TheNewsGuru

Tag: MoU

  • Strike: Resident doctors refuse signing new MoU with FG after six-hour meeting

    Strike: Resident doctors refuse signing new MoU with FG after six-hour meeting

    The leadership of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has refused assent to a new memorandum of understanding brokered by the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) to end the three weeks old strike that has crippled medical services in government hospitals across the country.

    NARD President, Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, declined his assent owing to an undisclosed clause.

    According to Okhuaihesuyi, NARD’s leadership has to consult with members of the association before he appends his signature.

    Addressing journalists after the over six hours closed-door meeting, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, said all other unions in the negotiation, including the Nigeria Medical Association and the Medical and Dental Consultants of Nigeria, signed the new agreement, having agreed on all the issues raised.

    Meanwhile, the minister also clarified that the meeting did not discuss the issues of ‘no work, no pay,’ but said all parties at the meeting agreed to an out-of-court settlement.

    The Federal Government had taken the striking doctors to court last week, as it asked the National Industrial Court to mandate the doctors to return to work.

    The hearing on the case was adjourned to September 15.

  • Bankers sign MOU on takeover of National Theatre

    Bankers sign MOU on takeover of National Theatre

    The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele, has led the Bankers Committee to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on takeover of the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, for the purpose of reconstructing the facility.

    Information obtained from CBN’s website on Sunday indicated that the MOU was signed between the committee and the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Muhammed.

    Emefiele said that revamping the theatre would boost creative talents of the Nigerian youth.

    He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his support for the MOU and for his commitment to supporting the Nigerian youth to realise their full potentials.

    Emefiele also unveiled the contractors selected for the job.

    “We commend Mr President for his magnanimous approval for the handover of the National Arts Theatre, as well as the pivotal role he continues to play in providing the Nigerian youth with limitless opportunities to reach the summit of their capacities.

    “Revamping the National Arts Theatre will unlock the creative talents of Nigerian youths in the fields of music, movie, fashion and information technology,’’ he said.

    Emefiele said the Bankers’ Committee would provide funding for a prototype cluster labelled “The Signature Cluster” which consists of a building each for music, film, fashion and information technology verticals.

    He said in addition, a visitors centre, police and fire stations and a 500-vehicle park would also be built.

    The CBN governor named the main contractor as Cappa and D’Alberto Limited, the electrical sub-contractor as Nairda Limited, while the mechanical sub-contractor is VACC Limited,” he said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that present at the ceremony were Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, and Mr Sunday Dare, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development.

    Also, Mr Herbert Wigwe, Managing Director of Access Bank, who doubles as Chairman, Body of Bank CEOs and some representatives of the contractors also witnessed the ceremony.

  • Nigeria signs MoU to import petrol from Niger

    Nigeria signs MoU to import petrol from Niger

    Nigeria has signed an agreement for transportation of imported petroleum products from Niger Republic.

    “The Federal Government of Nigeria and the Republic of Niger have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for petroleum products transportation and storage,” the Ministry of Petroleum Resources explained in a statement.

    Following bilateral agreements between President Muhammadu Buhari and President Mahamadou Issoufou, talks have been on-going between two countries for over four months – through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and Niger Republic’s National Oil Company, Societe Nigerienne De Petrole (SONIDEP), on petroleum products transportation and storage.

    Niger Republic’s Soraz Refinery in Zinder, some 260km from the Nigerian border, has an installed refining capacity of 20,000 barrels per day.

    Niger’s total domestic requirement is about 5,000bpd, thus leaving a huge surplus of about 15,000 bpd, mostly for export.

    A statement by the GGM/SA Media to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Garba Deen Muhammad, explaned the MoU was signed by the GMD NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari and the Director General of SONIDEP, Mr. Alio Toune under the supervision of the Ministers of State for Petroleum, Çhief Timipre Sylva and Mr. Foumakoye Gado, respectively with the Secretary General of the African Petroleum Producers Organisation (APPO), Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim in attendance.

    Speaking shortly after the MoU signing, Sylva expressed delight over the development, describing it as another huge step in developing trade relations between both countries.

    “This is a major step forward. Niger Republic has some excess products which needs to be evacuated. Nigeria has the market for these products. Therefore, this is going to be a win-win relation for both countries. My hope is that this is going to be the beginning of deepening trade relations between Niger Republic and Nigeria,” the Minister added.

    Also commenting on the development, the Secretary General of African Petroleum Producers Organisation (APPO), Dr. Omar Ibrahim, said he could not be happier with what he witnessed in terms of co-operation and collaboration between the two APPO member countries in the area of hydrocarbons.

    “I want to commend the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Republic of Niger and their leadership for this milestone.

    Kyari said the two countries have had long engagements in the last four to five months with a view to restoring the importation of petroleum products (excess production) from Niger into Nigeria.

    “With this development, we hope to have a long-lasting and sustainable commercial framework to having a pipeline from the Soraz Refinery in Zinder (Niger) into the most proximate Nigerian city so that we can develop a depot.

    “We are happy that we have reached that conclusion and our two ministers have endorsed this framework. We are also working on detailed MoU between our two companies so that we can continue the execution process immediately.”

    The NNPC helmsman further noted that being the most experienced of the two oil companies, the NNPC would support SONIDEP in terms of training and capacity building.

  • We can’t keep doing things the old way, NIPSS DG, Galadima

    We can’t keep doing things the old way, NIPSS DG, Galadima

    The Director General of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Professor Habu Shuaibu Galadima, has said the challenges facing the country and Africa require new and innovative thinking.

    Professor Shuaibu made this statement at a virtual ceremony on Wednesday to mark the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between NIPSS; the Dantiye Centre for Good Leadership and Journalism (DCLJ) and the JS Centre for Governance and Security Policy Initiative (CGPSI).

    He said, “We must dig deep within ourselves and reach beyond our comfort zones for useful, practical and beneficial solutions.”

    Listing the challenges facing the country and the sub-region, he said, “With the insurgency in the Sahel impacting parts of Nigeria and a number of other countries in the region; political tensions, often related to elections; disputes over trade and regional protocols; significant climate changes affecting the largely agrarian economies of the region; not to mention the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and its ramifications for public policy, particularly public health, safety and the economy, the world is indeed going through a period that tasks the creative energy, innovative spirit and imagination of institutions such as NIPSS.”

    He said the problems confronting the world also presented unique opportunities, adding that the MoU would provide the framework for the National Institute to seize the opportunities.

    Galadima said the focal objective of the MoU is to promote, establish and maintain cooperation and mutual assistance in the provision of training and strategic policy research and advisory support in the field of regional (Africa) and global issues.

    He said, “We are confident that this partnership will also assist Nigeria and other countries in the sub-region in the quest to promote collaborative politics; the ECOWAS protocols on good governance; the African Union Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG) and the African Union Agenda 2063; the United Nations Agenda 2030; and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”

    Also present at the signing was the Chairman of the Dantiye Centre, Emeritus Professor Munzali Jibril and the Chairman of the CGPSI, Dr. Jonathan Sandy, represented by Dr. Tony Karbo.

    The ceremony was witnessed by senior management of NIPSS; members of the Board of Trustees of the Dantiye Centre; affiliates of the CGPSI from Cote d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Malawi, Kenya, Rwanda, UK, USA and Australia; and members of the AU-Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC), Lusaka.

    Background on the partners:

    The Dantiye Centre based in Kano, Nigeria, brings to the table some of the most versatile and illustrious experts in public policy and management, including Emeritus Professor Munzali Jibril (Chairman), former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), and former Provost of the Nigerian Defence Academy; and Dr. Shamsuddeen Usman, former Minister of National Planning, who has just been appointed Honorary Economic and Regional Development Adviser to DCLJ, among others.

    The Centre for Governance and Security Policy (CGPSI) with headquarters in Freetown, Sierra Leone, is a regional consortium accredited to the African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council (AU-ECOSOCC) and is headed by Dr. Jonathan Sandy, a former national security adviser in his country and a widely sought-after expert in political and economic governance, stabilization, peace safety, security and leadership.

  • 2023: Tinubu on his own, no MoU with Buhari

    2023: Tinubu on his own, no MoU with Buhari

    Former governor of Zamfara state and three-term Senator, Ahmed Sani Yarima has tipped himself as an aspirant for Nigeria’s presidency in 2023 and has declared as unworkable any power transfer understanding or agreement Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu may have contrived with President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Yarima, who is from the north west region like Buhari and was a founding member of the All Progressives Congress in 2014, even disputed the existence of any agreement between Buhari and Tinubu.

    Yarima spoke in an interview published by Daily Trust on Monday and cited Buhari’s recent statement that he doesn’t have a candidate and that nobody should even use his name, as indications of the non-existence of any MoU.

    “I don’t think Nigeria belongs to any of them and I don’t think anyone in any position can determine what Nigeria should have. Politics is about election – for people to decide what they want. So it is the majority of the people that will determine who they want.

    Senator Sani Ahmed Yarima: says he will run for presidency in 2023

    “If he(Buhari) signed an agreement with Asiwaju, that agreement cannot be implemented even in getting the ticket. It cannot guarantee Asiwaju a ticket. For example, the president has announced and the party has decided that our primary is going to be direct – just like we elected Mr. President during the primaries of the last general elections. Will he direct everybody to go and vote for Asiwaju?

    “Because, I believe it is going to be a free and fair election, agreement or no agreement is a political statement, but I don’t think that is possible because I don’t think that the Buhari that I know will sign any (such) agreement. He knows that he doesn’t have the powers and the authority to hand over power to whomever he so wishes. He said it is going to be free and fair; in fact, he even said it in the open that he doesn’t have any candidate. So, these are just speculations”.

    Senator Yarima said nothing in the constitution forbids him from seeking the presidency, even though he comes from the North west region like Buhari.

    “I am a Nigerian. I don’t believe in regionalism, saying that this man is from this side or that. Let’s have the best people who have much more better things to offer to Nigerians. Everybody should come up with what they want to do for Nigerians and how they want to move Nigeria forward. The contributions you want to make and such a person should be assessed by Nigerians whether he or she should be elected or not. It is not from where you come from and not your religion. As far as I am concerned, you should look at individuals as Nigerians otherwise we should ask for rotation of presidency in the constitution. If we are looking at regions, North-West has done, let’s go to South-South; which means anybody whether he is good or not but once determined by that zone should be elected. If it is not determined by constitutional arrangement, every Nigerian should aspire to be in elective position of government”.

    “On capacity, I believe that I have the energy, I have the knowledge and I have the experience. And as for resources, you don’t look at the resources for going for a position. Once I have something to move around for the campaigns, I think I can do it. The resources that are required are contributions from every citizen of Nigeria (who are in the party) because it is the party that will sponsor a candidate. It is not the candidate that will sponsor a party. So you don’t need so much resource to contest. I was governor, I had no N20million when I started campaigning for governor. And I became governor by the grace of God. It is God himself that will decide. What you need is to have good intentions. I am not going for president to be rich. I am not going for the presidency to be in a position of superiority. It is a matter of service”.

  • Rivers sign MoU with Real Madrid

    Rivers sign MoU with Real Madrid

    The Rivers State Government and Real Madrid Football Club have signed a ratification agreement for the development of the state government’s Real Madrid Academy, Port Harcourt, into an international football academy.

    The agreement signing took place yesterday at the Presidency Reception Centre of the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, which is the home of Real Madrid Football Club in Madrid, Spain.

    A statement by Simeon Nwakaudu, Special Assistant to the River state Governor (Electronic Media) stated: “The signature of the ratification Protocol was executed by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, and the Executive Vice President of Real Madrid Football Club Foundation, Enrique Sanchez.”

    The state government unveiled the ultramodern football academy barely one month ago, on 21 September, in its bid to empower youths through football as well as to groom local talents to meet world standard.

    The governor, in an address during the signing, said that Rivers State is preparing the Real Madrid Academy Port Harcourt as a veritable pathway for the empowerment of Rivers children.

    He said: “We are preparing the Real Madrid Academy as a veritable pathway for our young stars to be international football talents and for them to realise their dreams.

    “We will offer them exposure, nurturing opportunities and mentorship by world renowned professionals at the Real Madrid Academy.”

    He told managers of Real Madrid Football Club management that the Rivers State Government has already exhibited seriousness by developing the needed infrastructure at the Real Madrid Academy in Port Harcourt, explaining that in establishing the Real Madrid Academy, the government took into consideration the culture and reality of the state.

    “Taking the interest of our youths, the Real Madrid Academy is designed for culture and holistic programmes with a comprehensive package for the acquisition of high level knowledge in a comfortable and inspiring environment,” the governor said.

    Executive Vice President of Real Madrid Football Club Foundation, Enrique Sanchez, who led other officials of the very successful and multiple award-winning European football giant for the ceremony, commended the Rivers State government for its commitment to using football as a tool to empower youths.

    In the Wike-led delegation were: Rivers State People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Felix Obuah; Senator Barry Mpigi (representing Rivers South-East; Rivers State House of Assembly Deputy Speaker Ehie Edison; former House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Austin Opara; Senators Olaka Nwogu; Olaja Bwogu; Sam Anyanwu; Mao Ohuabunwa; former Commissioner for Sport Boma Iyaye; former Rivers lawmaker Felix Nwaeke and a former commissioner, Marcus Nlenji.

  • Fed Govt, states sign MoU on SDGs

    Fed Govt, states sign MoU on SDGs

    The Federal Government has said it had signed a conditional grant with state governments through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    It also said plans were underway to align indicators of the global goals into the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

    The Technical Advisor in the Office of the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on SDGs (OSSAP-SDGs), Dr. Bala Yunusa, stated this at a stakeholders’ workshop in Ekpan, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State.

    The programme, which was organised by the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND), had the theme: Niger Delta and the SDGs: Accelerating Progress Towards Attainment.

    Yunusa said aligning the indicators of the goals into the NBS would make it easy to have accurate assessment of Nigeria’s efforts towards attaining the goals.

     

  • Ecobank, NIRSAL sign MoU on agric financing

    Ecobank Nigeria Limited and Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk-Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signalling the beginning of a collaboration between both institutions on agri-business financing and the development of products that will support lending to actors in the agricultural value chain in conformity with Ecobank’s risk acceptance criteria and credit process.

    Under the arrangement, Ecobank has committed a portfolio of N70 billion in series that has the bank immediately releasing a lump sum of N15 billion take off funding. Ecobank and NIRSAL would jointly select and develop projects that will meet the financing needs of actors in NIRSAL’s focal commodity value chains. These include maize, soybean, wheat, cassava and cotton for industrial commodities. The list also includes consumer commodities such as hibiscus, sesame, ginger and shea, rice; controlled environment agriculture commodities including sweet potato and beans, fresh fruits and vegetables and agriculture and integrated livestock commodity. The intent of the partnership is to ensure farmers get single digit interest rates to make agriculture attractive to both the elderly and the young population.

    In his comment at the MoU signing ceremony in Lagos, Patrick Akinwuntan, Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria Limited said the bank is actively promoting agriculture as a strategic initiative to support national development which is critical to the wellbeing of Nigerians. According to Mr Akinwuntan, Ecobank is committed to working with NIRSAL to open up the vast opportunities that abound in agriculture and to ensure citizens benefit ultimately.

    “This is a collaboration. The Federal Government had made it clear that investing in the agriculture sector is very critical for Nigeria to succeed, especially taking into consideration the natural endowment God granted us in terms of population, land and weather. We have the opportunity to make agriculture the economic spinner for Nigeria. What we are doing is to fulfil this policy direction of the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)” he noted.

    Further, Mr Akinwuntan reiterated that “in Nigeria, Ecobank hopes to contribute positively to move the economy forward, creating employment for the teeming population through agriculture. We found a natural partner in Nirsal, as they have the requisite intellectual and technical capacity to act as meeting point for the stakeholders in the sector. The de-risking participation of NIRSAL gives us the will to provide these facilities at single digit rates at a maximum of 9% to ensure that the users are able to make profit. When our customers make profit, we are also able to make profit. So it is a win – win business for everyone”.

    Also speaking, the Managing Director of NIRSAL, Mr. Aliyu Abdulhameed revealed that under the agreement, and in line with its Mapping to Markets (M2M) strategy, NIRSAL will identify and refer structured projects to Ecobank to support the Bank’s deal origination and financing operations in agribusiness. On its part, Ecobank will finance the projects leveraging NIRSAL’s Credit Risk Guarantee (CRG) which is a further comfort for lenders to agriculture and agribusiness.

    Shedding more light on the M2M, Abdulhameed noted that the strategy is “a closed loop financing system that mandatorily operates via one bank or a consortium of banks. He added that NIRSAL will refer input and service providers under the M2M to Ecobank for account opening, hence, driving the growth of the bank’s business.

    In addition to growing the bank’s business, Abdulhameed said that NIRSAL will develop a program for training Ecobank staff on Agribusiness Finance, with emphasis on how to channel customer applications and requests for effective and streamlined agribusiness lending.

    The MoU ceremony had in attendance top executives of both institutions including Akintayo Dada, Executive Director, Corporate & Investment Banking, Biyi Olagbami, Executive Director / Chief Risk Officer and Carol Oyedeji, Executive Director, Commercial Bank, all of Ecobank Nigeria and Babajide Arowosafe, Executive Director, Technical, Eze Nwakanma​, Assistant General Manager, Agricultural Value Chain Finance & Investment Services, Ernest Ihedigbo, Head, Balance Sheet Financing & Portfolio Managementand Michael Adeoye, Head, Credit Risk Guarantee Operations and Portfolio Management, from NIRSAL Plc

  • Bayelsa oil communities reject oil companies’ MoU

    Bayelsa oil communities reject oil companies’ MoU

    Oil-bearing communities in Nembe Council Area of Bayelsa has described as fraudulent the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) drawn by the International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in their areas.
    The communities said this at a stakeholders’ forum organised by the Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission (BSOEC) in Yenagoa.
    The commission is holding a week-long interactive engagement with stakeholders in the eight local government areas of the state.
    The engagement is aimed at ascertaining the impact of oil spills on the environment, local communities, livelihoods and the health of the people.
    King Loveday Emina, the Amayanabo of Dorguama, said the GMoUs were deceitful, adding that most of the multinational oil companies were not ready to abide by the letters of the agreement.
    He said: “The GMoUs are mere fallacies. The oil companies are only deceiving the communities with the documents and will not be ready to clean up the environment when there is a spill or even provide necessary amenities for the people.
    “The GMoU has never worked in any community in Bayelsa state. When I was nominated by my community as one of the negotiators of the GMoU, I thought we would sit down and discuss.
    “Unfortunately, the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) had already prepared a document for us to read and sign. They said we should not ask for anything other than what was in the document.
    “We were not allowed to state our problems because they claim to know them more than us. Nothing has since been done by SPDC and our people are suffering.
    “Our youths are jobless and are now resorting to militancy and other vices that are inimical to the society. Poverty is really biting us.
    “The night life that we used to enjoy through gathering together for folktales has gone because of the fear of attack by our own people.”
    A Community Leader from the Okoroma Clan, Mr Derry Patrick, accused the oil companies of using the revenue being derived from the oil exploration in their area to develop other areas, while the community where oil was first drilled in Nigeria was totally neglected.
    “Our children are dying from pollution and suffering different kinds of ailments. Our rivers are polluted.
    “Our fishermen will go out for fishing at night and come back the following morning with nothing because the fishes are all dead,” he said.
    Another Community Leader from Fantou community, Chief Michael Olali, said Federal Government’s presence was not felt in spite of the abundance of oil in the area.
    He said that the people of Nembe Creeks would soon stage a protest against the government and all the oil companies operating in the area.
    “We live under leaking roofs and in mud houses. We even bathe in polluted rivers because we lack basic amenities. Our land is no more useful for farming because of oil exploration and spills.
    “Our due should be given to us. Our people are not employed in the companies, even as cleaners and drivers. There are also no opportunities for scholarship from the companies,” he said.
    Responding, the Chairman of the commission, Dr John Sentamu, expressed his commission’s commitment to finding out solutions to the myriad of challenges.
    Sentamu, who is also the Archbishop of York noted that most of the complaints were not new but regretted that they had yet to be properly addressed.
    The chairman, who was represented by a commissioner, Dr Kathryn Nwajiaku-Dahou, promised that all the grievances expressed by the communities would be reflected in the commission’s report and followed up with serious advocacy.

  • Elections: INEC to review MoU with NYSC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday revealed it is planning to review its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) on the rules regarding the engagement of corps members as electoral adhoc staff.

    The Director General, The Electoral Institute, Dr. Sa’ad Umar Idris made this known in Abuja at the Policy Dialogue on “Dynamics of Delegation: Reforms In the Recruitment of Ad-hoc Election Personnel.”

    He said: “We (INEC) are going to review the MoU with the NYSC to ensure that the members on election duties are loyal and can be held accountable and punished for their actions.”

    According to him, the NYSC staff put the reputation of the commission at stake whenever they are on election duty, stressing that obedience to INEC core values, code and conduct is very important.

    He said the commission has its core value that anybody working for it being him an ad hoc or permanent staff has to comply with.

    He said that the need to train the ad hoc staff and expose them to the core value of the commission has come expedient, for “them to do things the way INEC does its own things.”

    Continuing, he said: “When they (corpers) are on the field they are INEC. Whatever the ad hoc staff does it is INEC. Are they loyal to the commission?

    “We need to interrogate that. We really need to look into the MoU and see are there any mechanism where we can establish the issue of loyalty.

    “Can we make them accountable for their actions? Is there any way we can to something in the MoU where we can ensure that they are loyal and when they go wrong the commission can punish them.

    “There has to be something where we can hold them accountable to their own actions.”

    The commission, according to him, is also mulling administrative measures of dealing with malfeasance, especially a mechanism for punishment such as denial of discharge certificate and a repeat of the service year.

    Saa’d asked the panel: “Is there any way we can get NYSC to sanction them? Maybe in the MoU of getting the NYSC to extend the service year of that corper, that is a deterrent, for instance.

    “We can find a way of getting NYSC to say you repeat your service year or consider you not to have served for that year because you are disgrace to NYSC and disgrace to Nigeria.”

    He insisted on the need for reforms of the electoral policies for the improvement of the conduct of elections.

    The Lead Speaker, Prof. Shola Omotola, had observed that the allowances for the ad hoc staff were grossly inadequate.

    The don also cited the challenges of insecurity, late mobilization and training of staff as part of the characteristics of the 2019 general elections.