From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Turkish government has allayed fears that Nigerian students in the country’s universities would be sent home due to the closure of some privately owned institutions allegedly affiliated to Fethullah Gulen’s movement accused of masterminding the recent failed coup in the country.
The government, however, explained that the affected students have been moved to public schools nearest to them, where they would pay very little or no tuition fees.
Ambassador of Turkey to Nigeria, Mr. Hakan Cakil, while on a courtesy visit to the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, in Abuja, said no Nigerian student would be allow to suffer the closure, adding that any student who chose the option of returning home will be doing so as a matter of choice.
The minister, in a response, expressed gratitude to the Turkish government for paying special attention to the wellbeing and safety of Nigerian students, while assuring the ambassador that Nigerian government will continue to deepen its educational cooperation with Turkey and also boost the overall bilateral relationship between the two countries.
NIGER DELTA: Niger Delta Ministry trains 64 women, youths on farming, ICT
From Fred Itua, Abuja
Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Uguru Usani, has charged women and youths from the Niger Delta region trained by the ministry on commercial snail farming, entrepreneurship and Information, communication technology (ICT), to use the knowledge and skills garnered to contribute to the food security and the development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the region.
The minister, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Alo Williams Nwankwo, gave this charge at a graduation ceremony of the training and empowerment programme for 64 women and youths from the Niger Delta region, held at The Polytechnic Ibadan, Oyo State. “This is one of the initiatives of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to diversify the economy, increase food security and generate employment for women and youths, in the Niger Delta region,” he stressed.
Usani disclosed that the training and empowerment package were put together to, among other benefits, enable the trainees to be self-employed, engage others, manage businesses for effective enterprise development and be able to generate income for their families.
Highlights of the event included the presentation of training certificates, payment of a start-up capital of N300,000 and one laptop each for the trainees, while those who did not collect laptop received the sum of N400,000, and other relevant materials that would aid them in setting up their businesses.
Meanwhile, the minister has decried that indigenes of Niger Delta region were not adequately treated for employment into the Federal Ministry of Environment and its agencies, such as National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and National Environmental Standards Regulatory and Environment Agency (NESREA).
He disclosed this during a courtesy visit to his office by the delegation of the Federal Character Commission’s Committee on Environment, led by Chief Emmanuel Ebimami on Tuesday.
AGRIC: FG to privatise Abuja commodity exchange
From Magnus Eze, Abuja
The Federal Government has said that it would finalise the privatisation of Abuja Commodity Exchange and at the same time set-up licensing regime that will open up the market for multiple viable and credible exchange operators to compete.
It also reiterated its determination, in cooperation and with supervision and guidance from the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), to rapidly introduce new storage solutions across the nation’s agricultural system to mitigate the current post-harvest loss rates of up to 60 per cent for perishable crops. To this end, government recently invested 66 billion to establish 33 silo complexes, 25-grain aggregation centres, and nine units of Blumberg warehouses, which have been privatised by way of concession.
This was contained in the recently unveiled Agriculture Promotion Policy (APP) 2016-2020 otherwise known as the Green Alternative. The project, which is at varying degrees of completion, is aimed at keeping five per cent of national output in storage.
The document said the project, if successful, will help sustain national food security in terms of food price stabilisation, market and macroeconomic stability, including delivering food in periods of national disaster as well as food aid to regional markets.
BUDGET: Infrastructure master plan to gulp over $3trn – FG
From Basil Obasi, Abuja
The Federal Government has disclosed that implementation of the National Integrated Infrast ructure Master Plan (NIIMP), a long term plan expected to last over the next 30 years, will gulp over $3.05 trillion, which is well over one zillion naira.
The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, who disclosed this in Abuja while receiving the report of report of a three-day pre-summit workshop from the Infrastructure Private Public Partnership Summit Group (PPPSG), maintained that the NIIMP was a blueprint for accelerated infrastructure development in the country over the next 30 years (2014 -2043). This project if implemented, is expected to raise the stock of infrastructure from the current level of 20-25 per cent of the GDP to at least 70 per cent by 2043, he said.
According to a statement by his media aide, Mr. James Akpandem, Udoma said that the plan, which will be executed in collaboration with federal and state governments as well as the private sector would see the public sector taking 52 per cent of the load with the private sector underwriting the balance in the first five years of the plan.
HOUSING: Land, housing summit begins in Ilorin today
From Magnus Eze, Abuja
The 5th National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development hosted by the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, begins today in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
The theme, “Building Adequate Capacity of Professionals, Artisans and Tradesmen in the Built Environment,” is in line with the present administration’s focus on enhancing and encouraging capacity building of professionals across all levels to meet the challenges of the time in the sector, particularly to ensure compliance with building regulations and sustained development of towns and cities.
The National Council serves as the inter-governmental platform for the co-ordination and evaluation of policies and programmes in the sector in line with government’s drive for an inclusive, equitable society that will promote job creation, poverty reduction and economic growth.
Commissioners of Lands, Housing and Urban Development in the 36 states of the federation and the FCT, stakeholders in the built industry, General Managers of Housing Corporations and others, including the Surveyors-General of States and Professional/Regulatory agencies will be attending the Council.