Business
FG gives reasons why it is repackaging its social intervention programmes
FG has disclosed plans to repackage its social intervention programmes for the benefit of more people from the grassroots.
The Federal Government has revealed its plans to repackage its social intervention programmes to make sure more people at the grassroots benefit from it.
According to the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who disclosed this during the “Good Morning Nigeria” programme on Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), the decision was taken after complaints by Nigerians that the social intervention programmes were not getting to the grassroots.
According to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the people in their various states, told the Ministers when they were directed by President Muhammadu Buhari to interact with them, that the programmes were not getting to as many people as they should.
He said that the traditional rulers and other stakeholders from various geopolitical zones made the same complaints when the presidential delegation led by the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, met with them.
Mohammed said, “What we found out when we got home was that the programmes were not trickling to the grassroots and that is why we have taken a decision to see how we can repackage them. Everywhere we went, even traditional rulers said they ought to be involved in the execution of the programmes.”
“I recently wrote a memo to our colleagues that we want the list of all the programmes, so that we can also periodically publish them and let them know where they can be accessed. It is not that there is no information on the programmes. It is the execution that needs fine-tuning. We need to involve other tiers of government in the execution of some of these programmes.”
The Minister said various social intervention programmes were initiated before the #EndSARS protests, and designed to create jobs for the youths and also alleviate poverty among women and the vulnerable groups.
What you should know
It can be recalled that there have been numerous public calls over the implementation of the various social intervention programmes, with allegations of corruption and diversion of some funds.
This has caused conflicts between the members of the National Assembly and officials of the executive arm of government, who are saddled with the task of implementing the programmes.
Some of these programmes include the N-Power programme, TRADERMONI, MARKETMONI, FARMERMONI, MSME Survival Fund, N75billion National Youth Investment Fund (NYIF), amongst others.
Business
Digital ID will help drive financial inclusion – VP Osinbajo
FG to ensure a friendly business environment is created to promote ease of doing business in Nigeria.
Digital Identification is one of the keys to driving financial inclusion in Nigeria.
This was disclosed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo during his facility visit to SecureID, a smart card manufacturing and digital solutions company, on Tuesday.
According to Osinbajo, Digital ID would help Nigerians, especially the ones that are not financially inclusive, operate in the global space.
He also assured entrepreneurs that the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration would ensure a friendly business environment is created to aid ease of doing business in Nigeria.
He said, “Environment must be friendly for local investors first before foreign investors come in. Today marks a momentous occasion in the history of the technology and manufacturing sector, and I am delighted to be a part of it.
“SecureID Limited has proved to us with this state-of-the-art manufacturing plant that local production of smart cards at the highest quality is not only viable in Nigeria but also brings a plethora of opportunities with it for Africa.
“I must commend this indigenous company for laying the precedent for other local manufacturers to follow. I must also congratulate the founder and CEO, Kofo Akinkugbe, who through her grit and passion to contribute to the growth of the economy, has committed innumerable resources and manpower to bring this factory to fruition.
“It warms my heart to see a woman take charge and create something indelible for other young women to emulate. She is an attestation to the fact that women are dependable collaborators in our quest for nation-building.”
The company, which recently bagged the esteemed Global System of Mobile Applications (GSMA) certificate making it the first in Nigeria and 3rd in Africa, also manufactures sim cards for telecom companies, loyalty cards for retail and security documents for public sector: driving license, national identity cards, international passports and more.
Osinbajo expressed confidence in the company to bolster local content and contribute to the growth of the economy, stating that the recent GSMA certificate and other global certificates bear glowing testimony to the level of high standards demonstrated in its production of first-rate smart cards in the country.
Speaking on the company’s recent milestone, Akinkugbe stated that SecureID strictly upholds high quality standards and protocols to manufacture an array of smart cards in line with global best practices, emphasizing that the company worked resolutely, to attain the GSMA certificate and other certificates.
According to her, the company is an attestation that local production of smart cards at the highest quality is possible in Nigeria.
“As an indigenous company, we are able to produce high quality SIM cards and at the same time, provide job opportunities for Nigerians. The government has seen it, its volume, value and growth, that we are able to contribute is something we would showcase and further prove that this can be done locally.
“On our journey, we sought and received support from many institutions, agencies, and initiatives that have been established to encourage startups SMEs and enterprises,” she said.
What you should know about SecureID
The company recently bagged the esteemed Global System of Mobile Applications (GSMA) certificate making it the first in Nigeria and 3rd in Africa. This is an addition to its other global certifications including Visa International, MasterCard Incorporated, Verve, Card Quality Management (CQM) and ISO 9001/2015 for Smart Card Manufacturing and Personalization of credit and debit cards for all banks in Nigeria and clients in 21 countries across Africa.
Business
FG proposes retirement age of 65 years for doctors
Ngige stated that the government wants to keep the nations health workers here in Nigeria.
