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Appointments: Mark Insists On Federal Character
The Senate President, Sen. David Mark, has cautioned his colleagues against too much emphasis on federal character for appointments in the country.
Mark said this at the consideration of the reports of three Senate Committees on the screening of nominees of various boards in Abuja yesterday.
The committees are; Senate Committee on Banking, Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics, Financial Crimes and Anti-Corruption and Senate Committee on Judiciary.
He said that while federal character was an important component to consider in appointments, it should not be made the only yardstick.
According to him, it is not possible to reflect federal character in appointments into every board because sometimes there are only five slots and we have six geopolitical zones.
The senate president said it was important to make the clarification following complaints from some senators that candidates from their geopolitical zones had not been nominated to fill vacant positions
Sen. Abdul Ningi (PDP-Bauchi) said that there were no nominees from the North West and the South West zones as non-executive members on the board of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
But the Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Senator Isa Galaudu (PDP-Kebbi), who presented the report said the current nominees were only replacing those whose tenure had expired.
Senator Abdulaziz Usman (PDP-Jigawa) also said that there was no nominee from North East zone as a member of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Mark explained that since there were only five positions to be filled, there was no way every zone would get representation.
He, however, said that in the next round of nominations for appointment, it should be taken note so that someone from the South East would be nominated.
All together, the Senate confirmed 11 nominees for appointment into the boards of three different commissions.
The nominees include; Mohammed Kafarati, Collins Chikelube, Adaba Adeiza and Ayuli Jemide, as non-executive members of the board of the CBN.
Others are; Mr Emmanuel Aremo as Secretary, Mr Uwasomba Udochukwu, Mr Emmanuel Ibitola and Dr Ismaila Dukku, as members of the EFCC.
Hajia Fatima Kwaku and Mr Olumuyiwa Akinboro, were also confirmed as members of the Federal Judicial Service Commission.
Mark congratulated all the candidates, noting that the task ahead was enormous, and charged them not to disappoint the nation and to ensure that their confirmation was justified.
Meanwhile, the Federal Character Commission said yesterday that adherence to Federal Character principles and guidelines by Ministries, Departments and Agencies would promote equity, peace and unity in the country.
The chairman of the commission, Prof. Shuaibu Abdulraheem, made the assertion in Abuja at a sensitisation workshop for stakeholders organised by the Commission’s Committee on Environment and Petroleum Resources.
“The commission will help to ensure that heterogeneous nature of the nation is reflected in the composition of the staff of all MDAs,’’ he said.
Abdulraheem said the workshop was aimed at enlightening stakeholders on the guidelines on the recruitment of personnel by the various MDAs.
According to him, the workshop is also a platform where issues and problems arising from the implementation of the federal character principles and guidelines will be discussed.
Abdulraheem, who was represented by a commissioner, Mr Femi Ogunsola, said the principle of equity, fairness and justice were necessary for the MDAs to observe when recruiting staff.
“The composition of the government and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria.
“The principles will promote national unity and command loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or ethnic group in the government,’’ he said.
The chairman noted that the commission had been ensuring that an equitable formula for the distribution of all cadres of posts in the civil and public services of the federation and states was carefully worked out.
In his contribution, Mr Jude Rex-Ogbuku, the Secretary to the commission, urged the participants to take the workshop seriously for adequate information and better understanding of the commission’s role in promoting the principles of equity, justice and fairness.
He reiterated that the commission would not hesitate to prosecute any MDA for failure to comply with the federal character principles and guidelines.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
News
RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.