House Of Representatives Reacts To IGP’S Directive On Compulsory Treatment Of Gunshot Victims Act.

House Of Representatives Reacts To IGP’S Directive On Compulsory Treatment Of Gunshot Victims Act. 

The House of Representatives welcomes the recent publicised signal from the Office of the Inspector-General of Police to various formations and commands of the Nigeria Police Force, on the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act 2017.

The internal memo dated October 25, 2023 directed the Officers to comply with the law and enforce its provision without hesitation.

Worthy of note in the memo signed by the IGP’s Principal Staff Officer, CSP Olatunji Disu, is the directive to the various police formations and commands to "make the law a subject of lecture" in order to cure the ignorance in many hospitals about the position of the law, which unfortunately has led to the loss of many lives.

It is to be noted that issues around compliance with the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act recently became a subject of public discourse following the death of Ms. Greatness Olorunfemi, a brilliant Nigerian who was victim of a _one-chance_ robbery in Abuja on Tuesday, September 26, 2023. 

A petition was laid before the House in respect of this incident during plenary on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, by Hon. Chris Nkwonta representing Ukwa East/West Federal Constituency of Abia State. The matter is now before the House Committee on Public Petitions.

To be clear, the House maintains that the professional calling of physicians, nurses, and emergency care personnel, as well as dictates of extant laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, prescribes that every Nigerian brought to any hospital deserves the duty of care, stabilisation, and dignity, regardless of the condition they are brought in, or the apparent cause of the distress or trauma.

The House therefore views this development from the Nigeria Police Force as timely and commendable considering rising complaints by Nigerians about hospitals that decline prompt treatment of victims of gunshot incidents, robberies, and even vehicular accidents who do not present police reports.

The IG's action offers relief that value is placed on the life of every citizen, and restores confidence in our hospitals.

The House urges the Nigeria Police and the Nigeria Medical Association to follow through on this commitment to strict compliance with the Act and prosecute offenders who contravene the same. We also call on the Media and relevant agencies of the Executive Arm of Government to give wide publicity to this matter. 

Jointly Signed:

Rep. Makki Abubakar Yalleman

Chairman, House Committee on Police Affairs

Rep. Akin Rotimi Jr.

House Spokesman / Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs

October 29, 2023

Reps Take Delivery of N160bn SUVs, Emphasize National Assembly Ownership

Reps Take Delivery of N160bn SUVs, Emphasize National Assembly Ownership.

Members of the House of Representatives have commenced the phased receipt of their Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs), with the final installment expected before December. The House spokesperson, Akin Rotimi, confirmed this development during a conversation with journalists in Abuja.

In an effort to underscore the ownership of these vehicles, the management of the House issued an internal circular to all members, explicitly stating that the SUVs are the property of the National Assembly and must not be sold.

An anonymous source familiar with the matter explained, "This particular Assembly is very particular about things being done right. In previous assemblies, people would collect their vehicles and sell them off, but the Speaker has put his foot down against such. The spokesperson was mandated to issue a statement internally to members and ensure that no member must sell their vehicles as they are National Assembly property."

The management is closely monitoring members' use of the vehicles to ensure they are employed for legislative purposes. The decision to purchase these SUVs and bulletproof vehicles for principal officers has been the subject of much controversy and public discussion.

The Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA) criticized the move, citing insensitivity to the plight of Nigerians. Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project also sought a court injunction to halt the procurement of these vehicles.

The Senate, however, defended the purchase, asserting that lawmakers require the vehicles for their official duties.

According to Akin Rotimi, priority was given to female lawmakers, individuals with disabilities, and those without pending court cases. He noted, "Some members have started taking delivery of their vehicles. Priority was given to women in the parliament, people with any form of disability, and the elderly. The management has also ensured that only members who have been fully disposed of their court cases will be given the vehicles to avoid problems."

The vehicles are set to arrive in three batches for use by committee chairmen and members.

The Revolutionary Handshake between NIPOST and Ministry of Interior.

The Revolutionary Handshake between NIPOST and Ministry of Interior.

When people hear NIPOST, their minds naturally get fixated on letters, emails, and delivery of documents. Few also link the Nigerian Postal Service to purchase postage stamps. With the great advancement in information and communication technology that revolutionised the way we communicate, it appeared as if the end of post offices were in sight.

In Nigeria, NIPOST naturally went on an inevitable decline with the era of P.O. Box strolling towards extinction. But post offices in other parts of the world, especially the developed world, are evolving to keep up with the changing times. In the UK, for instance, there are around 11,500 post offices, making it one of the largest post office networks in the world. In Nigeria, we have around 955 post offices, some of which are dilapidated.

Notwithstanding the ICT revolution, post offices in other climes such as the UK have evolved and now provide a range of services such as sale of stationery, bill payment services, money transfer services, banking and insurance services, passport application services and the collection of health insurance contributions and even tax collection.

It was therefore gratifying to see the newly appointed Postmaster General and CEO of NIPOST, Ms Tola Odeyemi clearly trying to make NIPOST evolve and move from its traditional comfort zone to one that provides a lot of services required in Nigeria's growing digital landscape. Perhaps the greatest of such moves would be the anticipated partnership between NIPOST and the Ministry of Interior.

On 25th October 2023, the Postmaster General paid a courtesy visit to the Honourable Minister for Interior,  Hon. (Dr) Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo to seek collaboration between NIPOST and some of the Ministry. Mrs. Odeyemi obviously smelt a big opportunity when the Minister back in September promised that by February 2024, the Nigerian Immigration Service would commence home delivery of international passports. No agency is better positioned to help achieve that than NIPOST!

The NIPOST Boss proposed business collaboration and partnership with the Ministry of Interior in three key areas, which include:

1. Delivery of critical documents such as International Passports to applicants. 

2. Backend services for processing of passport utilising NIPOST selected locations.

3. NIPOST for Address Verification System (AVS)

These three potential areas of collaboration, if successful, would impact Massively on Nigeria's passport application and delivery system and our national security. First, the Nigerian Immigration Service can partner with NIPOST to leverage on their wide network of post offices scattered across the country to offer some backend services for processing of passport applications.

Backend services for passport processing here refer to the activities that take place behind the scenes to ensure that passport applications are processed efficiently and that passports are issued in a timely manner. This includes the receipt and verification of passport applications, the collection and verification of supporting documents, the checking of passport photographs against biometric databases, and the printing and quality control of passports.

Backend services in the case of passport processing also include the security checks that are carried out to ensure that passports are not issued to people who are not eligible for them and that addresses supplied by the applicants are verified.

Gov Oyebanji Urges Higher Institutions To Embrace 21st Century Relevant Courses.

Gov Oyebanji Urges Higher Institutions To Embrace 21st Century Relevant Courses.

Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji has called on higher institutions in Nigeria to review their curriculum and focus on 21st-century relevant courses that will empower students to become solution providers and employers of labour.

The Governor made the call on Friday while playing host to the Governing Council and Management team of Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere Ekiti (BOUESTI), led by its Chairman, Prof Patrick Aina.

According to a statement by the Special Adviser ( Media) to the Governor, Mr Yinka Oyebode, the Governor stressed the need for academic institutions to offer courses that will not only equip students with theoretical knowledge but also practical skills that can address current global challenges.

Emphasizing on the need to prepare students for the changing global dynamics and the need for graduates to adapt to a rapidly evolving job market, Governor Oyebanji tasked universities to align education with the demands of the modern workforce.

He maintained that restructuring the curriculum and expanding courses to accommodate 21st century relevant subjects would be an added advantage and opportunity to contribute to national economic growth by producing graduates who can drive innovations, entrepreneurship, and employment generation.

While commending the Governing Council and management of the University for excellent academic performance and the relative peace in the university community, the Governor charged them to actively engage and leverage on the public/private partnership for comprehensive development, expertise resources and innovation in the university.

“I am glad to note that 20 of the courses you are offering now are not common courses because my concern, in fairness, with the kind of courses being offered in our institutions is their relevance to the current situation. I don’t think we should just be turning out students that would not be relevant in the 21st century, I don’t believe in that.

“So when we accredit courses because we want the students to pay fees but we don’t look at the future of those courses, it will hunt us in future, so I will just plead with BOUESTI to look at the relevance of these courses that will make students to be solution providers, and employers of labour”. The Governor noted.

Earlier in his remark, the Chairman Governing Council, BOUESTI, Prof Patrick Aina said the purpose of the meeting was to congratulate the Governor for his outstanding performance and various achievements recorded in his one year in office. He also thanked the Governor for the flag off of construction of the Ikere- Igbara Odo Road project, which he said would be of great benefit to students and staff of the University.

Professor Aina, who equally used the opportunity to acquaint the Governor with the progress of the University since he assumed office as the Chairman Governing council, appealed for government’s assistance in addressing some of the institution’s other challenges.

Also present at the meeting were the State Commisisoner for Education, Dr (Mrs) Bimpe Aderiye; Special Adviser to the Governor on Higher Education, Dr Akeem Azeez. The Vice Chancellor of BOUESTI, Prof Olufemi Adeoluwa and other principal officers of the institution were also in attendance.

FG To Start Farming With Tertiary Institution Vacant Lands.

FG To Start Farming With Tertiary Institution Vacant Lands.

The Federal Government has revealed its plan to utilise idle acres of land in tertiary institutions for farming as part of measures to boost food supply across the country.

Senator Abubakar Kyari, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, made this known at the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Eastern Nigeria Union Conference Centenary Public Lecture and Food Summit with the theme ‘”Ending Food Shortage in Nigeria, How to Apply The Surplus Concept’, in Port Harcourt on Friday.

Kyari, who was represented by the ministry’s Deputy Director, Nutrition and Food Safety, Nuhu Kilishi, stated that institutions have been via letters to seek their consent.

It revealed that some of the tertiary institutions have started responding in favour of the project, giving assurance that move would revive farming in schools.

Kyari said, “We want to revive farming in the schools and institutions. We have written to the universities and schools for them to let us utilise hectares of their land that are unused.

“They have started responding, by the time we have a reasonable level of compliance, there is going to be a programme that would ensure that those empty lands are being used for cultivation and this will add to food availability.”

While talking, he noted that the Federal Government would provide solar irrigation pump in a bid to reduce the cost of cultivation of farming, he advised farmers not to stop at production of agricultural produce, but to explore the options of processing those products in order to maximise profit.

“Farmers need to use irrigation pumps, so the ministry is intending to buy solar pumps for farmers to cut costs for them. Instead of using petrol they would be using solar pumps.

“The Minister has rolled out immediate, short term, medium and long term plans that would address food shortage in Nigeria.

“I will advise farmers that after producing don’t stop at production, go into processing, value addition because it pays more to do that,” he sais.

Proff. Cyril Nwamguruka, Professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics at the Babcock University who spoke earlier at the event, identified selfishness as the bane of food shortage in the country.

Nwamguruka urged on President Bola Tinubu to appoint only selfless and committed individuals to handle public offices.

He stated, “I am appealing to the President, he should also act beyond looking at people’s competence. He should look at their track record in terms of how fair, how sincere, how committed and how truthful they are in things they have handled in the past.

“Because selfishness is what is killing us, irrespective of the abundance of resources we have, some people want to have it to themselves. But if you have a moral compass that is guiding you, you will think beyond yourself.”

In a further statement, he urged the government to venture into roads construction and security to boost food production and distribution across the country.

He added, ‘”The government should invest in ensuring that roads linking production centres to other centres because we encounter so many losses in conveying these goods. The government should invest in putting the roads in order.

“The government should invest in security, because we discover now that most of the farmers have abandoned the farm because there is no security.

“Most of the crops are run over by militia groups, so the government should invest in a formidable security network.”

SOURCE: GISTSMATE MEDIA

Third Mainland Bridge: Comprehensive rehabilitation begins Nov. 1 — Umahi.

Third Mainland Bridge: Comprehensive rehabilitation begins Nov. 1 — Umahi.

The Minister of Works, Mr David Umahi, on Saturday said comprehensive rehabilitation of the 11.8-kilometer Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos would begin on Nov. 1 for a period of three months.

Umahi said this during an inspection of the under deck, lagoon sections of the Third Mainland Bridge and other bridges.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Umahi, a team of engineers, directors of the Federal Ministry of Works and journalists inspected the lagoon sections of the Third Mainland, Carter, Independence and Falomo Bridges.

Umahi also inspected the deteriorating Marina shoreline, the failing portions of the Five Cowries Bridge located inside Zone Two Police Headquarters in Onikan, Ijora Bridge and Marina Bridge in Apapa.

He said the entire stretch of the Third Mainland Bridge would undergo total resurfacing with minimal discomfort to road users, and the repairs would be carried out by midnight during the weekend.

He said he carried out inspection of the top surface of the bridge on Friday before embarking on inspection of the Lagoon portions.

The minister explained that patching of various sections of the top surface of bridge had led to undulating surfacing, which was not healthy for its safety, hence the need to remove and relay the entire asphaltic covering.

“We are going to mill out the excess asphalt and retain only two millimetres,” he said.

The minister said the proposed maintenance of Third Mainland Bridge, which would last three months was the first phase meant to secure the integrity as well aesthetics of the upper deck components of the bridge.

He explained that the maintenance of the aesthetics would include replacement of the railings, installation of solar-powered lights and CCTV cameras for optimal security of the bridge.

The minister assured that the three-month maintenance work would be without discomfort to motorists, as it would take place only between midnight and 4.00 a.m. and during weekends.

He added that more than one contractor would be engaged due to the emergency nature of the work, which would end in Phase Four; that will entail the repairs of deflected slabs, bearings, piers and pile caps.

The minister lamented that most of the bridges were about 60 years old and had outlived thier design lifespan, hence the need for constant rehabilitation.

Umahi, who is a civil engineer, said the Marina Shoreline had deteriorated and was threatening the foundation of some parts of the Blue Rail Line, hence the need for urgent protection which had begun.

“Marina shoreline is gone,” he said.

The minister warned that henceforth a 10-year maintenance responsibility would be attached to projects for contractors to bear repair costs within the period if the road failed.

He added that contractors who constructed roads that failed within two years risked jail term in line with global practices to curb shoddy constructions.

NAN reports that the Third Mainland Bridge was earlier closed for 24 hours repairs from midnight on Oct. 21 to midnight Oct. 22 for emergency resurfacing of some bad portions. (NAN)

Customs officers kick against plan to halt implementation of new promotion scheme.

Customs officers kick against plan to halt implementation of new promotion scheme.

Some employees of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) have kicked against plans to halt the implementation of the recently-approved Competency Based Accelerated Career Progression Plan (CBACPP) in the promotion of staff of the organisation.

The concerned officers are disturbed that despite the CBACPP being approved by the federal government, some persons were bent on making sure it’s not implemented, under the guise that it will impact a section of the country negatively.

The government through the NCS board had recently approved the implementation of the CBACPP for officers of the service, explaining that the plan was a ‘proactive strategy’ designed to ensure the customs is well staffed in the future.

Specifically, the NCS stated that it was meant to close the generational gap that could lead to a leadership vacuum in the higher hierarchies of the service if not addressed.

However, it was gathered that those who are opposed to the programme were doing so because they are afraid that when the new system becomes operational, a number of them who do not have the requisite educational qualifications will be side-lined.

It was gathered that the problem the NCS sought to solve arose because prior to the 2009 recruitment, there was a long period when no one was recruited into the customs service.

This implies that by 2028 all the officers who joined the service prior to the 2009 recruitment would retire on account of their length of service.

The consequence of this, which the government tried to avoid, is that there would be some leadership gaps, as none of the officers recruited in 2009 would have risen to the rank of a comptroller.

Realising the imminent problem, the immediate past leadership of the service designed a career accelerated programme to allow officers with certain educational and professional qualifications to step up and earn expedited career progression, one source said.

Although the last leadership of the service was slow to execute it after the approval, it was understood that the career accelerated programme had been approved by the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

However, there were suggestions that some senior officers from a certain part of the country would be short-changed by the approved career accelerated programme.

“This is considering that many of the officers from that region don’t have the requisite additional educational and professional qualifications,” a source stated.

According to the proponents of the new policy, sweeping the programme under the carpet or not implementing it would pose danger to the continuous existence of the service.

A departmental memo indicated that in the next six years, all the General Duty (GD) officers recruited into the superintendent cadre before 2009 would have exited the service, either by age or 35 years statutory requirement, thereby creating serious human resources problems.

“Conscious of the challenge this could pose for the service in the nearest future, the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) through the board recently approved the implementation of proper placement for officers recruited into the service at the superintendent cadre between 2009 to 2015.

“This exercise, which has received wide applause has boosted the moral of officers, and has consequently narrowed the 17 years generational gap in the system.

“Despite the significant gains achieved through the proper placement, it is instructive to note that by 2028, when the current mid-level and top management officers have all retired from the service, the most senior GD officers in the service would be wearing the rank of Deputy Comptrollers (DC).

“This is projection is based on the minimum number of years that an officer must spend on a rank before being considered eligible for promotion in line with Public Service Rule (PSR) Promotion maturity criterion 020701,” the memo noted.

In addition, it explained that this will therefore mean that no customs officer of the General Duty cadre would have the requisite rank or experience at the top level to head the service by 2028 if a proactive solution is not explored.