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Abiodun: Ogun to engage more teachers for public schools

Published

2 years ago

August 11, 2022

…Says no plans to dump OgunTeach interns

Determined to decongest classrooms and improve the students/teachers ratio in public schools in Ogun State, Governor Dapo Abiodun, has disclosed that his administration would engage more OgunTeach interns who are already in the service of the State.

Abiodun made this disclosure, on Wednesday, while addressing teachers who came on a thank-you-visit to his office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

He, however, assured that his administration would not use and dump the interns, charging them to be diligent and committed to duty as the confirmation of their employment would be based on their performance and merit.

He said out of the 5,000 interns shortlisted, 2,000 have been absorbed, while plans are on to engage between 1,000 to 1,500 in the coming days.

“Since you have come in your numbers to say thank you, I will not forget that. I know we have shortlisted about 5,000 of you and we already absorbed about 2,000 of you, be rest assured that very soon, we will also absorb maybe another 1,000 or 1,500 of you. We will be expanding the scheme because we want to begin to decrease the students/teachers ratio so that we will have less number of students to more teachers as against having one teacher to about 500 students”, the Governor noted.

Abiodun bemoaned that in the last 12 years, the state has not witnessed any significant improvement in the education sector, adding that his administration has embarked on a journey, the end which would bring to joy to all and sundry.

“When we came in 2019, we promised that we were going to make a difference. We appreciate our very significant roles and place in the history of this country. We can’t separate the success of Nigeria or write about Nigeria without Ogun State playing a very prominent role in the success story. We are the education capital and birth place of free education.

“The truth is that we are in a journey and we are not yet there. It will take time because the deficit that we are dealing with did not happen overnight. So we will continue to take step by step in that journey. I can see the Promised Land and the light at the end of the tunnel”, he said.

The Governor reiterated that his government would continue to prioritise the education sector, saying the process for the employment of teachers was based on the principle of transparency and equity.

The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, in his remarks, thanked Governor Abiodun for accepting the idea of OgunTeach internship when it was presented to him, stating that the entire education sector is happy over the development

He said the sector, for many years, had faced challenges in manpower describing the process for selecting the teachers as thorough and transparent as everything was computerized to ensure that the best was chosen.

He urged the intern to continue to be hardworking in order to ease the regularisation of their appointment.

“The programme is not like the N-Power, where few people reported for work, but many get paid at the end of the month. For our OgunTeach programme, our interns have been coming regularly and working very hard because they want recommendations. So if you do well, government will do more than your request. You have to do well because we are using you to fill a gap that has existed for a long time. Please continue to put in your best for the benefits of the State,” the Commissioner noted.

Responding on behalf of the teachers, Folake Oyegunle and Tosin Fatunbi, applauded the Governor for providing jobs for them after many years of being redundant, promising to discharge their duties effectively towards the development of the education sector in order to realise the objectives of the OgunTeach scheme.

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FG set to sell DisCos to reputable operators in three months — Adelabu

Published

22 hours ago

April 26, 2024

NewsDirect

The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, has said that the federal government would sell off the five electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) now under the management of banks and Asset Management Company (AMCON) in the next three months to reputable technical power operators.

Adelabu disclosed this to the members of the Senate Committee on Power who were on an oversight visit to the ministry in Abuja.

The Minister added that the energy distribution assets are technical and as such, they should be under the management of technical experts.

As it stands, Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) is currently under the management of the United Bank of Africa (UBA), Fidelity Bank manages Benin Electricity Distribution Company, Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, and Kano Electricity Distribution Company while Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company is under the AMCON management.

They all found themselves under the new management arrangement owing to their inability to repay their loans.

He informed the committee that tough decisions on the DisCos have become necessary because the entire Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) fails when they refuse to perform.

According to him, the ministry will prevail on the Nigerian Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to revoke underperforming licenses and also change the management board of the DisCos if it becomes the solution.

Adelabu said, “Lastly, on distribution. Very soon you will see that tough decisions will be taken on the DisCos. They are the last lap of the sector. If they don’t perform, the entire sector is not performing.

“The entire ministry is not performing. We have put pressure on NERC, which is their regulator to make sure they raise the bar on regulation activities.

“If they have to withdraw licenses for non-performance, why not? If they have to change the board of management, why not?

“And all the DisCos that are still under AMCON and Banks, within the next three months, they must be sold to technical power operators with good reputations in utility management.

“We can no longer afford AMCON to run our DisCos. We can no longer afford the banks to run our DisCos. This is a technical industry and it must be run by technical experts.”

The Minister also noted that it has become necessary to reorganise the DisCos for efficiency.

He stressed that Ibadan DisCo is too large for one company to manage.

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Five arrested for attacking, injuring four LASTMA officers

Published

22 hours ago

April 26, 2024

NewsDirect

…Operational vehicles damaged

…54 trucks impounded for illegal parking

Five miscreants have been arrested for assaulting and injuring LASTMA personnel during an enforcement operation in the Oba Akran Avenue area of Ikeja, Lagos and the state government has finalised preparations to prosecute them

Firector of Public Affairs and Enlightenment of LASTMA, Mr. Adebayo Taofiq, disclosed this in a press statement made available to journalists on Thursday.

According to him, April 23, LASTMA operatives conducted an operation to remove illegally parked Viju Milk trucks on Oba Akran Avenue in response to numerous complaints from the public about the trucks causing traffic congestion.

During the operation, four LASTMA officers sustained serious injuries from weapons wielded by Viju Milk truck drivers and local miscreants.

“While LASTMA operational vehicles were vandalised, 54 Viju Milk truck were evacuated by LASTMA during the enforcement operations.”

He said, “The police, working alongside LASTMA, arrested five of these individuals namely: Falomo Oluwafemi, Afeniyi Stephen, Olamide Adekunle, Chukwu Guaja Eze and Adeshina Sulaimon, seized various weapons including broken bottles, iron rods, charms, knives, and cutlasses.”

The injured LASTMA officers were promptly taken to the hospital for medical attention.

Hon. Sola Giwa, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, stated that the arrested individuals would be prosecuted by the government as a deterrent to others.

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Hardship: FG kicks off N100bn consumer credit scheme

Published

2 days ago

April 25, 2024

NewsDirect

…Civil servants to benefit in first phase

By Grace Olatundun

The Federal Government of Nigeria has kicked off the N100 billion Consumer Credit Scheme for Nigerians as a tool to alleviate the escalating economic hardship in the country.

In a press statement on Wednesday by the President’s spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, he disclosed that interested Nigerians are expected to visit the portal of Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation before May 15, 2024.

The President noted that the “consumer credit serves as the lifeblood of modern economies, enabling citizens to enhance their quality of life by accessing goods and services upfront, paying responsibly over time. It facilitates crucial purchases, such as homes, vehicles, education, and healthcare, which are essential for ongoing stability and the pursuit of their aspirations.

“Individuals build credit histories through responsible repayment, unlocking more opportunities for a better life. The increased demand for goods and services also stimulates local industry and job creation.”

The President stated further that every hardworking Nigerian should have access to social mobility, with consumer credit playing a pivotal role in achieving this vision.

“The Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation (CREDICORP) achieves its mandate through the following: Strengthening Nigeria’s credit reporting systems and ensuring every economically active citizen has a dependable credit score. This score becomes personal equity they build, facilitating access to consumer credit, Offering credit guarantees and wholesale lending to financial institutions dedicated to broadening consumer credit access today and Promoting responsible consumer credit as a pathway to an improved quality of life, fostering a cultural shift towards growth and financial responsibility.

“In line with the President’s directive to expand consumer credit access to Nigerians, the Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation (CREDICORP) has launched a portal for Nigerians to express interest in receiving consumer credit.

“This initiative, in collaboration with financial institutions and cooperatives nationwide, aims to broaden consumer credit availability.

“Working Nigerians interested in receiving consumer credit can visit www.credicorp.ng to express interest. The deadline is May 15, 2024.

“The scheme will be rolled out in phases, starting with members of the civil service and cascading to members of the public,” the statement read.

Recall that two months ago, a presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, announced that the Federal Executive Council had given the nod for the establishment of the Consumer Credit Scheme.

He said the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, will lead a committee that includes the Budget Minister, Attorney-General, and Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Finance to make the scheme a reality.

In March, the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service Chairman, Zacch Adedeji, said the Nigerian government would unveil its proposed N100 billion consumer credit loan in a few days.