Day: June 20, 2024

President Bola Tinubu has felicitated his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, on his birthday.

‘Mr Onanuga is one of Nigeria’s finest journalists with a string of accomplishments in the media and beyond to show for his efforts,’ the president said in a statement on Thursday by Chief Ajuri Ngelale, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity.

‘He was a prominent figure in the pro-democracy struggles in Nigeria and, at various times, had to endure indignities over his progressive beliefs and pursuits.

‘He co-founded The News Magazine and was the CEO and Editor-in-Chief of PM News,’ Tinubu added.

The president noted that Onanuga previously served as Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria.

He commended the ace journalist for professional excellence, and described him as a dependable and resourceful adviser.

The president wished Onanuga many more years in good health as well as renewed strength in his service to the nation.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The University of Abuja (UniAbuja) has commenced the construction of 9,600 bed space ultramodern students’ hostels to cost N16 billon, under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement to be completed in September 2025.

Mr Philip Uzouku, the Chairman/Managing Director, Philkruz WA Ltd., disclosed this during the ground breaking ceremony of the construction of the students’ hostels on Thursday in Abuja.

Uzouku said that the company would build and manage the hostels for over 30 years, recoup their money before handing it over to the university.

‘We have been on this journey for over eight years, pushing through thick and thin.

‘This project will not stop until we finish it, so that by next year September, we will start taking new students to live in it.

‘The 9,600 bed space will cost N16 billion and I have six slots in the University of Abuja that will cost about N48 billion to complete it.

‘The landmark is 10 hecters per slot; each slot is 1600 beds spaces.

‘When we build and manage it for over 30
years and recoup our money before we hand over to the university,’ he said.

He said that the company’s motivation to embark on this project was not only to make profit and enrich their pockets.

According to him, the motivation is borne out of the desire to partner with the university to contribute in their efforts to provide modern, affordable and state of the arts students’ hostels.

Uzouku appreciated the Vice-chancellor, Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, for giving him the opportunity to be among the investors that have been selected to help alleviate the accommodation problem facing the university.

On his part, Na’Allah urged wealthy citizens to come and build facilities in the university, adding that public universities should not be a government business alone.

He said that the university could accommodate any PPP arrangement that would like to come and build hostels, staff quarters, and canteens among others in the university.

According to him, with enough hostels the university will make a policy that all
students’ will be in the hostels, so that anyone who wishes to stay off campus will need to apply for exemption.

The Registrar, Yahaya Mohammed said that at the moment, the university could only accommodate 6,000 out of the 26,000 regular students.

Mohammed said that the hostels when completed would be a big relief to the students who were off campus.

‘If there are enough hostels, many students will like to stay as this will help to ease the stress of coming from outside the campus.

‘This will be a good market also for other investors to come and invest as they will recoup their money within a short period of time.

‘It will not be a project that any investors would lose or regret partnering with the university,’ he said.

He said that the university has over 63,000 regular and non-regular students.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that UniAbuja and Philkruz signed the hand-over certificate and the project was officially handed over to the company.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) is engaging with stakeholders to review and validate the 2023 Annual Progress Report (APR) of Nigeria’s extractive industries.

Dr Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, the Executive Secretary of NEITI, said this at a Stakeholder’s Consultation/Validation Meeting on Thursday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was centred on the 2023 Annual Progress Report (APR) of the Nigeria Extractive Industries, which covers the oil, gas, and mining sectors.

Orji, represented by a Director in NEITI, Mrs Jane Onwumere, said that stakeholders engagement in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) process was important.

‘The global EITI requirement of 1.5 under its 2023 standard mandates all implementing countries, including Nigeria, to document their review of the impacts and outcomes of the EITI implementation in an APR.

‘This can also be done through other means as may be agreed by Multi-Stakeholders Group (MSG).

‘It requ
ires that all stakeholders, companies, government and civil society involved in the EITI process, including those not on the MSG, should participate in reviewing the impact of EITI implementation.

‘They are required to also provide feedback and have their views reflected in the annual progress report.’

Orji said the programme, therefore, aimed to reflect the stakeholders’ views in the 2023 APR of the NEI in line with the requirements of the global EITI.

He said the event served as an opportunity to evaluate and celebrate the progress, milestones, and achievements recorded in Nigeria’s extractive sectors in the year under review.

Orji called on stakeholders to share their contributions to the sector to enable NEITI to report and celebrate them through the instrumentality of the global EITI.

According to him, the APR is not solely the business of the NEITI Secretariat but a collective effort by all parties working towards achieving EITI objectives in Nigeria.

‘While we acknowledge that there are still man
y issues to be addressed in the sectors, we must document, report, and celebrate our efforts and progress.

‘Addressing those issues will build trust, earn citizens/investors’ confidence, and attract the desired investment into our extractive sectors and economy.’

Also speaking, a former member of the EITI International Board, Mrs Faith Nwadishi, decried the regular dissolution of the board by successive governments.

Nwadishi said,’ the fact that each time a new government comes into office, it dissolves the EITI Board in the country is a concern.

‘This is because it can lead to the country’s suspension from the international body, but we are lucky that the Board was eventually put together.

‘I am sure that if the NEITI Board had not been put together, the EITI International Board meeting happening right now in Geneva would have been a serious concern.

‘We had a similar issue in 2016. Therefore, we must understand the role of the Board.’

Nwadishi, while commenting on the draft report, also observed that
not many Civil Society reports had been captured in the APR.

She urged them to send their reports, saying it was why it is a country work plan comprising inputs of all stakeholders, civil societies, government, and companies.

NAN reports that the meeting brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including representatives from companies, government agencies, civil society organisations, and other entities involved in the EITI process.

The participants contributed and expressed their concerns, which the NEITI pledged to address accordingly.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria