Day: October 19, 2023

Dr Adewale Adeyanju, the President General, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), has trained the union’s secretariat staff on modern office technics for effective operations.

Adeyanju in a statement on Wednesday in Lagos said the secretariat staff were drawn from the union’s headquarters, the Nigerian Port Authority; dockworkers; shipping; and the seafarers branches of the union.

He said the training programme was designed to equip the affected staff with the basics of modern office technology.

The Secretary – General of the Union, Mr Felix Akingboye (on Blue attire) with other national Executives on the front row.

“The training is to further induct the workers with conventional office ethics and practice, and code of conduct,” he said.

Adeyanju, also the Deputy President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, said he would not leave any stone unturned in reshaping all the arms of the maritime workers union.

The president general said he would ensure that the administrative staff were well equipped for the job; given the universal modern system of e-system of gathering and storing information in office management.

“So, it will be nice to see that we are repositioning every necessary infrastructure in the union, while we also academically upgrade our staff.

“This will acquaint them with the modern office technics for efficiency and effectiveness in their daily output at work,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has awarded practicing licenses to 116 qualified Business Development Service Providers (BDSPs).

Dr Charles Odii, Director-General, SMEDAN, said this at the BDSPs Licencing Award ceremony organised by the agency on Wednesday in Lagos.

Odii said the practicing license would allow BDSPs to provide quality services to the Micro Small and Medium–sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the BDSPs certification was in collaboration with Kaduna Business School, the Enterprise Development Centre, Pan Atlantic University.

The BDSPs are Nigerians from the entrepreneurial ecosystem across the country that have met the requirements to practice their profession in a particular jurisdiction.

This typically involves completing a certain amount of education and training, passing an examination, and maintaining good moral standing.

Odii said: “Today is a very big day for us at the agency because we awarded licenses to business development service providers and this is very important, and a response to the cry of small businesses in Nigeria.

“Many of them have different problems, just like you have sick patients and you have doctors, a couple of certified individuals need to go through rudimentary process to become certified to be able to attend to sick individuals.

“We have a staggering statistics that show that 70 per cent of small businesses die in the first three years and why do they die?, for many different reasons.

“So, what we have done as an agency is we have recruited a couple of people, they have gone through a scholarly process of training from the Enterprise Development Centre and Kaduna Business School, and then they’ve gotten a certification and their license then become our eyes and ears in all of Nigeria.

“So, their job right now is to go into the market, help small businesses thrive’’.

“In an effort to ensure a credible access to more affordable finance for MSMEs in Nigeria, the agency is partnering with an NGO, The African Centre for Global Entrepreneurial Leadership.

“This is to implement the Leadership Entrepreneurial Game Show, where successful participants will be given N5 million worth of grants and tools.

“The game show is on-going now and all existing and potential entrepreneurs are encouraged to log into www.legs.afrca for registration,’’ he said.

Odii hinted that the agency was partnering with selected banks to implement the Matching Fund Programme for MSMEs toward increasing access to finance.

This intervention, he said, was delivering credit as a promotional mechanism to enhance enterprise output, competitiveness and job creation..

According to him, prospective beneficiaries can have access to loans between N2. 5 and N500 million.

Odii urged all suitable qualified MSEs in the agribusiness sub-sector to apply via the SMEDAN website www.smedan.gov.ng.

Dr Dahiru Sani, Rector, Kaduna Business School, while taking them through the portal, said that the primary responsibility of the BDSPs would be to support MSMEs in terms of how they would be responding to the shocks of the recent policy issues.

Sani, also a member of the National Steering Committee for the Accreditation and Certification of the BDSPs in Nigeria, said, “Our expectations now are that they are going to give us what we call a buffer or mechanical shock absorber for the MSMEs.

“They are going to go round within their ecosystem, do a survey, find out about the challenges they face and try to see what kind of interventions will be required.

“Sometimes its financial, emotional resilience, technology support, access to market, the quality of people within the system.

“Sometimes it’s shifting the focus of the market from Nigeria to outside the country, sometimes it’s creating a bigger portfolio where you can earn in different currencies,’’ Sani said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio has said that the National Assembly would guarantee the welfare of staff of the assembly.

He made the remark at the 9th National and States Assembly Service Commissions Conference held in Abuja on Wednesday.

The conference was organised by the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC).

Declaring the conference open, Akpabio who was represented by Sen. Danjuma Goje (APC-Gombe) said that the national assembly management was not unmindful of the welfare of the staff.

“I know the welfare issues you are battling with. But be rest assured that the 10th National Assembly has your back.

“Staff welfare will be supported by the assembly,” Akpabio said.

He said that in classical theory, the main role of parliament was to make new laws and change or improve old laws.

“But inclusively, we will not only make laws, change or improve old laws, we will make people, we will empower people.

“We will continue to support the training, retraining and capacity building of our staff. Charity is expected to begin at home.

“So, let’s have a team spirit and make our country proud, let us invest our time and energy into providing the best support for our legislators.

“This is so that hereafter, posterity will look back at the 10th National Assembly and State Assemblies and say truly, this was a turning point in our lawmaking in our country.”

Akpabio further said that the conference should lay the framework for the most effective parliament in Nigeria’s democratic governance.

“The choice is in your hands, you can only succeed if we see this conference not just as another talk-shop but as a wakeup call during the 10th National Assembly and change dynamics of lawmaking in our country.

“The time is now for us to heed our country’s call and come together as one. Sure, there are people dying from insecurity, from banditry, it is time for us to lend a hand.

“We have a government which has shown tremendous resolve to right what is wrong in our country.

“We have a national assembly which is committed to supporting all efforts to change the fortunes of our country and committed to making laws to lift up the poor and better the lots of all Nigerians,” he said.

The Executive Chairman of NASC, Ahmed Amshi, said they were concerned with the State Assembly Service Commissions that was why they considered their operations.

“As usual, resolutions are expected to be agreed upon and a communique will be presented but we have entered into a partnership with National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Consultancy Services in the organisation of this conference.

“Most of the State Assembly Service Commissions have been in contact and shared ideas with us, we acknowledge them on this and hope that the mutual relationship is sustained.”

Also speaking, Prof. Ayo Omotayo, the Director-General of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) said that Nigeria must have a national focus to grow.

According to him, any country that is desiring to grow must have what he described as a national focus.

He said that lawmakers and staff of assemblies must work towards ensuring that whatever they do, is focused towards the growth and development of the country.

Omotayo said if Nigeria must be a better society, individuals must carry out personal responsibility geared towards ,’national focus’.

“If we are going to have a better society, every individual in Nigeria must carry a personal responsibility and pursue a national focus.

“The President is not the government, the Senate President and the speaker are not the government.

“We must play our roles as individuals. If not, we will continue to blame ourselves. A nation works for anyone that plays his or her part. Everyone must think about the Nigeria we need,” he said.(NAN)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Nigeria on Wednesday called on Member States to endorse the proposed resolution on Tax Convention that would ensure a fairer taxation system globally.

The Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations, in a statement, made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in New York, called for continued support toward a comprehensive UN Tax Convention.

NAN recalls that Nigeria had, during the 77th session of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), presented a historic resolution entitled “Promotion of Inclusive and effective International Tax Cooperation at the United Nations’’.

The resolution laid the foundation for the creation of a new system of international tax cooperation that should be universal in scope and approach.

With this, member states agreed for the first time to have a convention on tax cooperation and to annually discuss global tax issues and review progress.

The motion, submitted for consideration by Nigeria on behalf of 54-member African Group of States, was adopted by consensus after some discussions on a failed amendment.

“The Africa Group building on adoption of resolution 77/244 on the “promotion of inclusive and effective international tax cooperation at the United Nations”, has put forth a proposal for a comprehensive UN Tax Convention.

“We call on all Member States to endorse this crucial initiative aimed at tackling tax evasion, illicit financial flows, and ensuring a fairer taxation system within and beyond national boundaries.

“The proposed UN Tax Convention offers an inclusive and transparent avenue for meaningful reform, vital for fulfilling UN commitments on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

“We reiterate our call for immediate, collective action. The world cannot afford further delays in addressing this urgent issue,’’ the Mission stated in a statement.

Earlier in an interview with NAN, Amb. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the UN said Nigeria would continue to champion the discuss on tax convention at the ongoing 78th session of UN General Assembly (UNGA).

Muhammad-Bande said that the resolution was important in the context of financing for development, noting that the element of taxation is connected to illicit flows.

“We are just at the beginning of the process, now that it has been mandated that something be done.

“What will happen now is to sit down and see what can be done to ensure that such a convention or treaty is arrived at.

“That will be a lot of negotiations; countries, blocs, coalitions, but by and large, globally, it is understood that it is important to have a binding document relating to taxation that looks at the interest of all parts of the world at the same time,’’ he said.

NAN reports that the General Assembly is the main policy making and representative organ of the United Nations.

It is composed of representatives of the 193 Member States and other entitles which meet in sessions dedicated to discussions on current issues of critical importance to the international community. (NAN) (www.nannew.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, has solicited an enabling law for private schools to grow the nation through education.

Speaking in Abuja at a Dinner/Award night to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Africa International College (AIC) and Africa Community School, Gowon said government alone could not provide support for every institution, but an enabling law would do a great deal for them.

The event which also featured a book launch, authored by the Executive Secretary of the School, Mrs Caroline Yakubu, has the theme: ”Celebrating Unlimited Grace.”

Gowon was represented at the occasion by his younger brother, Dauda Gowon.

“The private schools are there to help the nation grow through education, not flashy education but education that builds, not education that destroys but education that helps the nation grow.

“Government cannot afford to support every institution because it is not practicable but they should make enabling laws that will not tie their hands from doing many things they should be able to do.

“For example, if they want to have an e-library, is it difficult or easy, if they want to have a good scientific laboratory, is it easy or is it difficult.

“In other words, if the equipments are not manufactured in Nigeria, will they have any problems at the ports, such things are the assistance I expect the government to give institutions like this,” he said.

He also called on the government to address the issue of multiple taxation on private schools, saying this could pose a challenge to the running of their institutions.

“Government should avoid multiple taxation on private institutions but ensure fair taxation.

“What this will lead to is that institutions will invariably put this burden of multiple taxation on the parents when fees are being made. So make tax easy and very open so that people will be happy if they are paying taxes,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of the school, Mrs Caroline Yakubu, while speaking on the book titled: “‘Success Pathways’ meto stablish educational system,” said dedication and consistency are key to success in life.

“The message basically is the fact that whatever you desire to do, when you are determined to do it, nothing can stop it.

“No matter the challenges because definitely if you want to succeed, you must be prepared to face the challenges but you also must be determined that whatever the road blocks are or that may present themselves as challenges you must be focused and determined,” she said.

Yakubu noted that the country needed quality education to grow every other sector and this would be achieved if the environment is conducive enough for investors to thrive.

“Quality education is expensive and the best the government can do for us, particularly private school owners is to create the enabling environment for us.

“They can also help us to access funds because we have a lot of needs that we are battling with as it were especially in terms of facilities, and the maintenance of the facilities.

“Whatever resources that we need, we will appreciate that the government come in no small measures to help us. Another thing that the government can do is to reduce the multiplicity of tax . It’s been a major problem for private school owners,” she said.

On security in schools, she called on stakeholders to come together to address this, saying that security is not just the government business but the business of all. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria