TheNewsGuru

Tag: Policy

  • Biafra: Police, Army, others storm Abia over IPOB’s sit-at-home order

    The Police Command in Abia on Monday led detachments of the Nigerian Army and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in a show of strength in Umuahia, ahead of the IPOB sit-at-home order for Wednesday, May 30.

    The exercise took off from the Central Police Station (CPS), Umuahia, at about 9 a.m. and moved round the major streets up to Ubakala and Olokoro in Umuahia South Local Government Area back to CPS, via Bende Road.

    The convoy included one Armoured Personnel Carrier and about 15 patrol vans, loaded with heavily armed men.

    Speaking with newsmen at the end of the show, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Anthony Ogbizi, said the joint exercise was designed to reassure residents of the readiness of the security agencies to continue to protect their lives and property.

    “The show of strength included men of the Police Command, the army and Civil Defence and the essence is to demonstrate our resolve to ensure that Abia residents continue to enjoy uninterrupted peace.

    “We are poised to continue to sustain the prevailing peace and wish to send a signal to trouble makers, especially members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which has been proscribed as a terrorist group.

    “We want them to know that the law will not spare them should they go ahead to disrupt the prevailing peace, which residents of the state are presently enjoying.

    “So we used this opportunity to instil confidence in the people that security agencies are alive to their primary duties of protecting their lives and property.”

    The Police boss, therefore, urged the people to ignore the sit-at-home order and go about their lawful businesses without any fear of molestation.

    “Sitting at home for fear of any possible attack by IPOB members will give them a sense of victory.”

    Ogbizi further charged security operatives “to be alert and vigilant” to be able to checkmate the activities of IPOB.

    He alleged that the group now indulged in producing Improvised Explosive Devices (IED).

    “If we do not respond now to nip the activities of the group in the bud, especially in producing IED, then we may be heading for doom.

    He said that some policemen were recently attacked in Aba with IED, allegedly made by IPOB, adding that the incident was currently being investigated.

    “Let us have it at the back of our minds that IPOB is a violent group. We should not treat them with kid gloves.

    “We should work to protect ourselves. Your lives are as important as those that you protect.”

    The police commissioner underscored the need for security agencies to sustain the existing synergy for mutual benefits.

  • FG rakes in N123bn through whistle blowing policy – Adeosun

    The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun has said that the whistle-blower policy of the Federal Government has yielded about N123 billion so far.

    While speaking at an evaluation workshop on the whistle-blower policy and asset tracing team organised by the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption on Friday, Adeosun, who was represented by the Head, Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA) and Whistle-blower Unit of the Ministry of Finance, Dr Mohammed Dikwa said 791 investigations were commenced while 534 had been concluded, with N7.8billion, $378million (about N115.3 billion) and 27,800 pounds (about N12 million) recovered so far.

    Adeosun, who stated that the Federal Government was planning to review the whistle-blower policy to make it more effective stressed that the government would focus more on tight control measures that would make it difficult for a few people to take away assets that belong to the entire country.

    “The whistle-blower policy is aimed at improving institutional governance, strengthening mechanisms for the fight against corruption and supporting the implementation of open government partnership principles in advancing anti-corruption reforms,”, she said.

    She also disclosed an inter-agency asset tracing team had been constituted to centralise the tracking, management and maintenance of all recovered non-cash assets in the custody of the Federal Government, monitor the disposal of assets under final forfeiture to the Federal Government by the court.

    “This would stem general loss of value, including the depreciation of motor vehicles and loss of rental income from high value properties recovered”, she added.

    Meanwhile, chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof. Itse Sagay said that not all whistle-blowers will get five per cent of recovered sum.

    “One controversial issue in the policy is the question of remuneration. The public seems to be fixated on five per cent. But in fact, five per cent is the maximum. It can be as little as one per cent, depending on the amount of money involved. It could be slightly more if it is an extremely large amount”, he said.

     

  • Danbatta calls for renewed thinking in policy framework for telecom industry

    Danbatta calls for renewed thinking in policy framework for telecom industry

    Prof. Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has called for renewed thinking by global policymakers and regulatory framework in the telecommunication industry.

    Danbatta was quoted as making the call during a panel discussion at the just concluded 2018 World Mobile Congress in Barcelona, Spain, in a statement issued on NCC’s website on Wednesday.

    Danbatta said global policymakers in the telecom industry should ensure not only renewed thinking in the development of policy frameworks but also promote innovation and investment in the sector.

    He said the regulators should promote innovation, investment and better quality of service as well as putting in place mechanisms that would limit unfair pricing and exploitation of consumers.

    “In Nigeria, we are trying to digitally transform and the process is ongoing as I am talking to you.

    “Hence, we have been paying attention to five interdependent elements of the digital transformation processes which include enabling policies and institutions, human capital, applied ICT industry, communications infrastructure, ICT applications and institutional change.”

    Danbatta said the strategic vision plan he unveiled two years ago in form of eight-point agenda had so far made significant impact on the growth of telecommunication’s sector in Nigeria.

    He said broadband penetration in the country merely stood at about eight per cent when he took over the mantle of the leadership in the commission.

    “But it is now 22 per cent, according to the ITU-UNESCO Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development.

    “We also decided to look at how we can improve Quality of Service (QoS) consistent with key performances indicators that characterise the quality of service.

    “The information we are getting from the consumers as well what we source from network operators is that QoS has improved.

    “The experiences by consumers through their accounts also indicate significant improvement.”

    Danbatta told the gathering about the successful auctioning of the spectrum 2.6 GHZ band, which had already been assigned and contributed to broadband penetration in Nigeria.

    The NCC boss said to empower the consumers of the industry’s product in Nigeria, the year 2017 was dedicated as the year of the consumer.

    He said when NCC started the campaign; the commission was flooded with a lot of complaints, especially on unsolicited text messages sent to consumers.

    “Consumers in many cases are surcharged, NCC has put behind this menace in Nigeria through the campaign.

    “As I am talking to you, we have a Do- Not- Disturb facility, which is very easy to use by consumers as more than nine million users have activated this facility.

    “Again, close to that number have gained access to our 622 toll-free line, which is provided to consumers to lodge their complaints on the quality of service provided by the telecommunication firms.”

    NCC listed other notable industry giants who participated in the panel discussion to include Ajit Pai, the Chief Regulator of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.

    Other participants are Ram Sharma, the Chief Regulator of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India; and German Pimienta of Communications Regulatory, Colombia.

     

  • Twitter starts enforcing new rules on hateful conduct, abusive behaviour

    Twitter starts enforcing new rules on hateful conduct, abusive behaviour

    The new rules announced in November on hateful and abusive content and behaviour went into effect on Monday, Twitter said in a press release.

    “Today, we will start enforcing updates to the Twitter Rules announced last month to reduce hateful and abusive content on Twitter,” Twitter said on Monday.

    The company said the new rules will require any accounts associated with groups that promote violence against civilians either on or off the social media platform to remove all tweets that promote glorify violent acts.

    The company said anyone who refuses to comply will be permanently suspended from Twitter.

    It added that any account that contains hateful content or abuses in a username, display or profile bio will be permanently suspended.

    Hateful imagery, including logos or symbols that promote “hostility and malice” is now considered sensitive material under the company’s media policy, Twitter added in the press release posted on its blog.

     

  • Why we are implementing new waste management policy in Lagos – Ambode

    Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has said it was important for the state to evolve and implement a new waste management policy that would not only be befitting for a mega city but ensure the overall cleanliness of the state.

    The Governor, who spoke at the Annual Lecture of the Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL) held at Muson Centre in Onikan with the theme: “Living Well Together, Tomorrow: The Challenge Of Africa’s Future Cities”, said government was embarking on massive reform in waste management system, expressing optimism that the plan will fully be actualized by July this year.

    He said: “We are also embarking on massive reform in the waste and sanitation management system. I don’t like the way the city is and the Private Sector Participants (PSP) collectors are not having enough capacity to do it but again should I tax people to death, the answer is no. I don’t want to tax people and so we need this partnership with the private sector so that they can invest in the sanitation management of the city and in no time maybe by July, the city will change forever.”

    TheNewsGuru.com recalls that recently, Governor Ambode directed the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), to stop the collection of waste bills, while instructing that all payments should be remitted to the coffers of Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators, just as the government also canceled the monthly environmental sanitation exercise.

    It would also be recalled that the State Government had last year signed a $135 million (N85 billion) agreement with a foreign firm as part of its new waste management policy, a partnership under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative expected to last for four years.

    The State’s Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare who also explained the new drive said the investment, which would kick off next year involved the deployment of over 600 Mercedes Benz compactors and the engagement of street sweepers in all wards in the state, while private sector operators would be restricted to handle commercial waste.

    Adejare also stated that the new policy would involve closure of existing landfill sites, creation of transfer loading stations in local councils and deployment of over one million ultra-modern waste bins with censors to monitor their movement against theft.

    He said this was aimed at introducing new technology into waste management in the state.

    He stressed that the decision to contract waste management under a Public Private Participation (PPP) arrangement was because of the high cost which he said the state could not afford because of limited resources.

    Under the reform, Adejare said three colour coded waste bags would be distributed to homes for different kinds of waste.

    “The result of this new arrangement is that waste disposal will no longer be a challenge as efficient system will be on ground for effective management which will eventually eradicate cart pushers in the process,” he said.