Features
Features
[Posted on January 7, 2013 --- By ABUBAKAR JIMOH ] ---
Recently, at Annual Media Retreat on Disaster Management held in Abuja, the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Muhammad Sani-Sidi revealed that in the face heightened tragedies resulting from bomb explosion and other related emergency situations in the country, some state and local governments are failing in their constitutional responsibilities on disaster management despite the contingency funds placed at their disposal by the federal government.
Although, it is part of responsibilities of NEMA as the national coordinating agency to formulate policy on all activities relating to disaster management in Nigeria, organise plans and programmes for efficient and effective response to disasters in the country, the states are lagging behind in their roles of making disaster everyone’s business and the need to become first responder in...
Features
[Posted on January 7, 2013 --- By Leonard Karshima Shilgba] ---
IN 2013, the sum of 4.987 trillion Naira shall be spent by the federal government of Nigeria. The capital expenditure is a paltry 1.6 trillion Naira, which is 32 per cent of the entire budget. But more worrisome is the established tradition of woeful implementation of budgets by the PDP governments since 2007. If the capital component of budgets in Nigeria was prudently implemented the country would have efficient public development infrastructure such as roads, railways, electricity, water supply networks, refineries, etc., which could drive down the cost of production, expand capacity utilization of manufacturing industries, preserve life, and reduce unemployment rate. The Nigerian on the street finds nothing or little to cheer in the yearly rituals.
There is a trend that must be pointed out. The Nigerian legislature has joined the choir of national lamentation rathe...
Features
By Haruna Bature --
Nigeria is blessed with natural resources as waterways, rivers, streams and arable land, oil etc. The nations potential is to be one of the biggest economics in the world year 2020, it will be in huge setback due to corruption, despite all its large deposit of solid minerals resources, almost all of them at the highest quality.
The discovery of oil which has since beginning of its exploration thrown up the country as one of the highest income earning nations. And the country continue to discover more oil deposits in locations within it territory despite all the resources the country are in huge poverty rate due to inability of executive governments agency holders to perform their task.
If our great country will have somebody like the Ag chairman of Federal Inland Revenue Service, I bet you Nigeria no doubt Nigeria will achieve it’s agenda vision 20:2020. The acting executive chairman of Federal Inland R...
Features
Every year on October 9, the date in which the Universal Postal Union (UPU) was founded in 1874, the postal community celebrates the World Post Day. Not only does it represent an excellent opportunity to familiarize government authorities, postal employees and the public with the aims and activities of the UPU, but it also helps to make the public aware of the important role of postal services in the worldwide communications market.
Many Postal administrations will use today’s occasion to take stock of their past accomplishments with a view to drawing new strategies for the future. With the huge surge in new information and communication technologies transforming our world, many are wondering whether the Post really do have a future. Faced with numerous challenges and competitions, authorities of most Postal administrations have taken closer look at their activities with the objective of innovating and developing new products ...
Features
By ALIYU UMAR RINJI --
From whatever perspectives one might have looked at the present hypertensive state of the nation, one thing is clear that for Nigeria and Nigerians, these are indeed not the best of times. In view of the sickening socio-political and economic developments in Nigeria today, it will not be an exaggeration for one to conclude that the country is sick and pervated. To borrow from Danmasanin Kano, Alh Yusuf Maitama Sule “symptoms of revolt loom large” in Nigeria as anarchy appears close in the horizon. From Ibadan to Portharcourt, Kano to Lagos, Plateau to Bayelsa, Maiduguri to Sokoto and Kogi to Kaduna, the story is the same - kidnappings, political assassinations, ritual killings, armed robbery, bomb blasts, cultism, hired killings, communal clashes and facebook murders.
With a hugely underperforming economy characterized by rampant policy changes, multiple taxation, dysfunctional infrastnlctures, co...
Features
By DENJA ABDULLAHI --
It was a day full of reminiscences and power-packed emotions as soloist and monodrama exponent, Greg Mbajiorgu, took time off the annual conference of the Society of Nigerian Theatre Artist(SONTA) in University of Calabar to re-visit the premises of the State Secretariat of The National Youth Service Corp(NYSC) where he conceived, wrote and premiered his enigmatic solo artist play The Prime Minister’s Son 21 years ago.
Greg Mbajiorgu was accompanied on the historic re-visit by foremost theatre scholar, Professor Kalu Uka, who incidentally was part of the premiere of the play in 1991 as artistic /technical adviser alongside the late pioneer Nigerian playwright, James Ene Henshaw. Also on the visiting entourage were Sola Balogun,arts editor of The Sun Newspapers, Obi Okoli, popular Nollywood actor and Denja Abdullahi, poet, playwright and National Vice President of the Association of Nigerian Author(ANA).
...
Features
‘Let us separate quarrel before we separate fight’
I start this admonition with the critics anthem, one that has always inspired me. It is by H.G. Wells and he says “we are going to write about it all. We are going to write about business and finance and politics and pretences and pretentiousness, and decorum and indecorum, until a thousand pretences and ten thousand impostor shrivel in the cold, ...we are going to write about wasted opportunities and latent beauties, until a thousand new ways of life open to men and women. We are going to appeal to the young, and the hopeful, and the curious against—the established, the dignified and the defensive. Before we are done we will have all life within this scope of the novel.
We at most, talk, write and discuss the Nigerian myth with a sense of fatalism.
I believe that If everyone thought as much as I did about justice and fairness, life would be better.
I am critic, but I am ...
Features
BY IBRAHIM SARKIN YAKI --
Abuja, the Federal Capital City in recent years has witnessed an upsurge in population; this is also evident from the overwhelming increase in vehicles on most highways in the FCC which has made commuting a rather harrowing experience based on the high level of traffic gridlock.
It is based on this disturbing development that the current FCT Administration has purposelydecided to unbridle the much needed multi-modal form of transportation; an unhindered Abuja Light Rail that is sure to handle the issue of traffic gridlock and will also be effective, fast and provide a cheaper/affordable means of transportation.
The Abuja Light Rail project has reached it’s final implementation take-off stage;Senator Bala Mohammed made this assertion in Beijing, China where he went to represent the Administration at the signing ceremony of the agreement for the $500M loan that is needed to bring the light rail project ...
Features
Kaduna State is indeed one of the most sophisticated states in Nigeria, located in the Northwest region of the country. The state was described by many pundits as a mini Nigeria domiciled by eminent personalities in every sphere of human endeavour, be it business, politics, law, medicine, top serving and retired military echelon and so on. It is a state which accommodates people from all parts of the country.
Centre of learning as the state is fondly call, where several institutions of higher learning are located, part of the reasons that the state attracts people from all walks of life. Kaduna state is indeed a state that serves as home to all Nigerians irrespective of your state of origin.
This is one of the reasons the state governor, Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa is determined to transform the state to the delight of all, the visionary leader is looking beyond the present, but focusing on the long-term development of...
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