA to train and upskill a minimum of 40,000 youths in the state annually as a way of empowering them and ensuring they could become major players in the digital space.

Speaking on the role of technology in phasing out the brick-and-mortar method of trading which was becoming old-fashioned, Mbah said plans were already being perfected to equip young ones in the state with fintech and cyber security skills to enable them integrate into the digital market, saying “we are going to equip them with the skills that allow them to do e-commerce so that they will be able to have their market base in the entire globe”.

He stressed that the economy of the state would not only be driven by technology, it would help the administration achieve its strategic objectives of growing the economy seven-fold from $4.4 billion to $30 billion, and eradicate poverty from the nook and crannies of the state.

“We are going to drive that growth with technology and not magic. The exponential growth projection can only come through technology. We have already started doing it. If you look at our governance structure, we have migrated our services to digital platform. Currently, we are digitising and we started with the 11 ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), and we are looking at extending it to the 109 MDAs that we have in the state. We have already intervened in our land administration and management system. People are able to apply and obtain their certificate of occupancy within 72 hours. And when I say 72 hours, my team members will always interrupt and say ‘no, it’s 48 hours’. I don’t think there is any city in Africa where you can apply and get your certificate of occupancy in 72 hours,” the governor added.

Addressing the governor earlier, the NITDA Director General said their visit was necessitated by their desire to collaborate with the state in achieving its strategic objectives and vision, noting that the partnership would elevate the state in line with the governor’s mission and vision for the state.

“We are here in Enugu State to look at how we can actually deepen our collaboration with the state government. We don’t want to just stay in Abuja and do things in isolation. We want to work with the state government, we want to collaborate with them. We want to connect with the stakeholders in the state in the ecosystem, and we also want to share our strategic vision with the state and see how the state can also tap into our vision. In addition to this, we want to explain how we can further partner with the state and the ecosystem to drive digital economy.

“We want to actually hear from them and see how we can move the state forward with regards to ICT,” he added.

He said approval has been given by the NITDA headquarters to site its South East Zonal headquarters in Enugu.

On his part, the Director, Corporate Planning and Strategy, Dr. Aristotle Onumo, commended Governor Mbah for the strategic steps his administration has been taking in the area of technology, maintaining that the decision to site the agency’s zonal office was a milestone and result of the commitment the governor had shown in his effort to “engage and move Enugu State, especially young people to breathe and have something meaningful doing”.

According to him, the responsibility of government was beyond job creation to engaging the people, lifting them out of the pit of poverty and improving the human capital index, adding that these responsibilities could not be achieved without collaboration.

“It is on that note that we as an agency are keying in to that government programme of poverty alleviation, job creation, entrepreneurship and also supporting start-ups. And that is why we are here for this conversation with the Enugu State stakeholders and His Excellency the Governor particularly and also see how Enugu State Government will benefit from the agency’s programme. We have the focus and the goal to develop about 1 million talents to empower our youths. We want to engage the youths to leave criminality and crimes through digital economy,” he stressed.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of Hon. Zacch Adedeji as the new Acting Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

Presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, announced this in a statement on Thursday.

He said the president directed the erstwhile FIRS Chairman, Mr. Muhammad Nami, to proceed on 3 months of pre-retirement leave, as provisioned by Public Service Rule (PSR) 120243, with immediate effect, leading to his eventual retirement from service on December 8, 2023.

Ngelale added that by these directives of the president, the new appointment took immediate effect.

“Hon. Zacch Adedeji is hereby appointed in acting capacity for a 90-day period before his subsequent confirmation as the substantive Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service for a term of four (4) years in the first instance.

“Hon. Zacch Adedeji is a first-class graduate in accounting from the Obafemi Awolowo University. He most recently served the nation as the Special Adviser to the President on Revenue, following meritorious service terms as the Oyo State Commissioner of Finance and as the Executive Secretary / CEO of the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC),” the statement added.

The Federal Government has issued a flood alert, saying 13 northern states will likely witness heavy rainfalls that may lead to flooding between September 13 and 17.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Ministry of Environment through its National Flood Early Warning Systems (FEWS) Central Hub, listed 50 communities across the North to be affected.

Some of the states identified are Kano (Sumaila and Kunchi), Kebbi (Argungu), Katsina (Bindawa, Jibia, Kaita, and Katsina), Niger (Kontagora, Mashegu, and New Bussa), Kwara (Kosubosu), Zamfara (Kaura Namoda and Shinkafi), and Bauchi (Bajoga, Darazo, Kirfi, Azare, Jama’are, Itas, Misau).

Others are Taraba (Bali, Donga, Lau, Serti, Mutum-Biyu, Yorro), Borno (Briyel, Biu, Dikwa, Kukawa), Adamawa (Ganye, Mubi, Demsa, Jimeta, Mayo Belwa, Numan, Shelleng, Song), Yobe (Dapchi, Gashua, Geidam, Kanamma, Machina, Potiskum), and Gombe (Nafada and Jigawa, with Dutse, Gumel, Gwaram, and Miga).

The agency explained that due to the rise in the water levels of Rivers Benue and Niger, nearby communities up to Bayelsa were advised to take precautionary measures in the coming days.

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The House of Representatives has denied claims by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) that its members received N100 million each as palliative from the executive arm.

The National Assistant General Secretary of the NLC, Christopher Onyeka, had in an interview with Punch newspaper, said the congress will embark on another strike over the inability of the government to provide palliative to the masses but gave the National Assembly N70 billion with each member receiving N100 million.

“Can you see the insult that a ward would share a bag of rice and the government calls that a palliative? It is an insult to Nigerians, whereas the government gave legislators N70bn and each of the legislators gets over N100m in a country where Nigerians are suffering,” Mr Onyeka said.

The Senate has 109 members while the House has 360 members.

But the spokesperson of the House, Akin Rotimi (APC, Ekiti), denied the claim, stating that it is malicious and untrue that members of the National Assembly got N100 million each.

“We state categorically that Mr Onyeka lied in his claim that National Assembly members were given N100 million as palliatives. For the avoidance of doubt, at no time did members of the House of Representatives receive any money from the executive arm as palliatives. We, therefore, consider this statement as malicious, irresponsible and in bad faith,” he said.

In its usual manner, the National Assembly did not also provide the breakdown of the money and what they intended to use the money for.

Mr Rotimi did not provide the breakdown of the money nor address the issues raised by the NLC, instead, he demanded a public apology from the NLC.

“Accordingly, the House of Representatives demands an immediate retraction of this lie and a public apology from the Nigeria Labour Congress. The NLC as a critical stakeholder in the development of Nigeria has a voice and it risks delegitimising that voice if it is found to include fables in its legitimate agitations,” he said.

He noted that the National Assembly has approved the request by the executive for funds to support vulnerable groups.

“We wish to remind the NLC and indeed all Nigerians that in less than 100 days in the tenure of the 10th Assembly, we have demonstrated our commitment to the welfare of Nigerian workers and all Nigerians.

“In addition to other measures, the House of Representatives speedily carried out requisite legislative action on the Executive Arm of government’s request for approval of funds for palliatives for Nigerians.

“We have also consistently advocated for the Executive to expedite these palliative measures to reach vulnerable Nigerians effectively and efficiently, as well as added our voices to the call for an immediate review of the minimum wage,” he said.

The NLC last week embarked on a two-day warning strike to protest the biting effect of the fuel subsidy removal.

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…as HoR committee commends state’s compliance on NHF remittance

The Enugu State governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, has disclosed an ongoing plan by his administration to build 20,000 mass housing with modern facilities for the state civil servants within the next one year.

This was even as the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Non-Remittance to the National Housing Fund (NHF) and Utilization of the Funds led by its chairman, Hon. Dachung Bagos, commended the governor for his efforts in ensuring that the state government was up to date in terms of compliance and remittance to the NHF.

While receiving the members of the ad-hoc committee who were on a courtesy visit at the Government House, Enugu, on Tuesday, the governor said his government was passionate about prioritizing the welfare of workers in the state through various incentives which included the planned 20,000 mass housing.

Governor Mbah, who, in a statement made available to Pacesetter, said the state had been playing major roles in the growth and development of the country, further added that Enugu State, under his government, would continue to meet up with its financial commitment for the welfare and well-being of the people.

“We will not only remit the 2.5% to the National Housing Fund, we will also engage the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria for mass housing.

“We have allocated a large expanse of land for mass housing, and we are going to construct 20,000 mass housing for our workers.

“Our goal is to ensure that workers have access to housing upon retirement,” the governor added.

Speaking earlier, the chairman of the ad-hoc committee said their mission to the state, as part of their mandate to visit the 36 states of the federation, was to investigate the level of compliance of remittance to the NHF by states and its utilization, stressing that the NHF Act 1922 presently under consideration for amendment “provides that every public worker, including the private sector is to contribute the 2.5% into the national housing fund”.

Hon. Bagos, however, lauded the governor for meeting up with the financial obligation of the state by remitting the mandatory contributory fund, even as enjoined local governments in the state to emulate the commendable steps taken by the governor.

He said the choice of Enugu State as the first state in the federation to visit was predicated on its commitment to the welfare of its workers, assuring that the remittance would inspire them to allocate more housing to the state.

He encouraged the governor not to rest on the successes recorded by his administration but to do more in ensuring availability of more housing in the state.