By Salisu Sani-Idris

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has ordered the Director of FCT Health Insurance Scheme to register its pensioners in the scheme.

The Director, FCTA Human Resource Management, Bashir Muhammad, in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, disclosed that the Permanent Secretary FCTA, Adesola Olusade, gave the directive during a meeting with the officials of Nigeria Union of Pensioners, FCT chapter.

He said that the permanent secretary’s decision was to give the retired staffers a sense of belonging, as well keep to the promise they had in December 2022, with the Minister of FCT, Malam Muhammad Bello.

Muhammad said: “We have directed that all FCTA pensioners should be enrolled in the FCT Health Insurance Scheme, and the registration is in progress, forms have been issued to the retirees to be filled, so that they will be captured.”

The director also said that the FCT administration was only owing its retired staffers consequential increment which arose from the national minimum wage implementation.

He added: “What the FCTA is owing the pensioners is the consequential increment that arose from the minimum wage implementation, we are on it. The budgetary processes have to be completed.”

On the zero-balance payment, he said that the FCT pension department was also working with the pensioners to ensure that everybody whose monies were deducted should be paid within one week.

“FCT administration has been applauded for not owing its pensioners.The only issue is between the bank and the consequential increment that had accrued as the result of the minimum wage implementation.” (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani

THE EXPLAINER

Eight facts about the new FAANTaxi App

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) recently inaugurated its TaxiApp for booking trips and the initiative is starting with the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja.

Here are eight facts that you need to know about the app:

1. The FAAN App can be accessed on Google Play Store

2. The App is only available for trips that have either the pickup or drop off location at the airport.

3. For users who do not wish to have the App on their mobile devices, rides can be booked at the arrival lounge in the domestic arrival terminal while those who wish to schedule rides in advance have the option of doing so on the App.

4. Users are required to provide details in order to secure their account on FAANTaxi. Once an account has been created for the user, access to the features and services provided by FAANTaxi is granted.

5. Users are given options of standard or executive cars while estimated price and details of driver will be provided.

6. Details of driver including name as well as phone numbers, number plates of vehicle model to be provided.

7. FAANTaxi has a tracking system which would be updated in due time to include trip progress and whether completed or not.

8. All taxi operators at the airport are to be registered on FAANTaxi and passengers will call the drivers using the app thus eliminating touting.

By Perpetua Onuegbu

The Minister of Water Resources, Mr Suleiman Adamu, has pledged the determination of the Federal Government to provide necessary incentives to make the girl-child in Nigeria to study engineering.

Adamu gave the pledge in Abuja on Friday while speaking at the investiture of Mrs Charity Ojobo, the new chairman of the Abuja Chapter of the Association of Professional Women Engineers in Nigeria (APWEN) and also to mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

He said that government would support APWEN to achieve its collective goals, stressing the role of women in the development of any society, especially in the developing world.

The minister told the association to keep the flag flying in pursuit of its drive to achieve the collective mandate of encouraging more girls to take up careers in the engineering profession.

Speaking earlier, Ojobo said that “if the girl-child is brought up to show deep interest in engineering such a measure would foster nation building.

“Engineering is a career that one can comfortably stay in the house and make your pay and it is a career that is central to the wellbeing of our citizens.”

According to her, the new leadership of the Abuja Chapter of APWEN has decided to forge ahead and ensure that the nation has more female engineers than before.

“We have programmes for women in the FCT and its villages and we are collaborating with the ministry of water resources to achieve set objectives, including attracting the girl-child to engineering.

She said that the chapter had embarked on different programmes to attract more girl child to engineering profession, part of which she said was a competition organized among secondary schools in Abuja.

She said that 28  private and public schools participated in the competition, out of which four comprised two public and two private, emerged the best.

According to her, Government Day Secondary School, Dutsen Alhaji  and Government Girls Secondary Schools Kuje clinched first and second positions, respectfully in the public schools category.

Also, Glisten International Academy came first, while The Great Height Academy emerged second position in the private schools .

Also speaking, a former lawmaker, Sen. Ayogu Eze, told the Nigerian Society of Engineers to carry out more oversight visits to engineering sites, to reduce cases of building collapses and other professional lapses in engineering.

He said that the report of the Lagos 21-storey building collapse which was submitted to the Council of Registered Engineers in Nigeria this week, indicted the engineers that handled the project.

Eze said that more oversight visits would have averted the collapse of the building and similar incidents nationwide.

The Guest Speaker, Dr Boluwaji Onabolu, speaking on “Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Water Unites Us’’, stressed the importance of water and hygiene, describing water and sanitation as human rights.

She said that a lack of access to water was contributing to the insecurity in the country, describing water availability as essential to peaceful co-existence in any nation.

Onabolu called on engineering stakeholders and the government to ensure adequate provision and access to water by all citizens. (NAN)

The fourth CIIE presages commendable prospects for 2022

Despite ongoing uncertainties facing the world economy, opening-up, development opportunities, and economic globalization are three counters to those headwinds, and all were present at the fourth China International Import Expo (CIIE) convening from Nov 5 to 10. A total of 422 new products, technologies, and services were featured at the expo, an all-time peak.

The value of tentative deals reached for one-year purchases of goods and services at the fourth CIIE hit $70.72 billion.

This year’s CIIE not only brought fancy products but also avant-garde consumption concepts as well as innovative ideas. The importance of CIIE continues to grow as it becomes an economic hotspot for countries and enterprises.

A total of 281 Fortune Global 500 companies and industry leaders were present at the fourth CIIE. Among these, nearly 40 joined for the first time and over 120 were four-time participants.

The display area for consumer goods this year occupied 90,000 square meters of exhibition space, the largest among all areas. The Food and Agricultural Products exhibition area accommodated the most exhibitors, attracting more than 1,200 enterprises from 102 countries. All the world’s top 10 carmakers attended the expo.

The Online Country Exhibition enabled 58 countries and three international organizations to showcase their development achievements, leading industries, and tourist attractions. Pageviews reached 58 million, and leaders of participating countries and organizations expressed high praise for the CIIE’s furtherance of global openness and cooperation.

The fourth Hongqiao International Economic Forum focused on green development, digital economy, and new forms in consumption. The World Openness Report 2021 and the index on openness for 129 economies since 2008 were released.

A total of 95 supporting activities for matters such as policy interpretation, joint signing, and investment promotion were held during the fourth CIIE to promote trade, two-way investment, and industrial cooperation.

Having experienced the benefits of the fourth CIIE, enterprises hailed it as an event that allows them to tap into China’s massive consumer population and a multitude of opportunities therein.

Registration for the fifth CIIE has already started. Up to 150,000 sq m of exhibition area has already been booked for next year’s expo, a considerable increase in sign-up rate compared to last year.

Contact: Nie Qingxin

Tel.: 0086-21-67008870/67008988

The China International Import Expo (CIIE), the first national-level import-themed professional trade fair in the world, successfully led off at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) on Nov 5. Initiated by the Chinese government in 2018, the CIIE continues to be a significant platform for the nation’s opening-up and enhancing international economic cooperation and free trade.

The CIIE has over the years become more well-organized, professional, and digital.

Featuring a wider range of industries, the fourth CIIE has attracted 3,000 offline exhibitors from 127 countries and regions to take part in the Business Exhibition. Three international organizations and 58 countries from five continents, especially those involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, are participating in the Online Country Exhibition.

The Business Exhibition comprises exhibition areas Food and Agricultural Products, Automobile, Intelligent Industry & Information Technology, Consumer Goods, Medical Equipment & Healthcare Products, and Trade in Services. Thirteen themed subsections have also been set up to showcase the latest products and innovations related to low-carbon energy and environmental protection.

The total exhibition area of this year’s CIIE has been expanded to 366,000 square meters. More than 80 percent of Fortune Global 500 and industry-leading companies from last year’s CIIE are returning for this latest edition and will showcase products that are making either their global or regional debuts. These companies include the world’s top three auction houses, top three fashion and luxury consumable groups, top four grain traders, top 10 automobile groups, and top 10 medical device enterprises.

More businesses from countries along the Belt and Road, Central and Eastern European countries, and LDCs have also signed up for the exhibition.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of China’s accession to the World Trade Organization. To mark this occasion, the Hongqiao International Economic Forum will be holding a high-level forum themed “Mutual Benefit and Win-Win Solution for a Shared Future” to showcase China’s achievements in opening up 20 years and its confidence in fulfilling its higher-level opening-up goal. The forum will also publish the “World Opening Index” which evaluates the degree of opening-up in 129 world economies since 2008.

At this critical juncture in the global fight against COVID-19 and world economic recovery, CIIE would demonstrate China’s determination to promote sustainable world economic development, globalization and build a new development paradigm for its economy and society.

Contact: Nie Qingxin

Tel.: 0086-21-67008870/67008988