By Salisu Sani-Idris

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has appealed to fellow compatriots, associates and numerous well-wishers across the country not to place congratulatory adverts on his 58th birthday.

He made the appeal in a statement issued by Mr Stanley Nkwocha, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of The Vice President) in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the vice-president will turn 58 years old on Monday, Sept. 2.

Shettima, therefore, implored friends and associates who may wish to place goodwill messages as advertisements to kindly donate the funds to charity organisations and vulnerable citizens instead.

The vice-president insisted that he would not want an elaborate pomp marking the day.

“As this auspicious moment draws closer, V-P Shettima fervently implores family members, friends and associates who may wish to place goodwill messages as advertisements to kindly donate the funds to charity organisations and vulnerable citizens instead.

“This aligns with the commitment of the Renewed Hope Administration of President Bola Tinubu to address issues of development and economic growth, as well as improving the living conditions of Nigerians.

“The vice president remains ever grateful for the goodwill he enjoys from Nigerians, demonstrated toward him over the years.” (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu

By Salisu Sani-Idris

Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to the President, has empahaised the need for reforms within the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON) to curb financial mismanagement, negligence and maltreatment of pilgrims.

Gbajabiamila made the call on Wednesday during a fact-finding visit to NAHCON headquarters in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the visit was part of efforts to engage with government agencies under the supervision of State House.

He said NAHCON should not be involved in any controversy because of its mandate and what it represented.

“It’s a religious commission. It’s a commission that was set up to fulfill religious and spiritual obligations for men and women of faith.

“Pilgrims travel every year to fulfill an Islamic obligation. Not only that, when they’re there, they’re there as ambassadors of Nigeria.

“As ambassadors of Nigeria, it is expected that they will carry the emblem and the flag of Nigeria on their full chest to represent, and to show both in demeanour and conduct, who and what we are.

“We regret the fact that quite often pilgrims are maltreated due to improper organisation by NAHCON during hajj operations,” he said.

According to him, pilgrims end up sometimes not conducting themselves appropriately, and that the Commission must accept responsibility for the the conduct of pilgrims both in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.

He urged the management and staff of the Commission to work closely with the Office of the Vice-President, which oversees the agency, to identify past mistakes, make corrections and ensure seamless operations for pilgrims.

“What happened has happened and we are here to chart a way forward.

“It is time that the system of the commission is reformed in such a way that it aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda,” he said.

Also, Sen. Ibrahim Hadejia, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, echoed the Chief of Staff’s position, emphasising the need for early preparation for Hajj.

“Hajj is essentially a big-logistics operation. I was involved in the 2024 operation, and one of the key lessons learnt is the need for early preparation.

“Nigeria has the largest quota of pilgrims from Africa, and we have countries whose quota is less than the number from a state in Nigeria.

“The Hajj Commission also needs to be more transparent in informing pilgrims what they are paying for,” Hadeija said.

Responding, Prince Aliu Abdulrazak, NAHCON’s Executive Commissioner, Policy, Personnel Management and Finance, called for an overhaul of the commission’s accounting system.

He also called for an improvement of federal character representation within the organisation.

“The Commission is described as a national entity, but federal character is not fully represented.

“If you go through the nominal roll, it is dominated by a particular region,” Abdulrazak said.

Similarly, the Chief of Staff visited the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and stressed the need to shift disaster management from a reactive to a proactive approach.

He emphasised the importance of prevention over mitigation, and noted that many disasters in the country could be avoided with better preparation and early warnings.

“The mandate NEMA has is two pronged: prevention of disaster and mitigation of disaster.

“But it appears that we concentrate more on mitigation and leave the other side of the mandate, which is prevention.

“We must look more closely at the area of prevention because a lot of these disasters can be prevented,” he said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Salif Atojoko

By Angela Atabo

The Federal Government has inaugurated a Joint Steering Committee on National Housing Data Centre, to develop and implement a blueprint for ensuring transparency and easy access to housing.

The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa,  inaugurated the centre on Tuesday in Abuja.

Dangiwa said that  the centre would be useful for policy and decision making towards affordable housing and the well-being of Nigerians.

He said that the measure was imperative in order to meet the housing needs of Nigerians and unleash the sector’s potential as an enabler of economic growth.

According to him, there are many issues in the sector that need fixing.

“The lack of credible, scientific, and verifiable data on the state of housing in our country stands out as the most pressing and embarrassing.

“This is because, without data, we cannot know the magnitude of the problem we are facing, and the resources we need to allocate.

“This is coupled with the challenge of substandard houses that do not meet the conditions of safety,  security and other parameters as set out by the UN and the World Health Organisation (WHO),’’ he said.

Dangiwa added that there was no industry-accepted data to guide the government, housing agencies, and financial institutions in planning and outlining strategies to fix Nigeria’s housing problems.

“What we have had over the decades are speculations and estimates.

“At the Ministry, we consider this a national emergency for the housing sector and as a government, we can not allow it to continue.

“Under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, for housing and urban development, fixing Nigeria’s housing data problem is a top priority, ” he said.

The minister said it was as a result of the challenges  that they were inaugurating the Joint Steering Committee on National Housing Data.

“The Committee has been established as a strategic partnership among key stakeholders in Nigeria’s housing market.

“The mandate is to develop and implement a blueprint for ensuring transparency and ease of access to housing data in Nigeria.

“It will be essential for policy and decision-making towards affordable housing and the well-being of Nigerians,”he said

Dangiwa said that key deliverables of the committee would be to develop the framework and modalities for setting up the National Housing Data Centre (NHDC).

He said that the committee would  cover technical requirements, specifications, including transactional and legal documentation

“It will also create a framework for data gathering channels from public and private institutions.

“It will design a framework for distributing housing data to institutional and retail investors in the Nigerian financial market, ” he said.

The minister said that the committee would develop a framework for data distribution to all participants in the housing market and establish the framework and timelines for setting up a mortgage exchange.

Mr Kehinde Ogundimu, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC), pledged the commitment of the committee to deliver on the mandate.

“We will work together and put forth something that will be credible, reliable, and  that people can use to make informed decisions,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that membership of the committee includes a representative from Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to serve as the Chairman

Others are representatives from National Population Commission, National Bureau of Statistics, Central Bank of Nigeria, NMRC,  and Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria.

Also included are Federal Housing Authority, Family Homes Funds Limited, Mortgage Bankers Association of Nigeria, Housing Development Association of Nigeria, among others.NAN)

Edited by Remi Koleoso/Kadiri Abdulrahman

By Aderogba George

The FCT Minister of State, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, has pledged her support for the JAV Christmas Village, Abuja’s premiere family-oriented yuletide event.

This according to her is to ensure that the annual show becomes a tourism attraction in the FCT.

She made the pledge in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on the sideline of an event to flag-off preparations for 2024 edition of JAV Christmas Village celebration on Thursday in Abuja.

According to the minister, the annual Christmas Village, with its iconic unveiling of the light tree, has become a flagship end-of-year event in the FCT, and, therefore, should be supported.

“I feel I must be here, because JAV Christmas Village falls under the department we have in the social development sector.

“This is part of the Renewed Hope Agenda. We want to bring everybody together, so by giving support to these talented youths, we are definitely going to succeed.

“This is an initiative that will also improve our socio-economic development, and also increase the revenue generation for the FCT.

“These are some of the things that we have been doing, and that is basically why we are here to support the initiative and to make it a reality.

“I pray that by December, we are going to make JAV Village a reality ,and I also congratulate them for their hard work,” she said.

Mrs Jennifer Fatorisa, Co-founder/Director of Jav Christmas Village, said the goal was to make the village an end-of-year tourist hub in Africa.

According to her, plans are in top gear to unveil Africa’s tallest Christmas light tree as part of activities for the 2024 Christmas celebration by the JAV village.

“Every year, we always add a little twist, and this year, we are setting up the tallest Christmas light tree in Africa. That is what makes the 2024 edition unique.

“We are expecting visitors from all over the world to come and visit Nigeria, Abuja, and experience this lights-up of the tallest tree in Africa.

“December 7 is the lights-up date, and it will run for a month to close on January 5, at the JAV Christmas Village here at the Abuja Continental Hotel,” he said.

Also, Princess Ajanah Atika, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Social Events, commended the organisers and said the Tinubu’s administration was committed to supporting initiatives that will reposition the creative and tourism sectors.

She said that lifting the tallest Christmas light tree in Africa in the territory would be a milestone for tourism.

NAN reports that the event had in attendance stakeholders in the creative and entertainment sectors, heads of organisations, top government functionaries and members of the Diplomatic community.

The highpoint of the event was the official flag-off by the FCT minister of state.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Muftau Adediran and Joseph Ede

By Angela Atabo

The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN),on Wednesday called for the resuscitation of compulsory residency programmes for engineering graduates before going for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

The COREN President, Prof. Sadiq Abubakar, made this known at a news conference on the 32nd COREN Engineering Assembly scheduled to hold on Aug.5th to 7th in Abuja.

Abubakar said that the move for the compulsory residency was aimed at strengthening engineering practices in Nigeria as well as making graduates employable.

He said that the COREN was established as a statutory body with the mandate to regulate and control the engineering education, training and practice of engineering in all its aspects and ramifications.

According to him, COREN carries out its mandate by ensuring quality assurance of training institutions offering engineering through accreditation of engineering programmes in tertiary institutions.

“The National Universities Commission (NUC) and COREN have agreed to commence joint accreditation of engineering programmes in universities.

“This is similar to the existing practice between National Board for Technical Education,(NBTE) and COREN for the Polytechnics and Mono-technics.

“In line with the aspiration of COREN to meet the global standards of Sydney Accord (SA) and Dublin Accord (DA) under the IEA, NBTE and COREN have agreed to commence accreditation of technical colleges in Nigeria this coming academic session.

“In response to the goals of the current administration, the Council approved the resuscitation of Supervised Industrial Training Scheme in Engineering (SITSIE) under a new name of Engineering Residency Programme (EREP).’’

Abubakar said that the plan is to engage the National Assembly to seek legislative backing for its funding by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) in line with the existing law.

“This is a one-year post-graduation training programme for all engineering graduates of an accredited university or polytechnic.

“It is designed to meet practical experience requirements for the purpose of registration with COREN as professional engineer or an engineering technologist similar to the practices of Medical and other professions.’’

Abubakar said that relevant organisations like NUC, NBTE, Manufacturing Association of Nigeria (MAN), Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), among others were contacted and all expressed their readiness to participate and support the laudable initiative.

He said that COREN equally ensured that all qualified engineering practitioners including technologists, technicians and craftsmen were certified through the registration process of the Council before they are licensed to practice in Nigeria.

He explained that this was necessary because only such registered engineering practitioners would be allowed to head engineering departments and units, and to supervise engineering projects.

He added that aligning with the current administration’s renewed hope agenda; the Council approved the creation of a new register for the cadre of engineering artisans in line with its mandate.

The president said that the new National Skills Qualifications (NSQ) levels one to six under the NSQ framework included in the scheme of services of Nigeria has given the required recognition and backing to the holders of the NSQ levels to progress in their cadre without any hitch.

Abubakar said that in the same vein, COREN being a member of National Skill Council (NSC), was charged to drive the Sector Skill Council for Engineering (SSC4E).

He said, “Arrangement has reached an advanced stage with NBTE and other relevant organisations for the inauguration of the SSC4E.

“This heralded the commencement of the processes of training, certification and licensing of artisans in the engineering sector in Nigeria.

“COREN is the awarding body, NBTE is the Regulatory body while Nigerian Academy of Engineering (NAE) will chair the Council (SSC4E) composed of nominees representing diverse interest groups in Engineering.

“These includes: employers of labour, professional bodies, academia, private sector, etc in line with NSQF manual.’’(NAN)

Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani

By Gabriel Agbeja

Mr Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, says the permanent site of the African Aviation and Aerospace University (AAAU) project in Abuja will be completed within 48 weeks.

Keyamo disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja during the ground breaking of AAAU permanent site and the institution’s maiden matriculation ceremony for the 2023/2024 academy session.

According to him, the university intends to explore the possibility of partnering with the private sector for the development of hostels, clinic, conference centre and hotel due to its proximity to the airport.

“We are here today with the support of President Bola Tinubu, who approved a take-off grant for AAAU to complement the budget provision made available for the university’s development in the 2024 appropriation.

“We are confident that these projects will be completed within 48 weeks, thanks to TETFund for making the grant 100 per cent available and accessible.

“The University currently operates from a temporary campus provided by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB),” he said.

Keyamo said that the assistance rendered by NSIB was an interagency support to AAAU.

The minister said the current place, which was designated as the permanent site, was strategically located and fit for the intended purpose.

“Structures to be completed in the first phase of development for the university include the faculty of aviation management building, the postgraduate school building, 250-capacity auditorium, 350-capacity auditorium and research centre.

“Others include the Synoptic laboratory for meteorology, multipurpose laboratory, Initial fencing covering 2 km, and two ceremonial gatehouses, ” he said.

Keyamo said that the university site was strategically positioned near the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, to provide students with invaluable practical experience and to enhance their interaction with other aviation industry agencies.

He further said that the event marked a significant milestone of the government`s efforts to bridge critical gaps in the aviation industry and address the shortage of skills training and manpower development.

“It also signifies the commencement of our dedicated endeavour to position AAAU as the leading aviation and aerospace university in Africa, diligently committed to delivering high-quality teaching and employing innovative learning techniques.

“This ambitious project presents a golden opportunity to establish a learning environment equipped with modern, safe, accessible, and sustainable facilities that zealously reflect the values of a pan-African university.

“It will play a pivotal role in nurturing aviation professionals across the globe. As we gather today to embark on this new phase, I am filled with optimism as we witness transformation of this citadel of learning, ” he said.

Keyamo said the government had planned to establish AAAU as the foremost aviation university in Africa.

He said numerous challenges have been overcome, with the invaluable support of the president, to place the university on course to its rightful status.

“It is a tale of transformation from tenant to landlord.

“What began as an academic odyssey in 2023, utilising facilities belonging to a sister agency, has now culminated in the acquisition of approximately 200 hectres of land as a permanent site.

“This achievement stands as a testament to our collective resilience and unwavering determination. AAAU is an institution blessed with momentum, with the obvious vibrancy and determination of the AAAU Staff,” he said.

According to him, the recent appointment of Alhaji Bukar Aji as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the University Council and other Council members by the President, will certainly take the university to greater heights.

The minister expressed optimism that the council would ensure continuation of the infrastructural development to meet AAAU needs within and outside Nigeria.

“There will be no room for shoddy and poorly done work on site. If any contractor is found wanting or cutting corners, we will not only terminate the contract but also ensure prosecution,” he said.(NAN)

Edited by Yinusa Ishola and Abiemwense Moru