Day: June 20, 2024

The Senior Staff Union in Colleges of Education (SSUCOEN), has called on the Federal Government to address infractions in the constituted governing councils of tertiary institutions, before their inauguration.

The President of SSUCOEN, Danladi Msheliza made the call in a letter addressed to the Federal Ministry of Education and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

A copy of the letter was made available to newsmen in Abuja on Thursday.

Msheliza observed that, in the list of the constituted councils released by the federal government, there were omissions and wrong inclusions of schools while some colleges were listed as universities.

‘We observed that some Colleges which are all listed in the First Schedule of the Federal Colleges of Education Act, 2023, are omitted from the composition of the list of Councils.

‘As such, no Governing Council was constituted for any of them, even in the recently published list of Councils,’ he said.

He listed the colleges as, Federal College of Education
(FCE), Technical, Ekiadolor, Edo state, FCE, Odugbo, Benue state and FCE Jama’are, Bauchi State.

Other are FCE Isu, Ebonyi State and FCE Gidan Madi, Sokoto State.

SSUCOEN president added that there were appointment of governing councils for some FCEs not listed in the FCE Act, 2023, as they were yet to take off with members of staff or students.

He expressed dismay that FCEs that had been in existence with members of staff and students in their campuses, we’re not captured in the list of governing councils.

‘In the same vein, we also observed that some FCEs (FCE Kano, FCE Zaria and Alvan Ikoku, FCE Owerri), whose names were, in the past, changed to Universities of Education were listed as Universities.

‘Pro Chancellors/Chairmen and members of Councils were constituted for them.

‘These FCEs are by mere official pronouncement without any law establishing them, and are not known to the law, as Universities.

‘It should be noted that the above-mentioned Federal Colleges of Education are currently listed in
the First Schedule of the FCEs Act, 2023.

‘Therefore, one wonders how they would be regarded as Universities when there is no law establishing them as Universities,’ he said.

On membership of councils, he noted that the FCEs Act provided for a Chairman and four members, for each College, out of which, one shall be a female.

He, however, said that from the list released, some Colleges have all male nominees, without a female nominee, which was in contravention of the Act.

‘Unfortunately, we are aware that the Governing Councils may be billed for inauguration soon.

‘However, we strongly stand on our earlier advise that the observed anomalies be corrected before the inauguration.

‘Or better still, the inauguration be put on hold while the observed anomalies are corrected within the shortest time possible,’ he said.

He assured that the union’s intentions and concerns were in the best interest of the colleges of education subsector and of industrial harmony.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The NNPC Ltd.-TotalEnergies Joint Venture (JV) has announced a 550 million dollars Final Investment Decision (FID) on the Ubeta Field Development Project.

This was announced on Thursday at the signing ceremony held at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) Towers, Abuja.

The milestone is in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Presidential Executive Order on Oil and Gas Reforms, aimed at improving the investment climate and positioning Nigeria as the preferred investment destination for the Oil and Gas sector in Africa.

The Ubeta field was discovered in 1964, in the North-West of Port Harcourt in the eastern part of the Niger Delta.

Once on stream, it will produce about 350 million standard cubic feet per day (MMScf/day) of gas and 10,000 BBLS/day of associated liquids.

It will tap into the vast gas reserves and contribute towards securing gas supply to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG).

Malam Mele Kyari, Group Chief Executive Officer, NNPC Limited said the milestone was a major
step towards boosting Nigeria’s oil and gas production.

Kyari expressed appreciation to the president for providing the appropriate fiscal environment and facilitating a conducive operational environment as a major enabler in achieving this success.

The GCEO, while appreciating the industry stakeholders for their continuous support, lauded the Federal Government’s Presidential Executive Orders for Fostering Growth in Nigeria’s Oil and Gas sector.

‘The Presidential Executive Order is instrumental to us getting to this significant milestone and we are now seeing the impact of the policy,’ Kyari said.

In his remarks, Mike Sangster, Senior Vice-President Africa, Exploration and Production, TotalEnergies, described Ubeta as the latest in a series of projects developed by the oil giant in Nigeria, most recently Ikike and Akpo West.

‘I am pleased that we can unveil this new gas project which has been made possible by the Federal Government’s recent incentives for non-associated gas developments.

‘Ubeta fits pe
rfectly with our strategy of developing low-cost and low-emission projects, and will contribute to the Nigerian economy through higher NLNG exports,’ he said.

Earlier in his remarks, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, said Tinubu had significantly rekindled investor’s confidence in the Oil and Gas Industry, assuring Nigerians that more investments were on the way.

Also speaking, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, said the project was a testament to the effectiveness of government’s policies aimed at creating a conducive environment for investment in the gas sector.

Located in OML58, the Ubeta gas condensate field will be developed with a new 6-well cluster connected to the existing Obite facilities through an 11km buried pipeline.

Production start-up is expected in 2027, with a plateau of 300 million cubic feet per day (about 70,000barrels of oil equivalent per day including condensates).

Gas from Ubeta will be supplied to NLNG,
a liquefaction plant located in Bonny Island with an on-going capacity expansion from 22 to 30 Mtpa, in which NNPC Limited holds a 49% interest.

Ubeta is a low-emission and low-cost development, leveraging OML58 existing gas processing facilities.

The carbon intensity of the project will be further reduced through a 5 MW solar plant currently under construction at the Obite site and the electrification of the drilling rig.

TotalEnergies is working closely with NNPC Limited to enhance local content, with more than 90 per cent of man-hours which will be worked locally.

The Ubeta FID justifies the effort invested by NNPC Limited, with unyielding Executive support, into tackling the underlying reasons that have plagued the attractiveness of the Nigerian oil and gas industry to foreign investors in recent years.

The Ubeta project has a robust Nigerian Content plan and is poised to stimulate economic activities, create job opportunities, and create significant value for stakeholders.

Source: News Agency of N
igeria

Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF), says the Federal Government has not abandoned the issue of salary harmonisation in the civil service.

Yemi-Esan made the disclosure during a chat with media executives on Wednesday in Abuja, being part of activities to mark 2024 Civil Service Week.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the theme for 2024 celebration is ‘Educate an African Fit for the 21st Century: Building Resilient Education Systems for Increased Access to Inclusive, Lifelong, Quality and Relevant Learning in Africa’.

Yemi-Esan said salary harmonisation would go through gradual processes because it would be a difficult task to bring down those who were already receiving higher pay.

NAN reports that civil servants in some federal parastatals agencies have been agitating over higher salaries being received by some civil servants in some other government agencies.

The situation had caused some civil servants to demand harmonisation, so as to balance the gap, esp
ecially looking at the economic realities and the fact that they all go to the same market.

The HOCSF explained that in addressing the issue, the first step they took was the approval of peculiar allowance, which was being paid to civil servants, receiving low salary.

‘It is going to be a continuous thing because, it is difficult to bring down people that are already receiving higher salary.

‘What we will continue to do, is to increase the take home of those on the lower rank untill we have the very needed balance.

‘We have started working on this, that was why the 40 per cent peculiar allowance was given, in an effort to close that gap, ‘ she said.

NAN recalled that there was an increase in salary, tagged ‘Consequential Allowance’, that led to a 40 per cent rise in the pay of certain low income earners in civil service during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa on Thursday in Johannesburg, underscored the need for a stronger partnership between Nigeria and his country.

Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President, Media and Publicity, said in a statement on Thursday, that Ramaphosa stated this during a private meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Johannesburg.

He said that Ramaphosa thanked Tinubu for honouring the invitation to attend his inauguration for a second term in office.

‘Thank you so much for coming for the inauguration. I was very happy to see my brother at the ceremony,’ the South African President said.

President Tinubu said that Ramaphosa’s inaugural speech captured most of the challenges faced by African countries, and the need for more collaboration among leaders and citizens to provide solutions.

‘I really enjoyed your speech at the ceremony. I was delighted to listen to you. We have lots of issues in common, and we need to work more closely together. It was a good celebration,’ Tinubu said

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ramaphosa was re-elected for a second term on June 14, following an agreement for a Government of National Unity between the African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF), said the recent physical verification exercise by her.office, exposed workers living abroad but still earning salaries from the service.

Yemi-Esan revealed this during a chat with media executives on Wednesday in Abuja, being part of activities to mark 2024 Civil Service Week.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the theme for 2024 celebration is ‘Educate an African Fit for the 21st Century: Building Resilient Education Systems for Increased Access to Inclusive, Lifelong, Quality and Relevant Learning in Africa’.

The HOCSF said many of the civil servants, who were caught up in their games, had to resign their appointments, following their failure to carry out the physical verification exercise.

According to her, the verification exercise was one of the measures by her office, to check corrupt practices, run a smooth civil service and reposition the sector.

‘Recently, there was a circular that went out to all Ministries, Depar
tments and Agencies (MDAs) that, they should do a physical headcount in their MDAs.

‘That means, everybody on the nominal roll, that is receiving salaries, should appear physically and the names of those who did not show up for the exercise should be forwarded.

‘In the circular, I cautioned that Permanent Secretaries and CEOs that give wrong information will be held liable if anything is discovered outside of the information that was given,’ she said.

The HOCSF added that the decision by the government was that, after the exercise, they would stop the salaries of those, in one way or the other, had left the service without proper documentation, but still earning remuneration.

‘From what I saw, the number of people that have gone out of the country and are still earning salaries, is more in the parastatals than in the core ministries.

‘I actually called one of the heads of the agencies and queried why there is such a number of people earning salaries and are not on their desks.

‘I asked how the agency c
ome about such a huge number of the purported workers,’ she said

Yemi-Esan said the reply she got was that some of the civil servants even returned from the UK for the verification exercise.

Yemi-Esan said: ‘The Head of that agency told me that he discovered that, a week after the verification exercise, some of them rushed from the UK to the country, with the intention to do their own verification

‘He said they came to him saying, aah! Oga, we are around; we heard they did verification.

‘The agency head, asked them to come back in two weeks time for their verification; knowing fully well that nobody working in the UK, will be able to have such luxury of time,’ she said.

The HOCSF said from the incident narrated to her, most of the affected workers had to resign their appointments because they knew that the game was over.

She decried the situation, where civil servants who did not have official permission to be out of their office, would travel out of the country for years, and still earning salaries.

Y
emi-Esan added that such development was unacceptable, when there were millions of Nigerians waiting to be employed.

She also used the opportunity of the event, to appreciate media partners whom she described as ‘backbone for the successful reforms carried out’ by her office since her assumption of duty.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Mr Ali Muhammad Ali, the Managing Director, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), has urged journalists to jealously guard the journalism profession and ensure the elimination of quackery.

Ali said this on Thursday in Abuja during the Diamond Anniversary Special Induction of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).

The NAN MD said that media quacks needed to get the right training in order to function better in the society, as Public Relations (PR) was all about professionalism.

According to him, quacks need better training to be able to get their acts together.

‘In public communication, the tone of the PR man is different, especially when you engage a professional; the tone is that of reconciliation and persuasion, and not combating.

‘But when you see a quack serving as a spokesman, they are always combative.

‘When you become a media manager, naturally, their language and diction should be that of reconciliation, persuasion, peace and not combative nor aggression.

‘My advice to all quacks is to get
the right training by joining the institute; get the right education, knowledge, and the right attitude,’ Ali said.

He said that quackery had not only heated-up public communication in the country but had also heightened tension.

Ali, therefore underscored the agency’s commitment to maintaining credibility and authenticity in its reporting, in spite of the prevalence of fake news in today’s digital age.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria