Blog

NCC warns telecom consumers over use of substandard handsets

NAN-H-81

By Chukwuemeka Opara

NCC

Abakaliki, Oct.13, 2016 (NAN) The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has warned telecommunication consumers against the usage of substandard handsets.

Mr Joseph Atoyebi, the Deputy Director, Consumer Affairs of the commission gave the warning on Thursday in Abakaliki during a Consumer Outreach Programme .

According to him, such handsets are responsible for the various network and related problems they experience during dialing or receiving of calls.

“Consumers should use the handsets outlined in our manual as they have been certified to be efficient for telecommunication usages,” he said.

Atoyebi also urged consumers who use smart phones to be aware of its complexities which are responsible for the difficulties experienced while using them.

“Many consumers complain that their data and credit are illegally deducted by service providers but they should understand that smart phones have various complex attributes.

“Smart phones should be switched-off when not in use as they automatically upgrade themselves and can deduct data in the process,” he said.

He also informed consumers that borrowing of credit from service providers is a business strategy which is not offered without costs.

“There are stipulated deductions from credit lent to consumers by service providers as nothing is free in the business parlance.

“Consumers are obligated to ensure the security of telecommunication installations such as masts and ensure they are not vandalised.

“They should also not buy ‘SIM’ cards that are already registered and not use their phone lines for criminal activities such as kidnapping,” he said.

Gov. David Umahi in his remark said that telecommunication plays an important role in advancing the growth and development of any society.

Umahi represented by his Deputy, Dr Kelechi Igwe noted that the nation would experience economic revitalisation if opportunities offered by telecommunication were properly harnessed.

“The NCC as the ombudsman can properly regulate unsolicited text messages, ring tones and illegal deductions by service providers and use it as a catalyst for economic growth.”

He said that the state government has inaugurated the Ebonyi Telecommunication Infrastructure Compliance Agency to ensure legal and proper development of telecommunication infrastructure in the state.

Mr Temipope Ogunsola, a Mobile Telephone Network (MTN) official informed the audience that most messages they claim to be unsolicited were actually for educational purposes.

The outreach programme which is the 79th edition in the NCC series has its theme as, ‘Information and Education as a Catalyst for Consumer Protection.’ (NAN)

RCO/YMU/OU
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Edited by Obike Ukoh

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Vision 2020 Eye Health: Experts make case for eye treatment

NAN-HG-12

Eye

By Yashim Katurak Rebecca

Abuja, Oct. 13, 2016 (NAN) Dr Sewuese Bitto, Head, Department of Ophthalmology, Garki Hospital, Abuja, said Nigerians still carry the burden of financing eye treatment.

This, Bitto said, would hinder the country from achieving the “Vision 2020 Eye Health”.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday that eye health was still very expensive in Nigeria hence only those who had the financial means could access it.

Bitto was speaking on the sidelines of the celebration of this year’s “World Sight Day”, a day set aside annually to raise global attention on blindness and vision impairment.

Bitto, a Consultant Ophthalmologist, said that the non-inclusion of eye care in most health management organisations further hindered most of the populace from accessing eye care in the country.

The expert said that the Federal Government could only overcome the hurdle and achieve the vision if it owned the funding and financing of eye care provision in the country.

She also advised the federal government to ensure even distribution of specialists in the urban and rural areas across the country.

“Vision 2020 Eye Health can only be said to have been achieved when eye health is made available to everybody not at a high cost but almost free.

“Eye health in Nigeria is still very expensive. Currently it is not even a comprehensive part of the National Health Insurance Scheme.

“Presently, if you have to see a consultant ophthalmologist, you will need to pay out of your pocket; it is not covered by insurance in many of the health management organisations.

“Government needs to own funding and financing of healthcare so that it can be run properly. Right now, what we have is Nigerians carrying the burden of financing their eye care; government is doing nothing.

“There is also the need to ensure even distribution of specialists across the country. The rural areas should have consultant ophthalmologists just like the urban centres.

“We should not only be concentrated around the urban areas thereby making the rural populace who are even more than those in the urban areas at risk. These people often have more complications due to this.

“If we cannot have this kind of cover for our rural population then we have a problem,” Bitto said.

To achieve this, Bitto called for organisation of outreaches in the rural areas to make rural dwellers aware of the availability of eye care services and seek medical assistance.

She said that this solution was only a temporal one as the regulatory bodies and law makers needed to put in place laws that would ensure eye care was made available to every citizen.

According to Bitto, if this is put in place then we go into financing of healthcare because eye care is not cheap.

“Expensive equipment are used to determine the problems in the eye.

“This is so because the eye is a complex organ located in very sensitive part of the body; it requires huge funding from both the government and Non-Governmental Organisations,’’ she stressed.

Bitto said she remained hopeful that the government would find lasting solutions to the current problems faced in eye care in the country.

NAN reports that the theme for this year’s celebration is “Universal Eye Health”. (NAN)

KRY/EAL/MST

Edited by Ekemini Ladejobi/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

NAN-AE-12
Environment
By Akeem Abas
Ibadan, Oct. 13, 2016 (NAN) The Oyo State Government has approved the constitution of 10 mobile courts to prosecute environmental degradation offenders as part of efforts at ensuring clean environment and flood control.

Chief Isaac Ishola, the State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, told newsmen in Ibadan on Thursday that the 10 mobile courts would be distributed across the state.

Ishola stated that five of the 10 mobile courts would be stationed in Ibadan, while one each would be in the remaining four zones, namely: Ogbomoso, Oyo, Saki, Iseyin and Eruwa.

The commissioner said that the state government would not tolerate the violation of the state environmental laws, such as indiscriminate dumping of refuse.

Ishola stated that markets, like Bodija, Shasha and Apata had been shut in the past by government over violation of environmental directives and laws, but were reopened after compliance.

He said that the state government had embarked on series of sensitisation and awareness programmes, following the annual flood outlook prediction for Nigeria.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency had on July 25 in its 2016 Flood Alert identified Oyo as one of the states to experience flooding.

Ishola said that the state government had developed an emergency action plan for sensitising residents of the state.

“The state government’s proactive response and participation as well as collaborative effort assisted in mitigating the impact of flooding in Ibadan city.

“Efforts include government’s impactful initiatives through dredging of water ways and canals that are in flood prone areas within the city, clearing of blocked drainage.

“Among the rivers dredged are Temidire, Gbaremu, Odo-Ona and Osun Abolowojaye rivers,” he said.

Ishola said that the government and Ibadan Urban Flood Management Project (IUFMP) would not relent at ensuring the state enjoyed safe environment

He also announced that seven bridges in the state had been approved to be widened by the state government.

Ishola said that the enforcement of laws prohibiting smoking in public place and noise pollution was underway as well. (NAN)
TAA/ORO/AFA
Edited by Razak Owolabi/Felix Ajide
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NAN-H-76
Conviction
By Sandra Umeh
Lagos, Oct. 13, 2016 (NAN) A Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday sentenced a 20-year-old mechanic to two years imprisonment for drug trafficking.
The convict, Samshudeen Olowu, was charged by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on a one-count charge of dealing in restricted narcotics.
Olowu, who had pleaded not guilty to the charge on his first arraignment on April 25, changed his plea and pleaded guilty at the resumed hearing on Thursday.
Following his plea, the Prosecutor, Mr Jeremiah Aernan, reviewed the facts of the case and tendered several evidence which the court admitted as exhibits.
Delivering her judgment, Justice Ishola Olatoregun, found the accused guilty as charged, and convicted him accordingly.
“The convict is hereby sentenced to a term of two years imprisonment, or an option of one million naira fine in lieu,” Olatoregun said in her judgment.
The judge also ordered that the drug remnants should be destroyed by the NDLEA within 90 days if no appeal is filed against the judgment.
Earlier, the prosecutor had told the court that Olowu was arrested on March 12 at a cannal near Aguda in Surulere area of Lagos with about 220 grams of cannabis sativa (Indian hemp).

The prosecutor said that the offence contravened the provisions of Sections 11 (c) of the NDLEA Act, Cap. N30, Law of the Federation, 2004.
In his plea for mercy, the convict begged the court to temper justice with mercy and promised to be a better person if given a second chance. (NAN)
UNS/DEB/WOJ
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(Edited by Debo Oshundun / Wale Ojetimi)

NAN-H-72
Plan
By Uche Bibilari
Abuja, Oct. 13, 2016 (NAN) Mrs Safia Umar, the Acting Coordinator, Department of Development Control, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), has called on FCT residents to respect the Abuja master plan.

Umar spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)  on the sidelines of the demolition of illegal shops and shanties at Gimbiya Street in Area 11 on Thursday.

She said that obeying the guidelines in the Abuja Master had become necessary in order to build a world class city.

Umar said that the area was meant for a rail transit way, adding that the demolition exercise was to restore sanity to the city.

She further said: “Every piece of land in Abuja has a purpose and unless you are allocated that land, you do not have the right over that place.

“Even if you are allocated that land, you must get a building plan approval to develop that place.

“If you are allocated a land for residential and you use it for commercial purpose, we will certainly demolish it.

“ If you are given a land and you decide to build without a building plan approval from a statutory organisation, which is Department of Development Control, then definitely we will come and demolish it.

“There are illegal structures scattered within the city and you can see beautiful buildings coming up and a slum in their middle.

“How do you expect these people to breathe? How do you expect them to live with all the noise? ‘’

Some of the traders, who spoke to NAN, however, lamented their ordeal with many saying they paid as much as N1 million to get a shop at the demolished site.

Mrs Regina Jim, a food vendor, said that notice was not given to them before the commencement of the demolition exercise.

Another food vendor, Mrs Favour Afu, said many of them collect foodstuff from dealers on credit weekly and pay later.

She, however, lamented that many of them have become indebted as a result of the demolition exercise. (NAN)
UU/DO/OJO
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(Edited by David Onilede and controlled by Mufutau Ojo)

NAN-HG-22
Centres
By Emmanuel Antswen
Makurdi, Oct. 13, 2016 (NAN) The office of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is building six primary healthcare centres in Benue state.

Mr Terkula Ati, Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Media and ICT attached to the SDGs office Makurdi, made the disclosure on Thursday.

He said that medical equipment needed for the take-off of the healthcare centres had been purchased.

He said that the healthcare centres were the last MDGs projects in the state that were constructed.

Ati attributed the delay in the construction of the projects to nonpayment of counterpart funding by the previous administration.

He said that execution of SDGs projects were yet to commence in the state because the incumbent government was yet to pay its counterpart funding for construction of projects.

“When the incumbent administration took over, it discovered that the last administration failed to meet up with the 2015 deadline for payment of counterpart funding for MDGs projects.

“As a result of that, we were unable to access the funds for the SDGs.

“You know the rule is that states must access and implement MDGs fully for SDGs to commence.

“So, the government had no option but to meet up the requirement to access the funds for the 2015 MDG projects which amounted to N1.2 billion, including the state counterpart funds.

“So far, we are building six primary healthcare centres in Agatu, Tarka, Ushongo, Ohimini, Gboko and Oju local government councils using the 2015 MDGs funds,” he said.

The SSA explained that each of the primary healthcare facility had capacity for 12 beds, modern laboratory centre and other facilities befitting a standard primary healthcare centre.

He said that six Toyota ambulances had also been purchased for the six hospitals. (NAN)
AEB/PD/AEA
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Edited by Archibong Asuquo

Use quantity surveyors in infrastructure projects to save cost, board urges govt.
NAN-H-75
Development
By Uche Bibilari
Abuja, Oct. 13, 2016 (NAN) Malam Husaini Dikko, President, Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria (QSRBN), has called on government to utilise the expertise of quantity surveyors in cost management in infrastructure development.
Dikko made the call on Thursday in Abuja at the 2016 Annual Conference of registered quantity surveyors with the theme: – “Role of Quantity Surveying in the Development of Nigeria Economy’’.
He said the failure to leverage on the expertise of quantity surveyors had created a loophole which encouraged leakages, corruption, financial recklessness and impunity which the country could not afford.
“The QSRBN believes that this country can gain tremendously from better managed resources if the services of quantity surveyors are used across the entire spectrum of infrastructure development in Nigeria.
“The current practice of restricting the services of the quantity surveyors to only building projects is unhelpful to the country,’’ he said.
He added that the country was in dire need of resources for development of infrastructure in roads, bridges, railways and dams, among others.
Dikko said that the theme of the conference suggested that quantity surveyors had a significant role to play in developing the country`s infrastructure.
According to him, the expertise domiciled in the profession could place the country’s economy in the right path for sustainable development.
According to him, public building and housing projects account for less than 20 per cent of the total public expenditure on construction projects in Nigeria.
This, he said, meant that independent cost expertise was not applied to over 80 per cent of public fund spent annually on construction and infrastructure in the country.
Dikko said that quantity survey was one of the professions that could be described as a development profession.
This, he said, was so because it supported good governance, value for money, transparency, probity and accountability, anti-corruption and efficient allocation of resources without which there would be no sustainable development.
Speaking earlier, Mrs Mercy Iyortyer, President, Nigeria Institute of Quantity Surveyors, said the conference presented an opportunity for registered quantity surveyors to brainstorm on ways of advancing the profession.
She said it would be a great benefit if quantity surveyors were included in cost management of all construction activities.
Iyortyer said that the role of quantity surveying was most times excluded from construction activities because of corruption and mismanagement of the nation`s resources by those entrusted with such responsibility.
“This profession is targeted at promoting, accountability, probity, due diligence, transparency and value for money but is excluded from the scheme of construction, project procurement, management and delivery’’ she said.
Mr Kashim Ali, President, Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, in his remarks, said that the country was not developing as expected because there was no sufficient investment in infrastructure.
He urged quantity surveyors to build a synergy that would advance their course. (NAN)
UU/EEM/WOJ
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(Edited by Emmanuel Mogbede / Wale Ojetimi)

NAN-H-74
Advice
Isaac Aregbesola
Abuja, Oct. 13, 2016 (NAN) The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Diaspora and Foreign Affairs, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has cautioned parents against sending their children to volatile and hostile countries in the quest to study abroad.

Dabiri-Erewa spoke against the backdrop of some Nigerian students who were either detained or deported from Turkey over their alleged link to its failed coup.

The presidential aide told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Abuja that the present administration was working toward ensuring that the Nigerian education sector was re-positioned to meet world standard.

She advised parents to avoid risking the lives of their children in their quest to study in countries where their lives were not safe.

“Where you are running to is worse off than where you are running away from.

`You are taking your children to some hostile countries, and you don’t need to, what you are looking for is actually here in Nigeria.

“There are private universities here in Nigeria and are better than those over there. These are hard times. We have a president who is laying a solid foundation that cannot be broken.

“We need to join hands with him to achieve his set goal”, she said.

Dabiri-Erewa said her office would work with the Ministry of Education to provide information about unsafe countries and schools.

“Why do you want to go to where your lives are not safe as students? You don’t need to, and if you must, why won’t you go to a better place?

“We have an administration that is working to improve standard of education in Nigeria. We are not there yet but we will get there. So, we need to support this administration.

“We need a data base of universities that you should not even go to; why would you go to a place that is worse than where you are coming from?”

According to her, the Buhari administration is determined to take care of the welfare of all Nigerians at home or abroad.

She was optimistic that with the Buhari administration tackling corruption, insecurity and economic recession, parents would not need to send their children out for education.

“Hopefully, by the time we are through, people will be coming to Nigeria for schooling rather than Nigerians going out to seek better education abroad”, she said. .(NAN)
IAA/EAL/IEA
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Edited by Ekemini Ladejobi/Idahosa Asowata

NAN-AE-10
Weather
By Sumaila Ogbaje
Abuja, Oct. 13, 2016 (NAN) The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted cloudy weather conditions over the central states of the country on Friday morning.

NiMet gave the predictions in its Weather Outlook issued by the Central Forecast Office (CFO) on Thursday in Abuja.

It stated that localised thunderstorms would prevail over Abuja, Lafia, Bida, Kaduna and Jos in the afternoon and evening hours with maximum temperatures of 30 to 33 degrees Celsius.

According to NiMet, the southern states will experience cloudy morning over the inland cities during the period.

It stated that there would be prospects of isolated thunderstorms over Ibadan, Awka, Akure and Enugu in the afternoon and evening hours.

It also predicted chances of localised rains over Lagos, Port-Harcourt, Calabar, Warri, Eket and Benin in the afternoon and evening hours with maximum temperatures of 28 to 33 degrees Celsius.

NiMet predicted that northern states would experience cloudy to partly cloudy conditions in the morning with chances of localised thunderstorms over the Potiskum, Bauchi, Gombe and Dutse later in the day.

It stated that the region would have maximum day time temperatures in the range of 34 to 37 degrees Celsius. (NAN)
OYS/DOE/AFA
Edited by Dianabasi Effiong/Felix Ajide
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NAN-HE-16

Tollgates

By Franca Ofili

Abuja, Oct. 13, 2016 (NAN) Dr Tunji Olaopa, Executive Vice- Chairman, Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy, has said that  the reintroduction of tollgates on highways can be used to address Nigeria’s current economic recession.

Olaopa expressed the view at a stakeholders’ forum in Abuja on Thursday on reducing the cost of governance.

His paper at the conference was entitled,  “ Using the Instrumentality of Public Private Partnership (PPP) for Reduction of Cost of Governance in Nigeria’’.

“Toll abolition in 2004 was too hasty, especially as the Road Fund designed to replace it for the maintenance of major highways in the country was not achieved in the absence of required enabling law.

“Nigeria has, therefore, lost the little revenue from tolling its highways that could have come handy in this period of recession.

“The effect can be seen in the success story of Lekki Road Concession and the impact on the economy of Lagos State and attendant improvement of standard of residents in that area of Lagos.

“It should be clear that tolling of highways is a revenue spinner,’’ Olaopa said.

He said that research had shown that private companies were  usually better than governments at building, operating and maintaining infrastructure in a cost effective and efficient manner.

Olaopa said when the private sector bore the risks of operations, maintenance and construction, project costs should  presumably be lower and should reduce costs to be borne by the government.

He advised that the system of Build-Transfer-Operate (BTO) could be used in building more refineries and move Nigeria more strongly on the diversification curve.

According to him, Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model is, however. not advised with the record of inefficiency of commercial operations of public enterprises.

“In this period of pipeline vandalism and destruction in the Niger Delta, BTO is advised,’’ Olaopa said.

Also, Sen. Olubunmi Adetunmbi, Chief Executive Officer, Development Associates Limited, said for diversification to happen, the country must return to development planning

Adetunmbi said in a paper, “ Diversification of the economy as a strategy for reduction of cost of governance’’, that diversification must involve good thinking to introduce   policies. (NAN)

FNO/JCE

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Edited by Chukwudi Ekezie